An Innocent Thanksgiving

Jenn helped me to adjust myself so that I was all ready to go, and then Dad came to walk me down the aisle. We weren’t doing anything fancy, hosting our wedding at a small bed and breakfast in Cincinnati. Jenn was my maid of honor, of course, but she was also the only bridesmaid. Besides Fern, who was the flower girl. There weren’t any groomsmen and the guest list was short. We didn’t really want this to be a crazy big deal. Just a small, lovely, intimate affair between the people that we loved.

Once Jenn got out of the way, Dad offered me his arm. I could hear the music starting up, and you couldn’t have wiped away my smile for the world. “Are you sure this is what you want?” Dad asked again.

He didn’t ask me often. But every so often, like he had to make sure, and check up. The way he said it now, though, made it sound like this was the last time he would be asking. That whatever answer I gave him now, he would trust. I appreciated that more than I could say.

I nodded. “I’m sure. I love Cal. Always have. This is the wedding I’ve dreamed about.”

“Well, in that case.” Dad squeezed my hand and smiled at me, looking a little misty-eyed, and then we began to walk down the aisle.

I had been scared to imagine my father walking me down the aisle when I’d dreamed about this all those years ago, head in the clouds and full of Cal, Cal, Cal. I hadn’t wanted to hope that my father, or my mother, would accept how I felt and who I wanted to be with. But they had, the both of them. I could see Mom at the front, tears standing in her eyes, a large smile lighting up her face.

And there, standing at the end of the aisle waiting for me, was Cal. My man, my husband, the love of my life.

He was looking exceptionally handsome today in his crisp, well-fitting suit. I feared that I looked like a walrus next to him, but Cal was staring at me like I was the most amazing thing he’d ever seen in his life, this half smile of awe on his face and a shocked light in his eyes.

I found myself ducking my head a little, blushing, feeling overwhelmed by his gaze. My dad passed me off to him and we locked eyes, both of us grinning like idiots for a moment before the officiant began her speech.

We had practiced our vows time and again—we were writing our own but keeping them very short. Cal was an artist but with the paintbrush, not with words, and I’d barely scraped by in my mandatory writing classes in high school and college. Numbers were my game. When it had come to writing a few words about my devotion to Cal, however, I found that it was so much easier and flowed so much more smoothly than I had thought.

“Cal,” I said, when it was my turn. I was glad I was going fist because I would be an absolute mess if I had to go after Cal’s vows had knocked me sideways. “You are my dream man, and it feels like every day is a dream with you. I keep pinching myself, wondering if I’m going to wake up. Luckily for me, I haven’t yet, and I’m starting to finally trust that I won’t. You were so many things that I admired growing up. You were successful, funny, charming, charismatic. And it helped that you’re hot as fuck.” That got some laughter, mostly from Jenn. “But once we started dating, I realized you were all these other things that I hadn’t even thought to look for. You’re also soft, and thoughtful. You’re sweet, you care so much, and you take care of me. You’re an amazing father to our daughter, and I know you’ll be an amazing father to our next child, too. You’re a dream come true.”

Cal looked like he was struggling to hold in all of his emotions, and he squeezed my hands so tightly that my hands trembled. That was all right—I was squeezing him back just as hard.

“You blew into my life like a hurricane,” Cal admitted. “It was like one moment you were just there, in my mind, and I couldn’t get enough of you. You really challenged me, from the first. You expected the best from me and you had no problem telling me when I had messed up. I needed that. You’re so mature and lively. I love it, and I love you. You fulfill me. I thought, once, that I only needed my art, but you and Fern have shown me all that I was missing—what I’ll never be missing again, because I have no intention of letting either of you out of my life. You, my family, are my greatest masterpiece.”