I had to steam my ridiculously fluffy turquoise bridesmaid ball gown again, going over parts I had previously missed. My dad’s cruise wedding would be starting in a few minutes. And, as usual, I was running late. I could see the blue water from the oval window in my cabin. It was so sunny and calm out there, a perfect day for a wedding for a man that meant the whole world to me. Dad was finally getting remarried after six years of being single, and I couldn’t be any happier. I was excited that he had met someone he truly loved and that he was willing to give marriage a second chance.

My parents had divorced when I was in middle school, and my dad hadn’t taken it so well. Mom had met someone else, remarried, and moved across the country, from DC to LA. It was so much for my dad - divorce and the possibility of losing me that he almost lost it and became super-protective of me. Thankfully, my parents agreed to a shared-custody arrangement, which meant I spent equal time with each of them. Since my old middle school was in a better school district than the area my mom was moving to, they decided to let me complete middle school in DC. I ended up going to the local high school partly because I insisted that I wanted to be with my friends, and also because my mom was too busy starting a new life. I didn’t want to be in her way. Thus, Dad ended up raising me during the school year while I spent summers and winters with Mom and my stepfather in LA, lazing on beaches and shopping all day.

I’d left for college last year, moving to Boston and giving Dad a chance to live his life. He must have been waiting for that chance because soon after I left, he had met Alyssa, a really nice woman. He had proposed to her within months. I had been very surprised; Dad was someone who never made hasty decisions. But I was happy for him after I met Alyssa and liked her instantly. I was even more excited when they decided on a cruise wedding. I had never been on a cruise, and the three months it took to plan the wedding seemed like forever to me.

Alyssa was in her late forties, a couple of years younger than my dad. She was a divorcee with two sons, Nick and Todd. Nick was a junior in a college in Minnesota, while Todd was still in middle school. Todd was a typical middle school kid, and Nick was just an ordinary college guy.

The idea of a cruise wedding had been Dad’s since he had wanted the kids to spend some time together and get to know each other. He thought the family would bond well over the ten-day Eastern Caribbean cruise. It wasn’t a bad idea, but I didn’t intend to spend too much time getting close to my soon-to-be stepbrothers. I had my entire life to do that. Instead, I hoped to meet one or two young men and possibly have a naughty time on the cruise.

I looked at my dress and wondered how I was going to get into it. Although it was expensive, it was just so green, with layers and layers of tulle that did nothing for my body. Ordinarily, it would have been a nice dress if the wedding was taking place in a church or a ballroom, but the wedding was on a ship, on a simple deck, and the dress hardly seemed appropriate. But who was I to say? I was just a bridesmaid; my job was to get through the day with a smile on my face for the guests and pictures.

Once the wedding was over, I planned to run back to my cabin to change into something that I could handle for the rest of the day. I shimmied into the dress, huffing and puffing as I tried to zip it up. It was a little too tight, but that was partly my fault as I had given Alyssa a smaller size than I usually wore. I had hoped to lose ten pounds before the wedding, but one thing had led to another, and only a fraction of the ten actually left.

So I shimmied into the dress that was a size or two too small, holding my breath as I pulled it over my hips, hoping to goodness that it didn’t burst at the seams during the ceremony. I had laid out a dress for after, a short and strapless A-line dress that was gathered at the waist that would have been perfect for the wedding. I finally got the dress over my ass and zipped up. I made finishing touches to my makeup and went to check on my dad.

CHAPTER 2

Dad was clumsily buttoning up the last buttons of his tuxedo shirt. He hadn’t had to dress up so nicely in such a long time, so I could imagine that he was having difficulties remembering how things worked. Or maybe he was just nervous. He looked like he needed help. I walked over and gently took his hands off the shirt.

“Here, let me help you,” I said, fastening the rest of the buttons on the shirt and straightening his bow tie.

He made a fake choking sound, causing me to break into a smile.

“You look so handsome, Dad.”

He really did look good. My dad was one of those men who didn’t seem to age. Even though he was almost fifty, he could have passed for a man in his forties. Heck, I’d even had people think we were lovers when we went out together. Either he looked way too young, or I looked older than my age. Whatever the case, those instances when people asked us if we were together always tickled his fancy and brought the usual answer: “She’s my daughter, and the best girl in my life.” Now that Alyssa was in the picture, I wondered who the best girl in his life was going to be.

“You look gorgeous, Jena,” he said, looking me up and down.

“And ridiculous,” I replied, spreading out my hands to display the dress and bursting out into laughter.

“Alyssa does have her taste in fashion.” He laughed along with me.

“Yes, she has a slightly different taste than me, but she is a great person,” I reassured my dad.

“She really is.”

“I’m so happy for you, Dad. I honestly mean it. Now you can get out of my hair and have your own life,” I said, hitting his chest playfully.

“Doesn’t mean I won’t still ask you about that boy.”

That boy was Josh, a sore topic between us. I had been dating him for over a year, and Dad totally disliked him for reasons I didn’t really care too much to know.

“So, how’s he, Josh, right?”

