Ari was radiant in her elegant gown, her hand looped through Gideon’s muscular arm as he walked her down the aisle. They were brother and sister through and through, his hair a darker blond, his face tanned from years spent working outdoors, but their eyes were the same blue.
When Gideon’s eyes had met Rosie’s just moments ago, she could have sworn she felt a thread of deep connection. Maybe it was simply their mutual love for Ari…but it had felt like more. Like something special was taking place between the two of them. Special enough that his walls were starting to drop, whether he intended that or not.
Seated in the first row with Susan and Bob Spencer, Jorge gave Rosie a thumbs-up for making it down the aisle without tripping in her heels. She’d been afraid she might. Oh, how she loved her kid with all her heart and soul. Though he could sometimes be a handful, especially around bath time, at least he still let her give him butterfly kisses on his cheeks—and when he was really tired at night, he still liked to curl up on her lap.
Matt’s expression as he watched his bride come down the aisle—as though Ari was nothing short of a miracle and he was the luckiest man alive—brought fresh tears to Rosie’s eyes.
Everything about the wedding was absolutely perfect, from Ari’s dress, to the flowers, to the song she’d chosen for her walk down the aisle. Her bouquet cascaded with pink peonies, peach orchids, white magnolias, and red roses. The bridesmaids carried mini versions. The garland of flowers in Ari’s hair matched the colors of her bouquet. The piano version of “The Rose” by Bette Midler was the ideal metaphor for the way Ari had blossomed to life with Matt and Noah.
Rosie would never forget their days in foster care, the hard times when they’d turned eighteen and were sent out into a world they weren’t prepared for. Then meeting Jorge’s father—and falling for his lies. Jorge’s birth. All three of them—Ari, Chi, and Rosie—had come so far. In the moments before she would reach out to take Ari’s bouquet, Rosie touched Chi’s fingers, curling their pinkies together the way they had when they were girls. She felt Chi’s smile straight through to her heart and smiled just as wide.
This was Ari’s fairy tale come true. And it was absolutely perfect.
Of course, thinking about fairy tales and Prince Charming shot her gaze straight to Gideon, standing so tall, so handsome, so proud beside his sister.
Rosie was surprised—and instantly breathless—when he turned his intense blue gaze on her again. Was it an artist or a writer who’d said the eyes were the windows to the soul? She was pretty sure they had been talking about the Mona Lisa’s eyes. Someday Rosie would take Jorge to see the famous painting. For years, she’d saved every extra dime so that they could walk through the Louvre in Paris and stand mere feet away from Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece.
For now, however, she could dream about painting Gideon’s eyes. Eyes that were faded blue when he was buried deep in the past, pale blue when he was standing on the edge of a party he wasn’t sure he should join, dark and stormy blue when someone he loved was threatened, a beautiful ocean blue when he was with the boys. And right now, sky blue with happiness, with joy.
Yes, someday she would take Jorge to the Louvre. And maybe someday she could also help Gideon to be ocean blue or sky blue all the time, every day.
She’d always been a wishful thinker. Even in the worst of times.
Rosie snapped out of her daydreams as Ari turned to give Gideon a hug, then let go of him and lifted her skirts to run up the stairs to Matt.
Matt met his bride halfway, capturing her tightly in his arms and kissing her as he swung her around, to the delight of every wedding guest. Finally, he let her back down, and together they walked to the center of the stage, with Gideon still standing at the base of the stairs.
The music faded, and the officiant turned a page of his book. “Who gives this woman to be married to this man?”
Rosie was sure she saw Gideon’s eyes change to a soft baby blue. She had never seen him cry, but in this moment, she knew he was close.
“I do,” he said as he climbed the stairs, his deep voice hoarse, as if the words were almost too much. “For my parents who can’t be here. And for myself.” He kissed Ari gently on the cheek, whispering something that made her tear up.
