Chapter 41

The rest of the crew showed up, ready for the pre-rehearsal rehearsal. Jenny's lightheartedness from earlier had transitioned into a woman on a mission. She could command a platoon with her authoritative tone. I was unaware this was going to be a bootcamp. I would have prepared for the night with a little warmup.

Jenny was not playing. She was taking the march down the aisle seriously. Rylee, Karen, and Lauren were doing their best, as was I, but it wasn't enough.

"Walk!" Jenny screeched. "Don't march. Don't shuffle. Walk. Glide. You're going to be wearing beautiful dresses and walking down an aisle with everyone watching. Chins up."

I nodded, trying to keep up with the pace she was setting. I knew I couldn't disappoint her or the vision she had created. It was a grand, elegant wedding that she had planned, and we were all part of it. For a moment, I found myself lost in my thoughts, wondering what Archer was doing at that exact moment.

"Mary Ellen!" Jenny's voice cut through my thoughts.

I stopped walking and looked at her. "What?"

"You're not paying attention," she groaned. "Look. You're four steps behind Karen. You have to be five steps. You all have to keep the same distance on your way down the aisle."

"Yeah, Mary Ellen," Rylee teased. "Not three, not four, five. Five steps."

"This isn't funny," Jenny muttered. "You guys have to take this seriously. I have videographers at each end. It has to look perfect. This is the video we'll show our children and grandchildren. I don't want them to see a sloppy wedding!"

I sighed, rolling my eyes at Jenny's demands. "I know, I know. I'm trying, honestly. I just need to focus better."

"Again!" Jenny demanded.

We all walked to the doors of the chapel, which served as the starting line. I was ready to give it another shot. Rylee slouched, her frustration shining through.

"Don't slouch," Karen hissed. "She's going to get that stick out and correct our posture again."

Ward's daughter, Sunny, was sitting in a chair, giggling and mimicking her soon-to-be stepmother's instructions. She was lucky she wasn't getting the same treatment. Ward was pretending to be engrossed in his phone, but I had a feeling he was enjoying the show. I watched them with a smile as father and daughter shared a special moment, their bond evident in every exchange. I want that for Archer. I want him to have a kid that looks at him like he hung the moon.

"Are you sure you don't want to be the Maid of Honor?" Ward teased his daughter. "You could be up there with them right now."

Sunny burst into laughter and shook her head. "No way! I get to wear a princess dress."

I smiled at the little girl who had probably made one of the best decisions of her life. Initially, she was going to be the Maid of Honor, but after getting a glimpse at flower-girl dresses, she changed her mind. In order to avoid Jenny having to choose one of us as her Maid of Honor, we were all equal bridesmaids.

"Ready!" Jenny called out.

"Troops stand at attention," Ward joked.

Jenny shot him a look. "I'm doing this for you, too. Do you want our wedding to be a sloppy shitshow? Sorry, Sunny. Don't say that word."

Sunny giggled again, clearly enjoying herself.

Jenny snapped her fingers and counted out. "Three, two, one, go."

Music blared from the Bluetooth speaker, signaling our cue to start our glide, not march, down the aisle. I fell into step with the others, doing my best to follow Jenny's meticulous instructions. I straightened my posture, squared my shoulders, and lifted my chin, trying not to laugh at the absurdity of it all. I held the hairbrush in my hand that was serving as the bouquet I would be carrying.

I let myself imagine this was my wedding. That I was the one that would get married and Archer was going to be waiting for me at the end of the aisle. I envisioned myself in the gorgeous white dress with my friends in pretty dresses.

"Mary Ellen! Posture, remember?" Jenny's voice pierced through my reverie, snapping me back to the task at hand.

I straightened up quickly, readjusting my grip on the hairbrush bouquet. The music swelled around us, adding to the excitement of the fake moment. As we made our way down the aisle, I stole a glance at Ward. He had set his phone aside and was now watching Jenny with a soft smile on his face, pride evident in his eyes. Sunny was clapping her hands in delight, cheering us on as if we were the stars of a show.

When we all took our places, standing on the little X's she put on the floor with masking tape, we all looked at her, waiting for her final word. When she smiled, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Jenny clapped her hands, clearly satisfied with our performance. "Bravo, ladies! That was much better. I think we're finally ready for the real deal. Let's run it again. Sunny, now you're up. You're leading the charge."

I felt pride at Jenny's praise. Maybe we were actually getting the hang of this whole bridesmaid thing after all. Rylee let out a whoop of victory, while Karen flashed us a relieved smile.

"See? I told you all we could do it," Karen said with a smirk.

Sunny hopped out of her chair, unafraid to be subjected to Jenny's wrath. I thought she was crazy, but then again, we all knew Jenny would never scold a seven-year-old for not walking perfectly.

"Come on, ladies," Jenny ordered. "Back in position. Sunny, take the basket and just pretend you're throwing rose petals."

We all stood in our places, quickly losing patience with the whole thing. Jenny held up her hand. "Is everyone ready?"

