Page 90 of Father of the Bride
“I don’t wanna talk right now, Kez.”
“Do you wanna get these kids down that aisle?”
Another beat of silence.
Then, slowly, the door cracked open.
Sunny stood there in a robe, her eyes tired, lashes clumped from crying. A silk scarf was tied loosely around her hair. She looked undone. Soft. Frazzled. Nothing like the composed, graceful woman the world saw every day. She was the girl he’d loved once. And still did.
She stepped back to let him in.
The curtains were closed, keeping the room dim. Mark stood in the one spot of light, the weight of last night resting on his chest.
Sunny crossed her arms. “What do you wanna say?”
He looked at her, his eyes boring into hers, really seeing her. “Baby, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for the way I acted. I got triggered and it brought out a version of me that I thought I left behind.”
“Kez,” she said softly. “I didn’t like seeing him come back.”
“I know. Me either. But I’m not sorry I fought for you. Maybe if I’d done it back then, things would be different.”
She pushed out a breath like she’d been punched in the stomach. “You wanted me to throw away my future and follow you to California,” she said. “There was no fighting to be done. I had my own dreams to chase.”
He nodded. “You broke my heart when you let me go.”
“I had to. I wanted to be a journalist. I had a plan, and it didn’t include living in your shadow.”
“We ain’t gotta relive it, Ci.” He cleared his throat, his pain evident. “It was hard enough the first time.”
She smiled sadly. “I can admit this now, but part of me was frustrated that I had to meet you again as a flight attendant. I was ashamed of that a little bit.”
He shook his head. “I didn’t judge you for that.”
“I judged myself,” she said, her voice cracking. “I gave up being with you to chase a dream I never caught.”
He blew out a breath. “You and me both, baby. No judgment over here.”
She nodded. “I appreciate that. But…what about the baby?”
That weight was heavier, pushing him so hard he had to sit down at the edge of the bed.
“That hurt,” he admitted. “That probably hurt the most.”
“I wasn’t ready.”
“I know. And I don’t judge you for that, either.”
“Good. Because I don’t regret it,” she said softly. “I think…our lives went the way they were supposed to. I think we became who we were meant to be.”
He nodded, the pain dull but still present. “But don’t you ever wonder who we would’ve been if we stayed together?”
“I don’t like to dwell on the past.” She took a few steps, stopping in front of him, looking down. “I live in the now.”
“Fair enough. What are your dreams now?”
She swallowed. “To be loved truly. Deeply. Areallove. And I want to retire. My job is hard on my body. I wanna rest. Also, I wanna see my sons finish school, fall in love, and start families.” She smiled. “I wanna see the world. Not while I’m serving drinks or staring out of a tiny airplane window. I want my feet on the ground in every continent.” She shrugged. “That’s off the top of my head.”
“I can’t control your sons’ lives, but the rest of that? I can give you that. I can love you truly and deeply. Andloyally. Gotta add that part.”
