Maybe Matt's Miracle(78)

I nod. It f*cking hurts me, and it’s not even my match.

“Do you think he’ll throw it?” she asks.

I shake my head. “I doubt it.”

He doesn’t.

He goes at it just like he goes at everything else. He kicks ass. The boy is strong, and he has Seth almost pinned once, but the clock has ten seconds to go. The referee swipes his hand beneath Seth’s lifted shoulder to show the other boy that Seth isn’t pinned yet. It’s close, and I hold my breath. Sky is squealing beside me, and the whole auditorium starts to count down with the clock. It goes off and Seth rolls over, and they move on to round two. Seth holds his own, and he gets some back points when he lays the boy out flat. It’s almost the third round, and he’s up by one point. Just one point. Seth looks over at his opponent’s dad, and the man gives him a thumbs-up. Seth smiles at him and goes back to it.

Seth makes a crazy move, one that I have never even seen, one that might just be dumb luck, and he gets the boy on his back. His opponent can’t wiggle free, no matter what he does. All Seth has to do is hold it.

Suddenly, the ref calls a pin. Seth reaches down and helps the boy to his feet, and they share a back-thwacking hug. The ref raises Seth’s fist, and Sky hoops and yells beside me. Seth stops at the edge of the mat and raises his hand to the sky. He closes his eyes and says something under his breath that I can’t quite make out. But then he turns and goes to his opponent’s dad. He squats down in front of him and says something to him. Seth’s eyes fill with tears, and he’s so f*cking emotional all of a sudden that I have to blink mine back, too. Sky doesn’t even try. She just wipes her face.

Seth goes to the locker room to clean up, and it’s not until we’re on the way home that Sky turns to him and says, “What did you say to that boy’s dad, Seth?”

Seth blows out a breath. “I told him to keep fighting. That’s all.”

I have to blink back tears again. Seth is going to make one hell of a man. Sky reaches back and takes Seth’s hand in hers and gives it a squeeze. He leans forward and kisses her cheek.

“I love you, Aunt Sky,” he says quietly.

“I love you, too, Seth,” she breathes.

“Me, too?” Mellie chirps.

Joey follows with, “And me?”

Sky laughs and reaches back to tickle their feet. “You two, too.”

Then she takes my hand in hers and says, “You, too.”

I give her a squeeze because it’s all I’m capable of right now.





Skylar

Two months later



My mother stands in front of me and fluffs my veil. It has been a long time coming, but we’re making progress. She got out of rehab a couple of weeks ago, and we’ve actually been spending some time together. We pop popcorn and talk about…nothing. It’s nice. It’s something she’s never been capable of before. Neither was I. I had to set aside my doubts and my distrust. Sometimes, if you choose to walk the same road, you have to keep filling in the holes so you can find your footing. But other times, it’s safe to take a new path altogether, and my mom and I are on a new path, completely. We’re discovering one another like we’ve never met.

When I got my news yesterday, she was the only one I told. I’m going to tell Matt after the wedding. We got his good news last month when his blood work revealed that he is still in remission. Now I’m going to give him some more good news.

“You look so beautiful,” my mom says. She has adjusted my hair, and she even held my dress up when I had to pee one last time. She has really been here for me today.

“Thank you,” I breathe. My nerves are frayed, not because of the wedding but because of what I have planned afterward. “You have Matt’s gift, right?” I ask.

She pats her clutch. “I have it. It’s safe.”

We found out last week that Joey and Mellie’s dad is willing to give up his parental rights and let us adopt them. They’ll have the Reed name. Matt has never been happier, but I have a feeling the news today will top even that. We’d like to adopt Seth, too, but he says he doesn’t need it. He says he wants to keep his mother’s name. That’s fine with me, as long as he knows he’s ours, too. And I’m pretty sure he does.

My mother gives me one last hug and goes to take her seat.

I hear the wedding march begin, and Dad comes to collect me. “It’s not too late to back out, if you want to,” he says.

I shake my head. “Never.”

He laughs. “I didn’t think so.” He sticks out his elbow. I slide my arm inside. I only have three bridesmaids, and they’re all standing at the front of the church already. Friday, Reagan, and Emily are family, but they agreed to get all dressed up and stand with me. Of course, Matt had to have every one of his brothers and Seth stand with him. He couldn’t leave a single one out, so our sides don’t match. But that’s okay with me.

I step up to the walkway and look up. The guests all get to their feet. But I don’t look at them. I look at Matt. I can tell the minute he sees me because his eyes get glassy and his mouth falls open. I watch his face the whole way down the aisle. Paul punches him in the arm, and he still doesn’t break my gaze. My dad kisses me on the cheek, and the rest of the service is just a dream. I look into Matt’s eyes and say my vows and he says his. When it’s time for rings, I let him slide mine on my finger and nothing ever felt so right. Until I slide his on, too. And then it’s perfect.