Orion pulled him into another hug, and I heard him say quietly, \u201cAlways, brother. Always.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sarah came bursting out of the house then, not even bothering with the porch steps, just running straight across the lawn to us. She\u00a0<\/p>\n
was already crying happy tears, not even trying to hide them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me see it,\u201d she demanded, reaching for me even as tears streamed down her face. \u201cLet me see the certificate. Tell me he signed it. Tell me everything.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I pulled it carefully from my purse, and she took it with reverent hands, opening it like it was the most precious thing in the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh my God,\u201d she whispered, her fingers tracing over both our signatures. \u201cIt\u2019s real. You\u2019re really married. Well, almost married.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tomorrow you\u2019ll be really really married.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTomorrow,\u201d I confirmed, smiling at her excitement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She looked up at me, tears still flowing freely, and pulled me into a fierce hug. \u201cI\u2019m so happy for you,\u201d she said into my hair. \u201cSo incredibly happy. You two are perfect together, and watching you plan this, seeing how much you love him\u2026 it was an honor to be part of\u00a0<\/p>\n
it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you for helping,\u201d I said, hugging her back just as tightly. \u201cFor keeping it secret, for being there when I was freaking out about whether I was doing the right thing, for everything.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you kidding?\u201d She pulled back, wiping at her eyes even though new tears were already replacing the ones she\u2019d cleared away. \u201cIt was the most romantic thing I\u2019ve ever been part of. And his reaction\u2026\u201d She looked over at Tristan, who was still talking with Orion. \u201cYou should have texted me his reaction. I\u2019ve been dying to know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe cried,\u201d I said softly. \u201cHappy tears. And he couldn\u2019t stop shaking when he signed it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sarah pressed a hand to her heart. \u201cI\u2019m going to cry again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re already crying,\u201d I pointed out with a laugh.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to cry more,\u201d she corrected.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\u00a0<\/p>\n
She turned to Tristan then, and he immediately opened his arms to hug her. She went to him, and I watched as she told him how happy she was for us, how perfect we were together, how she knew this was exactly right.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you,\u201d Tristan told her. \u201cFor helping Athena with all of this, for being such a good friend to her. For being a not a family but a friend and mother.\u201d Both of them laughed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t have a choice,\u201d they laughed again. \u201cBut if I was asked to make a choice, I\u2019ll choose this a million times. I used my hands to clean the tears that had escaped from my eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:34 Thu, Jan 29\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 360\u00a0<\/p>\n
:\u00a0<\/p>\n
A68\u00a0<\/p>\n
The front door opened again, and I looked up to see Derek stepping out onto the porch. My eyes widened in surprise, I hadn\u2019t known\u00a0<\/p>\n
he was here, hadn\u2019t expected to see him tonight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDerek!\u201d I said, surprised but pleased. \u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He walked down the steps with a slight smile on his face. \u201cOrion called me after you two left for the restaurant. Said I needed to be\u00a0<\/p>\n
here when you got back.\u201d He glanced at Orion. \u201cTold me I was part of this, so I should be here for the celebration.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My heart clenched at that. Orion was right, Derek had been part of this. He\u2019d helped me too, made phone calls, used his connections\u00a0<\/p>\n
to help expedite the license paperwork. He\u2019d been just as invested in making this surprise perfect as Orion had been.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m glad you\u2019re here,\u201d I said, going over to hug him. \u201cThank you for everything you did to help make this happen.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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