“I’m going to ask for your forgiveness, but not before I tell you that I’ve set up an account for you. Consider it a combined college fund and wedding gift. And I was thinking… Oz told me you’re planning to start college next semester, and I’d like… if you’re interested… to offer you a job. When you’re finished. And down here, so you don’t have to come back or uproot Oz or anything like that. It’s about time I started running things to benefit my family instead of the bottom line. I owe you that.”
Seth stared at his father unsure what to say. He’d expected their last fight, when Seth had refused to come back for anything, to be their last contact.
And now here he was, trying to mend fences.
“No pressure on the job. I know you want to be your own man, and I should never have gotten in your way.”
Seth had no idea what to say to any of it. All he’d ever wanted was to believe that his father cared about him.
“I don’t expect everything between us to be okay right away,” Seth’s father continued. “I know I have a lot of work to do. But can we start with a handshake?”
Seth looked down at his father’s offered hand, and then extended his own, clasping it tightly. This didn’t fix everything between them, didn’t erase all the hurt or the fighting, but it was a start.
A start was all either of them could guarantee. “I’ll think about the job. I’d mostly like to believe you’ll be at my graduation.”
“Consider it done. I want to be the dad you deserve, Seth. I know it’s late, but I’m hoping it’s nottoolate.”
“I don’t think it’s too late,” Seth said. “I’d rather have more family than less.”
His father smiled. “This is a beautiful wedding,” he said.
Before Seth could respond, something tugged on his leg. He looked down to see Matt, his nephew, clinging to his pants.
“Up?” Matt asked, raising his tiny arms up toward Seth. Unable to resist him, Seth bent down to pick him up, holding him tightly in his arms.
“Hey sweetheart.” Seth grinned at him. “This is your grandpa.”
“I’m so sorry,” Emma swooped in, hovering in front of Seth and holding her arms out for Matt. Seth hesitated to let go, but handed him over once he saw the worry on Emma’s face.
“He got away from me,” she explained. “Hi, Dad.”
“Emma and I have already spoken,” his father said. “About how I’m gonna make things right between us, as well. I mean it, kids. And I want you to make me do the right thing.”
“Oh, we will,” Emma said, bouncing Matt on her hip. He leaned in and kissed Seth on the cheek. “You look great. All grown up for once.”
Seth chuckled. “Thanks.”
He jumped when a warm hand landed on his shoulder, but relaxed when he realized it was Oz. “Hello, beautiful,” Oz murmured in his ear, then extended his hand to Seth’s father.
“Hi,” he said. “I’m Oz. I don’t think we’ve been introduced.”
“Call me Bill,” Seth’s father said. “Everyone else does.”
“Thank you,” Oz said. “I hate to interrupt, but I need to borrow Seth. It’s time for our first dance.”
Seth’s stomach swooped. Getting up in front of all these people and promising to love and cherish Oz forever had been easy. Natural, even.
Getting up in front of them to dance was a much scarier prospect.
He followed Oz out into the middle of the floor, anyway, keeping his eyes on him the whole time.
Oz pulled him in close as the music started, keeping his steps slow and taking the lead so Seth wouldn’t have to. After a moment, Seth decided that it washiswedding and he could do whatever he wanted, so he let his head rest on Oz’s chest and closed his eyes, shutting everyone else out.
It was about the two of them, after all.
“I love you,” he sighed happily, content to stand here and sway with Oz for as long as Oz wanted him to. Tradition was definitely more Oz’s thing than his own, but Seth was happy to participate if it was what Oz wanted.
“I’d hope so, since you just married me,” Oz responded. “Everything okay with your dad?”
