AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You know I loved Rebecca, right?” she says, eyes welling up.
“Of course!” I say, trying to imply lightness to the conversation, but failing, “You two were like teenage BFFs!”
Mom nods, and sniffles. Whatever is going on, I’m trying to convince myself it’s not a horrible thing.
“This is a terrible thing for a mother to say, but…” she lets go of one hand to wipe out her eyes. “But part of me wished that you would never replace her with another woman.”
I wince, confused. “Mom, I’m not a monk…”
“I know, I know!” she places a finger in front of my lips to shush me. “What I am trying to say is that Olivia proved me wrong! She is amazing! And I’m so happy for you to be finding happiness again!”
“Oh, mom!” I hold her tight, and kiss the top of her head, careful to not mess up her hair. “Harlan carried all my happiness after Rebecca died. Now my happiness has only been enlarged!”
“Alex!” I raise my eyes, and the impatient wedding planner is pointing me to the aisle. “To your place!”
“Let’s go?” I take mom by the arm, and she smiles at me.
The music begins. The violinists perform an old romantic country song for my entrance.
We get to the altar, and there she is, my baby girl, still crying, and her grandma not knowing what to do.
I don’t wait for the procession to end before going to Lylah and asking to hold my daughter.
“Oh, darling, not now!” the woman says, surrendering the baby under protest.
“She only calms down with me,” I say, checking Iris’ diaper to see if need an urgent change.
In the end, she doesn’t. She is just being fussy about waking up early, so I carry her in my arms back to my spot, only to stand there and face my fate.
Harlan comes next as the ring-bearer and after him, the second flower girl, a little girl from Liv’s family who can barely walk, but was too cute to deny a part in, and then,shecomes…
From head to toe, Liv looks like an angel. The dress is white on white: white fabric under white embroidery, complete with straps of chiffon that flow in the late summer breeze.
The skirt is shorter in the front, giving it a girlish look, and on her head, she has a delicate wreath of flowers and her hair all beautifully pinned back showcasing her dark curls.
Liv comes arm-to-arm with her father, who sends me a “I have a shotgun in my shed, boy,” deadpan and straight in the eye, leaving me shocked and laughing nervously.
I take Liv by her arm, then, still holding a now asleep Iris with my free arm.
“You’re a great father, you know that?” Liv says, caressing the baby’s head.
“Can we start?” the minister asks, and Liv and I look at each other and nod.
Epilogue Two
LIV
HeldingHeightssawalot of change in just one year. Violence and drug abuse are at an all-time low, and there is currently no drug dealing going on.
It’s not our first visit here since the incident, but it’s the first time we brought our children. Under our watchful eye and the security guards, Iris, now a year and a half, plays in the sandbox in the playground. Harlan plays with his father and several other kids at the basketball court.
“Oh my God! You’re going to dig until you reach China!” I tell Iris, sitting by her side and getting my hands dirty too.
My little girl is all smiles. We’re trying to bring both her and Harlan to new environments, but Alex and I have grown so protective that this is getting hard.
“Look it’s the little lady!” Mrs. Winslow’s voice makes itself heard, with her best baby talk that calls for Iris’ attention at the same moment.
“Come on over, Mrs. Winslow!” I tap the soil by my side. “The sand is fine!”
