Congratulations to all of you. The gavl came down. Ava screamed. Victoria burst into tears. Ethan pulled them both into his arms and they stood there in the middle of the courtroom holding each other officially and legally a family.
"I'm your mom," Victoria kept saying. "I'm really your mom. " "You were always my mom," Ava said. Said matterofactly. Now it's just on paper. They celebrated with pizza.
Ava's choice always at their favorite place. The same booth they'd sat in dozens of times before, but different now. Everything was different. How does it feel? Ethan asked Victoria later after Ava had fallen asleep between them in the booth, exhausted from excitement.
Like I finally understand what people mean when they say home. Good different or scary different? Both, but mostly good. He reached across the table and took her hand. I'm proud of you for what?
For taking the risk, for letting us in, for becoming this person. What person? Someone who fights for her family instead of running from it. She smiled. I learned from the best.
They carried Ava to the car, both of them taking turns because neither wanted to let go. At home, they put her to bed together, tucking her in like they'd done hundreds of times. Love you, Mom? " Ava mumbled, already half asleep. Victoria had to leave the room. Ethan found her in the hallway crying quietly.
"You okay? " She called me mom. "She's been calling you that. " "I know, but this is the first time it's legally true. " She wiped her eyes. "Sorry, I'm being ridiculous. You're being human. I'm not used to it.
I've noticed. " She laughed through her tears. "What now? Now we keep doing what we've been doing. Show up. Love each other.
Figure it out as we go. That simple? That simple? She leaned against him. I'm going to mess up.
You know that, right? I'm going to forget permission slips and burn dinner and say the wrong thing at the wrong time. I know. And you're okay with that, Victoria. I mess up constantly.
Last week, I sent Ava to school in mismatched socks and didn't realize until parent pickup. We're all disasters here. The point is we're disasters together. She smiled against his chest. I love you.
I love you, too. And I love this life we're building. Good, because it's just getting started. 2 months later, on a Sunday morning in January, Ethan woke to find Victoria's side of the bed empty again. This time, he found her in the living room surrounded by wedding magazines.
What are you doing? She looked up sheepish. Planning. Planning what? Our wedding.
If you still want to marry me, that is. He sat beside her. Are you proposing? I'm asking if you want to make this even more official than it already is. We live together.
We're raising a daughter together. We run a business together. How much more official can we get? Married official. Legally bound official in sickness and health official.
He took the magazine from her hands. Are you asking me to marry you? I'm asking if you'd want to. Hypothetically. Victoria.
Yes. Stop being weird about this. I can't help it. I've never proposed before. Neither have I.
So, we're both terrible at this. Apparently, she took a breath. Ethan Blake, will you marry me? Yes. Just like that.
Just like that. You don't want to think about it? I've been thinking about it for months. The answer is yes. She smiled, relieved and radiant.
Okay, then. Okay. We're getting married. We are. We're insane.
Probably, but we're committed to our insanity. They told Ava at breakfast. She screamed so loud the neighbors banged on the wall. You're getting married? We are.
Victoria confirmed. When? We haven't decided. Can I be in it? You're the most important part of it.
Can I wear a fancy dress? The fanciest we can find. Ava did a victory lap around the kitchen. This is the best year ever. They set the date for April.
Spring, new beginnings, all that symbolic stuff Victoria claimed not to care about, but clearly did. The guest list stayed small. Ethan's sister and her family. Diane from Victoria's office. A handful of friends.
Ava obviously as maid of honor. I want to have it at the bookstore. Victoria said one night. Really? That's where we met, where everything started.
It feels right. It's not very traditional. Good. I hate traditional. So they planned a bookstore wedding.
Chairs between the stacks, flowers on the counter, vows exchanged where they'd had their first real conversation. The day arrived faster than expected. Ethan woke to find Victoria already awake staring at the ceiling. Nervous? He asked.
Terrified. Of what? Of everything. Of nothing. Of how much I want this.
That's not a bad thing. I know. But wanting things has always scared me because wanting means you can lose. He rolled to face her. You're not going to lose this.
Promise. Promise. She kissed him. Okay, let's get married. The ceremony was perfect in its imperfection.
Ava forgot her lines halfway through her reading and made up new ones that made everyone laugh. The flowers wilted under the bookstore lights. Someone's kid knocked over a display of mystery novels during the vows. But when Ethan and Victoria stood facing each other, hands clasped, it all fell away. I promise to show up, Ethan said.
Every single day, even when it's hard, especially when it's hard. I promise to let you in. Victoria said to choose this, choose us over everything else always. I promise to love you when you're being impossible. I promise to be less impossible sometimes.
I promise to make you laugh. I promise to let you. They exchanged rings, simple bands they'd picked out together. Kissed when the officient told them to became husband and wife in the same place they'd first become friends. At the reception in the back room, Ava gave a toast she'd written herself.
I used to think families looked a certain way, she read from index cards. A mom and a dad who started together. But then V came into our lives and showed me families can be anything. They can be people who choose each other, who show up for each other, who love each other even when it's scary. She looked at Victoria.
Thanks for showing up, Mom. Thanks for choosing us. I'm really glad you walked into our bookstore that day. There wasn't a dry eye in the room. That night, after the guests left and Ava crashed from wedding cake overload, Ethan and Victoria stood in the bookstore alone.
"We did it," Victoria said, looking at her ring. "We did. Built a family, saved the store, got married, checked all the boxes. " She leaned against him. "What now? Now we live, we mess up, we figure it out, we keep choosing each other.
Sounds exhausting. Probably will be. Sounds perfect. Definitely will be. They stayed there in the quiet bookstore holding each other.
Outside, the city moved on. Inside, they'd built something that would last. Years later, when Ava told the story of how her parents met, she'd talk about the lonely CEO and the struggling bookstore owner and the little girl who brought them together just by being herself. She'd talk about showing up and choosing love and building families from scratch. But that night, they weren't thinking about stories or futures or anything beyond the moment.
They were just there. Three people who'd found each other against impossible odds. Who'd built something real from broken pieces. A family not perfect, not traditional, but theirs. And that was everything.