by Taylor Dean
“So, who’s directing traffic?”
“Right now it’s Dad and Blake.”
“Heaven help us,” Spencer mutters.
I swallow and try not to feel as though the sky is falling. But it might be. Just saying. I think it’s headed right towards me.
Grayson goes to attend to Mia. He appears again quickly. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to get her some ginger ale. It helps sometimes.”
“Does she need a snack? Some crackers, maybe?” Spencer asks.
“She ate a really good breakfast of granola and blueberries. She said it was the first breakfast in weeks that tasted good. She’s just paying for it now.” Grayson disappears down the stairs.
We hear Mia mumble, “Stop talking about food.”
Spencer and I exchange a grimace. “Sorry, Mia.”
Back to my makeup. We have a few quiet moments and I begin to calm down. There’s so much pressure for a day like today to be perfect and the tiniest thing is sending me over the edge. I take several deep cleansing breaths.
Then Stony comes bounding up the stairs. “Don’t panic, Shay.”
Now I can’t breathe at all. “What? Those exact words make me do just that. What is it?”
“The bakery mixed up the wedding cake. They had an order for a wedding north of Abilene and one for here. We got the one meant for Abilene and vice versa. It’s too late to make the switch.”
“But we do have a cake?” My heart is beating on double time.
“Yes, we have one, it’s just not the one you ordered.”
“That’s okay,” Spencer tells me. “We still have a cake.”
“Yeah, it’ll be okay,” I say it out loud, but I’m really trying to convince myself it will be okay. “At least it’s still a wedding cake. It might not be my colors, but how bad can it be?”
“Uhhhhh . . .” Stony taps his hands on his legs.
“What? What aren’t you telling me?”
“There’s no good way to say this, so I’m just gonna blurt it out. It has black frosting and it says ‘ROCK ON’ in huge white capital letters. But I’m sure it will taste good.”
Spencer and I both go completely still as if someone just told us to freeze. “What?” we both say at the same time.
I’m utterly speechless and about to turn into the bridezilla I promised myself I’d never be. “I’m cursed. Everything is going wrong,” I mumble under my breath. “Who has black frosting on a wedding cake?!” I holler. “And ROCK ON? Are you kidding me? Please tell me you’re kidding.”
“Sorry. I wish I was. It’s . . . it’s not that bad, really. It’s . . . festive.”
I begin to hyperventilate and Spencer tells me to take several slow breaths. It doesn’t work. My hands start to tingle. “What did Jace say?”
“He said to tell you he doesn’t give a flying flip what the wedding cake looks like as long as he gets to marry you today. And he said, ‘Rock on, dude.’”
My heart softens and I laugh. He’s right. In the end, all that matters is that we are married at the end of the day.
“He tried the frosting and he said it’s not that bad. It’s not licorice flavored or anything.”
Mia retches from inside the bathroom and a questioning look appears on Stony’s face.
“It’s Mia. Morning sickness. Don’t mention licorice,” Spencer informs him.
Grayson comes running up the stairs with a ginger ale in hand. “Bad news, guys. The flower truck broke down and can’t get here in time.”
That’s when I lose it. Spencer’s makeup job is about to be ruined again. I bow my head and start to sob. “This is horrible.”
Spencer takes over again and starts throwing out commands. “Stony, cut flowers from our yard and make a bouquet for Shay. Tie it with ribbon. There’s ribbon in the gift wrap closet.”
“I’m on it.” He heads for the stairs.
“Grayson, there’s a vase of fake white roses in the living room. Cut off the tops and place them on the cake. Make it look good.”
“Got it.” He hands the ginger ale to Spencer. “Mia?”
“We can take care of her. Go.”
Spencer stares at me for a moment, her mind whirling. “This could go bad. I’d better go help them.”
I nod. “Yeah, they’ll make it worse.”
“Will you be okay?”
I nod again, unable to speak. As Spencer leaves, I take Mia the ginger ale and she sips it then collapses down onto the floor again. “I’m sorry, Shay. Keep in mind, no matter what, you still have Jace.”
I nod. “I’ll let you rest.” My voice cracks miserably.
