Chapter 18 Taylor #2
“How did it go seeing your dad?” Kamryn asked when they were alone.
She let out a heavy sigh. “He remembered me for a few minutes, then it was gone. When we were leaving, he said he wanted to
introduce me to his daughter because we were both sweet.”
“Oh, Taylor, I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine how hard this is for you.” Kamryn gave her a strong hug.
Since Chanel had no idea what they were talking about, Taylor took a moment to fill her in about her father’s dementia.
“I’m sorry. I know he would’ve been here if he could.”
“Thanks, Chanel. You’re right. It’s hard because I always thought he’d be here.” She took a deep breath. “But he wouldn’t
want me to be sad either, so I’m going to do my best to make him proud.”
“I invited Giselle to come early, but I don’t know if she’s coming. I know Shawn is supposed to be coming to help Tariq with
any last-minute setup.”
Taylor didn’t say anything, but she could hear the irritation in Kamryn’s voice.
Every time they invited her for a get-together, Giselle either came late, left early, or didn’t show at all.
Usually it bothered Taylor, but not today.
She wasn’t going to worry about anything except enjoying herself.
Kamryn had put together a small charcuterie board, and the three women laughed and talked while enjoying every bite.
“So, Chanel, how’s it going with you and Vincent? ”
“It’s only been a couple of months, but he’s a really great guy.”
“Not that you’d tell us anything different,” Kamryn said with a laugh. “I’ve only known him a year, but he’s always been a
sweetheart.”
“I’ve known him since we were teens, and he is one of the good ones. Vincent has always been straightforward, loyal, and would
give you the shirt off his back,” Taylor added.
“That’s good to know. We still haven’t told anyone at work yet, though.” Chanel finished off her cheese and cracker. “There
are some women there who’ve been trying to come on to him since I started working there, and once they find out he’s dating
me, it might get a little awkward. Vincent is ready to go public, but I’m not sure yet.”
Kamryn waved her off. “I get why you guys are keeping it on the low, but you’ll know when it’s time. I’d just enjoy the ride
and not worry about the rest.”
“Exactly,” Taylor said, pointing her apple slice Chanel’s way. “And don’t let those other women dictate how you behave in
your relationship. He chose you for a reason. I was a little hesitant when Austin and I started dating because we’d been friends
for so long, but I can’t tell you how amazing it is to be with the one.
If you feel Vincent is that to you, hold on to him.
Like you said, there are other women who’d be happy to take him off your hands.
” The little spark that flashed in Chanel’s eyes made Taylor smile inwardly.
Maybe her feelings for Vincent ran deeper than she was letting on.
If so, she hoped it worked out for them.
Taylor wanted everyone to experience the kind of love she had with Austin.
Kamryn hopped up. “Oh my goodness. Hurry up and finish that apple slice.” She snatched Taylor’s lifted glass and put it on
the table. “We’re just talking and eating, and we only have twenty minutes before the receptions starts.”
She lifted a brow. “You know it only takes five minutes or less to put on the makeup because I don’t like all that stuff on my face.” She had a hard limit of lip color and mascara.
“I know, I know, but I’m going to add just a little powder to keep the shine down. The last thing you want is to look all
greasy in your pictures.”
“Well, dang, when you put it like that . . .”
Chanel burst out laughing, then coughed as she nearly choked on her wine. “The look on your face is priceless. It’s like you
had a vision of that face.” She cleared her throat and fanned herself. “Kamryn, you must be the oldest in your family because
that’s definitely something a big sister would say.”
“I’m an only child, but I designated myself as Taylor’s big sister.”
“Yep. She’s a whole year older than me, but she does have the whole big sister thing down. How old are you, Chanel?”
“Twenty-six.”
“So two years younger than me, and three younger than Kam.”
Kamryn slung an arm around Chanel’s shoulders. “If you need big sisters too, we got you.”
