I STAND IN THE ROOM, suffocating. My shirt is too tight, and the stupid tie is choking me. There’s a knock on the door, but I don’t get the chance to answer before Mel steps in. “Jay. You look so handsome.”
“Look at you.” I hug her and hold her at arm’s length and am stunned at how pretty she looks with her hair down and wearing the light purple dress that flows to the floor. “You’re beautiful, Mellicent.”
“Stop.” She shakes her head. “Today is about you and Olive. Which is why I’m here.” She holds out a box. “This is your wedding day gift from her.”
I stare down at the box. “What is it?”
“I don’t know. Open it.”
She pushes it into my chest, and I grab it. “Here, can you give this to her?” I pick up the small jewelry box from the antique dresser and set it in Mel’s outstretched hand. “What is it?”
“I’m not telling,” I tease. I want Livvie to be the first one to know what’s in there. The very first penny we found was actually in a small frame on our dresser. I switched it out and took it to a jeweler. I had the penny surrounded by diamonds and attached to a chain much like a tennis bracelet. The finished product is stunning, beautiful, and unique, just like my angel.
“Okay, I’ll go give it to her.” Mel pushes up on her toes and kisses my cheek. “Mom and Dad would be so proud of you, Jay.”
I close my eyes and nod. “I hope so.”
“I know so.”
Once she’s out of the room, I sit on the bench and open the box. There’s a folded-up note on the top, so I take it out.
Blue Jay,
We are bulletproof.
<3, Your Livvie
I take a breath and lift the velvet bag then open it. When I dump out the contents, the cool metal feels great on my hot skin. The chain tangles a bit, but I hold it up and can’t help but smile at how thoughtful my girl is.
A single bullet dangles from a chain, and I watch it swing like a pendulum. I eventually slide it over my head and tuck it in my shirt, practically tearing the fabric from pulling so hard.
There’s a gentle knock on the door. “Yeah?”
Adrian sticks his head in. “Ready?”
“Fuck, yeah.” I leave the room as if my ass is on fire and head down the hallway. As I make my way to the front of the room, I shake hands and hug family and friends. My nerves are nonexistent. All I want is to see my wife and make it official in front of everyone.
My sister’s husband and old partner, Smith, is my best man. He pats me on the back, and I raise my chin at my groomsmen—Brandon, Adrian, and ironically enough, Ryan Breaker. He’s become a part of our little gang real fast.
The lights dim just a tad. Not enough to lower visibility, but enough to make the twinkling lights lining the farmhouse stand out. Soft music plays, and I don’t pay attention enough to know what song it is.
The bridesmaids start coming out. Opal first, then Onnika, and then Oakley. Livvie decided to have Mel as her matron of honor because she said it wasn’t fair to pick one sister over the other. When Mel stands in her spot, I smile at her and roll my eyes when I see her wiping tears from her eyes.
A squeal draws my attention to the back, and I laugh when Olivia starts walking up the aisle, pushing our son, Jaydon and Mellie and Smith’s daughter Jaycee, in a little white stroller. She uses one hand to throw, not gently toss, but throw the purple flower petals on the floor.
“Jay!” She ditches the little stroller and runs to me. I squat down and hold my arms out to pick her up, kissing her still chubby cheek. Opal walks back and grabs the stroller and quickly pulls it back up the aisle, stopping in front of Debbie.
“Hey, baby girl.”
“Hi. You’re getting mawied.”
The guests laugh, and I set her down. “I am. Can you go sit by Grandma?”
She runs toward Debbie, and I stand, my back straight and my palms sweaty. Waiting for my Livvie to turn the corner makes my heart double its beats. When the music changes, everyone stands.
I see Don when they stop at the end of the aisle first, but then she steps next to him. I grab onto Smith so I don’t fall over.
“Holy shit,” I whisper.
She’s never looked more beautiful. Her thick and shiny hair curls down to just above her shoulders. She’s growing it back out, and it looks amazing back to its natural color. Her lips tilt up in a shy smile. I can feel my jaw drop but don’t have the ability to do anything but drool over how extraordinary she is.
This day has to go perfectly. She’s been planning the wedding for over a year. The amount of time and energy it took surprised me, but she was in heaven. I participated and gave my opinion when she asked, but this is her thing. When you’re marrying a woman who is in the process of opening her own wedding planning business, quick and easy is not an option.
This is truly her passion, and I see why now. She’s in her element.
So instead of running down the aisle and grabbing her like I want, I stand still while I wait for Don to hand her off to me. She kisses her father’s cheek then they turn to me, and he places her hand in mine.
