A/N: I honestly didn't think that would take so long. But it's a double long chapter, so I hope that makes up for it. Enjoy!
Gillian marveled at Emily's expert fingers, curling and pinning up every inch of Gillian's now very long hair. "Done!" The teen exclaimed, with a flourish of her hands, backing away from Gillian, and grabbing a hand mirror so she could see the back of it.
It looked like a bun of curls, with a thick braid wrapped around it. There were two thin strands of hair near the front of her face that were curled. It looked very professional, and Gillian loved it. "It's beautiful!" Gillian beamed. "When did you learn how to do this?"
"About a month ago." The teen answered. She pulled out her phone, and pulled up some pictures of many different updos. She handed the phone to Gillian. "I looked up YouTube videos, and Jessica has been letting me practice." She explained. "Your hair was harder, it's darker, and harder to see. But I'm glad it turned out okay!"
"Seriously, she looks beautiful, Em. Is there enough time for you to do something to mine?" Erin asked. She was already dressed in her bridesmaid dress.
Emily glanced at the time. "Yeah, plenty. Have a seat!" She gestured toward the free chair. She started brushing Erin's hair back, and pinning it where she needed to. The blonde's hair was thick and soft. "Your hair is beautiful, Erin! I wish mine was this soft!"
Erin laughed. "You can have my hair!"
"Emily positioned the hair high, and started to curl different sections, pinning them carefully. She looked up for a moment. "Ria, I won't have time to do yours. Is that okay?"
Ria nodded. "Yes, that's fine. I prefer mine down anyway."
"Me too!" Emily agreed. She looked at the clock again, and her eyebrows furrowed. "I'm not sure I'll have enough time to curl my own hair, though."
"I can help with that." Ria said, plugging in her own curling iron. "Give me a minute, we can work this out."
Emily laughed. "Thanks, Ria. It shouldn't need much, I just want to define my curls a bit more." She bent over Erin again, pinning curls on the top of her head.
"No worries, Em. I know how annoying it is to have limp curls." Ria answered. While Emily was bent over Erin, Ria began curling her hair in sections. Gillian found it funny. Erin was sitting, and Emily was bent over her, and Ria was bent over Emily. It was like a train of hairstyling.
Gillian was about to take out her phone to take a picture when there was a knock on the door. She wasn't expecting anyone. She looked over at the door, and a male voice that she didn't recognize spoke. "Are you ladies decent?"
Her eyebrows furrowed and her mouth drifted to the left side of her face. She looked around at her bridesmaids, and they were as clueless as she was. "Um, yeah. Who's there?" She finally answered.
"Oh! I'm sorry. My name is Joel, I'm the photographer."
"Joel!" Erin exclaimed, a smile on her face. "You sound different talking through a door." Gillian laughed at her friend and opened the door for the young photographer. He had dark blonde curly hair, and an athletic build, with striking green eyes.
Gillian held out her hand to shake his. He gripped her hand firmly. "Hello, Joel. It's nice to meet you."
He smiled, and if Gillian was twenty again, he would have stolen her heart. "It's nice to meet you too. I'm going to guess by the white dress that you are the bride, Gillian?" He spoke with a slight southern accent.
She smiled and laughed. "You would be right!" She gestured toward the hairdressing train. "Well, you already know Erin, and behind her is my soon-to-be step-daughter, Emily, and behind her is my friend Ria."
"Hi Mrs. Morani, it's nice to see you again. And nice to meet you both." He held up his camera. "I like this train going on. Is it alright if I snap a few pictures while you all get ready?"
There was a chorus of yeses from all four women, so he snapped away. The women continued conversing as if he wasn't there.
Gillian slipped a towel around her shoulders to touch up her make up without it getting all over her dress. "Alright, Em. I've seen you a ton this last week. When do you head back to school?" She asked.
"I leave Sunday night, the same as you and Dad. That way I can say goodbye to all the English relatives as they leave on Saturday, and spend the day Sunday with my Mom. But catch a ride to the airport with you and Dad." She had pinned all the curls on Erin's head, and was focusing on braiding and straightening the side pieces.
Gillian laughed. "How resourceful of you to catch a ride!"
Emily looked up. "Well, what else did you want me to do?" She asked, laughing back. "If you want, I can hitch a ride with Mom, I'm sure."
Gillian shook her head. "I'm just kidding. We would love to see you off to California."
