by Lynn Faye
“Hey, I’m glad you called. I’m planning my wedding back home the weekend after next. Do you think you could be my maid of honor? It’s nothing big, just a small family gathering. I wasn’t even going to have a maid of honor, but Matthew is having a best man so I figure I should have one.”
“Oh my God. Oh, my fucking God.”
Rebecca was silent for what seemed like forever as I waited for her to officially say yes. She was one of the funniest girls I knew and I couldn’t wait to spend the weekend with her and all my family and close friends. It was going to be a fabulous little weekend.
“Is that a yes?” I asked.
“Fucking right it’s a yes! I’m going to get to meet the Vice President of the United States!” She screamed.
“And the President and First Lady.”
“What? No fucking way. You’re a fucking liar. No. You can’t be serious.”
“You’re going to have to tone down the swearing when you meet them. I don’t think Mrs. Baker is use to being around women with mouths like sailors.”
“Can I bring my mom?”
“Of course. I’d love to see her. So Saturday in two weeks. I’ll text you all the details about the rehearsal dinner and stuff. Thanks so much for doing this for me.”
“You are so very welcome Madame Vice President’s wife,” Rebecca teased as she tried her hand at proper language without swearing.
“Alright, I need to get going. I’ve got to go surprise my fiancé at the White House for lunch.”
“I’m so fucking jealous right now. Like you know how Cindy Paulmer was so pretty in school and we wanted to cut her hair off and slash her face. That’s what I want to do to you right now.”
“Oh…my…God…Rebecca. You seriously make me laugh so much. But please, please tone it down for the wedding.”
“Yes Ma’am,” Rebecca replied sternly before we hung up the phones.
Rebecca made me really nervous as my maid of honor, but she was the only one I could imagine taking the spot. I had other friends in high school and college, I even had other girlfriends in Washington D.C., but none of them knew me like Rebecca did.
As I made my way to the kitchen, I gathered up all the supplies I needed for the picnic I had planned with Matthew that day. We were only a few days away from our wedding and I had so many things to finalize with him. With his long hours and busy schedule, it had been almost impossible to have a conversation with him while we were both wide awake.
I had talked with the First Lady, Mrs. Baker, and she had helped me to arrange two hours in Matthew’s schedule so I could surprise him with a picnic lunch. It had paid very well to be friends with the First Lady. She was an inspiration to me and someone I looked up to a great deal.
Every time we talked I felt like I was taking internal notes for how I should behave once Matthew and I got married. From the way she made eye contact to the way she shook my hand; Elizabeth Baker was the ideal First Lady of the United States. She was graceful and humorous. She was kind and generous. Elizabeth was certainly what the country needed in a First Lady.
As I arrived at the White House, Elizabeth met me at the front door. Security getting in and out of the White House was pretty non-existent to me now that I had secret service security driving me around places. It was just like pulling up to an old friend’s house and getting out, with a lot more men with guns around us.
“Michaela, sweetheart, how are you doing?” Elizabeth said as she greeted me.
It amazed me how put together she looked every time I saw her. I had even searched on the internet to see if I could find any photos of her without her makeup, of course there were none. She was constantly flawless.
“I’m getting really nervous,” I said honestly.
“Well, there is nothing to be nervous about. You love Matthew, don’t you?”
“Yes, of course,” I said as I tried to sound convincing.
“Then everything will work itself out,” Elizabeth said as we walked down the hallway. “Seth here is going to carry that picnic basket for you and bring you to the gardens out back. I’ll make sure Matthew meets you out there as soon as their Arms Committee meeting is finished.”
“Matthew is on the Arms Committee now?” I asked out of curiosity.
“Yes, the Vice President leads the committee.”
I followed Seth, the gardener, out to the area where Elizabeth had decided I should have my picnic. I couldn’t stop smiling though. Matthew had worked so hard to get a spot on that Senate Arms Committee and none of the other Senators would let him on. Now look at him. Matthew was the Vice President and he was in charge of the whole thing. That was pretty impressive.
“I was sent out here and told you are my lunch meeting,” Matthew said as he walked down the side of the flowerbeds to where I had our picnic set up.
He looked radiant. His suit was one of my favorite ones. Its deep blue tone set off his eyes and his skin tone looked amazing in that shade. Matthew was happy, more so than I had ever seen him. It was so nice to see him doing so well and letting himself enjoy the fruits of his labor.
“Well, I wanted some time alone with my handsome fiancé,” I said as I jumped up and gave him a kiss.
Matthew looked around the garden real quick before he scooped me up in his arms and kissed me. His passion was on fire lately and we had been making love every single night when he got home. Apparently the power he had as Vice President was a very strong aphrodisiac.
“Do we have everything ready for next week?”
“Yes, I think we do. I just wanted to confirm your list of people you have invited.”
I handed him the total list of people and he read through it right away. Our little wedding of just family and close friends had ballooned up to almost 200 people, but that was still pretty small compared to how large it would have been if I had let my mother take over.
“I think we are good. Do we have RSVP’s for people yet?”
