I was stunned, unable to say anything. All I could stare at was the ring, and then I turned around to look at my daughter, who had a devilish smirk on her face as she held up a sign in her hand from her now-opened backpack.
SAY YES, MAMA!
She was in on this, too, the sneak.
I turned back to Oliver and said the word that mattered the most in that very moment. “Yes.” He stood to his feet and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me in close. His lips crashed against mine, and as he slid the ring onto my finger, we both laughed nervously with one another.
Once he’d finished proposing to me, Oliver turned to Reese and got down on one knee in front of her. “I wanted to propose to you, too, kid. Now, I don’t have a ring, but I have this.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a half of a heart necklace. Alex’s heart. “This was my brother’s, and it means the world to me, so I wanted to give it to the little girl who means the world to me too. I wanted you to know that you have half of my heartbeats, and I’d spend forever protecting you if you’ll have me.”
Reese was cheesing so hard, I was almost certain her cheeks were going to pop. “Yes, Mr. Mith! Yes!” she shouted, jumping up and down. He placed the jewelry around her neck and then gave her a tight hug. “Does this mean I can call you ‘Dad’ now?” Reese asked nervously.
“Yes, Reese. If you want to, you can call me ‘Dad.’”
She hugged him tighter. “I love you, Dad,” she cried, breaking and healing my heart all at once.
In that moment, I knew the truth about family. There wasn’t one cookie-cutter way to create love bonds. Families came in all shapes, forms, and sizes. Some were tied together by blood, and others by heartbeats. At the end of the day, it didn’t matter how you came together; it only mattered that you stayed together. That you looked out for one another and loved in an unconditional way.
There were no limitations on my love for Reese and Oliver.
Which was exactly why it was going to last forever. Before, they stamped my heartbeats, and those stamps would last forever.
EPILOGUE
EMERY
One Year Later
“It’s too tight,” I breathed out as Sammie finished lacing up my dress.
“I told you not to eat those extra cheese fries last night,” she joked as she finished. “Anyway, it’s not too tight—it’s a perfect fit.”
Sammie had come back to California a few weeks before to help me prepare for the wedding between Oliver and me. She’d been in Texas for the past few months getting her life together—with the help of Oliver’s parents, who looked after her. Even though I was trying my best to get her to move back to California, she seemed to be finding her footing down in Austin. I couldn’t have been happier for her. She looked healthier, too: not only physically, but mentally. Emotionally. I knew my sister still had so many things to work through, so many demons to still slay, but she was doing it day in and day out.
And I couldn’t have been happier to have her by my side during the happiest day of my life. I often used to dream about my wedding day, and it was always my sister who was standing by my side in those visions. I was so happy they’d come to fruition.
“Hey, Emery, wow,” Tyler said, coming into the dressing room. “You look amazing. I was supposed to come here and tell you that the photographer needs Reese and Sammie for solo pictures. They just finished up doing mine and Kelly’s. They are right down the hallway to the left,” he said.
Sammie thanked Tyler as she walked away with Reese’s hand in hers.
Tyler turned to me and gave me a tight smile. “You look amazing, Emery, truly. My best friend is a lucky bastard.”
“Thank you. Now, if only I could get my nerves in check,” I joked.
“Nothing to be nervous about. I’ve never seen two people who were more meant to be. Listen, I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you . . . for loving him. You gave him a shot when the rest of the world had counted him out. You’re a phenomenal woman, and he’s so damn lucky to have you.”
“He’s not wrong,” a voice said, interrupting us both. I turned around to see Oliver’s father, Richard, standing there. “Not to jump in uninvited, but do you think I can have a moment with Emery quickly?”
Tyler nodded and headed out of the space.
Richard stood back for a minute with his hands stuffed in his pants pockets. “Wow,” he muttered. “Completely breathtaking.”
“Don’t make me cry too soon, Richard. My makeup artist is MIA.”
“Sorry, I just . . . my son is very lucky. I won’t take up too much of your time. I’m going to be honest: I don’t know much about wedding traditions. Michelle and I ran off to Vegas for a shotgun wedding, and to this day my parents are still pissed about it. But I heard this thing about something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. I only got one of those pieces, but I figured I’d offer something borrowed to you, if you’d like.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a watch.
“This was Alex’s favorite piece. He, um, always had a watch, no matter where he went. He hated that his brother was always late, so to make up for it, Alex was always right on time. And I think that’s fitting for you, because you were right on time for Oliver with your love. Now, I know this might not go perfectly with your outfit, but—”
“Please,” I said, cutting him off as I held my arm out toward him. He smiled and nodded as he began putting the watch on my arm. I stared down at the beautiful piece that held the history of a beautiful man. “I wish I could’ve met him.”
“He would’ve loved you. Just like the rest of us.” The way the Smiths had welcomed me into their world seemed so unreal. I didn’t feel worthy of their love sometimes, but they always gave it to me and my daughter without thought.
Richard stood in front of me as if he had something else to say but wasn’t sure how to get it out.
“Is there something else?” I asked.
“Yes, I mean . . . you’re allowed to say no, because you’re your own person. But I realized you have no one walking you down the aisle, and I wanted to say that if you needed a father figure to hold your hand, I’d gladly offer mine.”
The tears fell down my cheeks, and Richard held his hands up, trying to stop their flow. “No tears! Your makeup.”
“It’s fine, we’ll find the makeup person again,” I laughed, pulling him into a hug.
When the time came for me to walk down the aisle toward my favorite love song, I linked my arm with Richard’s. When the officiant—Abigail, of course—asked who was giving me away, Richard gave me off to his son. It was the most touching moment, and I felt more love than I’d ever felt in my life.
Everyone who meant anything and everything to both Oliver and me stood around us, supporting our happily ever after. Oliver stood tall, looking like a dream that I’d never thought I’d receive. Thinking back on life, I realized that I wouldn’t change a thing. I wouldn’t trade in a tear, a struggle, or a broken heartbeat, because all those pieces had led me to where I was right then and there. I stood beside the love of my life.
Right there, in front of our family and friends, we recorded the best song to exist on our mixtape of love.