That Wedding Page 10

  "I know, but I thought you had discretion. Like I thought you could take money out of the trust for me if you thought it was necessary. I assumed that's how we'd pay for the wedding, right?"

  "That is right. I have discretion. What you have in your control is a lot of money, but I don't think it will cover your dream wedding. And if you did use it for that, you'd probably have nothing else left."

  "Right. That's why you're letting me use some of the trust money."

  "Well, I might be."

  "You might be?"

  "Remember, I said I'm holding the wedding money hostage?"

  "Uh, yeah."

  "I heard that you don't want Pastor John to marry you. That you've refused to go to couple's counseling."

  "Well, yeah. He wasn't very nice to me. There's no way I'm letting him marry us."

  "The Mackenzies are very adamant about having him marry you. They feel your parents would've wanted it."

  I tilt my head and look at him. "Can I ask you a question?"

  "Sure."

  "When my parents died, did you think I needed counseling, or did you think I handled it well?"

  He thinks about it for a second and straightens the napkin under his drink. "Maybe both. I think we were all shocked at how well you seemed to handle it. We kept wondering when you were going to breakdown. We worried that you were holding it all in. Not allowing yourself to grieve."

  "I didn't hold it all in. The night of the funeral after everyone left, I went back to my house and lost it. Cried my eyes out. Phillip was there. He knows."

  "What about after that?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "Danny says you never let yourself cry. That you hold it all in. That's not normal, honey. You're supposed to cry."

  I shake my head at him. "Not me. I just suck it up. Although, I did cry on stage when we got engaged, so you can't say I never cry."

  "Okay, is it true that you've never visited their grave? Not once?"

  His comment makes me feel really guilty, especially since he's looking at me in a way that makes me know he thinks I should have. Like I've been a bad daughter for not going. "Yeah," I say, "but I don't go there because I don't believe they're there. I believe they're in heaven."

  Plus.

  I can't go back there.

  Thinking of their bodies buried in the dirt.

  Um, no. Not going there.

  EVER.

  "What about hospitals? Is it also true that you didn't visit your best friend, Lori, when she had her appendix out?"

  I start to fidget. I'm feeling a bit uncomfortable about all this. I try to explain myself. "Um, it's true, but I had a test, and Lori was home the next day. I visited her there."

  He nods his head at me. I can tell he sees right through me.

  And I did kinda lie to everyone about the test.

  I hate hospitals.

  Nothing good happens there, at least for me, and I didn't wanna like jinx her.

  He smiles at me. "I'll always worry about you, you know?"

  "I know, and I really appreciate it. Appreciate everything you've always done for me."

  His smile turns to a grimace. "You may not feel that way after I tell you this. I agree that you should choose who marries you, but I'm going to insist you go to couple's counseling. All of us go through it. It's really a good thing. I know you and Phillip get along well, but being a couple is different from being friends. There are a lot of issues to deal with as a married couple. Marriage counseling helps prepare you for that. You're moving very fast, and I'm sure there are things you and Phillip have never discussed before, like money, budgets, life goals, how many kids you want, how to handle conflicts, things like that. So if you chose to go through couple's counseling with Pastor John, you can send me all the bills for the wedding. If you choose not to, then you'll have to pay for it on your own. I'm sorry if he upset you, honey, but I really believe your parents would agree with me on this."

  "Did the Macs tell you that Pastor John said my parents abandoned me, and that's why I'm mad?"

  "I heard that he asked if you ever felt abandoned. There's a big difference between the two."

  I can't talk about this. I won't talk about it. There is no way in hell that I'm ever going to talk to Pastor John again, but I adore Mr. D. I won't be disrespectful. He's done too much for me, and I know he's been brainwashed by the Macs into thinking this is in my best interests.

  I give him my best puppy dog eyes. They used to work on my dad when I was little. They probably won't work on him, but they can't hurt. "I'll talk to Phillip about it, but I'm pretty sure I'll be having a very small wedding now. Thanks for the wine."

  I was fairly calm when I left the restaurant, but by the time I get home, I'm fuming.

