That Wedding Page 6

  My plan is to pretend we're in middle school. We'll eat popcorn, munch on candy, drink some beer, and I'll challenge him to a game of strip poker. We'll play cards and slowly get naked. Phillip will be so overwhelmed with desire for me, he won't be able to control himself. He'll attack me, and it'll be amazing.

  My plan goes astray the second Phillip walks in the door and runs straight into the tent. He backs up and laughs at the huge tent in the middle of the living room. He looks so damn cute, I just can't help myself. I tell him no clothing allowed, strip that boy naked, and lead him into the tent.

  I called Phillip's parents and told them what I'd planned for this weekend. I even spilled my guts to Phillip's dad about what happened at Danny and Lori's wedding. Beings he'd heard the rumors, I thought I'd set the record straight. He was all for me making it up to Phillip.

  I'm up at five am, which is way earlier than even Phillip usually gets up. I hear the phone ring, and Phillip hit speaker. His dad's voice booms into the room. "Son, I hear you're taking the day off."

  Phillip says groggily, "Uh...what? Who did you hear that from?"

  "Your mom."

  "Mom? Why would she....oh, no, is she making us do wedding planning? I don't think JJ is ready for that, and I'd really rather come to work."

  I hear his dad say, "I think you better talk to your future bride about that. Have a great day."

  Phillip looks confused when I come into the bedroom and say, "Hey."

  "What's going on, and why the hell are you up so early?"

  "Well, I have a little surprise for you, sweetie."

  "You only call me sweetie when you want your way. We're doing wedding planning with my mom all day, aren't we?"

  "Nope, but you better hurry up and get dressed. We have a flight to catch."

  "A flight? Where are we going? I'm not packed."

  "I packed for you, and we're going on a naughty dream road trip."

  Phillip grins big and wipes the sleep out of his eyes. "Really? So where are we going?"

  "It's a surprise."

  "Is it somewhere I dreamed about?"

  "I don't know, honestly, but I think you hoped it'd go differently. And that's all I'm saying."

  We get to the airport, and of course, he sees where we're going.

  "Cancun, huh?"

  "Yeah, you good with that?"

  "Oh, yeah. Are we staying somewhere we have maybe stayed before?"

  "We sure as hell aren't staying at that dive we stayed at that one year for spring break, but, yeah, we might be."

  "Lori and Danny's wedding?"

  "Bingo. You're smart."

  "And what are we gonna do there?"

  "Probably the same things we did when we were there for the wedding."

  "That wasn't fun."

  "Well, there might be some new twists to the story this time, but I'll warn you, just like at the wedding, I got us separate rooms."

  "You're such a liar."

  "Stop asking me questions I don't want you to know the answers to, so I won't have to lie."

  "So it's my fault you're lying?"

  "Absolutely."

  He flicks the end of my nose. "Watch out. It's gonna start growing." Then he laughs and tells me, "You know, Dillon and Neil told me yesterday with this whole naughty week that I've been spending way too much time with you. That we've been hiberdating."

  "Hiberdating? What the hell does that mean?"

  "It's like I'm hibernating. I'm not seeing my friends because I'm always with you."

  "You have always, always been with me."

  "Yeah, but we've been spending quite a bit of time alone."

  "Are you saying you don't like the time we spend alone?"

  "No, I'm just saying our friends miss us and are giving us shit. I'd hiberdate you forever if I could."

  We get to Cancun and immediately head to the beach. This time, I'm relaxed and happy. I'm not feeling the stress or pressure to be with Phillip. I'm with him because I want to be. We drank fruity drinks, which I'm still convinced contain some kind of love potion, went jet skiing, and laid on the beach. After that, we went back to our room to take a nap. We did sleep a bit. Like after.

  When we were here before, I had big plans. I was going to take Phillip dancing, get him a little tipsy, and then invite him back to my room. But as we all know, last time I drank a little too much, ended up dancing with other guys, and made Phillip really mad. He thought I wasn't trying, that I didn't want a relationship with him, and we were lucky to have stayed friends. The next day at Danny and Lori's wedding, he pretty much ignored me.

