A cousin told a story about Nathan fixing a broken porch step without being asked.
Emily held her wedding ring so tightly that the edge pressed into her palm.
When it was her turn, she did not give a long speech.
She could not.
She said only, “Nathan made ordinary things feel safe. That was his gift.”
Then she sat down before her body gave out.
Paul approached her afterward.
For a moment, Emily’s mother moved as if she might block him.
Emily shook her head.
Paul stopped a few feet away.
His eyes were raw.
“I didn’t know,” he said.
Emily looked at him.
She wanted to believe him.
She also knew wanting something does not make it clean.
“Did you know she hated me that much?” Emily asked.
Paul’s face broke.
“I knew she thought you were taking him away. I thought it was mother nonsense. I thought she would calm down after the wedding.”
