She looked emotional.
But not shocked enough.
Then I looked at my mother.
She looked stunned.
That confused me more.
For a moment, embarrassment hit before anything else.
I hate admitting that.
This was our wedding.
There were photographers standing six feet away.
Our relatives were watching.
People had their phones out.
We had spent months planning every detail, and Claire had suddenly decided to walk down the aisle looking like she’d raided an elderly man’s closet.
And she hadn’t told me.
As she came closer, I tried to catch her eye.
She kept smiling.
When she finally reached me, she handed her bouquet to Jenna.
Then I leaned toward her and whispered, “Claire, what is this?”
She didn’t answer.
Instead, she reached across with her left hand and slowly folded back the oversized cuff of the jacket.
Inside the sleeve was an old fabric label.
At first, I only noticed the faded store logo.
Then I saw writing underneath it.
It was in black ink, a little smudged with age.
“Richard’s Wedding Suit.”
I looked at the words again.
Then at Claire.
Then at the suit.
My throat tightened so fast that it hurt.
“No,” I whispered.
Claire turned the cuff a little farther.
Beneath the older writing was newer stitching.
One word. “Danny.”
I covered my mouth.
Everything around me disappeared.
The guests. The photographer. The music. The whispers.
All I could see was the sleeve and that name.
My father’s voice came back so clearly in my head that for one insane second, I almost turned around looking for him.
I stared at Claire.
“Is this…”
She nodded.
“It’s your dad’s wedding suit.”
I broke.
There wasn’t any graceful way to describe it.
I started crying right there at the altar.
Aaron grabbed my shoulder.
My mom stood up so quickly that her chair scraped against the ground.
Claire looked toward her.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”
My mother shook her head, already crying too.
“How did you get it?” I asked.
Claire looked back at me.
“I called your mom months ago.”
I turned toward Mom.
She pressed both hands over her mouth.
Claire continued.
“I asked if she had anything of your dad’s that I could somehow include in the wedding. A handkerchief. A piece of fabric. Anything.”
My mother was nodding now.
“I gave her the suit,” she said.
“I asked her for something of your dad’s to include in the wedding,” Claire said.
