Chapter 74
Nikolai
The last time I was at the Callahan family home, it was snowing.
Now springtime blooms all around me. I adjust my tie, the exact shade of light purple that Isabelle requested, and start down
the hydrangea-lined path. The wedding isn’t until the afternoon, but the house bustles with activity. Caterers in white shirts.
Men in coveralls hauling ladders and electrical wiring. An extremely stressed-looking woman carrying an enormous box of flowers.
“Do you need a hand?” I ask, helping her steady the box. “I can carry them.”
“Oh, that would be fantastic. Watch the mud there. It rained last night.”
I wince. Hopefully Isabelle isn’t too panicked.
The woman opens the back gate for me, then directs me to put the flowers on a table at the entrance to the huge white tent
on the lawn. A quick glance around makes it clear that there are already enough flowers to rival a greenhouse—even the pool
has floating bouquets—but it does look beautiful. Two white dogwood trees stand like sentries behind what I assume will be
the altar, and a chandelier hangs over the dance floor in the tent.
Even incomplete, I can tell that this wedding will kick the ass of the wedding we crashed in Boston. And no offense to my
mom, but it blows the Heyman wedding in the Hamptons last summer out of the water, too.
My heart swells with pride. Isabelle did a wonderful job. I don’t want to get in her way, but I’m dying to see her. I loop around the tent, hoping for a glimpse of her.
Things aren’t perfect yet, and they never will be, but I can’t deny that I feel steadier now. Stronger. I don’t know if it’s
the medication, or the therapy, or just the change in scenery—probably all three—but the past is staying put, and I’m looking
to the future.
I want the future to start now, with her by my side.
“Nikolai.” I turn at the sound of Richard’s voice. “I wasn’t sure if we should expect you today, son.”
I turn to him, shaking his hand. He’s also dressed in a gray suit. A silk pocket square matches the light purple of both our
ties. He smiles, clapping me on the shoulder, and I find myself smiling back.
“I did promise Isabelle that I’d be her plus-one, sir.”
“You look good,” he says, giving me a once-over. “No game today?”
“I’ll have to fly back tomorrow. We’re between games in the second round.”
He nods, guiding me out of the path of a couple people carrying chairs into the tent. Mom rushes by, muddy boots contrasting
with the neat skirt of her dress, but she stops dead in her tracks when she spots me.
“Oh, Nika.” She wraps me in a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.” As she steps back, she squeezes my arm, her eyes shining. “When
you’re ready, she’s inside.”
“Are you?” Richard asks. His voice doesn’t hold any judgment, but I know there’s weight behind the question.
“Yes.” I glance at the house, resisting the impulse to run inside. If my mother is dashing around, then so is she. I don’t
want to get in the way. “I’ve been imagining this since I left.”
“I felt that way about Isabelle’s mother from the moment I left for games until I got home. I still feel it, whenever we’re not together.” He shakes his head, as if marveling over that. “Son, I want you to know that I trust you with my daughter. You make her happy, and that’s what she deserves most of all. Both of you.”
I swallow around the lump in my throat. “Thank you.”
Those intense eyes settle on mine. “And if you ever need advice, or have something you wish you could ask your father about—you
know where to find me.”
“Sir, I— Thank you.” I pause, unsure what to say to even begin to cover the emotions rushing through me, but before I can
unscramble my thoughts, the patio door opens.
It’s her. I know it before I even see her.
Unlike my mother, she’s wearing delicate heels, but that doesn’t stop her from sprinting across the lawn to me.
“Your shoes, darling,” Richard calls.
“Fuck my shoes!” She darts around yet another display of flowers, her skirt catching in the breeze. Her hair is loose, but
curled; it streams behind her like a mane. I hold out my arms, heart beating so fast it might make a break for it. But a couple
feet from me, she skids to a stop. She brushes the hair out of her face and stares.
“Isabelle,” I start. I had a whole speech, I practiced it on the plane, but now I can’t remember a single word. Not when she’s
staring at me, more gorgeous than ever, the tears in her eyes glittering like the diamonds around her neck.
“Your beard is atrocious.” She claps a hand over her mouth, laughing helplessly. “Please tell me this is a playoffs-only thing.”
“Come here.”
