It’s my wedding day! Oh, my God, I can’t believe it. Even though it’ll be a relatively small, private event, I’m still freaking out. My belly is filled with butterflies, and I’m so antsy I can’t sit still.

I’ve showered and dressed and packed my bag for the weekend. Shane has packed his bag too. Our wedding clothes have already been delivered to the house, so we’re traveling light this morning.

I knock on Sam’s door to see if he’s packed and ready to go. The four of us – Shane and I, and Cooper and Sam – are going to travel together in the Escalade.

“Come in,” he says.

I open Sam’s door and walk in to find him propped up against a stack of pillows in bed, watching one of the Transformer movies on the flatscreen. He’s dressed in a pair of sweats and a rumpled T-shirt, his hair down and uncombed. He looks like a frat boy right after a weekend bender. He hardly looks like someone who’s going anywhere anytime soon.

“Hey,” I say.

He gives me a half-hearted smile. “Hey.”

“What’s wrong?”

He shrugs. “Everything.”

I bite my lip in a futile attempt not to smile. “Care to be more specific? Maybe I can help.”

He points at his crutches, which are propped up against the wall in one corner of the room. “I want to bring those to the wedding, but Cooper won’t let me.” Then Sam’s expression brightens. “Can you sneak them into the Escalade for me? So Cooper doesn’t know?”

“Why doesn’t he want you to bring them?”

“Because he thinks I’m not ready to be upright yet. But I need those crutches, badly.”

“Can’t you use the wheelchair at the house? The house is fully accessible – there’s even an elevator.”

“I want to stand up on my own power, so to speak, during the reception and ask Cooper to dance with me.”

My eyes widen. “Um, are you sure you want to do that? You’ve noticed that Cooper’s sort of tight-lipped about the two of you, right? Do you think asking him to dance in front of a room full of people is a good idea?”

“I know, but what better place for us to come out than a room filled with our friends? These are people we know and trust. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“Sam….”

“I’m doing it. Will you help me?”

“I guess I could ask Shane to put them in the Escalade.”

Sam nods. “Yes, do it. Please. He’ll do it if you ask. Please, Beth.”

I frown. My gut tells me this is a really bad idea… not bringing the crutches to the house, but Sam asking Cooper to dance in front of a room full of people. What could possibly go wrong? A lot!

“Are you sure about this?” I ask him, hoping he’ll change his mind.

He nods, his expression turning serious “I’m tired of hiding us. Yes, I’m sure.”

Despite my misgivings, I gather up Sam’s crutches and take them back to Shane’s office, where I know he’s holed up at the moment. The office door is open, so I walk right in, carrying the crutches.

Shane eyes the crutches and raises an eyebrow. “What are you doing with Sam’s crutches?”

I make a face. “Would you do me a favor and put them in the back of the Escalade, without Cooper seeing? Please?”

Shane takes the crutches from me, his expression highly skeptical. “All right.” He shakes his head. “I’m not even going to ask.”

* * *

Cooper drives Sam, Shane and me to the Kenilworth house later in the morning. Shane assures me that Sam’s crutches are safely packed in the rear of the vehicle, wrapped up in a tarp. I ask him to make sure the crutches make it up to Sam’s suite at the house, without Cooper finding out.

Sam and I are seated in the back of the Escalade, and there’s barely enough legroom for Sam’s cast. He’s sitting at an angle, and his cast is taking up two seats.

The guests – Shane’s family and mine, and our close friends – start arriving late Saturday morning. The ceremony is scheduled for two o’clock, to be followed by a catered reception at four, followed by dancing. It’s a very casual affair, so everyone makes themselves at home. Still, it’s a bit chaotic with so many people in the house all at once.

Gina Capelli and her catering staff arrive and start to unload the food and the cake. Ellie helps her organize everything in the kitchen until it’s time for the reception.

Lia and Jonah arrive, along with two of Jonah’s guitar cases. He’s providing the music.

Tyler arrives with my mom, who’s very teary eyed when I come outside to greet her.

I’m excited and nervous at the same time as more and more of the people Shane and I love arrive. Gabrielle, Erin, Mack, Peter Capelli, Miguel. Jamie arrives with Molly Ferguson, courtesy of a shared Uber ride. Jake, Liam, Sophie, and even Hannah arrive. Hannah arrived just last night from a flight out of Denver, and she’s staying with Sophie in her condo in Lincoln Park.

“Hey, kid,” Shane says, holding out his arms to Hannah, as she steps out of Jake’s SUV, along with Liam and Sophie. “How was your flight?” he says, hugging her tightly. “We’ve missed you.”

“Good,” she says, eyeing me out of the corner of her eye. Hannah has the same brown hair as Shane and Liam, pulled back in a no-nonsense ponytail, and brown eyes like their father. She’s dressed in jeans, a sweatshirt, and scuffed hiking boots, with a well-loved backpack slung over her shoulder.

“So, congratulations, big brother,” she says to Shane. “If you can find someone willing to marry you, then there’s hope for the rest of us.”

“Funny, Hannah,” Shane says, mussing her hair. He reaches for my hand and pulls me forward. “This is Beth,” he says. “Sweetheart, this is my sister Hannah.”

“I’m happy to finally meet you,” I say as we hug.

“Yeah, I should get home more often,” she says, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. “But once I get up in those mountains, I lose all track of everything.”

* * *

I head upstairs to help my mom settle into her suite. She hangs up her dress, a lovely pale blue dress that suits her blond hair and blue eyes perfectly, and I help her unpack for the weekend.

“Are you nervous?” she asks me, holding me at arm’s length as if she’s looking for signs of stress.

I nod. “Yes, very.” I shudder. “I’m this nervous with just our family and friends. I don’t think I would have survived a big wedding.”

Mom brushes my hair back, tucking the long strands behind my ear. “You look lovely, sweetheart,” she says, smiling at me through misty eyes. “You’re going to be a beautiful bride.” She pauses for a moment, visibly collecting herself. “Your dad would have been so incredibly proud of you,” she says, barely managing not to cry.

At the mention of my father, my throat tightens painfully. Even though he died when I was just an infant, I feel like I know him just from the stories that Mom and Tyler have told me my entire life.

“It’s fitting that Tyler’s giving you away,” she says. “He’s so like your father.”

I help my mom unpack her things, and it’s nice having some quiet time with her, just the two of us. Once we’re done hanging up her clothes in the closet, she sits me down on her bed.

“This is a big day,” she says, smiling at me as she brushes my hair back from my face. “I remember the day I married your father, just like it was yesterday. It was one of the happiest days of my life.” She gives me a teary smile. “I want the same thing for you.”

I nod, unable to speak past the lump in my throat. It’s bittersweet whenever my mom talks about my dad. She’s still in love with him, even twenty-three years after his death. I reach for her hand and squeeze it gently. “I’m so glad you’re here.”