Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 48187 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 241(@200wpm)___ 193(@250wpm)___ 161(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48187 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 241(@200wpm)___ 193(@250wpm)___ 161(@300wpm)
Quickly, before I lose my nerve, I text Daniel.
Me: The house is lonely lately.
Since Jenna and her family moved out, it’s just Daniel. I’d been spending most of my nights with Daniel anyway, so one day Dad and Daniel brought over my stuff. I never thought I’d see the day where my dad helps my boyfriend move my things into his home. But it feels right with Daniel. I love him and I’m going to marry him, for Pete’s sake. Now that my pictures of my family sit on my bedside table and I get to curl up to my fiancé every night, a certain level of peace has entered my world.
Daniel: I miss Cora too.
She belongs with her family, but I know it hurt Daniel to see her go.
Me: Ever think about fostering anyone else?
Daniel: Like a certain green-eyed boy?
My heart flutters in my chest. Of course he’d be able to read me like no one else.
Me: I mean, I’d be the favorite of course. He calls you Dr. Dum-Dum…
A smile tugs at my lips.
Daniel: You’re everyone’s favorite. Maybe I should carry around Smarties instead…
God, I love this man.
Me: Dum-Dums are SO you though.
Daniel: Yes.
Me: Yes, you’re a Dum-Dum?
Daniel: Yes, to Taylor. Let’s do this.
I feel as though my heart stops completely in my chest. My tears blur and race down my hot cheeks, this time with a happier emotion.
Me: I love you, Dr. Dum-Dum.
Most women don’t throw up on their wedding day. I’m not most women. Everything in my life happens at the most inopportune times and with the force of a hurricane. Could I not just have one day where I felt great? One day.
My stomach heaves and tears leak out ruining all Jenna’s hard work on my makeup. I miss Mom. She’d be here to hold back my hair and promise me everything would be okay. Someone knocks on the bathroom door at the tiny cabin we’re at.
“Everything okay in there?”
Dad.
“I’m fine,” I croak out. A big fat lie.
“I’m your dad, remember? I know when you lie, baby girl.”
Since the bathroom is so small, I shakily reach over and unlock the door. Dad, looking handsome as ever in a suit, slides inside and crouches beside me. His fingers stroke through my hair.
“Do I need to get Daniel?” Worry flashes in his eyes.
“No,” I say in vehemence. “Today he’s going to be my husband. I’d rather not walk down the aisle with him in doctor mode.”
Dad’s lips purse together, but he doesn’t argue. Instead, he pulls open a cabinet door under the sink and grabs a rag. Once he’s wet it with cold water and wrung it out, he kneels again beside me. He’s gentle as he cleans the vomit from my lips. Mom was always the one who dealt with puke when we were kids. Always. But now that she’s gone, Dad has stepped up in all ways.
“I love you, Daddy,” I blurt out, tears once again filling my eyes.
“I love you too,” he assures me. “I know today is hard on you because of losing Mom, but you know she’s looking down on you. She’d be so proud, Lauren. I know I am.”
I scoff. “Proud of what? Me sitting on the bathroom floor as I puke my guts out because my body is deteriorating?”
Undeterred, he chuckles and sits down, taking my hand. “No, I’m proud that despite everything you’re going through, you still have your fire. That you can crack jokes at the worst possible times and that you’ve managed to find love during the sickest part of your life. That you are going to college, taking a stab at a future you deserve. It’s admirable and brave. Lots of people would want to give up or give in to depression. Not my fiery little girl. You’re a force, Lauren. Don’t ever forget that.”
On the floor, weak and nauseous and in pain, I feel anything but strong.
Dad stares at me with conviction in his eyes. The same way Daniel looks at me. They see someone much stronger than who I see in the mirror every day.
“Some days I feel like it’s too hard,” I admit, my voice cracking.
“And some days it is. Today being one of them. But you have to be harder and tougher. Are you going to let this disease own you on your wedding day?”
“Hell no,” I tell him, already feeling better with encouragement flowing through my veins.
“That’s my girl. Now, take a breather and then clean your mouth before you kiss your husband.” He laughs. “Or not. I mean, for better or worse, am I right?”
A giggle erupts from me. I definitely got Dad’s sense of humor. “Daniel has seen a lot with me, but even that would be a new one for us.”
Dad shrugs. “It could be poetic justice for him swooping in and taking my baby girl. Just sayin’.”