  But not this time. This time was the way it should've been. Romantic dinner, fruity drinks, and dancing only with him.

  We danced together and had a blast. Last time, I danced with other boys. This time, I couldn't even tell you for sure if there were other people on the dance floor. I only had eyes for Phillip. After dancing, we went for a walk on the beach, and I asked if he wanted to come back to my room. He teased me and said that he didn't want me to think he was that easy, but then he did, and we definitely made up for the last time we were here.

  The best part of waking up this morning was having Phillip in bed with me. We lounged in bed, ordered room service, tanned on the beach, snorkeled, parasailed, then came back to our room to get ready for dinner.

  When I'm dressed and ready, Phillip takes my hand and says, "Let's sit down."

  My mind immediately flashes to the hospital. I can see the waiting room. I can smell the popcorn. I can picture the doctor telling me to sit down. I can hear him say that my dad isn't going to make it.

  What horrible thing is Phillip going to tell me?

  I try to prepare myself. He's breaking up with me, he has cancer, he's joining the Peace Core, he's going to become a priest, he doesn't really want to marry me, he's in love with someone else, he's really gay, he found out he has a baby, he made a mistake.

  I suck in a deep breath and hold it in my chest. I don't say anything. I just squint my eyes at him and try to shut out whatever pain is coming.

  "Breathe," he says. He tilts his head and studies my face. "It's good news."

  I let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, I didn't know what you were gonna say. I just sorta flashed back to that night at the hospital when the doctor made me sit down and told me about Dad."

  Pain flashes across Phillip's eyes. He reaches out and runs the back of his hand across my cheek. "I'm sorry I scared you."

  I smile at him, grab his hand, and kiss it. "It's okay. So tell me your good news."

  His eyes brighten. "You know how we recently signed that big deal at work?"

  "Yeah."

  "Well, part of that deal is that we have to open an office in Kansas City. That means both Dad and I are going to have to spend more time there."

  "That's exciting! And cool too, since Danny and Lori are there."

  "Well, there's more." He has a huge smile plastered across his face, and I can tell he's really excited about all this. "So because of this, I got a promotion. I'm going to run the Kansas City office."

  I throw my arms around Phillip's neck. "I'm so proud of you!" I have to tease him a bit though, so I say, "Must be rough having your dad be your boss. So wait. Does that mean you'll be traveling a lot?"

  "Um, well, no. We kinda need to move there."

  "Really? That'd be so cool! I'd love to live close to Danny and Lori, but jobs aren't easy to find. Like with the economy, a lot of people I graduated with still don't have jobs. I'd have to find a job first, I guess."

  "You already have a job there, if you want it."

  Phillip's grin has turned into a sneaky smirk. I can't help but smile back at him. "Why don't you tell me everything."

  He's practically bouncing with energy and starts talking fast. "The first thing we have to do is find temporary offices. We've already bought some land, and we're going to build our corporate headquarters on it. You can design the whole thing from the ground floor up. Wouldn't that be awesome
? We'd be working together!"

  I stare at Phillip for a few beats. Design my very own building? Is he serious? That's like my dream!

  "How long have you known about all this?"

  "It all just fell together in the last week, Princess. How bout we discuss the details at dinner? We can negotiate your pay over some good wine?"

  We go to dinner, eat some food, and drink some great wine. Phillip keeps talking excitedly about his new job, about the new building, about living close to Danny and Lori, and I can't help myself, I get really excited too. It would be really cool to design a building on my own. That's what I went to school for, but at the job I have now, it'd probably be years before I ever got something like this as my own project.

  Phillip assures me that I'd have lots of freedom, that he wouldn't boss me around, and that once the project is done, I could find a job there, start my own business, or whatever I wanted to.

  Before I know it, I'm agreeing to it all.

  After dinner, we walk along the beach for a while. It's amazing how just being together, holding hands and not saying a word, can be so romantic. I feel like we're the only two people on earth. We find an empty hammock and lay together in the moonlight.

