"Good. We'll reconvene in six months to assess how the transition is going. Dismissed." Ethan walked out of the courtroom feeling like he'd won and lost simultaneously. He had until September, nine months. And then Khloe would be splitting her time and there was nothing he could do about it.
Selena stood when she saw him. Well, status quo until September, then alternating weeks. That's good. You got time. Time for what?
Time to prepare to lose half my daughter's childhood. Time to make peace with it. Time to help Khloe adjust. Time to stop fighting and start accepting. He wanted to argue, wanted to rage against the unfairness of it all.
But Khloe was watching him with those two old eyes, waiting to see how he'd react. "You're right," he said quietly. "Let's go home." Jennifer caught up with them in the parking lot. Ethan, can we talk? "Now's not really a good time." "I know, but I need to say something." She glanced at Selena, then back at him.
I'm sorry for the motion for trying to use your engagement against you. It was petty and wrong. Yeah, it was. I just I'm terrified that I'm going to lose her, that she's going to forget me or decide she doesn't need me. And I panicked.
You think I'm not terrified? You think I'm not scared that she's going to like your place better or bond with you more now that you're actually around? Fear doesn't excuse what you did. I know. You're right.
Jennifer looked at Chloe. "I'm going to do better. I promise." I'm going to show up for counseling. I'm going to follow the schedule. I'm going to be the mother she deserves.
Good. Because if you disappear again, if you hurt her again, I won't forgive you a second time. I won't disappear. I'm here and I'm staying. She walked away.
Ethan stood there with Selena and Chloe, trying to believe that maybe, just maybe, this could work. The wedding was two days away. Ethan spent those two days in a fog of preparation and panic. The caterer called about table arrangements. The efficient called about vows.
Khloe called him to her room seventeen times to discuss critical issues like whether her shoes should be silver or gold. Silver, Selena said when consulted. Gold clashes with the dress. But gold is prettier, Khloe argued. Silver is elegant.
Elegant is boring. Elegant is classic. They settled on silver with gold ribbons, which satisfied exactly no one, but at least ended the debate. The night before the wedding, Ethan couldn't sleep. He stood in the bathroom, the same bathroom where he'd first met Selena, and stared at his reflection.
Tomorrow, he was getting married. Tomorrow, he was legally binding himself to someone who'd walked into his life by accident and refused to leave. It should have felt scary. Instead, it just felt right. He found Selena downstairs sitting at the kitchen table with her laptop.
Some things never changed. You're supposed to be sleeping, he said. So are you. Couldn't. Same.
She closed the laptop. I keep thinking about everything that had to go wrong for us to meet. The cab breaking down, my phone dying, the street signs being confusing. If any of those things had gone differently, we never would have found each other. Exactly.
Exactly. And I can't decide if that's terrifying or beautiful. Both. Probably both. She stood crossed to where he stood in the doorway.
Are you having second thoughts? About marrying you? Not even a little bit. About everything else every single day. But that's parenthood.
That's life. Second-guessing every decision and hoping you don't screw it up too badly. We're going to screw it up sometimes. Definitely. But we'll screw it up together.
That's the plan. She kissed him slow and certain. I love you. Even though you still haven't fixed that table. I love you, too.
Even though you can't make pancakes without setting off the smoke alarm. That happened one time. It happened three times. Okay, three times. But who's counting?
They stayed in the kitchen until the sun started to rise, talking about nothing and everything. About Chloe and custody and what their lives would look like in a year, 5 years, 20 years. About the company Selena was slowly learning to let go of. About the students Ethan would teach and the lessons that never seemed to stick. About the small, ordinary life they were building together.
The wedding day arrived with perfect September weather. Clear skies, warm sun, just enough breeze to keep it comfortable. The backyard had been transformed into something that looked almost elegant despite the wobbly table that Ethan still hadn't fixed serving as the gift table. Khloe wore her silver shoes and gold ribbons and a dress that was absolutely definitely not dinosaur themed. She took her job as flower girl with deadly seriousness, practicing her walk seventeen times before the guests even arrived. fifty people showed up.
Ethan's colleagues from school. Selena's executive team looking vaguely uncomfortable in a suburban backyard. Khloe's grandmother, a handful of neighbors who'd watched this whole strange story unfold from their porch windows. And Jennifer, Ethan had debated inviting her. It felt wrong to exclude the mother of his child from such an important day.
It felt wrong to include someone who' just tried to use his engagement against him in court. In the end, Selena had made the decision. "Invite her," she'd said. "Show her we're not the enemy. Show Khloe that we can all be in the same room without it being a war." So Jennifer sat in the third row looking uncomfortable but present.
And maybe that was progress. The ceremony was short. Simple vows they'd written themselves. Ethan promised to love Selena even when she worked too late. Selena promised to love Ethan even when he graded papers during dinner.
They both promised to love Khloe, to be present, to keep choosing each other even when it got hard. When the officiant said, "You may kiss the bride." Chloe made a gagging sound that made half the guests laugh. You're supposed to be happy for us. Selena told her, "I'm happy, but kissing is still gross. Wait until you're older.
I'm never kissing anyone ever. We'll see." The reception lasted until sunset. The chocolate fountain was a massive hit. The DJ played music that was probably too loud for the neighbors, but no one complained. People danced and ate and told embarrassing stories about both of them.