Dad’s eyes filled with tears. “I know. And not being there… that’s gonna haunt me however long I got left. But baby girl, I couldn’t let you see me like this on your wedding day. I couldn’t let you walk down that aisle looking at your dying father instead of your future husband.”
“How long?” I asked, though I didn’t want to know.
I laid my head on his chest, listening to his heart beat. The same heartbeat I’d fallen asleep to as a little girl when nightmares woke me up. The same heartbeat I’d heard pressed against his back on a thousand motorcycle rides.
“I can’t lose you,” I sobbed.
“You’re not losing me. You’re keeping every moment we ever had. Every ride, every laugh, every lesson. That doesn’t go away when I do.”
Danny appeared in the doorway, still in his wedding suit. He looked at Dad, then at me, then back at Dad.
“Sir, I know this isn’t the time, but I need to ask you something.”
Dad managed a weak smile. “You already married her, son. Little late for my permission.”
“Not that. I need to know… would it be okay if we did the first dance here? With you?”
I looked up at Danny, then at Dad. Dad was crying again.
“Nothing about this is wasted,” Danny said. “You’re Olivia’s father. You’re the reason she’s the woman I fell in love with. If we can’t have you at the wedding, we’re bringing the wedding to you.”
What happened next, I’ll remember forever. Uncle Bear made calls. Within an hour, our entire wedding had relocated to the hospital. The Iron Guardians MC created a perimeter around the hospital entrance, making sure we had complete privacy. Someone brought the cake. Someone else brought speakers.
The nurses broke every rule in the book and let fifty people crowd into Dad’s room and the hallway outside.
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