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She smiled, despite the tears still in her eyes. “Is Finn here? Did he ask you to talk to me?”
“No,” he said quickly. “Finn would never allow me to tell you all that I have. He didn’t want me talking to you at all.”
So, Finn hadn’t chosen to fight for her. Again. He had given up. “Thank you for telling me what you have, Jack. I love your son, and he loves me. I don’t have any doubts.” The last sentence was a lie and she knew it as the words left her lips, but she couldn’t take them back. She hugged the man in front of her again, turning toward the door. “Now, we’ve got a wedding to get to.”
He looked incredibly relieved, though a bit troubled, as he pulled open the door. Blythe smiled as the three bridesmaids she’d chosen began to ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ at the sight of her.
She entered the hallway as Cathy stuck her head through the large set of double doors to give the go-ahead. Instantly, the music started playing, letting them know the ceremony was starting.
Jacob started to take his place near the maid of honor but stopped and glanced back at Blythe.
“This may be overstepping…but would you like me to walk you down the aisle?”
His words slammed into her chest, causing her to suck in a deep breath as the tears she’d been keeping mildly at bay began to pour down her cheeks. She hadn’t mentioned to anyone how much this day made her miss her father. Everyone talked about missing her mother, how hard it must be for her to get married without her, and that was completely true, but she longed to wrap her arm through her father’s in that moment. She had hidden the dismay she felt over the fact that there would be no father-daughter dance. Every part of this day was a reminder of what she had lost.
“I would love that very much,” she said finally.
He stepped out of the way as the procession began making its way down the aisle. Asher would wonder why his father, his best man, wasn’t with them. As the doors closed and it became their turn to walk down the aisle, Jacob leaned down close to her ear.
“I’m sure your father would be so proud of you.” The doors opened, and Asher met her eyes from the end of the aisle. He smiled warmly, his eyes never leaving hers as they made their way toward him. The guests stood in unison, watching her with encouraging smiles on their faces. It wasn’t lost on any of them that the entire crowd was filled with Asher’s guests. A few of her friends from work had been invited, but excluding the three in her wedding party, none had bothered to come. Even her aunt, her only living family despite their tense relationship, had claimed it was too far a drive to attend.
She couldn’t focus on that. No matter how sad it made her, the man waiting for her at the end of the aisle made her so incredibly happy she could burst.
When they reached Asher, Jacob placed her hand into his son’s before taking his place next to Asher as his best man.
“You look beautiful,” Asher whispered, leaning in toward her slightly as they made their way up the red velvet staircase in front of the pastor. She smiled at him, her heart so incredibly full, and yet there was something bothering her. Jacob’s words. The warning he’d given her. That she should talk to Finn. Why couldn’t he have warned her before this moment?
She thought about the other thing he’d said to her, the one about her father being proud of her. Would he, though? As she looked around the room, the wedding that had been planned by well-meaning people, yet nothing looked as it would if she would’ve done it herself. The crowd was filled with unfamiliar faces.
The wedding felt like Asher’s and Asher’s alone, and though she had thought it wouldn’t bother her, as she stood in front of strangers—her new family—she couldn’t help missing her old family. She thought of the words her father had told her just before her graduation. He’d pulled her aside just before they’d gotten in the car.
“You know we’re proud of you, right?” he’d said.
She’d rolled her eyes at the time. “Daaaad.”
He’d kissed her forehead, squeezing her shoulder. “I know, I know. I’m just saying it now while I have you alone. After tonight, the world is yours, sweet pea. You can do and be anything you want.”
She’d smirked. “You know I’m not, like, running off backpacking around Europe or something. I’m not even moving out yet.”
“I know,” he’d said. “But you could. This moment right here is so full of possibilities. And the truth is, Blythe, as long as you follow your heart…you can’t go wrong. Be true to yourself and what it will take to make you happy. Your mother and I will support you no matter what that is.”
She’d leaned into his hug. “Thanks,” she’d whispered. “Now, let’s get going before we turn into a cheesy Hallmark movie.”
He’d chuckled at her joke and walked with his daughter out the door. Her parents were dead just a few years later. She hadn’t thought back to that day since then, hadn’t remembered his advice until that moment. It was as if he knew she’d need to hear it someday.
Was she following her heart? As much as she wanted to believe she was as she stared at the man in front of her—the good man, the man who loved her more than anything else, the man who’d given her everything she thought she wanted—she knew it wasn’t true. The piece of her heart that remained with Finn was too big. It had the majority vote, if she were being honest with herself. Maybe she’d always known it. Maybe the memory of her father on such an important day had forced that truth to the surface. Either way, she couldn’t give up on him just because he so willingly conceded.
The pastor had made it through part of the ceremony and he was looking at her, waiting for her to say the words he was saying. Asher squeezed her hand.
“Blythe?” he whispered, looking confused. Her eyes met Jacob’s, who gave her a knowing look. He’d known this would happen. Somehow, he’d just known.
“I, um—” She looked out into the crowd, trying to find the words to say the very thing that would crush his heart more than anything else. It wasn’t easy to destroy someone you loved, to destroy the future you pictured together. It was even more difficultto do so in front of a crowd of people who’d all come because they loved said person. Her eyes landed on a woman in the front row, all the blood draining from her face instantly.
It was the woman from the restaurant the night she and Asher had had their first fight. The girl he’d been dating at the same time as Blythe. She couldn’t recall her name. As much as her presence shocked Blythe, that wasn’t what made her heart race. She squinted her eyes, trying to determine if she was right. From such a distance, it was hard to tell. But she knew. In her heart, she knew, and yet, it wasn’t possible. Was it?
She dropped Asher’s hands quickly, walking toward the woman. The crowd gasped.
“What are you doing?” Asher asked.
