Chapter 18 Taylor
Taylor
“You good over there?”
Taylor shifted her gaze to Austin as he drove them to the memory care center to see her dad. He wouldn’t be able to attend
the reception, but she wanted him to see her dress at least. She’d always planned for him to walk her down the aisle. It turned
out to be one more shattered dream.
“Just thinking about how I wish Dad could be there to celebrate with us, and that I don’t know what I’m going to do with you
being so far away.”
Austin had been selected for one of the enlisted-to-officer programs and would leave to start Officer Candidate School in
a few months. They had originally planned to have the reception at the end of July, but pushed it up by a month to accommodate
all the preparation he’d have to do. With her father falling deeper into dementia, she sometimes felt as if she were all alone.
Learning that Austin would be on the other side of the country only added to those feelings, and she had no idea how she’d
manage.
Austin grasped her hand and placed a kiss on the back. “I really wish your dad could be there too. And no matter how far I am, I’ll always be a plane ride away. As soon as I get settled, you can come visit.”
“I know. I just love being able to hop in the car and get to you in a couple of hours.”
He chuckled. “I like it too, but I doubt they’d leave me stationary for my entire career.”
“Hey, a girl can dream. And that’s the part that worries me. For all I know you could end up in Japan or something.” She’d
known it would happen at some point, and it made her even gladder that she’d said yes to dating and yes to marrying him.
“Did I tell you how beautiful you look in that dress?” he asked, changing the subject.
Smiling, Taylor said, “You may have mentioned it, but feel free to tell me again.” She’d chosen a floor-length gown similar
to the one she’d worn on their wedding day, but opted for sleeveless since the weather had warmed up.
“You look absolutely gorgeous, baby, but nothing tops the night you walked down the aisle to me.”
Every time he said sweet things like this, she fell even more in love with him, something she didn’t think possible. “I can
say the same thing about you. I don’t want to have to act up if some woman tries coming on to you looking as fine as you do.”
The ivory suit caressed his tall, athletic body as if it had been tailored specifically for him.
Austin ran a hand over his close-cropped hair, then down his clean-shaven face. “Yeah, I do look good.”
They burst out laughing, and she playfully shoved him.
Austin pulled into the center’s lot and parked. “What? I do. Besides, I can’t be out here rolling up any kind of way while
you’re looking like a goddess.”
“And that’s why I love you.”
“I love you too.” He got out and came around to help her out.
Taylor tilted her head up like a queen and did a slow glide across the parking lot.
“What are you doing?”
“Practicing my goddess walk. Whatcha think?”
“I think,” he said slowly, “that is the sexiest walk I’ve ever seen.”
She stopped and turned. The heat in his gaze made her pulse skip. He came toward her, leaving mere inches between them.
“I’ve been tempted to strip you out of that dress since the moment I saw you in it. All I need is an excuse.”
“Sooo, I’ll save the walk for later then.”
A grin kicked up the corner of his mouth and he entwined their fingers. “Yeah, you do that.”
Her smile stayed in place until they reached the door. Each time she came, Taylor prayed that her father would recognize her,
even if only for a few minutes. As soon as they entered, she saw the front desk attendant.
“Oh my goodness, Taylor. You look stunning, my dear.” Mrs. Baker was up and around the desk in a flash and gently hugged Taylor,
then held her away. “Your young man is a handsome devil,” she added with a little giggle.
“Thank you, Mrs. Baker, and yes, he is.” She would forever be grateful to the older woman for her assistance in helping Taylor
accept that her father needed more care than she could provide. Mrs. Baker had gently and lovingly assured her that placing
him in a center designed to facilitate the well-being of dementia patients was not the same as throwing him away, but instead
was an act of love.
“Well, Ben seems to be having a pretty good day today, and I know you’re eager to see him.”
After signing the register and getting badges, she and Austin took the hallway leading to her dad’s room. As if sensing her
turmoil, Austin rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb.
“No matter what, Taylor, your dad loves you.”
“I know.” Taylor took a deep breath and knocked on the open door. Her father was seated in a chair facing the window overlooking
the lush grounds. She tentatively approached and touched his shoulder. “Hi, Daddy.”
He looked up at her in confusion for a moment, then his eyes lit up. “It’s my baby girl.”
Tears of relief and grief filled her eyes as she leaned down to hug him. Benjamin Price had always been her hero, and it broke
her heart to see the strong, muscular man who’d carried her on his shoulders reduced to a shell of himself.
