She hugged Maggie goodbye then hugged and kissed her dad goodbye.

‘See you, honey,’ he said.

She drove to work thinking about marriage, about what Maggie and her dad had said. The rest of the day went by quickly, it was busy so that helped, but she still pondered the question all day. Finally, she made a decision. She pretty much floated with happiness the whole drive home. It was late, as she had to finish off some extra jobs at the café, but Billy was waiting up for her, keeping her dinner warm.

‘The kids are in bed already,’ Billy said, taking her plate out of the oven.

‘Billy?’ He turned, oven mitts on both his hands.

‘Mmm?’

‘I’m ready to set a date.’

There was stunned silence until Billy yelled as loud as he dared, then cupped her face with his warm mitted hands, kissing her all over her face. ‘I can’t believe this, what changed your mind?’

‘I just wondered why I was waiting. I mean I will admit that I’m scared – my last marriage was hardly dreamy – but you are a good man and I love you, and that should be enough.’

They were married six months later. Wren, sixteen now, served as Billy’s best man alongside Ty, who was six years old, much to his absolute joy. He was responsible for the rings and he took his job very seriously, constantly checking his pocket to make sure that they were still there. It was adorable. Both her boys had stepped up, even helping her plan the wedding, right down to the color of her dress: a beautiful lilac.

Her dad had offered to hold their wedding in his backyard, surrounded by her mom’s fragrant roses, her memory with Vanessa on her big day. There was a small garden path with a trellis arch at the end and rows of chairs either side. Her dad had walked her down the makeshift aisle to meet her future husband. She winked at her boys, gorgeous in their white button-down shirts and gray pants. Billy, only planning on marrying once, had worn a proper suit. He said he wanted to look his best on their big day. So did she, going with a form-fitting dress with a short train at the back. Her hair was up in a low bun, tendrils floating around her face. Ten minutes after her dad had kissed her on the cheek, she and Billy were man and wife. Their family and friends threw rose petals over them as they made their way down the path to pose for photos in front of the multicolored roses. Vanessa wished with all of her heart that her mom could have been there to share in her joy, but she knew that she would be looking down on her.