Once again, I was beyond nervous. I stood in front of the mirror and stared at myself, trying to get the bow tie straight but finding it impossible. Jack came up behind me and reached around to fix it, doing that father thing without even realizing that that was what he was doing. Then he brushed invisible lint from my shoulders and stepped back.

“This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever done!”

“I think it’s perfect.”

Conor came up behind me, too, a smile in his eyes as they met mine. “You’re just nervous. Wait until you get there and see her.”

“It’s a freaking Elvis impersonator! How eighties could we possibly get?”

“It’s what she wanted.”

That was true. And who was I to deny her anything?

A knock came at the door, alerting us that it was time. Jack led the way, with Conor walking beside me. We’d talked nearly every day since my visit to Chicago, talking about everything from the weather to the types of pacifiers that were best for a newborn. He was nervous about being a father, but there were no doubts in his relationship with Adrian. I saw hints of Gloria in his woman, impressed with her grace and her kindness. They were a perfect fit.

He said the same thing about me and Alli, but I sometimes struggled to see it. Like now, when she insisted on coming to Vegas and having an Elvis impersonator conduct the ceremony.

How insane was this?

The limo took us to the little white chapel on the strip, a pretty place that didn’t look anything like what I knew we were about to find inside. Adrian, Sue, and Tommy were waiting in the lobby, bright color in their cheeks as they watched the three of us come toward them. Alli had wanted to keep the ceremony small, and, for once, I fully agreed with her. The last thing I wanted was all my colleagues witnessing this farce.

We went into the chapel, where I signed the paperwork under Alli’s signature, pleased to see she’d signed her full name. There was this Alli, with Elvis and all the cheesiness of this ceremony, and there was my Allison. I was glad both would be in attendance tonight.

Someone turned on a recording of “Here Comes the Bride,” a scratching recording that sounded more like a record player than a digital copy. It was all grating on my nerves. But then, as Conor had predicted, she came through the door, and I couldn’t remember why I’d been so annoyed.

Alli was dressed in a traditional gown that was of the mermaid style, the white lace clinging to every inch of her body right down to her knees before flaring into a cute little skirt that swung around her ankles. Her hair was up in a knot, a thin veil flowing down her back to mingle with the lace of her dress. She looked like a dream, like a mermaid on a cloud.

She was the woman of my dreams.

“Do you take this woman?” the Elvis impersonator asked in a forced Tennessee drawl. I wanted to punch him, but the smile on her face and the tears in her eyes made that impossible.

“I do. Today and for the rest of my life.”

Alli giggled softly.

“Do you take this man?”

“Most definitely.”

“The rings…”

 

 

I watched her move among the party guests, in her element. She loved the attention, loved the praise and the gushing congratulations. There was color in her cheeks that made her look like a teen at her sweet sixteen. I couldn’t get enough of her, couldn’t get enough of the pleasure she’d injected into my life.

And then my eyes shifted to Conor and his girl, the way his hands somehow always seemed to slip protectively over her belly whenever they stood close to one another. He’d be a better father than I ever was. He’d attend all the ball games and school plays, he’d spend all his evenings building paper airplanes and model rocket ships. He would do all the things I wished I’d done. And he’d do it not because he felt obligated, but because he genuinely wanted to.

He was a good man. Despite my influence, he’d turned out all right.

Sue moved up beside me, a glass of something dark and sweet in her hands. “She’s happy,” she said, her eyes moving to her mother.

“She is.”

“Don’t screw it up.”

I lifted my own glass, filled with champagne. “That is something I will try very hard not to do.”

“Talk her into moving to Memphis, huh?”

I looked at her. “I’m afraid that’s one subject she won’t discuss.”

“Why? Because of you?”

“Because your mother doesn’t run from danger.”

Sue glanced at Alli. “She’s been fighting all her life. Don’t you think it’s time for her to stop?”

“I do. But it’s not my choice.”

Sue was quiet for a moment, taking little sips of her drink. Then she sighed softly, a sound that was filled with fear as much as it was resignation.

“I’ve heard from friends back in Ellaville. Things are bad there. The Guardians are gathering again, putting out flyers and spreading rumors about Mom’s shop, among other things.”

“I know.”

“This new leader, he’s ruthless. Things are going to get bad before they get better.”

“But we’ll be there to fight them.”

“You think you and Jack Stone are enough to stop zealots like them?”

I shook my head. “No. But I think we’ll have the support of the community.”

