With the guys out of the house Hannah, Amy, and I spent most of the day figuring out the details for the wedding. Thankfully, Las Vegas was notorious for last minute weddings; having one week advance-notice was good by their standards. Plus, the chapels weren’t known for long lavish ceremonies. Surprisingly, there were several appointment times available at my first-choice chapel. Each appointment was allotted a half hour. They had several “package deals” to choose from, without putting much thought into the cost difference, we pre-paid for the deluxe package. The deluxe package includes fresh flowers that we get to keep, as opposed to fake flowers that are reused.
Hannah disappeared while Amy and I hashed out our dinner plans for after the ceremony. It wasn’t something I had a strong opinion about, so I let Amy take the lead on making those arrangements. I had just finished telling Amy that she could choose, when Hannah called my name from down the hall. Rather than yelling back, I made my way down the hall.
“So, good news! I just got off the phone with Mary, I had to make sure she knew I wouldn’t be available during the wedding. She freaked out and wants to take the wedding pictures.” I could feel my freak out coming, “I offered to pay her and she is refusing to accept any money.”
“Did you just say that Mary offered to do our wedding photos? Do you know how huge this is?” I don’t know if she could understand a word I’d just said because it came out screeching from the excitement I couldn’t contain. I seriously started jumping around like a little kid on Christmas morning.
Hannah tried several times to tell me to be quiet or else we were going to have to tell her mom. I totally didn’t care, Mary was going to take pictures on my wedding day. It was something I hadn’t even realized was that important to me. My thoughts quickly turned emotional which meant tears suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Hannah let me have my little freak out before suggesting I take a bath while she told her mom the truth. It was the only way we’d be able to explain the professional photographer that would be taking pictures of our wedding.
The bath was the perfect place for me to reflect on what we managed to arrange and decide what was left on the list. I knew Amy wasn’t going to let anything important get missed, which took a huge weight off my shoulders. Being able to focus on the wedding was the best way to keep my mind from being hyper focused on the baby growing inside my body.
Steve and Hannah made arrangements with most of their professors to take their finals early because they wanted to move before the semester technically ended. It was something I was still struggling with. I knew the reality of me passing a final if I take it on time is slim which means if I take them early there is zero chance I will pass. I remember what the guidance counselor said about my brother’s opinions and realized I am no longer worried about what they think. I do however, care what Calvin thinks. I don’t want him to be disappointed in me if I give up or if I fail.
It was as if thinking about him made him appear, because he knocked gently before walking into the bathroom. His smile produced enough electricity in me to power a small country. His dark brown eyes danced with desire and admiration, I could feel them both just by watching his eyes. When he bent down by the tub, he felt the water, which had cooled significantly since I’d first gotten in. “Babe, the water is cold. You need to get out before you catch a cold or something.”
I laughed. “I’ve been in here awhile. It didn’t start out very warm. I was afraid to make it too hot. I thought I remember seeing signs by hot tubs that say pregnant women shouldn’t be in them.”
Without saying a word, he pulled the plug; effectively ending my bath time. He grabbed a towel while I climbed out. “We need to find a doctor and have you seen as soon as possible. I tried to stop at the drug store on my way home, to get you prenatal vitamins but Steve was with me.” Once he was done drying me off to his standard, which included several passes over my growing tits, he led me back into his bedroom where he pulled one of his t-shirts and a pair of old gym shorts for me to wear. I looked ridiculous but he didn’t seem to care, until I pointed out that I wasn’t wearing a bra. His solution was to add one of his hooded pull overs. If I saw myself out and about my first thought would be that I was sick, not pregnant. “Mom is making dinner for everyone, so we aren’t going anywhere. After dinner, we still have a few things to iron out before you leave in the morning.”
My tears appeared as soon as he mentioned me leaving. He pulled me into him and let me cry. He was getting so good at just letting me cry it out. He rubbed my back while whispering to me words that made me cry even more. A light knock on the door pulled me from the cocoon Cal’s arms provided me. It was Luke, “Hey, Mom says dinner is ready. She wants everyone here tonight, since they leave in the morning.” He shut the door without waiting for either of us to respond.
Dinner was amazing. Amy made oriental chicken and fried rice that were better than any restaurant I’d ever had. So far today I hadn’t puked and wanted to keep it that way. The conversation was light and fun. We filled the guys in on all the wedding arrangements we’d made. Kyler took the opportunity to convince his parents that he should be allowed to invite a friend since he wasn’t going to be able to experience Vegas like an adult. Hannah and I aren’t 21 but we would both be busy so it didn’t matter. At first, I didn’t think they were going to go for it, but then he dropped his ace by telling them, “It’s okay. I can just share a room with you guys.”
It was hard to tell you who responded first, Luke or Amy. Apparently, they were looking forward to having their hotel room to themselves.
Everyone planned to watch a movie after dinner, but Cal had other plans when he announced that he and I were done for the day. He confirmed with Hannah and Steve that we were leaving the following morning at six. It was decided at dinner that the earlier we got back, the more time we’d have for studying.