“Pretty sure this one is following in his daddy’s footsteps.” She tips her head back so she can aim her smile at me.

I slip my arm around her waist and splay my hand out over her flat belly. “Maybe he needs a little brother or sister to play with.”

“I’ll stop taking my pill so we can start filling up the bedrooms as soon as I’m Mrs. Rook James Bowman.”

Lainey

I can’t stop smiling, or crying, and we haven’t even said our vows yet. Thank God for waterproof mascara.

Eden hands me yet another tissue, and RJ takes my hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. His eyes are full of the same emotion as mine, but he manages not to let his leak out.

We watch as RJ’s sister, Stevie, guides Kody, who is our ring bearer, down the aisle to us. It’s a small wedding, just our immediate family and close friends. Well, as small as it can be with seven brothers and sisters on my side and a few of RJ’s current teammates from Seattle, as well as the ones we’ve stayed close with from Chicago. Having people stare at me makes me anxious, but I’ve learned how to manage it this year.

Kody looks adorable in his tiny little black tux, bumbling happily toward us with a big grin on his face. Eden tries to take the pillow with the rings, but he clutches it to his chest and yells, “Mine!”

It takes some gentle coaxing from me and RJ to get Kody to let us claim the rings. Then, when our mothers try to lead him to the chairs in the front row, he calls out, “Mama! Dada!” and reaches for us.

“It’s all right—all my vows today include Kody.” RJ scoops him up, and I flank him, wrapping my arm around Kody as well.

He keeps playing with the flowers in my hair while the minister has us say our vows, and he pokes RJ in the nose more than once when he sniffles. And when the minister says, “You may kiss the bride,” Kody presses a warm palm against each of our cheeks. We follow our own kiss with a big sloppy one on both of his cheeks. His giggles of pure joy set off a chain reaction in the guests.

Kody is the reason I ended up in Chicago; he’s the reason I gave RJ a second chance. He showed me what real love looks like, the unconditional kind and the forgiving kind, and the kind that transcends time and distance and leads two hearts back to each other.

My heart is stronger for having been broken and healed by the man who gave me my greatest love. And from here, we get to watch it grow together.