“You did a good job with her,” I told her.
“Thank you. You’redoinga good job.” Erin brushed a stray curl from her face and took a few steps closer to me. “I know this whole thing got off to a rocky start, and I’ll never be able to apologize enough for that, but I’m glad you stayed.Hannah’s glad you stayed. For what it’s worth, Iamsorry.”
I shook my head. “Water under the bridge.” A smile tugged at my lips, and that was when Hannah reappeared around the wall. “Wow,” I sighed, breathless.
She looked stunning. The satin dress fit like a glove, hugging her waist and flaring at her hips. She smoothed the fabric over her, then looked up at us. “Can someone zip me up?”
Erin stepped forward. “I’ve got it.”
Hannah turned her back to her mom, and the zipper slid into place. I moved aside so she could have the space in front of the mirror, and a gasp burst out of her. “I can’t believe this is happening.” She twisted around to face me. “James is really okay with this?”
“It was partially his idea.” While Hannah made last-minute adjustments to her hair and makeup, I reached for the box that Mom had handed me before she left. “Since you’ve got your mom’s dress, I wanted you to have something from my side too.”
Opening the lid, I carefully pried the necklace free. I undid the little gold clasp and brought the necklace around to herfront. “According to my mom, this has been in our family for generations. She wore it on her wedding day, and her mom before her, but that’s as far as we can trace it.”
Hannah swept her hair to the side, and I fastened the jewelry around her neck. Admiring it in the mirror, my daughter’s tear-filled eyes dropped to the light pink teardrop crystal that had settled in the middle of her chest. “What is it made of?”
“Rose quartz, and let me see if I can get this right: It encourages unconditional love and provides a sense of calm and tenderness.”
Hannah met my gaze in the mirror as I dropped her hair back into place. She shook her head and blubbered out a wet laugh, then she whirled around and wrapped her arms tightly around my neck. “Thank you, Dad,” she said, squeezing me.
Terrified that I’d ruin her dress, I settled my hands cautiously around her. “Ready to walk down the aisle?”
She pulled back to look at me, taking my hands in hers. “Yeah, let’s do it.”
Chapter 27
Hannah letErin touch up her makeup one last time, then the three of us made our way downstairs where everyone James and I cared about waited to go to the venue. Hannah shared a private moment with my mom, thanking her for the necklace and no doubt getting a better history of it than what I could give her.
Raleigh appeared by my side, bouncing Evie in his arms. “What’s going on?”
On the drive, I filled him in on the change of plans: Hannah would sit at the back with Ben, and James and I would share our vows first. Once we were married, we’d sit down in reserved seats in the front row and offer the space to Kian and Hannah, who deserved their moment in the spotlight just as much as we did. With each word, Raleigh’s eyes sparkled brighter and his grin widened.
“Wow, look at you all grown up,” he said when I finished.
I gave him a careful shove over the car seat fastened between us. Evie watched, giggling and chewing on her drool-covered hand.
“She’s teething,” Raleigh explained before I could even ask. He stuffed his hand into her seat, feeling around for something before withdrawing a silicone strawberry on a long green stemand offering it to her. She happily took it and shoved it into her mouth.
“Already? She’s like, five months old.”
“She’s right on schedule, actually. So you’ll have to forgive us if she gets fussy today.”
“I think I can look past it.”
Feeling his eyes on me, I glanced up. “Any babies in your future?”
“No! Hell no.”
Evie thrust the strawberry at me, in a gurgling command that clearly meant, “Hold this, peasant.”
I was happy to, taking the stem and trying to avoid getting saliva on my hand before the first looks. “I’m content with mine in college, thank you.”
Raleigh snorted. “Suit yourself.”
The second we arrived at the venue, Hannah tugged my door open. A clearing opened up in front of me, situated in the middle of a park surrounded by a forest of pine trees. Noise to my left caught my attention, but Hannah swiftly redirected it. I laughed, assuming that I’d almost ruined the first look.
My daughter held up a red satin blindfold.
