My whole family lines up behind the massive red ribbon. Rowan’s brothers, who are as unfairly handsome as my husband, stand beside him.
Rowan tucks me into his body and kisses my temple. “Are you ready?”
A camera flashes, catching the moment. There’s a lot of press here for the official opening of Nebula Land. It might have taken us three years to complete, but it was so worth it. The moment guests enter the space, they’re immediately thrown into a completely different planet where Iggy the alien hails from. The ride Lance submitted got an upgrade and still remains a key attraction of the land, and I’ve come to accept it. Because without that billion-dollar hunk of metal, I might have never met the love of my life.
I imagine Brady is smiling down on us today.
“I can’t believe this is happening. Do you think people will like it?”
“They’d be crazy not to.” Rowan passes me the giant silver scissors.
“You trust me with a weapon like this?”
The moment he lets go, both my arms fall from the sheer weight of the metal.
“Okay, maybe not my best idea.” He places his hands over mine and holds them up to the ribbon.
“Those are heavier than they look in the movies.”
He lets out a soft laugh only I can hear. Another camera flashes in our direction.
“They caught you smiling on camera!” I gasp in mock horror.
“How much do you think I need to pay him to delete the image?”
“I’m not sure. Everything saves to a cloud now—”
“Are you both going to get this moving? I want to go on the rides!” Ani pops her head out from behind my back.
“What she said!” Cal calls from the other side of Rowan.
“We’re having a moment,” Rowan snaps back at his brother.
“We’ve all had to live through three years of your moments already. I’ve heard some of them too,” Cal calls back.
“Hello! My parents are right there.” I glare at Cal.
“They’re jealous,” Rowan whispers into my ear before placing a kiss on my cheek.
“Not really. You both are gross.” Ani makes a retching noise. She’s so full of it, especially when JP hangs all over her like an octopus.
Claire runs up to us with her kitchen smock half undone and her hair everywhere. “I made it!” She throws her sweaty arm around me before taking up a spot next to Ani.
“Finally,” Rowan grumbles under his breath.
“You were stalling for Claire to make it?”
Don’t cry, Zahra.
“Of course. Without her, you might have never submitted that drunk proposal in the first place.” Rowan smiles effortlessly, with every ounce of love in his eyes.
Goddammit, Zahra. Don’t cry or else you’ll give it all away.
“Thank you for always being so thoughtful.”
“I made you a promise, didn’t I?” He rotates the ring on my finger once as if to remind me it’s still there. As if I could forget. I’m pretty sure my diamond can be seen from outer space because it’s that obnoxious.
My eyes water, but I blink away the remaining tears before they can escape. “Ready?”
My husband smiles back at me and lifts the scissors higher. “Take it away, wife.” His voice drops, sending a wave of heat down my spine.
He hasn’t stopped calling me that since we got married last winter in the snow. And every single time, it sends a rush of something through my body, making me feel every bit owned by him.
I call out to the crowd. “Thank you for joining us today. Nebula Land holds a special place in all of our hearts because we know how much it would have meant to Brady. While he can’t be here today, I’m sure he’s looking down at us, just as excited as we are. Iggy was his favorite character, although he might not have admitted it in so many words. Brady cherished his first drawing because it represented him, a young immigrant who felt like he traveled to a completely different world when he came to America. Iggy became a way for Brady to channel his happiness, excitement, and fears. In itself, Iggy is an extension of Brady in many ways—of the values Brady wants to spread with his movies. So we are thrilled to open Nebula Land up for all of Dreamland to visit and love as much as we do.”
Rowan and I snip the ribbon together. Everyone cheers around us, clapping and hooting. Some kids run toward the entrance of the land while our family members mingle.
Someone grabs the scissors from Rowan’s hands. “You did—”
Ani calls Rowan’s name like we had planned before. I knew out of all the people, he couldn’t resist answering her. His soft spot for my little sister has only grown over the years, and now I use it to my advantage.
My mom bustles over, swapping my enamel pin for my new one. She gives me a wink before turning back to my father.
Rowan wraps his arm around me from behind. He kisses the crook of my neck before turning me around so we face each other. “I’m proud of you. That was an amazing speech.”
“Just amazing? I can do better than that. Let’s call the reporters back here and have a redo.” I twirl my finger like he does when he wants something done.
“You’re crazy, you know that?”
“Hard to forget when you tell me every single day.”
He cups my cheek with one hand. “I do love to be consistent.”
Finally, on cue, his eyes drag across my face before trailing down my body. He tilts his head and blinks twice. “What is that?”
“What?” I blink innocently.
“Whose pin is that?” He flicks the pin on my chest, making it tremble.
I protect the little piece of metal showing off a bun inside of a tiny oven. After I took a pregnancy test at Claire’s apartment three weeks ago, she surprised me with this little gem for my birthday.
I thought today was the perfect time to announce it to Rowan. Because we started with Nebula Land and ended up here, together with our families, years later.
“Mine.” I grin.
He blinks again like his brain needs to process all this information. “You’re pregnant?” His voice is a whisper.
I nod my head up and down. Rowan forgets about everyone around us as he kisses me until my lips are swollen and my head goes woozy from a lack of oxygen.
I look up at my husband, finding his cheeks streaked with a few tears. Like all the times he’s done with me, I swipe them away like they never existed.
He wraps his arms around me and kisses my head. “You’re the best damn thing that ever happened to me. Thank you for giving me the chance to be the dad I never had but always wanted.”
My entire heart dissolves in my chest. There’s nothing I want more in life than to share Rowan’s love with our child. Because to be loved by him is to be cherished and protected unconditionally, and in a world like ours, it’s a gift. One I never knew I needed but couldn’t imagine living without.