Emily pulled away from the hair train for a moment to grab her phone off the counter. She pointed it in Gillian's direction and snapped a few quick pictures. She looked at them and smiled. "I like this one!" She passed the phone over to Gillian.
Gillian's mouth opened. "Seriously, Em, I don't know how you get pictures this quality on a cell phone!" The picture showed a close up of Gillian's face, the make-up brush just under her eye on her cheekbone. It looked really professional.
Erin stole the phone from Gillian as Emily went back to finishing her hair. Ria had moved on to her own hair, but peered over Erin's shoulder to look. "And you are going to school for journalism, not photography why?" Erin asked.
Emily shrugged. "I don't know. I like taking pictures, but it's over so quick. I really like writing, the whole writing process, editing and re-editing. I don't know, just snapping a picture seems too easy for me." She looked quickly over at the photographer. "Sorry, no offense to you, it's just not for me I guess."
He shrugged and grinned at her. "It's alright, none taken. There is more to it than just pressing a button you know!" He laughed and held out his hand. "Do you mind if I take a look?" Emily shook her head and handed him the phone. As he looked at it, his eyebrows raised. He handed the phone back. "If you take pictures like that, I don't see why you hired me, ma'am" He joked with a goofy grin on his face.
Emily couldn't help but laugh. "It's hard to be in the ceremony and take pictures of it at the same time."
Ria laughed. "Excuse me Father, I need to snap a photo of this kiss, if you don't mind moving out of the way!" She joked, and the whole room burst into laughter.
"Oh, Em, I can just see you dancing around in everyone's way as you tried to get pictures of us exchanging rings!" Gillian cried.
"Oh wait! I missed that part, can you do it again!" Emily shouted.
"This time, with feeling!" Erin added. The whole room was in stitches.
When they calmed down, Emily put the final touches in Erin's hair, and pulled a brown stretch comb out of her purse to pull the stray hairs out of her eyes. She hated hair in her face. She touched up her eye makeup really quick, and sat, waiting for everyone else to finish getting ready. While Gillian and Erin reminisced, and Ria curled her hair, Joel walked over and talked to Emily for a bit. They talked about school and photography and classes. Joel wanted to be a photojournalist, so they had a lot of that stuff in common. "How long have you lived in DC?" Emily asked, noting his slight accent.
"Since I was twelve. My Mom needed to move here for business, and my Dad got a job doing social work." He explained.
Emily nodded. "So then, do you feel pretty much at home here?" She asked.
Joel laughed. "Yes, the area I came from in Louisiana was quiet. My town was small, and I didn't have a lot of friends. In DC, I feel like there is always something going on. So I like it here way better." He answered honestly.
Emily nodded, understanding. She didn't think she would like small towns. This is when Gillian made the announcement that it was time to line up. Ria had finished her hair, and it was practically time to go.
"Wait! Gill!" Emily practically shouted. "Let me go let Dad know, so he doesn't accidentally see you in your dress!" and with that, she bolted from the room.
Erin was laughing. "I don't know, Gill, maybe you should give her a couple minutes to get things settled!" she suggested.
About a minute later, Emily came back, red faced. "Dad's at the front of the altar, Nancy got the children all settled and ready to go. They are waiting for us were we enter." She blurted.
Gillian laughed. "There is no rush. Please, Em, catch your breath before we head out. You don't want any pictures with your face as red as it is!"
Emily nodded fervently. "Yes I do! I bet it looks funny!" She turned toward Joel. "Take a picture! I want to see it!" The room laughed. She posed as Joel took a picture of her red face.
"Alright. Let's walk quietly over to the entrance. I don't want anyone else to be out of breath." Gillian said. She pointed at Emily. "Lead the way!"
At the entryway, Sarah and Sadie were waiting. They had matching green dresses, but Sarah's hair was in a tight bun on her head, and Sadie's hair was down and in curls. When they saw Gillian, their faces lit up. "Auntie Gill, you look beautiful!" Sadie squealed.
Gillian ran her hand down the girl's head, feeling the smoothness of her hair. "Thank you, Sadie. You two also look beautiful." She looked over at the boys, not wanting them to feel left out. "You guys look handsome as well." She smiled warmly at them as they grinned with pride.
"Thank you." Thomas answered. He looked shyly around at all the people. "Everyone looks lovely." He finally said.
"Hey Gillybean." Gillian turned at the sound of her Father's voice. She smiled, and gave him a big hug. "You look wonderful." He whispered.
