The following week was a huge whirlwind.
I sucked it up and agreed to help the crew at WMC find and train my replacement. I contacted a friend of mine named Emma that I knew from beauty school. She was talented, and she was excited about the opportunity, so it seemed like a good fit for everyone. She worked at a local salon, but she said she could go down to Friday and Saturday at the salon and come to work Tuesday through Thursday at the station. This only left the producers with a one-day gap to fill, which made everyone happy.
Training Emma meant more responsibility for me, thus it was a little bit of an added stress to my last week at work, but honestly, it worked out. Having her there with me meant I constantly had someone to talk to; therefore I did not have to get into any awkward conversations with Cindy. Okay, maybe there were a few uncomfortable moments, but having Emma there with me definitely helped matters.
Cindy knew I was quitting, obviously, but I didn't talk about where I was going, or why, or even that I was getting married that weekend. I didn't tell Emma either. I liked her, and I was close enough to her to talk about it, but I really didn't want them speculating once I was gone and she had the whole crew in her chair for hours a day. I was private like that and was content to hold my plans in my heart in spite of my excitement.
My family helped plan the party, which would take place the following Saturday at Daniel and Courtney's. Everyone was thrilled for us, but Courtney was beside herself. She and I had bonded one time way back when I dressed her as an old lady so she could go to my cousin's high school graduation without getting hassled. Ever since then, we have been best of friends.
I had a brother and a lot of male cousins, and I was typically the type of woman who didn't need to gush about my feelings, but in the time since Daniel had married Courtney, we had grown really close and had several extensive conversations about life and love and all those things. She was not only invested in me as a person, but she was also ecstatic that she had been the one to bring Isaac to Memphis for the project. You would think she was my sister with how excited she was about us getting married.
Courtney and Daniel had a home on some acreage outside of Memphis. They rearranged their living room to comfortably accommodate the sixty people we had present at the ceremony.
She hired a team of people to come in and adjust her couches, adding chairs and other furniture that she rented. They strung lights and brought in fresh flowers, and by the time they were done, Courtney and Daniel's living room had been completely transformed into a fairytale setting. She wanted it to be a surprise for me, so I didn't see it before the ceremony happened.
I knew the wedding was taking place in their living room, and that the whole thing had been spur of the moment, so I hadn't been expecting much of a change. I was blown away by the transformation, and there was nothing I could do to keep myself from crying as I walked through the living room toward Isaac.
I ended up wearing Shug's wedding dress. I had gone to a bridal store after work one evening that week to look at buying something, but I had trouble finding anything I loved. My mom was there with me and so was Taylor because she was going to help me with any needed alterations, and we got into a conversation that lead to Mom mentioning Shug's dress.
It was a simple, straight, knee-length cotton and lace number, and I wore gloves and simple white pumps just like Shug had done. Taylor made a couple of slight alterations, but it was pretty much perfect for me the way it was.
Taylor also hooked Isaac up with a sharp black suit that made him look like a movie star. The combination of seeing the living room full of lights and flowers with my handsome groom standing on the other side of it was just too much. Tears fell onto my cheeks the whole time I walked through the room. My face didn't crumple, and it didn’t look like I was crying, but tears fell nonetheless.
Uncle Jacob performed the ceremony, and he talked about how he was continually amazed by God's patience and timing. He talked about Joseph, son of Jacob, who had been sold into slavery and then arrested under false accusations only to later save his family and a nation from famine. He had talked to Isaac and me before the wedding, asking us detailed questions about our pasts and our lives, and he said that while the stories weren't exactly the same, he just kept thinking about Joseph the whole time we told him our stories.
During the short ceremony, he made a point of saying how amazing it was that it could take years and years for us to finally come to the place where we see what we were waiting for, and once we do—once we look back—it's clear that God was in control the whole time.
