Daniel smirks, pleased with himself. “Damn right.”

  Frankie’s smells amazing, and my body craves the food after all my stress-induced lack of eating over the past week. So I’m not that embarrassed to be wiping my lips to keep myself from drooling as I sit with Elle and Daniel for lunch.

  “You sure you’re okay with this?” I ask. “My being here.”

  Elle, who’s got a fry in her hand, waves it off. “Yes, it’s fine. I want to try one of those black bean burgers, anyway.”

  Daniel looks surprised. “What happened to my little carnivore?”

  Elle laughs. “Let’s just say the last gut buster was quite literally a gut buster.” She grabs her belly like she’s having phantom cramps at the mere memory. “And honestly? A week of American food has me feeling a little bloated. Why is everything so sweet?”

  I gasp, pretending to be offended. “Daniel, I do believe we’ve got a traitor in our midst!”

  “Most definitely.”

  Elle laughs at our dramatics. “Okay, okay. But you try fish ‘n’ chips or real British food for a few months. You’ll see what I mean. I can’t wait to get home and have a proper tea.” She sighs wistfully. "So, what’s the big ‘we need to have lunch today’ deal?”

  “Well . . . uhm . . .”

  Daniel takes my hand. “What she’s trying to say is . . . I proposed.”

  “Yeah, that,” I echo.

  I expect a lot of responses, but what I don’t expect is Elle pounding the sides of her fists on the top of our table. “Hell yes!” she yells. More like herself, she says, “Congrats!”

  “The wedding is going to be fast,” I warn her. “Like real fast.”

  “How fast?” Elle asks, going back to her fries. For someone talking about heavy American food, she’s scarfing up those fries like she’s a Roomba.

  “Next weekend,” Daniel says, and Elle’s eyes widen. “We want you and Colton and Neve to be there, and we don’t want to wait. So . . . think Neve will agree to be the flower girl or ring bearer?”

  “And I already have my research from helping Harper, and we can pull everything together, no problem,” I add, knowing that Elle’s shock is directed at me and not necessarily her father.

  “Are you sure?”

  “This is what we want,” I assure Elle, and Daniel nods. “We want you there . . . mind being my matron of honor?”

  “No offense, Dad, but you’ve had a wedding before. Tiff hasn’t.” To me, she asks, “Don’t you want the whole shebang?”

  I shake my head. “Actually, no. We do that, and Daniel has loads of business colleagues he’d need to invite just to keep from pissing someone off. It would turn into a social and business event full of judgments and gossiping. We want to just stand there with the people we care about and who care about us and speak our hearts.”

  Elle coos in happy understanding. “That is so sweet. Like sickeningly so, especially for you, girl.” She gives me a teasing look, knowing that flowery words aren’t my norm. “But I get it. Okay, I’m in. What do you need me to do?”

  “Well, first . . . we need you to promise not to freak out.”

  “About what?” Elle asks suspiciously, giving Daniel and me both wary looks. “Now you’re starting to scare me.”

  “There’s more,” Daniel says, putting an arm around my shoulders, and I lean into him. Elle looks from Daniel to me, waiting for the big reveal.

  And then slowly, I press my hand to my stomach.

  It takes her three chews to realize what we mean. “Oh, my God! Are you fucking serious?” she shouts. And then she throws a handful of fries at me. “You slut! You locked him down just like you said you would.”

  Daniel freezes in shock, his whole body going rigid in the space of a breath. But this isn’t this morning, so I place a staying hand on his thigh, telling Elle, “You got that right, bitch. Set you up with Colton to get you out of the country and then made my move.”

  There’s the tiniest moment of anticipation in the air, and then Elle and I both burst out laughing at the same time. We laugh so hard that tears pour from our eyes. “Oh, my God, you should’ve seen your face, Dad!” Elle teases. “You looked like you were going to have a coronary!”

  “We used to joke around about ways to snag you and Colton,” I explain to Daniel, who still looks confused and ready to battle some imaginary foe. “This isn’t what either of us planned, but it seems to have worked out.”

