The negative aura around most of them caused a surge of protectiveness that made my chest ache.
Then I saw my parents near the entrance and wondered why they were even there.
My mother spotted us first and waved, and I grumbled as I nudged Ember in that direction.
My father stood beside her in a dark suit, his gray hair combed back and his blue eyes cold as ice like normal.
After our last altercation, I was shocked to see him show up for this.
"Nathan!" My mother approached with open arms and wrapped them around me. "Your speech was wonderful, so heartfelt."
"Thanks for coming." I pulled back and gestured to Ember. "Mom, you remember Ember."
"Of course." My mother turned to Ember and took both her hands. "It's lovely to see you again, dear. That dress is beautiful on you."
"Thank you, Mrs. Bradley." Ember's smile was genuine for the first time all afternoon.
It eased some of the concern I felt over her, but that was quickly replaced with the undercurrent of frustration I felt from my father.
The dissonance was painful.
Even at almost fifty years old, I still felt the need to please him, and it rattled me that he had so much sway over how I felt.
"Quite the speech, Nathan. Verypassionate." The word was laced with derision.
"I meant every word," I said evenly. I had no interest in a confrontation today, least of all in public.
"I'm sure you did." He looked at Ember directly. "You must be very proud to have inspired such devotion."
Ember's smile faltered. "Dr. Bradley is a kind man and a good boss."
"Perhaps too good." His tone was cutting. "Symbols of family values should come from real families, don't you think? Folks who have true commitment to one another." His words made me bristle.
The implication was clear.
Ember, young and unmarried and childless, didn't qualify.
She was a pretender playing a role she hadn't earned.
I felt rage building in my chest and spat, "That's enough." The idea that he would approach us in public to humiliate her crossed a line.
"I'm simply stating facts." My father spread his hands as though he were being reasonable. "The Hearthkeeper tradition was meant to honor women who embody the stability of home and hearth. Not young women playing dress-up."
"I said that's enough." My voice was low but it still caused people nearby to turn and look.
My mother touched my father's arm. "Dear, perhaps we should?—"
"I'm not finished." He kept his eyes on me. "Your mother and I have been married for forty-five years. We built a family together. We understand the sacrifices and compromises that real commitment requires. Can you say the same?"
I wanted to grab him by his expensive tie and throw him out of the building, but we were surrounded by committee members and civic leaders and people who were already questioning my judgment.
Doing that would definitely give them reason enough to toss me to the curb.
And it wasn't about me anymore.
The tradition deserved a man to continue to carry it faithfully.
Not to mention Ember and how her past had treated her.
