19: Gavin.

A little while later…

“Think of this as a trial run,” I tell Apollo as he looks out the window to find Celeste.

“I’m counting down the days.” He looks back and smiles at me, and I can see the genuine love in his eyes.

“I’m so damn proud of you,” I tell him as I walk over and hug him close.

“Oh, Dad, you’re not going to get all sappy on me, are you?” he teases and hugs me back.

“Yes. It’s my wedding day, and I get to do whatever I want.”

“How is this different from any other day?”

When I pull back to look at him, he’s smiling. “Well, to be fair, it’s your mom's day, and she’s allowing me to participate when necessary.”

“You love it.” He squeezes my shoulder, and I nod.

“I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

There’s a knock on the door, and when I turn around, I see Shy entering the room wearing his matching tuxedo.

“Hey guys,” he says softly.

Our relationship is going slowly, but when I asked him to be a part of my wedding, he didn’t hesitate. He’s a good kid, and all he really needed was