That Wedding Page 34

  I nod my head as he reaches in his pocket. "I'm only letting you borrow this. Like you CANNOT lose it. But I wanted you to have it for today."

  He hands me a black Adidas bicep band.

  "Really!!!? Your bicep band?! This is practically a state treasure!" In my hand is the sweat band that Danny has worn for every game since he won his first collegiate game.

  "Today's your big game, Jay. I thought you should wear it."

  "Danny...." I can't even say anything. You'd think Danny just gave me the Queen of England's heirloom tiara. I know how Danny is with his luck. The year they went undefeated and won the national championship, he wouldn't let anyone wash his game socks. "I promise to take good care of it." I wrap it around the base of my bouquet. "The black even goes with my wedding colors."

  I throw my arms around him and give him another hug.

  "I can't believe my two best friends are getting married today. You really are good, aren't you. You don't seem the slightest bit nervous."

  "I'm not. I love him, Danny."

  "And it's thanks to me that you're together. You know that, right?"

  "No, it's not."

  "Jay, we'll be sitting in rocking chairs at the old folks home, and I'm still going to be reminding you of how I told you he was getting serious with that Moaning Monica chick. It was Lori's idea, but I'm the one that pulled it off. I know that's what made you attack him. Admit it."

  "You're right. Although, I'm pretty sure it's the first time you've been right about anything."

  He opens the door, looks up and down the hall, and pretends to see if the coast is clear. He says, "S'up," to the makeup artist then looks down at his fly. "Shit, that'd be bad," he says and pretends to zip his pants.

  I follow him into the hallway. He smacks my butt, like I'm getting ready to do the tunnel walk. "Go get 'em, Jay."

  I'm holding Mr. Diamond's arm while waiting to walk down the aisle. The ceremony is decorated so perfectly. Guests are sitting in white chiavari chairs. There are huge glass hurricanes placed down the aisle with pale candles flickering inside them. The aisle runner is black and white damask. Even Pastor John, who I wanted to burn in effigy just a few short weeks ago, looks perfect standing at the end of the aisle.

  My bridesmaids look beautiful wearing their icy purple dresses and carrying pale pink and purple bouquets. The groomsmen look handsome in their black tuxedos. Their deep purple boutonnieres and custom Nikes add pops of color.

  One by one, the bridesmaids walk down the aisle.

  When it's time for the flower girls, I can't help but tear up. The flower girls are wearing the most adorable blush colored dresses with tutu skirts. Their hair is done up in curly little buns. They're each carrying a floral covered magic wand, but it's what's on their backs that makes me cry.

  Each girl is wearing white feather angel wings. The wings are decorated with a halos of pale roses and purple lavender. Our way to honor my parents. Phillip had tried to find some way to incorporate angels into our ceremony. We looked and looked and couldn't find anything but cheap angel charms. Mr. Mac did some kind of magic google search and found a photo of an angel flower girl. He printed it out, rolled it up, and put it in my Christmas stocking. I cried then too because I knew it was just so perfect.

  We've left the front row, opposite the Macs, empty on purpose. During the ceremony, we'll pause in silent remembrance. Phillip and I will walk down to their empty seats and place the two dried roses I saved from the funeral on their chairs. I'm so glad we're recording our wedding. I want to remember every detail. Every thought.

  Mr. Diamond interrupts those thoughts. "I want you to look at Phillip and tell me why I should let you walk down this aisle. Because I know if your dad were here, and you had even a shred of doubt about marrying him, he would tell you it's okay to walk away."

  "I don't wanna walk away."

  "Honey, you broke up with him just this week. Gave him back the ring. If you go up there, you'll be married. You won't be able to just break up next week."

  I give him a flippant response. "Sure, I can. Isn't that why we had him sign a pre-nup?"

  He says, "Not funny. I'm serious. Are you sure?"

  "You know, I kinda hated you for it, but thanks for making me go through counseling. I did need it. I wasn't allowing myself to feel. I think it just hurt too much, but I've realized that's no way to live. I want to walk down that aisle because I love Phillip. With every single bit of my heart."