"Thanks." Gillian whispered back. She released him from the hug, and held back her tears. She couldn't let her make up run now!
Out of the blue, Allison, the newest receptionist showed up. "Line up, everyone!" she whispered, smiling. She helped everyone into position, and signaled quickly to the man controlling the sound booth. Nancy took her seat, and Allison stood by the doorway, hidden from view, to help each group know when to start walking. As the wedding march started, Allison sent them walking down the aisle. First, Ria, then Erin, and last, Emily. Next, Thomas and Lawrence followed, each carrying one of the wedding bands. Next, Sadie and Sarah literally danced down the aisle, dropping flower petals as they went. Gillian laughed as Sadie stood at the altar like she was supposed to, but Sarah stood at the end of the aisle, basket upside down, toppling the rest of her flower petals. Nancy looked back at Gillian, who was waiting apologetically, and Gillian flashed her a smile, trying her best to let Nancy know it was okay. When Sarah joined her sister at the altar, the guests all looked back, and stood, waiting for Gillian to walk down the aisle.
Cal couldn't hide the grin on his face if he tried. Every inch of his body radiated happiness at that moment. It was like a beacon, drawing Gillian closer to him. She hoped he felt the same way watching her. She felt her Father's arm tighten around her, and she paused to look up at him, flashing a reassuring smile. When they got to the altar, her Father left her, and joined Jeanne and her Mother in the front row. Gillian handed her flowers to Emily, and turned to face Cal. He looked her up and down now that she was closer. "Wow." He mouthed.
Samuel, the Justice of the Peace, and a long term client of the Lightman group started the Ceremony. "I have known Cal and Gillian for a number of years. I have never seen him rendered speechless. Nicely done, Gillian." The congregation laughed, and Cal shook his head. "We are gathered here today to celebrate one of life's greatest moments, the joining of two hearts. In this ceremony today we will witness the joining of Gillian and Cal in marriage." He grinned, and gestured toward Cal. "Cal, could you face the congregation, please?" Cal did as he was told. "If there is anyone present who believes that this couple should not be united, don't speak, and Cal will hunt you down later. He's reading you all right now." The congregation and the wedding party laughed. Gillian had to wipe tears from her eyes, and Even Cal was smiling. He turned back towards Gillian. Samuel continued. "Today we have come together to witness the joining of these two lives. For them, out of the routine of ordinary life, the extraordinary has happened. They met each other, fell in love and are finalizing it with their wedding today. Romance is fun, but true love is something far more and it is their desire to love each other for life, and that is what we are celebrating here today."
"A good marriage must be created. In marriage the "little" things are the big things. It is never being too old to hold hands. It is remembering to say," I love you" at least once a day. It is never going to sleep angry. It is standing together and facing the world. It is speaking words of appreciation, and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways. It is having the capacity to forgive and forget. It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow. It is a common search for the good and the beautiful. It is not only marrying the right person - it is being the right partner."
"I believe that you two have written your own vows. Cal, why don't you start?" Cal nodded. He took Gillian's hand in his, and looked her straight in the eye.
"Gill, I never thought I could have this. You know, I've always had this saying. Truth or happiness, never both. I think about it now and how cynical it was, and how you used to listen to me say it all the time. Well, now I feel like an arse. This whole relationship, you have proven that to be wrong, even before we were dating. I've always been able to trust you, and I've always been happiest with you. You have shown me what it means to love unconditionally, because I certainly don't believe that I deserve someone as amazing as you. So I promise never to utter or even think that phrase again. I promise to always be truthful with you. I promise to be present in our family. I promise not to push you away when it gets hard, and to let you in. And I promise to slow dance with you more. I promise to love you until the end of our days." Gillian's heart felt like it would burst out of her chest. She hadn't thought of that phrase in ages, but she had always hated it. Now she was glad she could forget it for good.
"Gill, you go next." Samuel prompted.
