Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88208 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88208 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Glasses clink and then my parents get up to speak.
“Ryan, you were such an unexpected surprise, and we’re so glad you came into our lives when you did. You were exactly what our family needed. Your kindness and your gentle soul enriched all of our lives so much.” My mother dabs at her eyes. “Raising you was an honor and delight, and it’s so humbling to see what a wonderful man you’ve become. You’ve made us so very proud. I have faith that you will be a dedicated husband, and eventually a father, exactly the way you are in every other part of your life.”
It’s a real battle to keep my emotions in check as my mother continues to talk about all of Ryan’s accomplishments.
And I know that without their support and their guidance I would never have had the opportunities I did, and neither would Ryan. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, knowing that if it had even been a few years later, I would have been able to raise him instead of handing over the reins to my parents.
Once the speeches are finished, I breathe an internal sigh of relief, thinking that we’re through the hardest part. At least until the father-daughter and mother-son dance.
And that’s when the reality of today truly hits me.
I will never have this moment with my son. I will never walk down the aisle beside my own child. And it stings.
I slip out of my chair, excusing myself to the bathroom as the song is coming to a close, unable to keep my emotions in check. I don’t head for the pool house, which is closer. Instead, I slip around the edge of the yard and carefully make my way back to the main house. Once inside, I toe off my heels and walk down the hall, ducking into the spare bedroom. I close the door behind me with a quiet click and will the tears away.
But it’s too much.
CHAPTER THREE
A Shoulder to Lean on
Jake
“WHAT’S THIS ABOUT you and King meeting before you started working as my personal assistant? And how come this is the first I’m hearing about it?” I ask Queenie as I move her around the dance floor. Mostly I’m digging for information. Queenie and I don’t keep much from each other. She usually tells me what’s going on in her life, and the only times she’s kept things from me that I would consider important are when she’s worried I’d be upset—or disappointed.
But this little piece of information and King’s reaction, which was to turn the color of a beet, make me curious.
Her smile grows wry. “We met at a bar.”
“King doesn’t go to bars. Not unless he’s with the team.”
“It was the night he found out about Hanna.”
“Oh.” I pull back so I can see her face. “That must have been hard for him.”
Queenie smiles. “It was. I didn’t know he was one of your players, and he obviously didn’t realize I was your daughter. He was trying to get drunk.”
“King was trying to get drunk?” I glance across the dance floor where Ryan is expertly waltzing with his mother. Like he’s taken lessons. He probably has. It seems like something he’d do.
Queenie throws her head back and laughs. “I know, right? To be fair, trying is the operative word. He had six drinks lined up in front of him and they were all full because he genuinely doesn’t like the taste of alcohol. He said he was a fan of milk, so I ordered him a White Russian. We traded secrets and promised to keep them for each other.”
“And that was it?” I arch a brow.
“The rest is history, isn’t it? All you need to know is he was the gentleman he always presents himself to be, even while slightly intoxicated.” She pats me on the chest. “Anyway, fate seemed to have plans for us with the way it kept throwing us into each other’s paths, and now here we are, starting the rest of our lives together.”
“He’s a good egg.”
“The best.”
With each rotation on the dance floor, I catch a glimpse of Hanna sitting at the head table, a small pile of tissues sitting on top of the pale purple linen. Her gaze is fixed on the other side of the dance floor, and it looks as though she’s struggling to keep it together.
I know today has been hard for her. I could see it on her face when her mother and father spoke about what a remarkable man King’s become and how he came into their lives at the right time.
As the song comes to an end, we do another rotation and I notice that Hanna’s chair is empty.
The deejay changes the music to something upbeat and guests flood the dance floor, allowing me to step back and survey the room. I don’t spot Hanna anywhere. She may have stepped out to use the bathroom, so I grab a drink from the bar.