She nods and entwines our fingers as she pulls me onto the stage. My gaze instantly travels to my family seated in the front row, and Grandma’s eyes widen when I sit down next to Faye behind her piano. I smile at her and take in the emotion in my siblings’ eyes.
Zane has his arm wrapped around Celeste, and she smiles tightly, her entire body tense. He nods at me, looking surprisingly disarmed. The two of them have been putting on a front, but it’s clear they’re not doing well. I have faith in Grandma, but I’m not sure forcing these two together is a good idea. Celeste seems repentant, and Zane seems far more vengeful than I thought him capable of. He’s intent on destroying her, and he doesn’t seem to realize that in doing so, he’ll ruin the few parts of himself she left intact.
Faye begins to play the opening notes, and everything melts away until there’s nothing but the music and my wife. My fingers tremble for a moment before I join her, playing the duet we practiced tirelessly for weeks. Turns out, our family and network paid some insane amounts to see me play, and all of it is being donated directly to the Staccato Foundation. Faye is making both of our mothers’ dreams come true, and she does it so effortlessly.
I watch her as we play together, in perfect harmony. She’s the wife I never wanted, yet now I can’t imagine my life without her. Her broken pieces perfectly fit against mine, creating the foundation we’re building the rest of our lives on. With each brick we lay down, we build each other up. I can’t wait to see where life takes us, but I suspect countless shitty flights and beautiful melodies are in my future.
I wouldn’t have it any other way.