Page 98 of Breathe Again

Rebecca, sassy pants, had that last bit altered.

Rhys laughed and grabbed her. “I’m all yours.” He dipped his head to give her access to his mouth, and she kissed him, both of them laughing, their lips pressed tight.

The pastor then turned to us, held out her arms, and announced, “May I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Rhys and Rebecca Griffin, and family.”

She stepped away from behind the little group and they turned as one. Rhys and Rebecca’s hands clasped, Rhys with his other hand wrapped around the back of Cole’s neck, Cole’s hand still holding Amelie’s, Rebecca’s arm draped over the front of Amelie’s little chest, her other little hand clasped around Rebecca’s, just as the photographer stepped forward and snapped the shot, their first family picture, taken just seconds after becoming official. That picture would go on to live on their mantle for all their years together.

Calum and Barrett were the first ones to change out of their suits after dinner and pictures. They immediately took the kids to see all the animals. It surprised me that Olivia took to Calum, his being big, gruff, and loud, but she did. Maybe it was because of his expressive, outspoken nature. She didn’t have to work hard to figure him out. In any case, he didn’t demand conversation from her, just chatted to her and Cole and Amelie. Barrett, just as I suspected, calmed herwith his steady presence, and I found her gravitating toward him, especially after she learned he was one of the veterinarians at the shelter. They had a full out conversation about the animals and her work there.

I thought the photographer would leave early, but Bex hired him to stay the entire night to take pictures of all the festivities. He took dozens of candid shots of everyone in the tent and when the children headed outside with Calum and Barrett, he followed along. Leaving Olivia out there with a stranger triggered my anxiety, but Barrett assured me he wouldn’t leave her unattended, and strangely, I trusted him. I couldn’t wait to see the pictures.

The caterers cleared away the debris from dinner, leaving the fridge stocked with desserts, salads, and sandwiches for later. They left, and Jeanie happily took over, set to handle the rest of the food later on in the evening, including serving up the macaroni and cheese to Olivia and the twins when she noticed they were getting hungry.

It was such a novel experience to have so many adults around, all looking after the children, and each other. I’d never experienced anything like it. I caught Willa’s gaze and moved toward her.

“It’s like an alternate universe,” she muttered.

“It is. Shouldn’t Jeanie be complaining that the coffee’s not ready? Telling everybody that Bex chose grey and cream against her better judgement? Rounding up Barrett and Rhys to change the table and chairs around in the tent to better suit her vision?”

“It’s weird.”

I laughed. “No, Willa, we’re the weird ones.”

It was the only sad moment in the entire day, but it lasted only a moment. It was impossible to brood, surrounded as we were by so much love, acceptance, and joy.

The rest of us changed into jeans and flannel, the other half of the theme Bex had requested for the evening.

The pictures were fantastic and told the tale of the rest of the night.

Calum with his head thrown back laughing, Barrett with his face tipped way down, grinning at Olivia who cradled a bunny in her arms, her little face earnest, having just said something to elicit that response. I hoped it wasn’t about bunny sex, but I was pretty sure, at some point, bunny sex had come up. Olivia did not mince words, and she did not filter.

Cole, his face lit up from underneath, looking into his lantern.

A shot of all of us, the fire pit blazing behind us, releasing our lanterns to the sky. We looked like pagans dancing around the fire, making our offering to the night.

Candid family shots of Zale, Olivia, and me. My ass looked huge, but Zale’s hand wrapped firmly around my hip showed me he didn’t mind that.

Several shots of Cole and Amelie with the animals, with their grandparents, uncle, parents, and a great shot of their whole familytogether, arms slung over shoulders, hands held, bodies swaying into one another, grinning at the camera.

A beautiful, tender shot of Calum and Jeanie, smiling at one another over the children’s heads, somehow appearing to be touching while being entirely out of reach. Goals for sure.

A candid shot of Willa on her haunches talking to Olivia who was cuddling a guinea pig, Barrett standing in the background, hands in his pockets, his gaze resting on them, soft and slightly out of focus. I wondered if he’d be good for Willa, if she would be good for him, if she would allow him to be more than a friend.

Barrett chatting with Rhys, a twin dangling joyfully from each of Barrett’s bent arms.

A sweet profile shot of Amelie up in Rhys’ arms, her little hand on his cheek, smiling into each other's eyes.

A close-up of Willa, Bex and I, our heads together, laughing, still dressed in all our finery. Another shot of us full length, under the arch in the tent, holding hands and smiling. I looked good in that picture, even standing next to Willa and Bex.

Olivia and I bumping our marshmallows together in the flames, her mouth wide open laughing, my eyes soft on her face.

Zale and Olivia from the back, walking, in silhouette, faces tipped toward one another, talking.

My favorite, and one I carried around with me until it fell apart, one that Bex made multiple copies of for me, caught Zale and mestanding by the fire before it got dark. Pink and lavender painted the sky on one side, and the fire lit the night behind us. Zale stood with his legs braced, one hand in his jeans pocket, the other arm low across my back, holding my front close to his side, his face turned toward me and tipped down, a half-smile on his face, his eyes crinkled, me beaming back at him, happiness radiating from me like beams of moonlight. I relived that happiness every time I slipped that photo out of my purse to look at it yet again.

The photographer won some kind of prestigious award for one of the photos from Bex’ wedding. He had it professionally framed for Rhys and Rebecca, thanking them for allowing him to use it.

Willa had framed a large canvas printed with a shot of Rhys and Rebecca that she’d taken herself. The canvas had been specially prepared to accept writing and all of us got a chance to sign it, the perfect guest ‘book’ for Bex’s day.

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