“Dad.” I said it as a simple word, but in that moment, it was so much more than that.
David moved to take a step forward, but stopped himself and looked over to my father, who was watching us intently. My father looked between David and me, but paused on me and then took a step away from David.
“Lilly,” He started off. “I’m so sorry.”
I felt a tear run down my face at his words. This day just wasn’t what I was expecting, and my father saying he was sorry in any kind of fashion was one for the books. He reached me and took my hands in his.
“I know I haven’t been there for you like a real father should, and that I never even knew about these people in your life.” He looked back to David, who was still standing off to the side. “That man of yours, though, told me I had to be here. He told me if I did anything for you in life, it was going to be walking you down that aisle.”
My dad pointed towards where the double doors opened into the main part of the church, where I had no idea how many people awaited us.
“But,” he looked from me and back to David again. “I don’t think that’s going to happen today.”
“What?!” I asked him, shocked that he was saying he didn’t want to walk me down the aisle while standing right there in front of me.
“I don’t think it’s my place to give you away, Lilly. Come here.” My father motioned for David to come closer to us. He took David’s hand and placed it into mine so that David and I were holding hands now, and not my father and I.
“When you said ‘Dad,’ I watched this man take a step forward to try to claim you as his daughter. I watched his eyes shine with happiness and tears fill them with sadness that he knew you weren’t his little girl anymore.” My father looked back at me. “I’m sorry that I have never felt like that, Lilly, and that I don’t have those emotions right now, but this man does.”
I took a hand from David’s and wiped away the tears that were streaming down my face. I didn’t care if my makeup was being ruined.
“If I do anything right in my life as your father, it’s this. David, will you do me the honors of walking my daughter, and clearly your daughter as well, down this aisle to the loving man who has swept her off her feet?”
My father was never one for too many words and I was pretty sure this was one of the few times I had ever heard him say more than one or two sentence sentences me— well, that I could remember.
“It would be my honor.” David answered my father’s question and then turned his whole attention to me. “Lilly, my darling, you look absolutely stunning.”
David leaned into me for a hug just as Margaret had, and my father backed away.
“We’ll make sure to sit in the back so you can have your family up front.” My father spoke up and stood now next to my mother and sisters. I assumed my brothers were already in their seats and waiting like everyone else.
They left David and me to ourselves, and I couldn’t help but bring him into another hug.
“Dad.” He pulled back and wiped a few tears away. “Thank you so much for being a part of my life and for being there for me over the past few years.
“The pleasure is all mine. I promise you.”
“Are you two done being sappy? We have a wedding to get to!” I heard Margaret’s voice from behind me and Alexa and Erica laughing at her. I turned to see them holding out a bouquet of black roses towards me. This man literally thought of everything.
Alexa peeked through the double doors and must have given a signal because the doors opened up and a soft lullaby of Clair De Lune started to play. Alexa walked out first and then Erica, who gave me a wink before she disappeared through the doors. Margaret was last and then I turned to David. My nerves were completely shot at the fact that I was about to walk down this aisle towards my husband for our second wedding.
David took ahold of my arm and lightly pulled me towards the door. I had no idea what was awaiting us on the other side and it spiked my anxiety even more. I stopped David just before the door.
“Wait—”
“For what, Lilly?” David’s voice wasn’t soft and consoling, but questioning why I was stopping us. “What is holding you back now?”
And that was the question to solve it all.
Nothing was holding me back, nothing at all.
The man I loved, who had kissed me two years ago and never said a damn thing about it, asked me a month ago to marry him and for some reason I said yes. I agreed to marry this man and then I wanted to run after it happened, but not now. I was running towards him and I almost didn’t understand how we had gotten here until I really thought about it.
Greg had made sure we had gotten here. He made sure that I knew just how much he loved me without really even saying it. He made me realize just how much I loved him, without my even really knowing it. Somehow this man had made it so that our lives followed this perfect path towards today and I was still speechless.
I stood straight and looked David in the eyes.
“Let’s do this.” I turned forward to walk. “My husband is waiting for me.”
