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Allen got distracted by a fake volcano spewing real fire, but we all managed to stick with Mike, who got us on a bus that apparently looped the Strip throughout the day. It was a good thing, too, because after I’d walked with Shane, my feet were already sore.
After what felt like a zillion stops, we finally reached the chapel. I couldn’t believe how tiny it was. The door was open, and through it I could see them. Dad’s wheelchair took up a lot of room, but Margaret was sitting on his lap, and I’d never seen him look so happy in his life.
The staff waved us inside, and I ran over to give him a hug. “This is bananas, you know that?” I told them.
“We know,” Margaret said happily. “But after you left, we got to talking about how neither of us had been to Vegas and how neither of us had felt like this in a really long time, so…I proposed.” She shrugged.
“You proposed to Dad?” I asked, my voice breaking.
He squeezed her tight in his arms. “She did, darlin’. Told me she wanted to marry me. She doesn’t have any family left, and I don’t have an inheritance for her to steal, so I’m fairly confident this isn’t part of a plan to kill me.”
She gently smacked the back of his head. “Russell Aaron, you hush.”
Margaret looked up at me tentatively. “Is this okay, Indiana? Will you give us your blessing?”
The tears started then, and I threw my arms around them both. “I’m just worried who I’ll live with if you get divorced.” I sniffed.
Dad poked me in the side and looked past me into the lobby. It was packed. “You’ve brought so many young men here with you,” he said. “Any of you here to marry Indiana?” he boomed.
I hid my face. “Shut up, Dad,” I hissed.
I could hear Allen sigh behind me. “I would have, but not anymore. No offense, Ana.”
I fought back a smile. “None taken, Allen.”
“Maybe Shane?” Mike offered helpfully.
I kept my face hidden, suddenly beyond mortified.
“I think we still have some time,” Shane said. “We’re not old as dirt yet.”
An attendant motioned for us to take seats in the chapel. Shane and I grabbed a spot near the front, and the others shuffled into the pews thebest they could. The place really was tiny. Dad wheeled himself down the aisle to the flower-covered podium and turned so he was looking back at all of us. A tear slipped down my cheek, and I silently thanked Heidi for her insistence that my makeup be waterproof.
The music swelled, and we all turned to see Margaret walking down the aisle with Elvis at her side. He was crooning “Can’t Help Falling in Love” while making finger guns at all of us. Margaret looked radiant in her black dress, and she and my dad couldn’t stop staring at each other. When the song ended and they got to the end of the aisle, Elvis kissed Margaret’s hand, then went to stand behind the podium. He cleared his throat, and I thought he was going to start officiating. Instead, he abruptly launched into “It’s Now or Never.”
Hysterical giggles escaped Margaret’s lips. Her eyes slid over to Dad, and he started giggling, too. Elvis looked a little annoyed but kept plowing on. By the end of the song, Margaret was doubled over, holding on to Dad’s chair, and his head was thrown back in laughter.
Elvis cleared his throat loudly, and I tried not to look at the deep V of his costume that went all the way to his belly button, exposing quite a bit of fluffy body hair. “Now, do you, Russell Aaron, take Margaret Sheridan, to be your wedded wife?”
“I sure as hell do,” he said, his eyes twinkling at her.
Elvis rolled his eyes. “And do you, Margaret Sheridan, take Russell Aaron to be your wedded husband?”
“Damn straight,” she responded, then broke into giggles again.
Elvis sighed, like he was above all this. “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss each other, if you want.”
Margaret threw her arms around my dad, and they kissed. I had to lookaway but jumped when I heard the honk behind me. Mike was sobbing openly, and an attendant was shoving a box of tissues at him.
Shane squeezed my hand. “This complete weirdness might be the most romantic thing I’ve ever seen,” he whispered.
“Right?” I said, sniffling.
Margaret slipped into Dad’s lap and looked over at me, trying to compose herself. “We did pay for him to sing two songs,” she said, wheezing.
“And I did,” Elvis grouched, which brought a fresh set of giggles.
“Hey, has anyone seen Allen?” I asked, looking at the pews.
