Chapter Twenty-two
Roman
I don’t think I’ve ever been this fucking nervous a day in my life as I let Ima pin a boutonniere to the lapel of my tux. I watch her slight fingers fix the delicate rose to my jacket. “Have you seen her?” I ask the elderly lady who’s been acting as a surrogate mother to us for half our lives.
She looks up at me, beaming, and pats my arm. “I have, and she is completely breathtaking.” Leo steps up next and she goes to work on his. “They all do, actually. Hollis did such a wonderful job choosing those dresses.” She has the smile of a proud mother on her face, as she should. She did a wonderful job keeping all us boys in line after the deaths of our parents.
She and Hugh have provided a support system we thought we’d lost, giving us stability when we thought our worlds had been thrown into chaos. The two people who’d been best friends with my parents, had opened their arms for Hollis and treated her like just another one of their children, never blaming or looking at her differently.
“Thanks, Ima,” Leo says as he leans in and kisses her cheek. “I’m sure you’re giving our ladies a run for their money in the beauty department.”
She rolls her eyes, swatting at him lovingly. “That might work on Avery, but I’ve known you too long to let your sweet talking affect me.” She looks around the room. “Dalton.” She motions for him to come and stand in front of her. “You’re next.”
He comes over with a huge smile on his face. “Hey, roomie.” He stands straight but smiles over at me.
I groan. Piper had kidnapped Hollis after rehearsal last night, refusing to let her spend the night with me so they could have a girl’s night, and she sent Dalton over to stay with me. It ended up that all the boys showed up, and we played cards until two this morning, sharing Jack and cigars on the back deck of my house.
When Ima finishes up with Dalton, she moves on to Matthew, who’s holding a tiny tux clad Jackson, then Eno and Cowboy. “There you go.” She stands back, looking at all of us as she takes out her phone. “You all look so handsome.” She snaps a photo of us, her eyes getting glassy. She covers her mouth with her hand, stifling a sob.
I walk over and lay my hand on her back. “None of that. If you cry, Dalton will too, and then Eno will get started, and all our makeup will be messed up.” She smiles up at me, but her eyes are still brimming with tears.
“I just want you to know how proud I am of all of you.” She reaches up, laying her hand on my cheek. “My boys.” She takes in a deep breath and sniffs, waving her hands through the air. “Okay, now I’ve got to check on my girls.” She gives us all one last look and smile before leaving the room.
Eno slaps his hands together. “Now that Momma’s gone.” He produces a flask from his tux jacket and unscrews the top, handing it to me. “The groom first.” He shrugs. “To take the edge off.”
I throw it back, taking a mouthful before passing it off to Cowboy, who does the same, then the rest follow until the flask is empty. I shove my hands into the pockets of my dress slacks and walk to the window, looking out over the beautiful lawn behind the small church. I wish my mother could’ve been here today, and I wish she could’ve gotten to know Hollis and the woman she is today.
She hadn’t been overly excited when she’d found out that we were dating in high school. She’d wanted me to date one of my father’s country club buddies’ daughters. And I tried, but none of them ever held my attention the way Hollis had or still does. I love her jagged edges, rough background and pure will to be better.
Hollis is my Phoenix. She rose from the ashes of a shitty upbringing and bad choices in her early twenties to be the woman who holds my heart and the respect of my friends that have made her family.
I think back over the years that have led up to this day, and I can’t believe we’re actually here. I never thought I would see her again after she left me all those years ago. I thought I would be the one who cared enough to go and identify her body at the morgue when it was found dumped on the side of the road and give her a proper burial. Every day I’m thankful that’s not how our story is going to end. For two broken children from different sides of town, whose lives intersected tragically in more ways than one, we get our happy ending, and I can’t imagine mine being with anyone but her.
~~~~~~
Hollis
Ima comes through the door, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue, just as Piper shoves the bottle of champagne we’ve been cowboying behind her back, trying to look innocent. Ima waves her hand at us, shaking her head. “Don’t bother,” she says, holding her hand out. “But you can share.”
Piper hesitantly hands her the bottle. “Do you want a glass?”
“Pfft. Girl, please. Do you think you invented drinking from the bottle?” Ima retorts as she lifts the champagne to her lips, taking a very long drink. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she says, “I’m going to be an emotional mess by the end of the day.”
