Chapter 32
BILLIE
Cole and Bailey’s backyard wedding was the kind of event you saw on social media and assumed was a celebrity’s or staged from a curated Pinterest page, but in this case, it was just Bailey’s vision, Cole’s construction skills, and the fact that we had grown up in the wedding industry.
Besides fairy and string lights, there were paper lanterns dangling from the ancient fruit trees, sourced mismatched chairs from thrift shops all over the Bay Area, and the aisle was lined with potted wildflowers in a makeshift but charming formation.
Instead of a wedding arch, there was a natural oak trellis, built by Cole himself with his and Bailey’s initials on each side, covered in climbing sweet peas.
The whole affair was cozy, intimate. Maybe fifty people, if you included the kids running around with juice boxes and the neighbor’s dog, who had somehow acquired a paisley bow tie for the occasion.
The guest list was family, Cole’s work crew, and a handful of the couple’s closest friends.
It was perfect, and also deeply impossible not to cry at, which was something I was typically allergic to.
I never showed emotion, it was sort of a thing for me, but the moment Ruelle’s I Get to Love You began to play over the low hum of a Bluetooth speaker, and Bailey appeared, my lower lids flooded with moisture.
She looked incandescent, of course, but it was less about the dress, which Birdie had, of course, designed as a one-of-a-kind, and more about the way she radiated a kind of soul-deep happiness as she walked towards the love of her life, that I’d never seen on her before.
In that moment, every ounce of bitterness I’d felt over the years—over our mom’s deaths, over being saddled with too much responsibility too young, over all the ways I felt I’d failed my sisters—evaporated. This was what mattered.
“She’s so beautiful,” Birdie whispered beside me.
“She is.”
The dress was perfect. A simple satin, scoop neck, backless, fit and flare mermaid with buttons down the train. It was timeless and classic, and perfectly Bailey. I stood beside Olivia, her matron of honor, who accepted her bouquet of flowers as Bailey took her spot beside Cole.
I was barely paying attention as the officiant told everyone to be seated and the ceremony began.
My eyes kept wandering to Adam, my husband.
I’d been doing my best not to think of him in those terms, but spoiler alert, I’d been failing miserably.
It was all I thought about him as, today of all days especially.
Typically, at weddings, I had feelings of relief and peace because I knew I’d never be the one making the vows, but today, today all I could think about was the fact that Bailey wasn’t actually the first Bliss sister to say “I do,” I was.
When I should have been concentrating on Bailey’s wedding, that was all I could think about.
My mind was clouded with our ceremony, and I wished I’d asked Adam to see the video. Had he kept the video? Had he watched the video?
No. Stop. I forced myself to focus in.
“And now, in the exchanging of vows, Bailey and Cole will express their love and promises in their own words.”
Bailey spoke first. “Cole, before you, I didn’t know love could feel like both peace and adventure at the same time.
The first time I saw you, my soul recognized something steady, something real, before I even understood why.
And every day since, you’ve shown me exactly who you are, a man of strength, of kindness, of integrity, of quiet courage.
The kind of man who doesn’t just speak about love, he lives it.
“You are, without a doubt, the best man I know, not just because of how you love me, but because of how you move through this world with honesty, integrity, compassion, and strength.
“I love the quiet ways you show up for me, the way you understand what I don’t say, and how you make ordinary days feel like something worth celebrating.
“I promise to be your calm when life feels heavy, your laughter when things get too serious, and your partner in every unknown ahead.
“I will grow with you, listen to you, and love you. Because from the very first moment I saw you, even before I wanted to admit it, and in every moment since, it has always been you, my rock, my love, my forever.”
I wiped a tear that slid down my cheek and found my eyes scanning the crowd and landing on Adam, of course.
He looked so handsome in his suit and charcoal gray tie, sandwiched between his girls, one twin on each side of him.
When he caught me looking, his lips curled in a knowing grin.
My mind went back to just a few weeks ago to when we were exchanging our own vows that we made up on the spot.
So much had happened in those few weeks. The routine with the girls, with Adam.
He was better now, I could see it. Any day now he was going to get cleared to use the stairs, and then there’d be no reason for me to stay.