Dad always referred to him like someone he didn’t know, but that had ceased to annoy me. Instead I found it amusing and played along with Dad by defending Josh. These days, though, I was beginning to question my relationship with him, but I wasn’t going to tell Dad that. At least not today. I knew a break up was in the future for us, but today wasn’t the right time to discuss breakups. I’d save that story for a different time. I could imagine my dad’s elation when I explain that Josh was too conceited for his own good and I was breaking up with him. Maybe I’d save that news as a wedding present to him.

“Josh’s fine. He’s out of town for his senior-year internship, but he sends his love and well wishes. He’s sorry he’s missing the wedding and cruise.”

Dad nodded but made no comment. We both knew that Josh would not have felt comfortable at the wedding; I hadn’t even bothered inviting him to the wedding even though everyone claimed they wanted to meet him. It wasn’t like he was the kind of man I wanted to bring home to my family, so his not coming to the wedding worked out okay. Besides, now I wouldn’t have to explain to everyone who had met him at the wedding that we were no longer together the next time they asked about him.

“Sweetheart, you know I’m not the best person to give relationship advice. But your old man just wants to see you happy.”

“I know, Dad. I am very happy, being here with you and seeing you so in love.”

“I’m very happy. Alyssa is really for keeps.” He gave me a wink.

“Yes, she is Dad. We have to treat her right so she stays,” I joked.

Even though I hadn’t spent too much time with Alyssa, I found her warm and approachable. I knew we’d get along really well. When we had spent together, she treated me like a little sister instead of a child, and I was grateful for that. I already had a mother and didn’t need a new one. I bet she knew that was a better way to win me over to her side, not that I need to be enticed to like her. As long as my dad was happy with her, I was satisfied.

Dad checked his appearance in the mirror again and nodded his approval. I smiled at him and reached up to give him a peck on the cheek. He held me in a warm embrace for a brief moment, and for that brief moment, I felt very loved.

“I love you, sweetheart,” he said.

“Love you too, Dad. Come on, time to get you married,” I said, breaking the embrace. I didn’t want to start crying, as I was already on the verge of tears. “Shall we?”

“Yes. Let’s not keep my bride waiting,” he said. He held my hand as we walked out of the cabin towards the main deck where the ceremony was to take place.

I was elected to walk my dad out to the wedding instead of walking in as a bridesmaid. It was Alyssa’s idea and I didn’t mind. It did feel special walking with Dad, and I imagined that in a few years, he would be walking me down the aisle.

CHAPTER 3

The deck was decorated with cream tulle and fresh calla lilies. Several chairs were arranged in a row, and a red carpet trailed from one end of the deck to the gazebo. Everything was elegant and tasteful. I wondered for a moment if Alyssa had picked out the flowers by herself or someone else had suggested them to her. This thought caused me to chuckle, and Dad looked at me like I was weird.

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered. “Alyssa does have some good taste in things other than men.”

He laughed as we both made our way up to the makeshift gazebo that had been set up for the wedding, waving at some family members and friends who had made it on the cruise and were seated in the rows.

Alyssa soon appeared. She was walked down the aisle by Nick and Todd. In the sunlight and under the magic of the moment, the boys looked so handsome, and for a brief moment, I was happy that they were going to be my brothers. Heck, if I was going to inherit some brothers, I might as well get drop-dead gorgeous ones. At least I could have girls envying me whenever we went out together.

Dad was all smiles, a grin spreading from one ear to the other and broadening as Alyssa moved closer. She made an absolutely beautiful bride in her simple but elegant white sheath wedding gown and shimmering veil. I wondered how she had managed to find such an elegant dress for herself but dumped me in a ball gown from Candyland? I made a mental note to ask my bridesmaids when and if I ever got married for their input in their gowns.

I was quiet through the whole ceremony, but I didn’t really pay attention to the words being said as my mind was focused on Josh and our impending breakup. It was painful that I had invested almost two years of my life with someone who had turned out to be an asshole. It was even more painful that my dad had seen it, warned me, but I was too grown-up to listen to anything he had to say. As I stood there, listening to the couple exchange vows of happiness and forever love, I felt tears well in my eyes and fought hard to control myself. I would let the tears fall in private, if at all.

The ceremony was short and sweet; within minutes, my dad was married. He kissed the bride so intensely that people started shouting “get a room.” I couldn’t imagine what was going to go down in his room that night. The thought alone almost made me gag. I didn’t want to know what my dad did behind closed doors alone, much less with his new wife. The thought of him, straddled by Alyssa, was too much to bear; I started giggling, forgetting my sorrows. Nick looked at me with a confused look and a smile. I had a feeling that he was going to bring that up in conversation sooner or later.

Dad and Alyssa looked so blissful together. I wondered if I would ever find such happiness. I had been happy with Josh at first, until he started treating me like shit. I had already rehearsed the conversation I would have with him when we returned to school in a few weeks. Somewhere inside me, I still liked him, but I knew that with him, I was never going to be as happy as the couple in front of me. We had no future together.

“So, what’s so funny?” Nick asked me once the ceremony was over and people were beginning to disperse to enjoy the cocktails. Waiters were passing around hors d'oeuvres and drinks.

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