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If the man was capable of biting his tongue for one week he could do us all a favor and aim for other occasions as well. But I was grateful for what I could get.
“Thank you for taking it easy on him.”
“Anyway…” He patted a weathered hand on my knee and sighed. “Hale told me about your dad.”
His words hung in the silent room for a moment, both of us recognizing the weight they carried. Remington wasn’t much for touchy-feely sentiment, but that didn’t mean he was incapable of compassion.
“My father’s a, um, complicated man.”
“Your father’s an idiot.”
I laughed. Not hard, but a small chuckle slipped out. I had to agree with him.
“You know, when I met you, Meyers, I thought you were an absolute basket case. But there was something special about you. Something impossible to ignore. Hale saw it too. It’s hard not to fall in love with you on the spot. You’re like a helpless kitten, going the wrong way on a busy highway. Big men can’t resist that sort of temptation.”
“Thanks,” I said dryly, not exactly loving the scenario where I was the helpless idiot or victim.
“I mean that in the best possible way. There’s an innocence about you. Not naiveté, but innocence. Sweetness. You’re a good girl. A good man appreciates that and wants to protect it. Too many hardships can harden a girl, but you’ve somehow managed to stay the perfect measure of wholesome and hardy. You’re soft when it matters, but resilient where it counts.”
That was much better than being compared to a lost kitten with zero survival skills. “Thanks.”
“You know I care about you.”
I gave him a shoulder bump. “Don’t make me cry, Remington. I have six pounds of makeup on my eyes and no desire to put it there again.”
He glanced at my done-up face and nodded his understanding. “Sometimes, parents miss what’s right in front of them. We don’t always see our children the way the world sees them. It’s our loss.” He took a moment to process his own words and I knew he was thinking about Hale, Barrett, and Seraphina. “I’m sorry your father couldn’t appreciate the gift he was given when you came into his life.”
My chest and throat instantly tightened and my eyes started to prickle. “Remington…”
“Just let me get this out.” He cleared his throat and grimaced. “I, uh, guess what I’m trying to say, is… I…” He cleared his throat again. “I love you, Meyers. I don’t like seeing you hurt.”
Remington avoided sentimental words like the plague so his confession stunned me. “What are you doing to me?”
He held up a hand, playing down his admission. “I think of you a lot like the way I think of my other children. I worry about you when you’re sick. I want to do what I can to make the difficult stuff easier on you, but I also want to see you overcome the challenges life throws your way. You’re innocent, Meyers, but you’re also tough. That’s the one thing you can thank your dad for. He’s made you resilient. Growing up without him taught you independence. You don’t need him. Not today, or on your wedding day, or any other day.”
A tear fell past my lashes, but I didn’t care. My heart lodged in my throat and I couldn’t speak, but that was for the best. I heard everything he was saying, and I treasured his words.
“I want to say something to you, but I want to make it clear that I have absolutely no expectations. I didn’t come here with a motive. I only came here because Hale told me what happened and I wanted to make sure you were all right. But, Meyers, if you want someone to walk you down that aisle on Saturday, it would be my honor to escort you.”
My hand covered my mouth as my composure crumbled. “Oh, Remington.”
“Now, see, you’re going to spoil your makeup.” He pulled the pocket square from his jacket and stuffed it in my hand.
I dabbed my eyes and tried to level my breathing, but I was a mess. “Oh, God…” I blubbered and he looked away uncomfortably. “Did Hale put you up to this?”
He scowled. “Hale doesn’t even know I’m here.”
“But he told you.”
“Yes.” He looked at me with those perceptive silver eyes, so similar to Hale’s but glassier and flecked by time. “He knows I’d do anything for you, Meyers. If that was him manipulating me, this is one case when I’m okay with it.”
I shut my eyes and breathed a deep sigh. That wasn’t just Hale playing his dad. That was Hale putting his own feelings about the man aside in order to do something nice for me. No matter how much they butted heads, or how frustrating Hale found our relationship, he knew Remington was the closest thing I had to a father. And if my dad couldn’t give me away, Hale was going to do whatever he could to find the next best solution.
“Thank you, Remington.”
He patted my knee and stood. “You think about it. We don’t have to decide tonight.”
“But it’s the rehearsal.”
