I nod.
“Before we go downstairs, I want to say something.” His face darkens. “You’ve been through a lot in your life from losing your mom to that whole incident with Simon Powers. You continue to amaze me with your strength and kindness.” His voice breaks, and he takes a second to compose himself. “I am so proud of you, Jada. Your mother ... she would’ve loved all of this girl stuff, and I wish so badly she could be here today to watch this happen. She would’ve loved the smile on your face today.”
“Oh, Daddy,” I cry.
“In a few minutes, I’m going to walk you down the aisle. And although we’ve done this before, this is the first time I’m handing you over to anotherman. There’s not an ounce of hesitation on my part, not a second thought to his motivations. Even though I don’t necessarily agree with his methods”—he laughs—“I’m proud to call him my son-in-law, too.”
I wrap my arms around his waist and hug him tightly. His words mean more to me than anything.
“Are you ready?”
“I am.”
“Let’s go.”
SIXTY-FIVE
Cane
I’ve never donethis before.
Fuck, I’ve never wanted to do this before.
I bite the inside of my cheek and look around. I’m not sure how much of this is normal and how much of this is Kari’s doing, but it looks nice. I think Jada will love it.
I’m standing on a stage of sorts, a fountain behind me. Little pink flowers are floating in the water, lights shining up through it. A table to my right has one empty vase, one vase with pink sand, and one vase with gold sand. I have no fucking clue what that’s for. There were no instructions for this, and I’m totally out of my depth.
To my left sits Brian, Heather’s boyfriend from Chicago. He’s perched on a stool, strumming his guitar softly, looking up every now and then at Heather who watches him with the look in her eyes that Jada gives me.
Yup. He’s fucked.
I chuckle under my breath and watch the back of the room. I’m fidgety, and I try to stop moving, but I can’t.
Alice smiles at me from her seat, and I try to smile back, but I think it’s more of a grimace. My lungs feel like they’re struggling for air, and my legs want to move. This whole thing is nerve-wracking enough by itself, but I have all these people staring atme.
Besides Alice and Heather, who are not technically watchingme, Jada’s friend Lara from Phoenix is here. So are her friends Mandi and her husband Mason from Boston. Kari got ahold of them, and they were happy to come. I met them a little earlier, and they’re cool as hell. Mason told me how he handled Decker for Jada when she left him, so I have mad love for that guy. To show my appreciation, I bought them tickets to watch Jeremy Tide and Hunter Davidson fight tomorrow night. It cost me a fucking fortune, but it’s the least I can do.
The officiant walks in from a side door I didn’t notice and stands beside me. He’s tall, balding, and has a white robe draped over him. I give him a nod, and he smiles.
“Are you ready to be married, Mr. Alexander?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. We’re ready to begin. You just look a little pale. Are you sure you don’t need a drink of water?”
“Start.”
He laughs and motions to Brian. He looks at me and starts playing the song we picked out.
SIXTY-SIX
Jada
I’m getting antsy.The day flew by, but it feels like I’ve been standing outside these doors for a lifetime. I just want to get inside and get married.
“Can we start now?” I ask, adjusting my arm through the crook of my father’s. I look at Kari and Max, standing in front of the double doors that lead into the room.
“In a second,” Kari says. “Be patient.”