“Aw. Y’all are so sweet. I may take you up on it to see how it feels to be the youngest. I have one younger sister and she drives
me crazy sometimes.”
They all laughed, then Kam finished Taylor’s light makeup. “See, it doesn’t look caked on, as you like to say. It’s very light.”
Taylor turned her head one way, then the other as she checked out her reflection in the mirror. “Okay, you’re right. It looks
natural.”
“That’s why I’m the big sister,” she said, bringing on another round of laughter. Kamryn took a peek at her watch and said,
“I’m going to see if everything is ready. If so, I’ll send Austin in to get you.”
“Sounds good.”
Chanel stood. “I’m going to go with her. I need to get a good seat.”
Kamryn hooked her arm in Chanel’s. “Girl, you’re family. You already have a good seat.” She strutted out the door, closing
it behind her.
Taylor smiled. She loved her sister-in-law. While waiting, she covered the food, threw out their plates, and capped the wine.
Kamryn had thought of everything. And Chanel seemed to fit right in with them. Taylor laughed softly. She’d have to talk to
her brother-in-law and let him know that Chanel just might be his one and he should hold on to her.
“What are you laughing at?”
She spun around and brought her hand up to her chest. “Oh my goodness, Austin. You scared me.” Taylor had been so lost in
her thoughts that she hadn’t even heard the door open.
Austin slowly closed the distance between them, stopping just short of their bodies touching. He bent and brushed a soft kiss
over her lips. “Have I told you how much I love you, how much I adore you?”
She not only heard his words but felt them to the depths of her soul. “I hope it’s as much as I love and adore you.”
“My Tay,” he whispered just before kissing her again. “I’m really trying not to mess up your lipstick, but if we stand here
a second longer, you’re going to need Kam to give you a retouch.”
Shaking her head, Taylor grabbed his hand and headed for the door. “Absolutely not. I am not spending more time in the makeup chair.”
Austin laughed. “That’s my baby. I can’t believe you still don’t like makeup.”
“Yeah, well, not everybody likes all that stuff caked on their face.” When all her teen friends were begging their mothers
to let them wear makeup, she couldn’t have cared less. Even her aunt had tried to encourage her to at least wear a little
lipstick to the prom. She did—reluctantly—but not much had changed since then, and Taylor could count on one hand how often
she had worn it.
As they made their way to the reception area, he said, “You never said why you were laughing.”
“Oh, I was just thinking about how much we like Chanel, and that Vincent needs to hold on to her. I was going to casually
mention it to him.”
He just shook his head and smiled.
“What? I want them to be as happy as we are, so . . .” She let the sentence hang.
Tariq met them halfway down the hall. “You two ready?”
“Yep,” she said. “Let’s do this!”
He chuckled. “I guess that means you’re really ready. Kam’s going to do the introduction.”
Taylor heard the music playing when they got close to the room. She and Austin waited while Tariq went inside, presumably
to talk to Kamryn. A couple of minutes later, the music volume was lowered and she heard Kamryn’s voice. Tariq opened the
door.
“I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Austin Bradley!” she heard Kam say.
She and Austin shared a smile before entering to deafening applause from the one hundred or so guests assembled.
Once it died down, Kamryn continued. “They’ll be having their first dance to ‘Fortunate’ by Maxwell.”
Austin led Taylor to the center of the room and wrapped his arms around her. She’d chosen it because it had been her parents’
favorite song, and because she felt fortunate to have this man holding her close to his heart. Resting her head against his
shoulder, she hummed softly while they swayed to the ballad. She’d asked Tariq to record the dance because she wanted to store
up as many memories to replay as she could before Austin headed to the other side of the country. When the last notes of the
song faded, they greeted several of their guests on the way to the head table.
“That dress looks even more beautiful on you now than it did in the store,” Mama Yvonne said as they stopped at the family
table.
“Thanks, Mama Yvonne.” Thankfully, Taylor had found the dress on the first outing after only three hours of searching. She