Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
ROSCO
I wake up on my wedding day to an empty bed and the sound of female voices coming from my kitchen. Lots of female voices. And what sounds like someone moving furniture.
A glance at the clock shows it's barely seven am. What the hell is happening in my house?
I pull on jeans and a t-shirt, then follow the noise downstairs to find my kitchen has been transformed into wedding command central.
Talia sits at my table with a laptop and what appears to be seventeen different lists.
Jordyn is on the phone, pacing while she talks rapidly about flowers and timing.
And Sage is pulling pastries out of bags that smell like heaven.
"Good morning, groom," Talia says without looking up from her computer. "Coffee's fresh. Don't touch anything else."
"Where's Gia?"
"Venus has her at Tangled Roots for hair and makeup. You're not allowed to see her until the ceremony."
"It's my house."
"Not today it isn't." Jordyn ends her call and fixes me with a look that reminds me why she was such a good investigative journalist. "Today it's wedding headquarters. You're being relocated."
"Relocated where?"
"Noah's picking you up in thirty minutes. You'll spend the day at Iron Vine getting ready, while we handle everything here."
I pour myself coffee and lean against the counter, watching the controlled chaos with amusement. "This is insane. You know that, right?"
"This is what Gia deserves," Sage says firmly, arranging something that looks like tiny sandwiches on a platter. "A beautiful wedding day done right with people who care about her, since she doesn't have her own family here."
The reminder hits me harder than it should. Gia's facing one of the biggest days of her life without a single blood relative to share it with. Her parents died when she was in college, no siblings, and her friends disappeared when Zack isolated her from everyone who cared about her.
"You're right," I say quietly. "Thank you. All of you. For doing this for her."
"We're doing it for both of you," Talia corrects. "But mostly for her, because she needs to know she's loved and supported."
"She is."
"We know. But sometimes you have to show people, not just tell them."
My phone buzzes with a text.
Noah:
Outside. Time to go, groom.
"That's my ride." I drain my coffee and grab my keys. "Anything I should know?"
"Don't be late," Jordyn says. "Ceremony starts at sunset. Five-thirty sharp."
"Has anyone checked the weather?"
Jordyn rolls her eyes. "We aren’t amateurs, Ros. The weather will be perfect as long as the weather app and my husband’s knees aren’t lying. Expect clear skies, no wind, and a temperature around sixty degrees."
Talia finally looks up from her computer. "It's going to be beautiful, Rosco."
"I know.” I move to grab a protein shake.
Jordyn glares at me. “Get out of here. Lover boy.”
The team of woman burst into laughter as I take my exit in hasty strides.
Noah's truck idles in my driveway, music playing softly through the open windows. I climb into the passenger seat and buckle my seatbelt.
"Ready for this?" he asks as we head down the mountain.
"More than ready. You?"
"For your wedding? Hell yes. Talia's been planning this thing like it's a military operation. I'm just following orders."
"Is it too much? I don't want Gia to feel overwhelmed."
"Trust me, she's going to love it. The women know what they're doing."
The drive to Iron Vine Estate takes twenty minutes, and I spend it trying not to think about everything that could go wrong. What if Gia changes her mind? What if the ceremony is too much pressure? What if she realizes she's making a mistake?
"Stop spiraling," Noah says as we pull into the estate's circular driveway. "She loves you. You love her. Everything else is just details."
Iron Vine Estate buzzes with activity. Caterers are setting up tables on the back lawn, florists are arranging what looks like a forest's worth of flowers, and someone is testing a sound system near the overlook where we'll exchange vows.
"Wow," I breathe, taking in the scope of the operation. "How did they put this together in one day?"
"Kane women are terrifying when they're motivated," Zaire says, appearing beside the truck with a garment bag. "And apparently, getting you married was motivation enough."
"Where is everyone?"
"Eli and Darius are helping set up chairs. Roman and Micah are handling the music situation. Silas is reviewing the ceremony script Jordyn wrote because apparently 'Do you take this woman' isn't good enough anymore."
"Ceremony script?"
"Personalized vows, readings, the whole thing. You're going to cry, man. Fair warning."
We spend the morning getting everything ready. The overlook where Gia and I will exchange vows has been transformed with white chairs arranged in a semicircle, an arch woven with late-season wildflowers, and candles ready to be lit as the sun sets behind the mountains.
It's simple but stunning, exactly what Gia said she wanted when she described her dream wedding.
"Lunch," Talia announces, appearing with sandwiches and forcing everyone to sit down and eat. "The bride is having her lunch at Tangled Roots with the girls while they do her hair, so you boys need to fuel up too."
"How is she?" I ask, accepting a sandwich I'm too nervous to eat.
"Glowing. Happy. Asking if you're nervous too."
"Oh, I’m terrified."
"Good. That means it matters."
The afternoon passes in a blur of last-minute preparations and increasing anxiety. By four o'clock, I'm pacing the estate's main house in my wedding clothes, checking my watch every thirty seconds.
"Relax," Silas says, straightening his tie. "She'll be here."
"What if she changes her mind? What if she decides this is too fast, too much?"
"Then she wouldn't be the woman you fell in love with." He claps me on the shoulder. "Gia's not going anywhere, Rosco. She chose you. Trust that."
At five-fifteen, cars start arriving. Sage and Luna, Jake and his security team, Dr. Martinez and her wife, even the mayor and his family. More people than I expected, all here to witness Gia and me make promises to each other.
"Places," Jordyn calls out at five-twenty-five. "Groom, groomsmen, officiant. Let's do this thing."
