“Uncle Trey will be here any minute to hold his girl. Yes, he will,” I coo to Amelia as I change her morning diaper. I try not to baby-talk to her too much, but sometimes, I just can’t help it. “Now remember, we talked about this . . . no pooping on him if you can help it.”

I keep up the chatter, walking into the living room to see that Nic has already let Brad and Trey in. Trey walks directly toward me, the least formal of everyone since he knows what his duty’s gonna be. “Uncle Trey is already here, now gimme my girl.”

He takes Amelia confidently, walking back toward her nursery to play and entertain her. He’ll make an appearance later, but for now, a tuxedo is totally not necessary.

Watching them disappear down the hallway, I turn to Brad. “Uhm, he’s gonna give her back, right? You two will have to get your own because that little one is mine.”

Brad blushes, a rare occurrence, whispering back. “We’ve been talking about finding a surrogate mother, actually, or maybe adopting. I swear, Amelia is like a fuse. I don’t think either of us ever seriously thought about that before, but now I understand what you meant about there being a constant tick-tock in your head. At least neither of us will have to give up our girlish figures,” he jokes as he looks me up and down. “Seems like you just got a bit more curvy in all the right places, though.”

I laugh, smoothing my hands over my casual clothes I’m wearing before I put on my dress. “Really? Think I’ll look okay today?”

Brad tsks, dropping his hand from his waist. “Okay? Do I think you’ll look okay? Hell no, you will not look okay. You’re gonna look bombtastic, and I’ll make sure of it. Hell, you already dropped a bomb on Nic. Might as well do it again, wedding day style.”

I don’t know what I’d do without Brad. He’s been the best pseudo-wedding planner a girl could have. He adjusts the bag under his shoulder and I wonder what he’s got in there for me. A stroke of appreciation courses through me and I lean forward, giving him a big hug. “Thank you for this, for everything.”

He winks at me, already leading me toward the dining room which I know he’s co-opted as his makeup room. “Just a wedding, we can do this. Trey is on Amelia patrol, and he’ll get her dressed later. I’m doing everything for you but your hair, and McKayla will be here later to do that. Devon and Ana are out in the woods setting up your wedding arch and the reception table. Those girls are on fleek with their organization and get-shit-done attitude, so it’ll be perfect I’m sure. Check, check, check. Got it all covered, my dear. Now, are you ready to get ready for the most amazing day of your life?”

I nod, knowing that while today will be amazing, I’ve already had the most amazing day . . . when Amelia was born. “Let’s get fabulous.”

Brad goes to work, lightly brushing all sorts of things to my face and refusing to let me look in the mirror even once, promising me the end result is what matters most.

After a bit, McKayla swooshes in, her pink hair primped and a fluffy petticoat peeking out under her full skirt. “Okay, m’dear, time for some hair flair!” She goes to work, careful not to mess up my makeup but Brad keeps making little ‘tsk noises until she can’t take anymore.

McKayla eyeballs Brad, “That’s it, you’re out. Go fuss over something else Wedding Planner-zilla!” He huffs at her, their bitchy banter always making me giggle and it’s just the stress relief I need today.

“Fine. I’ll go pack the car, but you two better be ready in fifteen minutes. And not a second longer.” With a sharp snap and a declared deadline to show he’s still the boss, he swooshes out, leaving us with gaping mouths and wide eyes.

McKayla turns back, rolling her eyes at Brad’s antics before meeting my eyes with a smile. “Hey, listen, I’m so happy for you, Rose. I know I haven’t been around as much lately, but the extended honeymoon trip and uhm. . . newlywed activities have just eaten up my nights. Work all day, play all night. You’ll see what I mean.” She winks at me.

“I know, honey. And I completely understand. I was so happy for you and Evan to get married, and even though we haven’t gotten to hang out as much, the whole town has seen how happy you two are together. And if you can turn that man’s frown upside down, there’s hope for all of us. You'll always be one of my best friends, the gang is just getting bigger and busier these days, which is why I appreciate everyone taking time to make today be the best it can be.”

Brad’s head pops around the corner, “Load up, bitches! Time to roll!” McKayla makes one last adjustment, and we’re off.

It doesn’t seem long before I’m standing ten yards away from Nic. Still, these last ten yards make it seem like he’s so far away. There’s a swath of rose petals spread out in front of me, at the end of which he stands under an arch made of intertwined young pine branches, draped lace, and wildflowers. The sun shines from behind me, lighting him in full relief and creating a halo effect around me. It’s my ‘magic wedding’, totally natural and over-the-top and delivering on every single box in my mental list.

Most important, though, is the man standing under the arch. I see him swallow, his eyes looking up and down my simple spaghetti-strap white dress that swirls around my calves. My hair is pulled up, creating a wispy free style with little flowers woven in, and I do feel natural and beautiful right now, like a forest fairy, Nic’s outdoorsy nature girl dream come to life.

He’s brought that out in me, the carefree girl I once was, climbing trees and staying outside as much as possible, the one I was before I grew up and felt like I had such serious responsibilities. It’s been great for my ‘baby recovery’ too. While I put in my time with Trey, more for friendship than anything else, I enjoy packing Amelia in her baby backpack and hiking the trails around the Mountain Spirit resort more.

It’s been freeing to rediscover that girl with him leading the way, showing me and Amelia the beauty of the world and having some great adventures. His eyes shine with happy tears, and I know that I’m going to spend the rest of my life with this man, my happily ever after.

I walk slowly, carrying my bouquet of sunflowers to meet him as we’re surrounded by Brad and Trey, who’s holding Amelia, Ana, McKayla and her husband, Evan, Devon, and Wes with his wife, whom I just met recently. These are our people, all we need to witness this moment.

