Chapter 1: The Boy Who Stole the Wedding
Five-year-old Ethan Parker had one job.
Carry the rings.
Walk slowly.
Do not lose the pillow.
But halfway down the aisle, he stopped.
The string quartet continued playing while one hundred and fifty guests watched him search every pocket of his tiny navy suit.
The bride, Claire Bennett, covered her mouth to hide a laugh.
“Did you lose something?” she asked gently.
Ethan shook his head with complete seriousness.
Then he pulled out a plastic ring from a candy machine.
Before anyone could stop him, he dropped to one knee in front of Claire.
“Will you marry me too?”
The entire room erupted with laughter.
Claire immediately knelt in front of him.
“Yes,” she said. “Absolutely.”
Ethan wrapped his arms around her neck.
Daniel Parker, the groom and Ethan’s uncle, laughed harder than anyone. Even the priest turned away to hide his smile.
For a few perfect seconds, the wedding felt untouched by sadness.
Ethan had lost his mother, Lily, in a car accident eleven months earlier. Since then, Daniel had raised him like a son.
Claire had slowly become the person Ethan trusted most.
A guest recorded the proposal.
By midnight, the video had been shared thousands of times.
By morning, millions of strangers were crying, laughing, and calling Ethan the sweetest ring bearer in America.
But while Claire watched the video in her hotel room, Ethan climbed onto the bed beside her.
His smile disappeared.
“Did I do it right?” he whispered.
Claire brushed his hair from his forehead.
“You were perfect.”
Ethan looked toward the closed door before leaning closer.
“Mommy said you would say yes.”
Claire froze.
“Your mother told you that?”
May you like
Ethan nodded.
“Last night.”
