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Everyone always assumed that she didn’t believe in marriage…or love.
Sure, she may have said that she would never get married.
But that’s not because she doesn’t believe.
She just never believed she deserved it.
That’s why she loved watching Bachelorette and every cheesy show alike.
It came as a surprise, though, that she really did deserve to be loved – truly loved – and even get married.
The proposal wasn’t a surprise. From the moment she first kissed Carisi in Fin not-wedding, she knew.
They were a long time coming. It took them a long journey to find each other – in love at the same time, ready for one another.
That’s how, a year later, she found herself in the chapel Carisi’s family frequented, in a white dress, anxiously waiting to marry the man that changed her life.
She was beside herself with happiness. Or she would be.
Except, she was 45 minutes late.
She was ready – and she wanted, more than anything, to marry Carisi as soon as possible.
But her father was nowhere to be found. Her mother too.
They didn’t answer their phones.
If they were a normal family, she would be worried that something had happened.
But it wasn’t something new. They always failed her.
She gave a deep breath and called Liv: “Can you ask Carisi to come see me, please?”
She needed to talk to him.
~o~
Carisi knew Rollins wouldn’t run away.
She may be scared, but she outgrew her childish getaways. She had been the grown-up for a while now.
When Liv told him Rollins wanted to talk to him, he could almost see his heart being ripped out of his body.
Something had happened.
As soon as he opened the door to the room she was staying, he could feel her nervousness. He didn’t even have to ask.
“My parents didn’t…They are not here. Do you…Do you think…”, she tried to finish her thoughts, but he knew what she wanted to ask before she could muster up the courage.
“’Manda, my Dad will love to walk you down the aisle. Just a warning, he’ll probably cry more than you and me. I’ll ask him if you’re sure it’s what you want”
~o~
And so they married.
Even if her parents had disappointed her – again and again -, it hadn’t diminished her happiness throughout the night.
Rollins and Carisi were dancing as husband and wife when he promised, “I’ll never leave you”.
“I never believed that people could ever really love me. But…”, and she looked at her girls dancing and playing with Noah, while the rest of the squad was laughing and talking, “I learned that love is stronger than blood. And I believe in you – as my husband and the father to our girls. I know you’ll never leave us”.
And she did.
She believed in love. And marriage. And family.
And more than anything, she believed their girls would grow up knowing they were loved, cared for and never – ever – left behind.