  “For both of us,” Elle agrees.

  Daniel still looks pretty shaken up. “Okay, I can understand that. But can we not do that in front of me ever again? I almost really did have a heart attack, thinking I was going to have defend my daughter and my fiancée . . . from each other.”

  Elle nods and picks up a fry. “Okay. Seriously, Dad, I’m so happy for you two. And a baby, too? Sweet as.”

  “Sweet as what?”

  Elle shrugs. “Don’t know. It’s just something I picked up. It’s a thing, look it up.”

  “And definitely no heart attacks. What would I do on my lonely nights in bed alone then?” I blink innocently, and Elle gags.

  “Nope, don’t need to see that.”

  I look back to my best friend, smiling happily.

  “Oh! Neve is going to have a cousin to play with. Wait . . . cousin? Or sibling? I mean, we’re not actually sisters because that would be extra weird now.” She points from me to Daniel. “But we’ve always said we felt like it, and that’s why Neve calls you Aunt Tiffy. And with that, our kids would be like cousins. But if Dad’s having a kid, then it’s my half-sibling. So sib-sin? Or cous-ling?”

  She’s rambling, her eyes flicking left and right as her brain tries to make sense of it. I’ve missed this and am about to reel her back in when Daniel reaches out and puts a hand on his daughter’s shoulder.

  “Or maybe just family?” Daniel offers.

  Elle blinks, shaken back to reality. “Good plan. And congrats, guys. I really am happy for you both.”

  We wrap up lunch, and in the parking lot Elle shoos Daniel toward his car. “Hey, workaholic, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you need to go back to the office. I’m kidnapping my bestie to go dress shopping today.”

  “Ah, Elle, you know I—”

  “And you shut up,” she tells me with a smirk. “I dare you to go get a wedding dress with me right now.”

  I glance to Daniel, who waves me off. “I’ll explain to Megan and Stephanie. I’m sure they’ll understand . . . if you bring in muffins tomorrow.”

  “He does understand us,” Elle says with a mocking faint voice. We watch Daniel leave, and Elle herds me over toward her rental, making sure I’m inside before climbing behind the wheel. For a moment, it’s like the old days.

  We’re partners in crime again, and the only thing that’s out of place is that we should be behind the wheel of Cammie. But the rental works well, and when we pull up at the same wedding dress place Harper used, we’re both laughing.

  “Now promise me, none of the no eating or passing out stuff again,” Elle says as we go inside.

  “Deal,” I reply, and Elle nods. “So, what should we look at?”

  The staff is surprised to see me again so quickly, but when we reveal the reason, they’re more than happy to assist us. Of course, my tastes are far different from Harper’s, and so it takes us a lot of ‘nevers’ before we reach any ‘maybes’.

  “Oh, I have to see you in this,” Elle says as we look at a dress that looks like someone’s fairy godmother threw up lace and flowers all over it. “It’s so you!”

  “You must be smoking something,” I reply, and Elle raises an eyebrow. “Don’t you even!”

  “Got to,” Elle says. “I dare you.”

  Sighing, I call the attendant over and go to get changed. And somehow . . . it’s magical. I can’t believe it, turning this way and that, amazed.

  Elle smiles. “How much?”

  “Five thousand,” the shop attendant says almost automatically. “Obviously, a rental is much less.”

  I blink, stunned. “Does this thing carry me down the aisle itself?”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Elle says. “We’ll take it. Can you get it rush-fitted?”

  “Wait,” I declare, pulling Elle aside. “Elle, don’t you dare.”

  “Girl, I’ve got piss off amounts of money now. And I want to do this for my best friend. My sister.”

  “You mean your semi-evil stepmother?” I tease, and Elle rolls her eyes. I swallow back the tears and nod. “Thank you.”

  We hug, and when Elle steps back she’s on the verge of tears too. “You’d just better give me a cute sibling, bitch. Or else I’m sticking it back in your oven until it’s right!”

  “Hey, blame the baker who put his cream in my egg,” I quip, looking her up and down. “His past results aren’t all that impressive.”

