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“You don’t need to say anything. Just cherish them as much as I did your mom.”
“I will.” I sniffle. The tears that I’ve tried to keep at bay finally spill over. Travis sweeps them away softly with his thumb. The fatherly touch that I’ve craved my whole life churns inside of me, and I lean into his hand. I close my eyes and revel in the feeling momentarily until I catch myself. It’s Travis. We can’t have the father-daughter relationship. I sigh and straighten my back. He softly smiles and returns his hands to his pockets. I turn toward the mirror and take out the earrings. When I stick them in my ears, I look at myself quickly before turning back to Travis, smiling sincerely at him.
“Addison, since the day I found out about you, I had hoped that someday you would be wearing those. They’re perfect. You’re perfect…” He chokes back his emotions, clearing his throat. “God, how I wish things were different.”
“Me, too.” I cry as a flood of emotions runs through me. I wrap my arm around my stomach and think of the child growing in there. I can’t allow his world to affect my children. This is why we can’t have a relationship.
“Addison, what are you doing in here, woman,” Syd says walking into the room. She freezes when she sees Travis. “Oh, sorry.”
“It’s okay, Sydney,” Travis says as his eyes remained pinned on me. “I was just leaving. Congratulations, Addison.”
My heart moves my body before my brain catches up, and I jump into Travis’s arms. I wrap my arms around his neck and his arms wrap around my waist. “Thank you,” I murmur into his shoulder.
“No, thank you.” He squeezes me a little tighter. He releases me and leans down to kiss me on my forehead. “I’ll see you around. Oh, Frankie said to tell his Add Cat congrats, too.” I chuckle while wiping the tears off my face.
I watch him walk out of the room as Syd scoots over to let him pass. She walks in with a sympathetic smile on her face. “You okay?”
I sigh and softly nod. She grabs some Kleenex and blots my face. “Let’s touch up your makeup. If Cherrie sees you…” I laugh, knowing exactly how Cherrie would react. She leans down and picks up some powder off the table of makeup, sweeps the brush through it, and glides it across my face. “The earrings are gorgeous. I’m assuming Travis gave them to you?” she asks quietly.
“Yes. He bought them for my mom. Just never got the chance to give them to her.” Syd smiles and continues to touch up my makeup. I blow out a heavy breath. “When he’s around, I always think maybe we could have a relationship. But that’s stupid,” I say, throwing my arms up in the air. “We can’t. Especially now with Lexi and...” My voice trails off as I look down at my stomach.
“Addie, you have to take it for what it is. You know how dangerous Travis’s world is, but you can’t keep getting mad at yourself for longing for the father you’ve always wanted. Especially your biological one. I think right now your hormones are getting the best of you.”
I snicker. “You think?”
“Yes, but what I really think is that you need to get your butt downstairs before your groom thinks you’ve changed your mind.”
“Are you kidding? If Aiden thought I changed my mind, he’d be up here handcuffing me to the bed and bringing the pastor with him to say our vows.”
“I could totally see that,” she says, laughing. She grabs my hand and pulls me.
“Wait,” I say, stopping her. I turn back to the table and reach down to grab my mom’s picture. Folding it in half, I place the picture inside my dress, over my heart. “Can you see it?” I turn to Syd.
“Nope. Are you ready?”
I am. It’s time to marry the man I was meant to marry. I’ve never been one to believe that there is only one person in this world meant for you…until I met Aiden. The deep bond we share is so tightly woven inside of us, it’s hard to imagine the force needed to break it. I don’t think I could ever love another man more than I do Aiden.
***
I watch each of my girls go out one by one. Ava quickly closes the door behind them so Aiden can’t see me. After the third time, I giggle to myself thinking it must be driving Aiden mad seeing the door close each time. Lexi comes up and slips her hand in mine.
“Is it my turn yet?”
“Almost, Lulu. Are you ready?” She bounces on her toes. I look at her white dress that falls just below the knees swish as she moves. The burgundy sash around her waist makes a big bow in the back. I squat down, which is a little difficult in this dress. “I love you so much, Lexi. You look beautiful.”
Her little arms wrap around me, and she hugs me. “I love you, too, Addie. I love Aiden, too,” she adds.
“And he loves you.”
“Okay, Lexi, you almost ready?” Ava asks. She fluffs her dress out so it’s not crooked anywhere. “Just remember, go slow, okay?” Lexi nods her head and straightens her back. “Just like we rehearsed,” she reminds her, and Lexi nods again. The door opens and the sound of the music floats around the room. Again, the door shuts and silences the music. We’re in the guesthouse because the double doors lead right out to the chairs. The windows have all been blacked out so no one can see inside. The guys’ belongings are draped over every chair, couch…you name it, there’s a piece of male clothing on it. Geez, they’re worse than women. The table is littered with shot glasses and bottles of alcohol. It’s a good thing I don’t see any empty bottles.
“You’re up,” she says to me, interrupting my perusal of the messy room.
I take in a deep breath and slowly let it out. I stand in front of the door, and Ava adjusts my dress so the train is spread out. Ted is standing on the other side of the door, waiting to walk me down the aisle. I look down and grasp my bouquet in my hands. White roses bound tightly with burgundy satin ribbon, tiny burgundy and blush-colored flowers arranged between the roses, which stands out against the white. I hear a guitar start playing, and I look at Ava. Her smile beams and she shrugs. This wasn’t part of the plan. She swings open the door, and I squint so my eyes can adjust to the bright light.
When they do, I see Aiden at the end of the aisle, standing with a microphone in front of him and his guitar strapped around his tuxedo. The lake is right behind him. The sun’s reflection causes a yellow glow. I can’t move. I’m mesmerized. When the first word comes out of his mouth, his voice cracks. He stops playing and clears his throat, flashing me his sexy half smile with a subtle headshake. He mouths, “Beautiful,” before his fingers begin to move across the strings again. I look up at the blue skies, trying to stop the tears. Why am I even trying? It’s pointless. I step out into the brightness, and Ted hooks his arm though mine. He leans over and kisses me on the head.
“I think I have a man-crush on your guy,” he whispers into my ear. I laugh through my tears. “You look gorgeous, Addison. You ready to go?”
