The first time you try on your wedding dress, your daughters gasp like you just turned into a real-life princess.

“Mommy!” Summer squeals, spinning in wild circles. “You look like Elsa!”

Parker clings to your leg, quiet as always, her voice a whisper. “You’re so pretty.”

Your throat tightens. It’s not the dress—it’s them. Their little faces, their eyes full of wonder. The way they look at you like you’re the whole universe. And maybe, just maybe, you are.

It’s been five years since you met Nathan.

Back when you were just the new secretary with loud heels and louder jokes. He was your boss—tall, serious, and sharp around the edges. The kind of man people tiptoed around. But not you.

You poked the bear. Constantly.

“If I get one more papercut, I’m filing a claim,” you once said, half-joking. He didn’t laugh—until you nervously made another joke two seconds later. That’s how it always went. He’d scowl, you’d stumble into a punchline, and suddenly he wasn’t so scary.

One year in, you were pregnant. Twins. Unplanned, terrifying. But he didn’t flinch. Just said, “Okay. We’re doing this.”

Now here you are. Twenty-four, in a lace wedding dress, with two tiny flower girls trying to break the boutique.

You glance in the mirror. You still look like you—short, slim, curvy in the places that make him stare like he’s never seen you before. You’ve always been the talkative one. Friendly. A little chaotic. And somehow, that chaos built a life.

Lila walks in, iced coffee in one hand, clipboard in the other. “If I hear ‘soft blush and champagne’ one more time, I’m canceling the whole thing.”

She freezes when she sees you. “Oh no,” she whispers. “He’s gonna cry.”

You grin. “That’s the plan.”

Nathan said it himself—if you don’t cry at the wedding, he failed. So he planned every detail himself. You don’t know what the venue looks like yet, or the flowers, or the playlist. He wanted it to be a surprise. “You’re already the queen of my life,” he said, “I just want to make sure you feel like it.”

It still surprises you, sometimes. How someone so guarded turned out to be the gentlest man you’ve ever known. At least with you and the girls.

He’s still quiet. Still grumpy sometimes. But when Parker climbs into his lap or Summer makes him a paper crown, he softens in a way that makes your chest ache.

Lila moves beside you, eyes shining. “You look like a woman who made the right choice.”

“I do that sometimes,” you smirk.

Parker tugs your dress. “Can we go now?”

“Where?” you ask.

“Summer said we’re getting ice cream.”

Summer, from across the room, waves dramatically. “This is taking forever!”

You glance at Lila. “She’s mine.”

“And Parker?”

“Definitely his.”

“Twins,” Lila sighs. “Double the glitter, double the therapy bills.”

You laugh, but inside, something settles. Something deep. Because after everything—accidental pregnancy, career detours, sleepless nights—you’re still standing. Stronger. Happier. Whole.

You scoop Parker up, take Summer’s hand, and walk toward the sunlight waiting just outside the boutique door.

You’ve got a wedding to finish. And a forever that’s already begun.