We’d decided to not have an officiant, instead doing our own vows. Brad did some online course that means he can file our certificate for us and make it official, but no matter how many times he begged, we just want to say our own thoughts and promises to one another. Still, we did agree to let him stamp and sign the form. I’m sure that’s going to be fabulous, but I’ve been keeping my eyes out for a huge feather-plumed pen just in case.

After I walk the aisle, Nic takes my hands, going first. “Rose, when we first met, there was no denying our connection. It was like nothing I’d ever felt before, and leaving you then was hard. Later, when fate conspired to bring us back together, you challenged everything I’d ever thought about myself and my future. And it was just what I needed. You and Amelia were just what I needed. There is no place I would rather be than by your side. Where you go, I go. Always and forever. This is my promise. I love you.”

I vaguely hear sniffles from the friends encircling us, but my attention is solely focused on Nic and my words, which flow from my heart. “I had a dream, a vision of what I thought my life would be like. When I thought that dream was never going to come true, I made other plans. And then I met you, and my plan came true in the wildest of ways. I am so grateful. I never thought I’d be here like this, never thought we would be here like this, but somehow, by making my plan come true, you did something much more magical. You made my dream come true, and now, I am happier than I’d ever imagined. I’m in love . . . with you and with our family. Where you go, I go. Always and forever. This is my promise. I love you.”

We both lean in for a kiss, and I hear the applause, along with some hoots and cheers from our ragtag group of people. Pulling apart, I hold up my sunflowers in victory and I hear Evan call out in a deep voice, “Nice job, now let’s eat!”

Laughingly, we all head to the single table set up to hold our small group for a wedding version of a picnic. I smile at the simple white cotton tablecloth and set my bouquet in the middle as a centerpiece.

Ana pulls out a huge cooler and starts to pass around bowls of delicious chicken salad, fruit, and tomato-mozzarella salad. It might still be a picnic, but we aimed for a slightly fancy one.

Devon hands out small glass flutes and Nic pops the cork on a bottle of sparkling cider amid cheers. We thought of champagne, but this way, Amelia can have some too, carefully given to her from her still uncertain sippy cup.

Once everyone’s glass is full, we raise a toast, Brad leading. “To Nicolas and Rose Broadmoor. I’m going to make at least a thousand jokes about her unfortunate choice of last name.”

“He’s being honest,” McKayla says. “It took me three months to get him to shut up about McKayla Hardwick.”

“Hardwick, that’s just too easy.” Brad snorts, and I’m glad he hasn’t taken a sip of his cider yet or it might shoot out of his nose. He sees Evan giving him a dirty look, obviously not too pleased with anyone making fun of his name, and Brad smirks back, happy to poke at the still occasionally grumpy man. “Anyway, to Nic and Rose!”

Everyone parrots it back happily before sipping their cider, Amelia’s reaction earning her a round of laughs as she sputters at first in surprise before grabbing at the cup and giggling madly while downing more. “Whoo, you’d better watch that child,” Ana jokes. “She’s going to be a handful when she figures out what the good stuff is.”

Everyone chats and celebrates and enjoys the rustic picnic, knowing that the celebration isn’t over yet. McKayla, who’s looking a bit extra glowy, seemingly more from within than from a highlighter blush, comes over at one point, and I wonder if she might have a little secret too. “Where are you going for your honeymoon again? Getting lost in some forest like we are now?”

I laugh, shaking my head. “Not exactly. Nic has clients—friends, really, Sam and Susan who live way out in the woods in Oregon, off-grid. We’re going out there for a few weeks. Nic will get to check on their equipment, Devon is gonna take care of the shop for me here, and Nic’s parents are driving their RV out to meet us for a little bit, too. We’ll get to stay in a small cabin on the property and they said they’d happily watch Amelia for us so we can hike, ride ATVs, or uh. . . whatever.”

She smirks at me, obviously knowing what ‘whatever’ means. I know that a lot of times when she and Evan go rolling past the boutique on his Harley, her hair streaming out behind her, they’re going off to do ‘whatever’. “ATVs. Interesting.”

“But they’ll be close by so we can take care of Amelia,” I continue with a roll of my eyes, “feed her and even take her with us out to the woods a bit. It sounds perfect . . . active, outdoors, and remote. Fun for all of us.”

She wrinkles her nose at me, probably imagining the forest funk of what we’re going to smell like in a week. “Ew, better you than me, but whatever floats your boat, gets your motor running, and turns your crank.”

“Speaking of turning cranks—”

Before I can ask, Nic stands up, pulling me up beside him and wrapping an arm around my shoulder. McKayla, I think, knows what I want to ask her, and she knows I won’t forget.

Nic raises his glass for a final toast. “To each and every one of you, thank you for coming. This has been a wild and unexpected journey but one I wouldn’t change for anything. You are all a part of how we got here and I’m proud to call you all friends.” Everyone claps, raising their glass, as he continues, “And on that note, Trey, my current favorite person, has offered to watch Amelia for a few hours till her dinnertime, so if you don’t mind, I’m taking my bride home.”

Before I can say a thing, he swoops me up and moves quickly down the path to the cars. Behind me, I hear laughter and applause and Trey yelling a promise to knock before he comes in with Amelia. Yeah, he’s definitely gonna need to knock, because looking at Nic right now, his eyes flashing with fire as he looks at me and my dress already creeping up my thighs from the hold he has on me, we’re gonna need every minute to celebrate . . . as husband and wife.