Chapter Thirty-eight #2
After the ceremony, the guests move on to the reception, and the bride and groom pose for pictures together.
Then it’s time for the Paradise family photo. Beckett’s parents, Ryker, Tarryn, Greyson, Caleb, and Kingston gather under the arbor. Wives are included, but Sadie lingers nearby with her bouquet, seeming uncertain, with Beckett at her side.
“Ginny,” Vicky calls, waving me over. “Come join the photo.”
I blink. “What?”
She’s already gesturing to the photographer. “She’s part of this family whether she knows it or not. So is Caleb’s girlfriend—Katy?”
Katy looks just as surprised as I feel but slips in beside Caleb with a bashful smile.
I hesitate for a breath too long, and Ryker takes my hand and pulls me gently to stand with him.
His mother smiles like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
My heart swells. This isn’t temporary. This isn’t them making room for me out of politeness.
This is them choosing me. Over and over again, they’ve shown me. And now, I’m ready to choose them back.
The photographer gives instructions, Beckett and Sadie take their place, and we all shuffle in a bit tighter.
Before the shutter clicks, Sadie steps in front of the group, her bouquet lowered at her side, her eyes glassy.
“Wait,” she says, voice trembling. “Can I say something first?”
Everyone goes still, and the photographer nods.
Sadie turns toward the group, blinking rapidly.
“When my parents died, I knew I still had Caleb. He was my anchor, the one thing that kept me from falling apart. But I didn’t realize until recently how much I missed having a family.
A real one. Loud and messy and opinionated and so full of love it knocks the air out of you sometimes. ”
She pauses. “I just want to say thank you to all of you. For taking me in, for making room for me. For making this day feel like more than just a wedding. It feels like coming home, not just to Beckett, but to all of you.”
Beckett is beside her in seconds, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and kissing her temple. Tarryn’s already dabbing her eyes. Caleb pulls Katy closer. Vicky sniffles quietly and rests against her husband.
And I feel Ryker’s hand curl around my waist like he doesn’t plan to let go anytime soon. The ache in my heart eases.
After a few more photos, the photographer calls it a wrap, and we all start making our way toward the vineyard’s reception site, a gentle slope overlooking Black Bear Lake.
The sky is a brilliant sweep of blue, and the sun’s warm but not harsh, with just enough breeze to rustle the golden leaves clinging to the edge of summer. It’s perfect.
The emcee introduces the wedding party, and I find my seat at the table beside Ryker, who gives my hand a squeeze. After a moment, glasses clink in a chorus, and the room quiets.
Ryker rises from his seat, a glass of bubbly in his hand and a lopsided grin tugging at his mouth. The light catches in his hair, and there’s a flush to his cheeks—part pride, part nerves.
“I know it’s tradition for the best man to give a toast. But I told Beckett I wasn’t going to do it.
I didn’t want his giant head to get any bigger,” he begins, glancing at Beckett, then Sadie.
“But Beckett threatened to put a picture of me in footie pajamas in the slideshow if I didn’t say something, so here we are. ”
The room chuckles, and Beckett smirks, raising his glass like he might have that picture in his pocket.
Ryker takes a breath, and his grin softens. “Growing up, it was always the four of us—Kingston, Greyson, Beckett, and me. But the teams were clear. Kingston and Greyson were the serious ones. Responsible. Mature. Probably born with a five-year plan and a spreadsheet. And then there was us.”
He gestures between himself and Beckett. “Beckett and me, we were the chaos. The noise. The bruised elbows and half-baked plans. We built forts and broke windows. Got in trouble, usually together. It was loud and messy, and honestly? It was the best place in the world to grow up.”
His voice dips into quiet. “I know we don’t say it enough, but I admire you, Beckett.
You’re calm when the rest of us are losing it.
You listen when most people talk just to hear themselves.
And even though you fight dirty—seriously, Sadie, he’s sneaky—you’re also loyal.
Fiercely. Relentlessly. If you’re lucky enough to have Beckett in your corner, you never have to face anything alone. ”
Sadie dabs at her eyes.
Ryker lifts his glass. “To Sadie and Beckett. May your marriage be a little chaotic, a little messy, and the best place either of you has ever called home.”
The room erupts into claps and cheers as glasses rise around the tables. Beckett stands and gives Ryker a hug.
And when Ryker sits again, his fingers find mine under the table. I squeeze them. Because tonight feels like everything good—honest, open, and completely ours.
As the applause fades and people settle back into their seats, the room shifts. Faces turn. Eyes land on me.
Someone calls out gently, “Ginny?”
Oh. It’s time. Ryker’s hand tightens around mine under the table, and then I stand slowly, heart fluttering somewhere between my ribs and my throat. I don’t even know if my voice will work, but then I look at Sadie.
She’s glowing, bouquet resting in her lap. Her eyes meet mine, and suddenly, I know exactly what to say.
I lift my glass. “I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get through this,” I begin. “But here goes.”
The room stills.
“When I think about high school, I don’t remember the classes or the boys or the drama.
I remember Sadie. I remember sleepovers on Friday nights and skipping class to drive up to the lookout with gas money we didn’t have.
I remember her dragging me through heartbreak, bad haircuts, and one particularly regrettable spray tan incident. ”
Laughter ripples across the room. Sadie covers her mouth, eyes shining.
“But the truth is,” I go on, “I’ve never been good at goodbyes.
Or hellos, for that matter. I build walls and call them boundaries.
But Sadie? She never let me disappear, not really.
I wouldn’t have survived any of it without her.
And coming back here after all these years…
She welcomed me without hesitation, no judgment, just love. ”
I glance around the room—at the twinkle lights, the decorations, the people who have slowly, without me realizing it, become part of my story again.
“She’s been here for me through everything. And Beckett, that makes you one of the luckiest people alive.”
I shift toward him, smiling. “You’re marrying up.”
The room laughs again—bigger this time—and Beckett doesn’t miss a beat.
“Fully agree,” he says, lifting his glass. “No argument here.”
I raise my glass a little higher. “To Beckett and Sadie. May your life together be filled with laughter, loyalty, and a love that never stops showing up.”
The clinks ring out again, a soft chorus of celebration.
Vicky catches my eye from the table and gives me the smallest nod. Warmth blooms in me all over again.
As I sit down, Ryker kisses the side of my head, whispering, “That was perfect.”
I smile back at him and realize that for once I’m not bracing for the fall. I’m letting myself hope.