It Was Us (19 page)

FORTY NINE

ABBY

“Thank God you don't have a train,” Tana said from behind me. “These stairs are treacherous.”

I gripped the railing tight. “Thanks for pointing that out.”

“You're fine,” she said. “Wanna hold my hand?”

I smiled and shook my head. My eyes were on the beach below us. There were a few people on the sand, a small group of teenage girls off to the right and a surfer pulling on a rash guard, his board propped next to him. But, otherwise, the beach was empty. Just my parents and my sister, a woman I didn't know but who I was pretty sure was West's mom, and Griffin.

And West.

West, whose eyes were locked on me, a smile spread wide across his face. West, who looked more handsome than ever in a white button down shirt, the sleeves rolled up just a little, the top two buttons undone, and khaki pants. No shoes, his feet barely visible in the soft sand. West, who was standing next to Griffin, his hands tucked behind his back, waiting for me to join him on the beach.

I wanted to hurry, to propel myself down the stairs and launch myself into his arms and kiss him and hug him and recite the vows I'd written for him. But I forced myself to go slow, to take the stairs one step at a time, to focus on putting each foot forward. I was carrying precious cargo, cargo that was poking and prodding me in the ribs at that particular moment.

I finally made it to the bottom of the stairs and my parents approached, both of them smiling. My dad wore khaki shorts and a black golf shirt and my mom had on a black and white floral sundress. She looked beautiful, not sick at all, and my breath hitched in my throat as I thought about everything we'd been through over the summer. I was glad the wedding was that weekend, that we'd decided to cave to Tana and Griffin's pressure, to just go ahead and do it. And I was glad that my mom was there to share in the moment with us.

The woman standing next to them took a step toward me and held out her hand.

“Elaine Montgomery,” she said. Her eyes were blue like West's and, when she smiled, a dimple appeared. Just like West.

I took her hand and shook. “Nice to meet you.”

“Thank you for inviting me,” she said. A gentle breeze picked up a strand of her strawberry blond hair, teasing it forward, and she tucked it behind her ear. “I don't deserve it. So, thank you.”

“Everyone deserves to be here,” I told her. “To celebrate with us.”

She nodded. “Well, thank you.”

My mom came over to me and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tighter than I could ever remember. “You look beautiful,” she whispered.

“Don't make me cry,” I whispered back.

She laughed in my ear, but held on. “I love you, Abby.”

“I love you, too, Mom.”

She finally let go of me and I looked at my dad. His eyes were glistening and he brought a hand up to wipe quickly at them. Then he offered me his hand.

“Since we aren't doing the altar thing, how about I walk you over to him?” he said.

I smiled and nodded. “Yeah. That would be great.”

He took my hand and squeezed it once, then offered me his arm, as much to steady myself as to give me away.

“I don't think I ever would've been ready for this,” he said, squinting into the sun. “But I'm happy for you, Abby.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“And if I have to give you to anyone, I'm pretty sure you picked the right guy.”

“I did. I promise.”

He smiled at me and nodded.

We reached West and Griffin standing near the water. Griffin was grinning like a fool and West looked...nervous. As handsome as ever. But nervous.

My dad kissed me on the cheek, then gently lifted my arm from his. He stepped over to West, shook his hand, whispered something to him I couldn't hear, then hugged him. Finally, he stepped away, next to my mom and Annika.

“Hey,” West said, smiling at me. “You showed up.”

“You thought I might not?”

“It crossed my mind.”

“Why?”

He shrugged, then reached for my hands. He held them both in his. “Because I never thought I'd get this lucky.”

My heart fluttered and my face warmed. “You can't make me cry, West.”

He stared at me, his eyes clear. “I'll do my best to never make you cry, Abby.”

We stood there for a moment and I wanted to kiss him then. I thought about it. We were already breaking all kinds of traditions with this wedding. One more wouldn't have hurt.

But I wanted to save the best for last.

“You ready?” he asked, smiling. “To marry me?”

“I am,” I said. “Absolutely.”

He held onto my hands, but turned to Griffin. “You're up, dude.”

Griffin smiled at both of us. “About damn time.”

FIFTY

WEST

Not ever in my entire life would I have thought that Griffin would've been the perfect person to marry us.

But he was.

“Alright,” he said, his voice booming. “Everyone needs to, uh, gather around.”

Annika looked around. “Where are the chairs?”