  I'm trying to figure out if I can sue him, fight him. I want the big wedding. I think he's right that my parents would want it. It's not his money, it's mine. Who does he think he is? And why was I so stupid? Why at eighteen did I tell them I didn't need that much money? Why did I let them put it back in the trust? What was I thinking?

  That's it. I wasn't thinking.

  My parents had just died.

  I was under stress.

  Or duress.

  Or whatever it's called when you don't make the right decisions because you're temporarily not thinking straight. I'll hire a lawyer. I'll.......

  I storm into the house and throw my purse against the wall.

  Phillip's sitting on the couch. He looks at me with concern. "What's wrong?"

  I plop on the couch next to him. "We're....we can't.....I don't......he said......" Then I start crying. I tell him how we had our dream wedding planned. How I can't afford it now. How it probably doesn't matter because we have nowhere to have the dream wedding anyway. How I just wanna go to Vegas, have strippers for bridesmaids, and get married by Elvis. How it will just be me and Phillip. How we're not doing couple's counseling. How everyone should just mind their own fucking business. How I'm glad we're moving, so we don't have to go to any more stupid Sunday dinners.

  Phillip holds me and lightly pats my back. I'm sure he wonders what the hell, but he never lets on.

  "We'll figure something out, Princess. Don't worry," is all he says.

  But it's enough.

  Phillip always knows exactly what to say.

  I lay my head on his shoulder and stop worrying. Phillip has that affect on me. He calms me down. I know we'll figure out something together.

  Phillip and I have decided to elope. We're going to skip Vegas and get married on an amazing beach. We spent all last night looking at exotic locales. We haven't figured out where, but since it's just the two of us going, we're going somewhere really posh. Somewhere decadent. We narrowed it down to four places, and I'm going to call them this weekend and find out about their wedding packages. It's not what I dreamed of, but it's how it's gonna have to be.

  Like Phillip says, All that matters is that we get married.

  And I keep telling myself that he's right.

  Even though it doesn't feel that way.

  I'm sitting at Phillip's desk at work, sketching out some very rough ideas for the front of the new building. They've been floating around in my mind for a few days, and I want to get them on paper.

  My cell rings. I don't recognize the number, but notice it's the KC area code. "Jadyn Reynolds," I say very professionally, assuming it's one of the realtors we've been working with.

  "Miss Reynolds, this is Maggie from the International Hotel in Kansas City. I got your message the other day, and I wanted to let you know that we had a cancellation for our rooftop ballroom and wondered if you were still interested."

  OH MY GOSH!!! OMIGOSH!!! Ohmygosh!!! I can barely breathe!!! The International Hotel is the dream spot!!! Rooftop ballroom overlooking the Lights!!! Can this really be happening??? Am I awake?

  "Are you serious?" I ask.

  But, shit. What happened? Why did it come available? Did some other couple call off their wedding?
>
  Would it be bad karma to take their place?

  Do I really care about karma?

  "May I ask why the event got cancelled?"

  "It was scheduled for an annual company holiday party, but you know with the way the economy is a lot of companies are cutting back. They've decided to cut out their party this year."

  "Wow, okay." AHHHHH!! "What date is available?"

  "Saturday, January the thirteenth."

  OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's like a bolt of lightening just flashed straight down from heaven into Phillip's office.

  January the thirteenth!! My parents' anniversary was the twelfth.

  "The thirteenth would be perfect," I hear myself say. I'm beyond thinking. I'm just doing. "Wait. Are the Plaza Lights still up then?"

  "Yes, it's their last weekend," she says cheerfully.

  "I'll take it."

  I can't believe my luck, my being blessed, I'm not sure, but wow. I'm sooooo excited.

  It gets even better when she says, "I don't know if you're interested, but the wedding and event planner who normally does this function is free now as well. She's very talented and has other vendors you might be interested in hiring. Would you like her number?"

  OMG!!! YES!!! A wedding planner AND the dream location!??!! Is this really happening?

  Thank you, God.

