Page 91 of Worth the Wait

“Come in, unless you’re Daddy. Then, stay out,” Clara’s little voice directed before she started giggling hysterically.

“It’s just me. Addison,” I said.

They all started yelling at once for me to get in there. I pushed open the door, and my mouth fell open.

“Oh, wow. Brooklyn, you look so beautiful,” I said as I took in her unique green dress that complemented her red hair and matching ruby ring.

“Isn’t this dress wild?” Lana said with a smile. “I love that she’s not wearing white.”

“Well, I have been married before,” Brooklyn added with a small frown and a little wince.

I noted to talk to her more about her past when the timing was right. I hadn’t been told much about it and figured going straight to the source was my best option for that kind of girl talk.

“What about me?” Little Clara poked at my hip with her finger. “Do you like my dress?” She spun in an emerald-green dress of her own.

“I love it. It’s so sparkly,” I commented, noticing that her entire skirt looked like it was covered in glitter.

“I live for sparkles. Right, Aunt Lana?” Clara said before covering her mouth with a giggle.

“We all live for sparkles,” Lana agreed with a fist pump in the air, and Clara mimicked her.

Lana was a trip. I liked her.

“Anyway, I just came up to make sure you didn’t need anything. Water or snacks or anything?”

“That’s so sweet, Addison. Thank you. But, no, we’re good. Just ready to get this thing started already, right?” Brooklyn said before looking right at Clara.

“Yeah! We want to get married!” Clara shouted.

And get married they did.

Thomas and Brooklyn exchanged vows that they’d written for one another, and Clara had vows of her own that made everyone in the packed barn cry. And right before they were pronounced husband and wife, the three of them each picked up a vile that held colored sand. Brooklyn’s was red, Thomas’s was blue, and Clara’s was purple. They poured the sand together into a glass box that read,Perfectly Blended. It represented the three of them coming together to form one family. It was a sweet gesture and looked so pretty in the glass.

I was sitting on the end of a row, next to my dad, Jasper at my feet. My eyes searched for one male body to the right of Thomas and found Patrick already watching me. The man had been staring at me almost the entire time. He was happy for his brother, of course, but I knew what he’d been thinking throughout the ceremony. Because I’d been thinking the exact same things. It was hard to watch someone get married and not think about your own wedding. Listening to them pledge their love to one another made my heart grow even larger. And I couldn’t wait to do the same with Patrick one day soon.

I glanced for a second at Matthew, who was looking toward the back of the room. Turning around so I could see who had his attention, I realized that I shouldn’t have even had to look. The guy was staring at Bella, and it appeared that she was gazing right back at him. I watched until she broke eye contact and quickly glanced at Matthew, who looked disappointed at first before pulling his expression together.

The ceremony ended with cheers and flashes of camera bulbs going off. We were all directed into the other half of the barn for the reception and cocktails.

Patrick found me as soon as he was able. “They need us, love.”

“Us?”

“Family photos,” he said.

I argued, “I’m not officially family yet.”

“Soon enough. Brooklyn insisted.”

“Oh. Okay then.” Because if it was Brooklyn’s idea, then I was okay with it.

We posed for photos, the mountains framing our bodies in the distance. I was certain they would make the most stunning background. Especially once the sun started to set and we settled in for one last round of formal family shots.

“We can dance now?” Clara asked, her eyes wide as she looked up at Brooklyn.

“Yes! Let’s dance.” Brooklyn smiled and reached for Clara’s little hand as they made their way toward the makeshift dance floor.

After dancing for what felt like hours, I leaned my head on Patrick’s shoulder and sighed. “You did good, babe.”

---