CHAPTER 86 (2)

"Emily. Oh my God." Haley's reaction-especially given how rational she typically is-makes my throat tighten. "It's good?" I ask, holding out the skirt and turning in the mirror. "It's stunning. You're stunning." Rica, Andie, and Avery duck out with an excuse about checking on flowers. I turn back to the mirror, angling my head to see that my hair's still all in place. It's half pinned up and half down, the top portion secured with white jeweled pins that glint in the light. Together with the dress, it feels like a recognition of the past and a promise of the future. The rich color sends emotion swirling through me every time I see it, every time I touch the silky fabric. Haley stops behind me, her eyes shining in the mirror. "I still remember the first time I met you backstage at one of your dad's shows. I'd wanted to see you for what felt like forever even though it was only a few weeks." My lips curve. "Really?" She nods. "You were the most important thing to him. You still are. There's a piece of his heart nothing else can touch." Haley cuts a look over her shoulder at Sophia, who's playing with a tiny toy truck. "I can't wait for you guys to have kids." I laugh. "Me either." Her eyes widen, and I bite my cheek. "We're not trying. But we're not not trying." After last night, we decided. "Once Timothy's back from tour, he's not going anywhere for a while. And I'll be wrapping up my show. We can stay in New York or move to LA... wherever we want to be." "That's wonderful. If you ever need a place to stay-" "With a convenient recording studio and a pool?" I quip, and she smiles. "I know we will. It feels like home for me, and I know it does for Timothy too." Her eyes fill again, and she swipes at them before she heads to keep a closer eye on Sophia. I reach for my phone to turn it off. It's filling with congratulations and well-wishes. I smile as I tuck the phone away and reach for my shoes. I step into them, grateful they're wedges. My ankle still twinges a little but nothing like last night. The doctor was right about that bruise, but I can live with a live bit of pain from the straps pressing in. And the dress will keep the mark out of the pictures. With one last look in the mirror, I suck in a breath. I look good. But more than that, I feel good. I'm going to meet my husband, whom I couldn't love anymore. There are things unsettled-like the Wicked deal and whatever's between Rica and Harrison. Still, I can set those aside for the moment and focus on the beauty of this instant. Except... I frown, scanning the room as I press my hand to my chest above the dress. "Looking for something?" My dad's voice has me looking toward the doorway. Relief floods me-both at his form and the chain he holds up. I race to him. "My necklace!" The chain is new and the glass is repaired so cleanly it's almost impossible to see where it was cracked. "Timothy fixed it. Don't ask me how." Dad's gruff voice telling me the man I love saved the necklace he gave me the first summer we were together, back when everything was beautiful and angst-filled and chaotic, has my chest aching. "Thanks." I throw my arms around Dad's neck. When I pull back, I realize he's wearing a linen suit. "Wow. You look like you're going to bet on a polo match or something." "Hell no. I'm not going anywhere. Not today. Not for all the money in the damn world." His face goes slack, his eyes sad. "What's wrong?" The biggest rock star of all of them shakes his head slowly, surveying me from my half-pinned hair to my wedge-clad toes under the dress. "Nothing." My stomach rises into my throat at the emotion in my dad's voice. He's quick to anger, quick to fight, quick to defend. This version of him is new and disconcerting. "All I wanted was for you to grow up better than I did. And I might've failed you in that." I shake my head. "You didn't-" He cuts me off. "I don't know if I did or didn't. But looking at you, seeing the woman you've become... I want to take credit for it, but I can't. It's all you. I couldn't be prouder, and I have no damn right to take credit for you." My smile wavers as I touch his shoulders, peering up into his stunned face. "You should take some credit. I wanted you to be proud, always. And I knew you loved me. Even when things were hard between us, when I was angry with you or trying to ignore you or wishing you were different, I knew deep down that you did. That's what made it harder." "I had a rough patch a few months ago after you and Timothy came for the holidays," he admits. "What? Why?" I reach for the necklace, and he holds it away, motioning at me to turn. I do, reluctantly facing the mirror. He loops the necklace around my throat, carefully letting the ring and pendant settle against my chest. "Because you didn't need me anymore. You haven't for a while. I think taking over Wicked was something I've wanted to do for a long time, but your independence made it more pressing. I want to be needed, but no one needs you forever. I'd never say it to anyone else, but I like being needed, kid." With shaking hands, he fastens the clasp behind my neck and lifts my hair away. Before he can step back, I grab his thick wrists. His surprised gaze finds mine in the mirror. "Maybe I don't need you to make sure I eat dinner, like Mason, or tie my shoes, like Sophia," I tease. "Maybe I don't even need your advice on how to play guitar or be a musician, like Timothy. But I need you in my life because you are an example of what is possible in this world. And I need that even in the moments I don't ask for it. Especially when I don't ask for it." His eyes, the same shade as mine, are glassy. He wraps his arms around me, and I lean back against him. A sound from the door has us both looking up. Jacob grins. "Sorry to interrupt this beautiful moment, but if you're late two days in a row, Mr. C"-he nods at my dad-"my sixth sense says Haley's going to murder someone." "You're not really psychic. You just play one on TV," my dad gripes, but he steps back. "You'd be surprised how much it rubs off," Jacob says, then cuts a look at me. He looks a little sad. "You look great, Manatee. Ty's a lucky guy." I cross to him and stretch up to wrap my arms around him. "I'm a lucky woman. Not only because I have him, because I have the best friends in the world." I pull back to stare him dead in the eyes. "We're not going anywhere, Jacob." His eyes crinkle at the corners. "Come on, stop hitting on me on your wedding day." I laugh as I pull back and take my dad's arm. "You've played sold-out shows to fifty thousand. You sure you're ready for this?" I ask him. "As close as I'm gonna get," he replies solemnly.