Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 95816 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95816 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
“So, no getting drunk tonight after the ceremony?”
I laughed. “I’ll always have a few drinks, but I have never gotten shit-faced like Bentley did after Addi got married. Drinks with my boys is another tradition. Like basketball.” I glanced at my watch. “Speaking of which, we’d better head to the Hub and get our game in.”
We jogged toward the rec center on the edge of the property. “At least there’re no uniforms today,” I said with a smirk.
“No unwelcome flashes of Aiden’s junk, you mean?”
I laughed at the memory. “I hope he’s in sweats today.”
Maddox grinned. “Your lips to God’s ears.”
“Amen to that.”
Katy slipped from the room, smiling. “Your daughter is ready and waiting for you. We need a few pictures, then I’ll head down and take my seat.”
“You look beautiful, sweetheart,” I murmured, kissing her cheek, not wanting to smudge her lipstick. “I like this color.”
I liked Katy wearing bright colors. When I first met her, she dressed in grays and browns, which echoed the sad life she lived. Since we got married, she’d changed to jewel tones, which suited her coloring. Today, though, she had picked a soft apricot-colored dress, elegant and simple. She wore her hair up, a few curls hanging around her face. Her heels were low, and she looked stunning.
“So does our daughter.”
I walked in and caught my breath. Heather was beautiful. Clad in a pretty knee-length pale-yellow gown that was frothy and feminine, she’d chosen a dress with a bodice that left her shoulders and arms bare. She had her hair swept up, showing off her neck. The earrings we gave her glittered in the light, and she wore the necklace as well.
I gathered her hands in mine, kissing her cheek, a catch in my voice when I spoke. “So lovely, Heather. You look like your mom.”
She laughed. “Mom said I looked like you.”
“Maybe it’s a perfect blend of both of us.”
We posed for a few pictures, then Katy went downstairs. The photographer followed her. We would do more family photos once the ceremony was over. Heather looked at me, for the first time a hint of nerves showing through.
“Reed is downstairs, right?”
“He is and is anxiously waiting. He loved his cuff links and was so nervous he was a total failure on the court this morning.”
“Of which you took full advantage,” she surmised.
I shrugged. “Payback is a bitch. We lost at golf, but we wiped the court with them.”
She shook her head.
I smiled at her affectionately. “He asked me twice if you were okay. If I thought you’d change your mind.” I touched her cheek lightly. “He’s been wanting to marry you for a long time, my girl. He’s not going anywhere. He was as anxious about you as you are about him. More so. Both of you will be there. You were meant to be together.”
Her eyes shimmered in the sunlight. “Thanks, Daddy. I needed to hear that.”
I crooked my arm. “Now, are you ready to do this? Dump your old man and move on with the guy waiting downstairs?”
She looped her arm around mine. “I want to get married, Dad, but I’ll never dump you.”
I winked. “I know. That’s why I can do this.”
Reed was in a dark-blue suit, his hair slicked back, looking every inch the serious groom. He stood tall and strong, his normally playful expression solemn. The look on his face as we walked toward him said everything. He loved my daughter, and he would take care of her. As I placed her hand in his, I tightened my grip on them both. “Keep her safe and happy,” I murmured. “Look after him the way your mom does me,” I added.
They smiled, and Heather kissed my cheek. I waited to say the words to give her away, knowing they were false. I would never totally give her up. She was my blood, my heartbeat, and my life. All my kids were. But I would let her live her life.
I sat next to Katy, gripping her hand. She leaned over, her mouth at my ear. “Good job, Daddy.”
Gracie beamed at her sister, her eyes seeking out Jaxson often during the short ceremony. I was certain Katy was right and Gracie would tell us she was pregnant again soon. She glowed with happiness and contentment.
Beside Reed stood Luc, looking relaxed and happy. Once or twice, his gaze drifted to the back of the room where Ashley sat, a smile on his face. I had only caught sight of her briefly, and her gaze had been cool and removed, making me think perhaps I hadn’t imagined the animosity the other night, yet I still had no explanation for it.
I brought my attention back to the couple in front of me, smiling at their funny and sweet vows. Reed’s declaration of always picking up his socks and leaving the seat down made everyone chuckle. His vow to always let her know if she had ink on her face made me grin. She used a lot of felt pens in her hand-done designs and constantly brushed her fingers over her face, leaving rainbows of colors on her skin. Her vow not to keep watching a Netflix series they started together without him—or at least pretend it was the first time she’d seen it when they watched it again—brought more laughter. But it was her final words that made him tear up.