I walk to the top of the stairs and peek into a small expanse of living room. I want to go help, but I don’t want to run into Jace.
I plop down on the top stair, cover my face with my hands, and let the tears fall. I’m not worried about my white dress because, well . . . it’s Stony and Spencer’s house and their floors are cleaner than my kitchen countertops.
This is not how this day was supposed to go. Wedding days are supposed to be perfect, blissful days, filled with romance and happiness. Instead it’s a Murphy’s Law kind of day. Everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. And it has. Isn’t there some sort of connection to the events of the wedding day and our future life together? Is this a premonition of what is to come? Why does everything have to be so hard for me and Jace?
“Shay?”
I open my eyes and see Jace at the bottom of the stairs. He looks devastatingly handsome in his tux and completely takes my breath away.
“You’re not supposed to see me. It’s bad luck.”
“Bad luck was already here trying to crash our wedding. I kicked his butt and sent him packing. He was not invited. He’s currently being escorted off the property. We won’t be seeing him again.”
I smile through my tears as Jace tucks one hand in one pocket and slowly begins to walk up the stairs, looking cool and confident. “You know, I remember confiding in Stony when I was a freshman in high school. I told him I was going to marry his sister one day. He looked at me like I was crazy and I guess I probably was. But I knew even then that you were someone special. Nothing has changed for me. You’re still the woman of my dreams. I know you wanted a perfect wedding and I wanted that for you too. Things might be a little crazy, but nothing else matters to me except you. I just want to marry you today. That’s all. As long as that happens, I’m a happy man.”
He stops when he’s just a few steps lower than me. I nod again because I can barely speak. “Me too.”
“You’re a happy man?”
“Happy woman,” I say as I half laugh and half sob. Jace sure knows how to make me laugh. He always has. With this man at my side, I have a life filled with laughter to look forward to.
His eyes narrow as he looks me in the eyes. He’s utterly serious as he says, “By the way, right now, in this very moment, with all that tender emotion on your face, you look the most beautiful I’ve ever seen you look. When I think back on this day, this moment is what I’ll remember. Just me and you having a moment of peace amongst the chaos. I love you, Shay.”
“I love you, Jace.”
“Okay, let’s do this.”
Suddenly, we hear Mia retching from the bathroom, interrupting our warm moment, and that does us both in. We both burst into slightly frantic laughter.
“Jace!” Spencer hollers. “Get down here, young man. You’re not supposed to see her yet.”
He winks at me. “See you in a few.” He makes his way down the stairs as he says, “I’m going, I’m going. I like to rock on and I’m a rule breaker, don’t you know?”
Spencer shakes her head and laughs. Then from behind her back, she produces the most beautiful wedding bouquet I’ve ever seen.
My mouth hangs open. “Did you just whip that up in your spare time?”
“Don’t thank me, thank Stony. He’s the gardener around here and makes miracles happen on our property every day. I practically had a florist sho
p to work with.”
“It’s beautiful, Spencer. Thank you so much.”
“Your cake is now a symphony of black and white. It looks quite elegant. I think it might even be better than the other one. Jace asked us not to cover up ROCK ON though.”
I bring my hand to my heart. “I love him. He’s the best.”
She raises her eyebrows. “Maybe you should marry him,” she teases. Spencer motions to the vanity chair. “C’mon, let’s make you look so stunning, Jace won’t know what hit him.” As I sit down, Spencer takes something out of her pocket. “Oh, I almost forgot. Irene wanted you to wear this for your something borrowed. She wore it on her wedding day and so did Mia.”
She hands me a delicate silver necklace with a diamond heart attached. “It’s lovely. How sweet. I love it.” I wrap it around my neck and bring it around to latch it, and it falls into my hands. I gasp as I stare at it, dumbfounded. “It broke.” My chest heaves a few times with emotion. “It . . . it broke. I swear, this is the worst day ever.”
“Get Grayson. He can fix it,” Mia says as she exits the bathroom. “It’s not a big deal, Shay.” She has redone her hair, touched up her makeup, and is looking like herself again.
