She smooths her hands over my lapels, adjusting them before moving on to my tie. She makes sure the knot is tight before she slides her hand over the purple silk. “There. Now you’re perfect.”
“I’m far from perfect, but as long as I don’t look like a hot mess, I’ll take it.”
“You never look like a hot mess, Jake.” Her gaze lifts and a smirk tips the corner of her mouth. “Take comfort in the fact you’re the eye candy for everyone over forty, and the real showstopper is Queenie.” She winks and her fingertips drag along the side of my neck as she adjusts the collar of my dress shirt.
“How is she doing?” Queenie seemed excited this morning when she and her bridal party took over the pool house to get their hair and makeup done.
“She’s great. No jitters and all excitement,” Hanna assures me.
“That’s good. I’m glad to hear it. I want today to be perfect for her.” Or as perfect as it can be.
At twenty, I became a single father after Queenie’s mom decided she couldn’t deal with the demands of raising a child and bailed on us when Queenie was a few months old. With the support of my parents, I raised Queenie on my own. I walked away from a career as a professional hockey player so I could be a present parent. I adjusted my career path in order to be a father first. I think I did a pretty decent job, all things considered.
And Queenie is marrying the nicest, most stable guy in the universe, which is exactly what my princess deserves.
“Today will be perfect. Ryan loves Queenie more than hockey and milk, which is saying a lot.”
We both chuckle. King takes a lot of good-natured ribbing over the fact he orders pints of milk at the bar rather than beer.
“He’s going to take great care of her heart,” I tell her.
“And she’s going to be a fantastic partner for Ryan.” Her eyes turn glassy for a moment.
I can’t even begin to imagine how hard this is for her. Her relationship with Kingston is anything but conventional, and this wedding has proven challenging at times. I place my hand over the one still resting on my chest. “He’s an incredible man. And the only one I would ever deem worthy of my baby girl.”
She smiles warmly. “They’re going to make a wonderful team.”
“They really are.” I give her hand a squeeze. “How are you doing?”
“Oh, I’m fine.” She fiddles with my collar again, like she can’t figure out what to do with her hands. “I need to get the girls in place. I’ll meet you out there in a few?”
She’s about to pull her hand away, but I squeeze it, keeping her close. “Thank you for being such a huge part of this day, and for being so good to Queenie.”
“She’s easy to love. You’ve raised a wonderful, kind woman.”
She picks up the glass of scotch sitting on my dresser and folds my hands around it. “Take a deep breath and drink this. I’ll see you in the kitchen.” She winks again and slips out the door, leaving me to finish getting ready.
A handful of minutes later, I join the wedding party, who is assembled in the kitchen—apart from the groom, who’s preparing to walk his parents down the aisle.
Hanna is calmly giving directions, checking on the boys the same way she did with me, making sure ties are straight, before she moves on to the bridesmaids, adjusting bobby pins and smoothing out dress straps.
No one has noticed me yet, so I take a moment to observe my daughter’s friends. They’re a great group of kids—adults really—and some of them only a decade my junior.
Stevie, one of the bridesmaids whose hair is nearly the same color as her lavender dress, steps up beside me. “How’s it going, Jake? You ready to get this party started?”
“About as ready as I’ll ever be. Where’s Queenie?” I glance around the kitchen. She should be easy to spot, but all I see are her friends and several of my players. Since Kingston is the goalie for the NHL team I manage, most of the groomsmen are also his teammates, which technically makes me their boss.
“I just saw her. Hanna, have you seen Queenie?” Stevie calls out.
Hanna pauses in her mission to pin a boutonniere to the best man, Bishop’s, lapel. “She was here a second ago.” Hanna glances around the room. “Where in the world did she go?”
“I think she’s with Lavender and Kody? Do you want me to check?” Lainey, another one of the bridesmaids and wife to my team captain, Rook Bowman, asks.
“That’s okay. Stevie, can you make sure this is straight on your husband?” Hanna pats Bishop’s chest, then crosses the room and threads her arm through mine. “Let’s find the bride and make sure she hasn’t started an arts and crafts project.”