Toni

 

Two years ago, I was alone on New Year’s Eve. Well, not completely alone, I had my dad, Cade and Jake, and their parents. We sat around Dottie’s Diner, ate all the fried, fattening food we could find, and picked with each other about every little, stupid thing we did all year. It was the same every year, and I cherished those times.

Last year, I had been dating Julius for several months. For the first time, I sat in Dottie’s and there was one extra person. We still all ate our weight in junk food, but this time, I had backup when Jake and Cade started picking on me about my stupid moments. Julius had witnessed several, and yet he was still there beside me, defending me to my best friends.

I never imagined that one year later, I’d be back in my hometown, sitting at my favorite stylist’s shop, getting my hair done for my wedding. Even then, I knew I wanted to be with Julius for the rest of my life, I just didn’t think it would happen so soon. Yet, there I was, sitting in one of the stylist’s chairs, surrounded by the most important people in my world. Margie, Mia, Monique, and Harlan sat in chairs all around the small shop, also getting their hair done, while Dottie and Rosie, Mia’s mother and my new stepmother, hovered. While Julius’s mother, Angie, ran around helping anywhere she could.

“Are you nervous?” Monique asked. Of the five of us, she was the only one not married yet.

I shook my head. “Actually, I’m not. I’m more excited than anything. I can’t wait to see him.”

“Everything’s gonna be great,” Mia declared. “The church is perfect, the hall is gorgeous, and Julius has Jake, Cade, and Kyle helpin’ him get ready.”

“If they haven’t had one too many shots,” Margie joked. There had been a lot of discussion about them not drinking too much today. There were no complaints from the ladies when the men started discussing bachelor parties, so long as they weren’t drinking today.

“Cade promised to make sure they behaved,” Harlan said, her Irish voice thick and melodic.

“If you have four bridesmaids, who is Julius’s fourth?” Monique asked.

“He’s become good friends with one of my dad’s mechanics,” I explained. “Brody graduated a year ahead of us and was one of the guys in my automotive classes in high school.”

“Brody’s practically runnin’ the shop now that your dad’s backin’ off,” Rosie explained. After she and my dad got married, he started to pay less attention to the shop and they started traveling more. They liked to spend as much time in Mooresville as possible, so they could be around Mia and me.”

“I have to go to the bathroom again,” Harlan declared to her hairdresser. The poor girl has had to stop work on Harlan’s coppery locks twice in the past hour, so the pregnant woman could go to the bathroom.”

“I don’t miss those days,” Margie announced.

“Do y’all know what you’re havin’ yet?” I asked. “I need to know if I’m gettin’ a new niece or nephew.”

“We know, but we’re not telling anyone,” Harlan said with a smirk. “Cade wants to make a grand announcement.”

“Why didn’t y’all do a reveal like we did?” Mia asked. They recently found out they were having twin boys in February, leaving me with three nephews.

“We wanted to be able to tell Dillon, so we could prepare him properly,” Harlan explained. “He’s excited about being a big brother, but he doesn’t completely understand what it’s going to be like. We thought this would be better.” She rushed to the bathroom, half her head filled with heavy barrel curls.

“So, Dillon knows?” Mia asked. “Where is Dillon?”

“He and Austin are with Uncle Bob,” I said. “He’s become a regular manny with all these babies around.”

 “I know too,” Dottie said covertly, as soon as Harlan was out of ear shot. “Dillon was so excited, he told me last night when they got to my house.”

“Well?” we all said at once.

“Oh, no way,” Dottie said with a smile. “Cade and Harlan would kill me.” She looked toward the bathroom and smirked. “That little Irish girl is feisty. Have you seen her handle those men in the garages? She’s just as gutsy as Toni.”

We all laughed. With as little as Harlan was, she was a spitfire. She could hold her own no problem in the garages. When she first arrived at Turner Enterprises to be one of Julius’s teammates, I thought her shy, sweet demeanor would get her eaten alive, but that girl could hold her own in a garage of men. She wasn’t aggressive, but she didn’t put up with anyone’s shit either. She quickly earned her team’s respect and trust.

***

An hour later, hair and make-up completed, we all looked gorgeous from the neck up. From the neck down, we all wore matching flannel shirts that had who we were embroidered on the pockets. Mine said bride, Margie’s, Harlan’s, and Monique’s all said bridesmaids, and Mia’s said matron of honor. Rosie’s said mother of the bride, a present that made her cry when I gave it to her. Angie’s said mother of the groom and Dottie’s said Aunt.

“Toni, honey, I put your gown in the game room,” Angie said. “It’s hangin’ down there with the bridesmaids’ dresses. Thought you ladies would like to get ready together while us old ladies get ready upstairs.”

“Thank you, Angie. I appreciate it.”

