After You (Because of You 2)

I shake my head, smiling to myself. She really is perfect for Alex.

***

I grimace as I tug up the blue, blinged-out bodice of my bridesmaid dress. Not only do I look like I’m going to my senior prom with Duckie, but it’s strapless and I loathe strapless dresses. They never want to stay up.

It’s been a hectic morning. The church is all decked out in blue and silver, tulle and flowers bringing Bethany’s dream wedding to life. As hard as I’ve tried not to think about all the work I’m not doi

ng today, I have snuck in a few email check-ins and responded to a few messages in my spare moments. I’m out of spare moments for now, though. Once we get to the reception, I’ll probably sneak in a little more work on my phone. The alternative is socializing, and I don’t see why I’d want to do that.

Once I’m satisfied my dress will probably stay up, I slip out of the bathroom the bridesmaids have turned into a dressing room to go check on Alex. I saw him a couple times this morning, and to say he looked nervous would be an understatement. I don’t want to walk in on any half-naked men, so I knock before entering.

“Come on in,” he calls back.

“You should have asked who was there,” I tell him lightly, stepping inside. “It could’ve been Bethany.”

“I was hoping it was. Banging my bride before the wedding would be a good reminder of why I’m doing all this.”

I grimace at him. “Hi; I’m your daughter. Gross.”

Alex merely rolls his eyes. “My apologies, I forgot you were such a delicate flower.” He turns around, frowning like he’s looking for something.

“What do you need from me?” I ask him. “Anything I can do?”

“Can you find my cuff links? Bethany gave me these damn cuff links she wanted me to wear today, her father’s or some shit like that, and I can’t remember where I put them.”

I push off the door I’ve been leaning against and walk around the room, checking surfaces where cuff links might reside. “Are you nervous?”

“Of course I’m nervous,” he states. “I shouldn’t be doing this. I don’t like marriage. This is probably a mistake.”

“You’ve never been married,” I remind him. “You don’t know that you hate marriage. I’m sure marriage with a compatible person can be… not awful.”

Alex snorts. “Thanks for the pep talk, kid.”

I shrug unrepentantly. “Sorry, if you need someone to talk up commitment, I’m not really the right person for that job.”

He sighs heavily. “I hate weddings.”

“So do I.” I grab a little wooden box and open it up. Sure enough, the cuff links are right where they’re supposed to be.

“You can tell who we love, based on who we tolerate weddings for,” he tells me.

I nod vigorously in agreement as I turn to bring him the cuff link box. “I would rather go to a funeral, and that means someone died, so….”

Sighing, he places a hand on my bare shoulder. “I raised you right, kid.”

Scrunching up my face a bit, I ask, “Did you, though?”

“Shh.”

He still hasn’t taken the box, so I thrust it toward him. “Put these on.”

“If I don’t put them on, I don’t have to go out there,” he states.

“You are not leaving that incredible woman at the altar. I will disown you.”

“Bullshit. If you haven’t by now, you aren’t going to.”

I don’t bother arguing since he takes the box and opens it up, extracting the first cuff link and affixing it to his cuff.