CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

PARKER

There’s a knock on the door. What’s wrong now?

None of us make a move; it’s been one thing after another.

“Enter,” Elle yells. She’s the brave one.

An unknown woman sticks her head in.

“Sorry to bother you but we can’t find your bouquet. Do you know where it is?”

I try not to freak out; it’s my wedding day, and nothing is going right. It all started with the minister. He came down with something this morning so he couldn’t officiate the service. So all the Mannings scrambled to find someone else. Then, the caterer called to say their van had broken down and they’d be running late.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it,” Mom says, getting up and leaving.

“I’ll help,” Linda, Ryan’s mom, adds, following her out the door.

“It’s going to be fine,” Elle tells me. She and Catherine are seated next to me. They’re both getting their makeup done. I give them a weak smile.

Neither Ryan nor I wanted a formal wedding; we’re doing this for our moms.

“Parker, it’s going to be okay,” Catherine says, interrupting my thoughts.

I shake my head. “Yeah, I know.” I need to maintain composure and conceal any signs of nerves.

Another knock on the door and it opens. Ryan sticks his head in with his eyes closed.

“Are you decent?”

I look over at the girls, and we laugh. “Yeah. You can open your eyes.”

“Are you sure? Do you have your dress on yet?”

“Just come in.”

I slide off the chair.

He opens his eyes, and a big smile spreads across his face when he sees me. He comes into the room.

“We’ll be out here,” Elle points to the hallway as she and Catherine leave us alone.

He sits on the couch and pulls me onto his lap.

“I know it’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding, but I wanted to check on you.”

I play with the belt of my robe. I don’t want to worry him, but all these little things are getting to me.

“Parker?”

I can’t lie to him.

“I wish we had gone to the courthouse like we talked about.” I lean into him, letting his body calm me.

He kisses the top of my head.

“It’ll all work out. I don’t care about the flowers, the food, or anything else.”

He pauses, causing me to tense up. “Now what?”

“Nothing, everything is fine.”

Another knock on the door.

“Come in,” Ryan calls.

It’s Carson this time. He looks dapper in his suit.

“Just want to let you know he’s here now. We’re ready to go.”

That sounds awfully cryptic. I get off Ryan’s lap, and he stands next to me.

“Who is here now? What’s going on?”

I’ve reached my limit with surprises.

Carson gazes over at Ryan, and they silently exchange something between them. Carson backs up. “I’ll see you up front,” he says, leaving us alone.

I spin around, looking at Ryan, wanting answers.

He rests his hands on my shoulders.

“It’s nothing. Axel was running late. But it sounds like he’s here now. So everything is fine.”

I want to say more, but Elle and Catherine walk in with big smiles.

“We need to get you dressed,” Catherine says, heading towards the bathroom.

“Go get ready,” Ryan says. “I love you.” He kisses me and leaves.

Elle pushes me toward the bathroom, where my dress hangs.

The girls clue me in about Axel as we get dressed. He won’t say why he was late. Something is going on with him, but they don’t know what. I guess we can worry about it later.

I turn to see myself in the dress. It’s beautiful and simple. A flowing silk gown that shows off my curves. It has a long train and makes me feel like a princess. Reminds me of Caroline Bassette’s dress.

A double-check in the mirror shows me my makeup’s still holding, and my dress looks good. Elle hands me my bouquet. I take a deep breath; I’m ready.

I follow my friends down the stairs to the kitchen, where I meet my mom. She’s giving me away today. Neither of us bothered telling Dad because we didn’t want him here.

I glance through the back doors to see how the yard has changed. It’s filled with flowers. It’s stunning and makes me feel like crying. I shared wedding photos I liked with my mom, and this looks exactly like those photos.

“Mom, it’s beautiful,” I say, squeezing her hand.

“You deserve it. But you need to thank Ryan; he’s the one who made sure it’s exactly like the pictures.” I see him standing there watching me. He did it for me, despite saying it was for our moms.

The music begins, and it’s time to go. The girls lead the way, followed by me and Mom. I remember very few details about the ceremony. I don’t even remember repeating my vows. But I distinctly recall the minister declaring us husband and wife and our first kiss as a married couple.

I never imagined getting married or meeting the man of my dreams. But life is full of surprises, because that’s exactly what happened to me.