  "Talk to me about our wedding," Phillip says. His body is always so warm, and with his arms wrapped around me, I barely feel the cool ocean breeze. "Do you want a big wedding or a small one?"

  "I kinda think I'd like a big wedding. All our friends. A fun party."

  "I agree. What about colors?"

  "I'm not sure. Do you have any ideas?"

  "Just please don't make me wear a white tuxedo. I think black looks best."

  "I like black too, but black makes it more formal."

  "I think a wedding should be formal, don't you?"

  "Yeah, I do." I sigh. There's something I need to tell Phillip, but it's gonna be hard to talk about. "Phillip, I have a confession. I kinda lied when I said I'd never planned my dream wedding. Well, I didn't really lie, I never planned it, it's just there was this time when my mom and I talked about my wedding when I was little. I just always sorta assumed that's how it would be."

  Phillip rolls in the hammock and faces me. "Tell me about it."

  "We were at a wedding. I was young, maybe eight or nine. Mom pulled me on her lap and said, Someday, you're going to get married just like this. And since then, that's how I always thought my wedding would be. The wedding and the reception were held in a big ballroom. I remember being impressed by the huge sparkly chandeliers. I told her I wanted candles like the ones flickering on our table in my bedroom. She told me I couldn't have candles in my bedroom, but that I could have them at my wedding. She told me candlelight is romantic and that my wedding would be romantic because the day would be all about love. I told her the bride looked like a princess, and she told me that someday, when I married my prince, I would too. I told her I wanted to marry daddy. I remember the way she laughed. I loved her laugh. She told me I couldn't marry daddy because he was her prince. That I would find my own prince someday. I remember there were gorgeous flowers on the tables and a huge cake that had as many layers as my age. I think it was eight. We ate cake, and then my dad scooped me up and danced with me."

  I'll never forget dancing with my dad at that wedding. The way he twirled me around, the smile on his handsome face, how he seemed so big and strong compared to me, how I always felt safe when I was with him.

  "That sounds beautiful." Phillip studies my face closely then runs his fingertip across my cheek and feels my tears. "Are you crying? You never cry. The last time I saw you cry was the night of the funeral."

  I shrug my shoulders. "I try not to cry. I want my parents to be proud of me, so I have to be strong. And you've seen me cry. I cried on the beach in Cancun."

  "You were drunk."

  "I also cried on stage at our engagement party."

  He runs his fingers through my hair. I lean closer to his neck and smell him. Phillip always smells so dreamy.

  "Twice in four years." He kisses me softly and says, "You know, you don't have to be so strong. Especially with me."

  He's so sweet. I feel so incredibly lucky. Really, that's what makes me feel like crying. I love him so much, and I'm still so afraid of losing him.

  "You don't have to shut your emotions away. It's okay to feel sad. It doesn't make you a crybaby."

  I nuzzle my face into his neck and kiss it. "I know, Phillip. I love you, and I don't care what anyone thinks about our fast engagement. I can't wait to marry you."

  He leans back and smiles at me. "Do you really mean that?"

  "Of course, I mean that."

  "Hmm, well then maybe now would be a good time to tell you the rest of it."

  "The rest of what?"

  "When we move, I want us to buy a house together."

  "Well, yeah, it wouldn't make much sense to get separate places."

  "I also think we should be married when we buy the house."

  "But that means...."

  Phillip shakes his head. "Yes, that means we'd need to get married soon."

  "Really soon."

  "Yes," he says tentatively.

  I snuggle back into his shoulder and let out a contented sigh. "Okay."

  "Okay?" he asks with disbelief. "You're agreeing, just like that? No fight? No freak out?"

  I kiss his shoulder then up the side of his neck. "I'm done freaking out, Phillip. Why would I freak out when I've never been happier in my life?"

  Back in our room, I change into a sexy little nightie. While we're brushing our teeth, I say to him, "You know, we still haven't discussed what you're going to pay me. I'm very expensive."

  He looks up and down the nightie, which is a very sheer lacy thing, as in no lady parts are being hidden, only slightly obscured. "Yeah, I figured."

  "Maybe we should discuss my salary in bed?"

