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<\/p>\nAfter losing his wife, Jim finally finds a woman who makes him believe that happiness can be found once again. As Jim navigates the fine line between his daughter and welcoming Emily into his life, he realizes that blending a family isn\u2019t as easy as he thought it would be.<\/p>\n
I met Emily three years after my wife\u2019s death. Losing Karen had shattered me. She was the person that I thought I would grow old with, and more importantly, Karen was the mother of our precious daughter, Amy.<\/p>\n
There were days when I thought that I\u2019d never heal from the loss of my wife, but as time went on, I knew that hope would come.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s okay to feel your feelings, Jim,\u201d my mother would say. \u201cBut it\u2019s also okay to dream of a new start. Nobody will ever replace Karen. Not for you, nor for Amy. But it\u2019s okay to want joy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis wedding is off,\u201d I announced. \u201cI will not marry someone who would go to such lengths to hurt my child. We\u2019re done here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tears filled Emily\u2019s eyes, but she knew there was no arguing with me. Not when it came to my daughter.<\/p>\n
Emily turned and walked out, her bridesmaids trailing behind her.<\/p>\n
I knelt down to Amy\u2019s level, hugging her tightly.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one will ever come between us, sweetheart,\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n
The guests, still in shock, began to applaud. I stood up, took Amy\u2019s hand, and led her down the aisle, not as a bridegroom but as a proud father who stood up for his daughter and his family.<\/p>\n
The following day, I took my daughter out for breakfast. I needed to have a moment alone with her, ready to answer any questions she may have.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure it was a good idea not to marry Emily?\u201d Amy asked, pouring syrup onto her waffles.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, sweetheart,\u201d I declared clearly. \u201cDo you think it would have been right to marry Emily after she locked you in a room during the ceremony?\u201d<\/p>\n
Amy shook her head slowly, and picked up a strawberry.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d she replied. \u201cBut she did make you happy, didn\u2019t she?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a moment,\u201d I said truthfully. \u201cBut when I thought about what lengths she would go through, just to make herself happy? No, darling, then she did not make me happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, you don\u2019t blame me?\u201d she asked me solemnly.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot at all,\u201d I replied, reassuring her as much as I could.<\/p>\n
I knew that my daughter would struggle with this. I knew that she would think about this from all angles. She embodied everything my late wife did.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m glad, Dad,\u201d she said, smiling at me.<\/p>\n
And in that moment, I knew that I had done right by my daughter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"