Page 42 of Beckon
“Well, if that’s all?” Chandler indicated that Harold needed to head to the gazebo and he needed to go get Tami. Now that he was best man, he’d get to walk her down the aisle before her mother. That idea gave him other thoughts, which led down a path he couldn’t wrap his head around at present.
An unexpected thought hit him in the chest.
Would she be imagining the last time she walked down an aisle? His gut churned.
A mission.
Chandler would make sure that was not where her head was at.
“That’s not all, son.” A lump formed in his throat at the term of endearment. “Not that you asked me for my two cents, but I’ll give it to you anyway. Remember… aging. Do it sooner rather than later. That girl spends way too much time in her head. And that can be a dangerous place to be with unanswered questions and thoughts that run away from you.”
Harold's mouth spoke about Tami, but it felt like he was talking to Chandler about Chandler. He nodded before turning toward the room where the bride and her daughter awaited.
Grace nodded as he approached and went back to her usher duties, and he was left waiting on the women with Chester. He noticed Chester bouncing from foot to foot anxiously.
“You got a big job today, Chester, but I know you’ll do great.”
Chester reached up and put his hand in Chandler’s. “Are you going to marry mommy like Gumpy is Grandma?”
All the breath whooshed from Chandler’s body. How could he even answer? The kid took everything literally. If he said no, then that was the forevermore answer. If he said yes, well, that wouldn’t go over well at Constance and Harold’s wedding. Chandler felt cornered.
The door opened and he caught his first glimpse of Tami in her silky lavender dress. He was gobsmacked. The way the slinky fabric flowed with every tiny movement she made. She wasn’t paying attention to them waiting at the door, she was circling her mother to make sure everything was perfect.
He leaned down to whisper in Chester’s ear. “When I do, you’ll be the first to know because I’ll need your permission, but when that time comes, mum’s the word, right?”
It was the best he could do without giving him an outright answer. Chester beamed up at him, locked his lips and threw away the key. Then Chandler stood and watched the ladies emerge from the room.
“Wow, Mom, you look like a princess.”
Tami blushed. Knowing her obsession with the royal family, that was probably the best thing her son could’ve said to his mom. Nothing Chandler said would even come close to that compliment. Chester was already light years ahead of both Harold and him. That thought amused him.
Constance raised an eyebrow at her grandson. “Hello, what am I? Chopped liver?”
Chandler turned to Chester and winked. “I got this, buddy.”
“Constance.” Chandler took her free hand and kissed it. “You are an absolute vision and Harold is one lucky man. I have to say, if I didn’t like him so much, I might just swoop in on his lady.”
“Stop it,” Constance scolded, but she and Tami both blushed.
One mission accomplished.
They walked to the edge of the lawn, just out of sight of the gazebo.
Tami got Chester into place beside her mother and cooed over how handsome he was. Chandler pulled his phone from his pocket and rapid fire took pictures.
Tami kissed her mother’s cheek and told her how much she loved her before turning to Chandler. He dropped the phone back into his pocket and flexed his arm. “My lady.”
While they waited to start their walk, Tami took deep breaths. “Thank you.” She barely whispered the words.
“For what?”
“For what you said to my mom, for obviously making Chester happy. For making me happy.” She turned her eyes up to him. With the tears shimmering there for her mother and the atmosphere and everything else, his well-thought-out plan was thrown out the window.
They looked ahead and started their walk. They’d barely made it three steps when he looked over at her and just blurted out.
“I love you.”
He quickly looked back ahead for fear he would stumble. Tami missed a step when he felt her turn her head toward him at the same time Constance gasped from behind them.
