Page 33 of Stick Around
“Meg?”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes, I promise. I’ll explain later. Just tell me what signature I used to practice in my journal.” Grace’s hands trembled and her heart hammered against her chest.
“Mrs. Grace Miller. Over and over and over like the dork you are.”
Before Grace could speak, Billy grabbed the phone from her hand and tossed it to the floor in one sweeping motion. He scooped his hands around the back of Grace’s thighs and lifted her into his chest. She wrapped her legs around his waist and clasped the sides of his face. The muscles of his abdomen and chest shuddered against her with each ragged breath he expelled. He slid one hand up her spine to the back of her neck, collecting a handful of hair in his fist with a gentle tug. She arched into him, twining her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.
Her lips brushed against his as she finally spoke the word they’d both waited a decade for.
“Yes.”
Epilogue
MADISON
Ugh.Why did it have to be so hot? Madison scooped her hair into her hand and lifted it off her neck.There better be an open bar after this.She slipped her phone out of her clutch and discreetly checked the time. Lauren shushed Maisie, who had been bouncing in her seat between them.
Suddenly, music began playing from behind them. Madison turned in her white plastic folding chair to see Nikki coming down the steps, walking toward the rows of chairs. He was wearing black dress pants and a gray-blue dress shirt, the sleeves rolled casually to his mid-forearm. His dark hair was uncharacteristically clean and neatly combed. As he approached the aisle created between the rows of chairs, Madison glanced at her sister. Lauren’s cheeks were flushed, and she wore a smile Madison recognized as the one she plastered on when she was trying to be brave.
Billy followed a few feet behind Nikki, dressed the same, tattoos peeking out from his cuffed sleeves. When he reached the end of the aisle, he shook Nikki’s hand, which Nikki pulled into a one-armed hug. As he took his place under the arch, Madison wondered who had made it for them. It was a sturdy structure made of thick, dark wood beams, and wrapped with wildflowers. Billy adjusted his shirt before clasping his hands in front of him, waiting and watching the aisle.
Meg was next down the aisle, taking her place opposite Nikki, before the music changed and the guests rose from their seats. Most of them turned toward the house, but Madison watched Billy.
Grace emerged like a sunrise falling over his face, lighting him up as she came into view. His eyes locked on Grace and twinkled in that mischievous, Miller way. A beaming smile spread across his lips and he shook his head just a little, awestruck. Madison swallowed hard.No. Don’t cry. No fucking crying allowed.
She turned away from Billy to keep from tearing up, but seeing Grace coming up the aisle was no better. She was stunning, and practically floating in a beautiful, off-white, lace gown. It was fitted through the bust before flowing loose and breezy over her growing belly. Her bare toes peeked out from under the hem as she walked. She wore her hair down, in simple, shiny waves cascading over her bare shoulders, topped with a thin crown of wildflowers that matched her massive bouquet. Her father walked beside her, beaming.
Madison’s face heated up and her eyes burned. She twisted away from Grace and dropped her eyes to her hands.Don’t cry.This is why she didn’t leave the house anymore. She couldn’t deal with all the tilted heads and sad eyes. Watching her. Waiting for her to let a tear slip so they could all peer and gossip about those poor, sad Avery girls.I knew I shouldn’t have come.
A small, sticky hand grasped hers, and Madison tilted her head to see Maisie smiling at her. She smiled back.
“The lady looks so pretty,” her niece exclaimed, loudly enough Grace turned to her and smiled.
“Shh,” Lauren hushed, pressing a finger to her lips. A few people sitting nearby chuckled.
The ceremony was lovely. Billy and Grace held hands and gazed at each other as if they were the only two people there. Watching them, Madison wondered if she’d ever met a couple more perfect for each other. Well, Lauren and Nikki, of course. But that would never happen now.She shook the thought away as the officiant asked Nikki for the rings.
She handed the first ring to Grace, quietly instructing her to take Billy’s left hand. “Do you, Grace Campbell, take William Miller to be your husband?”
“I do,” Grace replied.
“Then please, place this ring on Billy’s finger and share with him the vows you have written.”
Grace took a deep breath and began. “Billy, my whole life, I tried to live up to the expectations I thought everyone had for me. I studied and worked hard, and I did my best. I tried to be the good girl everyone wanted me to be. And then, one day, you took me in your arms and you saw me. All of me. You saw my purest dreams and my darkest desires. You heard my most vulnerable whispers and my most uninhibited screams. And you loved it all.
“So, in promising to be your wife, I promise you this; I will see you, and I will love you. I will see your success and your failure, and I will love you. I will see your confidence and your insecurity, and I will love you. I will see your dark and your light, and I will love you. Today, Billy, I promise I will love all of you, for all of my days.”
Grace slid Billy’s ring onto his finger and, ignoring traditional etiquette, Billy pulled himself close to his bride, resting his forehead against hers and placing a hand on her belly. The garden fell silent, except for the quiet sniffling of a few guests overcome with the tenderness of the moment.
The officiant cleared her throat. “Well, that’s going to be a tough act to follow.” A few chuckles and sniffles murmured through the crowd. Billy lifted his forehead, gazing into Grace’s eyes and sweeping a tear from her cheek. The officiant handed Grace’s ring to Billy. “Do you, William Miller, take Grace Campbell to be your wife?”
“I do.”
“Then please, place this ring on Grace’s finger and share with her the vows you have written.”
He straightened his posture and turned back to Nikki, who handed him a small book. Madison’s stomach dropped. Billy had checked with her and Lauren beforehand, and they’d both said it was okay, but she hadn’t been expecting the day to be so emotional.