I take my position at the overlook, the entire valley spread out below us. The sun hangs low in the sky, painting everything in golden light. It's exactly the view Gia dreamed about, perfect for the promises we're about to make.
Music starts, something soft and acoustic that I don't recognize but that makes my chest tight with emotion.
The wedding party processes down the makeshift aisle: Talia and Jordyn as Gia's bridesmaids, Noah as my best man, even Jordyn’s son, little Oliver, toddling along as ring bearer with the rings tied to his wrist with ribbon.
Then the music changes, and everyone stands.
Gia appears at the top of the aisle, and my heart stops completely.
She's wearing a simple white dress that flows around her pregnant curves like water, her dark hair styled in loose waves with tiny flowers woven through it. She's carrying a bouquet of wildflowers that match the arch, and she's smiling like sunrise.
She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.
But it's not just the dress or the flowers or even the way the golden light makes her glow. It's the joy on her face, the certainty in her step, the way her eyes find mine and never waver as she walks toward me.
She's choosing me. Again. In front of everyone who matters, with the whole world watching, she's choosing us.
"Breathe," Silas murmurs beside me, and I realize I've been holding my breath since she appeared.
When she reaches me, I take her hands, and they're steady. Warm. Real.
"Hi," she whispers.
"Hi yourself. You look incredible."
"So do you."
Silas clears his throat. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the marriage of Rosco Kane and Gia Moreau, two people who found each other against all odds and chose to build a life together."
The ceremony is everything Jordyn promised it would be. Personal, meaningful, with readings about love and partnership that make half the guests tear up. When it's time for vows, my hands shake as I pull out the paper I've been working on all week.
"Gia," I start, then have to stop to clear my throat.
"Six months ago, I thought I knew what I wanted.
A simple life, a practical partnership, someone to share the quiet moments with.
Then you showed up on my doorstep with your suitcase and your secrets and your incredible courage, and you changed everything. "
Her eyes fill with tears, but she's smiling.
"You taught me that love isn't practical or simple or quiet. It's brave and messy and worth fighting for. It's waking up every morning and choosing each other again. It's building something together that's stronger than what either of us could create alone."
I reach out to touch her belly, where our baby is growing.
"I promise to choose you every day for the rest of my life. To put you and our children first, to protect you, to love you through whatever comes. I promise to be the husband and father you both deserve, and to never let you doubt for a second that you're my whole world. I love you, Gia."
By the time I finish, there isn't a dry eye in the house. Gia's crying openly, and I have to blink back tears of my own.
"I love you too," she starts, her voice strong despite the emotions. "So so much. I came here looking for safety and found so much more. I found a home, a family, a man who sees my strength instead of my scars."
She takes a shaky breath.
"You could have any woman you wanted, but you chose me. Complicated, pregnant, running-from-my-past me. You made me believe in love again, in myself again, in the possibility of happiness."
She touches my face gently.
"I promise to trust you with my heart, to build this life with you, to love you and our children with everything I have. I promise to be brave enough to stay, even when I'm scared, because what we have is worth every risk."
"By the power vested in me by the province of British Columbia," Silas says, grinning widely, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. Rosco, you may kiss your bride."
I don't need to be told twice. I kiss her like I've been waiting my whole life for this moment, which maybe I have. She tastes like joy and forever and the promise of everything I never dared hope for.
When we finally break apart, the crowd erupts in cheers and applause. Flower petals rain down on us, thrown by guests who are laughing and crying and celebrating like this is their own family getting married.
Which, I guess, it is.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Silas announces over the noise, "I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Kane!"
As we walk back down the aisle together, the sun setting behind the mountains and our family cheering around us, I realize this is what happiness feels like. Not the absence of problems or complications, but the presence of someone worth fighting for.
Someone worth choosing, every single day, for the rest of my life.
The reception flows seamlessly from ceremony to celebration, with tables lit by candles and string lights as the stars come out. Sage has outdone herself with the food, and there's even a small wedding cake decorated with wildflowers that match Gia's bouquet.
"Thank you," Gia whispers to me during our first dance, a slow song that Jake apparently selected specifically for the moment the mountain peaks disappear into darkness. "For this, for your family, for making me feel like I belong somewhere."
"You do belong. Here, with me, with all of us." I spin her gently, careful of her balance. "This is your family now, Gia Kane."
"Gia Kane." She tests the name, smiling. "I like the sound of that."
"Good. Because you're stuck with it now."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
As the evening winds down and guests start to head home, my family gathers around us for one last toast. Seven Kane adults, their partners, and the children who will grow up together, all holding glasses of champagne or sparkling cider.
"To Rosco and Gia," Noah says, raising his glass. "May your love story inspire us all to be brave enough to fight for what matters."
"To family," Talia adds. "Chosen and cherished and forever."
"To love," Jordyn finishes. "In all its messy, beautiful, complicated glory."
We drink, and laugh, and promise to gather again soon for Sunday dinner or holidays or just because that's what families do. As the last guests leave and we're finally alone under the mountain stars, Gia curls against my side.
"Best wedding ever," she says sleepily.
"Best wife ever," I counter.
"Even when I'm huge and cranky and can't see my feet?"
"Especially then." I press a kiss to the top of her head. "Ready to go home, Mrs. Kane?"
"Ready to start our life together, Mr. Kane."
And as we drive down the mountain toward our cabin, our wedding clothes wrinkled and our hearts full, I know that whatever comes next, we'll face it together.
The Kane family way.