Page 20 of The Addendum

“Passion and love aren’t just for you young people,” Katy said with a wink. “I hope you and Reed have the same passion for each other all your life.”

Heather smiled and reached for her mom’s hand. Katy frowned and met my eyes. “What is it, Heather? Is something wrong?”

Heather shook her head. “No, nothing. I’m excited about tomorrow. It’s easy and simple, exactly what I wanted. I just wanted to come over and say thanks to you and Dad.”

“Thanks?” I repeated. “For what?”

“For not putting up a fuss about tomorrow. For being such great parents. Always supporting me, no matter what I did. I know how lucky I am to have you.”

Tears sprang to Katy’s eyes.

“We got lucky to have you as our daughter,” I said gently.

“You’ve always been so awesome. Even when you gave me shit about Reed, you supported me. You helped Gracie with Jaxson. You never complained about the lack of wedding I wanted, or how simple hers was. You always put us first.”

I shrugged, looking at Katy. “Simple doesn’t mean less important. Your mom and I had a pretty simple wedding. Even when we redid our vows, it was subdued. You love Reed, he loves you. The day is to celebrate that love. How you do it is your choice.” I winked at her to lighten the air. “Besides, the simple wedding is easier on my wallet.”

She and Katy chuckled, knowing I was full of it.

“Penny made up for it,” Katy said with a smile. “Her wedding was anything but small.”

Penny’s husband was English. She’d met him while visiting England on holiday, and they had fallen in love. It was only afterward she found out he was titled and had a castle, where they now resided. Their wedding had been small but lavish, costing me more than both my other daughters put together, even with the groom paying some of the cost at his insistence. There had been a great deal of pomp and ceremony that day, but it had been a lot of fun. Aiden had gotten a kick out of Penny’s new title of Lady Penelope Pulham and had taken to calling her “Lady Peepee” the rest of the trip. Luckily, her husband was amused and had laughed along with Aiden, accepting the teasing for what it was—Aiden’s way of expressing affection. It had stuck as well, and most of the family referred to her that way at times.

“Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks. I know tomorrow will be crazy and none of it is what you probably planned for me, but I’m deliriously happy.”

I leaned forward, grasping her hand. “That’s all that matters to us, my girl. It’s all I want for all my children. I want love to surround you.”

“Because you didn’t have it growing up,” she whispered.

My kids knew my story. They knew what a reformed man I became after I fell in love with Katy. How much each of them meant to me.

“I got more than my fair share later in life,” I said simply. “I am very blessed.”

She flung herself into my arms, and I took full advantage and held her tight. Heather wasn’t as demonstrative as Gracie, Penny, or Katy. She took after me in that fashion, so when she was affectionate, I soaked it up. She pressed a kiss to my cheek, then sat beside her mother, laying her head on Katy’s shoulder. Katy kissed her, and I smiled, watching them. I left the room, returning a few moments later. I slid the small box toward Heather.

“For you tomorrow.”

She smiled, knowing what the box would contain. She gasped as she lifted the beautiful dark aquamarine and diamond earrings from the box, the blue-green of the stones glittering brightly in the light, the clarity of the diamonds adding to the brilliance. Untreated aquamarines had always been her favorite stone, because they reminded her of her eyes, the unique color she had inherited from me. She loved the play of blue and green swirling together. The style was long and playful, suiting her personality.

“I love them!” she said, pleased when she saw the matching necklace. Gracie disliked necklaces, but Heather liked matching sets, so we went with that for her.

“Cami told me your dress would suit the drop shape,” Katy explained.

“Do Reed’s cuff links match?” Heather asked.

“Yes,” I assured her, slipping the box out and showing her the simple squared cut of his cuff links.

“He’ll love them.”

“Good.”

She flung her arms around my neck. “Thank you, Daddy.”

I held her close. “You’re welcome, my girl.”

She kissed Katy, then sat back down. “You’ll be over around ten, Mom?”

“Yes.”