The five of us made our way down to the Hanson’s finished basement where our dresses hung in a line. The room was exactly as I remembered it. It spanned the length of the house, with a bar, pool table, and foosball table on one side. On the other was a projector screen, a huge couch, and several reclining chairs facing the screen. Jake, Cade, Mia, and I had many sleepover-movie nights in this room before we went to high school.

“Remember when we rented every horror movie we could find and did nothing for days but watch and try to scare the crap outta each other?” Mia asked, staring over at the seating area.

I laughed and looked at the others. “Yeah, Jake scared you so bad, you lost control of yourself,” I snickered.

“I was eleven,” Mia complained, but she was also smiling. “And I got him back good. Jake hates spiders. So, I caught ten little spiders and set them loose under his blanket on his bed.”

“Yeah,” I laughed, “Cade said Jake didn’t sleep in his bed for a month after that. Dottie and Fred had to buy him new sheets and blankets just to prove there were no spiders. You know, he blamed Cade and me for months.”

“This seems like a wonderful place to grow up,” Harlan said as she stared around at the huge room. “This is the best room I’ve ever seen, and the town is beautiful.”

“It was amazing,” I said. A small town where everyone knew everyone. I stared around the room, remembering all the good and some terrible times. We had parties, played, and acted like normal surly teenagers in this room. I hid in here for weeks after my mom died. Dottie nursed my sadness with love and caring. After my last altercation with Todd, I stayed in this room and tried to find a sense of safety and self again. It was my favorite quiet place, and now it was getting another memory, the best memory of all.

I helped Mia, Margie, Harlan, and Monique get into their dresses. When they were ready, we all turned to my dress. “It’s time, darlin’,” Margie said. She walked over to where my dress hung, and lifted it from the hook. “Toni, what’s this?” Margie asked, picking up a small box from the floor. It had been hidden under the bottom of the garment bag. “It has your name on it.”

The box was a small black box with a ribbon wrapped around it. Tears built in my eyes when I looked at the little box, knowing exactly who it was from. I removed the lid and just stared at the delicate gold chain with a gorgeous pendant hanging from the end. The pendant had two diamonds in the center, with curves of smaller diamonds leading from the top and bottom.

“Oh, my goodness, that’s beautiful,” Harlan whispered.

“It is,” Monique agreed. “That’s one of those his and hers necklaces, meant to represent being together forever.” The wonder in Moni’s voice sent me over the edge. A tear streaked down my cheek.

“No. Stop cryin’,” Mia yelped as she grabbed a tissue from the box. “You’re gonna mess up your make-up, and we don’t have time to fix it.”

“Sorry,” I whimpered as I dabbed the tissue to my eyes. I turned to my best friend. “Is it bad?”

“No.” Mia smiled. “You’re perfect. Let’s get you into your dress and get you married.”

The dress slid up my legs and I held it to my chest while Mia and Margie worked on lacing the back. The corset style bodice of my dress was what I loved the most. It accentuated all my natural curves but was modest and beautiful. Margie slid the elegant chain around my neck, giving me the finishing touch I didn’t even know was missing. “This is your something new,” Margie whispered, kissing my cheek. I looked to Margie, realizing she was the one who helped Julius hide the necklace under my dress.

“Well, you have your something new,” Monique said. I turned to Moni as she produced the items in her hands. “My job was the something borrowed. These were my mother’s. My parents had a wonderful marriage full of love and laughter. That’s what I wish for you.” She handed me two delicate hair combs with beads and crystal rhinestones to place in my hair.

“Oh, Moni,” I whispered. “These are beautiful.” She just grinned and moved behind me to secure the combs in my hair, then wrapped her arms around me in a hug. “I am so honored to borrow something so beautiful.”

“My job was the something blue,” Harlan said, taking her turn by my side. She produced a beautiful blue handkerchief with fragile lace around the edges, personalized with ‘Mrs. Fuller’ and today’s date.

“Harlan, this is amazin’. Thank you.” I pulled her into a hug, thinking that I may need that handkerchief sooner than later.

Harlan slid the handkerchief into the bottom my bouquet. “It’s here if you need it during the ceremony.”

“And finally,” Mia said. “My job was the somethin’ old. This one was simple, I just had to talk to Mike.” Mia went to the door and opened it. My dad stood in the doorway. When he looked up at me, his eyes turned misty.

“Oh, Antonia. You are the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen,” he said, his voice gravelly. He wrapped me in a tight hug before he produced a pair of one karat diamond earrings that I recognized immediately. These were my mother’s diamond earrings that she wore when my parents got married.

I gasped seeing the earrings I’d been looking at for years. “Your momma wanted you to have these for your wedding day,” my dad explained.

