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“If Mama was here, she’d make everything right. I wouldn’t have to keep secrets. I wouldn’t have to worry about Dad and Ryan saying anything mean.”
“I’m going to protect you like that,” I said seriously. “I know she was the person who understood you and kept your heart safe. I’m going to be that person for you now.”
“You are just straight out of a Hallmark movie sometimes,” she said, “but it still melts my heart.”
“Good,” I said. “Thursday night.”
“I better see you before then,” she said.
“You will.” Still, I hardly saw her before Thursday. I was on duty at the station or getting details set up for dinner. I paid for the meals in advance, even though my dad wanted to comp it because I was family. I wanted to host the event myself, pick the menu, buy the flowers for the table, all of it. I had on my jacket and tie and greeted them at the door that night. I hadn’t heard back from Ryan about attending, but Sarah Jo’s dad was coming with her. When she arrived, she had on a navy-blue dress with polka dots, pretty as could be and modest enough for church. I could tell she was nervous and fidgety. I put my arm around her and kissed the top of her head—just like I had the night I’d slipped up in front of her friends and been too affectionate.
“Thank you for doing this,” I said to her. “I’ve got you. It’s going to be fine.”
She looked up at me, a crinkle in her brow telling me she didn’t believe it. I made sure her dad was seated by my dad at the table. He was saying how nice it was to be out for dinner, being perfectly nice to my parents. I could see that she relaxed a little as she talked to my mom about plants and the best time to put in petunias.
“I’ve never had any luck with hydrangeas,” my mom said.
“Where are you planting them? Is the soil acidic or more alkaline?” Sarah Jo asked. “How’s the drainage in the area?”
“I really couldn’t say. I wanted a pair of bushes on either side of my door the way it was at my grandma’s house when I was small.”
“If you don’t mind my coming around in a week or so, I could check out the planting options and tell you which hybrid would be best suited to your soil,” Sarah Jo offered.
“That would be wonderful,” my mom said with a bright smile. I congratulated myself on how well they were getting along. Even Sarah Jo’s dad was acting fairly normal and not demanding alcohol or sympathy.
After the spinach salad with blueberries and pecans, I proposed a toast with sparkling cider.
“I’d like to take a minute to say thanks for coming, and especially to thank Sarah Jo for being everything I’ve waited and hoped for all my life. Mr. Winters, I’m sure you know how extraordinary your daughter is, how like her mother and how strong and brave and loving she is. What I really wanted tonight was for both families to get to spend some time together and get used to the idea of us being a couple. Because I’m not planning on going anywhere. I’m of a mind that a man should count himself lucky to meet one such woman in a lifetime. And to pray to God he’s smart enough to never let her go. To Sarah Jo. For your strength and compassion and loyalty.”
She was blushing red up to her hairline, a pleased smile on her face, almost bashful. Everyone drank to it, and I coaxed her out of her chair to put my arm around her and kiss her cheek. “I love you,” I said softly, where only she could hear. I loved tucking her under my arm, feeling her arm go around me like she knew she belonged there. I had never been happier, standing there with everyone I loved together. I looked away from her gaze long enough to see movement out of the corner of my eye. I went and got the soup, served it, and went to the door, made sure the ‘closed for private party’ sign was in place. There Ryan was outside the glass doors. I shook my head. Against my better judgment I unlatched the door.
“Are you here to join us? The only thing missing at this family dinner is you, old friend,” I said, hoping but not really believing that he was there to be supportive.
“Yeah, man, I showed up,” he said, brandishing a bottle of wine. “Even brought drinks. I knew you’d have a dry party. You could use something to liven it up.”
Ryan made his way to the table. I looked at the rest of them, seated politely. I’d arranged it all so carefully, down to the three low candles flickering in the middle of the white tablecloth. There were steaks grilled to perfection waiting to be served as the entrée. But now there was Ryan. I wanted to tell him to leave before he ruined it, before he knocked over my house of cards the same way he used to smash the Lego towers I built when we were kids. But I had to give him a chance. He was my oldest friend and Sarah Jo’s big brother. He deserved the benefit of the doubt and a chance to show up for his sister and make things right. I even let myself bask for a minute in how proud I’d be if the dinner I’d planned was the place where Sarah Jo and Ryan could make amends. I could almost see him serving as the best man at my wedding just as I’d stood up for him.
