Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Two: The Wedding
Stella announced her engagement on a rainy Sunday in March.
She was twenty-three years old, a graduate student in physics, working on her doctorate. Her fiancé was a young man named Daniel, a fellow scientist she had met in the lab.
Lina received the news in a phone call.
"Grandma," Stella said, her voice high and breathless. "I'm engaged."
Lina sat down on the couch.
"Engaged," she repeated. "You're engaged."
"I'm engaged! Daniel proposed. I said yes. We're getting married!"
Lina's eyes filled with tears.
"Congratulations, sweetheart," she said. "I'm so happy for you."
---
The family celebrated.
The penthouse was filled with people—Victoria and Victor and Katherine, David and his half-siblings, Lily and Jake and Grace and Clara and Samuel, Leo and Maya, Emily and Hope, friends and neighbors and the particular chaos of a family that had something to celebrate.
Stella showed everyone the ring. It was small and simple—a single diamond on a silver band.
"It's beautiful," Lina said.
Stella hugged her. "Thank you, Grandma."
---
The wedding was planned for the following spring.
Stella wanted a garden wedding, like Lily's, but smaller. She wanted flowers and fairy lights and a string quartet. She wanted her grandfather to walk her down the aisle.
Ethan's eyes filled with tears when she asked him.
"I'd be honored," he said.
Stella hugged him. "Thank you, Grandpa."
---
The months passed.
Stella and Daniel planned the wedding. They chose flowers and a cake and a menu. They argued about the guest list and the seating chart and the color of the tablecloths.
Lina helped with all of it.
She did not complain. She did not interfere. She just showed up, again and again, and did what needed to be done.
"Why are you doing this?" Stella asked one day.
Lina looked at her granddaughter.
"Because you needed someone," she said. "And I needed to be that someone."
Stella's eyes filled with tears.
"You're a good grandmother," she said.
Lina shook her head.
"I'm just your grandmother," she said. "Trying to do the right thing."
---
The wedding day arrived warm and clear.
Lina sat in the front row, Ethan beside her. Victoria and Victor and Katherine sat behind them. Lily and Jake sat with Grace and Clara and Samuel. Leo and Maya sat with David and his half-siblings.
Lina's heart was pounding.
Her granddaughter was getting married.
She thought about the first time she had held Stella, a newborn in her arms, so small and perfect. She thought about the first time Stella had said "Grandma." She thought about the first time Stella had won a science fair.
And now this.
She was not ready.
But she had to be.
---
The music changed.
Stella appeared at the end of the aisle, her arm hooked through Ethan's.
Her dress was white and simple, with flowers in her hair and a veil that trailed behind her. She was smiling. She was crying. She was beautiful.
Lina watched her walk down the aisle and cried.
Ethan handed Stella to Daniel, who was waiting at the altar, his own eyes wet with tears.
"Take care of her," Ethan said.
Daniel nodded. "With my whole life."
Ethan kissed Stella's cheek.
He walked back to his seat and took Lina's hand.
"She's beautiful," he whispered.
Lina leaned into him.
"She's ours," she said.
---
The ceremony was simple.
The officiant spoke. The couple exchanged vows. They exchanged rings. They kissed.
Stella and Daniel were married.
Lina clapped until her hands hurt.
Ethan whistled.
The crowd cheered.
---
The reception was chaos.
Dancing and laughing and speeches that went on too long. Grace gave a toast that was funny and sweet and perfect.
"Stella," she said, "you've been my cousin for twenty-three years. You've been my friend. My confidante. My partner in crime. I couldn't have asked for a better person to grow up with."
Stella cried.
Grace hugged her.
"I love you," she said.
"I love you too," Stella replied.
---
Lina found Stella on the balcony, looking at the stars.
"Are you okay?" she asked, standing beside her.
Stella nodded. "I was just thinking."
"About what?"
"About everything. About growing up. About starting a new life."
Lina put her arm around her granddaughter.
"Are you scared?" she asked.
Stella was quiet for a moment. "Terrified."
Lina held her granddaughter.
"Me too," she said. "But you're going to be okay. You're going to be more than okay. You're going to be wonderful."
Stella leaned into her.
"I love you, Grandma," she said.
Lina's eyes filled with tears.
"I love you too, sweetheart. More than anything."
---
The reception ended.
Stella and Daniel drove away in a car covered in streamers and tin cans.
Lina stood in the parking lot, watching them go.
Ethan put his arm around her.
"She's married," he said.
"She's married," Lina agreed.
Ethan kissed her forehead.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
Lina thought about the question.
"Empty," she said. "Not in a bad way. Just... empty. Like I've been carrying something for so long that I forgot what it felt like to put it down."
Ethan pulled her into his arms.
"That's called love," he said.
"Is that what this is?"
"I think so."
Lina leaned into him.
"She's gone," she said.
Ethan kissed her forehead.
"She is," he said. "But she'll come back. They'll always come back."
Lina closed her eyes.
She thought about all the years ahead. The visits. The phone calls. The moments she would hold her grandchildren and the moments she would have to let them go.
She was not ready.
But she was learning.
And learning, she was beginning to understand, was the most important part of love.
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End of Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Two