Landon clears his throat and begins, “?‘It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.’?”
Epilogue
Landon
A summer and a winter later . . .
OUR WEDDING CAME AND WENT so quickly. So, so quickly. We went from being the engaged couple who wanted to wait a few years to get married, the ones who thought we had all the time in the world, to us suddenly being in the midst of a whirlwind of preparation.
I’d gotten used to my mom’s voice on the other end of the line asking over and over when we were going to start planning, but all it took one day was Tessa bringing home bridal magazines, and that was that. I was fine waiting. My wife-to-be had already been through this once, and I didn’t want to rush her into anything. But when the planning started, it took off like a dang rocket.
The sudden haste was her idea, insisting on visiting venues and choosing flowers that matched the cupcakes that would be served. Weddings have way, way more details than I ever imagined. While the two women were planning the biggest day of my life, I tried not to be the stereotypical guy who just nodded along and pretended to know what was going on. I wanted this time to be perfect for her. For us.
I helped choose the flavor of the cake, and my bride made my favorite cake and added thoughtful little purple flowers made of buttercream icing that only the two of us will understand. I helped her as much as I could and as much as Tessa, wedding-planner-slash-evil-monster-who-has-taken-over-my-best-friend’s-body, would allow.
Just last week Tessa yelled at me when she found out the tailor got Hardin’s measurements wrong and the pants to his suit landed right above his ankles. She swore he probably did it on purpose and even called the store in Chicago to try and correct the mistake. I laughed at the pictures he sent, but she just huffed and tossed the phone back at me. I’m a little nervous about how the two of them will get along at the wedding. Tessa has really been avoiding him, and he won’t shut up about her in his interviews. Last weekend when I got home from school, I found Tess flipping Hardin off. Only Hardin was inside our TV, doing an interview on his book tour, and Tessa was furious and maybe had had a little too much wine.
Now, here I am sitting at a table full of people I love and admire—and I’m married.
I’m in college and I’m married. Married to a beautiful, successful, sharp, and feisty woman. She’s sitting next to me, talking to my mom about the whipping cream and gluten-free something or other.
Hardin is seated on the other side of me, and he’s looking straight ahead at Tessa, who’s standing next to a table filled with wedding guests.
“How’s it going?” I ask him. I remove my arm from around my bride’s back and take her hand in mine. She turns to look at me, gives me a kiss on the cheek, and turns back to talk to my mom.
Hardin looks up at me and fusses with his hair. “Bleh.” He half smiles. “How is it going for you? Do you feel any different now that you’re legally bound to one person for the rest of your life . . . well, barring a divorce.”
I roll my eyes. “Aren’t you a ball of sunshine?”
He cracks a smile for me, and I watch him panic as he loses sight of Tessa in the crowd. He sits up a little further in his chair, and his eyes scan the room.
“She’s there, by the door,” I say.
He relaxes and rests his eyes on her. Ken hands Abby to her, and Tessa giggles when Abby pulls her hair. I look over to the next table and see Stausey taking a selfie with her wineglass. Todd and Amir are on either side of her. Amir is dressed in a suit, and the color of his tie is the color of Nora’s eyes. I wonder if that’s why Nora chose that tie for him. I hope so.
Things have been slowly working themselves out since the divorce. She stayed executor of his estate and in charge of the legal and medical parts of his life. He’s become a pretty big part of my life, too, and through her stories about their adventures, I feel like I know him as well. Helping take care of him has also made me consider doing a master’s in Special Education after I graduate. It will mean more college, more student-loan debt, but I have a feeling I would be great at it.