Page 154 of Old Habits
Coach holds up a hand. “Now, hear me out…” he says, unable to obscure the obvious grin in the corner of his mouth.
Will rolls his amused eyes at me and I smile.
“They don’t call this place The Forgotten Paradise for nothing,” Coach says. “Once you’ve achieved true societal bliss as we have, the last thing you want to do is mess it up so we have a certain way of doing things around here but you two know that. You were born here. You grew up here. And you spent countless hours of your youths rebelling against that very fact — Jovie, especially.”
I scoff. “No, I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did,”the crowd argues back.
Will chuckles as I shut my mouth.
“But…” Coach says, “when I say that the two of you remind me of the definition of insanity, I don’t mean what you think I mean.” He pauses. “I mean that maybe it’s time for Clover to change its ways.”
I blink, staying silent while Will gives my hand a slight pulse.
“We were… a tad hasty in our judgment of you, Jovie,” Coach says to me. “And I think I speak for most of us when I say that we’re sorry. We can — and should — do better. Having you back home is a challenge but a little challenge helps us grow, as William here as proven multiple times over. If, even after everything you’ve been through, he’s willing to bind himself to you like this, then… maybe it’s time we stop trying to keep everything the same as its always been and embrace the change a little wild card like you can bring to our community. Otherwise… we’d be living in insanity. Not paradise.”
I clench my jaw to keep it from dropping, but mostly to stop my bottom lip from quivering. “Thank you,” I say.
Will nods. “Good save, Coach.”
Coach stands taller, looking smug as he rolls his shoulders back. “Now, are we exchanging rings?”
I feel a rush of panic as if I forgot something but Will’s confidence never leaves his face.
He turns toward the front row and gestures with one hand, prompting Andy to slide off Sara’s lap. He rushes over, nearly tripping on the pant legs of his little suit, but he stays on his feet all the way up to us. Will bends down to his level and several in the crowd audibly gasps and swoons as Andy drops two wedding bands into Will’s open palm.
I realize my own mouth is wide open and I force it closed.
“Thanks, buddy,” Will tells him.
Andy grins up at me and waves a little hand. “Hi, Jovie.”
I laugh. “Hi.”
He turns around and runs back to Sara. She picks him up and for a moment, she makes eye contact with me. I expect a hint of malice or annoyance but for the first time in our lives, I see neither. She half-smiles with acceptance instead. It’s no olive branch but it’s a good start.
Will lays the larger ring in my shaking right hand and I grip it so tightly I feel the band digging into my skin.
“William, repeat after me,” Coach begins. “I, William…”
“I, William.”
“Take you, Jovie, to be my wife.”
“Take you, Jovie…”Will slowly exhales the shock from his eyes. “To be my wife.”
“To have and to hold from this day forward.”
“To have and to hold from this day forward.”
“For better or for worse. For richer or for poorer.”
“For better or for worse. For richer or for poorer.”
“In sickness and in health.”
“In sickness and in health.”