Gillian took a deep breath. "Cal, I can't believe we are finally here. Here after all the years of flirting, fighting, and dancing around that line. I'm sorry about the line, I should have abolished that ages ago." She shook her head. That line was her idea, and a terrible one. She continued. "At first, when we first started our relationship, when I thought about all that time I could have spent with you, I got mad. We could have had so much fun, Cal, and more time together if I had taken the time to get my head out of the sand, and read the signs you were throwing at me. But now I realize, I have you now, that's all I need. And we have some great things coming up, I just know it. So I promise not to live in the past and to live in the present. I promise to make you breakfast more often." She stopped, and looked behind her, where Emily was standing. She grabbed the teen's hand. "I promise to love your daughter as my own, even though I think you both know, I already do." She squeezed Emily's hand, and smiled warmly at her. She saw the tears forming in the teen's eyes. She let go and turned back to Cal. "I promise to keep flirting with you. I promise not to nag you about stupid things. And I promise to love you until we cease to exist." Her eyes were tearing up now. And there was still an entire ceremony to go.
Samuel continued. " Gillian and Cal, I would ask that you always treat yourself and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together today. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your marriage deserves. When frustration and difficulty assail your marriage - as they do to every relationship at one time or another - focus on what still seems right between you, not only the part that seems wrong. This way, when clouds of trouble hide the sun in your lives and you lose sight of it for a moment, you can remember that the sun is still there. And if each of you will take responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and happiness."
"Cal, do you take Gillian to be your Wife?" Samuel asked.
"I do." Cal answered, nodding.
"Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect her, forsaking all others and holding only unto her forevermore?"
"I do." Cal answered again, staring directly into Gillian's eyes.
"Gillian, do you take Cal to be your Husband?
Gillian looked directly into Cal's eyes. She knew what he was looking for. He was looking for a tiny sliver of doubt. But she wasn't worried, she knew he wouldn't see it. You can't see emotions that don't exist. "I do" She answered, nodding enthusiastically.
"Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect him, forsaking all others and holding only unto him forevermore?
"I do" she answered again.
"Who has the rings?" Samuel asked. The boys came forward, and handed them to the Justice of the Peace. Samuel held them up. "The ring is a symbol of the unbroken circle of love. Love freely given has no beginning and no end, no giver and no receiver for each is the giver and each is the receiver. May these rings always remind you of the vows you have taken. Cal, repeat after me."
Cal looked up at Gillian again, repeating after Samuel. "I Cal, take thee, Gillian to be my wife- To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, in joy and sorrow, and I promise my love to you. And with this ring, I take you as my wife, for as long as we both shall live." He slid the ring on her finger with ease.
"Gillian, repeat after me."
Gillian looked up at Cal. Even he was crying now. She hadn't seen that from him before, or at least not often. "I Gillian, take thee, Cal to be my husband - To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, in joy and sorrow, and I promise my love to you. And with this ring, I take you as my husband, for as long as we both shall live." She slid the ring on his finger. \
"To make your relationship work will take love. This is the core of your marriage and why you are here today. It will take trust, to know, that in your hearts, you truly want what is best for each other. It will take dedication, to stay open to one another - and to learn and grow together. And it will take commitment, to hold true to the journey you both have pledged to today."
"By the power vested in me I now pronounce you Man and wife. You may kiss your bride." At that, Cal wrapped his arms around Gillian. Their lips touched, and Gillian felt butterflies in her entire body. She felt like she was floating. She felt more euphoric as Cal dipped her. When they came up, everyone was clapping. Emily had tears in her eyes. Cal and Gillian walked together to the back of the room.
Once in the hallway, Gillian took the opportunity to kiss her husband again. She held him close to her, intimately. She ran her fingers through his hair. When she pulled away, she grinned at him. "Ever the dramatic one, huh?"
He grinned, sheepishly. "I got caught up in the moment. Can't blame me for that, luv." He waved his finger around in a circular motion, asking Gillian to turn for him. "You look incredible, by the way. Absolutely stunning, luv."
"You're not too bad yourself." She teased, kissing him again, softly.
They were interrupted by Emily. "Not to break up the love fest here, the guests are making their way to the dining hall, and Joel wants to get wedding pictures. We should try to move this along so the guests don't get too antsy."
Gillian nodded. "Right. Can you just make sure that we grab my parents, Nancy, and Alice please for family photos?"
Emily laughed. "Way ahead of you, Gill. We are heading outside, to get pictures with the fall colors." She pointed toward the door. "Let's go." She led the way, and they followed. The rest of the party was waiting by a tree with orange, red and brown leaves.
"Alright, I know its cold, so let's try to do this quickly. I need the entire wedding party to line up please, bridesmaids next to the bride, groomsmen next to the groom please." Joel yelled out instructions and directed traffic like this for a while. He got a few pictures of the entire party, some of just the men, and some of just the women. "Alright, if you are not family, or not the Maid of Honor or Best Man, you can head back inside." Ria, Erin and Eli all cheered and ran back inside the hall.
