Sasha knocked on the door of her mother’s suite. She was sure Stephanie would not want to be a part of her surprise, but she thought it would be polite to give her the option. When there was no answer, she knocked again then waited. Still nothing.
“Oh well,” Sasha shrugged then started walking away from the door. She slowed her pace as she realized she really hadn’t seen her mother since that second day on the ship at Taylor’s concert. Thinking back, Sasha realized, her mother was not at the Miriam Davies concert either. But, that really wasn’t her kind of music. They had booked Miriam for Joe and Sally, who looked like they really enjoyed themselves. An uneasy feeling came over her. What could Stephanie be up to? Sasha thought, but she didn’t have time to linger. It was time to surprise a man she had come to love.
She was doing all she could to keep her nervousness from showing. She had never done anything like this before in her life. She exhaled releasing a nervous breath when she knocked on the door of her father’s cabin.
“Hey Sasha,” Ryan opened the door. “Come on in. Are you excited about tomorrow?”
“A little nervous,” Sasha replied as she stepped inside the cabin.
Al was sitting on the balcony, with his feet up and a drink in his hand. She smiled inside when he stood to turn towards her. He was dressed in a white linen shirt and pants, with flip-flops on his feet. Then she turned to take a better look at Ryan. She was dressed in a beautiful aqua sundress with white sandal heels that strapped up her legs.
“I’m sorry. Are you on your way out?”
“We were planning on meeting Tucker and Genesis for an early dinner,” Al replied. “What’s wrong?”
Sasha looked from Ryan to Al. “I was wondering if I could steal Al away for a little bit to talk. I promise not to keep you long. I just …” she hesitated. “I really need to talk to you.”
Ryan picked up her purse. “No problem. Al, talk to Sasha then meet us at the restaurant.” She hugged Sasha. “Things are going to be fine.”
“What’s going on?” A concerned Al faced her.
Sasha sighed as she sat on the sofa across from the bed. “I’m about to marry into this huge family of amazing people, and I don’t know what I’m bringing to the table. There isn’t a person in the Lassiter family, even the in-laws, who are slouchers. They all work in incredible fields. They all seem to excel at …” she shrugged, “everything.” She looked up at Al. “How do I fit in, Al? How do I measure up to the other wives?”
Al took her hand in his. “You don’t have to measure up with anyone. Luke did not fall in love with his brothers’ wives. He fell in love with you. As for the amazing Lassiters, you are right. Every one of them is highly intelligent. They excel at all levels. However, you need to take a look at the Days. Your grandmother was a celebrated mathematician in her day, as was your grandfather. Your Aunt Tracy is a wizard with numbers. Every one of her children have IQ levels that hit the ceiling. Her youngest, William, has special skills that have been deemed classified by the United States government. And while we are on this topic, your relatives outrank all of the Lassiters. In fact, the Lassiters answer to your uncle.” He chuckled. “To add insult to injury, none of them, not one Lassiter, can hold a fire to me. So you see, your pedigree is just potent as Luke’s. I could not have selected a better man for you. As for Luke, I admire his taste in women more and more each day. Tomorrow you are going to walk down the aisle to a man who treasures you as much as I do. A father cannot ask for more than that.”
Sasha wiped a tear that escaped while her father was talking. The emotions were unexpected, but ones that she would treasure for the rest of her life. She stood. “May I have the honor of escorting you to your wife, who I have determined to be a very lucky woman?”
Al stood, taking her extended arm, then eased his hand down to entwine with hers. “The honor is mine,” he said as he opened the door.
“I am so sorry I did not take you up on the offer to get to know you when I was sixteen.” Sasha said as they walked towards the elevator. “I have a feeling you would have been an amazing father. I probably would not have most of the hang-ups I have about people, and I would have grown up with family. Real people who love me simply because I’m me.”
The elevator opened and they stepped inside. “Consider this,” Al began. “If you had been with us, you would have missed out on the adventure of Monique.”
Sasha laughed. “That … was an out-of-this-world adventure from the moment we met.”
“So I heard.” Al laughed. “High-speed car chase and all.”
“Did I tell you she made me walk into a helicopter?”
“Must have been Joshua’s in stealth mode.”
