Page 69 of Lavender Lake
“No.”
“She’s nice. They seem happy.”
“Well, good.” I got a colander and the peas and went to the sink. “Start talking.”
“I asked Declan to push back the wedding.”
“What? Seriously? But Dad’s awake. And if all goes well, he’ll be a couple weeks into recovery by the time the wedding happens.”
“Yeah. But he won’t be able to walk me down the aisle. Or do the father-daughter dance,” she said, looking at me. “You think I’m stupid.”
“Did I say anything?”
“You didn’t have to.”
“Hey.” I turned off the faucet and dried my hands on a dish towel. “It’s not wrong to want to have the wedding of your dreams, but . . .”
“But what?”
I gestured to her belly. “You kind of put the cart before the horse anyway. Did you think your wedding was going to be completely traditional?”
Hadley grinned. “No. I guess not.”
“Hads?”
“Yeah?”
“You don’t know how long Dad’s recovery is going to take. You want to wait six months? A year? For what? He’s going to be at the wedding. That’s the miracle. That’s the blessing.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Damn it,” I muttered, dragging my sister into an embrace. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
“Well, you did, you idiot.”
I laughed, but then sobered and pulled back so I could look at her. “Mom isn’t here to see you in your dress or watch you eat cake and dance with your husband. But Dad is. There’s no promise of tomorrow, and he wouldn’t want you to postpone.”
She sniffed. “Of course he wouldn’t.”
I patted her arm. “Go tell Declan I talked sense into you.”
“He would’ve done it, you know? Postponed it because I asked.”
“I know.” I nodded. “He’s a good man.”
“The best,” she agreed. “I hope you find one too.”
I picked up a trout and held it close to my face and made a kissing noise. “I found a perfect one right here.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The Ranch
After a quiet dinner, Hadley and Declan went to our family’s guest cabin that was within walking distance of the main house. They currently lived there while their house was being built.
Muddy had texted that she wouldn’t be home until late because she was drinking bourbon with Lucy. The woman had been living in the hospital the past many days and clearly needed to blow off steam.
I sat in the middle of my bed with a wooden jewelry box in front of me. The paint was peeling and the hinges needed to be oiled so they didn’t squeak, but when I opened the lid, a smile bloomed across my face.