I sighed. "As ready as we have been for the last hour."

Jenny raised her hand, signaling the start of our fourth or fifth run down the pretend aisle. I couldn't help but think about how much effort we were putting into what was essentially a rehearsal for a rehearsal. But as the music began to play once more, I pushed those thoughts aside and focused on following Jenny's instructions to the letter.

We let Sunny take the lead, clutching the basket of imaginary rose petals with a look of fierce determination on her young face. She skipped down the aisle, scattering invisible flowers with gusto, her laughter filling the room.

The rest of us followed suit, walking with exaggerated grace and poise as if our lives depended on it. As Sunny reached the end of the aisle, she curtsied with a flourish, her giggles infectious as we all tried to keep straight faces.

Jenny clapped her hands enthusiastically, beaming at us like a proud mother hen. "That was perfect! You're all going to be the most beautiful bridesmaids a bride could ask for."

"Thank God," Rylee sighed. "I was about to quit."

"Now let's try it one more time, with even more enthusiasm!" Jenny called out.

We all groaned.

"Babe, I think they've got it," Ward interjected.

But Jenny was undeterred. "We need to be absolutely perfect for the big day. Again, from the top!" she declared with unwavering determination.

Sighing in resignation, we gathered ourselves for another round of the makeshift procession. Sunny led the way once more, her enthusiasm infectious as she twirled and danced, throwing her invisible petals like she was a queen waving to her commoners. We followed suit, each step feeling more polished than the last as we neared the end of the aisle.

"Okay, I'm going to have to call it a night for the flower girl," Ward said. "Come on, off to bed."

I had never been so excited for someone's bedtime.

"Ladies, I apologize but I'm grateful for your hard work to make our wedding perfect," Ward said.

"You're welcome," we all said.

"Okay, okay," Jenny conceded. "We'll get something to drink and go over things you all need to work on."

We all sat around in the living room drinking cold water. "I'm sorry to be such a pain in the ass, but this wedding is all I've been able to think about since Ward popped the question. I just want everything to be perfect."

Her desire for perfection was understandable, but it was also clear that she was putting an immense amount of pressure on herself and those around her. Rylee caught my eye, her expression mirroring my own thoughts. It was one thing to want your wedding day to be special, but Jenny had taken it to a whole new level.

"Jenny, I think we all understand how important this day is to you," Karen said. "But you have to remember to enjoy it as well. Shit happens. It doesn't change the fact Ward loves you and you love him."

"I do." Jenny smiled. "I can't believe how fast time is flying by."

"We will do our best to be perfect, but don't kill me if I trip down the aisle," I said with a laugh.

Jenny chuckled at my comment, the tension momentarily lifting from her shoulders. "I promise not to kill you if you trip, but I might give you a hard time about it for the rest of your life," she teased.

We all laughed, the friendship between us growing stronger with each shared moment. Despite Jenny's meticulous planning and perfectionist tendencies, it was moments like these that truly mattered in the grand scheme of things.

"Thank you, all of you, for being here for me," Jenny said. "I've seriously been driving myself crazy trying to plan every second of this wedding."

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I glanced down and saw it was Archer. "Guys, I'll be right back."

I stepped out into the cool evening air and answered the phone, praying he wasn't upset after his trip to his parents' house.

"What's the good news?" I asked optimistically.

"He's finally agreed to step down and let Murray and I take over the family business," he said with excitement.

My heart skipped a beat at the news. Happiness flooded through me. "Archer, that's amazing!" I exclaimed, unable to contain my excitement. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks, Mary Ellen," he replied. "But it's not done yet. There are some things to work out. I don't think he's going to retire tomorrow, but at least we're going in the right direction."

I smiled, feeling a sense of pride swell within me. I loved that he was getting the chance to prove himself. "I'm just glad everything worked out," I said sincerely. "This calls for a celebration."

Archer's chuckle was music to my ears. "That's exactly what I was thinking."

"How about dinner tomorrow night?" I said.

"Actually, I have a better idea," he said teasingly. "Wear clothes you can move in."

"What do you mean?" I asked with curiosity.

Archer's laughter echoed through the phone. "You'll see. Just be ready at six tomorrow evening. I'll pick you up."

"I can't wait to see you," I said. "And congratulations. You did good."

He laughed. "I hope so. If I let them down again I think I can consider myself officially disowned."

"You won't let anyone down," I told him.

"How's the rehearsal going?" he asked.

I groaned. "Don't ask. I better get back in there before the drill sergeant comes out and drags me back. I've been walking since I was a year old, but I had no idea I had been doing it wrong my whole life."

He laughed again. "Good luck."

I ended the call and went back inside.

"Everything okay?" Rylee asked as I sat down next to her.

I nodded. "Archer and I are going out tomorrow night. It's a surprise."

"Ohhh." Lauren grinned. "Maybe he's going to propose."

I rolled my eyes. "Not even close. We're just going out."

"I don't know," Jenny said. "Love is in the air."

"Maybe it's in the air but that does not translate to a ring on my finger," I retorted.