The babysitter

The wedding day

Screw ending this book, I'm too attached to it

The morning of the wedding dawned bright and clear, with just enough of a breeze to make the outdoor ceremony perfect. Lucy stood in the bridal suite at the venue, staring at herself in the full-length mirror while Angela fussed around her, making final adjustments to her dress.

"Okay, let's do this right," Angela said, stepping back with her hands on her hips. "Jackson would have my head if we didn't follow tradition properly."

At the mention of Jackson's name, Lucy's eyes softened. She could almost hear his voice teasing her about getting all sentimental on her wedding day, but she knew Angela was right. Jackson had been her best friend, her partner, and if he were here, he'd be the one making sure every detail was perfect—probably while cracking jokes to keep her calm.

"Something old," Angela began, reaching into a small velvet box. She pulled out a delicate silver bracelet. "This was Jackson's grandmother's. His mom wanted you to have it." Her voice caught slightly as she fastened it around Lucy's wrist. "She said Jackson would have insisted."

Lucy touched the bracelet gently, feeling the weight of love and memory it carried. "It's perfect."

"Something new," Angela continued, producing a pair of pearl earrings. "From Tim. He wanted you to have them this morning." She helped Lucy put them on, and they caught the light beautifully against her dark hair.

"Something borrowed." Angela grinned and pointed to Lucy's shoes. "Those are mine, and you're not keeping them. I have a date next weekend."

Lucy laughed, the tension in her shoulders finally releasing. "Noted."

"And something blue..." Angela's expression turned mischievous as she held up a small blue hair ribbon. "Emma picked this out. She said it had to be blue like her daddy's eyes, and it had to be special for her new mommy."

As Angela carefully wove the ribbon into Lucy's updo, Lucy felt tears prick at her eyes. "I can't believe this is really happening."

"Jackson knew," Angela said softly, meeting Lucy's eyes in the mirror. "He used to say you'd find your person when you were ready. He'd be so happy, Lucy. So proud."

A knock on the door interrupted them, and Emma's voice called out, "Mommy! Can I come in? I have my flower petals!"

"Come in, sweetheart," Lucy called, turning as Emma burst through the door wearing a beautiful lavender dress, carrying a small wicker basket filled with rose petals.

Emma stopped short when she saw Lucy, her eyes going wide. "Mommy, you look like a real princess!"

"Thank you, baby," Lucy said, kneeling down carefully to Emma's level. "Are you ready to be the best flower girl ever?"

Emma nodded enthusiastically. "I practiced with Daddy. I'm going to walk slow and throw the petals just right, and when you and Daddy kiss, I'm going to clap really loud!"

"That sounds perfect," Lucy said, pressing a kiss to Emma's forehead.

Meanwhile, in the groom's suite, Tim was adjusting his tie for the fifth time while Nolan and Grey looked on with amusement.

"You know the tie was fine the first four times, right?" Nolan commented.

"Easy for you to say," Tim muttered. "You're not marrying the most amazing woman in the world while trying not to mess it up."

"Bradford," Grey said, his voice carrying that note of authority that made everyone listen, "She's been raising that stepdaughter for over a year, you have a son together, and she's seen you at 3 AM dealing with diaper blowouts. If she's still saying yes, you're not going to mess anything up."