She drops her hand, shuffling the tiniest bit closer. “You’re here. Really here.” Her eyes search my face; she wipes the tears
away without a thought to her makeup. “I swear to God, Kolya, if this isn’t—”
“It is.” I take a step in her direction. There isn’t much distance between us now. “I wanted to come home.”
“Forever?”
I nod. I don’t know whether I can speak.
She finally lurches into my embrace, throwing her arms around my neck. I hug her tightly, the tension rushing out of me as
soon as I catch a hint of her perfume. I’m home.
“I missed you,” she whispers thickly. “I was afraid maybe—maybe you’d change your mind.”
“Never.” My voice is rough with emotion, an unending well of it that I can’t stop falling into. I don’t care. I don’t want
to stop falling, not when it comes to her. I ease far enough away that I can look into those calm, beautiful eyes. “You’re
everything to me, Isabelle. You’re stubborn warmth and wild summertime. You’re sunshine.” I put her hand against my heart
so she can feel its staccato beating. “I feel your light here, always.”
“I love you.” She cups my jaw, stroking over my beard, and repeats the phrase in Russian, her voice strong and steady. “You’re
my favorite, Kolya.”
I kiss her with abandon, with heat, with everything in my soul. “You found it?”
“Did you know even then?”
“Yes,” I whisper against her lips. “Even then.”
It’s a beautiful wedding.
I stand next to Cooper, Sebastian, and James’s friend Bo—plus their dog, Kiwi—on the groom’s side during the ceremony. Isabelle,
holding Charlie in her arms so she’s part of the action, stands in a pair of backup heels next to Penny, Mia, and Bex’s friend
Laura. Richard walks Bex down the aisle, to my surprise, and she’s so excited that she kisses James before the officiant gives
them permission.
Even though I want nothing more than to sweep Isabelle into my arms the moment the reception begins, I let her work. The elegant decor, the live band, the subtle nods to football and photography—it’s all her doing, and it all comes together like a richly woven tapestry.
When the first dances wrap up and the floor opens to everyone else, however, I can’t help myself. I catch her elbow, tugging
her to my chest.
“Let’s dance.”
She squints at me. “I need to make sure things are set for dinner.”
“My mom can do it.” I rub my thumb across the inside of her wrist. “I have so much to tell you.”
“Like what?”
I kiss her softly. “Dance with me and you’ll find out.”
“Wait. Not here.” She leads me to the tent entrance. “Look how pretty this is.”
Now that it’s later in the day, tendrils of sunset reach out across the sky. She makes a beeline for the dogwoods, lit with
fairy lights. The music fades into the background. Even though the sunlight is slipping away, the air is pleasantly warm.
Springtime bordering summer.
“Maybe we should have a sunset wedding.”
Her mouth drops open. “Shh! You can’t talk about your own wedding at someone else’s.”
“So you agree, then?” I press her against one of the dogwood trunks, kissing her soundly. “We’re having a wedding?”
“I don’t recall a proposal.”
“When the time’s right, solnishko.”
She bites her lip as she smiles. “What did you want to tell me?”
“You go first.”
“I didn’t say I had anything to share.”
“I’m sure there’s something I missed.”
She pretends to think as she plays with my tie. “I’m playing setter in the fall.”
Cooper had hinted that she had volleyball news, but I figured that’d be too much to hope for. “No way.”
“And I’m talking with my parents about putting together a volleyball scholarship for McKee through the foundation.”
“Holy shit.” My heart pounds with pride. I squeeze her, lifting her off the ground in my excitement. “That’s incredible.”
“Also, your mother is very interested in expanding her business to the West Coast.” She tugs me into a kiss by the tie. “I
told her I’d be happy to explore the idea after I graduate.”
“Come back with me tomorrow.” I brush a lock of hair behind her ear. This early evening light makes her look unfairly tempting.
“At least for the game. Meet Tempest. See the apartment.”
“Who’s Tempest?”
“Our dog.”
“Our dog,” she repeats. “She doesn’t even know who I am.”
“Sweetheart, all I’ve done is talk to her about you. She knows your name better than she knows her own.”
The band starts a new song, perfect for slow dancing. She shakes her head again, eyes sparkling.
“Is that enough of a forever for you?”
“Dance with me,” she whispers.
I can’t change my past, but I can shape my own future. She’s the only one I want by my side. My partner. My future wife. My
home. I sweep her into my arms, my heart settling at the way she smiles. “Always, Isabelle.”