by Cee, DW
“Love you, Pa.” Laney blew her father-in-law a kiss.
“Love you, too, Baby. I love our new baby!” Scott Taylor announced to everyone willing to listen.
“We know, Pa.” My best friend, Becky, led the chorus of Taylor siblings who all groaned. “We know she’s your favorite. Her children will be your favorite. Her husband has always been your favorite. Ugh!”
Scott only shrugged and blew one last kiss to his “favorite.”
“Geez. This story is taking too long and I keep forgetting my place. People, please stop with the interruptions.”
“Sorry, Dear.” Donovan made a quick trip up to the stage, held his wife’s face, and kissed her tenderly. “I love you.”
Laney’s face turned the color of a rosé with all of us aah’ing the doting moment.
“Now this mighty prince loved our Princess Jane and fought hard to win her heart and her hand. Jane was torn for a while, but eventually, she chose the correct prince to dance with her at midnight and marry her under the Tuscan sunset.” Max leaned over and declared his love for me again. “In the meanwhile, our Prince Donovan wised up and found his own princess, and the four of us lived happily ever after.”
I decided to interrupt Laney, one last time, as I joined her up on stage. “I just want to say, the minor confusion between me and Donovan was not as dramatic as recounted tonight.” So, I told a teeny-tiny lie.
“Since you’re up here, why don’t you stay to receive your gift?” Laney held my hand. “Every woman in this room joined me in presenting you with ‘Something Blue,’ my dear cousin.”
One by one, each woman brought up a pair of blue shoes: high heels, slingbacks, espadrilles, flipflops, running shoes, and much, much more. They were all lined up for everyone to admire.
“No Cinderella would be complete without her other pair of shoes. Since I’m a big believer in this fairytale, and you’re a big believer in shoes, I thought it only appropriate you receive every possible shoe in blue. Congratulations.”
I went around hugging every woman in the room while Max sighed loudly and bemoaned to the crowd. “That’s the last thing she needs, Laney. How the hell are we going to transport this all back to the States?”
“You’re in luck, Max.” Laney pulled out another gift. She opened up a large suitcase that had shoe compartments.
“Where on earth did you find that?”
“Where else but Amazon?” She laughed. “I brought two of these for you. There are enough compartments between the two suitcases for you to haul all the shoes back home.”
“Can Amazon send me a bigger home?” my fiancé asked.
“I have a large closet, Max. Jane can always park her shoes in my shoe closet. We have the same size feet.” Laney grinned and turned over the mic to Emily.
My sister, comically, took off her shoes and tried on a couple of pairs herself before declaring, “These fit me, too. With all of you having so kindly cleared my basement, I can build a shoe closet for all these lovely pairs if you want to leave them with me, Dear Jane.”
“I don’t think so, Ladies. I’ll keep them in the suitcases until I can think of a better way to store my lovely shoes. You may borrow them, if you promise to return them.”
“Good evening family. Jake and I are thrilled to be here tonight witnessing the outpouring of love for Max and Jane. This wedding was a long time coming. Our Elizabeth has asked at least fifty times by now if the Unca Ax and Janey are getting married today.”
“Where is our two-year-old going on twelve?” my brother, Nick, asked.
“All three kids have taken a real liking to Chloe and they’ve asked her to stay with them until Jake and I return.”
“Poor Chloe.” Nick kiddingly responded.
Emily turned to address all of us again. “No different than Laney’s wedding, Jake and I had to fight to do something for the happy couple. Since my husband picked ‘Something Old’ and ‘Something New,’ there are only two other options left. I have the honor tonight of presenting Jane with ‘Something Borrowed.’”
I saw Gram, Mom and Mavis walk on stage.
“Jane,” Gram called, “stand up here with us.” I followed suit.
“Since there were so many of us who wanted to do something special for Jane, I thought long and hard about making this treasured day even better. While wondering what it was that Jane would want to borrow from me or anyone else, it dawned on me that she would appreciate the sentimentality behind our gifts. Gram.” Emily gave the mic over to her.
