Cherished

  I threw my head back and laughed. “That is going to be a hurdle because all I want to do is see her.”

  “Tough shit. Come on, let’s go get a beer. I know a place where we can get away from all this wedding bullshit.”

  He started to head down toward the barn. I looked at the tables that were being set up. Jessie was going to be so happy when she could see how everything was coming together. I glanced over and saw my mom talking to Jenny. The two of them planning this wedding was just what they both had needed. They worked amazingly well together, and Jenny had asked my mother if she’d ever thought of going into wedding planning. As of three weeks ago, they had become business partners, and this wedding was their first as partners.

  I looked to my left and saw my father ordering around the guys who were setting up the bar and putting out the kegs. I chuckled and shook my head. Leave it to him to be in charge of the booze.

  I turned the corner and walked into the barn. Jeff, Gunner, Josh, and Brad were all kicked back and sitting around a small table. Everyone, except Brad, had a beer in his hands.

  “So, this is where my groomsmen have been, huh?” I walked around and grabbed a beer out of a—

  Pumpkin?

  “What in the fuck is this?” I asked as I sat down.

  They all laughed.

  Brad said, “This was Amanda’s job—carve out pumpkins for little mini ice chests.”

  They all looked at me, but no one said a word.

  “What?” I asked.

  “You nervous?” Jeff took a drink of his beer.

  “Pft, no. I’m not nervous at all,” I said, trying to keep my hands from shaking. They’d been shaking ever since I’d woken up this morning.

  Gunner and Josh both laughed.

  Brad smiled at me. “Dude, we’ve all been in your shoes—well, everyone but Lark here.”

  “The only one with brains, I guess,” Lark said before downing his beer.

  Brad laughed and rolled his eyes. “We’ve all been in your shoes. We know you’re nervous.”

  I dropped my head and shook it. “I don’t understand what’s wrong with me. I mean, I want to marry her more than anything. I’m not having doubts at all, but my stomach is in fucking knots. I feel sick, my hands won’t stop shaking, and…and I’m…I’m…”

  “You’re afraid she is going to change her mind? Wonder why in the hell she is marrying you? Does that sound about right?” Josh asked.

  “Yes! That is exactly it. I have this fear that she’s going to decide at the last minute that she doesn’t want to get married.”

  “Trust me, she’s just as nervous, if not more, than you are, Scott. Don’t worry, dude. That girl has been in love with you since we were kids,” Gunner said.

  Lark held up his hand. “So, let me ask y’all something. Every single one of you is happy. No desire to be with another woman? You’re…content?”

  We all let out a laugh.

  “Fuck, you couldn’t pay me to be back in the dating world. Ari literally saved my ass. If it wasn’t for her, Luke, and Grace…” Jeff slowly shook his head and looked at Lark. “I wouldn’t want to live without Ari in my life.”

  Josh leaned forward and nodded his head. “I feel the same way. Heather is the air I breathe. She’s my life, and then you add in Will and Libby…” He smiled bigger. “I wouldn’t trade my life for anything. One day, you’ll find the one girl who will make you lose your train of thought just by her smile. When she walks by you, her smell will about drop you to your knees. Her kiss will cause your body to go insane with desire, and the sound of her voice will make you feel all fucking giddy inside. Yeah…once you find that, you won’t ever want anything else but that.”

  “Amen, brother,” Brad and Gunner both said.

  Gunner lifted his beer bottle to Josh. They clicked bottles together and then did some hand gesture that they always did. It was something from college, and I’d never understood it or cared to.

  “I should take all your damn man cards away,” Lark said with a smile.

  “Are you hiding in here?” Drake asked.

  We all turned to see Drake and Garrett walking in.

  “Gramps, Drake. Y’all want a beer from our very own pumpkin cooler?” Gunner asked. He got up, walked up to them, and shook their hands.

  I stood up and also shook their hands. “Nah, I’m just trying to avoid your sons. Dewey keeps making threats to me, and honestly, I don’t think he’s kidding anymore,” I said with a wink.

