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You look beautiful
It’s the first thing he says. Maddie looks stunning
It’s nothing like her first wedding dress. That was a fancy dress, full of jewelry, lace, and expensive fabric. This time, it’s a simple long, nude dress, yet elegant and exquisite.
In her first wedding, Maddie had a veil and complicated hairstyle and makeup that she got from some stylist that Doug paid to make her pretty. Today her hair is left free, fashioned in soft curls that seem to frame her face perfectly.
At her first wedding, she looked sad.
This time she looks plethoric.
“You think?” she asks with that shy smile of her that makes him think she doesn’t believe him, but she wants to
She has self-esteem issues, just like him, and just like she is working on them. But it’s hard and it takes time. It won't get fixed with nice words
“I do… Jee Yun does too, right?” he asks her niece because he knows nobody can make his sister love herself as her daughter does.
The little girl stops playing with the flowers for a minute just to nod eagerly at him and her mother then adopts an expression that is too serious for a 2 to 3 years old, and says
“Mom is a princess”
It’s a statement of fact, and it's fun and cute in the way that only toddlers and kids can do, but also it’s honest and just what her sister needs to alleviate that small moment of self-doubt
Her tears are of happiness and he can feel himself tear up a little. And yes, he feels kind of stupid for crying at all the emotional moments happening these days, but it's his sister's wedding, so suit him.
He can’t believe this is his life now. Their life.
Her sister is ready to marry the man of her life, who also happens to be one of his best friends. Chim is not only a good man in the most wholesome sense of the word, he always has her back in a way that not even Buck can. And it’s what she deserves, to be loved and treasured as the most precious thing in the world
Their daughter is a firm testament of that love, she is a sweet, smart, full of love and strength little girl.
And even though they have gone through some hard moments, they are happy and ready to take the next step
Buck feels so full of love and happiness for his sister, and her family… His family.
He loves the fact he is part of her journey and she is part of his.
His fingers go to his pocket and touch the velvet box he is hiding there. He is ready to start his own journey, his own family.
He thought it would be a good idea to pop the question in the middle of his sister's wedding. Now he realizes it would be selfish, and cheesy.
This is her day, it should be her day, and even though he knows Maddie wouldn’t be mad, or even hurt, he can’t do that to her, he wants her to be the start
She has always sacrificed everything she could in pos of his happiness, and he never realized all the things she gave up just to give him something, anything. He also knows she doesn’t think she sacrificed anything.
He knows better now.
He looks at his sister and his niece. Both are now sitting in the ground, playing with the flowers, and Buck thinks he should worry about his sister’s dress and the life of the flowers, but he isn’t, they both look too happy in their little bubble and he wants to keep them there. If it was up to him they would always be there.
“You look beautiful” he whispers again.
They don’t hear him but it doesn’t matter, he wasn’t talking to them, he was talking to the universe.