Page 26 of A Very Miller-Cooper Life

Charlie spit out the water she had just taken a sip of. “Ew.”

I couldn’t hide my pride at grossing out both of the Miller twins. “I know, right? Why are you drinking water when there’s a bar over there?”

Ethan handed Charlie a napkin off of our table to clean up the water she had gotten on her dress then turned toward me. “To answer your question, we only want one, and our plan is to adopt within the next few years. We just want to get a few things in order first.”

I nodded in understanding. Good for people who actually thought through their life plans. “That’s a much smarter idea than diving right into trying for kids and ending up with three before you’ve even been married for two years.”

“But they’re so cute,” Ethan said as he pushed out his bottom lip. Clearly his baby fever was much worse than Jamie’s.

“They really are.” I took out my phone and started showing them the millions of pictures I had taken since the last time we saw them.

We continued to do this until the DJ announced it was time for the couple to be introduced. When he said, “I present to you for the first time as wives, Mrs. and Mrs. Royerford,” we all leapt to our feet and hoots and hollers filled the barn.

We watched as Mary Beth and Jackie weaved their way through the tables out to the makeshift dance floor, where they immediately went into their first dance. I instinctively brought my arm around Charlie’s waist and held her tight up against me as we watched them sway to the music.

“Do you remember our first dance?” I asked, leaning in to kiss her temple.

Charlie sighed and pushed her body even closer to mine. “Of course. How could I ever forget?”

The music continued, but I wasn’t watching the happy couple anymore. My eyes were stuck on the woman next to me; the one who had made all of my dreams come true. This was one of those moments I had to pinch myself to remind myself that this was actually real. Life gets crazy and sometimes it feels like I’m just going through the motions, but it’s times like these that bring me back to earth and remind me how lucky I am.

I gave Charlie another kiss. “Do you know how much I love you?”

“I think I do, but maybe later, you could show me.” She gently bumped her hip against mine.

I instinctively licked my lips at the thought. “There’s nothing I want to do more.”

“Nothing you want to do more than what?” Charlie asked in a teasing whisper, clearly aware of what my answer was going to be.

“You,” I whispered, making sure to keep my voice extra breathy.

Charlie shivered beside me and it sent a chill through my body as well. I loved that we both still had this effect on each other. I was so caught up in my own thoughts, I didn’t even realize that the first dance had ended and now Mary Beth and Jackie were dancing with their dads.

Halfway through the song, they switched partners, and it amazed me how comfortable they all looked together. I wondered what it was like to have normal in-laws.

Charlie’s parents had grown a lot from the first time I met them (her dad more than her mom), but they would never be my favorite people. That didn’t matter though. I was happy to sacrifice good in-laws to get to spend my life with Charlie.

And, hey, at least my brother-in-law was okay. I chuckled to myself as I thought about how full circle my life had come. Who knew the guy I met freshman year of college who thought he was much cooler than he actually was would someday be family? I chuckled softly at the thought.This life.

“What are you thinking about?” Charlie whispered just a moment later.

“Your brother,” I answered honestly.

Charlie pulled away from me slightly and scrunched up her nose at me. “Not the answer I was expecting.”

I took this new angle as an opportunity to lean in and capture her lips with mine. “Don’t worry, babe. You’re still my number two Miller. After Nana, of course.”

Charlie leaned into me once again. “Of course. Nana is everyone’s number one.”

After the first dances were done, the DJ told us to sit and they began to bring out our food while the toasts were made. Jackie’s man of honor was her brother and his speech contained a lot of jokes about all of the signs of his sister being gay. Near the end, he became more serious as he talked about how lucky Jackie was to have found Mary Beth, how perfect they were for each other, and how lucky he felt to now have her as part of their family. Mary Beth’s maid of honor was a cousin of hers who I had obviously never met named Nicole. Honestly, I had never evenheardabout her which made me wonder how close they could really be.

“Who is this long lost cousin?” I asked Charlie as I listened to the speech that was actually ridiculously funny.

“It’s Nicole Dawson. Well, I guess going by her introduction, it’s now Nicole Dawson-Fields. I actually forgot they were cousins. Nicole went to a high school about thirty minutes from us and was a super athlete. She was also super cocky. When we were in high school, Mary Beth couldn’t stand her, but I think they’ve bonded over the fact that they’re both gay.” Charlie’s eyes went wide as if she had just made a major discovery. “Oh my gosh. I just realized who her wife is. It’s Courtney Fields.” She said it so bluntly as if that was someone that everyone knew.

“Should that name mean something to me?”

Charlie shook her head. “No, sorry. It was an internal realization. Courtney Fields wasalsosuper athletic. Although, I’m pretty positive they didn’t go to the same school. I wonder how they met.”

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