“I’ll get him,” Spencer says and off she goes.
“Are you feeling better?” I ask.
“A little lightheaded, but the worst of it has passed.” She sits in the bedroom chair and takes a deep breath. “I haven’t left the house in a few weeks. This is my first time out and it’s not going so well.”
“I know you’ve made a huge effort to be here today. Thank you, Mia.”
“I refuse to miss my brother’s wedding, so here I am. I’ll try not to ruin your day.”
“Stop it. You being here makes it better.” Mia’s cheeks are rosy and her eyes are a bit glassy, making her look fragile, almost like a porcelain doll. She’s always been a classic beauty.
Spencer runs up the stairs again and she still looks svelte. There’s not a bead of perspiration on her. I don’t know how she looks so put together all the time. “Okay, Grayson’s fixing the necklace and I don’t think there are any more fires to put out. Let’s do your makeup and get downstairs. It’s almost time to start.”
I look between Mia and Spencer. I can hardly contain my emotion. I’m so happy, I could burst. I’m finally marrying Jace Faraday, the man I’ve wanted to marry practically all my life. He’s right, nothing will spoil the day unless we let it.
“Okay, I’m ready.”
I finally make it downstairs and the first thing I do is share an emotional hug with Irene. “I’m so happy, dear,” she says. “Everything is beautiful.” She leaves to take her place in the wedding party.
As I look around, I realize she’s right. The perfection I’ve been wanting all day is suddenly staring me in the face. Stony has transformed his yard into a wedding venue worthy of a magazine. A harp rendition of Canon in D plays softly, making the atmosphere feel heavenly.
My handsome brother holds out his arm. “Ready?”
“Yes.” I link my arm in his as we step off the porch.
Suddenly I hear pounding footsteps behind me and, slightly panicked, I turn to see Grayson quickly approaching. “All fixed,” he says as he places the necklace around my neck and fastens it. I nearly forgot about the necklace.
“Thanks, Gray,” I whisper. Okay, so now the day is perfect.
I stand with Stony, ready to walk down the aisle and all of the guests get to their feet. I opted to go non-traditional and have my family members stand with me as I marry Jace. There are no bridesmaids or groomsmen, just the people I love the most in this world flanking the gazebo. My family is my wedding party. I see my mom, smiling proudly at me. She’s dabbing her eyes with a tissue and I long to run up and hug her. I see Brit, standing hand in hand with Mom. Her hair is falling out of her upsweep and her little tiara is crooked, but she is a sight for sore eyes. Her poor knees are now covered with blood spotted bandages, but she’s smiling and looks happy, so they must not be as bad as they look. She believes she looks like a princess and that’s all that matters. I love my precious daughter and it’s such a thrill to have her at my wedding. It’s not just a new life for me, but a new life for her as well. I’m gaining a husband and she’s gaining a father, a man who will be there for her throughout her life. She has no idea of the significance of this day and how it will change her life. But I do—and it’s huge for the both of us.
I see Irene with Blake standing behind her. She’s in a wheelchair and I think that’s best. I don’t want this day to wear her out. She seems to be holding up well and I’m grateful that she’s able to be here. Grayson has joined Mia and he has an arm wrapped securely around her. Mia’s head is resting on his shoulder and I love her for getting up and being here today. Joel and Tess are up there too. They are part of our family now and I wanted them to participate. I see Spencer, holding an immaculate Sophie in her arms. Her cute little dress flounces around her, making her look like a little cherub. Her headband with a huge flower on it sits on her forehead perfectly and she doesn’t even try to pull it off.
“You know,” I tell Stony, barely moving my mouth. “When Sophie starts walking, the perfect clothes will be a thing of the past.”
“Don’t burst Spencer’s bubble.”
“Just enjoy it while you can.”
“Duly noted.”
The minister, followed by Jace, enter from a side pathway and now my view of my loved ones is complete. Everyone else blurs into my peripheral vision and my eyes are for Jace and Jace alone. His dark hair is slicked back on his head, his tux fits him as if it was made just for him, and his black dress shoes are so shiny, I could probably see myself in them. His eyes rest on me and there they stay, as if they have found their home. The chaos of the day fades away and I’m in the moment, ready to commit myself to this man for the rest of my life.
