His dad veers back slightly at Jack’s venom, holding up his hands. “I’m sorry, Jackson. I tried calling you this week. I thought she was planning something. The housekeeper called me saying she overheard your mother. I drove to her house—”
“Whose house?”
“Your mother’s. We don’t live together anymore.”
Jack narrows his eyes, confused. “Since when?”
He opens and shuts his mouth. “That’s not important right now,” he says, letting his eyes linger along Jack’s frame, taking in his son for the first time in years. After a few moments, he smiles sadly. “I’ll let you go. I’m sorry again, I thought I would get here in time, but I was clearly too late.”
“You said that’s why you called this week. What about all the messages the last few months?”
His dad pauses, then shakes his head before apologizing again and walking away.
“Hey!” Jack calls after him again. “Do you know what I’m about to do?”
His dad turns to listen but doesn’t answer.
“I’m about to walk your daughter down the aisle to marry the love of her life, something every father dreams of doing. Except we got stuck with a reject, so while you go home to wherever it is that you fucking live now, I will be performing one of the greatest honors of my life,” Jack spits, turning quickly to hide the tears in his eyes, storming off with me by his side.
While we wait for the light to change before crossing, I turn back to see Mr. Peters stuck in place, tears running down his face.
Something is not right.
This man is not like Jack’s mum.
It’s clear he cares, but what I don’t understand is why he hasn’t spoken to his children in over thirty years.
Jack drags me to a bench, pulls me into his lap, then buries his head into my chest, taking deep, measured breaths.
“Jack?”
“I don’t want to talk about it right now, please don’t ask. I need a second to breathe and get in the right headspace for Sadie.”
“Of course.” I kiss the top of his head and rub his back in comfort.
I’ll wait for however long he needs.
* * *
Jack pulled himself together as if nothing happened, walked Sadie proudly down the makeshift aisle Wills had put together in the middle of the Jardin des Tuileries, and gave away his sister with grace… even if letting her go killed him a little inside.
I think the whole “giving away” the bride part is archaic, and since I’m not as traditional as Sadie, I note that if the day ever comes for me for real, I’ll be skipping that part of it.
Now Lola, Evelyn, Nora, and I stand beside Sadie in beautiful cream-colored silk gowns, all slightly different but still somehow matching.
With Declan and Jack standing by Wills, all handsome as hell in their fitted tuxedos, we watch our good friend Marco officiate the ceremony in the middle of this perfectly designed seventeenth-century garden.
The sun is shining high, everything is in bloom, and we have views of the Louvre’s Baroque-style buildings and the famous Parisian ferris wheel.
This garden is also where Sadie and Wills realized they were in love.
So maybe Wills was right: Plan B turned out better in the end.
As Marco speaks, Wills’s usually stoic stance cracks when he looks down lovingly at Sadie.
Afraid I’ll get too emotional, I look away, only to lock eyes with Jack.
He winks flirtatiously. “Hi,” he mouths, wiggling his eyebrows.
