When I Look At You

Chapter 12

Many, Many Years Later

You fidget with your tie once again and Leigh pats your hand to get you to stop. "You're making me nervous, cut it out. We're supposed to be the ones with a level head here. Stevie is already losing her mind." She speaks in a low tone to keep her words between you and her.

"Leigh, our first born is about to get married. I'm freaking out!" You say a little too loud. "He is not good enough for our baby girl. I don't care what anyone has to say." You continue, causing your wife to push you into an empty room so you're not being a lunatic in the hallway.

"I know that today is hard for you, but she loves him and they've been pretty great parents to Maisy. When she came to us four years ago and told us she was pregnant, I was ready for you to kill the both of them–"

You make a face, "Just me? What were you going to do?"

"The twins were fifteen, someone had to stay out of prison," she teases, making you feel a little bit lighter. However, you still remained very tense about the event today. "Look, they have more than proven themselves. They have provided for our granddaughter, who you love dearly. They have stayed in school and plan to graduate. They love each other completely. We can't stop this from happening anymore, it's what they want."

You frown as you hear your wife out and sigh. "Why couldn't they wait until after college. I would have been more supportive."

The corner of her mouth lifts up as she shakes her head, "No, you wouldn't have been. It's hard to let go of them. To trust them to be on their own."

You nod, agreeing with what she says instead of arguing otherwise. "How are you so okay with this?"

"I'm not, I'm just better at hiding it than you are,"she pats your shoulder and you let out a breathy laugh. Her phone pings with a notification and she takes a deep breath. "Now we need to do this for our daughter, together okay? No getting a getaway car ready."

Your shoulders deflate and you drop your head as you promise to behave before allowing your wife to guide you to the bride's room. Looking at you so nervous reminds her of when you finally fulfilled your best friend's dying wish and immortalized them in a book series. It wasn't exactly a biography, it was a great mix of fiction and non-fiction that made people feel connected to the person you knew. But you were so anxious about releasing it to the world. That had to have been the most anxious she had ever seen you and it took sometime for either of you to realize that it was like letting go of Stevie again.

But one day, in a way you never expected, you got a Stevie back in your life. When your daughter had first seen the name on the title, she thought that the series was meant to be about her. She refused to hear otherwise for years, but she was a little kid so you found it adorable. Eventually, you and Leigh told her about your best friend and explained that was where she got her middle name. It was hard to explain why she had never met them, especially since you and Leigh never settled on a concept to teach the kids what happens after death, but the "better place" line did come in handy. Then, as she got older, she started reading the books and she would ask you questions about the person she shared a name with. One day, when she was seventeen or eighteen, somewhere around there, she asked that everyone call her Stevie from then on.

You had great relationships with all three kids, of course, but you and your daughter had a special bond. Leigh wonders if you're feeling anxious about losing your best friend again. She was there to remind you however many times you needed to be reminded that this wasn't the case. Your daughter is currently renting the house that once belonged to Stevie from you and Leigh, so it wasn't like she didn't still need help from her parents. She wasn't gone yet and she needed to convince you that everything will be fine. Prepare you for when or if the time comes that Stevie only visits for the holidays.