Page 85 of Never Stop

As he walked me toward the living room that morning, I laughed and told him I was. I lived in Boston after all, and we had recently won the World Series. I’d always loved the game. I played softball growing up, and it was in my blood. I felt that in Jimmy’s eyes, I was like his daughter because I could hang with them and throw back a few beers while we cheered on the Red Soxandthe Angels.

When the two teams played each other, it was a different story. I was ganged up on; three to one because Avery and Nicole would come over and Avery was an Angels fan. Nicole couldn’t care less about baseball and Jane and Cheyenne could too. Cheyenne would eventually get there. Softball and baseball were in her blood as well, and it was only a matter of time.

So when I was planning our wedding, I made a decision…

Jane and Easton’s song came to an end, and the DJ spoke, “All right, ladies and gentlemen. We have something special. Can the father of the groom make his way to the dance floor?”

Easton cut his eyes to me from across the dance floor as he walked his mom to the side. He had no idea I was doing this. He started to walk toward me, but I shook my head as I turned my attention back to the dance floor. Jimmy was walking to the center, a look of bewilderment on his face.

“Brooke has requested a father/daughter dance with the groom’s father,” the DJ announced.

All eyes turned to me, and I smiled as I began to walk toward Jimmy. Jimmy’s eyes warmed as he started to walk to me as well. Once we were in reaching distance, he pulled me in for a tight hug. Whispering in my ear, he said, “Thank you.”

I pulled back. “It’s me that should be thanking you. You’ve shown me the love of a father.”

His eyes glassed over. “And I finally have a daughter.”

I didn’t correct him about Dana. Maybe he never saw her as a daughter, but I’d never know because I would never bring it up. What was in the past was in the past, and the Crawford’s were my present and future.

I’d had a hard time finding a song to dance to with Jimmy. Most of the songs were for fathers and daughters, but I wanted something different because our situation was different.

A piano started to play a riff, drums beating slowly. We started moving to the beat, my hand on his chest, my other cupping his shoulder. “Is this… Willie Nelson?” Jimmy asked.

I smiled. “It is.”

“You chose a Willie song?”

I chuckled. “Well, not entirely.”

The women started to sing. “Who is this? It’s lovely.”

“Norah Jones. The song’s calledDreams Come True.” When I heard the song, I knew it was perfect. Both of our dreams had come true.

He smiled as we continued to sway. “It’s my new favorite song. Thank you.”

Watching Cheyenne and Easton dance to the songCinderellaby Steven Curtis Chapman warmed my heart. I wasn’t sure if Cheyenne knew the importance behind the words, but it was a reflection of how Easton felt about his Peanut. She was getting older every day, and the day she left for college, would tear Easton up. It was like he was waiting for the clock to strike midnight and she’d be gone living her life and kissing boys. I feared for the first boy who came to pick her up for a date.

“Are you going to talk to me?”

I looked over to see my mother standing next to me, her gaze on Easton and Cheyenne. “This is my wedding,” I stated. I was doing the wedding thing and mingling with my guests—the ones who RSVP’d.

“I know, and I’m extremely happy for you.”

“Are you?” I hissed under my breath, not wanting to cause a scene.

She turned toward me. “I am. I truly am.”

I stared at her for a long moment. “What’s your motive?”

She blinked and with a huff she stated, “Oh come on, Brookie. I don’t need a motive to come to my daughter’s wedding.”

I crossed my arms. “You didn’t tell anyone you were coming. Especially me.”

“I wanted to surprise you.”

I laughed sarcastically. “So you decided to crash my wedding?”

She looked over my shoulder, and I turned. She was looking at who I presumed was Stanley. I still hadn’t met him. He had peppered hair, and just by looking at him, I could tell he had money.