'Firsts' written by EmptySky, betaed by Celeste6
Chapter 25: Grace's first - and only - wedding
Danny: 49 years old
Grace: 24 years old
Danny is looking at himself in the full-length mirror critically. His hair is slicked back perfectly, yet, he runs his hands over the blonde strands meticulously while tilting his head to make sure everything really is in order and staying that way. Satisfied with the result, he begins fiddling with his tie, tightening it ever so slightly and making sure it's hidden beneath his collar. He pats himself down to check that his white dress shirt is tucked inside his pants before closing the jacket again. He brushes imaginary pieces of lint off the black suit and bends over to check his pants for wrinkles. Lastly, Danny inspects the state of his shoes, relieved to find them as neatly polished as they were two minutes ago. He straightens back up and nods at his reflection. It doesn't matter that he has done his routine four times in a row, every single time coming to find that he looks impeccable. He is nervous, needing to keep himself busy as he waits.
Another minute passes and he sighs. He cracks his knuckles out of habit and flexes his fingers. He is about to start another round of pacing in a circle, maybe to end up in front of the mirror yet again, when a door to his left opens. Danny spins around and exhales noisily as a small group of smiling young women makes their way past him and through the big folding doors across the room. Rachel is the last to exit and walks up to him with an even happier expression on her face.
"How are we doing, all good?"
"She is ready, awfully nervous though. Maybe you can do something about it? You've got about four minutes before you're coming in," Rachel says and shares a knowing smile with Danny as she lightly kisses his cheek, hugging him and then too disappearing through the folding doors.
Danny looks after Rachel until she is gone before quickly turning around at a faint rustling sound coming from behind his back. What little cool he might have possessed is quickly gone, the sight of Grace appearing at the back door in her white dress and her hair done up causing tears to spring to his eyes.
"You look so beautiful," Danny says and takes out his white handkerchief from his pocket, using it to wipe over his eyes.
Graces shakes her head, her fancy curls bopping in the process. "No! You cannot cry, because if you start crying, then I'll start crying, and I'm not doing the make-up again!"
Danny sniffles and lets the handkerchief disappear back inside his suit jacket. He walks up to his daughter, looks her over with an appreciative though suspiciously watery smile and kisses her forehead, carefully hugging her while mindful not to disturb the dress.
"I can't help it. You look stunning!"
Grace blushes and looks down at herself. Instead of giving her father a response, she begins to fidget with her dress. She smoothes down some nonexistent wrinkles, pulls the top a little higher and straightens the back of her dress, despite it being in perfect shape. Danny laughs when he realizes she is using the same outlet for her nervousness as he did before, and touches her arm to stop her.
"I mean it, Grace. You look flawless. The guy won't be able to take his eyes off of you when you walk down the aisle. Trust me. Stop worrying about your looks. Look, I've got to officially hand you over in a minute. Let me have this moment where I can pretend you're still my little girl and that it hasn't been 24 years already."
"Hand me over? What am I, the keys to your new car? Come on, Dad. It's not the Dark Ages where you marry me off without ever getting to see me again. He and I have been living together for a while already, technically, nothing will change," Grace tries to appease her sentimental father, before looking around worried. "Where's… oh, there it is. Thank you!"
Grace takes the bouquet of white and red plumeria Danny snatches from the side table and brings it to her face, smelling at the flowers. She smiles at the scent, but then lets her hands sink to rest in front of her dress and forlornly looks towards the folding doors leading into the church. She starts worrying at her lip before remembering that she is wearing lipstick that might smear, and sighs.
"Is it too late to run?" She asks jokingly, but then grows more serious. "Dad, really. Am I making a mistake? I've waited for today ever since the proposal, but now that it's happening I feel like throwing up."
"It's not too late until you've signed the official documents, babe. Unfortunately, I can't help you because I planned on getting really drunk tonight and left the car at home. Relax, Grace. Take a deep breath," Danny instructs and smiles, remembering how he had felt on his wedding day, his emotions all over the place. "I know how you're feeling and it's completely normal. I promise you, once you see him waiting for you as you walk down the aisle, all of that will be forgotten. I went through the same thing. I was nervous, a bit shaky until I saw Rachel. And I think Rachel threw up right before putting on her dress, and she was fine afterwards."
Grace's eyes get wider. "Somehow, that doesn't calm me at all. You got divorced, remember?"
Danny puts his hands on her upper arms and gently turns her towards him. His whole posture, his voice and his eyes convey confidence and calm, which Grace latches on to desperately in order not to freak out entirely.
"Grace, when your mother and I met, we hit it off right away. There was this instant attraction and I knew she was the one for me. Rachel and I loved each other very much. Love is necessary and vital to a relationship, for obvious reasons. But sometimes, love alone isn't enough. Because there will be rough times, where other feelings might take over, and love alone won't hold you up. You need to have a strong foundation to fall back on, to build the rest on. Love is great, but you have to work at your relationship," Danny says and shrugs. "It can be hard work, but it's important and you can't let yourself be discouraged. We loved each other, but we lost perspective when other things became more important. We didn't fight for each other, and eventually we weren't willing to do sacrifices for each other when it mattered. I abandoned her when she needed me there, and she couldn't accept me for prioritizing work. I'm not going to delve deeper, Grace, not on your wedding day. Sweetheart, just because it didn't work out for us doesn't mean your relationship will meet the same fate. You saw our marriage crumble. You know what to look out for. As long as you both want this, respect each other, talk, and stick together, you'll be fine."
Danny brushes his index finger against her cheek and smiles at her, nodding encouragingly. Grace smells at her flowers again and closes her eyes. When she opens them again, she seems calmer and determined. She returns the smile.
"Any last words?"
"Are you kidding me? After the speech I just gave? I won't have anything left for the speech at the reception!" Danny laughs and twinkles his eyes. "You and me, we're good. I think I taught you everything important that I know. And I'm not going anywhere. Even with you being married I'll always be there with advice, should you want it. You're an adult, working a secure job, living in a nice apartment, and you're marrying a good guy. I'm not worried at all."
Grace smiles even wider. "I'm glad. I wasn't even sure you'd ever let me go out with a boy. Thanks for going against your instincts to lock me away."
"I couldn't. There's a law against that," Danny jokes and jabs Grace's arm lightly. "Yes, it's not easy for me to let you go. I never would have if I wasn't absolutely sure he was a good guy. You'll always be the most important thing in my life, but I can see how happy you are around him. Seeing you happy is what I want most."
Grace wipes at her eyes and hugs Danny tightly, kissing his cheek.
"Thank you so much, Danno."
Danny returns the hug before letting go, though keeping one arm wrapped around her waist. "You're welcome. Did I mention that Steve used all of his contacts to check him out? That guy is a lamb. Seriously."
"Dad…"
"No, really! Steve and I decided to sit down with him anyway, just to be on the safe side. He knows to never break your heart. We made it perfectly clear how to treat my daughter. We also might have mentioned that we know how to dispose of a body without leaving evidence. I think that really scared him. He'd have to be insane to hurt you in any way."
Grace rolls her eyes, but leans into her father's side, gratefully. They remain in this position for a while and only separate when music can be heard from inside the church room, both wiping at their eyes. Danny gently brushes away a stray tear Grace missed, his eyes brimming red.
"Are you ready?"
Grace clutches her bouquet in front of her with one hand, takes a deep breath and nods. Danny places a last kiss to her temple before straightening his back. He offers Grace his arm, which she gently takes.
Together, they walk through the doors and down the aisle, where people stand up to marvel at his beautiful daughter. And with Danny's heart bursting with happiness and aching at the same time, he gives his daughter away.