Jace forms his hand into the rock on hand symbol—a fist with the index finger and pinky standing up—and shakes it from side to side. Laughter rumbles around the crowd.
“Oh no,” I say.
“Just go with it,” Stony tells me.
So I mimic Jace and do the rock on hand symbol, shaking my hand back and forth, right back at him. Another rush of laughter ripples around the area.
“That bakery will receive a strongly worded letter from me,” I say through gritted teeth.
“The orders for Rock On cakes will be booming. You just started a new trend. I called it,” Stony whispers.
Canon in D slowly fades and I know the instrumental version of the wedding march I chose is about to start.
My grip on Stony’s arm tightens as another tune wafts through the air. I know it immediately and I know it’s Jace’s doing.
It’s the mesmerizing music by Rachmaninoff that we danced to on the night we watched Somewhere in Time.
It’s so perfect I can hardly stand it. We have history with this music and it makes everything that much more meaningful.
“I had nothing to do with it, I swear,” Stony says as we begin our slow walk down the aisle.
“It’s your fault. You started a tradition.”
“I’m not sorry.”
I fake outrage. “I’m not like Spencer. He’s dead.”
“Before or after the wedding night?”
“After, of course. I’m no dummy.”
“Mama didn’t raise no fools.”
We continue to walk down the aisle and I hardly notice my guests. My eyes are glued on Jace.
“He loves you, Shay. He always has. As far back as I can remember.”
“I love him too.”
“All is right with the world now that you two are back together.”
“Yeah. I’m where I’m supposed to be.”
We reach the end of the aisle and I turn and face Stony. “Thank you for always being there for me. I love you.”
“I love you too,” he says as he leans forward and kisses my forehead. “Happy life,” he whispers.
I let go of Stony and I immediately join hands with Jace. The symbolism is not lost on me.
The ceremony is a bit of a blur. I’m distracted by Jace, unable to tear my eyes away from his. When the minister says, “You may now kiss the bride,” all I can think is, “Finally.”
It is at that exact moment that a collective gasp travels through the crowd. I look over to see what’s happening and I’m horrified to see Mia passed out on the lawn. Grayson kneels down next to her and it’s only a few moments later that he picks her up into his strong arms. Embarrassed, Mia covers her face with one hand and waves at the crowd with the other as she says, “I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine. Go on with the wedding.”
Jace and I look at each other for a moment, then we throw our heads back and laugh—because what else can we do? It really is a Murphy’s Law kind of day, but it’s our day—and it’s perfect.
Jace doesn’t hesitate. He grabs me and bends me over backwards in a perfect dip, stealing the attention back toward us in one flawless move. Then he kisses me in a way he’s never kissed me before, long and slow, tender and yet filled with a hint of passion I’ve never known.
When it’s over, the crowd cheers.
And that does it. I am now Shay Faraday. I am a rhyme, a wife, a mother, and the happiest person on the face of the earth.
CHAPTER
Seventeen
“I DON’T WANT to go home. I want to stay here forever.” I roll over in bed and hug Jace tightly. “Can we pick up Brit and just stay here for the rest of our lives? I don’t want this to be over.”
“Sure. I could live on a cruise ship forever. Why not? Of course, you’d have to roll me down the gangplank when we dock because three all-you-can-eat buffets a day will turn Jace into a human bowling ball.”
I’m not going to lie, I’ve eaten so much food on this trip, I’m surprised my stomach hasn’t burst. “Seriously, every night when I go to bed, my stomach hurts from too much food.”
“What a problem to have.”
I giggle. “I know, right? I feel so spoiled.” I sigh contentedly and trail kisses over Jace’s chest.
While we are gone, Mom is moving into her new home, Spencer is taking care of Brit, Suzanne is manning the bakery, and Irene is staying with Mia and Grayson. Mia said she’ll rest in bed alongside her mother all day and they’ll have lots of girl time and movie marathons. Irene’s surgery will take place after we return.