Updated Mar 13, 2026 • ~4 min read
I wake up to my phone alarm at 7 AM.
Today’s the day.
I grab my phone immediately.
Holden: “Good morning, bride. Today I get to marry you. Can’t wait. ❤️”
I smile and type back: “Good morning, groom. Try not to cry at the altar.”
Holden: “No promises. See you in a few hours.”
A few hours. That’s all.
In a few hours, I’ll be Mrs. Reid. Again. But this time, everyone will know.
There’s a knock on my door.
“Tessa? You awake?” My mom’s voice.
“Yeah, come in.”
She enters with coffee and is already teary-eyed.
“Mom, it’s 7 AM.”
“I can’t help it! My baby is getting married today!”
“I’m already married.”
“Today you’re getting REALLY married. With a dress and flowers and me crying in the front row.”
She’s not wrong.
By 8 AM, the house is chaos. Wren and Margot arrive. Hair and makeup team by 9. My dress hanging on the back of the door, waiting.
“How are you feeling?” Wren asks as someone starts on my hair.
“Terrified. Excited. Ready. All of it.”
“Good answer.”
The morning passes in a blur. Hair curled and pinned. Makeup applied—natural but polished. Eleanor’s necklace clasped around my throat.
And then it’s time for the dress.
Wren and Margot help me step into it. The zipper slides up. The fabric settles perfectly.
I turn to the mirror.
Oh.
I look like a bride.
“Tessa,” my mom breathes. She’s crying again. “You’re so beautiful.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“No, really. You’re—you’re radiant.”
Eleanor appears in the doorway. Her hand flies to her mouth.
“Oh, sweetheart. You look perfect.”
“The necklace is perfect,” I say, touching it.
“It was meant for you.”
There’s a knock. My dad’s voice: “Can I come in?”
“Yeah, Dad.”
He enters and stops. Just stops and stares.
“Dad?”
“You look—” His voice breaks. “You look exactly like your mother on our wedding day.”
Now everyone’s crying.
“Okay,” Wren says, fanning her face. “No more crying or we’ll ruin the makeup. It’s 1:30. We need to leave in fifteen minutes.”
Fifteen minutes.
In fifteen minutes, we drive to the venue. In forty-five minutes, I walk down the aisle.
In less than an hour, I marry Holden.
My phone buzzes. Text from Holden: “Noah just told me you look incredible. I’m not allowed to know details but apparently I’m going to cry. Just wanted you to know I’m already emotional and I haven’t even seen you yet. Love you.”
I smile and reply: “Love you too. See you soon.”
“Okay,” my dad says. “Ready, sweetheart?”
“So ready.”
We load into cars—me, my parents, Wren, and Margot in one. My dress taking up most of the backseat.
The drive is short. Ten minutes that feel like two seconds.
When we arrive, I can see the garden through the trees. White chairs. String lights. The arbor covered in roses.
And somewhere in there, Holden waits.
“Stay here,” Margot instructs. “I’ll check that everything’s ready.”
She disappears into the garden.
I stand with my dad, holding my bouquet, trying to breathe.
“You sure about this?” he asks quietly.
“More sure than I’ve ever been about anything.”
“Good. He’s a good man, Tessa. And he loves you. I can see it every time he looks at you.”
“I love him too. So much.”
“Then let’s go get you married.”
Margot returns. “Everyone’s seated. Holden’s at the altar. He looks nervous and excited and like he might pass out. It’s very cute.”
Everyone laughs.
“Music starts in two minutes,” she continues. “Wren and I will walk first, then you and your dad. Ready?”
“Ready.”
The music starts. String quartet playing something beautiful.
Wren and Margot walk down the aisle.
Then it’s my turn.
My dad offers his arm. I take it.
“Here we go,” he whispers.
We step into view of the garden.
And I see Holden.
Standing at the altar in his navy suit. Noah beside him. His eyes locked on me.
And his face—
Pure love. Pure joy. Pure certainty.
That’s the face I’ll remember forever.
We walk down the aisle. Every eye on us. But I only see Holden.
My dad places my hand in Holden’s.
“Take care of her,” he says quietly.
“Always,” Holden promises.
My dad steps back.
And it’s just us.
At the altar.
About to get married.
Again.
END OF CHAPTER 21
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