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Griff placed Skyler into Jackson’s arms, and he cradled her against his dark grey jacket, not caring that she was blowing spit bubbles as she stared up at him.
“Skyler,” Jackson said, his lips curling as he looked down at her wide blue eyes. “It’s an honor to be your godparent. From the moment you came into the world, you’ve lit it up. For your mom and dad.” He raised an eyebrow at Griff and Autumn. “For your family.” He winked at Lydia. “And for all your friends who are so happy you’re part of their lives. As your godfather, I promise to take care of you. To be there when you need somebody to talk to.” He lowered his voice. “Especially when you’re a teenager and your dad’s being a big pain in the ass.”
Autumn laughed loudly at that one.
“Don’t swear in front of my daughter,” Griff grumbled.
“Sorry.” Jackson smirked. “I meant big pain in the patootie.”
“Not much better.”
Ignoring him, Jackson looked down at Skyler’s interested face again. “I don’t profess to know what it takes to be a parent,” he told her. “But I know that every child needs a safe haven. An escape. Somebody who can be their brick wall when everything else is tumbling down. And I’ll be that for you, Skyler. Wherever you are, and whatever you’re doing, if you call I’ll be there.” He pressed his lips to her brow, and it felt like every woman in the place sighed audibly.
Autumn’s eyes were shining as she took her daughter back from him. Griff wiped his own eyes with the back of his hand, and clapped Jackson on the back.
Jackson walked back to where Lydia was standing, and slid his hand into hers.
“That was beautiful,” Lydia whispered. Her heart felt congested. Like it was too big for her chest.
“Thanks.” Jackson looked shy again. For some reason she really liked that side of him. It made her want to pull his glasses off and kiss him like crazy.
“Now we have a speech from Lydia Paxton, Skyler’s godmother,” the emcee announced. Lydia raised an eyebrow. “Wish me luck,” she murmured. There was no way she could top Jackson’s sweet words. He had an unfair advantage of looking so damn attractive with a baby in his arms. Still, she walked over and held her hands out, smiling as Autumn slid Skyler into them.
“Hey sweetie,” Lydia said, pressing a kiss to Skyler’s nose. It made her giggle loudly, and the audience laughed, too.
From the corner of her eye, she could see Jackson staring right at her. What was he thinking? She wasn’t sure, but she thought she could see the same heat in his gaze as she felt in the pit of her stomach.
She took a deep breath and faced the people. “I haven’t prepared a speech,” she told them, smiling when she saw Autumn laugh. “Those of you who’ve met me before know that I tend to do things a little differently. I like spontaneity and flying through life by the seat of my pants. And if I can teach Skyler anything, it’s that life isn’t about surviving or enduring, or all those other things that we sometimes think it is.” She smiled down at her niece, warmth washing through her as Skyler smiled back. “Skyler Lambert, life is for the living. I want you to eat it up like it’s your favorite piece of cake. And by the way, I know you haven’t tried cake yet, but when you do, it’s the best thing ever. And I don’t want you to ever think you shouldn’t eat the cake. Because you always should. Cake tastes so much better than being skinny feels.”
All the women in the audience laughed.
“As your godmother, it’s my job to show you the world. To show you how to live, how to love, how to look at the sun setting over the bay of Naples and realize that whatever you do, it’s going to rise back up again. There’s no problem so insurmountable that it can’t be solved. And if it can’t be solved, then there’s cake. That solves everything.”
She took a deep breath, tracing Skyler’s brow with her finger. “You have the best mom and dad in the world, so you don’t need me to show you how to grow up and be a fantastic adult. But I can show you how to have fun, how to experience life, and how to see the world with fresh eyes.”
“And how to make cake,” somebody shouted out.
Lydia looked up. “Hey, I don’t make the cake, I just eat it.” She wrinkled her nose at Skyler, making her giggle again. “Being your godmother is the biggest privilege I’ve ever been given. And I promise not to mess it up.” She looked over at Autumn and Griff. “Is that okay?”
Autumn nodded, her lips smashed together. “It’s beautiful,” she managed to choke out. Lydia passed Skyler back to her, and Autumn pressed a kiss to her cheek. Griff hugged Lydia tightly. “Thank you,” he whispered. “That was wonderful.”
“Thank you to Lydia and Jackson,” the emcee called out. “And now we invite all of you to come up and formally introduce yourself to Skyler.”
“Until she starts crying,” Griff warned. “And then you’d better back off.”
A wave of emotion passed over Lydia as she watched Griff and Autumn’s friends surround them with love. Her sister was truly happy, you could tell that from her shining face.
She had her home, her beloved fiancé, and the family she hadn’t dared to dream about.
“You did good,” Jackson whispered, sliding his hand around Lydia’s waist and kissing the top of her head. She leaned into him, not caring what anybody else thought. If they only had one week left together, she was determined to make every moment count.
Somebody cleared their throat. Her dad raised his eyebrows and forced out a smile. “That was a very good speech,” he told her. “From both of you.”
Jackson squeezed her waist. She liked the way he kept hold of her in front of her dad. As though he had no fear at all.
“Thank you,” Lydia said softly. “I appreciate that.”
“I have to head to the airport,” he told them. “My flight to Hawaii leaves in two hours.”
