Page 6 of Green
I took a deep breath, because this next part was where I’d really lay on the cheese, although it pained me that she didn’t seem to be appreciating just how full offromagethese vows had been so far.
“Ever since you started cheering me on, I’ve had better times in the LA Marathon because I could look forward to seeing you there on the sidelines, even though I’d slow down to say ‘hi’ to you. The goal was no longer reaching the finish line so I could prove something to myself—the goal became reaching the finish line so I could hang out with you again. But you don’t belong on the sidelines. You should be alongside me at all times, if not literally, metaphorically.
I promise to cheer you on, as you make your way through life with me. We both know how busy I can get for work, but just know that I’m always here for you no matter what.
What showing up for you every day as your husband means is: You’re my best friend, I love and adore you, and I’d do anything for you, if you ever need me…But somehow you never seem to need me. You are always fine. You let me be me, even when it drives you nuts, and I secretly watch in awe as you grow into this woman who can make me laugh, take my breath away, and cut me down with one twitch of your eyebrow…Like that, just now…”
Out of the corner of my eye I could see the judge’s assistant wiping away a tear.
I am crushing this cheese-fest.
“So thanks for marrying me, Grandma Kelly. Despite acting like such an old lady most of the time, you make me feel so young, and I look forward to a long happy life with you…”Shit, I’m not sure how to end this.“Amen?” I muttered.
This time, Gemma laughed.
We both kept laughing, but our moms were crying even though they knew this was just a marriage of convenience. Such a strange term.Wasit convenient? It was pleasant. Anything involving Gemma was pleasant, for the most part. Was she making it more convenient for me to become an American citizen? Absolutely. Was this going to make it easier for us to live together and be friends while she had an out-of-town boyfriend and I had my various inconsequential whatevers?...I’d have to revisit that after the judge said: “You may now kiss the bride.”
She had refused to practice kissing me for this, despite the fact that it was something the immigration officer would surely look at carefully if it ever came to that. I wasn’t nervous about kissing her or anything, I just hoped she wasn’t.
And now it was her turn to say her vows. The judge had to say her name twice to get her attention, because she kept looking back at Chloe and giggling. She settled down and pulled out the folded piece of paper from her bra strap. She unfolded it as she cleared her throat, then turned the paper around and held it up to me so I could read the note.
Suck it, Walker, I memorized my vows too!
That cracked me up.
She folded the paper back up, tucked it back into her bra strap, and held my hands again. Girl knew how to work her moment in the spotlight. I was impressed.
“Theodore…”
Chloe and Ethan snort-laughed, and I had a big stupid grin on my face that already made my cheeks sore. Usually she only called me Theodore when she was ready to dropkick me. It was funny to hear her say it in this context.
“I know we said we’d try to top each other with cheesy vows, but we aren’t even legally married yet and I’m already breaking a promise to you.”
“That’s it!” I said, yanking my hands from hers in mock fury. “I’m out!”
“Not so fast,” she admonished, grabbing my hands again. “What I’m saying is: I didn’t even have totryto be cheesy. Every single thought I have about you is cheesy. I could never be as articulate and poetic as you, of course, but so few people on this earth are…”
Ahhh, sarcasm. That’s my girl.
“Before I met you, it didn’t really occur to me that I could become best friends with a guy.”
I widened my eyes slightly, because we probably shouldn’t have been emphasizing the best friend relationship here, I didn’t think.
“Before I became best friends with you, it didn’t occur to me that I could fall madly in love with a friend.”
I heard our moms sigh. Gemma’s eyes were tearing up, I could see that she had a lump in her throat, and I couldn’t even breathe.
She swallowed and smiled, giving me a tiny look that told me that I should calm the fuck down. She did use a hypothetical. She didn’t say that she fell in love with me. She said she didn’t realize she could. Big difference.Got it.
“With you, it seems, everything is possible.”
She waited for me to inhale before continuing.
“Before I moved in with you, every time I made myself a cup of tea, it would be cold by the time I got around to drinking it, because I’d always go off and do a million things while it was steeping. As you’ve often pointed out, I’m not very good at doing nothing. But if you’re around when I make tea, you always remind me to stop what I’m doing and just ‘sit and enjoy drinking the fucking tea!’ Oops! Oh no!” She looked over at the judge and his assistant, wide-eyed. “I’m so sorry!”
“Quite alright, please continue,” the judge said, smiling.
Our loved ones were covering their mouths, they were laughing so hard.
