Shannon nearly squeaked.“The rings,” she said, gesturing for Anna and Brooke to get the rings from their best men.
On cue, Brooke turned and grabbed Anna’s ring from Nate, while Anna turned to get Brooke’s from Nick.
“Brooke, repeat after me,” Shannon smiled, waiting for Brooke to get Anna’s ring lined up with her ring finger.“With this ring, I thee wed.”
“With this ring, I thee wed,” Brooke smiled, slowly sliding the diamond studded, rose gold wedding band down Anna’s ring finger.
“As a symbol of my love and commitment,” Shannon continued.
Brooke repeated her,“as a symbol of my love and commitment.”
“With all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you.”
Brooke had never meant anything more.“With all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you.”
“Anna,” Shannon began,“your turn.” It was clear she was fully fighting back tears of her own now.“With this ring, I thee wed.”
Anna slipped the ring onto Brooke’s wedding finger, her smile radiant as always.“With this ring, I thee wed.”
“As a symbol of my love and commitment,” Shannon’s voice shook.
“As a symbol of my love and commitment.”
“With all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you.”
Anna had never looked more beautiful than she did in that moment.“With all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you.”
“And now, by the power vested in me through American Marriage Ministries, it is my greatest honor and privilege to pronounce you, Mrs. And Mrs. Fourchette. You may kiss now,” Shannon added, though Brooke and Anna were already leaning in for it.
Chapter Five
In the four years they had been together, Brooke could count on one hand the times they’d fought or been mad at each other. She could, on one finger, count the times that Anna made her feel uncertain or unsteady, and that had been a complete accident. This was something entirely foreign and uncomfortable and it wasn’t either of their faults. That fact didn’t give Brooke any comfort.
“I’m going to go take a shower,” Anna said, over her shoulder, leaving Brooke by their front door.
Brooke hooked her keys on the little ring off to her right. They’d purchased this house over a year ago, just after their wedding. They’d purchased it with the hopes of starting a family soon. A dream that seemed to be crumbling around them.
Brooke didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know if she should follow after Anna or make tea and wait, uncomfortable and nervous at the kitchen table. Anna had never not reached for her when she’d needed comfort. She’d never walked away before. There were a lot of things about today that made Brooke want to cry, but that most of all.
Following after her made the most sense. It might be the wrong choice, but Brooke didn’t want Anna to be alone right now, even if that’s what she’d been hoping for by going to shower at one in the afternoon.
It was the sound of crying outside their bedroom door that made Brooke freeze. Should she give Anna a moment? It wasn’t in her nature. If Anna wanted to be alone, she’d have to say it. Brooke did knock gently on the door before pushing it open. Her own tears fell before she could catch them at the sight of Anna sitting on the floor beside the bed, curled in on herself so tightly that her head was between her knees.
Without a second thought, Brooke sank down beside her and pulled Anna into her arms.
“I’m sorry,” Anna whispered, her voice breaking.
“Darling, what on Earth are you sorry for?” Brooke kissed her temple.“None of this is your fault.”
“Because I can’t…” Anna couldn’t bring herself to say it.
Brooke shook her head, gently lifting Anna’s face so that Anna would be making eye contact with her.“Anna, my love, it’s not your fault.”
“But I feel like it is.” Anna crumpled, burying her head in Brooke’s chest.“We had a whole plan. How did I not know? You’d think that would be something you’d be able to sense about yourself. Or maybe something a gynecologist could have warned me about? You know? I should have known. I shouldn’t have hoped.”
Brooke felt hopeless. There wasn’t anything to be done to fix it. The doctor told them today that if they tried again, they’d potentially be putting Anna at risk. It had all stemmed from her wreck, apparently there was more internal damage than Anna had previously known. It wasn’t until they had started this journey six months ago, that Anna had learned that successfully being able to carry a child was highly unlikely. They had decided to try for it anyway, hopeful from that tiny, small, inconsequential percentage of a chance. Their doctor today advised them to stop and Anna was truly gutted.
Not trying to immediately solve the problem was killing Brooke. She wanted to fix it. She wanted to make Anna smile. She wanted today to not suck so truly and monumentally. But none of it would help how Anna must be feeling. Brooke was lost. Everything felt like the wrong move, so she just held Anna tighter.
