I kiss her on the cheek. "Let's go, then."
And I take my mother's hand, leading her towards a happy new future. Now if only life had one in store for me as well… We'll just have to wait and see.
The ceremony is over quickly, and I'm thankful to my mother for skipping the Church rites this time around. She thinks it inappropriate; I believe love doesn't need God's blessing. Either way, she looks happy for the first time since Tony passed.
Bert turns out to be a nice man with a cheerful smile and a hilarious snorting laugh. Apparently, he's loaded, too, but to be honest, I don't give a shit about any of that. The way he and Mom look at each other makes me think she might be happy again with him.
I didn’t get to talk to Cassidy, but when I walked my mother down the aisle; my eyes were glued to her in her pretty lilac bridesmaid’s dress. It clashed spectacularly with her hair, but that made my heart swell with feelings I never knew I had. She glanced at me a few times, but her eyes were on the star of the day – my mom.
After the ceremony, we all sit down for lunch and to my annoyance, Cassidy and I are on opposite sides of the main table with my mother. I eat my food and smile politely, but my heart is beating insanely fast, getting ready for my big plan.
It's time for speeches.
Cassidy is one of the first ones to speak. She rises, tucking her beautiful hair behind her ear and grinning at the crowd. "Hello," she says, her voice sweet. "Things are about to get pretty weird. Are you ready?"
A murmur goes through the crowd and I look at her with interest. "My name is Cassidy Lynn," she goes on, smirking at someone who gasps next to her. "That's right, I'm Valerie's second husband's daughter. Inappropriate? Maybe."
The murmurs continue but I just stare at her, waiting for her to go on. She looks so strong, confident – beautiful. Fuck me, I'm whipped.
"Valerie loved my dad very much. But what none of us expected was that she would love me," Cassidy continues, her eyes finding my mother as they smile at one another. "I was a sullen teenager, angry and angsty. And despite all that, Valerie was like a mother to me. She stayed when my dad got sick. She took care of me when my own mother preferred to stay away. I can say I have two mothers, and I'm so glad Valerie is one of them."
Now, the crowd is sighing as she goes on, already moved by her speech.
"I have no doubt my dad and Valerie would have lived happily ever after. But the thing is, we write our own fairytales. And I believe Valerie's started writing the best one yet." Cassidy raises a glass in the air, toasting my mother who returns the motion with tears in her eyes.
"To Valerie and Bert," she says, and a wicked grin comes over her face. "Make the wedding night one to remember." She winks and Bert nearly chokes on his champagne which makes me laugh as quietly as possible.
I have a quick second to wonder what the hell is going on. Cassidy is a completely different person today – much more like the girl I met that first summer.
And I want her more than ever.
My eyes are glued to her as the speeches go on, and then, the microphone makes its way to me. I'm not big on public speaking, but I'll make an exception tonight. I get up, clearing my throat and smiling at my mother.
"I've always been shit with words," I begin and the crowd murmurs again at my profanity. I don't care, though, because my mother's eyes are shining with pride, and that's all that matters. "And Cassidy put everything pretty perfectly. So, instead of feeding you some crap, I think we should hear from someone else. Someone who was an inspiration, a father and a friend. And today, he would rejoice to see us smiling. So," I raise my glass, "Let's smile."
Everyone follows obediently and glasses clink as I turn on the projector. The screen twitches and everyone looks at it in confusion as a figure appears on it.
The man in the clip looks terrible. Sallow, thin, bald. Sick.
But he is smiling.
"Hello, Valerie," he says with a tired voice as the crowd looks around in confusion. I check to see my mother's and Cassidy's eyes glued to the screen, just like I needed them to be. Then, I lean back in my chair and wait for the clip to finish.
Tony clears his throat painfully. "I'm sorry, I'm a little bit under the weather," he jokes. "I wanted to come here and haunt you from the past…" He cackles and it pleases me when I hear my mother join in.