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“My mom. She’s not here,” Hen can hear the upset in her own voice as tells Chimney that, having peered into the venue, before having to go out there.
When she looks back at Chimney – about to be her best man – her own heartbreak is reflected in his eyes, along with anger she cannot bring herself to feel right now. All she can think about is how she is going to marry the love of her life and her mom isn’t there. Her mom still disagrees with her lifestyle choices .
“Hey,” Chimney gets her attention back on him, “that doesn’t matter. Okay. It sucks. Fucking hell that fucking sucks, yeah. But it’s your wedding, it’s Karen’s wedding. You’re not marrying your mom, you’re marrying Karen and she’s going to stick to her planning, you know that.”
Hen lets out a chuckle that is slightly too wet for her taste. “Yeah,” she sniffled. “Thank god I’m not marrying my mom, that would be weird.”
“I would have stopped you,” Chimney assures her as if she seriously means it.
She sends him a look and he just grins back, making her realize that had been the point as he snapped her out of her spiral. “Thanks.”
“Course,” Chimney replies easily. “Today is about you two, if your mom is stupid, then that’s her problem, okay. You’ve dreamed about marrying Karen for years now. You finally can. That’s what today is about. About the family the two of you are making.”
“Yeah. Yeah,” Hen says, pep talking herself almost. “This is my dream. I want this. Screw her for not being there.”
“Hell yeah, that’s the spirit!” Chimney cheers. “Now, are we ready to get out there?”
“We are,” Hen smiles. She’ll always be grateful for Chimney, for having him as her friend and in her corner. He is one of the most important people in her life. He is her family. Chimney is here. That’s more important.
She takes a deep breath and calms her own nerves as she waits for Chimney and Maria – an old college friend from Karen’s who is her maid of honor – to walk to the front to receive them, or whatever you wanted to call it.
Hen was involved in the wedding planning, of course she’d been, but Karen is the one who wielded the spreadsheets and they’d gone for not super formal and mostly vibes of what a wedding is usually like th a n very strictly keeping to it, so Hen didn’t brush up on her wedding terminology.
…Maybe that’s why her mom wasn’t there? Because it was even more abnormal than just them being lesbians?
No.
She shakes the thought off. She isn’t going to let the second best day – first being the day they got Denny – be ruined by her mom. She isn’t going to let this get to her. She refuses.
Fortunately, she doesn’t have long to spiral again, because now it’s her turn to walk the aisle. Jitters starting up again as she takes her first step, then they melt away immediately.
The people that are there, are people she knows and loves. Chimney is at the front, smiling at her encouragingly, Athena too. She doesn’t need to be nervous here. All these people are here to celebrate her and Karen. Their union. Their love.
A big smile comes over her face and she confidently walks down, cheeks hurting, but unable to stop herself and not wanting too either. The smile falters slightly at the sight of the empty chair in the front row, but is quickly shoved aside by Chimney’s matching big grin as he claps her on the back, while she takes her place.
Nerves creep in again, but the good kind, as all eyes turn back on the door, waiting for it to open again and Karen to come out. Hen hasn’t seen her dress yet, but she has seen the pinterest board. Still, the real deal will be different.
May and Harry appear with little baskets of rainbow confetti. They’re both in their Sunday best and it’s clear that May takes her task a lot more seriously, the little concentrated furrow between her brows adorable on the eleven year old, while Harry just seems delighted to be throwing shit.
When they’ve joined their father in the first row, the doors open again. Karen appearing looking like a breath taking angel, haloed in light, though Chimney will probably say that’s her rose-tinted glasses speaking.
Karen’s dad is giving her away – which only hurts a little bit – but he practically disappears in how Karen shines. She had gotten goddess braids done, which are cascading down her shoulders, her princess dress swooshing with every step.
Hen doesn’t think she breathes for the entirety of Karen’s walk down the aisle.
God, she is so fucking gay for this woman. She loves her so much. She can’t believe she gets to marry her, that she can do that now. Legally. She’s crying at this point, but she doesn’t even care.
That happiness wilts a little once Karen passes the empty chair in the front, but Hen refuses to let her mom ruin this for her. Refuses to let her special day be overshadowed by something like this.
Still, Karen must notice something, because she quirks her brow at her when she gets to Hen. Her own eyes are also teary, but she’s managing to keep it dry for now. Hen gives a quick glance to the chair where her mom was supposed to sit and Karen sees it too. Sympathy flashes across her face and she squeezes Hen’s hand. That is worth a thousand Chimney pep talks (no offense) and Hen manages a big smile in return. She can put that aside now that Karen is here.
And she can especially put it aside when Denny comes down the aisle, proudly carrying their rings. He wanted to be best man, but sadly you have to be old enough to sign as a witness, so he is their ring bearer instead.
He looks absolutely adorable with his little chest puffed out and his curls framing his face. Some days Hen can barely believe he’s five already. It seems like time is slipping through her fingers and he was just a baby yesterday. However, she can also not be more happy to see him grow up.
“Here you go, mommy and mama,” he tells them with a big smile, holding out the rings for them.
“Thank you, honey,” Karen smiles back at him, carding a hand through his hair as she takes the ring she needs from him.
Hen is completely washed away by the tidal wave of love that crashes over her at the sight, nearly fumbling it when she takes one of the rings as well. Fuck, she is the luckiest woman on the planet.
Denny stands with Athena between them, they weren’t going to do this without him. They’re a family, the three of them together. Today they celebrate the union between her and Karen, but their relationship is defined in so many ways too by how they’re raising Denny together. It’d feel wrong to not incorporate him properly.
With him in place, it’s time for their vows. Athena first introduces Hen to speak, who takes a deep breath, before starting: “Karen. When I drove home after our first date, I called Chimney saying ‘how dare you set me with someone so arrogant and up tight.’ Of course, he listened to me… and then he proceeded to ask me when our next date would be. He knows me so well. Because I was gone for you then. From the moment you sat down across from me, challenging me to prove I was worth your time, I was down bad and I never wanted to let you go.”
People laugh and Karen looks a little embarrassed at the reminder of how she acted those first few minutes of their date, but she is beaming too.
“And I am so glad that I never let you go,” Hen continues, her voice a little softer, more awed and fragile. “There have been ups and downs, but you’re still here. We’re still here. We’re here together with the family we made. We did that. And I sometimes can’t believe how lucky I am.”
Karen gives her the most pleased smile, though it’s a little bashful around the edges. There is also pride shining in her eyes. Pride at what they’ve built together.
“You are so driven and ambitious and I love watching you put your focus and your all in everything that you do. I admire that so much about you. I am so proud of all you have done. And I feel so honored that you chose me and Denny to be one of the things you give your energy and time to.”
Hen goes on: “I love you with all my heart. I love the way you smile. I love the way your eyes light up when you talk science. I love the way you always give in and read Denny one more bedtime story. I love the way you grumble when it’s your turn to do the dishes. I love the way you breathe, the way you exists, the way you move, the way you love. And I love that you’re letting me love you and call you mine for the rest of our lives.”
At that point, Karen is crying as much as Hen is, both of them smiling through the tears, because there is so much love inside them that is just bursting out in that moment. Hen is happy she remembered everything, happy it all came out right, happy to be here today with Karen and Denny and Chimney and Athena and all their other friends.
And when Karen starts her vows, thoughts of that empty chair are far from her mind.