  Drake laughed and nodded. “Don’t piss that boy off, let me tell you. I think he and your daddy are about to go at it over where the Bud Light keg should go.”

  We all laughed as I gestured for them to sit down.

  Drake shook his head. “We only came down to ask that y’all stay in here. Your mama wants Jessie to take a peek at everything before she gets dressed.”

  I perked up. “She’s going out?”

  Then, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

  “Don’t even think about it. I haven’t forgotten about that day when I came back to the barn from a ride,” Lark said.

  He winked, and I felt my face instantly blush. I knew he was referring to the day I had taken Jessie on the side of the house while my mother and Azurdee were inside.

  “Right. Um…yeah, Drake, we won’t budge from this spot until my mother or Jenny comes and gets us.” I nodded and smiled at him.

  “Don’t ruin this for my baby girl. This is her day, not yours. Do you understand me? Just because you got a baby with her doesn’t mean I won’t kill you if you hurt her,” Drake said.

  And then, I saw Dew and Aaron walk in behind him.

  I swallowed hard and nodded my head. “Yes, um…yes, sir.”

  We all watched as Drake turned and walked out of the barn with Dewey and Aaron following right behind him.

  I let out the breath I had been holding, and I felt my whole body relax. “Holy shit, that man scares the piss out of me,” I said.

  Josh laughed. “I guess I’m the only one who has never had to deal with the father-in-law.”

  Jeff, Brad, Gunner, and I all said at the same time, “Lucky bastard.”

  I smiled as I looked down at Lauren sleeping peacefully in my arms. “This day couldn’t be any more perfect,” I said.

  I felt Jenny put her hand on my back. She guided me out of the house and into the backyard. I sucked in a breath of air as I looked around.

  “Oh, wow,” was all I could get out.

  To my left were about ten high-top tables set up around where the DJ would be. On the opposite side of the DJ was the bar. I chuckled when I saw Scott, Senior and Dewey directing the guys with all the beer and wine. My eyes moved to the right where there was a huge dance floor.

  “My god. Why is the dance floor so big?” I asked.

  Ari and Ellie started laughing.

  “So all the kids have room to run around, but it still leaves space for the adults to dance. I just want to do a little bit of two-steppin’, damn it,” Ari said with a sigh.

  I laughed and walked up to the tables. “Oh, Mom, Jenny…y’all, these are perfect. It’s exactly what I wanted!”

  The round tables had white linen draped down to the ground, and a dark silver satin cloth was draped over and pinned up to make the scalloped edges. It looked beautiful.

  Each table had a pumpkin that Ari, Ellie, and I had carved out, soaked in bleach, and then sprayed down with some preservative that Jenny had made, so they wouldn’t mold. Inside each pumpkin were beautiful fall flowers. Light brown and ivy-colored candles were set in hurricane glasses on either side of the flower centerpiece. The seats were all labeled with mini pumpkins that had a little sign stuck in it with each guest’s name written in chalk.

  “I thought we were going with plastic dishware?” I asked as I went to pick up one of the silver plates. As soon as I picked it up, I realized it was plastic. “Holy hell. They look like real plates!”

  Jenny nodded her head.

  Melody
picked up the pumpkin-shaped cookies. “These are to die for. Wait until you taste them! A girl in Fredericksburg made them.”

  I looked around at each table setting, and there were cookies in every shape, including pumpkins, ghosts, bats, and witches. Each cookie was in a darling clear bag tied with black and silver ribbons.

  “The tables are perfect,” I said with a smile.

  “Want to see the cakes?” Melody asked as she clapped her hands.

  I nodded my head as I looked at Jenny, who rolled her eyes and smiled. Jenny was so used to all of this, but this was Melody’s first job. Not to mention, it was her son’s wedding.

  We walked up to the dessert table, and I had to stop.

  Oh. My. God. They went crazy!

  In the middle of the table was a beautiful three-tiered white cake with black and silver scrolls on it. It was the exact cake I’d had in my mind brought to life. On either side of the cake were two huge five-layered plates of cupcakes. The various decorations—ghosts, witches, bats, gravestones, black cats, and little spiders—were all so cute.