“Take care of my girl.”
I nod at him. “It’s my honor, Don.”
He squeezes our hands together and walks away. Livvie turns to fully face me. “Hey, Blue Jay.”
“Hi, Butterfly.”
I hold her hand as we turn and wait to say our vows. “You look phenomenal, baby.” My thumb makes a circular pattern on the top of her hand.
“You’re so handsome.” She smiles shyly.
I want to say more, but the music stops, and the actual ceremony begins. The entire time, I can do nothing but stare at her and thank God for her.
After we say our vows and slide the rings on each other’s fingers, everyone in the old farmhouse cheers and hollers. Our baby boy cries, and I lead my wife down the aisle then grab him from his stroller. He’s only three months old, so my hand covers Jaydon’s head as I rest it on my shoulder.
Every single concern I had about being a father vanished the moment I held my boy. I knew that instead of being afraid he’d lose me, I had to focus that energy on being the best damn man I could in order to prepare him for the real world.
Livvie and I gather right outside the venue where we take eight million pictures. Jaydon fusses, and before I can even say anything, Opal grabs him. “I’ve got him.”
“But—”
“I know, Jay. It’s just for a little while, then you can have him back. Let me feed him and get him changed and down for his nap.”
Livvie kisses the top of his head. “Have a good nap, baby boy.” She places her hand on my arm. “Let him go, Jay. He’ll be fine.”
I press my lips to the top of his head and nod at Opal. “Come get me if—”
“We’ll be fine.”
“Congrats, man.” I’m interrupted by Brandon and his wife, Mary, and Opal takes the opportunity to walk away with my boy.
“Thanks.”
“The ceremony was beautiful. I can’t wait to see what you did for the reception,” Mary says to Livvie.
My wife’s beautiful smile is bashful. “Thank you. I’m excited about it myself.” She looks past the crowd. “Speaking of, I need to go check on a few things.”
“We’ll let you guys go.”
After they take off, we walk around the building where a big white tent is set up. The sides are down right now, but when the reception starts, they’ll be rolled up.
I can’t keep track of time. When I finally glance at a clock, I realize it’s almost five o’clock. I’ve talked to everyone and taken enough pictures to last a lifetime. Livvie is gliding around the room trying to make sure everything is perfect, but when she comes back by me, I grab her. “Stop. Everything is perfect.”
“You think?”
“I know.” I kiss her forehead. “I also know I’m fuckin’ starved.”
She rubs my stomach. “Poor baby. Dinner starts in an hour. Let’s get you some appetizers while we wait.”
“That ain’t what I’m hungry for, love.”
Her cheeks turn a pretty shade of pink. “Jay.”
“Yeah?”
“We can’t just leave.”
“It’s our wedding, why the hell not?”
She leans in. “Because it’s rude. And if we disappear, people will know what we’re doing.”
“No, they won’t.” I wrap my arms around her and pull her flush with me. She shakes her head and then drops it to my chest. “Yeah, I know you feel it. Come on, baby. We can be fast.”
Her hand rests above my pecs, and when she pulls away, I almost stomp my foot. “There’s a supply closet past the bathrooms. I’ll meet you there in five.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes.”
I grab her face and press my lips to hers. “I knew I married you for a reason.”
She shakes her head and playfully shoves me away. I look around as I walk down the hallway and when I get to the door, I open it and peer in.
I can’t contain my laughter when I see two champagne flutes and a bottle sitting in ice. There’s a note sticking to the shelf they’re on that reads I’m on my way, have some patience.
She’s a little minx.
A few minutes later, I’ve poured us each a glass. She steps into the small room. “Do I know you or what?”
“You do, baby.” I nod at the champagne. “Do you want to toast before or after?”
“How about both?”
I hand her a glass. “To you, Livvie. For giving me you and making me the happiest guy in the damn world. I love you, baby.”
“Well, I’m the happiest girl in the world, so we make the perfect couple.”
“That we do, baby, that we do.”
We somehow manage to have sex in this little ass closet, thanks to all the sweet yoga poses Livvie knows. She’s tortured me every time she puts on her tight-ass little pants and skimpy shirt.
I wait for her while she stops in the bathroom and freshens up. When we walk back into the hall where everyone is, the guys clap and whistle while the girls laugh. “You told me they wouldn’t notice.” She covers her face with her hands and shakes her head.
The DJ starts a new song, and when “We Are the Champions” by Queen fills the room, I grab Livvie’s hand and hold it in the air. I definitely did win. Won the best prize ever, the love of a good woman.