Page 150 of Old Acquaintances

“Please stop,” I groan. “We almost didn’t invite you all because of this.”

“Let us be emotional!” my mother cries.

Lori adds, “This is thirty years in the making.”

“I hope this was not the plan for your infant children because that’s kind of creepy.” I grab the bunch of flowers Serena hands to me.

“How is that creepy?” My mother clicks her teeth. “Everyone starts off as babies. And you two ended up exactly where we wanted you, sothere.”

I laugh. “You did not want us here. You tried to keep us apart for the entirety of our teenage-hood.”

“We did want you here,” Lori says, pulling her phone down after taking my picture. “We just didn’t want you eighteen and pregnant.”

“Okay, okay.” I ask, “So are we ready to go? Who’s driving me?”

Hattie drives me in my car with my friends. My parents take Gracie and Lori in their rental car.

As I sit in the passenger seat, looking out at my new neighborhood, the streets Tucker and I walk down together, I feel a strange nervousness. I’m getting married. To ElijahTucker.

I don’t know why I’m nervous, but I am.

Maybe it’s not nervousness, but anticipation. Excitement.

Serena calls out from the backseat. “Oh, Ella, I found this on your windshield.” Her eyes focus on her phone, her hand holds out a folded square of paper.

I take it and read.

To the love of my life. Ella, I love you. I’ve always loved you. There’s nothing I want more in this world than to love you and be around you and fuck you and make you frustrated and be frustrated by you.

You’re my favorite person. Today is the second best day of my life. The best, best day was the day you called me and told me you loved me back. Because everything since then has led to this. I have my dream. I have you. Most of the plans we made on the phone that night have come true all ready and the rest will. Because there’s nothing we can’t do together. All I need is you. Everything else is just icing on the cake.

I love you. I can’t wait to marry you. I’ll see you soon.

I wipe a tear and Hattie complains that I’m messing up my makeup. I don’t care. I’m realizing my dream. I’m allowed to cry happy tears.

“I’m dropping you off, right?” she checks.

“Yeah.” We reach City Hall. “I’m meeting him outside.”

The car pulls up to the concrete steps and my eyes blur out the statues and the flags and the gold detailing. I see only the Tucker’s wide, tall back, his black suit clean and sharp and perfect. He turns around and sees me inside my car.

He breaks into a smile. His emerald green eyes crinkle. His golden cheeks pinch.

I smile in return, my heart full and my stomach fluttery.

I’m not nervous anymore.

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