My Momma
Copyright© 2026 by Megumi Kashuahara
Chapter 6: The Wedding
The three weeks between the confrontation with Margret Brennan and the wedding passed in a flurry of preparation. Rebecca finished altering Catherine’s green dress. Tessa completed her flower petal collection and practiced her flower girl walk at least a hundred times. Silas cleaned the house from top to bottom, insisting that everything should be perfect for their guests.
The night before the wedding, Rebecca couldn’t sleep. She lay in her narrow bed—the last night she’d sleep in this room alone—and listened to the sounds of the house settling. Across the hall, Tessa was also awake. Rebecca could hear the child’s excited whispers, probably praying or talking to herself about tomorrow.
A soft knock on her door made her sit up. “Come in.”
Silas entered, carrying a lamp, looking sheepish. “I know I’m not supposed to see you before the wedding, but I couldn’t sleep and I heard you moving around.”
“I can’t sleep either.” Rebecca patted the edge of the bed. “Too excited. Too nervous.”
He sat beside her, the lamplight casting warm shadows across his face. “Nervous? You faced down Margret Brennan without flinching. What’s a wedding compared to that?”
“A wedding is ... permanent. Official. Tomorrow I become your wife in front of everyone. Tomorrow this becomes real in a way it hasn’t been yet.”
“It’s been real since the moment you smiled at Catherine’s flowers.” Silas took her hand. “But I understand. Tomorrow changes everything and nothing at the same time.”
“Exactly.”
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment. Then Silas reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box.
“I wanted to give you this tonight. Before everyone else is here. Before it all becomes public.” He opened the box to reveal a simple gold band. “It was my grandmother’s. My mother gave it to me years ago, said I’d know when I found the right woman to wear it.”
Rebecca’s eyes filled with tears. “Silas...”
“Catherine had her own ring. She picked it out herself—lots of filigree and a small diamond. Very her.” He smiled at the memory. “But this ring ... this one feels like you. Simple. Enduring. Beautiful without needing decoration.”
He slipped it on her finger. It fit perfectly.
“How did you know my size?”
“Asked Clara Henderson to estimate when she was here. Figured a woman would notice that sort of thing.” He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles just above the ring. “Tomorrow I’ll put it on you again in front of everyone. But tonight, I wanted it to be just us. I wanted you to know that this isn’t about community approval or legal documents. It’s about you and me choosing each other.”
Rebecca threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. When they finally broke apart, both breathless, Silas rested his forehead against hers.
“I should go,” he murmured. “Before I forget I’m supposed to be a gentleman.”
“Stay. Just for a few more minutes.”
So they sat together on her narrow bed, hands intertwined, the ring on her finger catching the lamplight, until Silas finally forced himself to stand.
“Tomorrow,” he said from the doorway. “Tomorrow you’ll be my wife.”
“Tomorrow,” Rebecca agreed, touching the ring like a talisman.
After he left, she lay back down and held her hand up, watching the simple gold band gleam. Across the hall, Tessa’s whispers had finally quieted.
Tomorrow, they would all get exactly what they’d been working toward.
Tomorrow, they would become a family in the eyes of God and the community.
Tomorrow, Rebecca Milford would become Rebecca Jacobs.
She fell asleep smiling.
The morning of the wedding dawned cold and bright, the world blanketed in fresh snow that made everything look clean and new. Rebecca woke to Tessa bouncing on her bed.
“It’s wedding day! It’s wedding day! Get up, get up, GET UP!”
“I’m up, I’m up!” Rebecca laughed, catching the excited child in her arms. “Goodness, you’re more excited than I am!”
“I’ve been waiting for this day for SIX MONTHS,” Tessa said seriously. “Since May when I started planning. Today is the day everything becomes perfect.”
Clara Henderson arrived mid-morning with her daughter Mary to help Rebecca prepare. While Mary kept Tessa occupied downstairs, Clara helped Rebecca into Catherine’s green dress.
“It fits you beautifully,” Clara said, fastening the delicate buttons up the back. “Catherine was taller, but you’ve altered it perfectly.”
Rebecca smoothed the skirt, feeling the weight of the silk. “Does it feel wrong? Me wearing her dress?”
“Does it feel wrong to you?”
Rebecca considered. “No. It feels ... like a blessing. Like she’s here, giving her approval.”
“Then that’s all that matters.” Clara began pinning Rebecca’s hair up in a simple style, weaving in some of Tessa’s dried flowers. “You know, I misjudged you at first. Thought you were just another woman after Silas’s land. But watching you with Tessa, seeing how you stood up to Margret Brennan ... you’re the real thing. You love them.”
“More than I thought possible.”
“Good.” Clara secured the last pin. “Because that little girl downstairs has been through enough heartbreak. She deserves a mother who’ll stay.”
“I’m staying. Forever.”
Clara stepped back to admire her work. “Then let’s get you married.”
The ceremony was set for two o’clock in the parlor. Neighbors had been arriving all morning, stamping snow off their boots and bringing covered dishes for the reception. The house was fuller than it had been in two years, alive with conversation and laughter.
Reverend Morrison arrived at one-thirty, his cheeks red from the cold. “Beautiful day for a wedding,” he announced. “The Lord’s blessed you with fresh snow and sunshine. Couldn’t ask for better.”
At five minutes to two, Rebecca stood in her bedroom with Tessa beside her. The child looked beautiful in a new blue dress that Clara had sewn—a gift from the Henderson family.
“Are you ready?” Tessa asked, clutching her basket of dried petals.
“I’m ready. Are you?”
“I’ve been ready since May.” Tessa took Rebecca’s hand. “I love you, Mama.”
It was the first time she’d said it so directly, without qualification or explanation. Just I love you, Mama.
Rebecca knelt down and pulled the child into a fierce hug. “I love you too, sweetheart. So much. Thank you for choosing me.”
“You’re welcome. Now let’s go get you married before Papa explodes from waiting.”
The ceremony was simple and perfect. Rebecca walked down the stairs to find the parlor transformed. Someone had brought evergreen boughs to decorate. Candles glowed on every surface. And there, at the front of the room beside Reverend Morrison, stood Silas in his best suit, his eyes locked on her from the moment she appeared.
Tessa walked ahead of her, scattering dried flower petals with solemn concentration. When she reached her father, she stood to the side and nodded with satisfaction. My work here is done, her expression seemed to say.
Rebecca barely remembered walking across the room. She was aware of the neighbors watching, of the warmth from the fireplace, of the scent of evergreen and candle wax. But mostly she was aware of Silas taking her hands, of the wonder in his eyes as he looked at her.
“Dearly beloved,” Reverend Morrison began, and the familiar words washed over Rebecca like a benediction.
When it came time for the vows, Silas spoke first, his voice clear and sure:
“Rebecca, I promise to love you in sunshine and storm. To build a life with you that honors the past while reaching for the future. To be worthy of the faith you’ve shown in our family. To make you smile every day for the rest of our lives. To be your partner, your friend, your safe harbor. From this day until my last day.”
Rebecca’s vows came from her heart:
“Silas, I promise to love you and Tessa with all my heart. To make this house a home. To be brave when I’m scared. To choose you, every day, just as you’ve chosen me. To honor the woman who came before me while building our own story together. To stand beside you through whatever comes. From this day until my last day.”
When Reverend Morrison asked if anyone objected, Tessa spoke up loudly, making the assembled guests laugh: “Don’t even try! I picked her myself and my picking is VERY GOOD!”
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