My heart stops in my chest. “Thank you.”
“Absolutely. I’m sorry your mom feels that way, and if we’ve made you feel—”
“Never. I’ve always felt wanted and worthy of being with Posey.”
“Because you are.” His eyes burn into mine. “So, what did you say?”
I shrug. “Well, I’m marrying Posey on Monday.”
He nods. “How did she handle that?”
“Not good. I don’t think she’s coming to our wedding, and I’m honestly okay with it.”
“Are you?”
“I am,” I say, meeting his gaze once more and leaning back in the cart. I put my feet up on the side, resting my arm against my knee. “I keep playing it over and over in my head. If living without my mom is for the best. And every time, it is, because nothing will ruin what I have with Posey. I love her. She is my future, and I know that.”
“I hear you.”
“And I’m not saying this because you’re her dad, but she’s it for me. I can’t ignore that. The way she makes me feel, how she makes me laugh, how much she trusts and cares for me, I can’t let that go. Every time she walks into a room, I feel like I’ve won the Cup. Over and over again, that fluttery feeling hits me, and it’s all her. She’s just everything for me.”
Shea reaches out and squeezes my shoulder. “I’m really sorry I hit you back in the hospital.”
I laugh, and he smiles. “Emotions were high.”
“And I was an overprotective dick.”
“That too,” I say with a wink, and he laughs harder. As our laughter subsides, we sit quietly watching as the players go by.
When it’s almost time for us to get a club and for me to try this golf shit again, Shea says, “Can I give you some advice?”
I nod. “Sure.”
“I am very lucky to have a family who loves me and supports me. I swear, I shit glitter to my family, but Elli isn’t that lucky. Her family has been awful to her for as long as I’ve known them. In no way, shape, or form am I suggesting you cut your mom out, but Elli did when her family fucked with her happiness, and I swear, the woman I love now is not the woman I loved then. She is way better off. I don’t know you two’s relationship, but I don’t understand how your mom can watch you and Posey together and not accept how great you two are.”
I swallow as I nod in agreement. “That’s what I said.”
He squeezes my shoulder once more. “Well, no matter what, you’ve got us, and we’re a hoot.”
I snort as we get out. “I feel ‘hoot’ is putting it mildly.”
Shea grins. “We sure as hell aren’t boring.”
“That’s the damn truth.”
And I wouldn’t want my future family any other way.
One thing is for sure—there will be nonstop laughs and endless love.
Something I never experienced before I met Posey.
Chapter Six
Posey
“Even being nine weeks, you’re still smaller than I was when I got married.”
I give my mom a sweet smile as she and my aunts, Harper and Grace, help me into my mom’s wedding dress. Of course, when they get to my hips, my mom has to rub my belly. It’s her new thing. She’s known about the baby for less than twenty-four hours, and I’m pretty sure she’s rubbed my belly about a thousand times. I love how excited she is, and in return, it excites me.
“Are you sick?” Harper asks, and I shake my head.
“Not now. I was at the beginning of the month, but it was just nausea, not vomiting.”
“That’s good,” Grace says as they help me put my arms in. “I was god-awful sick with Ryan and not the least bit with Amelia.”
“The boys, I was good, but the girls drained me, and I was puking at every turn,” my mom says as she turns me so they can zip me up. It’s a little big in the front, but I’m not wearing a good bra. No bra, that is.
“With Ally, I was sick as a dog, and I don’t think Sadie, our surrogate, was sick with Journey, but I wasn’t sick with Jamie.”
I see the pain on Harper’s face from losing what would have been her last child, but she quickly looks to my mom as she nods, and Mom looks at me. “So, really, it’s a toss-up.”
“I just want a healthy baby. I want them to be okay.”
“We all do,” Mom says, kissing my cheek as she pats my lower back. “All right, turn around.” I do as she asks and then look into the tall mirror in my mom’s bedroom. It’s like I’m stuck in a time warp. I can remember hiding in my mom’s closet and gazing at this dress. Dreaming of my Prince Charming and having all the babies with him while living in our castle in Ireland. Don’t ask; I watched P.S. I Love You when I was a kid and never truly recovered.
I can’t believe this is real, yet here I am, standing in my mom’s dress, ready to marry the man of my dreams, and pregnant to boot. My mom’s dress—well, I guess my dress—is a showstopper. It’s a classic white, with a puffy skirt like a Disney princess’s dress. The overlay on all the poof is a beautiful, complex lace, showcasing beautiful and complex flowers. At the top are thin straps, and it has a wide-open back, with a modest but sexy V for the neckline. The bodice has the same designs of flowers and vines all over it, making the dress timeless but Southern. Which describes my mom to a T.
And now me.
I swish the skirt around, and a small smile pulls at my lips.
“Oh, Posey.”
“I think if we take in the straps a bit, she won’t need a bra,” Grace says as she pulls a strap tighter, which completely helps the boobie situation. “You look stunning, maybe even more gorgeous than your mom on her special day.”
I scoff. “Doubtful.”
“It’s true. We were both there.” Harper pulls my other strap, and it’s perfect. I look like a bride. I swallow thickly as emotion takes over. I didn’t even know I wanted to wear my mom’s dress and have a ceremony, but now that it’s happening, I feel like I could cry with happiness.
My mom, who is on the verge of tears, nods her head. “Totally. You’re perfect, my love.”
I smile softly as I exhale. “Thanks, guys.”
“Now, you have a choice in veils,” Mom says, holding up her birdcage one. “I did this.”
Grace grabs her long, cathedral veil before presenting it to me. Harper does the same with her tiara. I’m unsure how to make this decision since I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. “I think I want to do flowers.”
Mom squeals as Harper nods. “That will be stunning,” Grace gushes. “What kind?”
“White orchids. It’s the flower Boon brought me when I was recovering.”
They all three beam with tears in their eyes. “It’s going to be stunning, all of this,” Mom says, taking my hand in hers and swinging our arms together. “I rented a taco truck for the reception dinner. All the chairs are being set up as we speak, Grace sent her team to decorate the gazebo with candles, and it’s going to be perfect!”
“I’m honored you want to get married there,” Grace whispers, and I’m overly emotional at the moment. My uncle James bought Grace land and put a gazebo on it to woo her. She was reluctant after being hurt so many times, but James was the love of her life. It’s the reason she hasn’t found anyone else since his death. She’s still so heartbroken without him, as are all of us. Cancer is a coldhearted bitch.