30. Kennedy

THE WEDDING

The Parent Trapproject was a colossal failure.

I’ve had to come to the realization.

The room I’m standing in is a vision of elegance and subtle grandeur, bathed in soft hues of gold and ivory. Delicate fairy lights are strung across the ceiling, casting a gentle glow that makes the crystal chandeliers sparkle like stars. Lush floral arrangements in shades of blush and cream adorn every table, their sweet fragrance mingling with the scent of anticipation in the air.

It’s beautiful, breathtakingly so, and for a moment, I allow myself to be swept away by the fairy-tale ambiance.

I adjust the strap of my dress, a deep emerald gown that hugs my small curves and sets off the color of my brown eyes, according to the bridesmaid who helped me pick it out. I’ve never felt more out of place, yet completely right, standing here among the beautifully dressed guests in the grand ballroom of one of Philadelphia’s most prestigious hotels.

My eyes scan the crowd, searching until they find him.

Shane.

He stands out not just because of the striking cut of his charcoal gray suit, which he wears with an ease that speaks of his athletic build, but because of the way my world seems to tilt and zoom in on him every time he’s near. His hair is styled neatly, a change from the usual tousled look he sports after games or practice, making him look distinguished and older.

And hella sexier.

If that’s even possible.

Our eyes meet across the room, and something unspoken passes between us—a silent acknowledgment of the complicated web of emotions and history that binds us. He smiles, that slow, heart-stopping grin that has always been my undoing, and for a heartbeat, I forget where I am and who I am.

The music shifts, a soft, classical piece that fills the space with its melody, and the guests take their seats. Shane doesn’t take his eyes off me and starts walking towards me. Each step he takes seems to draw him closer, not just in distance but also back into the orbit of my heart, a place I’ve tried and failed to keep him out of.

“Kennedy,” he says as he reaches me, his voice a low rumble that resonates somewhere deep between my legs.

“Shane.” My reply is a whisper, almost lost in the swell of music and murmurs of the gathering crowd.

“You look… incredible,” he says, his eyes sweeping over me, making me feel seen, known in ways no one else has ever managed.

“You do too,” I manage to say, my voice steadier than I feel.

We take our places, and before I know it, the ceremony goes off without a hitch. In less than thirty minutes, my father is married to Shane’s mother. Mr. and Mrs. Bing. Their union officially binds us together forever in each other’s lives.

I do my very best to paint on a genuine smile. It’s my Kate and my father’s day and I’m not trying to ruin it, especially as I recall the difficult conversation the two of us had last night about Shane.

“Shane admitted that he’s in love with you. I can’t say that I approve. He’s your stepbrother after all. But I raised you to make your own decisions, Kee-Kee, and I know that you’ll make the right ones.”

Shane admitted to my father that he was in love with me.

After all this time, he still loves me?

The corner of Shane’s mouth quirks up when he offers me his arm. “Care for a dance, beautiful?”

At first, I hesitate, aware of the many eyes that might be on us, of the whispers that might start. But as I meet Shane’s gaze, seeing the genuine affection and something fiercer, something more vulnerable in his expression, I realize I don’t care. I don’t care about the whispers, the stares, or the raised eyebrows.

I don’t even care what my father thinks.

Or Kate.

Not anymore.

“Yes,” I say, placing my hand on his arm.

Shane leads me to the dance floor, his touch firm and warm through the fabric of my gown. As we find our rhythm to the mid-tempo ballad the band is playing, the world falls away. It’s just Shane and me, moving together as if we’re the only two people in existence.

“You know,” Shane murmurs, leaning in so that his words are for my ears only, “I’ve thought about this moment, dancing with you like this. Holding you for the world to see.”

“Me too,” I admit, my heart skipping a beat. “I just didn’t think I’d ever be brave enough to get here.”

Shane’s smile is wistful. “Nothing about us has ever been simple, has it?”

“No,” I agree, my gaze locked with his. “But maybe we don’t need simple. Maybe complicated is what makes us work.”

“We work?” he repeats, rolling the words around as if tasting it.

“Yeah, hockey boy. It’s been four years, and I can’t think of anyone I’d rather be on this dance floor with. I think it’s pretty evident that we work.”

As we dance, I’m acutely aware of every point where his body is close to mine. His hand rests at my waist, the other holding mine, and his body moves in sync with mine. It feels right, like coming home after a long journey, both familiar and comforting.

The song ends, but neither of us steps back. Instead, Shane leans in, his forehead resting against mine. “Kennedy, this is probably not going to be easy.”

“Don’t,” I whisper, not ready to break the spell, not yet. “I don’t care about what’s ahead of us. Just be here, with me, in this moment.”

“I am,” he agrees, his voice rough with emotion. “Now and forever.”

As another song begins, a slower, softer melody, we continue to dance. The lights dim further, and the fairy lights above us cast a gentle sparkle in Shane’s eyes, turning them into a deep, blue, and green fathomless sea I could drown in.

I realize then, with a clarity that cuts like Kate’s three-carat diamond ring, that I love Shane Sullivan.

And I always will.