Page 2 of Father of the Bride

“I signed for the papers.”

“Good. And did you pack them in my bag like I asked?”

“Yes…”

He nodded. “Then, there’s nothing to talk about.”

The drive home was pleasant, but silent. The Porsche still drove like a dream. He wasn’t a stranger to the occasional splurge, but sometimes he wondered if this particular indulgence was reactionary. Truthfully, he never cared much about cars, and then Alayna died, and he’d had a new car every year since.

Maybe he’d give the Porshe to Brooklyn. That would be a nice wedding gift. Or maybe he’d sell it to help get himself out of the bullshit his business partner had brought to his doorstep.

Either way, he didn’t have time to think about it. He had a plane to catch, and a daughter to get down the aisle.

Chapter 2

SunnyDixonliftedthePA microphone to her mouth and pressed the ON button.

“Ladies and gentlemen, as we begin our descent, please ensure your seat belts are securely fastened, your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright and locked positions, and all carry-on items are stowed under the seat in front of you or in the overhead bins…”

After twenty-five years and almost four-million miles, she could say the words in her sleep.

“On behalf of Skyluxe Airlines and the entire crew, we'd like to thank you for flying with us today. We hope you had a pleasant flight and look forward to seeing you again soon.”

She secured the microphone back in its place and took her seat, buckling herself in while her coworkers walked up and down the narrow aisles, checking to make sure her words had been heeded.

The new kids were still bright-eyed and thorough. Sunny, on the other hand, was forty-seven, exhausted, in pain, and ready to retire. That had been the plan until Orion ruined everything.

Star stalked toward her with hands full of trash.

“You are so lucky,” she whined. “Like I’d seriously trade places with you right now.”

Sunny smiled. “You’re still on reserve, right? What’s your call-out?

Star disposed of the trash, then took her seat next to Sunny. “Yep, three-hour call-out this month. Crew Scheduling has me on speed dial. They threw me on a deadhead to ORD yesterday, then I had to operate the turn back to DFW.”

Sunny scoffed. “I don’t know if I’d call my trip lucky. It’s not like I’ll be on vacation.”

“It’s a wedding!”

True, but marrying off her oldest son wasn’t going to be the fairytale weekend Star and the other flight attendants thought it would be.

And it wasn’t because Sunny was one of those boy moms who feels threatened when a woman comes along to steal her beloved son away from her. She wasn’t. Atall. In fact, she was overjoyed that he’d found love.

The problem was with Davion himself. He’d always been sensitive and empathetic, almost to a fault. And he loved his mama, so he was having a hard time.

He loved Brooklyn with his entire soul. No problems there. It was recent events that had soured him on the institution itself.

Sunny told him not to propose, but he couldn’t tell that girl no, and now, she was going to have to wrangle her son and play surrogate mom to a sweet young woman she’d only spoken to over the phone.

It had the makings of a disaster.

After a smooth landing and taxi to the gate, Sunny breathed deep as Star opened the door of the plane and the first burst of fresh air met the recycled cabin air. She’d always loved that smell.

Once all of the passengers had disembarked, Sunny took to the microphone one last time to announce, “Cabin is clear.”

With those three words, the remaining crew sprang into action, transforming the empty vessel into a bustling nook of activity.

After everything had been straightened, inspected, restocked, and placed upright, Sunny made her way to the cockpit to do her final rundown with the crew.

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