34. Daddy Wilson

The reception was in full swing and nothing had improved. Just a toast and the father daughter dance, and then my part of the day would be over.

With my drink in hand, I stepped up to the mic and tapped my glass. The crowd quieted. Though the massive floral arrangements made it hard to see many of the guests, there were only two people I was worried about. I turned to the bride and groom, hoping I could at least get this part of the day right.

“I doubt any of you are interested in sitting through a long speech, but since my daughter is the bride and I paid for dinner, you get to listen.”

The room filled with laughter, though the guests quieted again quickly.

“Love is a funny thing, isn’t it? For a long time, I had a lot of ideas about what the man who would one day marry my daughter should be.” I cleared my throat, and then tossed out the thing everyone always knew about me.

“My most important stipulation was that the guy couldn’t be a baseball player. See how well that worked out for me?” I pointed at Chris.

He chuckled, along with the rest of the room.

“But that’s the thing about love: you can’t control it. And when two people find it—find the type of love that makes them better because of the person beside them—they have to hold on to it.” My eyes scanned the room and landed on Wren. Her lips lifted in a small, encouraging smile and my chest warmed. I didn’t mean this to be about us. But as I glanced over her shoulder to her father at the table behind her, I realized it did ring true for us too. “Maybe I wouldn’t have picked Chris for my Avy, but over the last year, I’ve witnessed moment after moment that has shown me just how much he cherishes her. I’ve seen the way he puts her first, how he takes care of her. Respects her and adds to her life. So although he might not be who I would have picked for Avery originally, he is exactly what I always hoped she’d find. And that I can drink to.” I raised my glass. “To Chris and Avery.”

“To Chris and Avery,” the crowd echoed.

I took a sip. Then moved to shake Chris’s hand.

“Thanks.” Avery nibbled on her bottom lip and didn’t quite meet my eye.

“Love you, Avy.” I bent down and her hair brushed my cheek as I gave her a quick kiss.

When I turned to move back to my seat as Emerson moved to the mic, I found Heath’s gaze locked on me. I tipped my chin and walked right past him out the door. If he started yelling at me during Emerson’s speech, my daughter would never forgive me. So if he wanted to finally talk, he’d have to follow me.

It took less than a minute before the door banged open again. “Dammit, Wilson.”

I smirked. Heath actually sounded like himself. But I tempered my expression before I turned to face him.

He glared at me, his brows pulled low. “I should have known you’d find a way to say your piece even when I wouldn’t talk to you.”

I held both palms up as I shrugged. “It wasn’t on purpose. But I promised her I’d fix this. So I am going to move heaven and earth to make you believe I’m good for your daughter. ”

He lowered his head and gave it a shake. “I’ve always believed you were a good man.”

Hope ignited in my chest. I wasn’t sure where he was going with this, but it could be promising.

“I didn’t mean to fall in love with your daughter, but I won’t apologize for it.”

He ground his teeth. “Of all the women in the world.”

“It’s not my fault you raised the best one.”

He tried, but he couldn’t fight the chuckle that escaped him. “She’s a pain in the ass.”

“Absolutely.” Heart hammering—because, shit, was he really coming to terms with this?—I slipped my hands into my pockets, willing myself to remain calm.

He shook his head at me. “And she has expensive taste.”

“I’m well aware.”

Finally, a ghost of a smile moved across his face. “Maybe it’s good that it’s you. Not many people could afford her.”

It seemed to me she’d paid for her lifestyle just fine. But I wouldn’t correct him, not when we were finally getting somewhere.

“If you hurt her, I’ll kill you.”

“I told Chris the same thing.” Now that I was sure where this was heading, my shoulders relaxed.

Behind him, the door creaked open, and Wren slipped out. “My toast sucked compared to yours.”

“I’m sure it was perfect, baby girl.” I held out an arm in silent invitation, and without hesitation, she slipped under it and rested her hand on my hip.

To his credit, Heath didn’t look away. And that felt like our first real win.

“My brain was a mess. I’m not sure the toast even made sense. I was too worried that you two were about to cause another scene.” Looking from me to her dad, she gave my hip a squeeze.

“We’re not.” Heath pursed his lips.

Beside me, Wren sagged in defeat.

“I was just giving Tom my blessing.”

She jolted under my arm, a gasp slipping from her lips. “What? ”

Heath rocked back on his heels. “Hell, everything you said earlier was right.” His eyes drifted shut and he shook his head. “Tom too. I don’t love that you fell for my friend. I’d rather you found a man closer to your age. Someone I wasn’t quite so familiar with.” He opened his eyes and met mine. “But you’re right. I do know Tom. I know he puts his all into the things, and the people, he loves. And you’re lucky to fall into that category.”

The fist around my heart loosened at his words.

As the tension drained from Wren, she stepped away and hugged her father. “Thank you.”

He nodded. “But my warning stands.” He lifted his chin, focus fixed on me. “Hurt her, and I’ll bury you on hole six.”

“Duly noted.”

He roughed a hand over his face. “I never thought either of you would settle down. So maybe this makes more sense than I realized. Maybe you’ll find yourself with a home in our neighborhood again one of these days.” Releasing Wren, he stepped back.

Chuckling, Wren tucked herself back into my left side. “I doubt that, but he did get a new puppy.”

Heath cocked a brow. “You got a dog?”

I shrugged.

“Caffrey is the cutest chocolate lab ever.” She beamed up at me.

“Figures.” He cleared his throat. “Like I said: expensive. You’ll be redoing all those perfect hardwood floors soon.”

Shit. The man wouldn’t speak to me thirty minutes ago, and now he was ribbing me. This shift in the dynamic was more than I could have asked for.

“No way. Caffrey is a good boy.”

I didn’t know about that. The dog was still a pain in the ass, but he made Wren happy, so he was worth it.

Heath held his hand out to me. “We good?”

I kept Wren close as I accepted. “Always.”

The door opened again, and this time, a blond head peeked out. “Dad?” Avery called. “It’s time for our dance.”

This dance was a moment I’d dreaded for months. It was going to be a last dance with my girl. But it didn’t feel like the weight of the world was pressing on me for this moment anymore. It felt like the end of an era with Avery and me, but the start of a new one for both of us. One where we both had a chance at happiness. I loved my daughter, but she wasn’t just my little girl anymore, and I had a life outside of being her father. It was a change for both of us, but I hoped we could move through it together.