“It was,” Sasha nodded as the elevator stopped. “She deliberately let me walk into a metal object that she knew was there. I damn near broke my nose.”
Al laughed louder. “It’s what little sisters do to big sisters.”
“It is,” Sasha smiled at him as they stopped at the entrance to the restaurant. “And this is how big sisters pay little sisters back.” She opened the door, then walked inside with Al behind her.
The restaurant had been transformed to look like an elegant wedding venue. There were white wedding drapes over the ceiling, with beautiful gold lights entwined and a golden chandelier hanging in the center. The walls were draped in eighteen-foot-long wedding drapes, tied in gold bows three quarters of the way down, hanging with a flare to the floor. The tables had white tablecloths, gold charger with red napkins, white chair covers with red chair sashes, gold glitter table runners with five-foot gold candelabras filled with red and white roses. There was a long white runner on the floor with gold engraved initials, that led to a beautiful swan-like strand of lights on two sides, held together with a band of red and white roses forming an arc at the top.
“What the …?” He looked at Sasha. “Did you and Luke decide to get married early?”
“No, not me,” Sasha took a step back.
“Hey, Dad.”
Al looked to his left to see Monique standing there. His hands went to his chest. “Moni …” he called her by the name he used for her as a child. “Baby girl.”
“You can’t call me that anymore.” Monique smiled.
“Look at you,” he beamed.
Monique wore a one-shoulder half-sleeve floor-length mermaid gown. It had elegant gold appliques across the shoulder and along the half sleeve. Her hair was flat-ironed out, hanging across one shoulder, a single strand of pearls donned her neck, with matching pearl drop earrings.
“You look like a goddess,” Al smiled.
“I’m one of two goddesses you created.”
Al smiled, then nodded. Sasha looked on, thinking he had no words left. She smiled at Monique.
“You said you wanted to walk both of your daughters down the aisle.” Sasha smiled as she handed Monique a bouquet of white roses, then picked up two red and white bouquets for her and Kaylan. “The captain is ready whenever you are.”
The look on her father’s face was priceless. Sasha looked towards the front of the room where the Captain, Grayson and his brother Royce stood. She nodded her head. “We’re ready.”
Al smiled. “Now, you know I checked the marriage license the minute you came home and told me you were married. I just wanted a chance to give you away to a good man.”
“Grayson is good, Daddy. And he loves me very much.”
“I know. That’s all I ever wanted for both of you.”
Silk Davies, who was sitting at the baby grand piano, began playing the first notes of “At Last,” and Taylor began singing. Kaylan began walking down the aisle dressed in a gold body-fitting, spaghetti strap sundress with gold three-inch-heel sandals. Sasha followed her in a gold one-shoulder glove-fitting sundress with the same gold sandals. As she began walking down the aisle, she realized she was doing the one thing she never thought she would. Being the maid of honor in her sister’s wedding. A tear flowed down her cheek as she smiled at Luke, who was sitting in the audience with his family. She looked at the other side of the aisle at JD and Tracy. They were still holding hands, showing her how love grows over the years. Lena and John were watching them, the example of love the second time around that worked. Then there was Joe and Sally. The perfect example of love that multiplied. Theirs multiplied by twelve. All the examples of love flowing around wrapped around her like a security blanket. She was ready. Ready to marry the man of her dreams.
In the audience on one side of the room, sitting at the tables, were Ben and Valarie, who were smiling from cheek to cheek. Tucker and Genesis were looking like they were going to be doing this soon. On the other side was Pearl and her husband Theo, Samuel who held his hand out as his wife Cynthia, took the seat next to him. Joshua and Roc, with Grayson’s mother Melody and Shelly Davenport, Adam and Amber, with their hands on her stomach, and Phire and LT smiling, ready to take their own walk. Grant and Opal were sitting with Timothy and Denise, Diamond and Zack, Ruby and Devin. Jade and Blake, Leah and Matt were sitting at the table with Luke, who had invited Randall to join them. Sasha heard Randall ask Luke about Kaylan and thought about the conversation they had had with Tracy.
The captain asked, “Who gives this bride away?”
Al proudly said, “I do,” then took his seat next to Ryan. Sasha smiled as he took his wife’s hand, then kissed it.
She looked over at Luke and smiled when he mouthed, “Two more days.”