Isaac had bought me a ring that week before the wedding, and that, too, was a surprise. He put it on my finger once Uncle Jacob had finished leading us through our vows, and I stared at it, feeling awed by the sight. I honestly didn't think I would ever get married. I just didn't see myself doing it. And gazing at that beautiful, vintage inspired diamond on my finger made it all hit home for me. Of course, it was just a symbol of our commitment, but the sight of it still took my breath away.
The whole moment, the whole evening was breathtaking. Isaac's parents and grandparents had come, along with Justin and his family. His mom also mentioned it to her sister who decided to make the trip as well. There were nine of them in total, and all of them were happy for Isaac and didn't seem hesitant or concerned in the least. They all got along nicely with my family and wanted to know all about our family businesses.
The whole thing passed quickly and in a blur. We said our vows in the living room, and then enjoyed a huge spread of food that had been brought in by a catering company. Courtney and Ivy had put together a playlist of songs, which played on their home stereo system while we ate, drink, talked, laughed, and danced.
After we had the chance to eat and hang out for a while, Courtney turned down the music and tapped her fork on her glass to get everyone's attention.
She was already tearing up before she began talking, and Uncle Jesse gave her a good-natured hard time about it, making us all laugh.
"I just want to say thanks to you all for coming here today," she said. "This has honestly got to be one of my favorite days ever." She paused and stared at Isaac and me with a sincere smile. "I really do love these two. Shelby, in the time that I've been with Daniel, you have become like a sister to me. We've laughed together, and cried together, and you've just taken up this special place in my heart, you really have." She put her fist to her heart. "I hope you know how much I really do love you."
I nodded as tears welled in my own eyes.
Courtney looked at Isaac and let out a long sigh. "Isaac, you have no idea how happy I am that you're the one who won Shelby's heart. And it's even cooler that I got to play a small part in you two connecting. I honestly knew you were wonderful from the first time we talked. Shelby got a smart, handsome, compassionate man who I truly believe will take care of her for the rest of her life. I'm so happy that she has you. I know you're gonna do right by her, and that means everything."
She paused, and we watched as her face contorted with tears. She tried her best to hold them back; we could all tell that by the way she shook her head and made a pained expression like she was mad at herself for not keeping it together.
"But," she said speaking slowly in a high-pitched tone through the tears. "But you're the one who hit the jackpot, here, Isaac. I know that because I hit it too. These people…" She paused crying and gesturing around the room, at my family, most of whom were crying right along with her. "These people are truly the salt of the earth," she said. "They're kind and generous, and they will have your back no matter what." She smiled and raised her glass with tear-streaked cheeks, and we lifted our glasses with her. "So cheers, Isaac, because just like me, you've been grafted in. And believe me when I say that's a good place to be."
Courtney received cheers and hollers for her speech, but I couldn’t tell who was yelling because I had stood up to hug her. My parents gave a speech after that, and so did Isaac's. The speeches were all short and sweet, and afterward, we went on hanging out and listening to music together. It was a simple family gathering where everyone enjoyed each other's company and had the chance to get to know Isaac's family.
It was around 9pm when Isaac and I decided to go back to his hotel. Most of the guests were still at Courtney and Daniel's when we left, and they came outside, cheering for us as we drove away.
Ivy and a few of her friends had written all over the windows of Isaac's truck, and I was relatively sure that somewhere it instructed people to honk at us because we got a lot of that on the way to the hotel.
Everything I was taking to Chicago was already packed into a U-Haul that was parked at my house. We would leave first thing in the morning. I would drive my car with Patrick in the passenger's seat, and we would follow Isaac in the moving truck.
As for now, Isaac and I had the rest of the evening to ourselves. Ivy would spend the night at my house so that she could keep an eye on Patrick. Isaac and I talked about getting a super fancy hotel room for the night, but he had a nice, big king size bed in the room he'd been staying in this whole trip, and it was a comfortable enough place, so we decided just to spend the night there rather than worrying with moving all his things. Besides, I had fantasized about that bed plenty of times when we were hanging out in his room watching TV or talking, so I knew it would come as sweet satisfaction now that I could follow my instincts without holding back.
