Emily remembers the day Gillian married Alec with striking clarity. She was just nine and Gillian's partnership with her dad was still tenuous and new. Her dad seemed happier, but her mother seemed tense. She was so happy to get an invitation to the wedding, her very own, not just her name tacked on after her father's like an afterthought. She remembers lifting up on her heels in lieu of jumping up and down, asking "can I go? Can I go?". Her dad had sighed and said "I suppose", but was really rather excited. It should have been a hint when her mother had chosen not to join them, stating a headache as an excuse. She'd smoothed out Emily's lilac dress, kissed her on the forehead, and told her to have fun.
She knew Gillian was going to look gorgeous. She hadn't seen the dress, but Gillian had a great style that she looked up to. She wasn't wrong. Gillian's dress was flowy and classy and effortlessly her. The eggshell colour made her skin look beyond radiant. Her long hair was twisted into a beautiful updo, her dark locks set off by a wispy metal hairpiece as sophisticated as the woman herself. And when she smiled, it lit up her face. Emily couldn't keep her own smile in check as she saw her, beaming at Mr. Foster and so beautifully happy.
She watched with interest as they exchanged their vows and Gillian wiped tears from her face. She watched Mr. Foster slip a ring onto Gillian's finger smoothly. Gillian, however, raised a hand so shaky, she couldn't put the ring on right away. She reached out and pressed her hand against Alec's chest, right over his heart. She drew it away a moment later, hand steady and lips grinning, Alec donning a dopey smile also. Everyone awed. And when Gillian did get the ring on, applause rang out. And it was beautiful.
She remembers it now as she stands up at the head of her garden, next to a smiling Gillian dressed in a champagne dress (because white would be a lie and she never tells those). Her hair is shorter now than the last time and she's got flowers braided into her half-up style. She has a giant smile plastered onto her face, but she doesn't cry. She just takes Emily's father's hand in hers and squeezes warmly. The wedding is simple, that's what they wanted, just the people they love most sitting in white folding chairs and flowers along a makeshift aisle in the Lightmans' backyard.
Cal says his vows first and everyone catches the tears that gather in his eyes and the tremor in his voice, everyone they know can tell these things. Gillian follows, her voice strong and sweet, and not shaky at all.
Emily steps up with the rings at the cue she's given, holding out the pillow for them. They hadn't had a ringbearer, so Cal suggested it be part of Emily's role as both maid of honour and best man (minus the party duties, neither had wanted that). Cal slips a ring onto Gillian's finger and her smile is so wide, Emily fears it will split her face in two. Gillian lifts her own hand and slides a ring effortlessly onto Cal's finger.
Emily smiles so brightly, catching the significance of the moment. No one aws, no one cheers, but the moment is so much more meaningful than Gillian's last wedding. This time, Gillian didn't need convincing. This time, Gillian was sure. Emily meets her father's eyes and they share a look before Emily sticks out her tongue at him. This wedding, this is her favourite she's ever been to. This time, she knows for certain the two are made to last. Forever.