Page 14 of Merry Little Wedding

“You think I give a fuck right now?” Mom says, and I can’t help but laugh out loud. She may be getting older, she may have come closer to death today than she’s ever been in her life, but she’s still fucking spritely as ever. She’s still my mama.

I calm myself, wipe the tears off my eyes, and look at Misty. Her salty expression slowly morphs into a smile. “How far along?”

“Seven weeks. Shh!” She looks over her shoulder, surveying the hospital corridor. “No one knows.”

“C’mere.” I hold out my arm, and she hithers into it. “Congratulations.” I kiss the top of my sister’s head.

“I should say the same to you.”

“Yeah,” I tease her;sort of. “You should.”

“Congratulations, big brother. We…like her,” Misty says. I look over at Mom.

“We really do, honey. We’re happy for you.”

“I’ve never seen you in love before,” Misty says. She scrunches her face up. “It’s weird.” I chuckle.

“Big day for all of us, huh.”

“Boone,” says Mom, reaching for my hand again. “Please bring her in here. Maybe we can…try again?”

“We want to start over,” my sister adds.They’ve talked about this.

I look at my sister, then Mom, then Misty again. “You treat Rora with kindness.”

“Yes.”

“Respect.”

“Absolutely.”

“Boone,” Mom cuts in. “We will. We promise.”

My sister, mypregnantlittle sister, puts her hand in my hand that isn’t already holding Mom’s. “It’s a new start…for all of us.”

“This is all happening so fast,” I warily muse, looking down at my feet, shaking my head.This is so crazy.

“You know a thing or two about that, don’t you?” says Misty.

My eyes snap over to hers. My sister is challenging me with an even, albeit notunlovingstare.

“Yes,” I admit, no further explanation required. “I certainly do.”

Epilogue

Aurora – One year later

“Can I look now, pleeease?”

Boone keeps his hands on my face, shielding my eyes from seeing our potential new home until the last possible second.

“You’re such a tease, Boone!” I complain.

He dips his head, nuzzling into my neck then nibbles my earlobe with his lips. “You want a good tease, just wait until later…wifey.”

I trundle a few more steps forward, then stop when I feel Boone’s palm creating resistance against my face. Nice of him.

“Now,” he whispers against the shell of my ear, his nose still tucked into my hair. His warm breath sends goose-chills all down my neck.

---