Page 116 of The Encounter
They arranged a dinner with his parents, and Maddie asked Dan over dessert. It was one of the few times since Jace had recovered from cancer as a child that he had seen his dad cry. Maddie had become like his own daughter, and he told her he would be honored to give her away.
The way Jace’s parents took Maddie in like she was their own child made him happier than he had ever been. He couldn’t be happier that his parents loved his future wife like one of their own, especially since Maddie didn’t have her own family. But after today, she would never be without again.
The closer Maddie got to Jace, the more eager he became to call her his wife. When they reached the end of the aisle, Dan pulled Maddie into a hug and whispered something in her ear that immediately made her tear up and squeeze him tighter. Then they pulled away and his dad turned toward him, pulling him into a hug.
“I’m so happy for you, son,” Dan said.
“Thank you, Dad. And thank you for walking Maddie down the aisle.”
Dan’s eyes teared up. “It was my honor. You chose an amazing woman to call your wife, and I was more than happy to give her away to you and to have her become my daughter.”
“Thanks,” Jace said, his voice catching.
Dan clapped him on the back and stepped away to stand next to Jackie.
Jace immediately wrapped his arms around Maddie. “You look stunning!”
She giggled. “You look handsome yourself.”
Jace clasped her hand in his, and the two of them stood before the pastor. The ceremony went by in a blur until Jace and Maddie both said, “I do.”
Then he dipped her dramatically and planted a kiss on her lips as their family and friends cheered.
“Are you ready to start the first day of the rest of our lives, Mrs. Locke?”
“Are you?”