“You look so pretty in your dress. Reminds me of your mama. She’d be so proud of you.”
“Thanks, Dad.” She reached out her hand for Austin. “Look who’s here with me.”
His smile widened. “Austin. Are you taking care of my baby like you promised?”
“Yes, sir, I am. I married her, and I plan to love her forever.”
“Your mom is going to be so happy. I can’t wait to tell her. She had to run to the store.”
Rather than correct him, Taylor said, “I know she’ll be happy too.” Though her mother had only seen Austin twice, Taylor remembered
her saying, That young man has a good heart. I can just tell. And she’d been right. “Look what I brought for you.” She held up a ziplock bag.
“My favorite oatmeal raisin cookies.” He accepted the bag, which she’d opened, and bit into one. “They’re as good as I remember,”
he said with a smile.
Within seconds, her father drifted back into his own world. He stared at the cookie as if wondering what it was, and Taylor eased it from his hand and put the remainder back into the bag. She’d give it to one of the nursing assistants for safekeeping on her way out. “How’ve you been feeling, Dad?”
Instead of responding, he just stared out the window smiling.
Tears clogged her throat.
“I wonder where Joyce is. We’re supposed to be going out to dinner,” he said suddenly a few minutes later.
It took all of Taylor’s strength not to break down. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that his wife wouldn’t be coming
back. Apparently sensing her distress, Austin grasped her hand. She gazed up at him, and he gave her hand a gentle squeeze,
letting her know he understood and had her back. She tried to engage her dad in more conversation, but he said nothing, just
continued to stare.
After a few minutes, she hugged him. “I love you, Daddy. I’ll see you soon.”
“Okay. Thanks for stopping by. Next time, maybe I can introduce you to my daughter. She’s about your age.” He studied her
a moment. “Come to think of it, you remind me of her a lot. You two would get along well because you’re both sweet young women.”
“Sounds good,” she said with a bittersweet smile.
As soon as they exited the building, the tears came in waves.
“Come here, baby.”
“I can’t mess up your suit,” she cried.
“I don’t care about the suit. You’re far more important to me.”
She fell into his arms and cried until she had no more tears. “This is so hard. So hard. He’s slipping away more and more each time I come, and I know I’m going to get here one time and he won’t remember me at
all.”
“That may be true, but never doubt that his heart will always know who you are.”
“I hope so.” They continued to the car. Inside, she flipped down the visor and looked at herself in the mirror.
“Ugh. It’s a good thing I decided to wait to put on the makeup.
Otherwise, I’d look like a raccoon.” Her eyes were slightly red from crying, and she hoped they would clear up by the time they made it to the reception venue.
“You’re beautiful with or without it, so if you don’t want to wear any, I’m good.”
Taylor leaned over and kissed his cheek. He never failed to give her a lift when she needed it. “Thanks. Kam is going to do
it when we get there. She said she and Tariq would get there a little early to make sure the staff has everything set up the
way we asked.”
By the time they made it to the event venue, Taylor felt a little better, but her father was never far from her mind. How
long would it be before she wouldn’t even have those precious few minutes of love and recognition? What was she supposed to
do when it happened? She would give anything for more time. More time to hear his laughter. More time to feel his arms around
her. More time for the father-daughter dance that would never be. Austin’s voice cut into her troubled thoughts.
“I see Tariq’s car over there.” Austin gestured with his head as they headed for the entrance.
“I should’ve known they’d beat us here.” The reception wouldn’t start for another hour. She turned at the sound of another
vehicle. “What’s Vincent doing here so early?”
“I think Tariq wanted him to help with some of the setup. Shawn is supposed to show up too.”
They slowed their steps and waited for the couple. “Hey, y’all,” Taylor said when Vincent and Chanel reached them.
Vincent hugged her. “You look good, sis.” He shared a one-armed hug with his brother. “And you look almost as good as me,” he said to Austin.
“Boy, don’t make me pop you upside yo’ head. You wish you could look this good.”
Taylor waved a hand. “Okay, okay, you two, give it a rest.” She turned to hug Chanel and said, “I’m so glad you could come.”
“Thank you for the invite, and I really love your dress.”
“Thanks.” The group went inside and found Tariq and Kamryn talking with a staff member.
Tariq waved them over, and Taylor and Austin listened as the woman went over final details. Afterward, she led Taylor, Kamryn,
and—at Taylor’s insistence—Chanel to the room where she’d stay until the party started.