“Isn’t that love?”

“No,” Ryder said. “My parents were so good to each other. They helped each other. Effortlessly completed each other. Didn’t clash with each other. They didn’t... I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. They’re dead. They’re not here today. I’m about to be a father. And in just a few short years I’ll be the same age my dad was when he died.” He noticed that Logan’s face had taken on a strange expression, probably because he was being strange. But he didn’t really care. He felt owed his breakdown.

“Life is a bitch. And I’m not going to worry about what this thing between me and Sammy is. I’ll take care of her. I promise that much.”

“See that you do,” Logan said. “And maybe don’t worry so much about what somebody else’s marriage looked like.”

“You never even saw a marriage. How would you know?”

It was a low blow. Digging at the fact that Logan’s mom was single.

“True,” Logan said. “But then, if I was ever going to fall in love I suppose I would accept the fact that it was going to be my own particular brand of fucked up. Since I have nothing else to compare it to.”

“Well. Aren’t you enlightened?”

Logan shrugged. “Yeah, pretty much.”

“Leave most of that out of your best man speech, please.”

Logan pushed his hat back on his head. “Was I supposed to write a speech? I thought I would just tell everybody to drink.”

“Stick with that.”

After that the pastor showed up, and everybody began to assemble and take their places beneath the canopy.

He stood there, wondering which direction Sammy would come from. It was part of her charm, that they hadn’t done any kind of rehearsal. That she had said that he was just going to have to see what happened.

He wondered if she was thinking about her father, because of course, traditionally, a father gave his daughter away when they walked down the aisle. But her father had given her away to Ryder a long time ago. Had turned over those rights as a protector that he wasn’t using.

It wasn’t that different. It wasn’t really.

Except last night had been completely different. Rings and dancing and romance.

Except it felt different, with him standing there in a tuxedo, unable to catch his breath.

He shook hands with Pastor Michael and then stood, waiting.

Rose, Iris and Pansy came up over one of the little hills, linking arms. The three of them were wearing light-colored summer dresses, smiling, and suddenly they reminded him of themselves as children. Something strange twisted in his chest, and he tried to breathe around it. Tried and failed.

Smiling, they stood across from Logan, and he found himself in between the two groups.

The people he loved most in the world, except for the one who was about to stand next to him.

And she was probably the only person on earth they would kill him to protect.