Then Matt briefly let go of Ari’s hand to give Gideon a one-armed hug. “Thank you,” he said softly enough that only the attendants on stage could hear. “I’ll take care of her, I swear.”
“I know you will,” Gideon said, his voice solid again, but no less full of emotion. “I trust you to take care of my sister. To love her. And to stand by her side forever.”
For Rosie, the two men’s softly spoken words to each other and their mutual love for Ari made one of the most poignant moments she’d ever witnessed.
Then Gideon left the stage to take the empty seat reserved for him on the end of the first row, next to Jorge.
The officiant smiled down at Noah. “Who gives this man to be married to this woman?”
Noah stepped forward, taking his father’s hand tight in his. “I do.” His little boy’s voice rang out true and clear. “I give him to my mommy forever and ever.”
As Noah raised his hands to join Matt’s and Ari’s together, the makeup artist’s reminders not to ruin her hard work were forgotten by one and all. When Ari handed her bouquet to Rosie, she had to pull her friend into a hug, and Chi immediately joined. Tears were streaming down both Rosie’s and Chi’s faces as they whispered, “I’m so happy for you,” just as Ari said, “I love you both.”
Other than the night Jorge was born, this was the best day of their lives.
Rosie brushed her tears from her cheeks as the officiant began. “We are gathered here today to witness the marriage of Matt Tremont and Ariana Jones. Matt, would you like to begin by saying the vows you have written?”
Matt held tight to Ari’s hands as he looked deep into her eyes. “I love you,” he said, the three words resonating out to everyone at the wedding. “Until I met you, I was little more than a hollowed-out shell, faking my way through life. But you not only saw the real man inside me, you also made me believe I could shed the dark shadows from my past to truly become a better man. A good man. A trustworthy man. The kind of friend and father and partner I always longed to be. A man who will love you, just as Noah so perfectly put it—” Matt smiled at his son before turning his gaze back to Ari. “—forever and ever.”
Though Ari’s eyes were gleaming with tears from Matt’s beautiful vows, her voice was steady and strong. “The first time I met you, I lost my breath. Not just because you were so handsome, but because I could see in your eyes what a wonderful man you are. And when I met Noah…” She let go of one of Matt’s hands to take Noah’s, with Matt doing the same, demonstrating to one and all that they were a tight-knit family circle. “I knew I would always love both of you, no matter what. With you, the dark shadows of my past can’t scare me anymore. With you, I finally know the kind of happiness I hadn’t dared to dream of. For richer or poorer, in sickness and health, wherever life takes the three of us—” She bent down to give Noah a kiss on the cheek, getting a fairy dusting of his gold paint on her lips. “—I’m yours, Matt and Noah Tremont. Forever and ever.”
The officiant had to clear his throat before saying, “By the power vested in me by the State of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Matt, you may now kiss your bride.”
Matt put his hand to Ari’s cheek, his gaze soft, his touch loving. At another wedding, they might have given each other a hot, sexy kiss, a bend-her-over-his-arm-and-ravish-her kiss, but with Noah looking on, Matt and Ari’s kiss was gentle, binding them into a family.
Rosie smiled, certain that the ravish-her kiss would come later…and go on and on and on, if Ari’s blushes whenever she dropped a tidbit about their love life were anything to go by.
At last, the officiant called, “I give you the Tremont family.”
Matt, Ari, and Noah descended the stairs together to the “Feather Theme” from Forrest Gump. It was so sweet, so beautiful, so simple. And Noah was adorable in his robot helmet and gold-and-black makeup.
Rosie took Will’s proffered arm when it was her turn to descend the steps. As they passed Gideon and her darling kid, she heard Jorge whisper, “Isn’t she the prettiest mom ever, Gid?”
Though she didn’t turn to see his reaction, she felt Gideon’s eyes on her like a physical touch. “Yeah, kiddo,” he said in that low voice that sent thrill bumps running up her spine. “She sure is.”