“My beloved granddaughter,” she held my hand. “You and Max are perfect for one another. Roland and I are overjoyed you met a man who completes your other half. On your wedding day, I’d love for you to wear your great, great grandmother’s pearl necklace that your grandfather Jerry presented me at this same occasion.” Gram took off her pearl necklace and placed it on my neck with a generous hug and kiss.
“Thank you, Gram. I’d be honored to wear this necklace.” I returned her embrace wholeheartedly.
“My beautiful daughter,” Mom was next. “Ever since you were little, your dad and I knew you’d grow up to be an independent woman, taking your rightful place in this world. We’re so proud of the woman you’ve become and can’t tell you how pleased we are that you’ve chosen such a wonderful man. In keeping with the theme, I’d like to present you with the blue garter your father chose for me so many years ago. Max,” she motioned my fiancé up on stage, “would you like to place this on your soon-to-be wife?”
“With pleasure!” Max jumped on stage. There were catcalls galore as Max slid my dress up mid-thigh and slowly placed the garter. The whistles turned out of control when he pounced on me with an open-mouth, incendiary kiss. What he did was damn indecent—but everyone loved it, especially me!
“Tonight?” I shook my head no in answer to what my fiancé was intimating. “Two more nights…be ready…”
I giggled as he left the stage.
When the crowd died down, Mavis held the mic and gave a short, but sweet speech.
“Davis and I have very few family members at this point in our lives. What we have experienced with the Reids and Taylors has opened our eyes to a new world. We are overwhelmed by your love and acceptance, and so very happy to be a part of your family.” Her first statement was more a thank you to our families. “Jane.” She turned to me. “As a mother, every time I see the look of contentment in my son’s eyes, it relieves my heart to know he loves deeply and is loved just as profoundly in return. I know there’s a God watching out for him. You’ve blessed Max with your love and you’ve made our family whole. And for that, Davis and I can’t thank you enough.” I placed my arm around my new mother, who was giving me everything in her heart. “In keeping with your tradition, I’d be honored if you’d wear this wedding band that’s been passed down from Davis’ mother, to me, and now to you.”
I took my engagement ring off so Mavis could place this delicate band on my fourth finger. “It’s beautiful, Mom. It’s my honor to wear your band.” I placed a kiss on her cheek and wiped the tears falling from her eyes. I glanced over at my fiancé to find a look of serenity, contentment, and completion on his face. It tickled my heart to see him replete.
“Wow,” Emily spoke again. “After those sentimental gifts, my paltry two-carat diamond earrings pale in comparison.” We all chuckled. “You would honor me by wearing my earrings on your special day. I love you, my dear sister.”
I knew our family was the epitome of love. Tonight proved it without a doubt. I loved my family.
“Is it my turn, now?” Max walked up on stage with a large covered frame and Nick followed with an easel. I’d forgotten there was a gift to come from Max. Considering we lived together all this time, I’d never noticed Max doing anything out of the ordinary. This was going to be interesting.
“Where do you want me?” I asked.
“Why don’t you stay up here with me, Gem?”
Max p
laced his arms around me and started his speech. “Thanks to Jake and Donovan, we mortal men have to come up with extraordinary ways to make up for our lack of finances. Unlike the men who buy their way to their women’s hearts…” The round of oohs began. “I actually did some physical labor and produced a gift worthy of my Gem.”
“What’s the gift, Poor Man?” Donovan taunted. “Can you possibly beat my sixteen pink diamonds and Jake’s measly two?” The barb was sent several ways.
“Does one hundred fifty-two diamonds count as beating your combined eighteen?”
“One hundred fifty-two? What the hell, Max?” Nick’s horrified question spoke volumes about his state of mind concerning Bee and marriage.
“No damn way, you bought Jane over a hundred diamonds.” My law partner was just as dumbfounded as the rest of us. Truth be told, I wasn’t even expecting one diamond from Max. Material goods were so not high on my man’s list.
“Do you all want to see Jane’s one hundred fifty-two diamonds?” Max asked the audience.