  "I'm proud of you, and I'm glad you're finally dealing with it. I also have to tell you that it means a lot to me to walk you down the aisle, to be able to stand in for your dad."

  I give him a hug and say seriously, "There's no one else I would've asked."

  Lori takes her place at the altar, and I catch another glimpse of Phillip.

  God, he looks so handsome.

  Our eyes meet, and those eyes make me melt for the millionth time.

  He grins just as the wedding processional starts playing.

  My emotions swell inside me. Mr. D has to literally hold me back because all I want to do is pick up my skirt and run as fast as I can down the aisle.

  I can't wait to marry that boy.

  The boy I've loved my whole life.

  The boy who knows what a freak I am, and who loves me in spite of it.

  I smile and walk slowly down the aisle, like I'm supposed to, and take Phillip's hands. When this is over, I'll be his wife.

  Above our head is a hanging altar made of white branches. It's adorned with purple flowers and dripping with crystals. The branches remind me of the trees we used to climb as kids.

  Our wedding is a blur of scriptures, songs, and poems. Before I know it, it's time to say our vows. Phillip and I face each other and hold hands. "Phillip David Mackenzie. I love you. I love how you've always been there for me. How you think you need to protect me. How you make me coffee every morning. How you always know exactly what I need. How when I lay my head on your shoulder, I can fall asleep in a heartbeat. I love that you've called me Princess since I was ten, and I love how you can practically read my mind. I love the way you look at me, and how your smile lights up a whole room."

  "When I was little, I used to tell my parents I was gonna marry a prince. They told me I was silly, and I should marry you. Little did we know, we were both right. For a long time, I didn't think my prince existed, but then I realized he'd been standing next to me my whole life. Thank you for believing in us, even when I wasn't so sure. Thank you for loving me, even when I'm stubborn and never wrong. Thank you for making me believe true love, the fairytale kind, actually exists. It will be my extreme honor to spend the rest of my life with you. To cherish you, to love you, and to be yours forever."

  Danny hands me the ring, and I slide it gently on Phillip's finger. "With this ring, I promise to not freak out over the trivial stuff, to trust in our love, to not be so stubborn, to always listen to you, to always smell the roses with you, to laugh with you, to adore you, to dream with you, and to love you with my whole heart. For as long as I'm lucky enough to have you."

  Phillip eyes are glistening, and he's grinning at me. Phillip has always grinned at me, but this is different. The depth of happiness we're both feeling, the things we're saying to each other publicly, make this feel different and very special. I can't wait to hear the vows he wrote for me.

  "Jadyn James Reynolds, I love you. I loved growing up with you. I loved fighting you with swords and climbing trees with you. I really loved watching you end relationships with all the dumb boys you dated and how you'd always run to me for comfort. I love how I'm the first person you call when you need someone. I love how all our lives, no matter where we are or who we're with, whether we're all alone or in a crowd, when you flash that little grin at me, I know exactly what you're thinking. I love the way you look at me, like I'm the only guy in the world, and how when I hold you, I feel like I could conquer that world. I asked you to marry me when we were ten, and I'm here today making good on that prom
ise. No one has ever compared to you. You've always been my world. You're my best friend, my love, my life. My Princess."

  I'm trembling as Danny places my wedding ring in the palm of Phillip's hand.

  And not because I'm scared.

  I'm overcome with emotion.

  So many emotions I don't think I could even name them all. I just look at Phillip through happy tears and smile.

  Phillip slides the band on my left ring finger. The finger every girl dreams of having a prince slide a ring on. The finger that's supposed to connect straight to your heart.

  "When we were kids, I used to pretend to be your knight in shining armor, and now, with this ring, I promise to be the man to protect you, to cherish you, to support your wild ideas, to not get mad when you bring home another pair of shoes, to love you, to rescue you, to not be bossy, to adore you, and to continue this adventure of life with you, right by my side, for the rest of our lives."

  Pastor grins at us and says, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."

