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CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Melody
I was a nervous wreck. In a little under fifteen minutes, I would be Mrs. Asher Beaumont. My father and mother were supposed to walk me down the aisle together, but he hadn’t shown up yet. Typical. He’d missed my high school graduation by ten minutes, too. My mom and I stood in a small cluster of trees by the California Academy of Sciences, hidden from the rest of the guests and Asher. Lena and Gabby were close by, keeping a lookout for my dad. Of course, they didn’t know what he looked like, but I’d told them to look for a silver-haired man with a goatee, wearing a tux matching the rest of the guys. He’d be hard to miss. Lena and Gabby were both Matrons of honor. Since they were both equal in my mind. Erica had been thrilled when I asked her to be a bridesmaid. She even threw us a combo shower for the baby and the wedding. Their gowns were forest green and strapless, and they’d all worn their long hair down in cascades of curls that flowed down their backs. My own gown was a pale off-white, also strapless, with an empire waist. Perfect for hiding the bump of a tummy I now sported. I also wore my hair down, but it was laced with tiny pearls throughout my blonde tendrils.
“Mom, why don’t you just walk me down by yourself?” I didn’t want to wait any longer.
“Let’s give him another few minutes. Everyone will wait,” she said, adjusting the bodice of her own beautiful, pale green gown. I’d wanted everyone to wear green so they matched Asher’s eyes, my favorite color.
My dad hadn’t exactly been excited about the whole pregnancy and wedding so I wouldn’t have been surprised if he was a complete no-show.
“I’m here.” My dad strolled into the passel of trees and kissed me on the cheek. Taking my hands in his, he eyed me from head to toe. “You look beautiful, honey.”
“You almost missed it,” I said.
“Sorry. Traffic on 405,” he said, looking at my mom then turning back to me. “How are you? Okay?” he asked, his blue eyes traveling to my stomach.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Nervous.”
“Don’t be. It’ll be like a walk in the park.”
“Itisa walk in the park, Dad. We’re getting married outside, over there at the Shakespeare Garden.”
“Right. I knew that.” He winked. “Asher is going to swallow his tongue when he sees you. Hopefully, not too hard, though. That would ruin the first kiss, right?”
“Daddy!” My dad was so freakin’ corny sometimes. But I loved him, even if he had missed a few key moments in my life. But he was here now, and that’s what mattered. If there was one thing I’d learned over the past several months, it was that life was precious and it was best to embrace the love that was given to us because we never knew when it might be taken away.
“Ready?” he asked.
I nodded and took his arm then placed my other arm inside my mom’s and we all headed toward the garden. Lena and Gabby headed down first, then my mom, my dad and I followed. When I got close enough to see the glimmer in Asher’s eyes and the smile on his face, all the butterflies and nerves settled down, completely disappearing. As we walked down the center of the rows of chairs lined with white ribbon, I glanced up. Not a cloud in the sky. Birds sang their happy songs, and trees leaves swayed with the gentle breeze coming in from the ocean.
I was glad I’d listened to Asher this time. He was right to want all the frills.
