A Wedding to Remember

by Joanna Sims

“I was mad because I wasn’t big enough?” She lifted her head to look at him. “That’s just flat-out weird.

  “What else?” She prodded him.

  “You craved marinated mushrooms and buttercream frosting.”

  “Oh—God. Yuck. That’s disgusting! Together?”

  “No. Thankfully.”

  She could tell Bruce was about to fall asleep—his voice was increasingly groggy and muffled, he wasn’t holding up his end of the conversation, and his eyes had been closed for several minutes. But she had other things in mind. She ran her hand down his stomach and took his flaccid penis in her hands.

  “Hmm.” Her husband made an interested noise.

  “Is it too late to make a withdrawal?” she asked him playfully.

  He turned his head toward her on the pillow and kissed the top of her head, still not opening his eyes.

  “No, ma’am. It’s not.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Oh, Lilly...” Savannah stared at her reflection in the full-length mirror. “It’s incredible.”

  Lilly had been working tirelessly on her jingle-inspired vow renewal gown. The dress was made of white cloth and was heavily embellished with rows of silver metal cones and ornate flat-stitch bead work on the sleeves, all of which created lovely flower-shaped bursts of turquoise, red, magenta and yellow, with a wide belt cinching the waist. On the bottom hem, a row of fringe gave the long sheath dress a bit of interest around her calves.

  Savannah shifted her hips side to side, and the dress made its own sort of music, like wind chimes in a gentle breeze.

  “I feel strong in this dress,” she told her mother-in-law. “Like I can face anything and survive.”

  Lilly had offered to make her a pair of matching moccasins, but Savannah wanted her outfit to represent all of her—she chose to wear a pair of cream cowgirl boots, hand-crafted, with a tapered high heel.

  “I am so glad that you like it.” Lilly smiled at her with her dark brown eyes.

  “It’s...” She felt herself start to choke up with emotion. Today she would marry the man of her dreams, her best friend, lover and father of her children—for a second time. “It’s more than I could have ever expected. You are so talented.”

  Lilly hugged her, kissed her lovingly on the cheek, and then left the cabin to return to the main house to get ready for the ceremony. Her mother and her two sisters passed Lilly on her way out, and Savannah started to laugh by herself in the bedroom at the sound of her family’s loud, excited voices filling the tall rafters of her log cabin.

  Savannah walked down the hallway, swinging her hips so her jingle dress would jingle, and met the women in her life in the living room.

  “What do you think?” She spun around to show off her outfit.

  “Now, that is a dress!” Joy, in town for the weekend, ran over to her and gave her a big hug. “You look ah-maze-ing!”

  “Oh, sweetheart.” Carol started to cry. “I’ve never seen you look more beautiful.”

  “Here.” Justine handed their mom a tissue.

  “Better just hand her the box.” Joy laughed.

  Her mother and sisters shuffled her off to the bedroom so they could carefully remove the dress until after her hair and makeup were done.

  “I’m here!” Jessie screamed, while at the same time slamming the front door. “Let’s get this party started!”

  Savannah was pampered and prepped by the women in her life. Joy slicked her hair back off her face and created a single, simple twist. With such an ornate, special dress, she wanted her hair and her makeup to be subtle.

  Jessie, up on the latest in makeup trends, took care of making her face look youthful and dewy. By the time she was all dolled up, she hardly recognized herself in the mirror.

  “I look like the woman Bruce will want to marry twice.”

  “You look like a woman my brother is gonna knock up tonight,” Jessie said from her perch on their bathroom counter.

  “Lord have mercy.” Carol’s peaches-and-cream complexion turned pink.

  “Well...” Justine gave her a look of approval. “Let’s go get you renewed, sis.”

  * * *

  “What’s goin’ on with this stupid thing?” Bruce couldn’t seem to get his silver-and-turquoise bolero tie, a gift from Lilly, to cooperate.

  “Let me do it.” Liam bent his knees a bit so he could take a closer look. “There.”

  Bruce turned to look at his reflection; he’d gotten married in jeans the first time around—this time, he was wearing a tuxedo. Savannah always wanted to see him in a tuxedo, and what better time than this ceremony to renew their commitment to each other. This was the day, a day long awaited, that he would dedicate his life, his heart and all of his days to Savannah.

  “Well, this is as good as it’s gonna get.” Bruce shrugged. His recent haircut was a little too short for his liking, and the tuxedo made him feel like he couldn’t much move his arms. Hopefully, Savannah would be impressed when she first saw him. That would make all of the discomfort worth it.

  “Here.” Colton came in with a couple of aspirin and a glass of water. “This’ll help you feel better.”

  “Thanks, brother.” Bruce took the aspirin gratefully. His frat brothers and his blood brothers had taken him out the night before, and his head felt like someone was hitting him in the temple with a ball hammer.

  Savannah had warned him not to go out and get drunk with his brothers, and he hadn’t really intended to do that. A couple hours into the evening, hopping from one old haunt to the next, all of the drinks his brothers were buying him had started to blend into one big drink. No, he hadn’t gone out looking to get drunk, but he surely had achieved that goal.