  Thank you, Mom and Dad.

  Thank you, whoever listened to my prayers and made this happen.

  Thank you, thank you, thank you.

  "I'd love that," I say.

  I do want a wedding planner. I want to go over my ideas with her, my colors, the scrapbook of stuff that I've been collecting in my mind, and have her fret the tiny details. I want us to enjoy our wedding weekend. I think a wedding planner is exactly what we need.

  Then she says, "The company also had a block of rooms held. Would you be interested in those?"

  Uh, yeah!!!

  "Yes, it will be a destination wedding, so we'll definitely need the rooms."

  Before I know it, I'm giving her my credit card number to put down a deposit, and she's faxing me over a contract.

  This isn't just any venue that became available. This is the dream one. This is the gorgeous hotel with the view of the Plaza Lights. It has a rooftop ballroom, great food, and sparkly chandeliers.

  All of a sudden, I can see my wedding again.

  I know what I want. I know what colors I want, and I can picture it.

  I hang up the phone and scream with joy.

  Phillip comes rushing into the doorway.

  I look at him and can't help it.

  Happy little tears start trickling down my face.

  I look up to the sky and say thank you again.

  I'm pretty sure I just got a wedding gift from my parents.

  I excitedly tell Phillip what just happened.

  He tilts his head at me. "But that means we're gonna have to do couple's counseling. I thought you were vehemently opposed to that?"

  SCREEEECCCHHHH!!!

  CRASH!!

  BOOM!!

  I'm pretty sure the truck carrying all my wedding dreams just crashed into a brick wall, burst into flames, and blew to pieces on impact.

  My heart drops.

  Oh my gosh. He's right. I can't have this wedding. I'm going to have to call her back and cancel.

  I cover my face with my hand. "You're right, Phillip. I forgot. I got so excited that I forgot I can't afford it. I'll have to call her back and say no."

  Phillip pulls me into his arms. "Princess, you want the big wedding. You never let anything stand in your way of getting what you want. Why are you gonna let a few couple's counseling sessions get in our way?"

  "You know why, Phillip."

  "I talked to Danny about it. He said couple's counseling was a breeze. They met with Lori's pastor like twice."

  "It's who they want me to do the counseling with."

  He pushes my chin up gently, so I have to look at his gorgeous brown eyes. "What do you want?"

  "I want the big wedding, Phillip. I really do."

  "Then let's do it. We'll go to counseling, make everyone happy, and we'll have the wedding of our dreams."

  "What if counseling breaks us up?"

  He looks at me seriously. "Really? Nothing will ever break us up. And I'm calling Mr. D right now." He grabs his cell, calls Mr. D, and says, "Hey, it's Phillip. We're considering going to marriage counseling. I agree a big wedding is what her parents would've wanted, and it's what she wants. But before we agree to your terms, I want to make one thing clear. We'll go to couple's counseling. We'll talk about our future marriage, but we will not be talking about her parents. You cool with that?"

  Phillip nods his head and smiles at me. "Awesome. Then you can be the first to hear. We're getting married on January thirteenth at the International Hotel in Kansas City."

  "Yes, sir. I'm excited too. I'll tell her."

  Phillip gets off the phone and gives me a smug grin. "Done."

  I wrap my arms around his neck. "I love you, Phillip. You always know the right thing to do. How do you always know the right thing to do?"

  "You used to hate that about me, remember?" he teases.

  "That's true. Sometimes it got in the way of my fun. It's funner when we're on the same team."

  "It is. I think you better call the wedding planner right away, and then I'm taking you out for lunch. We seriously need to celebrate."

  I call the wedding planner. Her name is Amy, and we connect right away. I can't wait to meet her! We talked about my budget, how I want the event to flow, and all of my ideas. I email her a powerpoint full of all my wedding inspirations.

  She tells me, "We have exactly ninety-nine days until your wedding. Normally, the Save the Dates would go out ninety days in advance, so that's the first thing we need to do. Do you have a guest list you can send me?"

