She pulled back.
“We’re going to be okay.”
I nodded.
That was the difference between us now.
She no longer needed me to promise that I could fix everything.
She knew we could face things together.
The ceremony was beautiful. Michael cried when Chloe walked toward him, and I pretended not to notice because I was doing a poor job of controlling my own emotions.
When they exchanged vows, I watched my eldest daughter begin a new chapter of her life.
I thought about the years we had survived.
The broken washing machine.
The hospital waiting rooms.
The school meetings.
The nights I had fallen asleep at the kitchen table and awakened to find a blanket over my shoulders.
The times we had laughed until our stomachs hurt.
The times we had cried.
All of it had brought us here.
After the ceremony, guests moved into the reception hall for photographs and drinks.
