Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 77120 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77120 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
And when I told her we need to stop?
That wasn’t because I want to stop.
It was because I know I’ve been dealing with her in the wrong way. That she deserves better. And that I…
That I’m lonely, and she makes me want more.
But I’m just not ready.
It’s all fucked up.
Old Henry never would’ve taken a woman in the barn like that. Not at my current age, anyway.
My father’s voice jerks me out of my thoughts.
“Henry?”
“Yeah, sorry, Dad.”
“I asked if you wanted to say a few words tonight. As best man and all.”
“I wasn’t planning to, unless you think I should.”
“I think Sage wants to say something,” Dad says.
I turn to Angie and Jason. “I can say something if you’d like me to. I just figured my big speech would be tomorrow night.”
“Whatever you want to do, Henry,” Angie says. “Right, Jason?”
“Absolutely. I know the rehearsal is usually when the father of the groom makes his remarks, but since my parents are both deceased, and I don’t have any siblings, I’ve already told your dad that I want him to say a few words.”
“I’m proud to do it, son,” Dad says.
Servers are removing our plates. I cleaned mine. My food didn’t taste bland. I enjoyed it. The beef, the potatoes, the asparagus, my mom’s special spiced peach chutney. It’s good to taste again.
And I wonder if Tabitha has had something to do with that.
Once everything’s cleared, the servers bring around more flutes of bubbly.
“I guess that’s my cue.” Dad rises and heads to the stage where he grabs the microphone. “Hey, everyone,” he says. “Can I have your attention, please?”
The talking settles down to a dull roar.
“As you all know, my future son-in-law, Jason, doesn’t have any family left. Normally his father would be saying a few words tonight, but since he’s no longer with us, Jason asked me to prepare some remarks, and I’m proud to do so.”
Murmurs of agreement throughout the yard.
He clears his throat and gazes at Angie and Jason. “I’m not great at speeches, but I’m great at loving my daughter. From the moment she came into my life, she’s had this light in her. Fierce. So full of empathy and compassion. Bright enough to blind anyone who got too close. And now she’s found someone who doesn’t just stand in that glow. He reflects it right back.”
Dad shifts his attention to Jason. “You don’t have family here tonight—not the kind bound by blood, anyway. But I want you to know that from this night forward, you’ve got us. You’ve got me.”
Jason smiles.
“You’ve taken on something precious,” Dad says. “And you’ve done it with steady hands—and I’m not just talking about the restoration of your surgical hands—and a good heart. That’s all a father can hope for.”
He raises his glass, and the others follow.
“To the bride and groom. May your love be loud when it needs to be, quiet when it matters, and strong enough to carry the weight of both your stories.”
A soft pause. Then—
“To family—the kind we’re born with, and the kind we choose.”
My father’s words hit me in the gut.
To family—the kind we’re born with, and the kind we choose.
The kind we’re born with.
I wasn’t born into this family. I was born to Francine Stokes and Bryce Simpson. When my father married my mom, he and I became part of this family. Part of the Steel family.
But his words resonate.
The kind we’re born with.
Again, I want to search out my biological mother.
She’s not my mother. Not my true mother. But I did grow inside her, and I have questions. A lot of questions. Especially because I’m having such a difficult time dealing with the fact that I took another person’s life.
Granted, I had my reasons. I committed no crime.
But a life is gone because of me, and for some reason, I feel like resolving this conflict within myself necessitates knowing the woman who gave birth to me.
It doesn’t make a lot of sense.
I wish Aunt Melanie were here. I’ll ask her about it tomorrow morning. We’ll all be busy preparing for the wedding, but she always has time for me. Even when I haven’t made the time for her.
I’m so inside my own thoughts that I don’t notice Jason leaving the table and taking the mic from my dad.
He clears his throat and looks first at Dad and then at Angie.
“I don’t have the right words,” he says, voice low but clear. “Not for this. Not for all of you showing up when I have no family of my own to bring to the table.”
He glances down for a breath and then looks back up. “But that’s the thing about love, isn’t it? It creates family. It fills in the cracks. It builds something that wasn’t there before.”
He turns to Dad. “Thank you. For welcoming me. For trusting me. For offering something I never thought I’d have again—someone to love, and a seat at a family table.”