  “Ooh, bitch . . . just for that, you’re getting a geriatric stripper for the reception.”

  “Oh, God, the reception,” I breathe, stunned. “We’ve gotta get stuff popping!”

  Thankfully, Elle’s work and management skills have improved as much as mine have, and the rest of the afternoon is a flurry of phone calls and visits. We work with machine-like efficiency, booking flowers, a cake, and a decorator to come to Daniel’s apartment and set everything up for the ceremony and reception.

  “And with the cleaners coming in on Friday . . . I think that’s everything,” I tell her, glancing down at the list on my phone. “What do you say?”

  “I say if we ever want to go into business for ourselves, we’d slay the wedding planner industry,” Elle says. “Wedding in a day, who’d have thought that was possible?”

  “That’s because I’m not Bridezilla,” I joke, and Elle laughs. “But you’re right. I’ve missed this, the two of us making miracles happen on the regular and not even blinking about it. Oh, this whole party? Just threw it together in a pinch.” I add in a pretty decent attempt at a British accent for Elle’s benefit, and she grins. “Although I will admit, helping Harper with her wedding sort of made this an easy play.”

  “True.”

  Suddenly, I realize I missed something. “Fuck! I need to find an officiant. We didn’t need to worry about that with Ace and Harper, came with the hall!”

  Elle shakes her head. “Hell no, I’m marrying you two!”

  I look at her in shock. “What?”

  “Please?” she asks, almost begging. “I want to do it. I’ll do one of those online deals. My bestie and my dad? You know no one will do it justice like me.”

  “Should I be worried?” I ask.

  Elle gives me a smirk and a wink. “Nah, it’ll be great. I’ve been working on my Klingon.”

  “That sounds terrifying, but okay. Do I need to dare you to make it amazing?”

  Elle smirks, and I wonder if daring her would do me any good. I think she’s going to do whatever she wants to do.

  Because she’s my bestie, and I love her for it.

  Chapter 32

  Daniel

  It’s amazing what forty or so hours can do to a place. When Tiffany and I left for work on Thursday morning, I had my Friday clothes in a suit bag since we’d be spending Thursday and Friday night at her place while the crew worked to transform my apartment into an intimate wedding location. A crew led by none other than my daughter.

  Since Tiffany and I had to work and Elle could work remotely, she claimed my apartment with a list of wants from Tiffany. A color-coded, prioritized list, of course.

  I wasn’t sure what they had planned, but I put my faith in Elle. I offered to help with anything I could, garnering a laugh before Elle politely told me that she loved me but I could fuck off on this one. Usually, like most parents, I don’t like being cursed at by my child, but in this case, I just laughed and fucked right off.

  And she worked magic.

  My apartment, which has always been sleek and modern and sometimes a bit sterile, has been transformed into a warm and inviting area. Elle had a few pieces of furniture moved out, added some softer lighting and candles, and set up a ceremony space in front of the large windows. The end effect feels so very different.

  It feels like a home I could have a family in.

  And my family is here. Billy looks like a linebacker in his tuxedo, his huge shoulders stretching the material. Next to him, Ricky and Miranda are sitting side by side, fingers entwined. He’s looking at Miranda as she looks at the altar. I think they’re both on the same page now, or at least close to it. I can’t wait for him to have his day waiting for his bride.

  Of course, Colton is here, sitting along with Ace and Harper. Tiffany’s parents are here as well.

  Renee is already holding back tears. I don’t think she’s stopped happily crying since we told her about the wedding and the baby. Tiffany is close to her parents already, but there’s nothing like marriage and grandbabies to bring people even closer together.

  I know there were more people we would have wanted to invite, Megan and Stephanie and Vanessa for sure. But we both decided that we’d keep it to blood family and their significant others for the most part.

  “You ready, Dad?” Elle, who did go out and get herself an online minister’s license, asks me. She’s gone all out on the outfit too, wearing a black pantsuit with black shirt, but the shirt has a white collar.

  “I am, honey,” I tell her, taking a deep breath. “How do I look?”