“You kind of already are, Mom,” Emily points out, garnering herself an eye roll from her mother. Ima takes the one unoccupied chair and pulls Caden onto her lap. “Hello, beautiful.” She kisses her on the temple. “We have forty-five minutes till curtain call. Are you ready?” she asks me, igniting the butterflies the champagne had calmed back to life, making my stomach flutter. Not from nerves, but excitement and anticipation.
I lay my hand on my satin-covered stomach, hoping to calm them. “I think so.” Today is something I thought would never happen for a girl like me. I’m still that girl, deep down. The one who’s always on the outside looking in, seeing everyone else get everything they ever wanted while I struggled to just live each hour. But I push those thoughts away because today is not the day to think about them. Today is the day of my happy, when I marry the most wonderful man in the world. A man who’s loved me through all the shit I’ve put myself, my body, and the people around me through.
“Okay.” Ima slaps her leg and stands, placing Caden on her feet. “It’s time to get you girls ready and out there.” Piper has an assistant, but I knew Ima wouldn’t be able to just stand by and let another woman, other than Piper, run the show. I stand too as all my friends, who are wearing the beautiful dresses I’d chosen for them, hug and kiss me, then watch as they disappear out the door. The sounds of the blues music I’d chosen drifts through the now open door, making me smile. I hadn’t seen Roman since the rehearsal dinner last night, and I realize how much I miss him.
I race and empty my stomach of the champagne into the small garbage can sitting in the corner of the room. I stand with my hand over my mouth, looking for something to wash my mouth out with, and my shoulders slump when I see that the only thing to do that with is the champagne that just made me throw up. Scanning the room once more for something else, I’m resigned to the fact that it’s the only thing there is.
I no more get myself back together when Ima comes through the door, placing two calming hands on my upper arms. “You ready, love?” She smiles at me as her touch soothes me.
“Yes.” I’m more than ready to be Roman’s wife, to start a future where I’m not running from anything or fighting for my life. But I can’t shake that slightly empty feeling of not having one blood relative at my own wedding. There were none to be found other than the asshole who’d discarded me and my mother like a used band aid.
“Here’s your bouquet.” I take the bunch of long stemmed day lilies.
I hear a light knock on the door and look up. “Hey, gorgeous.” Cruz, Mose, and Dexter walk through the door. “You’re wearing white?” Cruz asks, raising his eyebrows.
“Shut up. Come over here and give me a hug.” I hold out my arms to the man who’s been almost as loyal to me as Roman.
“Don’t keep her long.” Ima reminds them as she exits the side room just off the church foyer we’ve used to get ready in.
“Yes, ma’am,” Mose replies as she pulls the door closed behind her.
~~~~~~
Roman
The first cords of a blues song I recognize comes through the sound system of the church and I smile. She had found a way to make this day about us both without me even knowing.
Caden skips through the door holding Jackson’s hand, practically dragging him behind her, dropping haphazard piles of rose petals as she goes. When they reach us, they both run to Ima, who’s holding a sleeping Gia, and climb into Hugh’s lap, who are both sitting on Hollis’s side of the aisle.
Leo and Emily are the first couple to walk through the doors and into the chapel. Leo escorts Emily to her place next to where Hollis will be standing and gives her a kiss on the cheek. He offers me his hand as he comes to stand next to me. We both turn and survey the people sitting in the pews of the small church Hollis insisted we get married in, as the rest of my boys escort in the other ladies.
“Is that Kent with Tessa’s mom?” I lean over to Leo and ask.
“Looks that way. Avery did say he was dating somebody.” We both try not to stare, but we can’t help it.
“Oh my God, I’m not sure if that’s creepy or cool. Maybe a little of both,” I whisper back over to him.
Leo begins to pat his lapels. “Oh fuck, man, I’ll be right back.”
“Hey,” I say, stopping him. “You do realize we’re in the house of the Lord, so ixnay on the f-bombs, man.” And now I sound like Emily. He shrugs his shoulders at me as he ducks around the red velvet curtain that leads to the dressing rooms in the back of the church.
“Where did he go?” Cowboy asks after easing up in the space Leo had just vacated.
“I don’t know, said he forgot something.”
“My guess is that it’s the one thing he had to remember, the ring,” Dalton adds as he walks past us to stand next to Eno.
“Old age is a bitch,” Eno chuckles, while Cowboy scoffs at him for his language.
Matthew deposits Tessa, then stops to kiss her mother on the cheek and shake Kent’s hand. “Sir.”
