Page 87 of Piece Of Me

EPILOGUE

Scarlett and Taz were married at one o’clock, on the third Saturday of September.

The weather was perfect. A bright blue sky, a warm breeze with temperatures in the low 70s, and no rain in sight. Held at the Triple B in the old barn out back it was a small affair, with mostly family and a few friends in attendance. Cameron and Ryan stole the show when they walked down the aisle tossing flowers in their pink and purple dresses with matching sequined cowboy boots.

The boots they’d negotiated hard for, and since they did have their father wrapped around their little pinky fingers, the Mary Janes that had come with the dresses were boxed up and tucked away without any fuss.

The reception was catered by the Sundowner, and they kept the food simple, steaks, ribs, burgers, home fries, and all the fixings. By nine o’clock Cal and the rest of the band were on stage entertaining the crowd, though Millie Sue had retired early with their month-old son, Josh.

It had been the best day of her life and Scarlett had a lot to be thankful for, which was something she reflected on as she walked up to her old bedroom and put Hank down. She kissed him and tucked him in to his old crib, then stood back and watched the gentle rise and fall of his little chest. Was it possible to feel this much joy? A soft noise caught her attention; her father stood just in the doorway.

“Hey,” she said softly, making her way over to him. His Bridgestone blue eyes glittered in the low light.

“How’s he doing?”

“He’s asleep.”

Manley nodded. “They don’t need much at that age. Love, food, and a warm bed.”

She nodded.

“She should be here today.” His voice was thick with emotion.

“Mom?”

“Yes.”

“We don’t need to talk about her if it makes you sad.” Scarlett wasn’t accusatory, it was a plain, simple fact.

“We don’t talk about her enough,” Manley replied. He nodded toward the crib. “Hank’s got her nose.”

She smiled at that. “He does. I think he has her laugh as well.”

“It’s a miracle. What we pass on to our children.” His voice trembled. “I know I wasn’t there for you when you needed me. I know I was weak. I?—”

“Dad…” She moved to him and took his hand. “We don’t need to do this. Not today. Not ever.” She hoped he knew how sincere she was, and she knew she had to get this right. “I didn’t know how big love could be. Not really. Not like this. Taz is my everything and I can’t imagine a world without him in it.” She squeezed his hand. “You lost mom, and you had a lot of dark years. But you made it through. You got that second chance, and you didn’t throw it away. You’re here with me on the day Taz and I became a family. You walked me down the aisle into my future and that’s all we need to focus on. The past made us what we are, but we don’t need to revisit or dwell on it.”

He slowly nodded. “Okay.”

“Now,” she said tucking her arm into his. “Let’s head back out to the barn. You owe me a dance.”

The reception was in full swing when she and her father took to the floor, and it was much later that her new husband claimed her. Scarlett melted into his arms as Cal slowed things down with a song he’d written for Millie Sue. The words were full of love and belonging, and desire and need. Aptly titled “My World,” it mirrored what was in her heart.

Scarlett and Taz swayed to the music, no words spoken, just two bodies meant for each other slowly laying claim. When the song was done, Taz kissed her, a soft, slow touch that had her blood singing, and her heart racing.

“Keep that up mister and I just might do something indecent in front of these folks.”

“Promise?” Taz murmured, his voice low and intimate.

She gazed up at him, suddenly serious. “I want it to always feel like this.”

“Like what?” He dropped another kiss to the side of her neck.

Her throat was suddenly tight, and she leaned her head on his chest. “I don’t know how to say what I feel.”

“Because it’s so big?”

She nodded, thinking about her father and his loss. “It’s kinda scary.”

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