Chapter 24 - The Wedding I Chose For Myself
I didn't want a ballroom.
I didn't want five hundred guests.
I didn't want cameras.
And I definitely didn't want a white dress designed to make headlines.
So we chose a small vineyard in Napa.
Forty-three people.
No press.
No business executives except the few who had become genuine friends.
Arthur cried before I even reached the aisle.
Captain Elias pretended he wasn't crying.
I saw him wipe his eyes anyway.
Julian stood beneath an old oak tree.
When he saw me, he didn't look at my dress.
He looked at me.
That mattered.
After the ceremony, he whispered:
"How does it feel?"
I looked around.
The vineyard.
The people.
The quiet.
"Like nobody owns this moment except us."
He kissed my forehead.
And for the first time in years, I didn't think about seats.
I didn't think about Grant.
I didn't think about Sabrina.
I didn't think about the morning someone had told me to remember my place.
I simply lived.
Until Arthur found me.
"Claire."
I turned.
His expression was serious.
"What?"
He handed me an envelope.
"No one knows I have this."
I opened it.
Inside was a letter from Grant.
My stomach tightened.
"He requested that it be delivered after your wedding."
I looked at the envelope.
Julian stepped closer.
"You don't have to read it."
I knew that.
That was exactly why I wanted to.
I opened it.
The first sentence made my hands tremble.
Claire, I finally understand why you walked away.
I stopped reading.
For the first time, Grant wasn't asking for anything.
He was simply telling me what he had finally understood.
I folded the letter.
"I'll read it tomorrow."
Julian nodded.
May you like
"Tomorrow is enough."
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