I felt silly thinking that he would panic and run off when he heard that I was pregnant with his baby. He handled it so well, nearly even better than I did. He was calm and collected, wanting to get a jumpstart on planning and preparing. It was honestly kind of sexy seeing him jump into the role of being a dad.
No matter what, I knew that he would be there for me and our baby. He wasn’t going to leave us behind. He was there to stay, to make sure that we were okay. It was the most warming, relieving feeling in the world to know that.
“Will the graduates please come to the stage to accept your diploma?” the President of the university spoke into the microphone as he stood on the stage in front of us.
I stood with the others in my row, my black gown swishing around my knees. It was great to finally wear this gown, even if I had to return it right after the ceremony. After all the money that was spent on my education, I thought that they would at least let me keep the gown. At least I got a fancy piece of paper that boasted my hard work and efforts.
Applause filled the auditorium as the graduates lined up next to the stage, slowly filing closer as their names were called and they received their diplomas. I stepped forward in line, feeling my chest tighten slightly. This was the moment that I had been waiting for. I fought for this moment, and it was finally mine.
I stepped onto the stage and paused, waiting for my name to be called. The noise from the crowd and other graduates seemed to fade away as I watched the woman with the microphone calling names, feeling my heartbeat quicken as she lifted the microphone to her lips.
“Madison Palmer, Highest Honors.”
I heard applause and cheers erupt through the stadium as I strode across the stage, taking my diploma from the President with one hand and shaking his hand with the other. I politely smiled at him as he congratulated me before turning and heading off the stage, pausing at the bottom of the stairs for the photographer to snap a quick picture of me.
I tried to look for Tyler on the way back to my seat, but I didn’t see him. He hadn’t told me where he found a seat but he did say he would come to watch me walk. I hoped that he was really out there somewhere. He was the one that I wanted here the most because he had helped me and supported me so much. Without him, I wouldn’t have gotten this diploma today, and I was excited to celebrate this with him.
I sat back down in my seat and waited through the rest of the ceremony, my eyes automatically doing sweeps of the crowd. When Hannah and Nick walked, I cheered and clapped for them. This was a shared experience for all of us. We came up with a business idea together. We graduated together. Now, we just had to bring our business idea to life. I couldn’t be more grateful that we were going to be in each other’s lives in the future because the thought of being without them crushed me. They had their own way of supporting me and caring for me, which I treasured as much as Tyler’s. I was grateful that I had support and care surrounding me.
When the ceremony finally concluded, I stood and made my way outside of the stadium with everyone else. Families and friends gathered in the grassy strip surrounding the stadium, hugging, and congratulating graduates as they poured outside. I moved off to the side, turning my head each way to look for anyone that I recognized. I didn’t even know where Hannah and Nick were.
I knew that Sara wouldn’t be here because she had to drop her internship and stay for another semester. I didn’t want to wish anything bad for other people, but she deserved it. I was going to live my life away from her negativity.
“Madison.”
I turned around at the sound of my name, feeling my heart stop at the sight of Tyler standing there with a bouquet of roses in his hand. My eyes started to burn as I stepped closer to him. “You made it,” I said, unable to control how happy I was to see him.
“Of course. I wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” Tyler chuckled as he handed me the flowers. “Congratulations, sugar.”
A light blush lit up my cheeks as I smiled at him, holding the flowers close to my chest. I smelled the top of the roses, feeling the soft petals against my nose. The roses were such a sweet gesture. He was far more romantic than he thought he was.