Page 108 of What I Should've Said

“Our girl was a little fussy, so I fed her a bottle, but I was hoping you’d stay sleeping,” he whispers toward me.

I walk over to join their little dance, wrapping my arms around his shoulders so that Autumn is carefully hugged between the two of us.

“I love you so much,” I whisper toward him, and he leans forward to press a kiss to my forehead.

“I love you too.”

“I want to marry you.”

He smirks. “Well, that’s good news, because that’s the plan.”

“No.” I shake my head. “I mean, I want to marry you now. As soon as possible.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I want to get married in July. In summer.”

His eyes search mine. “Norah, I really love the sentiment, but you just had a baby, sweetheart. Don’t you think we should wait until next July? I’m sure our sweet Summer wouldn’t mind if we wait another year to say ‘I do.’”

“I don’t care,” I answer honestly. Because I don’t. I don’t care that I’ve just had a baby or that my body isn’t anywhere near how it was before I got pregnant. I don’t care about anything besides my future with Bennett and our sweet baby Autumn and keeping the memory of our Summer alive as much as we can. “I want to get married this July. It’s what I want, and I know in my heart it’s what Summer would’ve wanted to.”

“This July?” he questions, and I nod.

“Yes. This July, I want to marry you in our backyard, in the same spot where we watched shooting stars with Summer.”

His smile is soft, and his kiss is even softer as he places one to the top of Autumn’s head before pressing one to the top of my head too. “I want that too.”

Saturday, July 9th

Bennett

Today, with my precious baby Autumn in my arms, I say “I do” during the prime of the hottest season.

My wife-to-be picked this date on a whim of symbolism and the inclusion of our sweet Summer, and to be honest, I can’t think of any better way to do it. Autumn is just over six weeks old, and when it comes to making our family complete, it feels like I’ve been waiting forever.

Clay stretches out on the tan chaise in the corner of my studio, and I bounce up and down and all around to keep my girl happy.

Breezy, Josie, and Lillian are in the house with Norah, getting ready for our backyard wedding. I know, without a shadow of a doubt, she’s got to be laughing at how opposite it is from the aisle she didn’t go down.

“You think Josie’s going to like me in pink?” Clay asks from his reclining position, fiddling with the silk fabric running down the center of his shirt, and I roll my eyes.

“Clay, I swear to God, if you make a scene with that sweet woman today, I’m going to have to kick your ass.”

“You can’t threaten to kick my ass while you’re holding a baby,” he replies through a scoff. “That’s, like, illegal.”

“Illegal or not, I’ll do it. Give Josie some peace for the day, for fuck’s sake, okay?”

“That’s easy advice for you to give, seeing as you’ve got the woman of your dreams walking down the aisle to you today, bud. But I’m still missing mine. Cut me some slack.”

“Yeah, she’s walking down the aisle today, but we’ve walked through fire to get here. Why don’t you start by making whatever you did to fuck it up with Josie right in the first place? I feel like that’d be a better strategy than constantly getting in her face.”

“Fourth of July wasn’t my fault. They practically sealed us up together in that fireworks tent!”

“Right.” I guffaw. “And Easter? What about that? Was that your fault?”

Clay sits up and shrugs. “I maybe coulda hid the eggs somewhere other than her shop.”

“And who can forget New Year’s in the square and Halloween at Earl’s party?”

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