  "Oh, no," he tells me seriously. "I never mix business with pleasure. And if you're gonna work for me, there are gonna have to be a few rules."

  "Work for you? No way. I think I need to be an independent contractor or something."

  "No go. You work for me, or no deal."

  I put on my pouty face.

  He smiles, smacks my butt, and winks at me. "Now go get in bed, and we'll discuss your career."

  I'm pretty sure I can work this to my advantage.

  I wake up early. Way early. My mind is reeling over all I agreed to last night. I think about how I didn't freak out. About how I know Phillip's the one. About how I'm gonna have to plan a wedding fast. About how his parents are going to be the ones to freak. How his mom is going to push me to plan the wedding the way she thinks is best. How I want to plan the most amazing, romantic wedding ever. I was serious when I said I can't wait to marry Phillip.

  We're sitting in bed eating breakfast when I tell Phillip I have a few demands. "You know, I was pretty amazing about this whole change jobs, move to a new city, plan a quick wedding thing."

  "I was pretty shocked about that. I really expected you to throw a fit."

  "Well, I do have a stipulation."

  He rolls his eyes at me. "I should've known you'd have demands."

  "Not demands. Just one demand. One I'm very serious about."

  He tilts his head at me and looks concerned. "Okay, what is it?"

  "We aren't telling anyone about this when we get back. I'm talking NO one. Not Danny, not Lori, not your parents, NO ONE. We need some time. I'm gonna go back, quit my job, but not tell anyone. I think since we just finished that design project, they won't ask me for a two week notice. If they don't, then I'm gonna spend the week doing some wedding planning. I need to gather ideas on my own. We need to talk about things, figure out what we want. The minute we tell your parents, they're going to ask a million questions. Your mom's gonna be the one to freak. I want to have some sort of a game plan first. I want this wedding to be about us. About our relationship. I'm not going to let your mom make me do stuff. You're gonna have to stick up for us
. If this week goes well, we'll tell your parents next Sunday at dinner. Can you agree to that?"

  Phillip shakes his head and smiles at me. "Yeah, I'm good with that." His face gets that soft look, the look where I swear he can see straight into my soul. "You know, even though your parents are gone, they're still with you."

  "Yeah, I know, and I think they're really glad I'm with you."

  I bought every bridal magazine available at the airport and excitedly looked through them on the flight home. I even marked a bunch of things I thought were pretty. Phillip started out strong, but pretty soon his eyes glazed over, probably from having to endure page after page of white lace, and he was asleep.

  I have no idea what I want for my wedding.

  But I do know one thing. I know who I want to marry.

  I can't believe I did it, but this morning, I walked into my boss's office and told him about my new job offer. As expected, he didn't ask me to give two weeks notice. He was excited for me, wished me the best, and offered the company's services for anything I needed outsourced. I cleaned out my desk, said goodbye to everyone, and was back home by noon.

  I hope the rest of our plan goes this easy.

  Since the main focus of most bridal magazines is the wedding gown, I figured that might be the best place to start. I call Katie and Lisa and ask them to join me. They've been advising me on what to wear since we were kids.

  We meet at a bridal store, and Lisa immediately takes charge. She's running from dress to dress, screaming, giggling, basically making a fool out of herself over fabric and lace. She's ooh and aahing over dress after dress, saying, "Oh, this one. This is ah-mazing!"

  Never once does she ask me what I want. Of course, she knows me. Knows I probably don't have a clue. Which is probably a good thing because after seeing all the dresses in the magazines, how do you ever pick one? You could try on dresses for years.

  I sit down next to Katie. "How did you decide which dress to buy?"

  "I think it's kind of like choosing your husband. You keep trying them on until one seems right."

  "We may need cocktails for that," I joke.

  Katie laughs then whispers to me, "Lisa dreams of a huge ball gown. You know that's what she's gonna make you try on. I made the mistake of taking Eric's sister shopping with me. She was mad we were getting married before her, and I think she wanted me to look bad. My suggestion is to try on a dress of each silhouette. See what looks good on your figure, and then try on those types of dresses."