  “The kids are going to go crazy over these,” Ellie said with a giggle.

  “Good god, look at the candied apples,” Ari said before licking her lips. “Cake pops? Jesus H. Christ, there are cake pops. Luke and Jeff are gonna be up all night. Oh my god! Look at those cupcakes. They look like brains! Luke is going to be in heaven.” Ari turned to me and said, “This is going to be the best wedding ever!”

  I tried not to laugh, so I didn’t wake up Lauren, but I almost busted out laughing at how excited Ari was.

  “Melody, I think there are more desserts than there is food!” I said.

  “Speaking of food…” Jenny turned.

  We all followed her.

  Ellie leaned into me and whispered, “Holy hell…you have cake, cupcakes, cake pops, brownies, cookies, candied and caramel apples, and I’m pretty sure I saw chocolate-covered strawberries.”

  “Melody kind of thinks Scott has a sweet tooth,” I whispered back.

  Ellie pulled her head back and looked at me. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him eat a single sweet thing,” she said with a confused look on her face.

  I held back a laugh. “He hates sweets. His mother had them in the house all the time. He got so sick of eating them, so he won’t eat them anymore.”

  “Shit, I wish I felt that way about sweets,” Ellie said.

  We walked up to the table, and I couldn’t help it. I let out a squeal. They had written each food item on small tan pumpkins.

  “Mac and cheese,” I said. I laughed out loud and then began rocking Lauren who had woken up during my moment of insanity. “That is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”

  Melody smiled and pointed at Jenny.

  “I love it. I love it all. Thank you, Mom. Thank you, Jenny. You’ve truly made this a dream wedding. Not only are the adults going to love everything, but the kids are also going to have so much fun.” I hugged each of them the best I could with Lauren in my arms.

  Melody took Lauren from me and gently kissed her as she turned and started walking away with my crying baby. “I’m going to go feed her. It’s almost showtime, and you need to get dressed,” she called over her shoulder.

  I looked at Ellie and Ari. “I’m so nervous.”

  They each linked their arms in mine, and we made our way back to the house, following Jenny as she barked orders to people while we walked by them. We headed into my bedroom, and I took one look at Amanda and busted out crying.

  “What? Oh god. Do I have the wrong dress on or something? Shit, it’s the baby weight, isn’t it?” Amanda said as she began jumping up and down, vigorously shaking her hands.

  “Don’t be silly, Amanda. You have the right dress on, and, bitch, you don’t even look like you just had a baby. Jessie is just happy to see it on you,” Ari said as she just began getting undressed in front of all of us.

  I dropped my mouth open as I looked at her and instantly stopped crying. “Fuck me. How do you look like that after two kids?” I looked her up and down.

  The smile that spread across her face was priceless. “Lots and lots of sex.” She raised her eyebrows.

  “Ugh…really? Gag me,” Ellie said as she took off the sweatpants and T-shirt I had made for each of them.

  They were both wearing black corsets with matching lace panties.

  Azurdee came walking out of the bathroom, cursing. “Shit…how in the hell do you get these bastards on?”

  Ari whistled and looked at Azurdee. “Damn, girl. You might give Heather a run for her money in the boob area.”

  Heather laughed as she looked up from where she was sitting and putting on makeup. “You look beautiful, Azurdee. Here, turn around and let me help.”

  Ellie giggled.

  “Will you zip me up, please?” Ari asked me.

  I zipped her up, and then she turned around.

  “Well? You still like them?” Ari asked.

  I glanced up at Heather, who was now helping Azurdee into her dress. I shook my head, looking around at each of them. They each had on black chiffon ruched dresses that were strapless and knee-length. They were all so damn beautiful and doing nothing but bickering with each other.

  They all came and stood next to one another. I made my way down the line, looking at each one. Azurdee was my best friend and maid of honor. Lark was going to shit his pants when he saw her. Heather was the sweetest one of the bunch but the first to admit that she liked to play in the bedroom. Ellie had her innocence that just poured off her as she stood there with that sweet smile of hers. Ari was all spit and fire in a beautiful package but one of the kindest people I’d ever known. Amanda was the person who would drop everything in order to help out one of her friends.

