“Is Ian with them?” I ask of my eldest nephew.
“He’s the one who looks like you, right?”
“So I’m told. He’ll keep an eye on things. My dad says he was born a thirty-year-old.”
Speaking of the devil, my dad appears at the door carrying a huge box of flowers for the girls, red for the attendants and white for Nat. Mom has truly thought of everything.
“We’re ready whenever you are, kids.”
Natalie clears her throat. “Max… I wondered if you might be willing…” She takes a deep breath, seeming to fortify herself. “I could use an escort downstairs.”
“It would be my honor, honey,” he says softly.
Okay, I’m done. You can stick a fork right in me. She’s so fucking sweet, and she just totally unmanned my dad and me with one adorably hesitant request.
I hold out my hand, palm up. “I need to borrow your ring, Mrs. G, so we can do this all over again.”
She’s as hesitant about removing her wedding ring from her finger as I am about removing mine.
“Just for a short time, and then they’ll never come off again,” I whisper to her as I kiss her. “See you downstairs?”
“I’ll be there.”
“You’d better be.”
As I go down the stairs in the home where I grew up and head out to the yard where my wife and I will exchange our vows in front of our family and friends, everything is right in my world.
I can’t believe he flew in the girls, although I probably should’ve expected something like this. He thinks of everything. I have to give them credit—they were all very convincing telling me they couldn’t come and sounding appropriately heartbroken to miss out on a chance to attend a big Hollywood party.
“Are you mad that we lied?” Livvy asks in a small voice that tugs at my heart.
I hug her again because I can. “I’m thrilled that you lied and gave me the best surprise of my life. I was so sad that you couldn’t be here, but I didn’t want to admit it even to myself.”
“It was all Flynn’s idea,” Leah says. “He thought it would be fun to surprise you, and it was! You should’ve seen your face when we walked in here.”
“I thought I was seeing things.”
A yip from the hallway has me running to the door again, where I see Addie leading Fluff on a leash. I bend to scoop up my baby, who runs to me when she sees me. “What’s she doing here?” She’s wearing a special new red collar and a red bow on the top of her head. I can’t believe she allowed that.
“Flynn made sure the security guys brought her over. He knew you’d want her here.”
“After he told me she’d be happier at home. He’s too much. Thank you, Addie, for anything and everything you did to make this day so special for us.”
She hugs me. “My pleasure. Ladies, let’s get you downstairs.” Addie lines up the girls so Leah and Aileen go first, followed by my sisters.
Max extends his arm to me. “Shall we, my dear?”
“Yes, please.” I tuck my hand into his elbow, struck by how sad it is that my parents’ choices make it so they can’t be part of my life. Although, looking back on it all now, I wouldn’t change a thing because everything that happened in my past led me to Flynn.
Though nothing about this house is familiar to me, it already feels like home in a way. For the first time since I left my home so many years ago, I feel like I’m exactly where I belong. Who knew the home of my heart would be in Beverly Hills among superstars known the world over by their first names?
Accompanied by the sounds of a string quartet, Max escorts me down the winding stairs and out to the yard, where a gazebo and chairs have been set up for the ceremony.
We emerge from the house into warm, soft late-afternoon Southern California sunshine. The yard is full of people, but the only one I see is Flynn. He is standing with Hayden, Jasper, Kristian and Emmett, the brothers of his heart, by his side, and he is zeroed in on me as I come toward him on the arm of his father.
Max delivers me with a hug, a kiss and wishes for a long, happy life together.
Flynn receives a hug from his father and takes my hand, smiling widely at me. His joy is mine, his happiness essential to me. And I’ve never seen him look happier than he does right now.
I hand my flowers to Candace so I can hold both his hands while the judge, who is a close friend of Max’s, leads us through the recitation of our vows. It is no less emotional the second time I pledge my life and my love to this extraordinary man who has changed my life so profoundly.
“Flynn and Natalie have pledged their lives and their love to each other, and now they wish to share some personal thoughts. Natalie?”