  Phillip pulls me into his arms and kisses me. He was supposed to give me a sweet, sorta chaste kiss, but this is not that kind of kiss. This is a lean me back, kiss me until I can't breathe kind of kiss.

  I'll remember this kiss forever.

  "I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Mackenzie," Pastor says.

  The Nebraska fight song starts playing, and everyone claps and cheers as we walk down the aisle as husband and wife.

  We took a few more photos then enjoyed the last half of our cocktail hour. I didn't get much to eat, but I made sure I got a princess martini. After the cocktail hour, we all headed into the reception.

  It looks even better than I'd dreamed.

  The big ballroom overlooking the Plaza Lights, the huge crystal chandeliers, the icy tree centerpieces dripping with crystals, the pale purple uplighting, my four tiered chocolate cake, the sparkling place settings, and the beautiful silk linens.

  Phillip holds my hand and says, "Did you notice I changed the centerpieces?"

  I look around some more. I'm a bit overwhelmed because all I can think about is how much my mom would've loved this. Then I notice that the tables don't each have a tree centerpiece. Some have huge arrangements of the palest pink roses I've ever seen. "The roses?"

  Phillip smiles. "Yeah, each one has four dozen roses. I'm pretty sure I win for biggest bouquet you've ever gotten."

  "You already won that contest when we got engaged."

  "I know, but I told Amy that story, and she said that four dozen roses would be the ultimate profession of love. I love you, like in case you didn't know that yet."

  He kisses the tip of my nose.

  I press my lips into his and say, "I think I have a pretty amazing husband."

  About midway through dinner, I really have to pee.

  Again.

  And this is something you never see in a Disney princess movie. They never show the production it takes to pee in a ball gown.

  I have a sudden epiphany while a troupe of my bridesmaids are stuffed into the bathroom stall with me.

  "THIS is the real reason why Cinderella had mice and why Snow White had those pesky dwarfs. She needed them to hold up her dress while she peed!"

  "Maybe you should stop drinking so much," Lori tells me.

  "It's not my fault Phillip keeps handing me bottles of water. The bottles of water that I don't remember ordering, but must have, since they have my wedding monogram on them. He keeps telling me to stay hydrated, like it's my big game."

  "Well, it kinda is," Lori says.

  "That's true, but when he has to pee, it doesn't require a small army of groomsmen to unzip his fly."

  And just when everyone is in place, my dress is held up, and I'm in position to pee, Lisa says, "Uh, hang on a sec." Then she drops her corner of the dress and runs into the neighboring stall.

  Katie says to me, "You need to pick your dwarfs a little more carefully."

  We all laugh and try not to get grossed out by the sound of her puking.

  I find myself mentally calculating the cost of it. Appetizers, three princess martinis, a couple shots, filet dinner. Damn, that's about a three hundred dollar puke there. It is at that point, I decide to say screw the water and start hitting the alcohol a little harder.

  Had Phillip been in charge of holding up my dress while I peed, he probably would've rigged up a way to hold the dress above my head with his belt, some duct tape, and a bungie cord.

  After dinner, it's time for the toasts, cutting the cake, and the first dance. I can't remember exactly what all Danny and Lori said.

  Lori said something like, We all know weddings are about those three little words. I. Love. You. But in the case of these two, it's more like, It's. About. Time.

  Danny said some sweet stuff that made me cry, some funny stuff that made me laugh, and then he ended the toast with, To the nights you'll never remember with the people you'll never forget.

  The curtains on one side of the dining area are opened up to reveal the swanky night club portion of the reception. It has a huge monogrammed dance floor, deep purple lighting, white leather furniture with purple furry pillows, and lots of candlelight. Beyond the dance floor is an outdoor terrace covered in white lights and snow.

  Phillip and I cut the cake. Of course, I had to smoosh it in his face a bit. He was smart though and didn't try and get me back. He's already proving to be a good husband.

  Then we dance our first dance as husband and wife.

  I love dancing with Phillip. I know there are lots of guests watching us, but with the lights low, it almost felt like we were alone.

  Just like the night we danced at the swings.

