Page 100 of Whatever It Takes

Twenty Years Later

“You look beautiful,”I said, feeling my eyes fill with tears as my daughter stood in front of me in her wedding dress. She was stunning in a simple, white off the shoulder, lace gown with her long hair pulled back.

The day I married Charlotte, I swore that I’d never seen a more gorgeous bride in my life. Now, after seeing my daughter all grown up and looking like a princess, I was at a loss for words.

“Thanks, Dad.” Emery smiled up at me, reminding me that I was the luckiest son of a bitch on the planet to be her father.

I held out my arm and she carefully walked into my chest. I held her tight, never wanting to let her go. The memory of her calling me Dad for the first time popped into my mind.

The two of us were lying on the couch watching a show on Nickelodeon. It was only a few short days after I officially adopted her. She had a loose tooth that she was trying really hard to pull out. Once she was able to yank that front upper tooth from her gums, she held it out and said, “Look, Dad. I finally got the little sucker.”

We both froze and once she saw that first tear shed, she gave me a crooked smile and wrapped her little arms around my neck. It was the very first moment where I felt like she was really mine.

Tyler and Harlow might share my DNA, but I’ve always had a closer connection to Emery. Sure, I loved all three kids equally, but Emery was always special to me. Maybe it was because she chose me when she didn’t have to. She trusted me with that role when Tyler and Harlow had no choice. They were born into it.

She pulled back and wiped the tears from my eyes. She still had the same smile and it made my chest hurt even more. “Are you going to be able to walk me down the aisle without bawling your eyes out?”

I laughed and wiped the moisture off my cheeks. “And here you were worried about your mother.”

She patted my chest and backed away so we could join the wedding party. “Actually, Mom and I had a bet on who would be the first to cry. She was so sure it was going to be her.”

“Is that right?” I teased, trying to get my emotions under control.

“Yep.” She glanced in the mirror and ran her hands down the length of her dress. I came up behind her so I could look at her one last time. “I knew it was going to be you,” she said, staring at the reflection of the two of us.

I leaned in over her shoulder and kissed her cheek. “You’ll always be my little girl.”

“And you’ll always be my dad in every way that matters.”

Emery was old enough to remember Grant, but right after he was sentenced and he signed away his rights, we cut off all contact with him.

Grant’s parents however, still played an active part in her life. We had an agreement; as long as they respected the boundaries we set in place, they were welcome in our home anytime.

Once Tyler and Harlow came along, the dynamic changed. They weren’t around as much, but still made an effort, and that’s all that mattered.

“Are you ready?” I asked, looking her over. I already knew the answer before she even spoke the words. Her and Jace were crazy about each other. He made her happy and that’s all a father could ask for.

She reached for my hand, and I brought it up to my lips. “I love you, Peanut.”

“Love you too, Dad,” she said, just as a knock sounded on the door.

Harlow peeked her head in. “Are you ready, sis?”

The girls were ten years apart, but thick as thieves. Harlow was eighteen going on thirty. She looked up to her older sister, but I swear to God, my youngest daughter hated me. That girl tested my patience like nobody’s business. Charlotte had her hands full with that spitfire, that’s for sure.

“Let’s go see my groom.” Emery grinned and pulled on my hand. She was excited and so sure about her decision, and it made me feel a hell of a lot better about giving her away.

I leaned in and gave Harlow a kiss on the side of her head as we made our way out the door. “You look gorgeous, sweetheart.”

“Thanks.” She batted her eyelashes and tried to act innocent. “Have you given it any more thought on whether or not I can have a few drinks at the reception?”

I looked up at the ceiling and prayed that God would get me through this day. “Not now,” I hissed, feeling the heat rising up to my neck. Harlow loved to push my buttons.

Sometimes, I wondered if it was something Charlotte ate while she was pregnant, or maybe there was a baby switch in the nursery. However, you didn’t need to be a genetics expert, because one look at her and there was no questioning that she was my daughter. She was the spitting image of me.

Emery smirked and wrapped her fingers around my forearm. “Let’s do this.”

The two of us hovered in the hallway while the wedding party walked down the aisle. Once the wedding march started to play, I sucked in a breath and walked my daughter to the man waiting for her at the end of the altar. He shook my hand and met my eyes. He promised me that he would love her and take care of her, and he better hope he was a man of his word.

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