Tangled Hearts.

~Chapter 64~

~Raelyn~

~May 12th 2024~

It's been five months since Christmas in Kansas, Aspen has grown into a sweet yet sassy spitfire. She's tiny and perfect, a little fireball wrapped in fuzzy blankets. She's already six months old, which means she's somehow managed to go from the most fragile little creature to a full-on, grab-everything-in-sight, drooling menace. She's sitting up, giggling like she knows exactly what she's doing, and has a habit of stealing everyone's phones when they aren't paying attention.

She's got that soft green onesie with little trees, and yes, she's still rocking that beige headband—because Isa insists style is never optional, even for six-month-olds.

Wedding planning has mostly been smooth, considering how much of a nightmare weddings *can* be. Colby's been his usual mix of brooding and reluctant participant, but I swear he's secretly enjoying it... maybe. Probably.

I asked Isa to be my maid of honor—of course—and my bridesmaids are Kalani, Devon, Tara, and Katrina. My sisters-in-law and closest friends, all the best mix of sweet and sassy. Flower girls? Gigi and Daisy. Because what says "magical forest wedding" better than two tiny wild things stealing the show?

Blake is proudly the ring bearer, carrying his duties like a tiny lord of the rings, and Colby's groomsmen include Zane, his brother-in-law and best man, plus Sam, Jake, and Corey—because what's a Blakewood wedding without a little pack chaos?

The tuxes got fitted—beige with green ties, to perfectly match the bridesmaids' sage green dresses. The whole vibe is rustic, ethereal, and just the right amount of "we might be a little unhinged but love makes it worth it."

Today was cake tasting—the great chocolate vs. red velvet debate finally settled (spoiler alert: red velvet won, but only because it's basically chocolate in disguise). The cake itself is going to be a five-tiered rustic masterpiece, decorated with baby's breath and white gardenias—the perfect complement to our outdoor ceremony at Ave in the Woods and the reception inside the magical farmhouse style barn. Fairy lights would be hung everywhere beautiful candles birth throughout it would be just the right amount of a wooden ethereal mixed with farmhouse dream.

But here's the thing nobody tells you about weddings:

One: Pinterest is a scam run by perfectionist demons who think eucalyptus grows in everyone's backyard and that linen napkins come free with your soul.
Two: My fiancé is an *actual* menace when given creative freedom.

Three: No one warns you how many people will try to tell you what your dream wedding "should" look like. Spoiler: It doesn't include burlap or mason jars or a choreographed flash mob.

And four: Apparently, cake tasting is supposed to be "fun."

But not when you're engaged to a man who thinks *red velvet* is a personality trait.

"Let me just say this one more time," I said as I climbed out of the car, "*red velvet* is chocolate. Just... lying about it."

Colby shut the driver's side door and met me on the sidewalk, wearing his signature expression: something between brooding and barely tolerant. "Lying about it?" he scoffed. "It's chocolate but *elevated*. It's chocolate with a twist. A soul."

"It's chocolate *with food coloring and a superiority complex,* babe."

"I'm sorry, what flavor did *you* want again?" he asked, grabbing the door to the cake shop and holding it open with the world's most passive-aggressive smile. "Oh, right. *Chocolate.*"

"*Classic* chocolate."

"*Boring* chocolate."

"Colby."