Page 78 of Until the Stars Fall

Noah laughed. “Can’t argue with that.”

EPILOGUE

EIGHTEEN MONTHS LATER

The spring day was perfect. Robins and thrushes sang in the birch grove ahead, and one more turn would bring me and Noah on the path of rose petals that Beck’s niece, Charlotte, had thrown in my honor. My brother released my arm for a moment to adjust the star-strewn embroidered veil that cascaded down my shoulders, and the cellos began to play.

“Come on,” I teased, tucking my hand into his crooked elbow and pulling on him. Each step in my long sheath gown with the trailing overskirt of stars brought me closer to my meant-to-be. We turned left, and my gaze skipped past our family and friends who had gathered for us in their finery. Because truly, only one man mattered to me today.

Beck stood beside the arbor he’d built for our wedding, and warmth hummed through me like the Abundance. How was he even more obscenely beautiful today than the day I met him? Dressed in a suit woven in the deep, dark blue of the night sky, he stood with clasped hands, watching me as if I was the only person in the whole forest.

The cellos played Maasai Malone’s “Dream Girl,” and I smiled all the way to my groom.

“Treat her right.” Noah winked at Beck. “Or I’ll walk next door to let you have it.”

Beck grinned back. “Yes sir, Dr. Abadie.”

Noah kissed my cheek and stepped back. Hannah came forward, her purple maid of honor skirts swishing, and took my bouquet of roses, sweet peas, and hydrangeas from me before taking her place beside a very pregnant Zola. And I turned and slipped my hands into Beck’s.

“Welcome, friends and family,” Summer said, “to the joyous occasion we’ve been...”

But Beck’s eyes met mine, and the warmth bubbling up from my heart and into my smile washed out everything she said. I squeezed Beck’s hands, knowing with full certainty that I had found my soulmate.

“Do you, Gemma Louise Abadie, take this man, Beck Carter Breaux, to be your lawful husband, your partner in life and love?”

“I do,” I said, meaning it with every spinning atom in my body.

“And do you, Beck Carter Breaux, take this woman, Gemma Louise Abadie, to be your lawful wife, your partner in life and love?”

“I do, with all my heart and soul,” he said, the love beaming from his face making my spirit soar.

“‘A cord of three strands is not easily broken,’” Summer began, “and so Gemma and Beck have chosen to bind their wedding vows with three ribbons, each color representing wishes for their marriage, and each presented by someone important in their lives.” Summer motioned to Beck’s parents to come forward.

Beck and I clasped our hands together, left to left, and right to right.

“Ellie and Emmett Breaux bring forward the blue cord, symbolizing devotion.”

Beck’s parents, who had already proven that I’d won the in-law lottery, came forward with three braided silk ribbons in different shades of blue. As Summer spoke, they loosely wound the braid around our hands as many times as it would go, then gave us each a hug and kiss before they returned to their seats.

Ellie and Emmett welcomed me into their family without reservation, and in them I’d gotten a second chance at being a daughter. Ellie went all Mama Bear on Madam Indigo—whose practices were apparently outside witching law—and within forty-eight hours, all the money I’d paid the woman was transferred back to me. Madam Indigo’s unwilling refund went toward the home that Emmet, an architect, worked with us to design. It even included a stargazing tower in the forest, my surprise wedding present to the amazing man standing before me.

“Hannah Abadie brings forward the yellow cord, symbolizing joy.”

My sister handed my bouquet to Eyre and stepped forward to wrap a woven trio of yellow silk ribbons around our hands, her engagement ring from Summer flashing in the late-afternoon light.

“And Zola and Noah Abadie bring forward the green cord, symbolizing fertility.”

Then Noah and Zola stepped in, her bridesmaid gown accentuating her pregnant belly as they both wound a cord around our clasped hands in a trio of greens.

After they finished, Zola smiled and rubbed her belly as Noah kissed her cheek, drawing whoops and ooohs from our guests, including raucous rabble-rousing from some of Beck’s childhood friends. Beck grinned, raising his eyebrows lasciviously at me. A familiar thrill skipped through me.

“Settle down, folks.” Summer waited for the laughter to die down before she began again. “Gemma and Beck, in your hands is the heart and the life of the one you love. Let your hands always seek to bring each other comfort, build a lifelong, joyful partnership, and lessen each other’s burdens. In your hands is also a choice, a daily opportunity to choose understanding over judgment, laughter over anger, and love over fear.”

With that, Summer tied the silken ribbons together beneath our clasped hands. “And now, please recite to each other the vows you’ve written.” She nodded at Beck.

He squeezed my hands and looked into my eyes, smiling. “I guess everybody here knows how I dreamed about you, how I knew you were my meant-to-be, years before we met. On our wedding day, it’s important to me that you know you’re the woman I fell in love with, not the dream girl. I feel so in harmony with you, more than with anyone else, ever. You make me laugh, you challenge me in all the best ways with your brilliant mind. I aspire to be as brave as you, and as selfless. Into space or into the spirit world, it means everything to know you’ll always come for me. You saved me from the abyss.” He glanced at his arm and returned his gaze to me.

We both smiled through happy tears as he continued. “I will be faithful and dedicated to you, past when the last stars fall. I’ll work hard every day to build a happy life with you, for each other, for our family.” He smiled bigger. “Wow I love the sound of that: ‘our family.’ I want to grow very, very old with you. And I promise: no more astral projection.” Quiet laughter rippled through the congregation. “Because I don’t want to miss a minute of my life with you. I love you with everything, Gemma, and I dedicate my life to being your partner in all things.”

---