Party of Four

The Green Light - Nica

The six-week mark felt like a finishing line I’d been sprinting towards while carrying a heavy backpack. My follow-up appointment went perfectly. Dr. Martinez gave me a clean bill of health. She confirmed that my body had made it through the hard part of healing. “You’re cleared for everything, Monica,” she told me, her warm smile unwavering. “Work, exercise, and, well…everything else. Just listen to your body.”

I reassured her I would. We also discussed birth control options, and I received my first patch. “Use other protection for the first week,” she instructed, and I nodded. “Unless you’re ready for another bebita already.”

“Oh no,” I shook my head laughing. “Not yet.” I wasn’t really sure about if ever I certainly wasn’t trying to get pregnant again now. I wanted to be able to enjoy these early years with Poppy. Besides, even though we hadn’t made it dress shopping yet, I didn’t want to worry about a wedding dress fitting next October.

Leaving the office though, I felt a lightness that I hadn’t felt since January. I wasn’t just “Poppy’s mom” or “the patient” anymore. I was me again. I celebrated by driving myself to a small bakery. I picked up a dozen cupcakes and enjoyed the sheer independence of being behind the wheel of my Mini.

When I pulled into the driveway, I saw Gwen’s car parked next to Riley’s Sportage. I walked in and found the two of them leaning over the dining room table along with Cole. They looked like they were having a secret society meeting.

“I’m back!” I announced, setting the cupcakes down. “And I’m officially a functioning member of society again. I’ve been cleared for everything.”

Cole let out a visible sigh of relief as he stood. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day,” he murmured as he pulled me into his arms.

“Wait until you see the second-best news,” Riley smiled, his eyes sparkling with a look that said he’d just secretly organized something successful.

Gwen slid a small, heavy cardboard box across the table toward me. “They just arrived this morning. Maya worked fast.”

I felt a flutter of nerves as I lifted the lid. Nestled inside was a stack of cards that took my breath away. I pulled the top one out. The cardstock was thick. It felt expensive and substantial in my hands. On the front was one of the photos from the bridge. In the moody afternoon light, the stone looked ancient and the willow branches looked like dark lace curtains. We looked like we were walking into a dream.

“Oh…” the word was a soft sound on my lips as I traced the elegant, sharp-edged font.

SAVE THE DATE

“It’s beautiful,” I breathed, my voice catching. “It looks so official. And the bridge…it looks like something out of a storybook.”

“We wanted something that felt like us,” Riley said, glancing at Gwen. “Sophisticated, but a little mysterious.”

“We need to get these out,” my voice was a rush of excitement. “I want my dad to see this. I want everyone to see this.”

“I’ve already got our address list pulled up,” Riley said, gesturing to the spread of envelopes and stamps and his tablet. “I figured we could spend the evening getting them ready to mail. Maybe order a pizza.”

I looked at the card again. There was no venue or other details printed yet. Just the date and our names. It felt like a secret we were sharing with the world. A promise that next October was going to be something special.

I looked at the three of them - my partners and their mom who was helping us build our future. I felt a surge of elation so strong it almost made my chest ache.

“Okay,” I said, reaching for a cupcake. “Let’s get to work. We have a wedding to announce.”

“Or a commitment ceremony, at least,” Riley grinned as he pulled a chair out for me.

We spent the next few hours in a blur of coordinated effort. Riley had his tablet open to his organized spreadsheet of addresses. Gwen and I handled addressing and stamping the envelopes. A sheet of return address stickers laid next to her, our address framed in black lace. Cole stuffed and sealed each envelope.

“Who’s first?” I asked, sliding a stack of envelopes towards myself before picking up one of the nice gel pens Riley had bought for work.

“Your dad, obviously,” he answered, grinning as his fingers tapped the screen. “I already have his done, but I thought you might want to write something on the inner flap for him.”

I smiled, feeling that familiar warmth. I took the envelope and wrote a brief but heartfelt message just for him. Seeing his name on the envelope made the date on the card - October 20 - feel less like a distant dream and more like an impending reality.

The pizzas arrived about a half hour after we started. We took a break, just long enough to eat without getting grease on anything, then resumed the task. As our to-do stack grew smaller and our to-mail stack grew larger, the conversation shifted to the guest list itself.

“You put your aunt’s name back on there,” I commented softly, glancing at Riley’s tablet. After the tension at the baby shower, I wasn’t sure he’d actually want her there.

Riley paused, his gaze fixed on the screen. “I did. She’s family, even if she’s difficult. I want her to see this. I want her to see how happy we are.” He looked up, his eyes meeting mine with a fierce sort of pride. “And I want her to see the life we’ve built without her approval.”

“And if she acts up, I’ll personally escort her back to her car,” Cole added.

“I’ll help,” Gwen didn’t even look up from her stamping.

We all laughed, the sudden tension easing again.

When we got to the list of names of our coworkers, Cole perked up. “Jay’s going to lose his mind when he sees the quality of this. He’s going to think we’re joining some kind of socialite circle.”

“Maybe we are,” I teased, fanning out the envelopes. “Just look at where we live.”

We took another break after a couple of hours. Poppy had woken from her nap, and Cole stopped to eat another slice of pizza. It felt perfect. It wasn’t the fancy, stiff planning session I’d worried a wedding would be. It was messy and loud and consisted of people who actually showed up for me.

As the night wound down, Gwen hugged us all goodnight. She took the stack of cards back across the yard to the cottage with her, promising to mail them in the morning on her way to work. Riley and Cole started clearing the table, but I stayed where I was for a moment, looking at the last card in the box. My eyes fixed on our names together. Benjamin Cole Holland. Monica Linnea Shaw. Jeremy Riley Holland.

“You okay?” Cole asked when he came back for an empty pizza box.

“Yeah,” I nodded, looking up at him, then at Riley. “I just realized, this is the first time I’ve ever felt like a bride. Not because of a dress or a church or anything. But because of you guys. Because I know that when I walk down that aisle next October, I never have to do anything alone again.”

Riley walked over. His hands rested on my shoulders as he leaned down to rest his chin on my head. “That’s the point of the ribbon, Nica. To keep everything held tight.”

I leaned back into him, Poppy watching us from the rocker on the floor next to me. “I can’t wait to go dress shopping.”