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Heather wiped her face as Sonia broke their embrace. “You’re enjoying being the smart one, huh?”
Sonia flipped her hair, and the sisters laughed. Calling it a night after the movie, Heather walked to her old bedroom. Sitting on her bed, she clutched her phone. Allen was a phone call away. All she had to say was “I love you.”
Heather’s lips parted. She’d never said that to anyone. What would happen afterward? Would he say it back? Were his feelings as deep as hers?
Heather unlocked her screen and found his name. Her brain screamed for her to call him. She could be brave. Her thumb hovered over his name. One touch would change her life, but her insides quivered. Heather dropped her cell on the bed, and her head dropped into her hands like a storm-broken flower. Why couldn’t she take the chance?
Chapter 29
Sonia handed her mother her bouquet of tulips while Heather tucked the curls behind her mother’s ears. She glowed from the inside. Heather then sat on the couch, giving her knee a rest. The hem of her champagne dress touched her knees while the bodice hugged her waist. In a few minutes, her parents would remarry.
“You look amazing,” Sonia said.
Heather touched a hand to her chest. “You look great, Mom.”
Her mother adjusted the vintage veil covering her eyes. “Thank my loves.” She then released a cleansing breath. “Let’s get married.”
Once they were in the hall, each daughter took their place beside their mother. As soon as they made it to the office of the justice of the peace, Heather saw her father shaking hands with the man. When he spotted them, he smiled, and when he locked eyes with their mother, he gasped.
Sonia unlocked her phone and played music. The Manhattans “Shining Star” enveloped the room as they escorted their mother to their father. Heather looped her arm through her mother’s. Her eyes teared up, and she pulled in her lips to stop her cry. Still, she dabbed her eyes with her free hand. Then the moment came. She and Sonia gave their mother away, then they stood next to each other as their parents exchanged vows.
Their father went first. “Diana, you are the love of my life. I know we’ve had our trials, but I never stopped loving you. You’re my best friend. You’re my heart. I want to spend the rest of my days loving you and being the best husband I can be. I won’t leave you again.” He kissed their mother’s hands.
She cleared her throat. “Geoffrey, I fell in love with you on our first date. I know we were young, and we made mistakes, but my heart has always belonged to you. I want to share my days with you. We’re older and wiser now. You promise not to leave, I promise not to let you.”
“So sweet,” Sonia said as she dabbed her eyes.
Heather nudged her sister’s shoulder. Is this what love was about? Her parents had been through the worst, but they still stood together proclaiming their love. Is this what commitment looked like? They cited their vows with no fear of the future. Her parents showed no signs of worry. They were ready to take that leap of faith—together.
Then they exchanged rings. Her father kissed their mother’s hand before he slipped the band to accompany her old engagement ring. Heather’s lips parted, realizing her mother had kept her ring all these years. Despite everything, she loved the man standing in front of her. She knew his past, but she looked past the flaws for the best version of him.
Heather blinked back the tears, wanting to do the same—with Allen. She loved him with every breath in her body. Allen was worth it. She would never forget their time together. The way he held her. The way he kissed her.
“By the power vested in me and the state of Texas, I now pronounce you both husband and wife—again,” the justice of the peace said.
Heather’s father wasted no time in kissing her mother. He embraced her waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Sonia looped her arm through Heather’s. She didn’t pull away from her sister, who hadn’t stopped dabbing her eyes.
“It’s so beautiful,” her sister said.
Heather patted her sister’s arm. “It is.”
As their parents gave each other one last kiss, they each shook the justice of the peace’s hand. Sonia hurried over to hug her father. Heather excused herself to the hallway.
She reached for her phone in her pocket. As she looked for Allen’s number, her heartbeat hammered inside her chest. Heather gulped down a breath to calm herself, only to feel a hand on her shoulder. She looked over to see her father, whose eyes glowed with affection.
“Something wrong, sweet pea?” he asked.
Heather leaned to rest her head on her father’s chest.
“Are these happy tears or…”
“I’m happy for you and Mom, but…”
Her father lifted her chin to look up at him. “But what?”
“There’s this… man.” She felt like a teenager spilling her guts about her crush, but it was so much more.
“You love him?” he asked.