“I sent out the initial email invites to the people I knew for sure we wanted to invite. They have all said yes.”
“All of them?”
“Yes, apparently when the Vice President invites you to his wedding people drop their other plans.”
We spent the rest of our two-hour lunch going over the last bit of details that I needed to finalize before we flew home. We only had a week before we were flying back to Chicago and that wasn’t very much time in the wedding planning world.
When our lunch finished, Matthew helped me pack everything up and then held my hand as we walked back up to the White House. It felt natural being with him there. Matthew felt at home in the White House. For a brief moment I let my mind wonder to what might happen if Matthew decided to run for President. It was an amazing idea, and one that I would have never considered before I met Matthew.
“I’ll see you naked in bed around nine o’clock tonight,” Matthew said as he grabbed my ass and kissed me.
“Well now, that’s a couple in love if I ever saw one,” the President said as he walked toward us.
I instantly let go of Matthew’s hand and stood up straight as the President came near me. He leaned in and greeted me by giving me a kiss on each cheek. I followed his lead, but I was screaming inside with excitement. It never got old meeting the President. His presence was powerful and unique, it was an honor every time I got to be in the same room as him.
“Are you going to be able to make it to our wedding?” I asked in a weird and uncomfortable way.
“Yes, Elizabeth and I are looking forward to it.”
“Great, I can’t wait for you to meet my foul-mouthed maid of honor,” I said and then instantly regretted saying it.
I covered my mouth in embarrassment at how I had spoken to him.
“It’s okay Michaela. I’m a normal person. You don’t have to be nervous around me,” the President said as he put his arm around my shoulder. “Matthew, you’ve got one hell of a woman here. I’m excited for you.”
“Thank you Bill,
I’m pretty damn excited to make her my wife.”
***
We flew on a normal commercial airline as we made our way back to Chicago. Matthew thought it would seem too outrageous if people saw us getting on a private jet now that he was the Vice President. Of course, we sat in First Class, which was another first for me. I had spent my entire life in coach with no hope of ever making it past that little curtain divider on the plane.
Matthew held my hand and we kissed and cuddled each other like we were a young couple right out of a fairytale book. It was nice, whatever was going on between us the last few weeks was really nice and I liked it. For me, I would have been perfectly fine with keeping our whole relationship in the lovey-dovey fun area. Unfortunately, I felt it was all a farce. Matthew was trying to make sure I was happy until we married.
It seemed a little deceitful at first, but the more I thought about it the more it made me love him even more. Matthew was showing that he could put an effort forward for my needs. He knew I would want things to go smoothly for our wedding. He was showing me that he cared and I was going to take full advantage of that caring.
Throughout the flight we talked about the wedding and everyone that was going to be there. We were excited to get our families together and to be starting a new chapter in our lives. The cloud of negativity that had haunted us as Matthew fought to get the VP position, was finally lifting. The new happier relations was something I really felt like I could build my life on.
We got off the plane with no big fanfare. I really thought we had done a great job of keeping things a secret. But the second we walked outside the terminal toward the limousine that was waiting; we were swarmed by the press trying to get a picture of us together.
Matthew did great. He wrapped his arm around me and held me close to him as we pushed our way through the crowd of photographers. We only had one secret service agent with us at that time and he led the way and opened the car door for us.
I climbed in first and then looked up to see Matthew standing outside the vehicle. There were dozens of cameras flashing and he waited for them all to calm down.
“I know you all want the story, but I’d appreciate a little private time with my fiancé as we come home to spend a much needed weekend with our families.”
“Mr. Storm, is it true that you two will be getting married this weekend?” One reporter asked.
Matthew didn’t answer and instead climbed into the limousine as he waved goodbye to them all.
“It’s like you’re some sort of rock star,” I laughed.
“We are rock stars. The American public loves a good love story. You know my new publicists says that you are helping people like me.”
“Yes, because you’re so hard to like otherwise,” I teased.
The drive to my parents’ house seemed like it took forever. I couldn’t wait to see my father and mother. My father was still very weak and sick, but he was fighting the good fight and I couldn’t wait to wrap my arms around him. Our relationship had never been all that great, but luckily we had started to mend it and I was excited to have him walk me down the aisle.
There were photographers outside my parents’ house and that was when I knew we were going to be in trouble. Although I had done my best to keep everything as low key as possible. The press were much more intelligent than I had given them credit for.
“I’m so sorry for the press outside,” Matthew said to my parents as he hugged each of them. “I’m sure it is very difficult for you.”
“I love it. I started making them help me carry my groceries in. I’m putting them to work if they want pictures,” my mother joked.
“What a perfect idea. Perhaps we should have them help set up the wedding,” Matthew said.
Our visit was nice with my family. After a short time with my parents, my aunts and uncles arrived. They brought my cousins and we all had a huge family dinner. Matthew’s socializing game was perfect. He spent time talking to everyone. I often saw him laughing and joking with my relatives.
The way he was so charismatic with everyone was something I admired a lot. He made it seem so simple. The way he talked to everyone and made them feel special. It was a gift he had, and it certainly had helped him get to where he was in life.