Eno turns, looking at us. “What the hell? Did any of you know about that?”
We all shake our heads no, except for Matthew who mouths, “I’ll tell you later, bunch of gossip queens.” He directs his attention to the back of the church where the doors are closed, meaning the next time they open, Hollis will be coming through them.
My heart actually flutters, and my stomach knots up like it’s in a vise with anticipation. I feel the smile spread my lips and know that it’ll be there for the rest of my life.
~~~~~~
Hollis
“Okay, it’s you next, babe.” The woman Dalton had hired as Piper’s assistant to keep the wedding moving while Piper was busy standing up with me, says.
I walk to her and stop where she tells me to. “Thank you, Eden.” She gives me a quick smile.
“Just like we rehearsed last night. I’ll give you about five, and then when I open the doors, wait until the second bar of the song starts before you walk through, okay?”
I nod and she disappears through a side door, back into the chapel, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I sniffle because I’m alone in this world. The only family I have are the ones who I’ve hurt immensely in the past and taken things away from I can never give back.
The soft sound of a door clicking shut makes my head dart up, and I look to see if Eden has come back, but there isn’t anybody there.
“Hey.” Leo’s deep voice has my head jerking around to the other side of the church foyer.
“Hey,” I reply, wiping my eyes, and the next time I open them, he’s standing right in front of me.
He lifts one of his big hands and uses the pads of his thumb to wipe the last remaining tear from my cheek. “Happy tears?” He smiles at me, and I can see why Avery couldn’t ever tell him no. His longish black hair is gelled neatly back, and his beard is trimmed to just a thick scruff on his handsome face. The lip ring I used to think was so sexy is now gone because according to Avery, Gia likes to grab things, and the first thing she went for was the shiny silver hoop in Leo’s bottom lip.
“Something like that.” I shrug my shoulder, but I know he see right through my feeble attempt at a lie.
“So what is it really?” He turns to look at the closed double doors, and then back to me. “Getting cold feet?”
“No, not that at all.” I shake my head empathically. “Marrying Roman is something I’ve dreamt about since I was sixteen years old.”
“Then what is it?” I press my lips together in a thin line. “Come on, you can tell me.” He places one hand on my shoulder and uses the index finger on his other to tip my chin up to look at him. He has so much concern in his dark eyes, it melts me. Out of all the men, Leo’s the last person I would’ve ever thought would be standing out here with me, wiping my tears.
“I—I’m all alone, Leo. The one man who could’ve been my family called me a whore and paid to have me removed from his life.” My voice breaks a little more with each word, and now I’m full-out sobbing.
He gathers me to him, pressing my head into his barrel chest. “Leo, what are you doing out here?” I hear Eden’s voice.
“Not right now. Give us a few more minutes. Tell them she had to pee or something.” His chest rattles against my ear as he talks.
“Oh,” she hesitates.
“Go on.” He shoos her away.
“Okay, okay.”
He kisses the top of my head before tilting me back and wiping my face clean again. “Hollis, that man is a grade A fucking asshole.” I look around, waiting for the lightening to strike, but it never does. “It’s his loss that he doesn’t have you in his life. And this bullshit about you not having family,” he leads me over to the door he came through and guides me to look through the small crack he’s opened up. I gasp when I see the chapel is full of people. “See? Family isn’t always defined by the blood that runs through our veins, but by the people who are devoted to you and love you, Hollis. There’s a church full of them. You’re not alone, and you never will be. And see those eight people down in front, especially the one who’s looking a little green right now?” I nod. “They love you most of all. You even got us into tuxes again we love you so much.” He pulls me back and turns me to him. “What do you say we go put Roman out of his misery?”
I can’t hold the tears back any longer, and I fling my body at him, wrapping my arms around his neck. I feel his tight hold around my waist too. “Thank you, Leo.”
“Anytime, Hollis.” He smiles a devilish grin and wriggles his eyebrows. “You sure you don’t wanna wait a little while longer and see if Roman passes out?” He has a joking smile on his face as he wiggles his eyebrows at me.
I playfully slap his arm. “No, I want to get married with my friends, surrounded by my family.”
“Okay, but I think that would be hella funny.” He offers me his left arm. “May I have the honor of walking you down that aisle so you can marry one of my best friends?”
“I would love it if you would.” I take his arm as he leans forward and knocks softly on the door, signaling Eden that we’re ready. He lays his hand over mine that I have tucked securely in the crook of his big arm.