I was sure that’s why he’d asked me to come downstairs a couple nights ago, to let me know he didn’t need me anymore.
Instead, he’d just asked me about my stalker.
“No news is good news.” That’s what Detective Ramos said the last time I checked in with him. Was it? In my opinion, no news meant they were no closer to finding out who the hell had broken into my apartment, car, and slashed my tires.
“Bailey,” Cole’s voice cracked, and it snapped me out of my inner thoughts.
I turned my attention back to my sister’s wedding.
“I fell in love with you the very first time I saw you, not in a loud, overwhelming way, but in a quiet certainty that settled somewhere deep inside me, like my heart recognized you before I had the words to explain it. And every day since then, I’ve fallen in love with you all over again, in your smile, your kindness, your strength, and in all the little ways you make my world feel softer and brighter.
“You are my safest place and my greatest adventure. With you, I have found a love that feels like home and a future that feels limitless.
“I promise to stand beside you through everything, to be your calm in chaos, your joy in ordinary days, and your partner in every dream we chase together. I promise to listen, to grow, and to love you with patience, honesty, and everything I have to give.
“No matter where life takes us, no matter how much time passes, I will keep choosing you, with the same certainty I felt the very first moment I saw you. Because loving you isn’t just something I do, it’s who I am.”
Once again, I found myself looking out over the crowd, my eyes landing on Adam. This time he wasn’t looking at me, though. He was speaking to the girls, who looked to be getting antsy.
He was such a good dad. So patient, so attentive, present, empathetic, and strong. He was everything his father and my father weren’t. And the crazy part was, he’d had the entire thing sprung on him. It’s not like he’d planned on it.
I noticed Birdie looking around, too. Dylan had texted quite a few times saying his flight was delayed.
It seemed he was going to miss the entire ceremony just like he’d missed his own entire engagement party five years ago.
I wasn’t sure why Birdie stayed with the man.
They’d been together since high school, so there had to be something there I wasn’t seeing, but consistency and showing up certainly weren’t two characteristics he had.
Luckily, Bailey couldn’t get a better guy than Cole.
At least I knew I never had to worry about one of my sisters.
Not that I had to worry about Birdie. She was the poster child for a free-spirited, independent woman, which was probably why it didn’t bother her that Dylan was never around.
The only reason I could think of that she stayed was if she had a traditional relationship, it would most likely stifle her.
Before I knew it, the officiant was declaring Cole and Bailey man and wife, and Cole was kissing the bride. Cheers erupted and the wedding party was pulled away to take photos.
The reception was immediately following in the backyard, and cocktails were served. I kept getting intercepted to speak to people who I would normally avoid, but since it was Bailey’s wedding, I felt like I had to be polite.
Music played, tables lined the outer edges of the fence, with all the mismatched chairs for the ceremony repurposed for use around them.
A makeshift dance floor was erected in under ten minutes, and a DJ played a good mix of oldies and new pop hits while everyone let loose, to celebrate Bailey and Cole’s union.
When I finally freed myself from unwanted social interactions, my first order of business was to find Adam.
My eyes did a full scan and couldn’t find him anywhere.
I was still looking when I got a notification on my phone.
I checked the message and saw that it was from the private investigator I’d hired to find Adam’s mom on the day we got married.
When I read the information, I felt sick to my stomach. Adam’s mom was dead. She’d died when he was twelve. She’d been in and out of treatment facilities for her mental health and addiction, and his dad knew. He was listed as her next of kin at her time of death.
I looked up and saw Adam walking towards me. Alone, the girls weren’t with him.
“Hey,” I forced myself to smile.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his expression turning to concern.
“Nothing.”
“Is it your stalker?” he practically growled, then started looking around.
'“No!” I rushed to assure him. “No, nothing has happened there are no more incidents. Nothing.”
His eyes were still scanning the crowd, his shoulders were tense, so I used a diversion.
“Where are the girls?” I repeated.
“At the sleepover. Maddox just picked them up.”
“Oh.”
“What’s wrong?” he asked again.
“Nothing,” I insisted. I knew I had to tell him, but this was not the place.