Page 88 of Loving Trent
I shoot Andie a look over her shoulder. At least the fucker looks shocked to hear that she wants him to come, but then that look turns into that same stupid lovey-dovey look that I hate.Fucking Andie Wright.
Forty-Four
NANA
The heat from the bonfire keeps the chill in the air away as I look around at my family. My heart grows in size at the scene unfolding. When Trent and Shawn called me, telling me the fantastic news that the little girl currently sitting in my lap was officially ours, I rallied the troops. There was no way we all weren't going to come on this little trip with them.
“Nana,” Layla says quietly.
“Yeah, sweet angel,” I reply, looking down at her so she knows she has my whole attention.
“Can we go to the indoor pool in the morning?” She asks as innocently as possible, and my love for her expands.
As she gets older and understands more about what happened to her, I hope that the love and support she has from our family helps keep the darkness away. Bending down, I kiss her little nose and say, “Anything you want.”
“I can take her if she is getting too heavy,” Trent says, sitting down beside me.
“Nonsense.” I wave him off, and he gets pulled into a conversation with Sonny.
“I want to try, but what if it doesn’t work?” Emilee says, pulling my attention to her and Parker.
Parker leans down and presses a soft kiss to her forehead. “If IVF fails, then we will just continue living our lives with the perfect mix of both of us. I’d love another baby, but I’m perfectly fine with just George.”
When I look at the man he grew into, I still see the scared young man he once was, sitting at the hospital when none of us knew if Emilee had made it. It’s because of him that my family is sitting here enjoying each other's company. I owe him so much, and he will never know how thankful I am for him.
A throat clearing beside me pulls our attention to Shawn, who is staring at Trent with so much love that we all feel it. “We wanted to thank all of you one more time for taking time from work to come up and celebrate our little Layla,” he says, glancing over at the angel in my arms.
“It kind of worked out perfectly because we had planned to do this with just the girls, but it’s going to be a million times better with all of you here,” Trent says, standing up and pulling Shawn up with him.
Maria stands up from where she sat with her wife, Gloria, and walks toward them. “Last night, we asked Maria if she would officiate our wedding here,” Shawn says, pointing to the ground. “Right now.”
Gasps ring out around us, but I just smile because I overheard their conversation last night. In fact, I’m the one who showed Maria how she could get ordained online to make everything legal. Zak stands up and shouts, “You both need a best man.”
Trent throws his head back and laughs. That’s the thing about Zak, we can all count on him to be our comedic relief. He brings a childlike feeling to the situation, and it’s definitely needed sometimes. “Thank you,” he says, then turns to Shawn. “How could we forget?”
“Good thing we didn’t.” He kisses Trent on the lips, then looks at Zak. “Zak Haines, would you please be my best man?”
“Fuck yeah,” Zak yells, fist pumping.
“Language,” Jenna scolds him with a smile on her face.
“I’d also like Dad and Boe to stand up there with me,” Shawn says.
Trent doesn’t let anyone have a chance to speak. “Uncle Joey?—”
Joey stands up, crosses the space between them, and hugs Trent. “It would be my honor.”
“Leon, Ryan, do you think you two would like to be on my side as well?” Trent asks, and it’s no surprise who he chooses.
I stand up and decide to get this show on the road. “Okay, you six, head to your designated rooms to change. Betty,” I look at her and see her wiping tears away. “You and Eve have clothes waiting in my room. You will walk Trent here down the aisle.” I don’t let the looks I’m getting distract me. “Sammy, Juliet, and Sandra, you will get dressed in Sammy’s room. Sandra and Juliet, you will walk Shawn down.”
That’s right. The whole family is here, including Shawn and Sammy’s mom, Juliet. Eve has moved in with me for the moment, but I don’t think she will be living there long if my oldest son keeps looking at her like he is. “The rest of us need to find something nice to wear, and Jenna, dear, I need your help getting Layla and Harley into their flower girl dresses. Parker, Adam, and Levi need to get George and Junior dressed to be the ring bearers.”
I sit Layla down, and she runs straight to Harley as they start discussing how to throw the petals perfectly. Big arms wrap around me, and I’m pulled into a warm chest. “Thank you, Nana.”
Tears sting my eyes as I hug Trent back and say, “Nonsense, it’s what family does for each other. We pick each other up whenwe falter and ensure the good times are great. You’re one of us, and I will do anything for you.”
As everyone heads back to what is essentially a mansion in the woods, the wind kicks up around us, and I smell the cologne I only smell when I take out the old bottle from my drawer. I stop, place a hand over my heart, and speak to my husband. “The dark has passed for our babies. There may be more now than we ever thought, but they are all ours, and I know you are here with us. Watching over us and providing your endless strength to them. I love you and miss you every day.”