~~~~~~
Roman
Avery leans into the space between us and whispers, “Where did Leo go?”
I shrug. “I don’t know.”
Then Hollis’s song begins to play through the speakers. I look up and watch as the double doors open and Leo leads Hollis through them. A collective gasp goes up and everybody stands as my beautiful bride makes her way down the long aisle to me on the arm of my best friend, my brother. She’s breathtaking, and I have to remind myself to breathe. She’s smiling from ear to ear, and so is Leo as they come to a stop in front of me and the preacher.
“Let us pray,” the preacher says, and I bow my head, but I never take my eyes off the woman on Leo’s arm. “Amen. Please be seated,” The preacher directs the congregation. “Who gives this woman in marriage?”
Leo looks over at me and the men standing up next to me with a smile on his face. The others move from behind me, walking down to surround Hollis in a semicircle, with her at the center. “The men of Mayhem and I do.” They each kiss Hollis’s tear-stained cheek as they file past her to rejoin me. Leo helps her up the steps as Emily comes over, visibly shaken, and fixes her train perfectly so that it cascades down the three steps. He gives me a slight punch to the back of my shoulder as he takes up his spot beside me.
I blink back a few tears as I take her small hands in mine, and the preacher begins to talk about the sanctity of marriage and how important it is that we live by the vows we’re getting ready to take in the presence of our family, friends, and God. But I hear none of it, my head so full of the woman standing in front of me.
My eyes drift over the delicate dress that fits her beautiful body perfectly. The way her dark wavy hair is fixed up on the sides and down in the back, her white veil flows right along with her locks.
“The ring?” The preacher asks, and Leo hands it to me as Hollis holds up her left hand. I slide it halfway onto her small finger.
Her eyes glisten and her smile is beaming up at me as I begin to speak my vows, the words from my heart that she completely owns. “Hollis,” I say her name on a sigh. Saying it is like pouring warm honey on my tongue. “You are the air that I breathe.” I hold her eyes as I push the ring the rest of the way onto her finger and repeat the words I will live by until the day I die. “I Roman, take you Hollis to be my lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward. For richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health. To honor and obey until death do us part.” I’d wanted to write my own, but when I tried to put it to paper the way I feel about this woman, I couldn’t find the words.
I watch as a tear glides down her flushed cheek, and I raise my hand to catch it. “There’ll be no more sad tears, I promise,” I whisper to her, cupping her face with my hand.
“Hollis, the ring?” The preacher prompts Emily to pass over the white gold band Hollis and I had chosen. She smiles up at me as she pushes my ring onto my finger.
~~~~~~
Hollis
From the moment I walked into this chapel, all my doubts and fears have been completely erased by the people who are proud to call themselves my family.
“Roman.” My voice breaks as I fight to hold the tears that are burning my eyes. “You gave me back my soul.” I bite my lip, and then begin to recite the vows he had just said to me.
The preacher says one more prayer before he announces, “I now pronounce you man and wife. You may—” Roman doesn’t let him get the words out before he gathers me into his arms and crushes his mouth to mine. He threads his fingers into my hair as I do the same to him. The cheers go up around us, but the bubble around me and Roman drowns them all out.
But the preacher clearing his throat has us breaking apart. I glance over at him, feeling my face heat up. “There will be time for that later.” He smiles at us, and then holding up his hand, he says, “Mr. and Mrs. Roman Jefferys.” I hook my arm into Roman’s as he leads us down the aisle to claps, cheers, and people patting us on the shoulder. I’m smiling so big, my face is starting to hurt, and when he and I get to the foyer, he turns and sweeps me up into his arms, kissing me again.
I now know I was being an idiot to think these people weren’t my family and that they couldn’t love me like a person related to them by blood. I feel them all surround us, the happy tears continuing to roll as I’m embraced by them one right after the other. My heart is happy and my soul, the one Roman showed me I have, is full.
Dalton walks over to the doors of the church and flings them wide open to reveal a very large stretch limo. “Oh look, our ride’s here.” He steps to the side, holding out his arm. “The Bride and Groom first, of course.” Roman smiles down at me, taking my hand and wrapping it around his forearm as he leads me out to our sleek black chariot.
