The last four months have been exhilarating. Rhett and I were fine with heading back to Vegas with Jake and Molly to have a double wedding; however, my future mother-in-law put her foot down. Rhett was her only baby, and she insisted we both deserved a proper wedding. We settled on the first week of June, Rhett refusing to give her more time than that. She huffed, but finally agreed.
The week after our engagement, I moved in with him and Gramps. Gramps insisted that the house was big enough for all of us. He said that us “young ins” could bring life back to the place. I fought them, but in the end, I gave in. It was Gramps’s speech about family and needing to be together that convinced me. He’s been doing well without the stress of the distillery. He’s got a sparkle in his eyes, as does my fiancé.
“When do we get to leave?” Rhett asks me.
I stifle my laugh. “You know we’re not leaving together,” I remind him.
“Come on, Short Stack, that’s crazy talk. How am I supposed to sleep if you’re not next to me?” he whines.
“Man up,” Jake says, slapping him on the shoulder.
“Fuck off,” Rhett says with no heat behind his words. “You didn’t have to be away from your wife when you got married,” Rhett pouts.
“Should have went to Vegas.” Jake gives us a big goofy grin.
“Hush you,” Molly says, placing her hands on her protruding belly. I can’t help but reach out and rub it.
“How you feeling, mama?” I ask her.
“Good.” She grins.
“My boy being good?” Jake asks, leaning down and asking her belly.
She laughs. “He’s active,” she says, before turning to me. “You ready?”
I nod, trying to contain my smile.
“For what?” Jake asks her.
“Saylor and I are staying at the hotel tonight with Valerie.”
“What?” Jake asks. “Babe, when did you decide this?”
She shrugs. “A while ago.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? I can’t sleep,” he mumbles.
“Man up,” Rhett says, slapping him on the shoulder, looking smug. He wraps me in his arms. “I can’t believe my mother is stealing you from me.”
“And me,” Jake adds, causing Molly and me to throw our heads back in laughter.
“You’ll be fine. I’ll see you tomorrow at two.”
“Sayyylorrr,” he whines. “Sneak out. When they go to sleep, sneak out. I’ll get a room and text you the number,” he says, pulling his phone out of his pocket.
“I heard that,” Valerie says, joining us with Rhett’s dad right behind her. “It’s not even twenty-four hours.” She pats his cheek.
He mumbles something about mom stealing his girl. “Fine, let’s get this over with,” he says, kissing my temple.
“Let her go, son,” his dad says.
“I need a minute,” he says, lacing his fingers through mine and pulling me out of the room and down the hall. We end up by the exit door in the same hallway as the restrooms. Rhett pushes my back against the wall and his lips land on mine. Not able to resist, I bury my hands in his hair. Slowing the kiss, he rests his forehead against mine. He’s breathing heavy; then so am I. That’s what he does to me. “Tomorrow you’re my wife,” he says softly.
“Again,” I remind him.
“Just because you wear these here”—he lifts the chain that I’ve worn every day since the day he gave it to me—“doesn’t mean you’re not my wife in here.” He places our joined hands over his heart. “I’ll be the one down at the front, the man at the end of the aisle waiting to start our forever.”
Tears prick my eyes. “I-I’ll be the one in white walking toward my forever,” I say, wrapping my arms around his waist.
He lifts his forehead from mine and holds me tight against his chest. “I love you, Saylor.” I’m just about to tell him I love him too when he adds, “I want it all, Saylor. I want a house full of babies, vacations, sleepless nights, lazy Sunday mornings. I want it all.”
“You’re ready for all that?”
“More than ready. You could toss out your pills, and we could start on our wedding night.”
All I can do is shake my head and smile. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Make babies with me,” he winks. “I love you, Short Stack.”
“I love you too, Whiskey.” With one more quick kiss, we walk hand in hand back to our guests.
Molly, Valerie, and I head to the hotel. The suite is filled with snacks, chick flicks, and our dresses for tomorrow. After changing into the matching pajamas that Valerie insisted she buy for the three of us, we curl up on the couch and settle in for girl time. We’re barely through the first movie, when Molly bows out.
“Sorry, ladies, this little guy has me tuckered out,” she says, rubbing her belly.
“Of course, it’s been a long day. Thank you for being a part of this,” I say, fighting tears.
“Saylor, you’re my best friend. I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.”
I stand to give her a hug. “Get some rest,” I say, releasing her from my hold. Valerie and I settle in and finish the movie. Just as the credits roll, my phone alerts me to a new message.
Rhett: I miss you.
Me: I miss you too.
Rhett: Marry Me?
Me: How’s tomorrow?
Rhett: How’s today? Look at the time, baby.
Looking at the clock, I see that it’s already one o’clock in the morning.
Me: Today works too.
Rhett: Thirteen hours, Short Stack.