I was a little nervous, but not really. I was confident enough with myself and with Isaac's love for me that I knew I really couldn't make a mistake. Even if I did mess up, it wouldn't matter.
We came into the room, setting our things down by the door.
I had changed out of Shug's dress at the party and now had on a white pantsuit that Taylor picked out for me.
Isaac, on the other hand, was still wearing the suit he wore during the ceremony. He looked like a model, a handsome prince, a billionaire, aristocrat, athlete, movie star, rock star, super hero all in one. He was everything I dreamed of, and here he was, standing in front of me with an irresistible, barely there grin.
He shrugged out of his coat and threw it onto the desk, loosening his tie as he turned to face me again. He pulled on his tie until the end of it came out of the knot, and he slid it out of his collar before tossing it onto the desk with his coat.
He unbuttoned the first button of his dress shirt, stretching his neck by tilting his head from side to side. Next up were his sleeves. One at a time, Isaac unfastened his cufflinks setting those, too, on the desk.
I just stood there and watched him.
He tugged on his shirttails, pulling them out of his pants and sighing at me with a smile as if he was relieved to finally be comfortable.
I bit my bottom lip. "You look as good getting out of your suit as you looked in it."
His expression changed when I said that—to something more carnal, challenging. It made me smile. Somewhat shyly, I stepped toward him and reached out, letting my fingers come in contact with his second button. I unfastened it before moving down to the third and then the fourth, and so on. I was somewhat disappointed at around the second button to find that he had on an undershirt. I unbuttoned his dress shirt, anyway, pulling on the sides so I could inspect what was underneath.
"I didn't know you had on so many layers," I said.
He smiled confidently. "You trying to get down to this?" He lifted the bottom hem of his undershirt, exposing his bare stomach.
My knees got weak and my insides turned warm at the sight of him. I blinked, not knowing where to begin.
"I kinda wanted to take a shower," I said numbly, staring blankly at his abs.
He stepped closer to me, and in one motion, he reached out for me, drawing me toward him. I landed in his arms. The whole night had happened so quickly that I felt as though I had blinked, and here I was, at the end of it, in Isaac's arms with a diamond on my finger.
"I kinda want to take a shower too," he said, pulling me against him.
The front of his body was pressed to mine, and it caused me to lose my breath. I stared at him—his face only inches from mine. He leaned down, letting the side of his nose touch the side of mine. Our lips were almost touching. He pulled my body to his, holding onto me so firmly that there was an underlying promise in his embrace—a promise of things he wanted to do. I could hardly breathe.
"I think," he whispered, kissing me softly. "We should." (Another soft, slow kiss where our lips got stuck together.) "We should shower at the same time."
"You mean together?" I whispered with wide eyes.
Isaac smiled and nodded. "You are my wife, aren't you?"
"Is that something husbands and wives do?" I asked.
He shrugged. "I've never been a husband before. It sounds good, though, don't you think?"
He kissed me again before I had the chance to answer. He leaned down, his lips touching me gently at first. Then he began kissing me with more urgency, probing me to open to him. I was weak with desire, and I basically went boneless in his arms as he continued to kiss me. In those next moments, Isaac held me against him, kissing me so deeply, so passionately that I was panting and out of breath by the time he broke the contact and pulled back.
"I love you, Shelby Charles," he whispered.
"I love you, Isaac Charles."
I felt his hand begin exploring the back of my top. My blouse had buttons all the way up the back, and Isaac found the one at the bottom, carefully unbuttoning it before moving to the next one. I gave him an excited smile. He kissed me again on the cheek and then on the mouth as he continued unbuttoning. He tugged at me, and we began crossing the room. We were kissing, and unbuttoning, and walking all at the same time, in a frenzy of unbridled passion.
"Where are we going?" I whispered.
Isaac didn't answer me. He didn't have to. It was kind of a rhetorical question anyway. The answer was the shower. The glorious, magical, wonderful, splendid answer to my question was that we were going to the shower.