Chapter 3 - The Nanny Who Wasn't Called
The side room off the aisle was supposed to be for gifts. That morning it was just white walls and a table stacked with envelopes and my small white shoes scuffing against the tile. Daddy hadn't let go of my hand since he walked me off the white runner.
He knelt so we were eye level. His tuxedo jacket pulled tight across his shoulders and the white rose on his chest was bent from where I'd grabbed him. He smoothed my bow with one hand. The other hand was closed around the crumpled note.
"You're staying right here with me," he said. His voice was low and even. "Okay?"
I nodded. My cheeks were still wet. I could hear the organ music had stopped. Outside the door, guests were talking in that hushed way adults do when something has gone wrong.
He pulled his phone from his pants pocket with his free hand. He didn't stand up.
"I'm going to call Ms. Rivera," he said. "She's the venue coordinator. Remember her with the clipboard?"
I nodded again.
He tapped the screen and put it on speaker so I could hear. It rang twice.
"Mr. Hayes, hi, I'm still holding the bridal suite," a woman's voice said quickly. "Are we restarting the processional?"
"Not yet," Daddy said. "Can you send the nanny to the gift room for Emily? My fiancee said she was waiting."
There was a pause. I watched Daddy's jaw tighten the way it had on the aisle.
"I'm sorry, sir," Ms. Rivera said. "What nanny?"
"The nanny for Emily," he said. His voice didn't get louder but it got flatter. "The one we arranged for the ceremony."
"Sir, we have the childcare vendor list in your file and there's no nanny booked," she said. Papers shuffled on her end. "You have the photographer, florist, string quartet, catering. No nanny. I can call our list now and try to get someone here in thirty minutes if you need, but no one was scheduled. Would you like me to do that?"
Daddy looked at me. His eyes softened around the edges but his brow stayed furrowed.
"No," he said. "Thank you. Please just hold the ceremony and keep guests seated. I'll come find you in a minute."
He hung up. He slipped the phone back into his pocket and unfolded his hand. The note was damp from my fist. He didn't open it. He folded it once more, small and careful, and slid it deep into his inside jacket pocket. He patted it.
"There was no nanny," he said, more to himself than to me. "She told you to give you to someone who wasn't even here."
I felt my throat get tight again. I hadn't understood that part until he said it.
"She didn't tell me," I whispered. "Her mom did."
Daddy stilled. His hand rested on my shoulder. He leaned in a little.
"What do you mean, sweetheart?"
"Her mom," I said. My voice shook. "In the dressing room. Before we lined up. She said I had to be quiet and gave me the paper. She said her mother said I have to leave forever."
I saw him figure it out. His eyes moved to the hallway where the bridal suite was, then back to me. He didn't ask if I was sure. He just breathed in slowly through his nose.
"Emily, did anyone else see her give it to you?" he asked.
I shook my head. "She pulled me by the dresses. She said not to cry or I'd ruin the pictures."
He closed his eyes for half a second. When he opened them, his face was calm again, that same restrained look from the aisle. He wasn't yelling. He wasn't crying. He just looked decided.
"Okay," he said. "Thank you for telling me exactly what happened. That was very brave."
He stood, but he kept my hand in his. He checked the pocket with the note again, a quick press with his palm to make sure it was still there.
"We're going to stay together," he said. "I'm not giving you to anyone. No nanny, no other room, no hallway. You stay with me until I know what's true. Do you understand?"
May you like
I nodded and squeezed his hand hard.
Outside, Ms. Rivera's heels clicked past the door and someone asked in a whisper when the music would start again. Daddy didn't answer them. He locked the side room door from the inside and pulled a chair close so I could sit right next to him. He kept his jacket on, the note safe against his chest, and he didn't let go.