Me: Until forever.
Rhett: Love you.
Me: Love you too.
“My son, I assume?” Valerie smiles.
“Yeah,” I admit.
“Saylor, I’m so happy he found you. You bring out the best in him.”
“He brings out the best in me. I never felt like I truly belonged before,” I confess. “It’s hard not having any family. Elaine, she chose me, you know. And she cared enough, loved me enough to give me a good home. She was my only family,” I say, wiping a tear from my eye.
“Oh, sweetheart.” She slides over on the couch and pulls me into a side hug. “You are family. You hear me. You belong with us, and we love you. I couldn’t be happier to call you my daughter.”
A sob breaks from my chest. “I love you, too,” I say, smiling through my tears.
“Now, we can’t have this,” she says, wiping the tears from my cheeks. “We need you rested and no puffy eyes for the big day. Not to mention, if my son finds out I upset you enough to have puffy eyes, I’ll never hear the end of it.”
That makes me laugh. Rhett, well, he spoils me. There really is no other way to put it. “He’s… everything,” I say with a sigh.
She smiles, tears shimmering in her eyes as well. “Let’s get some sleep.” Nodding my acceptance, I stand, giving her a hug before we retreat to our rooms.
Surprisingly, I fall right to sleep. I know it’s because when I wake up, I’m marrying the love of my life. Not only do I get him, but I get his amazing family. I don’t let myself dwell on the fact that I invited Tara and Colin and she never returned my call or her RSVP to the invitation. It hurts, but such is life. I have to live for me, not for her, and as my friend, if she can’t see that, we are better off. I think about the day I walked into the Corner Pocket. I know in my gut a stronger force was guiding me. When I lost Elaine, she and my parents led me there. To my home, to my family. I drift off to sleep with a smile on my face.
I wake to the sounds of voices in the main living area of our suite. My first thought is that my fiancé broke the rules. I’m not superstitious. The only reason I went along with it was for Valerie; she insisted we follow the ritual. Climbing out of bed, I make my way to the living area.
“There she is,” Valerie says happily.
“Morning, sweetheart,” Rhett’s dad says. “I thought you ladies might like breakfast.”
“Thank you,” I say. “Where’s Molly?”
“She just went to shower,” Valerie says.
“What time is it?” I ask.
“Just after eight,” they both say.
I take a seat across from them and grab a pastry from the box. “Does he know you’re here?” I ask Rhett’s dad.
He laughs. “No. I’m not crazy, Say. You know I never would have got out of the house without him. I snuck out while they were all sleeping. Left a note saying I went to get breakfast.” He looks at his watch. “I should probably get back, but I wanted to talk to you for a minute.”
“Sure.” I set my pastry on a napkin.
“I better hop in the shower. Love you,” Valerie says, leaning in for a kiss, to which my future father-in-law obliges.
He waits until she’s out of the room before turning back to face me. “Saylor, I know today is hard for you. I want to thank you for humoring my wife with a big wedding.”
I smile softly at him. “It’s my pleasure. It will always be a day to remember.”
“That it will. There’s really no easy way to approach this, so I’m just going to say it.” He takes a deep breath. “Saylor, you’re family. I already think of you as my daughter, and it would be my incredible honor to walk you down the aisle.” He hesitates before adding. “If you’ll have me.”
Tears run unchecked down my face as I’m swarmed with emotion.
Loved.
Wanted.
“I-I would r-really l-love that,” I stammer.
He nods, swallowing hard. I can see his eyes are glassy too. “Thank you. I’ll let you get ready. I need to go get snazzed up myself. It’s not every day I get to walk my daughter down to my son and watch them start their lives together.”
All I can do is smile through my tears. Standing, I walk around the table and wrap my arms around him in a hug.
I feel him kiss the top of my head. “Love you, sweet girl. We’ll see you soon.” With one more gentle squeeze, he releases me and turns to leave. “Saylor,” he says looking over his shoulder. He points to the table. “There’s a little something from Rhett. I was supposed to give it to you when you get to the house before the ceremony, but I thought I would go ahead and bring it. You know, before the makeup and all that.”
“Thank you. I have something for him too. Valerie has it.”
He nods. “See you soon.”
I watch until he disappears behind the main door. Grabbing the pink envelope, I sit on the couch. Leaning back, I close my eyes. “Mom, Dad, Elaine, if you’re up there listening like I think you are… thank you. Thank you for guiding me to Rhett, to his family. To Jake and Molly. Thank you for watching out for me. I love you, all three of you, so much.” I sit there for a few more minutes getting my emotions under control.
Taking a deep breath, I open my eyes and turn the envelope over in my hands. Gently, I run my finger under the seal and break it open. Inside there are two tickets to Hawaii. Closer inspection tells me that we fly out tomorrow. Smiling like a love-sick fool, I unfold the note.