  After our sorority and fraternity serenades, I sit on a chair in the middle of the dance floor while Phillip finds his way through the layers of my dress. He's making a big scene of taking my garter off. He runs his hand up the wrong leg and pretends he can't find it. Then he runs his hand slowly up my other leg, finds the Nebraska garter, and pulls it off with his teeth. The DJ starts playing stripper music.

  Guess I'm getting a taste of that Vegas wedding after all!

  Just about the time Phillip almost has the garter off my leg, the music scratches, and the DJ yells, "Hold up, wait a minute, put a little love in it."

  Then the song Fergalicious starts playing, only somehow they've changed the words to Jadalicious. Danny and all the groomsmen run onto the dance floor, toss off their jackets, and do a wild choreographed dance. It's hilarious watching a bunch of white boys dance. They do the stanky leg, the dougie, some random breakdancing, and the moonwalk. You name it, they included it.

  I scream, clap, and laugh my ass off. It's classic Danny.

  We're done with all the official stuff. Now it's time to party!

  "Phillip, I wanna give you your wedding present now!" I drag him to a covered area by the doors that go out onto the rooftop deck. Right now, this area is hidden by curtains.

  "So, unwrap your wedding present," I tell him.

  He pulls me toward him."I thought you were my wedding present. How bout I unwrap you instead?"

  "Phillip, be good, and open it!! I'm so excited!"

  He kisses me then slides the curtains open. Sitting on a table are five crystal decanters of varying shapes and sizes filled with what is supposed to be the best kinds of scotch. I had to conspire with Mr. D on this surprise. Mr. D tells me I need to acquire a taste for scotch.

  I don't know about you, but I have no desire to acquire a taste for something that smells like gasoline.

  Next to the decanters is a tray full of cigars, and behind them, there's a gorgeous cigar humidor made of shiny burled wood.

  "Scotch and cigars, I think I might keep you."

  "The decanters and the humidor are my present to you. Won't they look cool on the bar in our new house?"

  "Very cool. I love them." He kisses the side of my face. "I love you."

  "I love you too. Open the humidor."
r />   He opens it and reads the engraving on the gold plaque inside. "Phillip and Jadyn. Our love is worth celebrating. January the thirteenth."

  "Your dad always said he was celebrating when he'd smoke a cigar."

  "I know. Now when you smoke a cigar, you'll be celebrating our love. You won't even have to come up with a lame excuse like my dad always did, and with the date on there, you'll never be able to forget our anniversary."

  "No way, I'll ever forget this day. I've never been happier. My face hurts from smiling so much." He pulls me in for another kiss. "Thank you, I love it."

  "Okay, so now you can have some scotch and smoke a cigar with the guys while I run upstairs and change into my reception dress."

  "Change? What!! Why??"

  "Well I love this dress, but it's full, and I wanna dance. I was afraid people would step on it, so kinda last minute, I bought a dress for the reception. It's sparkly and sexy. You'll like it. I'm gonna change really quick. No one will even know I was gone."

  I kiss him and start to walk away.

  He grabs my waist with one long arm, like he just caught a fish and is reeling it in. "Uh, not so fast there, missy."

  "What?"

  "I'm coming with you."

  "But, I was gonna let you smoke a cigar."

  "I can smoke a cigar later."

  "But, I planned it all out."

  "Well, you're married now, so you have to think about what your husband wants."

  My husband!

  "Okay, what does my husband want? That sounds so weird. My husband."

  "Your husband loves this dress. He thinks you look beautiful in it, but I'll tell you a dirty little secret. All he's been thinking about is how he can't wait to take it off you."

  His eyes are dark and smoldering. I know what that means.

  "No, Phillip. I seriously need to take this dress off, put the other one on quick, and then get back down here. I'm talking a max of like five minutes."

  He grins at me and lowers his voice to that sexy volume. "Fine, but I'm gonna help you."

  He has a stubborn look on his face. "You're not going to give in on this, are you?"

  "Nope." He grins sexily at me.

  "Fine. Come on." I grab his hand and rush him out the side door.