“Maybe. Or maybe they’ll run you out of town, too. And then what?” She sipped at her drink again. “She doesn’t deserve this. She should be able to live in peace now.”

“I agree. But we pick our own fights.”

Sue just shook her head. “Stupid fight to pick.”

I couldn’t agree more. The stories coming out of Ellaville were more than Sue could guess. The Guardians were sending waves of fear through the locals like I’d never seen before. They had yet to do anything that we could sit back and point to, say that’s the Guardians and they mean trouble. They knew better than to do anything while the attorney general’s office still had the town under a microscope. But they were there, and they weren’t letting anyone forget.

We had a fight coming. But I was just as determined to stay as Alli was. We’d been put through too much to just turn our backs and run like cowards. Sue would have to learn to understand.

“Come dance with me, babe,” Alli said, coming over and taking my hand.

“Always.”

 

 

We lay in bed late that night, our arms wrapped around one another. Her hands kept moving over me, rubbing the skin on the back of my arms or reaching around to rub another place that couldn’t ignore the pleasure of her touch. I groaned when she reached for me again, biting her shoulder playfully.

“I’m an old man. I can only do so much.”

“You’re barely forty-four. You still have twenty years before you’re an old man.”

I groaned, pressing my hips against hers. “But even a young man can only perform so many times.”

She laughed. “No one’s asking any more of you than you’ve done before.”

I buried my teeth in her shoulder, and she laughed, jerking forward so that I had to stop.

“How does it feel to be an honest woman once again?”

She rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. “Strange.”

“Good strange or bad strange?”

“Good strange.”

I pulled her close to me and kissed her. “Good.”

“How does it feel to be an honest man again?”

“Like it was always meant to be this way.”

She smiled, pressing her body against mine. “I just want to be like this for the rest of my life. Play house, come home to find you warm and clean in my bed.”

“Sounds good to me.” I brushed my hand over the side of her face. “But there’s one thing…”

She groaned. “What now?”

“It’s your turn, love.”

“My turn to what?”

“To put the past behind you.”

“And how do you want me to do that?”

I pulled back slightly so that I could watch her face. “I looked your father up on the internet. He’s still living in Oregon, still teaching at the same school.”

She shook her head. “I left all that behind years ago.”

“I know. But don’t you think he has a right to know what’s going on with his daughter? To know he has two granddaughters?”

“He lost that right when he abandoned my husband on the night of his death.”

I nodded. “But that was more your mother than your father. She’s the one who pushed him to cover it all up, right?”

“What are you getting at?”

“We’ve talked to him. He’s an expert in religion, and his name came up on a list of specialists…”

“You’ve talked to him?”

“Jack and I met him a few weeks ago.”

She untangled her body from mine and climbed out of the bed, grabbing a bathrobe that had been abandoned on the floor, tugging it tight around her. She paced the length of the room for a long moment before turning to stare at me with accusations shooting like daggers from her eyes.

“You talked to my father and didn’t bother to tell me?”

“He doesn’t know who I am. He thinks that I’m a representative of a security firm dealing with a zealot religious group.”

“You didn’t tell him you’re my husband?”

“No.”

She continued to pace, her arms wrapped tightly around her body.

“He mentioned you. Said he had a daughter whom he missed deeply. He said he’d do anything to see her again.”

“What brought that up?”

“We were talking about the kids the Guardians are recruiting and what it’s doing to the families.”

“Interesting that you would point the conversation in that direction.”

“Alli—”

“You went behind my back. I don’t like that.”

“Allison, it was a conversation. I tried to tell you about it earlier, but you’ve been so occupied with the wedding and everything—”

“I won’t see him.”

“Okay.”

She looked at me. “Just like that?”

“Just like that. I’m not going to force you to do something you don’t want to do.”

She hesitated a moment, but then the anger went out of her as quickly as it had appeared. She dropped the robe and crawled back into bed. “Honesty,” she reminded me.

“Always.”

She snuggled back against me, and silence fell between us. I closed my eyes, sleep reaching out toward me. And then she asked, “How did he look?”

“Gray. And distinguished.”

“Healthy?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

She fell asleep a moment later, and I thought that was the end of it. But then we were driving home, my new truck not nearly as cozy as the last, but nice enough. She curled up against me, her hand on my thigh, her head on my shoulder as the highway buzzed by the windows. Then she asked, “If I saw him, would I have to see my mother, too?”

“I think she’s in Washington, D.C. He gave the impression they were separated.”

“Can you set it up?”

“Anything you want.”