“Mom?”
I crouched down. “Hey.”
She looked toward the reception room. “Why did Dad say you needed someone?”
I paused before answering.
“Sometimes adults say things when they’re upset,” I told her. “But what someone says about you doesn’t decide your value.”
She thought about that for a moment.
“But we wanted you here,” she said.
I smiled. “That’s what matters to me.”
She hugged me, and suddenly the entire reason I had brought Edward seemed unimportant.
Later, Max approached me in the hallway.
“So what happens with you and Edward?”
I looked at him.
“You really need to know?”
He didn’t answer.
“You’re getting married today,” I said. “You should be thinking about your future, not mine.”
He stood quietly for a moment.
Then I walked away.
Outside, Edward was waiting near the car.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Actually, I think I am.”
He smiled. “Good.”
I looked back toward the building. For years, I had allowed someone else’s opinion to influence how I saw myself. That night, something finally changed.
My daughter climbed into the car and asked, “Mom, do I look okay?”
I smiled. “Do you like your dress?”
She looked down and spun around once.
“Yes.”
“Then that’s all that matters.”
She smiled and climbed into her seat.
Before getting into the car, I caught my reflection in the window. For once, I didn’t search for flaws or wonder what anyone else would think.
I simply looked at myself.
Then my youngest called from inside the car.
“Mom! Let’s go!”
I smiled, opened the door, and joined my daughters.
I had arrived at the wedding wanting to prove something to Max.
I left realizing I had nothing to prove at all.