  "Uh, well, no," I say. Then I give her the quick version of our first date engagement, how we've been engaged for less than a month, why we want to get married quickly, and how adorable Phillip is.

  She's like, "Wow. Well, I'm glad you're used to moving fast because we have a lot of decisions to make and a short time to do it. Your wedding will be here before you know it."

  I can't even believe it.

  I'm going to be Mrs. Phillip Mackenzie in ninety-nine days.

  I start to sing in my mind. Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall, ninety-nine bottles of beer, take one down, pass it around, your wedding will soon be here. Hey!

  I agree to get our guest list to her by next Sunday. She'll order the Save the Dates, go through all our ideas, and make a plan.

  I immediately call Phillip's mom and tell her we have a date and a location. Normally, my first call would've been to Danny and Lori, but I was afraid since Mr. Diamond knew, she might get pissed if she heard it from them and not me. Then I called Lori and Danny and gushed about it some more.

  I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  Like in case no one noticed.

  I know I should do what it says in the wedding magazines and take each one of my bridesmaids out for a drink or a special lunch and ask her to be in my wedding in a very personal and loving way.

  But they need to know NOW!!

  Plus I'm so excited, I feel like I could burst.

  So I call them all. I ask Lori to be my yet-to-be-named honor attendant. For my bridesmaids, I ask my best friends from high school, Lisa and Katie; Phillip's sister, Ashley; and my sorority sisters, Chelsea and Macy. They all excitedly said yes, and since I was on a roll, I also asked a couple other sorority sisters to help with the wedding. I'm not sure yet what exactly they'll do, probably be in charge of getting the party started, knowing them, but they may have to do the guest book or something first.

  Phillip takes me to lunch at our favorite Italian restaurant to celebrate.

  I'm surprised when he tells the waiter, "We'd like a bottle of champagne, please." Phillip never drinks during lunch.

&nbsp
; Over champagne and chicken Alfredo, we decide that Danny will be his best man. His groomsmen will be his brother-in-law, Cooper; Joey, one of our best friends from high school; Nick, the Husker kicker who was always hanging out at our townhouse in Lincoln; and his fraternity brothers, Blake and Logan.

  "What about ushers?" I ask.

  "I was thinking Neil and Brandon for sure. What about Katie's husband, Eric?"

  "I love Eric, but they aren't getting along great. In fact, Katie and Neil have been having lunch together."

  "Lunch? Is that code for sex?"

  "No, they really are just having lunch, but I get the impression that she wishes it was more."

  "That sucks. It'd suck to get divorced. We're never getting divorced."

  "I don't want to go through that either, so that means you're gonna have to be really nice to me. Always."

  Phillip chuckles then runs his hand across my jawline. "I'm always really nice to you."

  "I know, Phillip. You're perfect. Everything is perfect right now."

  "That might be the champagne talking. And I was thinking we might need to stop at home before we go back to work. Do a little more celebrating."

  His eyes sparkle at me, and I have to agree with him. "That sounds perfect too."

  I'm sitting in Phillip's office waiting for him to finish up a meeting, so we can go out and do some more celebrating. It's a really good thing he works for his dad because between lunch and our little stop at home, we took a three hour lunch.

  I think about what I have to do to get the dream wedding and decide Phillip's right. I'm just gonna do it.

  I call Pastor John's office.

  A woman answers. "Pastor John's office, Margie speaking."

  "Margie, this is Jadyn Reynolds. I'm getting married and need to set up couple's counseling with Pastor John."

  "He's been expecting your call, and you're in luck. I've got his calendar right here in front of me."

  Wow! This really IS my lucky day. I don't have to talk to him!!

  Is it unchristian of me to pray he'll get the stomach flu on the nights of our meetings?

  She continues. "How's this Tuesday sound? You'll meet him every two weeks until your wedding."

  "We'll be there," I tell her and then hang up as fast as I can.

  Okay, so I've been a frugal girl. I inherited quite a bit of money when my parents died. My dad sold insurance for a living, so they were extremely well-insured. I had access to a lot of money at eighteen.