  I felt the tears building as I looked at each of them. They had started off being my friends, but over the last few years, they had become my sisters.

  “Oh no, honey…don’t cry. You’re gonna ruin your makeup,” Heather said as she walked up and took me in her arms. She let me go as she stepped back and winked at me. “It’s your turn.”

  Ellie let out an, “Eeeep,” as she quickly got my dress that was hanging up. She brought it over and laid it down on the bed.

  I slowly started taking my sweatpants and T-shirt off.

  “Holy hell,” Ari said.

  I stood there in my white corset, lace thong panties, and garter belt that Ellie had helped put on before we had gone outside.

  “And you just had a baby a few months ago. What are you doing?” Ari said with a wicked grin.

  “Sex…lots and lots of sex. I actually think the sex is better now after the baby than before. God…I swear he just has to whisper my name, and it seems like I’ll orgasm,” I said with my own wicked smile as I raised my eyebrows up and down.

  When Ari quickly shook her head at me, I instantly knew who was standing behind me. I spun around to see Melody.

  Oh Lord…where is the closest rock for me to crawl my ass under?

  I slammed my hand over my mouth and felt my cheeks turn warm. I closed my eyes and wanted to die. My future mother-in-law had just heard me talking about sex with her son—while I stood there in a thong, for Christ’s sake.

  She slowly let a small smile spread across her face as she nodded her head. “Nice to know my husband taught him something right.” She walked up to me and took the white thigh-high stockings from my hand. Then, she bent down, gently taking my foot, and started sliding them on.

  I quickly looked up at Ari and the rest of the girls as they all just laughed.

  I smiled as I started to step into my beautiful wedding gown. As Melody and Azurdee helped me, I thought back to the day when I’d bought it.

  I stared at myself in the mirror. Tears were rolling down my face as Ari, Azurdee, and Ellie all went on and on about the dress I had on. I looked over at Melody. I thought she knew how sad I was that I was doing this without my mother. Heather wasn’t able to come with us, and I was really hop
ing she would since she’d done this before. When Melody had asked if she could come, I’d almost wanted to scream yes.

  She quickly wiped the single tear away and smiled at me. I raised my eyebrows at her in my silent way of asking what she thought. She smiled bigger and nodded her head. I smiled and looked back at myself in the mirror.

  The dress had a sweetheart neckline with a slim A-line cut. The intricate lace was stunning as was the hand-beaded bodice. The removable cap sleeve bolero jacket added such a sweet and innocent look. The functional corset back just made the dress feel sexier, and the chapel-length train added just the right touch of elegance. The straps were removable, making the dress even more elegant. It would be perfect for the reception.

  “You look beautiful,” Ari said with a wink.

  I was surprised at how good I looked in it, considering I’d just had a baby a few weeks ago.

  I looked back at Melody. “Do you think Scott will like it?”

  She smiled and started crying harder. She nodded her head. “Yes. He’s going to piss his pants when he sees you walking down the aisle.”

  Everyone laughed as I stepped down and hugged her. She held on to me probably a little bit longer than needed.

  Before she let me go, she whispered in my ear, “You look beautiful, baby girl. Just beautiful.”

  I felt a hand on my shoulder.

  “Thinking about the day you bought it?” Melody asked as she looked at my reflection in the mirror.

  “How did you know?” I asked.

  She let out a small laugh. “I’ve stood right where you are. I also stared at myself in the mirror, praying that I wasn’t dreaming.”

  I turned to face her. I was sure she could see the fear in my eyes. “Why am I so scared? It’s not like we don’t love each other…I mean, we are living together, and we have a baby. So, why am I shaking from head to toe?”

  She shook her head and laughed. “I don’t know. I wish I had the answer for you, but I don’t, sweetheart. Let me ask you something. Do you love Scott?”

  I sucked in a breath of air. I couldn’t believe she was even asking me this. “Of course I do—with all my heart.”