  “Old and decrepit,” Elle teases, brushing a speck of nonexistent dust off my shoulder. “Still don’t know what Tiffany sees in you, but you make her happy. That’s all that counts.”

  “I always know who to turn to for a pep talk, don’t I?”

  Elle gives me a kiss on the cheek. “You are an amazing man, Dad, and you know it. Now hush on any self-deprecating doubt before I pep talk you into becoming a crying mess.”

  I smile, knowing she could easily do that today, and step into ‘place’. Elle taps a button on the remote in her hand, and music starts up.

  Neve comes out first, overjoyed to be the flower girl and, in her opinion, the star of the show. She comes from one of the bedrooms with her basket of flower petals, showering them everywhere in fistfuls that fly over her head to land randomly, sometimes in the aisle that was created between the few chairs and sometimes not. She might be cuter than Kevin the flower dog, but I won’t tell Ace that.

  Nor will I say a word to Elle about Neve ditching the aisle to freestyle it, doing a full loop of the living room before jumping off the couch and throwing a handful of petals in the air.

  Normally, I wouldn’t allow that, but today, anything goes. Besides, her performance is appreciated, with both Billy and Harper breaking into applause when she finishes, bows, and goes to sit with her father.

  “That’s your daughter,” I murmur out the side of my mouth, and Elle snorts. The music changes, and all other thoughts disappear as Tiffany appears from the hallway, and then she’s all I can see, all I can think about.

  She’s glorious in her wedding dress. I’m sure she can tell you all the details about it, but all I see are a white dream and Tiffany’s beaming face.

  She’s on her father’s arm. He smiles nervously, and I suspect it’s because he’s realizing how real this marriage is. He seems accepting of me and Tiffany, doing the usual ‘dad talk’ with me earlier, but it was more a formality.

  “You gonna take care of my girl?”

  “Yes.”

  “All right then, don’t fuck it up and don’t hurt her. She gets her crazy streak from me.”

  That last part was said with a completely straight face, though I suspect he’s wrong. That streak is pure Renee.

  Her dad walks her toward me, but before he releases her hand, he leans over to ask, “You sure about this one?”

  He flashes a kind smile my way, and I get it. If Elle had looked the least bit uncertain when she married Colton, I would’ve swept her out of there so fast her head would’ve spun. But Tiffany smiles and gives her father a kiss on the cheek. “Yeah, Dad. I’m sure.”

  Her father shakes his head, laughing softly. “I was asking him, not you.”

  “Surer than I’ve ever been in my life,” I say solemnly, looking at Tiffany in awe.

  “Well, vaya con Dios,” her father says. “She’s your problem now.”

  We all get a little laugh from his joke, even if he is near tears as he releases his daughter’s hand and sits down next to Renee. She hands him a tissue, which he grabs from her with a huff.

  “Well then,” Elle says, clearing her throat and stopping the music, “friends and family, we’re gathered here today to witness the marriage of Daniel Bernard Stryker and Tiffany Laura Young. Now, before we get down to business, does anyone here object to these two getting married? If so, speak now so Billy can throw you off the balcony. No? Good.”

  Only my daughter could come up with a wedding ceremony like this one.

  “Many people end up in front of a minister in the same way. They meet, date, fall in love, and bam-o, blam-o, marriage is the next step,” Elle says, starting her comments, “but it isn’t always like that. I’ve known both of these people for most of my life, and as I’ve looked back over the past week or so, I realize that every step they’ve taken has brought them closer and closer to this point. Today is only an affirmation of what I know, we all know, but most importantly, they know, deep in their hearts. Their love binds them, deep and strong, something we are thankful to be able to witness. So . . . the rings. Colton, I believe that was your job?”

  “My job?” Colton squawks. “My job was getting Neve here. The rings were Ricky’s job!”

  “Nuh-uh. It was Billy’s job!”

  “I thought Kevin was the ringbearer.”

  “Kevin does flowers, not rings!”

  “Well, if we don’t have rings, what are we going to do?”

  “This . . . had better be part of the script,” I grumble, “or you’re about to get married with a napkin ring around your finger.”