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Chapter Twenty-Five
Dawn
Girls’ night ends up being a wedding-planning marathon. Kent came over last night and finalized his online submission to be ordained. We printed it off and he said he was going home to frame it. I wouldn’t put it past him.
On Monday, Mark and I went during our lunch breaks and applied for our marriage license and the date is set. Two weeks from today I’ll be Mrs. Marcus Adams.
“Okay, dress,” Reagan says.
“I was just going to wear something I have.”
“Really?” Reagan says, and I can hear the disappointment in her voice.
“Yeah, I mean, this isn’t a big affair or anything.” I pause and then tell them the other reason. “I always imagined my mom and my sister with me, and I don’t know, I just decided something I have will work.”
“What do you want, Dawn? Do you see yourself in a dress, not one that you already own? Hell, it doesn’t have to be a wedding dress. Maybe just something new he’s never seen before?” Kendall suggests.
“Yeah, I can see the appeal of him never seeing me in it before.”
“Done. We’re going shopping tomorrow.” Her fingers start flying across the screen of her cell phone. “We would go tonight but everything is closed.” She purses her lips as if the stores are wrong for being closed at nine thirty on a Saturday night.
“Who are you texting?”
“Mark and Ridge, letting them know they’re on kid duty tomorrow.”
“Might as well add Tyler to that message,” Reagan tells her.
“And Kent and Seth, just in case they need extra hands.” Amelia laughs.
“Good idea.” Kendall goes back to her phone and again, her fingers fly across the screen. “Done,” she says, finally looking up.
“Okay, dress is tomorrow. What about decorations?” Amelia asks.
“Meh, I figured some fresh flowers or something.”
“Come on, Dawn, you can do better than that,” Kendall says. “How do you feel about letting us take over the decorations?”
“Guys, you don’t have to do this. It’s simple,” I tell them.
“Simple and elegant. It still needs to feel like a wedding. You and Mark deserve nothing less,” she says.
“Oh.” Reagan sits up straighter in her seat. “Add Daisy’s dress to the list for tomorrow.”
Kendall points her finger at her. “I like the way you think, sister of mine,” she says, and they both laugh.
“So, how about it? You going to trust us with the decorations?” Amelia asks.
“Sure. Just don’t go overboard and we want to pay for it,” I say, making sure I make eye contact with all three of them.
“How about it’s our wedding gift to you? Y’all combined two houses so you don’t really need anything. What do you two think?” Reagan asks Kendall and Amelia.
“Love it,” Kendall says.
“What else?” I ask. Although I’m almost afraid to.
“Food?” Amelia asks.
“Sonia, Heidi, and Theresa,” I say, naming Ridge, Kendall, and Mark’s moms. “Theresa said not to worry. They were taking care of it.”
Kendall nods. “The best part is with those three, we know we’re in for some good eats.” She laughs.
“You sound like my brother.” Reagan chuckles.
Kendall shrugs. “There are worse things. Besides, he is my husband.”
“So, we’re good, right?” I ask. I don’t want this to get out of hand. I have to reel them in to keep it small.
“What about music? What are you walking in to?” Amelia asks.
“I-I’m not sure. I was thinking Mark and I could just kind of stand in front of Kent.” My heart aches thinking of walking down the aisle without my father.
Kendall reaches over from her spot next to me and gives my hand a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry,” she says softly.
“Shit, I wasn’t thinking,” Amelia says.
I wipe a tear before it falls. “It’s okay. It’s my life.”
“Do you trust me?” Kendall asks.
“Of course,” I say, and I mean it.
“Let me handle it. The music, the walking, all of it.”
“You have two kids, a husband, and a full-time job,” I tell her. “You don’t need to put this much effort into it.”
“Dawn,” she sighs. “You’re my best friend. Of course I’m going to.” She looks over at Reagan and Amelia. “I would do it for any of you. Please, I want to, and it’s not too much. These two are in on the decorations, so that takes some of the load off.”
“Are you sure?” I look at each of them. “I hate that you’re all doing so much. It’s just supposed to be small and simple.”
“It will be,” Reagan promises. “Let us handle it. We know it’s hard for you, and it’s easier not to than to feel the pain. Let us make your wedding day special.”
“Okay.” I nod, wiping at another tear.
