"Yes, Dakota."
"You sure?"
"I'm so sure."
She holds my eyes in the mirror.
There's something underneath her look I have never been able to read—the same thing I see in Pops's face when I bring my mother up.
The same thing I saw in Uncle Cash's face on the porch when he asked me if I'd heard from her.
I look at it a half-second longer than I usually do, then I look away.
Marlena kisses the top of my head. Squeezes my shoulders. "Time to go marry your man, kiddo."
* * *
Pops comes to the bedroom door at five.
He's in a clean cut, dark jeans, and the boots he wore to his own wedding to Marlena. He's combed his hair back, with his cowboy hat on, of course.
He looks at his daughter in the doorway and his eyes go wet and he doesn't fight it. "Baby girl."
"Pops."
"Come on. Spur's been at the oak with Banshee for an hour. The boy's about to come out of his skin."
I laugh, and he takes my arm.
We walk down the stairs together, out the back door, onto the porch.
The January afternoon is colder than it was this morning but the wind's died down a bit, and the sky's that pale winter blue Texas does sometimes.
The sun is most of the way down already.
The path from the back porch to the east pasture is lit with strings of bulbs. Pops stops at the edge of the porch. Turns me to face him. "Gotta tell you somethin', kiddo."
"Yeah?"
"That man you're about to marry is the best man I know. He's loved you longer than he's loved anything in this world except his own grandmother. He'll take care of you. And if he ever doesn't, you’d better count on the fact I’ll deal with him."
Tears spill over my lashes. I'm trying not to ruin the makeup Bex took forever putting on.
"Yes, Pops."
"You walk now with your brother. He's been waiting on you ten minutes."
"Okay, but… Pops?"
"Yeah, baby."
"Thank you for raising me right."
He kisses my forehead and doesn't trust his voice for a second. "Go get married, kiddo. I'll see you at the oak."
He walks down off the porch and across the gravel toward the pasture. I'm alone on the porch a half-second. But Shiver comes around the corner of the house in his cut.
He's taller than I remember. He's been gone too long. His hair's longer than Pops likes. His beard's thicker. Reapers Rejects rocker on his cut and the Shotgun Saints don't quite know what to do with him at family gatherings, but he's mine.
