“I didn’t mean it like that,” I say with my eyes closed, because I can’t bear to look at her as I fail at something yet again.
Tiff squeezes my arms. “You’re good. I knew what you meant.”
She frowns, her gaze softening as she looks at me with quiet pity. If I didn’t already feel like a wreck, the way she’s looking at me seals it.
She opens her mouth to say something, but a burst of movement across the room cuts her off.
“Honey!” Ella squeals, launching herself off the couch and sprinting toward me, her tiny robe flapping behind her. Her hair is already done, and her tiara wobbles on top of her head as I catch her mid-crash.
“Whoa—hey, Ellie-Bear.” I laugh, steadying her. “You look so pretty.” I press a kiss to her cheek.
“Thank you,” she says, grinning. “Mommy said I’m the most important person in the whole wedding.”
I glance over her shoulder, catching Tiff’s eye.
Tiff smiles as she leans over to straighten Ella’s tiara while I hold her. “That’s right,” she says gently. “We wouldn’t even be here without you.”
Iknowthey wouldn't. Ella's the only reason Jamie got his act together, stopped doing his father’s bidding and started making his own choices. Without her, he never would’ve gone looking for Tiff.
Tiff taps Ella’s nose lightly. “And what are you doing for us today, hmm?”
“I’m going to throw the petals!” Ella says proudly.
“That’s right,” Tiff says, smiling. “And we’ve been practicing all week, haven’t we, Ella-Bear? Just to make sure you know what you’ve got to do.”
“Uh-huh!” Ella wiggles in my arms, and I crouch to let her go. “I’m gonna throw the petals like this.”
She shows me with an exaggerated sweeping motion that sends imaginary petals flying everywhere.
“Perfect,” Tiff says, pressing a kiss to her daughter's forehead. “Just like that.”
Ella grabs my hand and tugs me toward the couch. “Come see my coloring book! Aunt Madison got me one with lots of unicorns.”
“Did she now?” I let myself get dragged along, thankful for the distraction from my thoughts. Today might be tough, but holding Ella's hand is a reminder that we're here to celebrate a love that managed to survive everything thrown at it.
Madison sighs dramatically from the couch, the rollers in her blonde hair wobbling as she flips through a magazine. “Yes, she did.” She lifts her hand in a mock-fancy wave. “Hi, Honey.” She flashes me a smile.
“Hey, Madison,” I say quickly, keeping my eyes anywhere but on her. She’s really nice, but I swear she can see right through me, and she doesn’t hide what she thinks.
“Just so you know, I wasthisclose”—she pinches her fingers together—”to getting the deluxe ‘Hockey Hunks’ coloring book since it had Ella’s cousin Cade, andmyfiancé, Dash, in it. I thought it was educational. Tiff disagreed. So... unicorns.”
Am I laughing?
I am. That's the first genuine laugh since I boarded the plane, which has to be a good sign. Maybe I'm relaxing a little.
“Honey.” Tiff’s voice cuts through my thoughts. “Cara is ready for you.”
She points to the hairstylist who’s smiling at me with her hand on the back of her chair.
Right, because she needs to do my hair for the wedding.
And just like that, all the tension in my shoulders returns.
“Fantastic.”
I trudge toward the chair, my stomach knotting at the thought of sitting in it for the better part of an hour, stuck with nothing but my own reflection.
I mumble a quick greeting as I settle into the chair, trying not to wince as Cara works through the knots in my hair.
