Page 23 of Wedding Whitney
Chapter 14
Whitney
The next two days pass in a blur, and it’s the calmest things have been since we arrived in Dallas. Most of our friends from Alaska have flown in over the last two days, and now they fill the church. Standing in the wings where no one can see me, I watch people filing in, and a moment of calm washes over me.
It’s finally here.
The day Jake and I have not been waiting for.
I almost laugh just thinking about how much we wanted to elope instead of doing it this way, but in a way, I’m glad. I do like the celebratory nature of this kind of event, especially being able to dress like a princess surrounded by the people I love most in the world.
Katherine, Hailey, Dani, and Sara surround me now, making sure everything is perfect from my dress to my shoes to my hair. My grandmother is off to the side, sipping champagne as we wait for everything to start, and my mother is standing a few feet away, not really participating but just being there.
After years of almost no relationship with my mother at all, I’m glad to finally be working on it. We’ll probably never be close, but at least we can talk and occasionally spend time together.
“Sweetheart.” Delilah comes to me and takes one of my hands. “Can you do something for me?”
“Of course.” I turn in surprise.
“I know you don’t want to, and we haven’t been close at all these last ten years or so, but I’m asking this one thing of you. And I promise, if it goes bad, I’ll never ask anything of you again.”
“What is it, Mom?” I’m confused and a little nervous.
What could be so important minutes before I’m supposed to walk down the aisle?
“Talk to your father.”
I start to protest, but Delilah holds up a hand. “Two minutes. And I’ll be right there. You have my word—if he says anything at all to upset you, I’ll end it.”
“Mom, I don’t see what the purpose is. He’s not going to change and?—”
“Please? Do this one thing for me.”
I sigh but nod. “Fine. Let’s get it over with.”
“Come.” Delilah takes my hand and leads me into an anteroom, where Canyon is standing by the window, hands stuffed in the pants of his tuxedo, staring out at the grounds of the church.
He turns when we come in, his face softening a little. “You, uh, look beautiful, Whitney. Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” I’m truly confused.
He’s never nice. Even when we aren’t arguing, he’s always gruff and abrupt.
“I want to apologize,” he says after a moment. “I know I can be an asshole, and that’s probably just who I am, but you’re my daughter. Believe it or not, I do love you. I just…” His voice fades away, and he shrugs, as if he’s struggling. “I wasn’t raised to be warm and fuzzy. I didn’t grow up with a good male role model, and I probably haven’t been one to my own son, but I just want you to know that, deep down, I truly want what’s best for you. I don’t think that’s Jake—professional athletes don’t have the best track records, but neither do millionaire businessmen.
“So I could make a million excuses, but I’m not going to. At the end of the day, I am who I am. I’m sexist, misogynistic, elitist, and arrogant as fuck. For the most part, that’s not going to change. However, the one thing I can change is how I speak to my only daughter. My wedding gift to you, as lame as it may be, is that I’m going to try to be nicer. Both to you and to Jake. If and when you have children, I’d like to actively be their grandfather since I know Jake’s parents are both dead. I’ll never be the dad you want me to be, but maybe I can be a fun grandpa to your kids someday.”
He seems completely spent, as if that little speech wore him out, and I stare at him for a moment. I wasn’t prepared for any type of apology, much less an olive branch, and I hesitate before slowly nodding.
“We can work on it, Dad. Thank you for saying all of that.”
“I understand if you don’t want me to walk you down the aisle after my behavior the other night, but I’d really like to.”
“Just tell me something, and tell me the truth, because you know Gran will tell me.”
He smiles. “Yes, she reamed me a new one. Yes, she told me I had to be on my best behavior for the wedding or she would castrate me. But no, she didn’t make me come talk to you or apologize. That was your mother.” He looks over at Delilah. “Well, she didn’t make me, but she did point out that you would be married in a few days and going back to Anchorage. You would never again be our little girl because you’d be someone’s wife, maybe someone’s mother, and we’d lose you completely if I didn’t do something. And as I said, despite my ways, I do love you.”
I swallow, tears pricking my eyelids. “I, um, thank you, Dad. This means a lot to me.”