"Alright, one big family picture, please? Bride's side with her, groom's side with him. Children in front, I guess." He directed traffic again, arranging the large group of people again. "Alright, now just the parents." This group was relatively smaller. He did a bunch of photos like this.
"Okay, you all can go except the Maid of Honor and Best Man."
"Good. It's cold." Sadie said, marching toward the door. Gillian couldn't help but laugh.
Joel arranged a few pictures of the four people that were left, George on Cal's left and Emily on Gillian's right. Just a picture of George and Cal, and one of Emily and Gillian. "George, you are free to go." He finally said.
He laughed. "That's great, because I am in agreement with Sarah, its cold." Gillian had to laugh at this, and didn't have the heart to tell him right now that he got the girls mixed up. She couldn't blame him.
Joel started to direct them again. "Okay. I would like to get a few nice family photos, and one silly one. Is that okay?" he asked.
Gillian nodded. "Whatever you would like."
"Okay. Emily, if you could stand in the middle. I would like Cal on her left please, Gillian on her right. Perfect. Okay, put your arms around each other. Great!" He snapped a few pictures. Emily had her arms around both of them. "Alright. Now, Emily, remember what we talked about? You can do that now." Gillian felt the teen's arm shift behind her back. She grinned, as Joel took the picture. "Great, guys. One more." They unwrapped their arms from each other, and Gillian looked at Emily.
"Did you give us bunny ears?" She asked.
Emily grinned slyly. "Maybe, maybe not. You'll have to wait and see!" Gillian laughed in spite of herself.
Joel began talking again. "Okay. Here's what I want. I would love it if you two could kiss, dip her again if you want to. Em, if you could stand off to the side and look disgusted, or shocked, that would be awesome." They all laughed at the idea. Emily got her face ready, and Cal dipped Gillian again, kissing her hungrily. Joel snapped some pictures, and put his camera down. "Perfect. Thanks a ton. Let's head inside." He announced.
"Wait." Gillian interjected. "Can we get a picture of just Emily and Cal?"
"No." Emily refused, shaking her head. When Gillian looked at her confused, she continued. "It's not just me and Dad in the picture anymore, Gill. You are part of the picture too. I don't want you to feel obligated to get a picture of just me and Dad."
Gillian smiled. It made her happy that Emily accepted her so much. "You don't want a picture with just your father? We have one with the three of us, and we have one with just you and I. I just thought it might be something that you wanted."
Emily nodded. "I do. But we still have the father-daughter dance for that." She said. Without arguing more, she headed towards the door, followed closely by Joel.
Cal put his arm around Gillian's waist, and Gillian put hers around his back. They walked together toward the building again. Cal watched the back of Joel's head intently. "Does he seem to be paying extra attention to her?" He asked.
Gillian shrugged. "They are the same age, and have similar interests. I wouldn't be surprised if she throws attention his way." She looked up at him. "She is actually allowed to date people, you know?" she teased.
"Yeah, I know." Gillian rested her head on his shoulder as they headed back into the building. Allison was waiting by the reception hall, and everyone was all lined up.
"It's about time! Seriously, we've been waiting for you guys!" Emily shouted.
Gillian laughed. "Okay! Cue the music then, we're ready to go." Allison did just that. She made a thumbs up at the DJ, who started playing Bruno Mars' I Think I Want to Marry You.
"Alright, here we go! First we have Miss Sadie being escorted by Sir Thomas. Come on in you guys!" When they heard their names, they walked into the hall, stopping right in the middle of the dance floor. "Next we have Miss Sarah escorted by Sir Lawrence." Sarah danced her way to the middle of the dance floor, Lawrence following at her heels. "Next, the lovely Ria Torres, escorted by Eli Loker." Ria and Eli joined the crew of children, arm in arm. "Next, Miss Erin Morani, Escorted by Nicholas Anderson." When Nick and Erin reached the dance floor, Nick picked up Sarah, and began to dance with her. "Followed by the Maid of Honor, Emily Lightman, escorted by the Best Man, George Lightman." Emily walked arm in arm with her uncle, and joined the party that was dancing in the middle of the dance floor. "And, I am proud to present, for the very first time, Mr. and Mrs. Cal and Gillian Lightman!" The guests all clapped as Cal and Gillian made their way to the middle of the dance floor. They kissed once they reached the dance floor, and quickly joined in to dance with their wedding party. When the music stopped, they made their way to the front table, so they could eat.
