We held onto each other for awhile, until my tears stopped, until the strength came back into my legs and then I whispered in his ear, "Will you please take the photo?"

His arms gave me a squeeze. "I'll take the photo, Sadie."

I pushed it.

What could I say?

My father taught me to know when I had the advantage and when to push it.

So I did as my father taught me.

"Do you mind if I wear the necklace?"

That got me another squeeze, he didn't answer but I took it as a yes.

Then because I had to, because it was important, I took it further. "If he gets up before me, he tucks the covers around me so I won't be cold."

My father's body got tight.

"I don't know why but I went to him after the rape. He took me to the hospital. When the staff tried to separate him from me, it took two men to pull him away."

He gave me a different kind of squeeze, one that told me to be quiet.

I didn't listen to the nonverbal command, I went on, "He makes me feel safe."

Finally he spoke. "Sadie "

My voice went so low, I barely heard myself. "I think I love him."

Silence again.

Then a deep sigh.

"It'd be a lot easier to hate the man if he wasn't such a clever bastard."

I blinked into my father's neck. Then I pulled back and looked at him.

"What does that mean?" I breathed.

His hand came back to my cheek, his thumb again traced the scar then his eyes moved to mine.

"Can I just get to know my daughter for awhile before I have to put up with her new fucking boyfriend?"

My body sagged into his with relief.

Then I nodded.

Because I knew, it would take awhile, but it would happen.

"I won't miss another visiting day," I promised.

"Good," he returned.

"I want to know where she is. I want to take the gardenias there myself."

He sucked in breath, held it then let it go and nodded. "I'll be sure that's arranged."

"I want you to be good so you can get out soon."

This made him smile, not huge, but his lips turned up.

So, I smiled back.

Then I whispered, "I'm glad to have you back, Dad."

His hand sifted into the side of my hair, cupped my head and tilted it down.

He kissed the top of my head.

"Thank you for taking me back, Sadie," he said into my hair.

At that, for the first time in eighteen years, I gave my father a hug.

Epilogue.

Como Quieras Sadie "Jesus, Trish, I'm payin' for the booze, I should be able to get drunk on it," Herb Logan, Roxie's father, snapped at his wife (loudly).

"Keep your voice down, Herb," Trish Logan, Roxie's mother, hissed back (also loudly). "Do you want your daughter's wedding to be marred by memories of her loud, drunken, hillbilly father?"

I looked at Jules, Vance, Stella and Mace who were standing with me, Herb and Trish in our little (but loud) group.

"Roxie don't care, she wants everyone to have a good time. Shit, look at Ally, she's three sheets to the wind," Herb returned.

We all turned in unison to look at Ally.

She, like Jules, Stella and I (as well as Annette, Daisy, Indy, Ava, Jet and Roxie's sister, Mimi, being a Rock Chick, by the by, meant having an enormous wedding party) was wearing a glamorous, deep green, long, velvet dress, strapless, form-fitting with a sexy slit up the front and an elegant twist of material at the bodice. We all had perfect, oval rubies (Roxie's bridesmaid's gift, the green and red color combination was because it was Christmas Eve) winking at our throats and matching studs at our ears both of these displayed beautifully because our hair had been swept up in elaborate up-dos.

Ally and Ren Zano seemed to be having a very intense conversation. Ren's face was set, his jaw tight. Ally's face was red, her eyes flashing.

Then, all of a sudden, she shouted, "Go to hell, Ren Zano!" took a step back and cocked her arm, hand in a fist as if she was going to strike him.

"Oh my God," Jules breathed as Ally let fly but Ren caught Ally's fist, twisted it down and behind her back so her body slammed into his. His mouth went to her ear and he said something that made her struggle. He turned them both, his and her arm still behind her back, and marched them out of the elegant Donald R. Seawell Grand Ballroom of the Denver Performing Arts Complex.

"What was that all about?" Stella breathed as we all kept our eyes locked on the empty space where Ren and Ally used to be.

"Should we help her?" I asked and Stella and Jules both looked at me and gave me small shakes of the head.

I didn't like seeing Ally so upset but I figured Jules and Stella had more practice with this Rock Chick business, not to mention, I knew Ren was a good guy, he'd never hurt anyone. So I let it go.

