Page 89 of Forgotten Dreams

“I’m not nervous at all. Never been more sure of anything in my life. I just want to get this show on the road and finally make that woman mine.”

“Good things come to those who wait,” Joseph teases, and my father laughs at them.

“I’m going to go in and see if I can help in any way,” my mother says, getting up on her tippy-toes and kissing my father.

“Do me a favor, Hailey,” Carl says when she takes a step up, “tell her to get her ass out here.”

My mother hides that she is trying not to laugh but fails. “I’m never going to tell a bride that,” she retorts, then looks at me. “Are you coming with me?”

“I wasn’t going to,” I tell her and share a look with the guys.

“Good, you tell her that message from me,” Carl says, and I throw my head back and laugh.

“You think I’m going to tell my girlfriend’s birth mother to move her ass?” I shake my head. “There is not enough money in the world for me to do that.” I walk up the steps onto the covered porch and into the house.

“It’s almost time,” Marian says.

“You are going to be late.” Sierra knocks on the door. “Isn’t morning sickness supposed to leave after three months?” We walk down the hall toward the voices.

“Knock-knock-knock,” my mother says and knocks on the open door. “How is everyone doing?” She stops and looks at Sierra. “You look beautiful,” she exclaims, walking over to her and giving her a kiss on the cheek, “and so do you!”

“She’s in there. I’m not sure if she’s going to vomit or not,” Sierra tells my mother. “I’m just saying we walk down the aisle, and if she has to throw up, she runs back inside.”

I lean against the doorjamb, taking her in. Her eyes come to me, and she smiles before making her way over to me. She’s wearing a lilac one-shouldered dress that hugs her curves perfectly. It’s like the dress was made for her. A slit down on the right side shows her leg, with a sash that hangs down on the side, trailing her when she walks. “Aren’t you so handsome,” she coos when she gets close to me, putting her hand on my chest and fixing my tie. “So very, very handsome.”

“And you look more beautiful than you did yesterday.” I wink at her.

“We have to talk,” she says softly, coming even closer to me. “We’re getting a dog.”

“Sierra.” I stand now. “I don’t want a dog.”

“But my mother said she always wanted to get me a dog, and then Fiona said she would have definitely gotten me a dog to be my best friend and talk to.” I roll my eyes. “And that’s what I want to give our kids.”

“Shouldn’t we work on getting the kids before the dog?”

“No, it’s even better if I’m pregnant and then bring the baby in. It’ll protect them.” She looks up at me, a smile on her face.

“Fine”—I look over her shoulder—“we’ll get a dog, but when our kids are depressed because the dog died, you’re going to handle that.”

“Deal.” She gets on her tippy-toes and kisses my lips lightly.

“Now I’m not going to say what was said to me”—I look down at her—“but if Fiona doesn’t get out there soon, Carl is going to come in and carry her out.”

“Fiona,” Sierra calls over her shoulder, “Carl is done waiting and is about to bring everyone inside to have the wedding here.”

“I’m ready.” She opens the bathroom door and steps out. “How crazy is this, getting married at forty-three?” She holds up her hand. “The question is, how crazy is it being pregnant at forty-three?” She laughs and puts her hand on her stomach.

“I don’t even want to think about how that happened,” Sierra teases, “but I always wanted a brother.”

Fiona looks at her with all the love one can look at another person with. “All this time, we never moved on, and now this. I’m standing here about to marry the man I’ve loved my whole life with our daughter beside me. If someone told me this was going to happen, I would have told them that they were lying.” She wipes the bottom of her eye with her thumb. “Let’s get me married.”

We share a smile, and a couple of minutes later, I’m walking out of the house with my mother and Marian. “She’s coming.”

“Everyone get into place”—Carl claps his hands—“especially you, Joseph.” He looks at Sierra’s dad. “I need you to make all this legal.”

I stand here in the front row, watching Sierra walk down the aisle, first stopping in front of her birth father and giving him a hug. He kisses the top of her head, and when she turns to walk toward me, he stops her. “I want you standing beside me.” He takes her hand and wraps it around his arm. “That’s my wish—to marry your mother with you beside us.”

“Then this is where I will be,” she confirms with her own tears in her eyes as they look down the aisle at her birth mother walking down. The whole thing takes less than ten minutes, with them just wanting to share their vows and nothing else.

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