All the women chanted, “Diamonds, diamonds, diamonds!”
Max pulled off the cover and I was blown away by what I saw. Immediately, tears ran down my face, and I started bawling at the love that went into creating my gift.
“Gem.” Max pulled me into him as my shoulders shook with emotion. “You are my diamond, my treasure, my pot of gold. Whenever I think of you, this is the picture I see in my head.”
Trying to contain myself, I looked carefully at my gift. Max had cut out a hundred fifty-two pictures of me in the shape of a diamond, to create one large picture of a laughing me. In essence, he created a black and white diamond-shaped photo mosaic of Jane Sydney Reid.
“How did you do this? I never saw you doing any of this.”
Max explained, “This idea came to me during class one day, and I started taking pictures of you with my phone when you weren’t looking. It’s a little known secret that Emily has transformed part of her basement into an arts and crafts room. That’s where I stored a photo printer and all my art supplies.”
“So all those times you said you were studying with Nick and Laney…?”
“Well, we did study together, but I’d leave early to lock myself in Emily’s basement. Even Jake and Emily had no idea what I was doing. However, Ellie caught me one day and offered to keep my secret, but told me she wanted a photo mosaic of herself. That two-year-old blackmailed me.”
We all laughed hard at that story. “That’s my girl.” My brother was proud.
“Gem, you are more precious than any diamond money can buy. I love you and can’t wait for you to be my wife.”
All hands came together to cheer for and celebrate our occasion.
With the round of applause done, everyone came through the stage and admired Max’s labor of love.
“Thank you, Max. Your gift means more to me than all the diamonds in the world. I love it.”
He smiled and wrapped his arms around me.
If marriage to Max was anything like his picture mosaic gift to me, I was the luckiest girl in the world!
Chapter 7 Max: The Sweetest Camaraderie
“How does it feel to be an almost married man?” My soon-to-be brother-in-law asked.
“Like I’m about to jump off a cliff with a large parachute and the biggest smile on my face.”
“Well said. All those study sessions with my wife must have rubbed off on you. You’re becoming poetic…only to yourself.” Donovan took a jab at me and his wife.
“How’d you appease the pregnant wife? It wouldn’t have surprised any of us if she showed up to breakfast.”
Donovan laughed. “She wasn’t happy, but you know how it is. I’m the man. She’s the little woman. I’ve trained her well enough. She knows her place.”
“Oh yeah?” Jake asked. “Does she walk three steps behind you with her head down?”
“Do you doubt? Of course!” His big words came to a halt when the wife called on the cell. He grinned like an idiot at the sound of his wife. “Hello, Princess. Did you sleep well?”
“Yeah…three steps with her head down, huh? Who’s the little woman, now?” Jake tried to yell into the phone as Donovan ran ahead of us to breakfast.
“You did good last night, Davis. I’m glad you kicked Donovan’s ass in the diamond count. Now he can’t lord his sixteen diamonds over us.”
“I have a feeling he’ll still let it be known that he’s outdone us.”
“Asshole,” Jake mumbled. “You ready for tomorrow?”
“Mentally, emotionally, and especially physically—I can’t wait!”
“My sister can be a pain in the ass.”
“I’ll take her any and every way.”
After a simple breakfast, Donovan led us to a racetrack as part of my bachelor party / keep-the-bride-and-groom-apart day. Traditionally, the Reid ladies enjoyed spa accommodations, compliments of Gram. The men usually went and participated in some sporting activity. For Jake’s party, they went hunting. For Donovan, since he didn’t show up until the morning of his wedding, he didn’t get a party. For me, Donovan and Jake set up a Formula One-type racing day with Lamborghinis, Ferraris, and Ducati motorcycles.
“When I brought my little woman here, she was such a speed demon; I thought I’d have a heart attack watching her race.”
“Was she better than you?”
Donovan gave Nick a not so kind look before answering his question. “Yeah, she was a hell of a lot better than I was. Damn woman drove faster, rode her bike faster—she was unstoppable. Thank God I was able to convince her to stay with Gram. She’d try and drive a Ferrari with that big stomach of hers.”