“There aren't any,” Tana practically growled.

Annika wrinkled her nose. “What kind of wedding is this?”

I was pretty sure Tana was gonna bare her claws. “Your sister's, you idiot.”

Griffin reached out a hand and gripped Tana's arm, using some sort of physical language to tell her to calm the hell down. Annika just sniffed and positioned herself close to her parents.

“Alright,” Griffin continued. “First things first. Who brought the beer?” I shot him a quick look and he wiggled his eyebrows, grinning. “Kidding, dude,” he said.

Abby smothered a giggle and I tightened my grip on her hand.

Griffin cleared his throat. “Abby and West were surprised that I wanted to marry them,” he said. “Pretty sure they thought I was kidding when I told them I'd find a way to get certified so I could be the one to do their wedding. Well, there's a reason why I wanted to be the one to do it. And, no, not because I want them to name the kid after me—although that would totally be cool and I'm not above accepting that as belated payment.”

A ripple of laughter ran through the small crowd gathered around us.

“But there's another reason.” He brushed at his hair and I thought I heard his voice catch a little as he spoke. “See, there's no one here that wants to see them married more than I do. Over the last two years, there's never been any doubt in my mind that this is where they'd end up. Abby and West love each other, more than anyone I know. And even though they've had their share of ups and downs, there has been one thing that has stayed consistent: their love for each other. It's been an eye-opener for me. Because, before seeing these two together, I wasn't quite sure true love still existed. And now I know. Without a doubt.”

I knew that I was smiling like a fool at my best friend but I couldn't help it.

“Anyway, I know you both wrote your own vows,” he said, looking from me to Abby. “So, instead of me rambling on like a fool, please share with us what you promise to one another.”

Abby turned to Tana, who handed her a small index card. Abby looked at me, took a deep breath, then read from the card shaking in her hand.

“West, I can't imagine my life without you.” Her voice was soft but strong. “I promise to laugh with you. To cry with you. To be sad with you. To be happy with you. I promise to be a better wife than you could ever hope for and the best mother I can possibly be. I promise to always offer you the rest of my burrito when I can't eat it all. I promise to listen to you and help you when you ask for it, support you when you need it.” She looked up from the card, her eyes wet. “And I promise to love you for every minute for the rest of our lives.”

I was pretty sure my eyes were wet, too, and that my heart was ready to explode.

Griffin looked at me, then pulled a card from his pocket and held it out to me.

I shook my head. “I'm good.”

He nodded and put it back in his pocket.

“You memorized?” Abby said, her eyes wide. “You said you weren't going to memorize.”

“Shh,” I said. “It's my turn.”

She shook her head but couldn't stop smiling.

I took her hands and lifted my eyes to hers.

“Abby, I'm the luckiest person alive,” I said. “Thank you for coming into my life. Thank you for making me a better person. Thank you for making me happy. Thank you for making me care.” I smiled at her. “I promise to take care of you. I promise to always hold your hand. I promise to be the best husband and father I can be. I promise to always let you be in charge of the radio in the car. I promise to always look at you the way I'm looking at you right now. And I promise to love you more with each passing day.” I squeezed her hands and she smiled back at me.

I looked at Griffin to let him know that I was finished.

Griffin returned the nod. He opened the book in his hand and cleared his throat. “Now, to symbolize the love you've promised to one another, you'll exchange rings you've brought.”

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the same ring I'd given Abby on the Fourth of July. She hadn't wanted a wedding band and, despite my objections, had insisted on just the single ring. I held it between my thumb and index finger and she rested her hand in my other hand. I slid the ring gently over her finger until it fit into place.

Abby turned to Tana, then back to me. She was holding the simple silver band we'd found for me. I hadn't wanted anything fancy, as I wasn't crazy about jewelry to begin with. But she'd found a perfect silver ring that wasn't too small or too large and looked right on my finger. As she slipped it on and set it in place, it felt exactly right.

We both turned to Griffin.

“You've said your vows,” he said. “And you've exchanged your rings. And no one has voiced an objection to this union.” He smiled first at me, then at Abby. “I know this is gonna be weird to hear, but by the power vested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” He grinned at me. “You may kiss the bride, dude.”

I laughed and took Abby's face in my hands. I stared at her, my eyes searching hers. She was definitely crying now. I kissed her for a long moment.

“We're married,” she whispered when I pulled back.

I laughed and nodded, then kissed her again.

