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Chapter 3.

Scott came over to where I stood with Gretchen and together we watched Alex and Elizabeth walk down the aisle next.

"Has Beth heard from her parents?" Scott asked. I knew he wasn't talking to me.

She'd remained in the states when her parents finally returned to England. Her father's two years as a visiting professor at Princeton was extended several times, but after fifteen years they'd recently returned to London.

"They miss her and Gareth of course, but they understand why he wants to finish school here, and why she'd want to stay with Nelson," Gretchen replied.

There'd been some drama a few years before, but Nelson's parents had finally agreed to let him date Beth when they were seniors in high school. Hanxie and Mei realized that it was more important for their son to be happy than to marry a Chinese girl he didn't love. And NingFang, the girl they'd originally had in mind for him, was determined to be the next Pavlova or Tallchief. She'd gotten into the Joffrey Ballet School in New York during her sophomore year at Rutgers, and had never looked back.

Alex glanced at Beth as they neared the gazebo.

"Won't it be funny if she's his English teacher?" Gretchen asked rhetorically. It was something my son had wondered himself. I'm not sure he thought it would be a good thing or a bad thing to have one of his sister's friends as a teacher.

"Isn't it a strong possibility?" Scott asked. "She's one of the three who teach freshman English at Mercer."

They'd reached the coordinator and now it was Justin's turn. But his eyes weren't on the coordinator. Instead, they were locked with Audra's. Unlike Tony, who'd avoided joining his father's business, Justin was happy to become a junior executive on the management team at Appleton Industries. His visionary ideas had already contributed to the continued success of the business by keeping it going in a progressive direction. Still, I never could understand anyone who wanted to work in a boring office.

I was surprised that Emily hadn't come over. Instead, she stood alone, waiting to begin her walk. The coordinator finally called to her to start. She looked at Gretchen and smiled, then took her first steps. Her eyes found Tommy's and the smile broadened. Some day it would be their turn, but right now I thought they were just happy for Gretchen and Scott.

"When Em and I were little we used to talk about having a double wedding when we grew up, but we never imagined we'd be related some day," Gretchen mused.

"You don't think she's upset that we're getting married first, do you?" Scott asked, concerned for his step-sister.

"No! Do you? I mean, she and Tommy are thrilled for us," Gretchen replied. But the coordinator was calling Scott and he had to go without answering.

Gretchen watched him walk down the aisle, a dreamy look on her face. I recognized that look. It was similar to one her mother sometimes got when she looked at me.

When Scott had joined the others, my daughter turned to me. "Ready?"

"Now?"

"For now. For tomorrow. To give me in marriage to Scott."

I faked a shrug. "You don't belong to me, therefore I can't give you away. You belong to yourself, and you decided to marry him," I told her.

"But you're all right with that, aren't you? I mean, you like Scott."

She really sounded like she wanted my approval of her choice. "Would it matter?"

"Of course it matters! I know Mom really likes him. I think you do too, but..."

"But you need me to say it."

"Yes."

I hesitated, then said. "Yes, Gretchen. I like Scott Billings, and I think you made a great choice. But I never doubted you. You're..." I had to swallow. "...you're an amazing woman, Gretchen Rose House."

I was finally beginning to believe that this was happening. We had all known that it was coming one day, but now that day had come. Or would the next day.

Chapter 4.

After the rehearsal, Gretchen and I walked the short distance to the nearest enclosed shelter for dinner with the rest of the wedding party and our family and Scott's. It would also be used during the wedding reception for anyone who had an aversion to fresh air.

I let the conversation ebb and flow around me while I ate fried chicken and ribs along with potatoes, green beans and dinner rolls. They were saving the more elegant fare, prime rib, Cornish game hens and salmon, for the wedding reception, but I was perfectly content with whatever they put in front of me.

At one point, Arthur Billings voiced something that I'd been wondering about myself, especially since Gretchen and Scott had made most of the nuptial plans themselves. "I'm surprised that this wedding isn't being held at Games and Grub." Several people laughed.

"Don't think we didn't consider it!" his son replied, and the laughter increased.

"We just liked the idea of getting married outdoors," Gretchen explained, smiling at him. "And this place is soooo beautiful.

That was a cue for the females at the table to begin talking about Gretchen and Scott's new apartment. Alex and his cousins retaliated by describing Joey's new toy. I just kept on eating but I was also reflecting on how I'd come to be here with all of these people.

The next morning when I woke, Allison was still lying next to me. I reached over to slip my hand inside the top of her silky nightshirt. She smiled, but her eyes remained closed. My groping became more persistent. Her eyes fluttered open and her hands began an exploration of their own.

A few strokes, several caresses, and even some squeezes later, we were both ready to shift positions. She shed her nightshirt as I removed my T and shorts, and then the fun really began.

No matter how many times I made love to her, it was always fresh and exciting. And for a couple of old folks (OK, one old man and one middle-aged woman), that was pretty frequently. The world went away and all that mattered was bringing her pleasure, and she did the same for me. We delighting in finding new ways to do that.

Even when we were both satisfied, we continued to hold each other. "Greg," she purred. I automatically rolled my eyes. Whenever she said my name that way, it was usually followed by some sentimental remarks. So I was surprised when she just said, "I love you."

"No! When did that happen?" I feigned surprise and disbelief.

She smirked. "Oh, back in 2003. Or was it 2004?" After a minute of companionable silence she said, "We should get up soon." But she didn't move away. In fact, she snuggled closer.

"You're usually up long before this," I said. "Did you think I needed something special this morning?"

She lifted her head to look at my face. "No, I needed something special this morning."

She'd been so happy for Gretchen, and she adores Scott, so I hadn't even thought about how this was affecting her. I kissed her, and held her close.

Forty-five minutes later we finally made it into the kitchen. Gretchen and my mother were deep in conversation over coffee.

"Hi, sleepyheads," our daughter said with a grin, just as she'd done almost fifteen years before the first night we'd spent together after Allison first left for Albany.

"Where's your brother?" Allie asked her.

"Walking Sadie," was the reply. We'd lost Junior the year before at the ripe old doggie age of fourteen. At first the kids were devastated, and Allison was kinda teary-eyed too. But our old friend Gwen the dog lady had come up with a new puppy, a female this time. Her soulful basset eyes begged us to take her.

Allison began dishing out the breakfast she'd prepared without my noticing, as my mother asked, "When is the hairdresser coming?"

I don't know why, but Allison and Gretchen felt the need to have their hair done, and my mother had decided she liked the idea too. As long as they didn't want someone to style my thinning gray hair (what was left of it), I didn't care.

The hairdresser picked that moment to ring the bell, but Alex had returned from walking the dog and let her in.

"While we're getting our hair and make-up done, and getting into our dresses, why don't you two get dressed?" Allison suggested to me and Alex.

I wasn't thrilled with the thought of putting on the monkey suit instead of my comfy T-shirt and pants, but I knew it would be worth it just to see that gleam that Allison gets in her eyes when she sees me in a tux.