A dark-haired man in a blue suit and tie came forward and introduced himself to me. “You must be Dorian.”
“That’s right.”
“Mark Burns. Pleasure to meet you.”
For the first time, I thought about the groom as a real person, not just Becca’s soon to be husband. Here he was—good-looking, intelligent blue eyes, smiling at me with a mouth full of white, straight teeth.
“Likewise,” I said, shaking his hand.
“It means a lot to Becca that you’re here,” Mark said.
“Glad to be here. You have a beautiful home.”
“Thanks.”
“You must do well.” I gestured toward the house.
“A single man in his forties, never married, no kids? Easier to save than spend.” He grinned. “Those days are over, though. I’ll be a family man in less than an hour. Thanks to Second Chance. The dating app. You familiar with it? That’s how I met Becca.”
“I’ve heard of it, yeah.” I bit back a smile.
“We started talking on there, and then we decided to meet in person. Took her to dinner at The Oar. And the rest is history, so to speak.”
“Good luck to you,” I said, sincerely. “Becca’s a special person. Looks like you have plans to take good care of her and the girls.”
“I’ll give them everything I have.”
“WhereareMaria and Luci?” I asked.
“They’re with my sister getting their dresses on,” Mark said. “It was a rough morning. Luci mostly.”
“Yeah, Becca mentioned something about that.”
“I’m doing my best, but it hasn’t been going well. She hates me.” Mark grimaced, tugging on one ear. “I have no idea what to do about it.”
“It’s a lot of change all at once,” I said. “Give her some time.”
“Thanks for the advice. However, I was instructed to send you in to my bride when you arrived. She’s in the house with her friends.”
“Great. I’ll see you in a few minutes,” I said.
He clapped me on the back. “Thanks again for being here.”
I found Becca in a back bedroom that had been converted to bridal headquarters, with two women I didn’t know. The bride wore a simple white gown and a long veil, her make-up perfectly done and hair piled on top of her head in a way that defied gravity.
“Am I interrupting?” I asked, poking my head through the door.
“No, come in. Meet my friends,” Becca said, standing to give me a hug. “You look nice.”
“Nice to have a reason to wear my one good suit,” I said.
She introduced me to her friends. “This is Kara Mullen. And Sara Perry. We met on the PTA committee at school. They’ve been great … you know … since … everything.”
I shook their hands, but didn’t invest much time in getting to know them. I just had to get through this day in one piece, not make new friends.
Luci and Maria came in then, running to me for hugs.
“Uncle Dorian, I’m getting a new dad today,” Maria said, her seven-year-old eyes wide with excitement. “And we get to live in this house. It has a pool. Do you like my dress? We got it just for the wedding, but Mom says I can wear it again. Until I get too big for it. Luci has the same one.”