“I know,” I said. I needed to repeat the words, repeat what she'd just said because it felt surreal, like I couldn't believe I was luck enough to have her. Forever. “We're married.”

EPILOGUE

WEST

January

A cry woke me up. It was soft, almost like a cat's meow, but much more insistent, rhythmic. I stirred in the bed, adjusting the pillow so it covered my ear. Abby shifted next to me, pressing her knee into the back of my thigh.

The sound grew louder and I sat up, disoriented.

“The baby,” Abby murmured, rubbing her eyes.

I lifted the comforter and slipped out of bed. “Stay here,” I whispered. “I'll go.”

Griffin's old room was bathed in a soft glow, a nightlight in the shape of a moon plugged in to one of the outlets. I crossed the room in three quick steps and leaned over the crib. I scooped up the baby, my arms gentle, and sat down in the glider rocker tucked into the corner of the room. There was a fleece blanket draped across the arm and I threw it over both of us, bouncing my foot just a little so the rocker glided us soundlessly, effortlessly. The cries subsided to hiccups and soon, the room was silent.

I closed my eyes and tightened my grip just a little, my fingers hooked into the fabric of the blanket. I was tired as shit—it was the second time I'd gotten up that night—but I didn't care. It didn't matter. Because I was happy.

I let the memories wash over me, the last few weeks somehow both a blur and yet, surprisingly, crystal clear. It was hard to believe that, three short weeks ago, we'd been sitting at Abby's parents house on Christmas Day, a celebration not of gifts but of memories. Sure, there was stuff to open under the Christmas tree but I knew what we were all grateful for: that Abby's mom's health was okay for now, that she'd come through treatment pretty well and that all of her tests were coming back normal; that the pregnancy had gone smooth and that we were on course for having a healthy baby; that my application to State had been accepted and I'd be starting classes as soon as the winter semester started.

For me and Abby, we celebrated other things, too: that we'd managed to turn the apartment into a place we could, at least initially, raise a baby; that she'd been able to keep up with work at the real estate office and had actually made the time to take classes and get her real estate license; and that I'd been promoted to assistant manager of the baseball academy, ensuring a much better salary than just working as an instructor.

We had a lot to be thankful for. After all of the shit and heartache we'd been through over the past couple of years, things were mellowing out. I didn't know if it was normal because I wasn't sure what normal was, but we were busily, happily settling into the life we were creating.

I rocked the glider a little more and I dropped my head so it rested on the bundled blanket in my lap. I thought I'd know what it felt to have a heart full to bursting. I thought I knew how much love I was capable of because it was what I felt every time I looked at Abby.

But then January 2 came along and everything changed. Everything I thought I'd known, everything I was, everything
we
were.

Because that was the day our family was born.

My lips moved against the fabric of the blanket, nudging it aside so I could kiss the tiny, almost-bald head of the baby I was holding, the baby nestled in my arms. My baby. My heart slammed into my ribs and I held my breath, worried the tiny, delicate human being cradled against me would feel it. But there was only a soft sigh, a tiny hiccup of a breath and fluttering eyelids. I slowly expelled my breath and gazed down in the darkened light at the new person who held a piece of my heart, a piece of my soul.

“Are you coming back to bed?” Abby's voice was barely a whisper.

I glanced up and saw her silhouette in the darkened room. She was only a couple of weeks postpartum, her stomach still swollen, her entire body still carrying much of the extra weight she'd gained during pregnancy. But I didn't give a shit. I looked at her from across the room and saw her dark hair barely visible, her blue eyes shining, the hint of a smile on her tired face.

I nodded. “Yeah. In a minute.”

She stared at me, then shook her head, smiling. “Hurry. I'm cold.” And she retreated back to the bedroom.

I returned my attention to the bundle in my lap. I wasn't going to hurry. I was going to savor every single second, every single minute.

This was my time and I wasn't going to forget a minute of it. And I sure as hell wasn't going to fuck it up.

I tugged the blanket a little lower. Two eyes stared back at me, a brilliant, milky blue. Just like Abby's. Dark hair, just like Abby's. And, in a few weeks, I was pretty sure I would see a smile, just like Abby's.

“Amanda Grace Montgomery,” I whispered to the perfect human being staring back at me. “I love you.”

There was no just me and there was no just Abby anymore.

There was simply us.

And that was exactly how I wanted it to be.

Forever.

THE END