First Crush, My Forever

Chapter 130

  The morning of my wedding is quiet in a way that feels deliberate, like the world knows better than to rush me today.

  I wake before my alarm. Again. That has become a pattern. Big moments do that to me. I lie there for a second, staring at the ceiling, letting the truth settle into my chest.

  Today I marry Dani, the love of my life.

  I sit up carefully, habit already wired into me even though Dani isn't beside me. We decided to sleep separately last night, just for the surprise, so I stayed at my parents house in my old room. It feels strange waking up without her warmth, without the weight of her leg thrown over mine, without her hand finding my back in the dark. I miss her immediately and never want to wake up without her again.

  The house is already awake. I hear my moms moving around, cabinet doors opening softly, voices kept low like they don't want to disturb the moment. Coffee brewing and the smell drifts down the hallway, familiar and grounding. Home.

  My suit hangs from the closet door, pressed and waiting. Light gray with the dusty blue vest. Everything exactly the way we wanted. I step closer and run my fingers over the fabric, slow, like I need to remind myself it's real.

  This is what I'm wearing when I become her wife.

  I think about Dani without meaning to but she is constantly on my mind. About her belly, round and steady now, the way our son shifts when I press my hand there. About the way she looked last night before I came next door, tired but calm, glowing in that quiet way that still knocks the air out of my lungs. Thirty three weeks pregnant and somehow more herself than ever.

  I shower, let the water run a little longer than necessary. Once I'm out, I dress on instinct, hands moving even though my chest feels full to the point of aching. Everything feels sharpened, clearer. Like my body knows this matters.

  My moms hover without hovering. Mom straightens my collar and smooths my sleeves, fixing things that don't really need fixing because she needs to touch me, to be part of this. Mama stands back at first, watching, her hands folded together like she's holding something fragile inside her chest.

  When she finally steps forward, she cups my face with both hands the way she used to when I was younger, thumbs brushing my cheeks gently.

  "You look so happy," she says softly.

  "I am," I tell her, and my voice doesn't waver.

  Her eyes fill instantly with tears. She leans in and presses her forehead to mine for a second, breathing me in like she always does when emotions get too big for words.

  "I'm so proud of you," she whispers. "Of the woman you've become. Of the way you love."

  That hits deeper than anything else. I swallow hard and nod because if I speak, I might break. Mom clears her throat gently. "You okay," she asks, knowing the answer but asking anyway.

  I nod, honest. "I'm really good." And I am. I'm not nervous. I'm not scared. I'm not questioning anything. I'm just full of love, of certainty, of the kind of joy that settles deep instead of buzzing on the surface.

  Before we leave, Mama squeezes my hand once, firm and grounding. "Let's go get you your wife before I become a blubbering mess."

  I take one last breath, hand pressed briefly to my chest, and think it again like a promise.

  Today, I marry Dani.

  The venue is already alive when we arrive, even before the guests fill it. Dani, KK and her parents are already here, they were here first.