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Chapter Four: Boys and Giving Her Away Part Two

Well I know one day I'll give you away

And I'm gonna stand there and smile

And when I get home and I'm all alone

Well I'll sit in your room for a while

Well I didn't cry when Old Yeller died

At least not in front of my friends

But when tough little boys grow up to be Dads

They turn into big babies again

When tough little boys grow up to be Dads

They turn into big babies again

Mac's POV

Well the months have passed leading up to my little girl's big day and now it was finally here.

"Daddy," Reese says softly as I turned around, "It's time."

I took in my daughter's presence amazed by how beautiful she looked. She was wearing a gown that she had designed all on her own since she was now finishing up her college education as a fashion major at NYU. What really amazed me was how much she looked like Lindsay the only difference was Reese had stunning blue eyes that she inherited from me.

I crooked my arm and smiled down at her as she slipped her arm into mine and then we walked out to the closed doors of the church. "Here Comes the Bride" began to play and the doors opened. Immediately I felt Reese's hand tighten around my own and I chuckled when I asked her, "Are you nervous?"

"A little." She begrudgingly admitted her mother's stubborn streak coming out in her. Not that I would tell either of my best girls they were stubborn even though it was completely true.

"Danny's a good man." I said softly.

Reese just giggled saying, "You don't have to tell me twice."

I walked her down the lily flowered and candle filled aisle to her soon to be husband and nodded at Danny as he stood proudly next to his son.

"Who gives this young woman in holy matrimony to this young man today?" the priest asked.

After clearing my throat, I managed to say, "Her mother and I do."

The priest nods and I reluctantly let go of Reese's hand. As if she were five all over again she reaches over and wipes my tears away whispering, "Daddy don't cry this is a happy time not a sad one, but you can cry if you want to. I'll still love you anyway Daddy."

I chuckled and kissed her cheek back whispering, "I'm glad you'll still love me, Pieces. I'll always love you."

I then released her hand again and placed into Danny's sweaty one smiling at how nervous he was and then I took my seat in the pew with Lindsay and Cameron.

During the bible readings I whispered concernedly to my wife, "Honey should I be worried that I'm handing over our only daughter to a Messer?"

Lindsay giggled softly covering her hand with her mouth saying, "I'd be worried if Danny Jr. took after his father but seeing as he's all Giada through and through and he's on his way to becoming a successful doctor I'd say you have nothing to worry about. Our baby girl is in good hands."

I gave her a small smile and a squeeze of her hand as we watched Reese and Danny Jr. recite their own vows everyone in the church sobbing at the purity of their words and their love for each other. After the reception and watching my little girl hop off into her limo and enjoy her honey moon I went home to sit in what had been her bedroom the first eighteen years of her life.

Smiling as I sat down on the pink bedspread of her large platform bed complete with white mosquito netting for a canopy I couldn't help but notice how girly her room had been. Looking around I stared at all of her trophies and awards, no matter how girly she was Reese had been quite the athlete in school, middle school and highschool.

Winning trophies for soft ball, gymnastics, swimming, tennis and basketball. Also there were awards like best dressed, which she had been voted for three years of middle school and two out of four years of highschool, and there was the award I was most proud of since she was good at everything she did including school she had ended up being her class' valedictorian.

"Honey, where are you!" I hear Lindsay shout from our bedroom.

"I'm in Pieces' room!" I shout back.

"What are you doing in here?" She asks as she walks in.

"Just missing my little girl, I guess."

"Oh, Mac," Lindsay says coming to sit next to me, "You know Reese can't be a baby forever. Just like we can't be young forever."

Don't I know that one, I mean hell I'm almost 57!

"I know. But it all happened so damn fast," I end up conceding to Lindsay, "I mean Linds it seems like just yesterday you were screaming at me that if I ever touched you again I would lose a vital body part while you were trying to push her out."

"I know it's hard to believe too," Lindsay muses, "But we still have a son to take care of for a few more years he won't be moving out anytime soon."

I chuckled saying, "Cameron will eventually."

"Yeah I know and I'll be really upset when I lose my baby boy, but they all grow up and leave eventually. That's just parenthood."

"Hey, Dad are we going to the range or what?" Cameron asked as he walked into Reese's room.

I nod my head at my son saying, "Yeah, we better get there before it closes."

Cameron's hazel eyes that he inherited from Lindsay dart from me to her and then back at me as he questions, "Are you two cryin?"

He notices both Lindsay and I wipe away our tears and shouts as he laughs loudly, "God Reese just got hitched she didn't die!"

"Wait till you have kids, Cameron," I say as I slap his back, "Even the toughest men cry, kiddo."

Lindsay stood and hugged both her men as she liked to call us and we hugged her back before we headed downstairs to my truck so we could head off to the range. A couple years ago when Cameron was sixteen he had decided to forgo college and at eighteen after highschool enter into the police acadmey.

"So Dad," He asks as he climbs into my truck, "Can I take that girly room and totally trash it?"

I just glared at my son and that intstantly shut him up and afterwards we both laughed knowing that room would never change. And as we drove to the range I couldn't help but smile, it was going to be nice to have another generation of Taylors follow in the footsteps of my father and me by joining the police force.