Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
We have rustic tables set up from dinner, and my grandma and grandpa are taking a break at theirs. Thaddius’ grandma goes straight over there and hands my grandma one-half of the bouquet.
Damn it, I think the tears are starting up again. The whole scene blurs, but I watch as they both start laughing, and I imagine she said something about putting some spring into her mattress too. I can so easily see how they were as girls. As if all the years had just been erased. There are so many decades between this moment and that first meeting. A whole lifetime. My lifetime, my mom’s, my grandma’s.
“Destiny is such a funny thing,” I whisper.
Thaddius sets his hand on my back. “Who needs destiny when you have sheep?”
“And sheep cheese.” That was the highlight of our wedding. We might have had to go out and buy sheep milk from local farmers because there was no way we’d have enough, but we wanted to serve it at our wedding.
I lean into Thaddius, and he leans into me, his arm slipping around my shoulder. Then, we turn and stare out into the fields. The sheep are milling around. At first, they were curious about what was going on, but they have since settled into uncaring mode. The donkeys watch us, their tails twitching. They rub each other’s noses all the time, and it’s so adorable. The llama rescue, Spits, is further away in the field, running and jumping happily. She’s high energy. She always seems to be running and jumping, but it’s the joyfully inspired kind of leaps. I can hear the chickens cooing and clucking, even with the band going strong. Soon, the tents will go up. Since Upperhand only has one motel and Seattle is an hour’s drive away, we decided that camping out would be the best way to have people stay.
We did have a backup plan, with a bus booked as well as potential hotel rooms where people could stay if it rained or if no one wanted to rough it, but when we pitched—haha—the idea of tents to our families and friends, they thought it was a great idea.
It might be kind of weird to everyone else that we chose to spend our wedding night here and not go somewhere fancy, but this is home. It’s our special place. Here, with the chickens, the sheep, the two donkeys, the spitting llama, the two other cats we adopted to make five, and the puppy we got for Shaggy to teach all that he knows. He’s quite reluctant on that one, but we’re getting there. We could have paid someone to watch the animals while we went away, and maybe someday we will, but not tonight. Tonight, we’re here to stay with all the people who were kind enough to come out and celebrate our love story.
In honor of the wedding, the farmhouse got a new coat of paint. It’s no longer chippy white. It’s just white now. All the windows now have curtains, the barn got a fresh coat of red paint, and the chicken coop even got a new coat of yellow. Next year, we’re planning an addition to the house, adding a guest bedroom and maybe, well, a nursery, if that comes. Either way, we’ll make the addition, and that room will be used as an office or a studio space for me to write in since that’s what I usually spend my mornings doing. Anyone who says freelance work isn’t rewarding is lying because I love my job. It makes it possible for me to be out here with Thaddius and the animals, on our land and in our little house.
“And sheep cheese,” he agrees softly.
With a light kiss, he takes my hand and leads me back to the bare earth dance floor. The stars might be out twinkling, and the night might be half gone, but we’re going to do this the right way and celebrate until dawn, and when it’s a new day, and the sun comes up, we’ll start celebrating our life as a married couple.
At last.
The End.