“Shit, y’all better change the subject. Mark’s going to be pissed if he finds out we made her cry,” Amelia says, dead serious, and we all burst into laughter. She’s grinning, which means her comment did what she wanted it to do. Break the tension and mask the sadness.
“Well, that’s settled. Now, let’s talk about something else.” Reagan turns to Amelia. “You’re the only single lady among us. What’s going on with you? Seeing anyone?”
“No.” Amelia shakes her head. “Still living with my parents and searching for full-time employment.”
“Human resources, right?” I ask her.
“Yeah. To be honest, I haven’t really been looking. I’m just… in a funk I guess. I mean, I want to be gainfully employed and move out of my parents’ place, but I was gone for college, and I missed them. I don’t hate it at the moment.” Something flashes in her eyes that I can’t read before it’s gone.
“Nothing wrong with that,” Reagan says.
“Hey, maybe talk to Ridge. He moans about all the HR stuff he has to handle. Maybe he’ll be ready to let go and hire someone?” Kendall suggests.
“Yes. My dad was the same way growing up when the company was his. Mom would tell him over and over to hire someone, but he never did,” Reagan tells us.
“I might do that,” Amelia says, not really committing but knowing that will pacify Kendall and Reagan.
Maybe it’s because I’ve spent a lot of time with her while she was with me in the hospital or maybe it’s because I didn’t know her then, but my gut tells me there’s something going on with her. She fidgets in her seat and I know she’s uncomfortable.
“Okay, enough of my wedding high-jacking girls’ night. What next?” I ask.
“Well, we’ve already broke out the wine, so junk food and movies. Oh… dance party?” Reagan laughs.
“Really?” I ask.
“Hell yeah. Girls’ night we let loose and act like we’re fifteen again.”
“All right.” I toss her my phone. “It’s already connected to the bluetooth speaker, pick whatever you want. I’m making some popcorn.”
“We’ll help.” Kendall grabs Amelia’s hand and drags her into the kitchen with us.
“There are only four of us,” I say, looking at the chips, cookies, brownies, candy, and I know there are two cartons of ice cream waiting for us in the freezer.
“Girls’ night, calories don’t count,” Kendall says.
“Good thing. We’ve already demolished two bottles of wine,” I say, holding up the empty bottles as proof.
Amelia waves me off. “We’ll burn that off with the dance part
y.”
“That’s a real thing?” I ask.
Reagan laughs as she joins us. “Yeah, we used to have them all the time, Amelia and me. She was two years older than me, like Ridge, but since she was the only girl, we hung out a lot. We had some kickass dance parties.”
“I’m sorry I missed that,” Kendall says, and she truly sounds disappointed.
“Okay, ladies, let’s do this.” Reagan turns the volume up and “Love Shack” by the B-52s blares through the speakers.
Junk food forgotten, we bounce around the kitchen and living room acting like fools, pulling out our cheesiest dance moves. I can’t wipe the smile off my face, even if I tried. I needed this night more than I knew. It’s a perfect reminder to live in the moment. You never know what tomorrow might bring.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Mark
When I woke up this morning, I rolled over to an empty bed. I had to sleep alone last night, which is the craziest thing I’ve ever heard. But then I remembered why my lovely fiancée insisted on separate rooms, and my smile cannot be contained.
Today is my wedding day.
We’re not going with the traditional “can’t see the bride the day of the wedding,” but she did insist we sleep in separate rooms. She also insisted she stay in the spare bedroom, which is finally furnished with a queen-size bed. I didn’t fight her on it. Okay, not much. She’s been pretty calm with all this wedding planning and easygoing. This is the first real thing I’ve heard her ask for, so after whining briefly, I conceded.
We’re getting married at noon, which is apparently a time that works with the nap schedule of Daisy and the other littles. I don’t care what time, just that it’s finally happening. Glancing at the clock, I see it’s just after six and Daisy will be up soon. Climbing out of bed, I go ahead and grab a shower, then throw on some basketball shorts and a T-shirt. I don’t bother shaving. I know Dawn likes me with a few days’ growth, and with my parents keeping Daisy tonight, I plan to let her experience it. All. Night. Long.
“Morning, beautiful.” I kiss Dawn on the cheek then bend down to do the same to Daisy, who sits in her high chair. She likes to be where we are, which is a win since we always want her around. “You’re a happy baby this morning.” She grins when my beard tickles her cheek.
