Page 134 of Someone to Remember
Whoa, didn’t see that coming. “Thank you.” I’ll never admit to having gone all out, with a hair appointment this morning and a new dress purchased with him in mind that leaves one shoulder bare and clings to all the right places.
“I should’ve said that the first time I thought it, which was in the parking lot when we first arrived.”
Smiling, I put my hand on his bicep. “Are you going to be okay?”
“I’m better than I was. Thanks for getting me out of there.”
“Any time.” A shiver runs through me from the chilly air in the foyer.
He removes his suit coat and drapes it over me, enveloping me in a rich, male scent that makes me want to wallow in it. Would it be weird to sniff his jacket?Shut up, Kinsley.
“Thank you.”
He looks over my shoulder, toward the room where the festivities are proceeding without us. “I should get back. The kids…”
“Are fine. If they need you, Brielle will find us. Take another minute, Luke.”
He inhales a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “This is the stuff you can’t understand until it happens to you. The people coming for Angela and Brad… They’re so lucky they don’t know what it’s like.”
“And they don’t even know how lucky they are.”
“Most of them will never know.” He reaches for my hand and links our fingers. “Not like we do.”
My heart skips a crazy beat from the wayhe looks at me.
“This, with us… It feels good, doesn’t it?”
I nod as I try not to completely lose my shit. “It does.”
“Will you dance with me tonight, Kinsley?” he asks with a shy grin that’s so adorable, I can’t take it.
“Yes, Luke, I’ll dance with you.”
Thirty
Gage
I’m loving every minute of this day, from Iris’s sexy dress to the kids in their fancy party clothes to my extended family and the friends from all eras of my life, those who stayed close after I lost Nat and the girls, who’ve traveled to celebrate with us. Many of them met Iris for the first time tonight.
The best part is that after it’s over, I get to spend every day for the rest of my life with Iris and the kids, who are mine now, too.
We have an appointment with Joy the week after next to sign the adoption paperwork. They’ll keep their father’s last name, but I’ll be their legal parent. Iris will hyphenate her last names until the kids are adults, so she has their name—and mine. I can’t wait until the adoption is official and we have something else to celebrate in this new life of ours.
I also can’t wait to surprise Iris with the plans I made for our honeymoon, but that’s not for a few more hours. In the meantime, I plan to fully enjoy every minute of this party that was so many years in the making.
For a long time after Nat and the girls died, I couldn’t seepast the deep fog of unbearable grief to picture the life I have today. Iris and her sweet kids have given me a beautiful second act that I’ll never take for granted, knowing all too well how quickly things can change.
The bandleader calls Roni and Derek to the stage. “Let’s hear it for our matron of honor and best man, who are, I’m told, engaged to be married as well!”
After a warm round of applause for our attendants, Derek steps up to the microphone. “Thank you all for being here today to celebrate Gage and Iris as well as Tyler, Sophia and Laney. Let’s hear it for the new family!”
As our guests cheer for us, the kids come to sit with us—or, more accurately, to sit ontopof us. We gather them in and hold them close. Tyler has lost his bow tie, and his shirt is untucked. Laney’s hair has broken loose from the multitude of pins that were holding it in place. Sophia looks as if she’d rather be home and in bed by now, which is on-brand for her.
I love them madly.
“Many of you know Iris and Gage from childhood, college, work, parenthood, neighborhoods, etc. Roni and I know them as the leaders of a group called the Wild Widows, which Iris and her friends Christy and Taylor, who are here tonight, formed years ago to support young widows. Why, you might ask, do young widows need extra support? That’s a great question and one most people don’t have to think much about. If you’ve never had to ponder the subject, consider yourself lucky. Roni and I are both widows, as are our friends over there… Raise your hands, people.”
The Wild Widows stand and give a wave as the other guests warmly applaud them. I love that Derek has called them out for special attention.
