Pleasantly Raising Cain

I Loved Her First

Skulduggery watched on as Bella danced with Tate. He couldn't help but smile. They were perfect together.

Across the room, Karma was leaning against Cayde as they swayed back and forth. The other Dead Girls and Sophie Pleasant sat at one of the tables talking and laughing with each other. Everything was going great... And Bella was happier than she'd been in ages.

Valkyrie walked up to Skulduggery and he smiled at her.

"This is amazing," Valkyrie said, and Skulduggery put an arm around her waist, pulling her close.

"It really is."

"A fairytale wedding?" Valkyrie whispered, and Skulduggery kissed her.

"It is at that."

Bella giggled and Tate pulled her closer. Valkyrie smiled.

"I have an idea," she said. Skulduggery couldn't tear his eyes away from his daughter.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Sing."

Skulduggery's head snapped towards Valkyrie.

"Are you being serious?"

"Deadly serious. Ghastly told me you can sing, so do it."

Skulduggery sighed. "Okay."

***

Bella watched with a small smile on her face as Skulduggery stood in front of everyone. She had no idea what he was doing...

He cleared his throat, and silence filled the room. Valkyrie grinned and so did Sophie, who was standing beside her. All The Dead Girls winked at each other.

"This song is for my beautiful daughter and her new husband," he said, and Bella's jaw dropped. She had not been expecting that.

She sat up a little straighter as the music started. And Skulduggery started to sing. 

"Look at the two of you dancing that way
Lost in the moment and each others face
So much in love your alone in this place
Like there's nobody else in the world."

Bella's eyes widened. She had not known that her father could sing like that...

"I was enough for her not long ago
I was her number one
She told me so
And she still means the world to me
Just so you know
So be careful when you hold my girl
Time changes everything
Life must go on
And I'm not gonna stand in your way."

Tate stared and Bella couldn't tear her eyes away from Skulduggery.

"But I loved her first and I held her first
And a place in my heart will always be hers
From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
And I prayed that she'd find you someday
But it still hard to give her away
I loved her first."

Valkyrie was grinning from ear to ear. Ghastly hadn't been lying when he'd said Skulduggery could sing... The whole room was completely engrossed in his voice.

"How could that beautiful women with you
Be the same freckle face kid that I knew
The one that I read all those fairy tales to
And tucked into bed all those nights
And I knew the first time I saw you with her
It was only a matter of time

But I loved her first and I held her first
And a place in my heart will always be hers
From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
And I prayed that she'd find you someday
But its still hard to give her away
I loved her first."

As the song drew to a close, Bella's eyes welled with tears. A few escaped and Tate was smiling now.

"From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
Someday you might know what I'm going through
When a miracle smiles up at you
I loved her first."

Bella didn't think, she just ran up to Skulduggery and threw herself into his arms while everyone clapped. Tate felt something tug at his heart strings... And it was something he had not felt before. Unconditional love. And the wedding couldn't have been any better...