My Best Friend Spent Years Caring for My Sister with Down Syndrome – Then He Said a Few Words That Changed Everything I Thought I Knew – Page 6

Every thought made me hate myself a little more.

The next morning, I smiled and helped Rosie create a wedding inspiration board.

“You’ll be my maid of honor,” she said.

“Of course.”

“Promise?”

I linked my little finger through hers.

“I promise.”

Part of me expected our parents to object.

They had always been overprotective of Rosie.

They questioned nearly every decision she made.

They monitored her friendships, finances, and appointments, often insisting they knew what was best for her.

Mom cried.

Dad shook Ben’s hand.

“You chose well,” he told him.

The comment lodged painfully inside me.

At the time, I thought he meant Rosie had chosen a good man.

Only later did I understand what he had really meant.

The wedding was small.

Rosie wore a simple lace dress and carried pale yellow roses.

Ben stood at the altar in a gray suit.

When she began walking toward him, tears streamed openly down his face.