Page 133 of Someone to Remember
Iris’s mother shows them to their seats at the kids’ table.
“And now, for the moment we’ve all been waiting for, let’s have a huge welcome for our bride and groom, Gage and Iris, Mr. Collier and Mrs. Levington-Collier!”
The newly married couple are positively beaming with happiness as they come in holding hands and waving to their guests. They go right into their first dance as husband and wife.
As the band launches into “Your Song” by Elton John, Luke goes stiffnext to me.
“What’s wrong?”
“Our fucking song,” he whispers. “Mine and Bella’s.”
Under the table, I reach for his hand and hold on tight. “You want to go get some air?”
“I can’t leave the kids.”
“I’ll ask Brielle to keep an eye on them.”
“Yeah, okay.”
I lean over to whisper to Brielle. “Luke is triggered by the song. We’re going to get some air. Will you keep an eye on the kids?”
“I got you covered. Go ahead.”
“Thanks.”
I release his hand but give his arm a tug. “Come on.”
The kids are watching the bride and groom and don’t notice when we sneak out of the room.
We step into the foyer, and Luke takes deep breaths of the chilly air in the unheated space. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“No need to apologize, and of course you weren’t.”
“Stuff like that… When it comes out of nowhere, it’s always a gut punch.”
“Sure is. I was in the car last week, and Rory’s favorite song came on. I hadn’t heard it in a while, and it hit me hard. A million memories all at once.”
“That’s exactly it. What song was his favorite?”
“‘Southern Cross’ by Crosby, Stills and Nash.”
“That’s a great one. I sang ‘Your Song’ to Bella at karaoke when we were first dating. It was our song from then on.”
“You can sing?”
“When did I say that?”
I laugh. “I see how it is.”
“I made a mess of it, but she loved how I got up there and gave it my all.”
“I’ll bet she did.”
When tears fill his eyes, he shakes his head. “So fuckingcrazy how a few notes of a song can undo an otherwise pretty good day.”
“Widowhood is a minefield of memories waiting to come for us with no warning.”
“That it is.” He makes a visible effort to shake off the melancholy. “I think I forgot to tell you how beautiful you look tonight.”
