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Four ecstatically happy women.
With four handsome men waiting to meet us after we walk down the aisle.
My father is talking to Callie out of earshot. He’s dressed identically to the grooms, except he insisted on a black jacket and tie. He took Rory aside and then Callie. He returns a sniffling Callie and meets my gaze.
“Madeline,” he says.
“Yes, Daddy?”
“Come with me. Let’s walk together for a minute.”
“You may need to have your makeup redone after,” Callie whispers to me, wiping her nose with a cotton hanky.
I follow my father to a secluded spot. “What is it, Daddy?”
He sighs, shaking my head. “My baby girl. You’re all grown up.”
I nod. “That’s what baby girls do.”
“I was ready for Rory. Even Callie.” His lip trembles. “But you, Mads. This one hurts.”
I raise my eyebrows.
“Not in a bad way,” he clarifies. “It’s just… Once you’re done having children, the baby is always the baby. No one comes along to replace her.”
I smile.
“That’s part of what makes you so special to me,” he continues. “Your brother and your sisters are amazing, all three of them, but you, Maddie… You are the one I never worried about.”
My eyebrows nearly pop off my head. “You didn’t? Is that a good thing?”
“I had my normal parental worries, of course. But a father always worries about a son. Boys go through puberty with a vengeance, take risks they shouldn’t. I know because I was one. As for Rory—and Jesse too, for that matter—choosing a career in any creative field can lead to so much heartache. It did for Rory, until she committed to rock and roll. It did for Jesse too until the band made it. Then my Callie.” He shakes his head. “I worried for her because she asked so many questions. Was always looking for answers. Wanted to make everything logical, and life, as you know, princess, isn’t always logical. I was worried she might never find a true companion because she was so caught up in her head over her heart.”
I nod, swallowing.
“But you, Maddie,” he says. “You were the one I knew would find her way.”
I cock my head. “I don’t understand. When I came home from Europe, I told you I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. And you know how I’ve always felt like an oddball, how I cried when the Steel girls left me out of their plans. How can you say I was the one you never worried about?”
He smiles. “Because you know how to feel, princess. You don’t hide from your feelings. You let them out, and you grow. You draw inspiration from others and from yourself. It makes a person feel good just to be around you. I always knew you would find your way. It just took a little longer.”
Damn. A lump forms in my throat. “Why didn’t you ever tell me any of this before, Daddy?”
He places a gentle hand on my cheek. “You weren’t ready to hear it, Madeline. You had to find it for yourself. When you came home during spring break and announced you’d found your calling and you wanted to learn to be a life coach, I was never prouder. It’s the perfect choice for you.”
Tears pool in my eyes, and despite my best try, one falls down my cheek. “Daddy, you always believed in me?”
He wipes the tear off my cheek with his thumb. “I always believed in all four of you. That’s what a father does. But I worried the least about you, baby girl.” He takes a step back and gazes at me. “And look at you now. You’re a beautiful young lady marrying a good man, and you’re starting your life coach training next month. You’re going to change the world, Maddie, and I thank God every day that He saw fit to heal me from that heart attack so I can see you do it.”
I rush into his arms and hug him hard.
“I love you, baby girl,” he whispers. “Now let’s go get you married.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Dave
It’s time.