Once we’re all in and seated, Leo pops the cork on one of the two bottles of champagne in the ice bucket sitting on the mini bar. Handing out glasses as he pours them, he finishes with his before holding his glass up. “A toast to the beautiful as ever Hollis and the butthead she married, my best friend.” He glances over to Avery, who’s beaming up at him. I used to envy them and how they found each other, and I loathed Emily and Cowboy for the love they shared. And something I never thought would happen is Piper sitting on Dalton’s lap, which is something I‘ve been trying to figure out since I’ve been back. But the cutest of them all are Josie and Eno, who I completely and utterly adore. She’s such a sweetie, and unlike the rest of us, is a quiet little thing until you get a bit of bourbon in her. “Hollis, babe, I never thought I would be saying this, but I’m happy you came back.” Roman moves to stop him, but Leo holds up his hand and I pull him back. Roman settles back down beside me, but not before throwing a look of warning at Leo. “You protected Caden and you make this jackass smile. You are a best friend to my woman and the rest. You give without asking for anything. And you support—,”
“Better than a push-up bra,” Piper yells out, causing Leo to cut his eyes over at her. “What? You’re getting all sappy and I feel like partying.” She wags her hand in the air at him.
Leo licks his lips getting ready to start again but it’s Avery this time laying her hand on his arm stopping him. “What Leo is trying to say is, congratulations, and we love you both.” She holds up her glass, prompting all of us to do the same.
“Cheers!” We all say in unison, clinking our glasses together as one.
~~~~~~
We’re introduced again when we enter the dining hall at the local country club. I look around in awe at the two hundred guests that attended my wedding and are now at the reception to help us celebrate more. The mic is passed off to Roman. “Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for coming out and helping me and Hollis celebrate this amazing day. We’re blessed to have so many members of the community supporting us.” He looks at me with his eyebrows raised in question, and I shake my head no, horrified. I don’t want to talk in front of all these people. He smiles back at the crowd who applaud him, and I marvel at my husband, the man I married who is so comfortable in front of a crowd.
The mic is taken from his hand as he leads me out on the dance floor, and Bryan Adams comes over the sound system. “Bryan Adams, really?” I thought he’d forgotten about this song, the one he’d played for me the first night we made love in his truck. He pulls me in close to him, and the smell of his cologne fills my nose. I breathe him in. I look up at him, not as much as I usually have to, thanks to the four-inch heels, but he’s still a few inches taller.
He smiles back down at me, his ice blue eyes gleaming with pride and happiness. “Are you happy?”
“I don’t think anything short of the birth of our first child could make me this happy.”
His face turns. “You trying to tell me something?”
“Oh no, just the only proper comparison I could come up with.” I laugh. “Scared ya, didn’t I?”
“It wouldn’t bother me if you were.” He ducks down and kisses my nose as the rest of our wedding party joins us on the floor. Roman drops my hands and wraps both arms fully around me, holding me close as we move slowly over the dance floor.
We dance, I dance, he dances. The dance floor is full and the open bar is busy. I would expect nothing less from a Mayhem Wedding other than what I’m getting right now. I’ve been shuffled from Leo, to Dalton, then on to a very freaking tall Cowboy, then Matthew, and I end with Eno.
“Beeker and Kayla wanted me to tell you congrats. They’re settling in great in DC, and Beeker has healed completely.”
“I’m going to miss them,” I sigh, wishing that two of our good friends could have made it. I’ve known them for years, but never really got close to them until these past couple of months after Beeker had gotten shot protecting Tessa. We had all chipped in and helped Kayla with a healing Beeker and colicky baby Anna.
“Yeah, well, after he was shot, a desk job was the only way for him to stay with the Agency, and the best paying one he took.” He pushes me out and spins me around, catching me off guard, and quickly jerks me back to him.
“Eno,” I say, laughing so hard I nearly snort. I nod my head to a dancing Kent and Noma. “What do you think about that?”
He shrugs his shoulders. “Avery’s mom’s been gone for a while now, and so has Tessa’s dad. If we can find our happy, why can’t they?”
“True.” I look around, and my eyes catch on Ima and Hugh dancing, looking just as cozy as the rest of us. Roman had paid for child care for Gia, Caden, and Jackson. They hung around long enough to eat and make complete messes of their formal attire before they were taken back to Leo and Avery’s house. “So?” I look up at him expectantly as Dalton swirls Josie around us, dipping her, right before taking her off to the other side of the dance floor with her shrieking and laughing the whole time.
“So what?” He looks down at me with a ghost of a smile on his face, as if he knows what I’m hinting at, but is going to make me ask him.
