"You still wear it."
"Every day."
He looked toward the tarnished band.
Nora smiled through tears.
"You know something?"
"What?"
She touched the old ring.
"This one was always real."
Daniel's eyes filled.
She continued.
"It wasn't the metal that made it matter."
He closed his hand gently around hers.
She smiled.
"It was the promise."
Daniel leaned toward her.
Then whispered, "And this time we know what we're promising."
Nora nodded.
"Yes."
Behind them, a camera clicked.
They turned.
Lucy stood near the end of the bridge holding her camera.
Her face was wet with tears.
Daniel laughed.
"Lucy!"
She lowered the camera.
"What?"
"How long have you been there?"
The girl grinned.
"Long enough."
Nora laughed.
Lucy approached.
Then looked at the ring.
"Did he finally ask?"
Nora stared.
"You knew?"
Lucy smiled.
"He's been practicing in the kitchen for two weeks."
Daniel groaned.
Nora burst into laughter.
Lucy embraced them both.
For a long time, the three stood together on the wooden bridge.
And the sound of their laughter carried across the creek.
They married the following September.
The ceremony took place in the garden of the Whitfield house.
It was not a grand society event.
Nora could have invited hundreds of wealthy acquaintances, executives, and public figures.
Instead, she and Daniel chose the people who knew them.
Arthur.
Ethan and his family.
Lucy.
Martin Shaw.
Sonia Flores.
A few close friends from Bellweather.
Several colleagues Nora had trusted for decades.
The guests sat beneath trees decorated with simple flowers.
The afternoon was warm.
The sky clear.
Nora wore an elegant ivory dress and a short white jacket, with her glossy black hair held back by a delicate white headband.
She looked beautiful.
But the happiest part of her expression came from something no designer could have provided.
Peace.
Daniel stood beside the officiant wearing a dark suit and the blue tie Lucy had selected.
He looked nervous.
Arthur leaned toward him.
"You're sixty-one years old. Try not to faint."
Daniel stared.
"That's not funny."
Arthur grinned.
"Little funny."
Daniel laughed despite himself.
Then the music began.
Nora appeared at the garden entrance.
For a moment, Daniel could only stare.
She walked toward him smiling through tears.
Lucy stood beside her, carrying a small bouquet that included flowers chosen in memory of Elise.
That detail had been Nora's suggestion.
Not because she wanted to make the wedding about someone else.
But because she understood that loving Daniel also meant respecting the family he had before her.