Chapter 326

For me, this was a culmination. An unexpected culmination, perhaps, because who could ever dream their lives would unfold this way, but one I was looking forward to without any doubts. The general level of excitement bubbling among all five of us was a significant indication that this was a fear-free environment. We were doing something great. It was special. And I hoped the couple surprises I had in store would make it even more special.

Having two family days was important and restful. Having two evenings with the girls for us to reflect and anticipate the wedding helped us ramp up the excitement. The first night, I took a walk with each girl individually, with one specific question I wanted to pose to them: how did they want marriage to change us?

We had talked about that topic from time to time, particularly in recent months. But one thing we all agreed on was that we didn’t want the ceremony to be just a ceremony, and then we’d move on with our regular lives as they