By the end of the evening we were getting ready to head to our hotel and my father stopped us at the door. His fragile hand grabbed Matthew’s and he pulled him off to the side. I couldn’t quite hear what was being said, but I saw them shake hands and my father pat Matthew on the back. I smiled at how proud my father looked.
“What did he say to you?” I asked as we got into our car.
“I’ll never tell.”
“Oh, come on. He’s my Dad.”
“Oh, yes, but it’s a little secret just between men,” Matthew said as he pulled me toward him and started to kiss me.
“No, no, no mister. We’re getting married in two days. I think you’ll just have to wait and make an honest woman out of me,” I teased.
“Yes, Ma’am,” Matthew said as he continued to kiss me.
I could tell he was hoping I would change my mind and decide we should have some hot hotel sex before our wedding. But I thought it would be fun to have a couple days without Matthew. To his surprise, I had booked us two separate rooms at the hotel.
“What? No. We can’t do that. The secret service isn’t staffed enough to watch two separate rooms,” Matthew balked at my plan.
“I’ve already cleared it with them,” I said as I grabbed my suitcase and made my way to my room.
“I’ll make it up to you on our wedding night,” Matthew promised.
“I can’t wait.”
As I shut the door behind me to my private room, I felt a sense of relieve. It was nice to have some space and not feel like I had to do absolutely everything just perfectly. I drew myself a bath and turned on some music as I tried to relax and think about the plans for the next few days.
We had rehearsals, dinners, fittings and lots of small get togethers. It was going to be an exhausting few days, that was for sure. But when everything was said and done; I was going to be married.
It was astonishing to even think about. In less than a year I had gone from a wide-eyed new college graduate to a Washington D.C. socialite. My life certainly hadn’t been a fairytale, though, it was a lot of hard work dealing with Matthew and the mess of politics. But I could see the finish line and I was ready to move forward in a much calmer and less political world.
Matthew had reached his goal, he was the Vice President. Sure I knew he would want to run for the Presidency at the next election, but that was three whole years away. We had at least three years to settle in and get use to our new life. I could find a career or volunteer job that I felt passionate about, Matthew could stop worrying about needing to take over the world. We could both just sit back and relax with each other for awhile.
The next 24 hours were a blur to me and before I knew it I was standing at the end of a white aisle in the backyard of Matthew’s family estate. My father was on one side of me, dressed in a debonair black tuxedo. I could see Matthew at the altar in an equally handsome tuxedo.
As the music started, my father and I made our way down the aisle slowly. We took our time as my father was still weak and I didn’t want him to get too exhausted. He had been using a walker up until the week before, so he needed my assistance in stabilizing himself a little.
Matthew looked at me with a goofy grin that I had luckily seen more and more of lately. He seemed so happy. Not just on our wedding day, but in the weeks that led up to our wedding day. Matthew actually seemed like himself lately and I loved that. It made me excited to spend the rest of my life with him.
As we said our vows I couldn’t help but think that I was turning into a better person because of Matthew. I was stronger and more willing to take on obstacles in my life. I felt an inner strength when I was with Matthew that I hadn’t felt much before I met him. It was a new me and I couldn’t wait to shar
e it with the world.
“Do you Matthew Allen Storm take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward,” the clergy member asked.
“I do,” Matthew responded.
“Do you Michaela….”
The clergyman was interrupted as a photographer, who had been hiding out in a nearby tree, fell from the tree and landed hard onto the ground. The man screamed out in pain and our whole ceremony had to be stopped as we called an ambulance and he was rushed off.
Matthew was angry and went straight up to the head of security and pulled him around the corner. I could only imagine what an earful that man was getting from Matthew. After the death of the previous Vice President, it was sad how the secret service still seemed to be missing some really important issues.
“Is everything alright?” I asked as he came back.
“Yes, of course. But I’m filing a formal complaint. That could have been an assassin or something like that. They need to do a better job.”
I totally agreed with him.
We finished the ceremony without any further incidents and Matthew ended by giving me a huge kiss and dipping me all the way down to the ground. He lifted me up and held my hand as we made our way back down the aisle together and to the reception.
It was at the reception that I felt the most at ease. Even with important people like the President and First Lady there, I was also surrounded by my own family and friends. We were both surrounded by such love and caring, it was easy to feel comfortable.
The most stressful time of the whole night was when my friend Rebecca took the microphone to make her speech. I held onto Matthew’s hand tightly as I prepared myself for what might be a very offensive speech. I even took a second to look over at the President and catch his gaze with a shy smile. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be too offended by Rebecca.
“In our lifetime, we are all meant to find that Yin to our Yang. It’s hard. Some of us spend decades looking for it. Others of us think we have found it only to realize we weren’t quite there yet. Matthew and Kayla are the lucky ones. The Gods brought them together and delivered each other into the kindest most loving relationship anyone could have. I’m so grateful to call you both my friends. To Matthew and Kayla!” Rebecca said as she shot her class up into the air for a toast.