My Dad, Sidelined at My Wedding

My dad arrives at the hotel after taking three bus rides from the town two hours before the wedding starts.

He's wearing the old suit that he has kept for the past ten or so years. The cuffs have gone white from all the washing, and his shoes shine brightly from all the polishing.

Before entering, Dad has specifically pinned the red boutonniere to his chest several times while looking at his reflection in the glass of the hotel's main entrance just so he can get it right. After all, it symbolizes his status as the bride's father.

When Dad is about to take his seat, he grasps the card that shows his seat as he approaches my future husband, Elliott Chambers, tentatively.

"Elliott, there seems to be a mistake with my seat."

Elliott merely glances at the card before pushing it back to Dad.

"Your seat is correct. There are limited spots at the main table, so you'll have to sit at a spare table at the back."

Dad is stunned by Elliott's answer.

"But it says here that I'm meant to sit at the main table…"

Elliott frowns at Dad.

"This is a last-minute adjustment. The shareholders and important clients of Chambers Corp will be attending my wedding today. Not everyone gets to sit at the main table."

Dad looks down at his old suit before he slowly stuffs the card back into his pocket. He wants to take off the boutonniere, but the pin gets stuck in the fabric of his jacket.

The more he wants to take it off, the more his hand keeps shaking.

That's when Elliott's mother, Catherine Aldridge, speaks up.

"All the seats are the same, Patrick. Don't cause any trouble for Elliott now."

Dad quickly nods in response.

"You're right. I'm fine with any seat."

Then, he picks up the old wooden chest that's sitting by his feet before heading toward the spare table that's located in the corner.

I raise my head, only to see a seating card titled "The Carvers" being placed on the most obvious spot of the main table.

At the moment, Elliott is helping Claire Carver's mother into her seat.

As for my dad, he's hugging the chest containing the wedding gifts meant for me while sitting by the kitchen door.

I was just about to go find Elliott Chambers when the wedding coordinator came hurrying over with her binder.

"Mr. Chambers, the groomsmen need to get into position."

Elliott lowered his head to adjust his cufflinks and gave a brief acknowledgment. That was when I noticed the person standing beside him wasn't Owen Reed.

It was Theo Carver, Claire Carver's younger brother, wearing a groomsman's suit with a white boutonniere pinned to his lapel.

I had placed that boutonniere in Owen's gift box myself the night before. When Owen tried on his suit, he'd been so nervous he didn't know what to do with his hands. I teased him about it, and he just held the