"If she can shout 'go to hell' in this fancy-ass ballroom then I can have another fuckin' drink that I'm fuckin' payin' for," Herb announced and stomped to the bar.

Trish's eyes did a scan of Jules, Vance, Stella, Mace and I.

Then she asked, "Which of you girls are married? I forget."

"Just me, Mrs. Logan," Jules answered.

Trish's eyes came to me then went to Stella, "Don't do it."

Then she stormed off toward Kitty Sue, Malcolm and Tom.

Mace and Vance grinned at each other. Stella, Jules and I started giggling.

I felt heat then I felt Hector's hand at the small of my back. It slid along my waist and his mouth came to my neck. I shivered, twisted my head to the side and smiled up at him.

His face got warm when he caught my smile but his eyes went to Mace and Vance.

"What's up with Zano?" he asked them.

Silence.

But I got the feeling it wasn't because they didn't know, it was because they weren't saying in front of the loose lipped Rock Chicks.

Stella got the same feeling and she turned into Mace. "You know something?"

"Fuck," he muttered.

"Spill," she shot back.

"Kitten," Mace replied (though, you will note, he didn't answer).

I smiled.

I loved it that Mace called Stella "Kitten". It was very cute. There were a lot of things Mace was (he was hot, he was tall, he was handsome, he could be a little scary and moody, he could also be surprisingly sweet) but there was one thing he was not and that was cute.

Except when he was around Stella.

"Kai," Stella returned and I loved it when Stella called Mace by his given name. No one else did but she did and when she did, it was also very sweet (except now, when she did it with narrowed eyes).

My eyes moved to the door as Indy and Lee came through it. She was adjusting her bodice. Lee had her lipstick on his mouth.

I giggled.

Jules leaned in and whispered, "What's funny?"

I tilted my head to Indy and Lee. Lee was now wiping the back of his hand against his mouth.

"I think Indy got some," I whispered back to Jules.

Jules grinned.

"Weddings do that to people," she told me. "Luke carried Ava out in a fireman's hold at my reception. Took her home, gave her the business, brought her back, her mouth was swollen, her face was flushed and her hair was all over the place."

My eyes got round. "No kidding?"

She shook her head.

I had to admit (privately, to myself), she wasn't wrong. At Jet and Eddie's wedding a few months ago, Hector "gave me the business" in a haystack.

It was way better than s'mores.

"What's up?" Indy asked, she and Lee hitting our group.

"Not much. Herb's shitfaced. Trish warned Sadie and me not to get married. Ally nearly punched Ren in the face after shouting 'go to hell', loud, and the boys know what's going on and aren't spilling," Stella answered.

Indy turned to Lee. "Ally nearly punched Ren? What's that all about?"

Lee shook his head.

Indy's eyes narrowed.

"Maybe you shouldn't have given him naked gratitude in the cloakroom five minutes ago. Saved it for later," Jules threw out, Indy's face got red, her body turned slowly to Jules and Lee started chuckling.

"I don't see what's funny," Indy snapped at Lee.

His mouth went to her ear, his hand went to her midriff and he said something to her that made her eyes go lazy and her body relax.

"Whatever," she whispered and rolled her eyes at me.

I smiled. I had no idea why, I just did.

"What's going on with Ally?" Roxie asked, her hand in Hank's, both of them joining our group.

Roxie and Hank's wedding couldn't have been more different than Eddie and Jet's.

As Jet wanted, she got her hog roast outside a barn, hayride, s'more reception. It had been a blast. Everyone kicking up their heels on the wooden slats in the barn to rock 'n' roll and country, getting drunk on beer and cocktails, eating roasted hog, toasting marshmallows outside around a massive bonfire with big logs covered in fluffy wool blankets set all around and letting their hair down.

The only thing that slightly marred the festivities was when Ally started a hay fight during the hayride, it got a little rowdy (Tex was on that ride) and we got threatened with hayride-ejection from the irate hayride driver.

But other than that, it was the best.

Jet had looked gorgeous. Incongruous with the surroundings she chose, she'd gone the full on, wide skirted, tons of tule, lace and beading, huge wedding dress route, truly looking like a fairy princess.