Chapter 3 - His Hand Stayed in Front of Us
Daddy's hand was still closed around the chain.
I could see the edge of it pressed into his skin because he was holding his fist so tight. He didn't look down at it. He didn't look at me at first either. He looked at her.
She was still close. Too close. I could smell her perfume and see the little shaking in her veil when she breathed fast. Her hand was out like she was going to grab my arm again.
"Move," she said. Her voice was low now, not loud like before. "This is ridiculous. They need to leave right now."
I stepped back. My shoe slipped a little on the marble and made a squeak. I held the baby tighter against my chest and turned her face into my cardigan so her cheek was on the soft part. She made a small sound and I felt her warm breath through the knit. I kept my hand on the back of her head. I didn't let go, not even for a second.
Daddy moved with me. He didn't push her, but he put his arm out to the side so his body was between us and her. His sleeve blocked part of my view, and I stared at the black fabric of his tuxedo jacket and the white of his shirt cuff.
"All right," he said. "Don't touch those children."
He said it slower this time. His voice shook a little at the end, but he didn't move his arm down. "I mean it."
People behind us were whispering. I heard chairs creak when someone shifted. Nobody stood up. I could feel all their eyes on the back of my cardigan.
The bride looked at his arm like she couldn't believe it was there. "Are you serious?" she said. "In the middle of our wedding? Get them out of here. Now. They can't be in the aisle."
Her fingers curled and uncurled. She reached again, just a little, toward the blanket around the baby's legs.
I pulled back more and pressed the baby's face deeper into my cardigan. I could feel my heart hitting hard under her weight. The pink blanket had slipped down her shoulder, so I tucked it back up with my chin while I held her. She was getting heavy. My arms burned, but I locked them together under her.
"No," I whispered. I wasn't sure if I said it out loud. My throat hurt from crying.
Daddy saw her hand move. He stepped forward half a step and shook his head. "Stop reaching," he said. "You are not taking her from her."
The bride laughed, but it wasn't a happy laugh. It caught in her throat. "Her? You don't even—" She stopped and glanced at the guests. She smoothed the front of her dress with both hands. "Fine. Then you take them out. Take them to the back and have someone call— I don't care who. They cannot stay here while we finish."
I looked up at Daddy. His jaw was tight. He glanced down at me for just a second, and his eyes went to the baby's head against my sweater, then to my hands holding her. Then back to the chain in his fist.
He didn't answer her right away. The quiet got long. I heard the air conditioner humming up high and the baby breathing, little and fast.
From near the flowers, an older man's voice spoke up. I turned my head and saw him standing by the arch with a book in his hands. He wore a dark suit and glasses. He had been standing there the whole time, watching.
"Folks," he said calmly, "maybe we take a brief recess. Just a few minutes. Let everyone stay seated."
The bride turned toward him fast. "We don't need a recess. We need them gone."
The officiant held up one hand, gentle. "Just a pause to sort this privately," he said. "No one needs to leave the chapel."
Daddy nodded once. He didn't drop his arm. "Yeah," he said. "We pause."
He backed up one step toward me, still facing her, and I felt his leg brush against my dress. I leaned into him a little because my arms were shaking and I was scared I'd drop her. The baby squirmed and I rocked side to side without thinking, the way I had to do to keep her quiet.
The bride stared at his closed fist. "What is that?" she asked. "What did she give you?"
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Daddy didn't open his hand. He put that hand behind his back. "Later," he said.
Guests were still seated. Nobody moved for the doors. The officiant closed his book and set it down on the stand, and the sound echoed a little in the white room.
