I have Allison behind me gripping onto my arm. Karrie is gripping onto Matthew’s arm, and then Cooper steps in between us.
“Stand down, son,” he says and we both don’t move.
Parker stands by the door, looking around at what was our reception area. “Is this where you got married?” she asks as she looks around with a hand in front of her mouth.
“No,” Allison speaks calmly, “this was after.”
“Did you get any pictures?” she asks as she sobs out and Cooper goes to her, taking her in his arms as Allison sniffles away her tears.
“Yes.”
She nods at her daughter. “You must have been so beautiful.”
“She was,” I finally say. My eyes are still on Matthew as the fury looms in them. “You can either stand down and talk to her calmly or you can get the fuck out. Choice is yours.”
“You don’t get to tell me how to talk to my sister,” he growls out.
“She’s my wife now,” I growl out. “And you won’t talk to my wife like that.”
“Matthew,” Allison says as she pushes him away from me, or tries to, and when that doesn’t matter, she pushes me back. “If you want to talk about this civilly, we can, but if not, Max is right, you need to leave.”
“Allison, you’ve just ruined your whole life. You will be associated to him forever now.”
“Good,” she says, throwing her hands up. She pushes him again. This time he goes back a bit. “I’m fucking thrilled. I’m happy. I shouted it from the rooftops last night and I would do it every single day if I have to. I love him,” she says to Matthew and then to Cooper. “I love him, all of him. His past, his mistakes, his screwups, and his triumphs, because that is what makes him the man I want to be with for the rest of my life.” She shakes her head as she looks down and then up again as she sobs out, “Don’t make me choose, because it’s him I will choose.”
I can’t take it anymore. I spin her around and bring her to me as she buries her face in my chest, my arms wrapping around her as she cries in my chest. I whisper to her that everything is going to be okay, except I don’t know if it will. I look around the room, seeing the women with tears running down their faces.
“Aly,” Cooper finally says, “we just want the best for you.” Then he looks at me. “You took away so much from her by doing it this way. You took away the chance of choosing her dress with her mother. You took away me or Matthew walking her down the aisle.”
“I’m sorry for that,” I say, looking at Parker as she gives me a small smile and a nod. “But I will not apologize for making her my wife and marrying her. I will never be sorry for that.”
“Matthew,” Cooper finally says to him, and Matthew turns around. “He’s her choice.”
He shakes his head.
“Nothing you can say will change her mind.”
“Matthew.” Karrie comes in front of him. “Look at me. What would you have done if everyone hated you and wanted to take me away from you?”
Matthew crosses his hands, rolls his eyes, and pffts out. “I’d take you anyway. But—” he says as Karrie puts her hand in front of his lips.
“But nothing. You can either accept it and have a place in your sister’s life or you don’t accept it and lose her.”
“I’m not losing her. He’s—” Matthew starts and then this time it’s Parker who stands up.
“That’s enough,” she says as she comes to us. “You got us all riled up and on a plane at five-thirty a.m. You came here and didn’t even talk to your sister. You ordered her around instead.”
He puts his hands on his hips.
“I don’t know Max, but I know your sister, and if she is risking everything she has and loves him he must be worth it.”
“Mom.” He takes his cap off, scratching his head. “I’m looking out for her and protecting her.”
“That’s my job,” I say. “The moment she said she loved me that became my job. Fuck, it became my job the minute she looked at me. I don’t want her to choose me or you. It would kill me to have her do that. It would kill me because I know it would kill her.”
“Matthew, son,” Cooper says. “Don’t make her choose.”
“Fuck!” he yells out again, “why couldn’t you date the stockbroker, or I don’t know, a farmer, or fuck, the guy who sharpens the skates? Why him?”
“First off. Fred is fifty-nine.” She turns in my arms, looking at him as my arm wraps around her neck. “And you don’t choose who you fall in love with. It just happens!” she says, putting both her hands on mine.