Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 100750 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100750 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
They followed Luther into the home, which indeed smelled like cayenne and chili peppers. His chili was famous and often requested at family gatherings. Reid thought it was because relatives wanted to make her dad feel included but had found out a few years ago it was because he had a secret ingredient. One he refused to divulge.
“Dad, this bouquet is beautiful.” Reid spun the vase and marveled at the blue dahlias and cream-colored roses. “Where did you get it?”
“Uh, the front yard,” he said sheepishly. “I didn’t do anything special. Just snipped, added water, and stuck them in there.”
“Pops, it’s gorgeous. Don’t let the bridal magazines catch on that a big ole softy like yourself is actually a floral designer.”
Melanie and Reid giggled as Luther cringed.
He ladled out three bowlfuls of chili and set them on the table before going back for shredded cheese and sour cream. When the girls were younger, Luther used to grate the cheese himself until already-chopped everything began to appear in stores. Now, cooking was easy. Precut everything from onions to carrots, celery, and ginger had been a game changer for most families. They sat down, fixed their bowls the way they preferred, and dug in.
“So good, Pops,” Melanie said. “I need the recipe.”
Luther only shook his head. Reid figured he’d need to give it up eventually. Until then, she and Mel would have to be patient.
“What’s the wedding talk we need to have?” Luther asked in between bites. Reid looked at her dad and saw him scrunch his nose. She couldn’t tell if there was something wrong with his lunch, which she doubted, or if he thought there was something wrong with her wedding plans.
“We went dress shopping today,” Reid told him. Luther’s spoon paused midair before he set it down.
“What store? I’ll write you a check before you leave.”
“No store. At least not yet,” she told him as she placed her hand on top of his. “The thing is, every dress I look at, I don’t like. Not even enough to try on.”
“I saw on Extra that women are getting married in pantsuits these days,” he told her. Melanie choked on her chili and began coughing.
“Sorry,” she wheezed out. “You caught me off guard, Pops.”
“Daddy, I’d like to get married in Mom’s dress.”
The words soaked in, and Luther’s eyes went from quizzical to happy as a smile spread across his face. “Are you sure?”
Tears clouded Reid’s vision. “Yes, I am. When I think about wearing her dress, it brings me such joy. It’s what I want.”
Luther nodded, wiped his mouth on his napkin, and pushed his chair back. He left the dining room and returned minutes later with a large white box. He presented it to Reid. The clear plastic cover gave her a glimpse of her mother’s dress. It would need to be cleaned, possibly hemmed, but it was in mint condition. It was the one thing Luther had never let Reid play with when she was younger.
“It’s perfect.”
Melanie came over to look at the dress. “You’re going to be stunning in this dress, Reid. This is the right dress for you.”
As Reid stared into the box, she imagined herself walking down the cherry blossom–covered aisle, carrying a bouquet of dahlias and roses from her mother’s garden. She looked at her dad. “I have one more favor to ask.”
“Anything,” he said, visibly holding back his emotions.
“My bouquet,” she started. “I know I already ordered it from the florist, but I’d like the flowers to come from Mom’s garden. Her dahlias are always so pretty, and I’d like them in my bouquet. The roses, the florist can get from wherever, but I want a majority of my flowers to come from the garden.”
“Honey, I think that’s a great idea, but it’s going to depend on a number of things,” he told her. “We would need an early spring in order for them to be ready by your wedding date.”
Reid’s excitement plunged. By this time next year, she and Grayson would be married. So much of their ceremony depended on spring.
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Pops, what if you propagate and start them in the bedroom—turn it into a makeshift greenhouse or something?” Melanie asked with a shrug.
“That’s a possibility. I’ll ask one of the gals at work and see if they’ve done something like that before.”
“Would one of these ladies be a date to the wedding?” Reid waggled her eyebrows at her dad, who turned a deep crimson.
“Eat your lunch, Reid.” Luther picked up his spoon and shoveled a heap of chili into his mouth, avoiding all eye contact with the girls as they oohed him. Reid intended to send her father an invitation to the wedding, even though he was paying for everything, and would make sure it included a plus-one. All she wanted was for her father to be happy.