“You need to learn to keep your wife under control. When I get married, I’ll make sure my wife knows her place.” Nick was talking big.
“Oh-ho!” We all exclaimed. “So you are getting married…to Bee?”
Nick shrugged without giving a definitive answer. “Just saying…”
“We’ll see how well you manage Bee. Because I know my aunt is just as manageable as Emily or Delaney or Jane.”
“Let’s get this bachelor party on the road, Mr. Lawyer.” That was Nick’s way of shutting us up.
The ride was exhilarating. I could see how any adrenaline junkie would go nuts over racing these sports cars.
“Damn, that was fun!” I exclaimed. “What was with you two Driving Miss Daisies?” Both Jake and Donovan crawled on the racetrack. Roland lapped them in the end.
“I have two kids on their way into this world. I need to be extra careful,” said Donovan Taylor, the wuss.
“I, too, have three kids, plus another one coming.” This was news to us.
“What do you mean you have another one coming? How the hell do you work so fast?” I wondered.
“What I want to know is how you know your wife is prego when Emily herself doesn’t seem to know. Delaney asked Emily point blank if she was expecting and Emily denied it.”
My future brother’s pleasure was undeniable. “As to how I know, that’s too personal to tell. There’s something about my Emi that changes when she’s pregnant that she herself wouldn’t know. I’m sure she has some clue; she’s just pushing off the obvious.” He answered Donovan. “As to how and why I work so fast,” Jake chuckled again. “You have a gorgeous woman in bed with you every night. You tell me how possible it is to keep your hands to yourself. That’s why I work so fast.”
The two best friends were high-fiving one another like frat boys who won a beer drinking contest.
“Hey, old men! Are we getting on the Ducati or are you going to stand around all day?” Josh spoke up for the single men.
“Who’s riding a Ducati?” Donovan took count and got us outfitted for our next adventure.
After we finished riding and had a leisurely lunch, we took one more ride on the bikes through the countryside. Roland and all the fathers chose to head back to the villa and take a nap. The rest of us
rode for another two hours.
“I am wiped. You guys are going to hear it from my bride if I can’t make it to the altar on time.”
“Damn. I’m wiped, too. This was fun but I need a nap. Let’s go, roomie.” Jake led Donovan to the van awaiting us.
With all of us staying in the same villa, we’ve all had to double and triple up. My brothers and I were literally bunking together in a tri-level bunk bed. This brought back good memories of our childhood.
“You remember when our house was only two bedrooms and we fought over who got to sleep on the top bunk?” Josh asked while climbing two “flights” to his bed. “Now we fight over who doesn’t get to sleep on top. I still don’t understand why I lost, just because I’m the youngest.” His head sinking into the pillow drowned out part of his complaint. “Today was fun but I’m seriously tired.”
“You remember how cranky Josh used to get whenever we woke up early to get ready for school?” Garret laughed at the memory.
“You were an asshole when we were younger. You’d purposely change my alarm and make me wake up at 5:30a.m. rather than 6:30 a.m.”
Garret still couldn’t stop laughing. “The best part of that prank was the fact that you had no idea you’d woken up an hour earlier. Max and I would watch you run around getting ready. Then you’d piss off Mom by waking her up early.”
“We had some good times when we were younger, didn’t we?” I mused.
“Yeah, and some shitty times, too.” Garret agreed with Josh’s comment. “What happened to Mom and Dad? Who are these people in Italy? I hardly recognize them.”
Both brothers were amazed at Mavis and Davis’ transformation.
“Jane and the thought of grandkids happened to them. You heard Mom last night before she gave her ring to Jane.” We were all in a state of shock at the amount of emotion we saw from Mom. “It doesn’t surprise me that she wanted to be a part of the Reid tradition.”
“That was nice of Emily to include Mom,” Garret added.
“She will always be high on my one-that-got-away list.” I laughed at Josh’s audacity.