“You’ve put a ring on it, so now whatcha gonna do, big boy?” I tickle him.
He shrugs me off and we go back to dancing. “Hold up now, we can only have so much excitement in one year.”
“Well, it’s catching like a cold. She’ll have the fever,” I warn him, because as we planned, I could see that fire in her eyes build with each decision made.
He just smiles at me as the song ends. “I think I want to go sit a minute, my feet are killing me.” He leads me to a chair right off the dance floor. Bending down, he gives me a kiss before I lose him in crowd.
I reach and take off one shoe and begin rubbing my foot. Looking out over the crowd, my heart twists in my chest a bit. These people are my family. Roman and his family have given me something I thought I would never have, and I will never take it for granted again. I’m letting go of the past and the people who made it toxic, and nearly ruined me. I’m no longer basing my worth on that part of my life, but invest in the future that is wide open in front of me. I’ve been forgiven and accepted, which are two of the greatest gifts of all.
Emily walks over and plops down into the chair next to me, and Tessa onto the one on my other side. “What are you over here looking so sad about? It’s your wedding?” Emily asks as she does the same with her shoe.
I eye what she’s doing, and then look back up to her. “I don’t want to be so damned worn out I can’t consummate the marriage tonight. I have us a nice cabin reserved for the rest of the weekend.”
Tessa holds up her overly swollen feet. “Tessa, you should stay off of them for the rest of the night. You’re not even supposed to be out of bed,” I chastise.
“Like I would miss your fucking wedding.” She slings her fat foot in my direction. “Could you?”
“Could I what?” I shy away from her offering.
“Peel that damned flip flop from between my toes.” She shakes her foot at me. “Well, go on.” I reach and jerk the flop off her foot and she moans in what I can only describe as ecstasy. She twists—as much as she can—in the chair, offering me her other foot. “Now this one.” She moans again and wiggles her fat little toes as I pull the flip flop from her foot.
“Excuse me, Mrs. Jefferys?” Our photographer comes up to us. “Can I get a candid of the whole wedding party?”
“Sure.” I gesture out toward the dance floor. “If you can wrangle them all up.”
He smiles at me. “Oh, I have it handled.” He turns, and Emily and I help Tessa up out of the chair, following behind him. The MC gets on the mic. “Can the whole wedding party please make your way up to the stage for the boutique toss and garter dive?”
When the floor clears, there are two chairs sitting in the middle. I’m offered one, and Roman the other.
“Now,” the MC begins. “As wedding traditions go, this one is my favorite. If you would please, sir.” He gestures for Roman to kneel in front of me. “Go find the garter,” the MC spurs him on, and the DJ spins a sexy song through the speakers as Roman wastes no time and dives under my dress like a man after his last meal.
I press my lips together as Roman kisses my calf, making his way up to my thighs. Lingering there, he licks and blows his hot breath across my skin. Had I not had over two hundred sets of eyes on me, I could shove his head between those thighs he’s playing with.
But after what seems like an eternity under my dress, he finally drags the garter down my leg and over my foot with his teeth. He stands triumphantly to cheers and hollers from the crowd.
“Now, all the single men.” I peek out from behind the fingers of my hands covering my face, to see a concentration of suited and tuxedoed-up, beer holding men gathered at the center of the floor vying for the prime center position. When Roman turns and flips it back over his shoulder, several of the men fall on the floor, but wait for it…Eno is the one who comes up with the lacy elastic, looking as pleased as punch. He twirls it around his finger and winks at me, strutting around in front of the other men, taunting them with his prize.
“Now, Mrs. Jefferys, if you would please?” The MC offers me his hand and pulls me up the small steps and onto the stage. I’m handed a bouquet of fake flowers and directed to stand with my back to the crowd.
“One!” I wave the flowers in the air over my head. “Two! Three!” I toss it as hard as I can backwards and quickly spin around to see who catches it. And as if it had been choreographed, all the women but one step out of the way, parting like the Red Sea, and I watch as the flowers land perfectly in Josie’s waiting hands. She looks up and around to find Eno, and gives him a greedy little smile.
We get our pictures made with Eno and Josie, then the rest of my rag-tag wedding party joins us for the candid. We all have champagne and toast right as the picture is taken, but Tessa screams and bends over, holding her belly, making us all turn at the last minute when the flash goes off.
What a great picture memory this is going to be.