Page 113 of Fathers of the Bride
“We’re going to walk down to the altar and tell our guests the truth.”
“Oh my God, we’ve spentsomuch money.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“But it’s all for nothing.”
And then I had an idea. It was romantic. It was the perfect time. If I ever wanted—
“Andy, Andrew, I was thinking—”
“Don’t you dare,” he said. And that’s when I realized I’d gotten it all completely wrong. There was no way we could get back together, not after everything that had happened. It was all over, and I’d just have to find a way to move on.
I wasn’t sure I could.
42
Andrew Lane
This was my chance,and I wasn’t going to let anyone ruin it, even my husband. He had a somewhat stunned look on his face. Well, of course he would. I had a feeling I knew exactly what he was about to say, and I just wasn’t going let it happen again.
“Don’t you dare,” I said. Then, I got down onto my knee, surprise flooded Miles’ face. “Miles, since we have everything we need right here, would you do me the honor of marrying me? Again?”
“Yes! Yes! Of course.”
He jumped into my arms, nearly knocking me over, and we kissed. There were a few oohs and ahhs around us, and then our family and friends broke into applause.
Quickly, we decided that before we told the guests, we’d walk the runaway bride and groom out to the classic Mercedes Miles had rented for them to make their getaway. Of course, he’d had no idea it would be a real getaway with the guests inside completely oblivious.
Miles couldn’t help asking if Kelly and Avery were sure. “Are you sure? Are you sure you’re sure?” Kelly gave him a look and he gave up. “All right, fine. You’re sure.”
Avery’s menagerie of parents clung to him, hugging and kissing him as though he’d never return. Finally, he protested, “We’ll be back from Yosemite in less than a week.”
“A week!” Pudge wailed.
Kelly turned to me, stood on her toes and kissed my cheek. She hovered there a moment whispering, “Enjoy your wedding,” into my ear. And that’s when I knew without a doubt this was something I should have seen coming all along. Just like she’d tricked us into meeting at the coffeeshop, she’d planned the whole thing. She’d tricked us into having a wedding—for us. Oh my God, she really wasmydaughter.
“This is why you didn’t care about the details or the wedding party or anything. You planned this all along. It was never going to be your wedding.”
“I want you to be happy, Papa,” she said, right before she winked and then giggled. “I just happened to know how to make that happen.”
“Young lady, you are so grounded… right after your honeymoon.”
And then they were driving off. Miles was crying; I was trying very hard not to join him but failing.Why did people cry at weddings?Mostly, I was teary-eyed because Miles was crying—well, sobbing now. And any time he cried I inevitably began to cry as though it were an extremely contagious disease.
“We’re going to have to tell everyone,” I said, wiping my eyes.
“Oh my God!” Pudge wailed. “What will people think?”
“It doesn’t matter what people think,” Jeffery said—which is when I realized he was still with us.
“Of course, it matters what people think,” Pudge said. “You wouldn’t even be here if it didn’t matter what people think, now would you? I do one tiny, itsy bitsy unintentionally barely racist thing and you have to follow me around, so people don’t think I’m a monster.”
“This is different. It doesn’t matter what people think about your son and future daughter-in-law running away from their own wedding. It’s their life, they should be able to live it however they want.”
“You expect us to tellthatto people?” Lissa asked. “It’s their life, they can do what they want?”
“When did this start?” Bradley wanted to know. “People getting to live their lives every which way.”