The caterers the hall hired were great. Gillian loved her grilled chicken and the roasted asparagus. It tasted delicious, but what she was waiting for was the cake, which wouldn't be cut until later in the night. Instead, when thy finished, they made their way to the dance floor, for their first dance as man and wife.
Every time our eyes meet, this feeling inside me, Is almost more than I can take. Baby when you touch me, I can feel how much you love me, and it just blows me away. Gillian's body melted into Cal's. This was her happy place. His touch on her back was like electricity, his forehead against hers brought them intimately close. And she knew, without a doubt, that she was going to love this. I don't know how you do what you do, I'm so in love with you, it just keeps getting better. I wanna spend the rest of my life, with you by my side, Forever and ever. Every little thing that you do, Baby I'm amazed by you. Everything Cal did for her, even the little things, like cook breakfast, or write a little note, made her fall more in love with him every day. She didn't know how he did it, she had never pegged him as a romantic. And yet, he had waltzed into her life and swept her off of her feet. Oh it feels like the first time every time, I wanna spend the whole night in your eyes. They kissed, and it still sent that same shot of electricity through her whole body like it did the first time they kissed. Back when they were both so fragile. He had been so gentle, much like he was being now. Baby I'm amazed by you.
Before she knew it, the song was over. A faster song was playing, one Gillian didn't recognize. Soon, the dance floor was filled with people. Family and friends that traveled from far away to see this wedding. Cal and Gillian found Ria, Alex, Eli and Carrie quickly. They formed their usual group, and danced along with the songs. Emily was dancing with the children, keeping them company. After a few songs, Gillian felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around. "Ben!" She shouted, wrapping her friend in a hug.
"I just wanted to know who won the pool." He joked, hugging her tightly. They pulled away from each other, and Cal joined them, shaking Ben's hand. "Congratulations you two. You are meant for each other." He said.
"I'm just so glad you could make it. Losing you was the worst thing about losing that FBI contract." She smiled warmly at him.
"Seriously, I hate hacking into FBI databases, they're hard to crack." Cal teased.
"Do I have to change my password again?" Ben asked. The two of them laughed.
The DJ turned in a slower song, Butterfly Kisses by Bob Carlisle. "Alright, it is time for the father daughter dance. If you are a daughter with a father or father-figure, we invite you to join in this dance." The DJ announced.
"I have to go, Ben. We'll catch up later. I have to find my Dad." Gillian hugged him again.
"Yeah, and I have to find my daughter." Cal responded, looking around.
"That's okay you two. I'll find you later. Congrats again." Ben waved as he walked away. Gillian found her father relatively quick. Chuck wrapped his arm around Gillian's waist, and clasped his hand in hers.
"How are you doing, Gillybean?" he asked.
"I think I should be asking you the same thing." She responded, laughing.
He chuckled. "I'm okay." He brushed a stray piece of hair out of her face. She was beaming. "You are so happy. I'm glad to see you've found someone who makes you this happy."
She smiled more. "How couldn't I be? I mean, look at him." She pointed over to where he was dancing with Emily. Watching them interact made her so happy, and when it involved her, it made her feel so welcome. She was glad she was invited to be a witness into their private moments like the one they were having now. "He's given me everything I've ever wanted. A career, and a family. Just look at how good he is with her. And you've seen him with Sarah and Sadie. It warms my heart to see that."
"Is that what you want?" he asked. His question startled her.
"Yes. I want a family with him so badly. He was willing to start all over with me. I would love to see him dance like that with our own little girl one day." She answered, truthfully. "But for now, Emily is the best daughter I could have asked for. And I'm happy she is in our lives." Gillian didn't add that if it wasn't for Emily, They would probably still be doing the line dance right about now. When the song changed, she hugged her father one last time. "I'm going to go find my husband, okay Dad?' she asked.
"Of course, Gillybean. Go find him. I love you."
"I love you too, Dad." She answered.
Gillian was behind Cal, when she saw Joel ask if it was okay to cut in. Cal nodded, and gestured for Emily to follow the young photographer. Gillian smiled, glad that the two had hit it off, even if it didn't amount to anything. She wrapped her arms around her husband, sneaking up on him from behind. Oi! Gill, what do you think?" he asked her.
"I think, it's almost time for dessert." She answered.