Page 72 of How Sweet It Is

“You guys look so cute together,” Savannah says, grinning.

Before I can respond, the door opens, and someone calls out, “Tobias, they’re ready for you! Time to get in place. The wedding’s about to start!”

Tobias straightens, smoothing the front of his jacket. “All right, everyone. Let’s go.”

Levi gently takes my hand. “You ready, Spreadsheet?” he says quietly in my ear.

“Just try not to call as much attention to us at this wedding as you did pulling up to it.”

He grins at me. “All right. I’ll behave.”

I roll my eyes, but a smile peeks out anyway. He most certainly will not behave. Thank goodness we’re hidden away onan island, and Victor Deluca is under house arrest, more than six hundred miles away from us.

CHAPTER 34

LEVI BARRETT — SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19

Inever used to get the big deal about weddings.

White flowers, happy tears, promises no one can guarantee they’ll keep. It always seemed like a lot of fuss for something that could break apart just as easily as it came together.

But then the music starts, and Skyler, five years old and deadly serious, emerges from the back door in a little ivory dress, gripping her basket like it’s mission-critical. She looks like a cupcake with curls, and every person in Tobias’s backyard goes quiet as she takes her first step down the aisle.

She throws a handful of petals then stops. Dips a hand in again. Throws another.

It’s not graceful. She’s got no rhythm. At one point, she forgets what she’s doing entirely and waves at Micah. And it’s perfect.

My throat gets tight before I even realize what’s happening.

Next comes Kiki, and if I thought Skyler was going to undo me, I had no idea what was coming.

Kiki’s on Noah’s arm because of all the tension between her and her family. Her hair is pinned back with some flower thing that makes her look like she walked out of a bridal magazine. But that’s not what gets me.

It’s the way Tobias looks at her. Like he can’t believe he gets this moment.

His eyes are already shining before she even reaches him. He lets out a breath like he’s been holding it for months, and when Noah passes her over, Tobias holds on, forehead to hers for a beat too long, like he’s not ready to let the world in yet.

I glance at Claire.

Her posture’s straight, arms crossed lightly, like she’s trying to seem indifferent. But her eyes are shining. She’s watching Kiki the way I’ve seen people watch fireworks—like it’s beautiful and fleeting and they’re afraid to blink.

I lean a little closer to her and wrap my arm around her shoulders. The ceremony begins. Pastor Morgan says a few words and reads a couple of scriptures. Then it’s time for the vows.

Kiki clears her throat. “Tobias, the first time you saw me, you thought I was homeless. To be fair, I wasn’t far from it. But what you didn’t know was that I came to this island with two pennies and a prayer and the tiniest sliver of hope that I could catch a glimpse of my biological daughter.”

Ooh, big reveal. I glance around the crowd. Most people here already know about Skyler being Kiki’s daughter, but I spy a few shocked faces. Skyler’s sitting with Noah and Savannah, playing with her basket. I assume Kiki already told her, since she’s revealing it to the world now.

Kiki goes on. “I had no plan, no stability, and definitely no reason to believe a grumpy, guarded man like you would become my person. But somehow, against all odds, and probably against your better judgment”—this gets a few chuckles—“you let me in.And in you, I found everything I didn’t know I was allowed to dream about. I found a home. A partner who sees me, all of me, and still chooses me. Every single day.”

A few sniffles sound in the crowd. I admit, I’m trying to hold it together, knowing the full story.

“You gave me family. You gave me unconditional love. And you gave me this beautiful life I never thought I deserved. So today, I vow to keep choosing you back. To laugh with you in the sunshine and hold you in the storm. And to keep loving you with all my heart, with all my soul, and yes, even with my last two pennies.”

Tobias shifts, and I can see he’s trying to tamp down his emotions. “Kiki, you came into my life like a hurricane. You had no plans, hardly any possessions, and zero concept of personal boundaries. And somehow, in the middle of all that chaos, you made me feel seen.”

I smile because that describes Kiki perfectly.

He continues. “When I first met you, I thought you were lost. Now, I know I was the one who was lost. For years, I guarded my heart like it was some kind of top secret national treasure. But you… you waltzed in with your laughter and your optimism and your way of seeing right through me, and you cracked me wide open. You taught me that love doesn’t have to be complicated to be real.”

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