The moment when I would stand at the back of the church.
Without Dad.
People had offered suggestions.
Uncle Patrick could walk me.
Mom could walk me.
I could walk alone.
Every possibility was reasonable.
And every possibility felt wrong.
Because no matter who stood beside me, I knew exactly whose absence I would notice.
Then Nathan asked if he could do it.
I covered my mouth with my hand.
He waited.
“Sarah?”
I tried to answer, but my throat had closed completely.
So I nodded.
His eyebrows lifted.
“Yes?”
“Yes, Nathan.”
His chair scraped loudly against the kitchen floor as he jumped to his feet.
“You mean yes?”
I laughed through the tears already spilling down my cheeks.
“Yes. I mean yes.”
He wrapped both arms around me so tightly I could barely breathe.
“I won’t walk too fast,” he promised.
I buried my face against his shoulder.
