I walked over slowly, and Daniel finally spoke. Walter had been diagnosed with a serious heart condition a year earlier, and the treatment was costly. Daniel borrowed money from Tessa for the first payments and did not want me to worry, because we were already stretched thin. Walter had made him promise to say nothing, afraid the news would overshadow Tessa’s day. That was why Daniel had been so short with everyone for months.

Then Walter held out the pink basket to Ivy. He explained that he had asked Tessa to remove Ivy from the ceremony for a reason. He wanted to walk his granddaughter down the aisle himself at the end, as a private moment, because he feared he might not attend another family wedding. Tessa had planned it, but Daniel panicked when she tried to change it back, thinking Walter’s wish should come first. Nobody had told me, and nobody had told Ivy.

My anger melted into tears. I told Daniel that hiding things had hurt more than any money problem. He apologized, and Tessa did too, admitting she had handled her anger badly. Ivy simply took the basket and asked Walter if she could still walk. He nodded, and the whole garden went quiet as the two of them walked slowly down the aisle, scattering petals while Walter leaned on her small shoulder.

Afterward, Daniel and I sat together and made a plan. Tessa forgave the loan as a wedding gift, and Walter began a new treatment that worked better than expected. Months later, he was healthy enough to dance at our anniversary dinner. Ivy keeps the pink basket on her shelf, and she tells everyone she was the most important flower girl of all.