I heard Mia explain. “These were the earrings Mike got Toni’s mom when they got married.” I pulled my new handkerchief from my bouquet and dabbed at my tears, thankful for waterproof makeup.

“Thank you,” I managed to say as he placed the earrings in my hand, so I could put them in my ears.

“You’re welcome,” my dad said. “She wanted you to know that she was here with you. There’s no doubt your momma is watchin’ over you today, and always.” He hugged me tight and immediately released me. “It’s time we get goin’.”

Someone looked at the wall clock and exclaimed about being late. The next thing I knew everyone was rushing around me, gathering what we needed and pushing me out the door. I was whisked away, out of Dottie’s basement and into a waiting car before my mind could even catch up. Everything was better than I could ever have imagined. The gifts, the love, and now my mom was with me, making sure she gave me a gift even though she couldn’t be here. It shouldn’t have surprised me that she made sure her presence would be felt today of all days.

As we drove to the church, I felt more loved than I ever imagined I could.

“What did you get Jules?” Margie asked from the front driver’s seat. She was driving this car, while my dad was driving Rosie, Dottie, and Angie.

I looked down, feeling a flush reach across my cheeks.

“Oh my god,” Mia exclaimed. “What did you do?”

“I got him a little black book,” I said under my breath.

“What?” Monique exclaimed, staring at me like I was crazy.

“It’s not what you think,” I explained. “One day, a long time ago, Jules sat there and deleted every woman’s name and phone number from his phone. I teased him, telling him he was giving up his little black book. So, I decided to give him a new one. But it’s not a book of phone numbers.”

“What is it?” Harlan asked, staring at me with wide eyes.

I looked down at my ring, and twisted it around my finger. I pulled it on and off my right finger, not being able to replace it back on my left until my wedding band is placed there. I continued, my voice quiet and filled with embarrassment. “I had a boudoir photo shoot. I placed the photos into a black book. I left it in his hotel room with a note telling him to open it when he was alone.”

“That is the coolest idea ever,” Mia exclaimed.

“I also got him cufflinks,” I said. “They have our initials on them. J+T.”

“That man may be too worked up to stand in front of a church of people,” Monique said with a laugh.

***

My dad and I stood at the back of the little church my parents had gotten married in exactly twenty-seven years ago today, waiting as the bridesmaids and matron of honor took turns walking down the aisle. Even though my mom was gone, I could still feel her in this space. This church was her favorite place, she grew up in these pews. She ran around the small balcony area, and played with her dolls in the bell tower. Before my grandfather died, he was the pastor in this church for fifty-two years. He and my grandmother raised their two children and watched their grandchildren grow in this church.

The music changed, giving us our signal that it was our turn. My dad squeezed my hand and looked down at me. “You ready, baby girl?”

“Yeah,” I said. My heart was hammering, and my legs felt weak, but I was more than ready to see my man standing there waiting for me.

When the doors opened, I almost couldn’t move, but my dad offered me his arm as we stepped forward through the threshold. My breath felt caught by the lump that had formed in my throat. I worried I wouldn’t be able to make it before I passed out.

“Baby girl, you’ve gotta breathe,” my dad whispered as he squeezed my arm gently.

I forced in air as we walked through the blur of people standing on either side of the small space. My breath finally entered my lungs in a whoosh the moment I saw him.

Julius stood at the end of the aisle, in his black tuxedo. His vest black instead of the red the groomsmen wore to match the bridesmaids’ dresses. Julius stood tall and strong, looking so calm and ready. When we locked eyes, his mouth turned up in that sexy smirk he always gave me, but his eyes devoured me with an intensity I’d never seen in him before. It took everything in me not to cry as my dad and I slowly walked down the aisle.

When we finally reached Julius, my dad shook his hand before he kissed my cheek and placed my hand in Julius’s.

“Who gives this woman to be married?” my Uncle Tom asked. Although I thought it was an antiquated ritual, I still wanted to include it in the ceremony. There was something comforting about using some of the same aspects of the ceremony that my parents used.

“Her mother and I do,” my dad said. He took his place on the end of the pew, next to Rosie.

“You look beautiful,” Julius said as he leaned in and kissed my knuckles before my uncle started speaking about true love and soulmates.

***

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”

Julius leaned in and softly placed his lips to mine. He slid his arms around my waist and pulled me tight to him, as he deepened the kiss. Our first as husband and wife. I was so lost in that kiss, so intimate, so raw, that I almost forgot where we were before everyone erupted in applause. We pulled apart, reluctantly, and faced our friends and family, flushed with love and desire.

“It is my honor and privilege to announce my beautiful niece and her new husband to the world for the first time. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. Julius and Antonia Fuller.

“Thank you, Uncle Tom,” I whispered. He leaned in and kissed my cheek before I turned and took Julius’s hand. Together, we walked back down the aisle to the back of the church.

***