  “My wife is going to have my head on a stick if I show up looking like something the dog threw up.”

  “You’re kinda jaundiced.” Like a unicorn, Shane was making a rare family appearance. Bruce was glad to see him, but he smelled strongly of marijuana. Lilly and Jock would not be pleased.

  “Thanks, bro.” Bruce had noticed that his skin was an odd shade of yellow. “’Preciate it.”

  A loud burp followed those words; why—why—had he indulged last night? If Savannah sensed how sick he felt, he was going to begin their marriage reboot with a seriously ticked-off wife.

  “You ready to head out?” Liam came out of the bathroom, dressed now in his tuxedo. Liam had been his best man during their wedding ceremony; it meant a lot to have him standing beside him for the vow renewal.

  “Let’s do this.” Bruce had to fake it to make it, and he would. Savannah was counting on him.

  * * *

  Bruce walked up the path to the porch of Story Mansion, and was greeted by his friends and his family awaiting the start of the ceremony. He entered the mansion with so much history and so many of his own memories. The building had been restored to its early 1900 glory—with wide-plank wood floors and thick, unpainted crown molding—and the air smelled of wood polish and fresh paint.

  “Mom.” Bruce hugged Lilly, who had chosen to dress in a traditional ceremonial Chippewa-Cree gown and moccasins, with her silver-streaked hair deliberately styled into two long braids.

  “Son.” Lilly pressed her cheek to his. This was their way.

  With Liam standing beside him, somewhere down the hall, an antique grandfather clock chimed four times. It was time for Bruce to see his bride—it was time.

  Bruce heard his wife approaching before he saw her; the jingle dress foretold her arrival. At the entrance to the turret room, Savannah stood between her father and her mother.

  “Damn...” Bruce said under his breath. “That’s my wife.”

  The moment he laid eyes on his wife, wearing an ornate jingle dress made by his mother’s talented hands, thoughts of his acid stomach and his pou
nding head disappeared into the recesses of his mind. All he could think of was the ethereal, angelic, powerful, badass woman who was his bride.

  Savannah kissed her father and her mother, and then walked the short distance to him on her own. Her dress jingled charmingly with every step she took toward him. Her smiling eyes were on his, holding him with the look of unadulterated love.

  He took several steps to her, reached out for her hand and walked with her, together, the rest of the way to the spot where they would, once again, pledge their lives to each other. They’d opted to write their own vows, just their words, without a pastor.

  Liam took his seat after he hugged Savannah, and then it was just the two of them, facing each other, hand in hand.

  “You look handsome.” Savannah smiled up at him with a gentle, sweet, accepting smile.

  “You are beautiful.”

  This was the moment—it was time, in front of God and all of his friends and family, to tell Savannah how much she was loved by him.

  “Savannah. My beautiful, brilliant wife. I love you, a little bit more every day. I stand before you now, a lucky man, a blessed man, because of your love in my life. I have promised to love you, in sickness and health, for richer and poorer, until death us do part. I reaffirm that vow to you now. I promise you that I intend to spend the rest of my days on earth being worthy of your love.”

  Jessie sneaked forward and pushed a handkerchief into Savannah’s hand. Savannah laughed, which broke a little bit of the tension in the room, and carefully dabbed the tears from her eyes, trying valiantly not to smear her makeup.

  “Thank you.” She gave her sister-in-law a quick sideways glance.

  “Bruce,” Savannah began, a catch in her throat that she had to clear before she continued. “I am so proud to be your wife. You are my best friend, the love of my life. You have my heart, Bruce—my whole heart. My life doesn’t work without you. I vow to always love you, to always be by your side, no matter what comes our way.” Savannah held his gaze and repeated, “No matter what comes our way.”

  Bruce took her face in his hands and sealed their vows with a kiss. Savannah laughed through fresh tears and wiped her lip gloss from his lips.

  “I love you, Bruce,” she said. “So very much.”

  Their friends and family were clapping loudly, catcalling and whistling. Bruce barely heard them.

  “I love you more.”

  * * *

  They took pictures inside the mansion and on the grounds surrounding the historical home. Then the entire party of friends and family headed back to Sugar Creek for a Montana-style shindig. They had a band, a dance floor put down, and plenty of food and drinks. They requested that, instead of gifts, their attendees contributed money to the GoFundMe page that Savannah had started for Sammy Smiles—the foundation that she was determined to create in their son’s memory.

  “Here.” Jock opened up his son’s jacket and slipped an envelope into the inside pocket. His father rested his hand on top of the jacket, then gave him one single pat on the chest. “That’s for Samuel.”

  “Thank you,” he told his father. “It means the world to Savannah.”

  He’d managed to lose his wife shortly after they arrived back at the ranch, but he found her near the stage speaking to his younger brother, Shane.

  Bruce shook his brother’s hand. “I’m glad you came.”

  “Shane’s going to play for us later,” Savannah told him.

  “Everyone’d really like that.” He put his arm around his wife’s shoulder. “I’m going to steal her for now.”

  Bruce led his bride out onto the dance floor, and spun her around until she walked into his embrace.

  “Are you happy?” he asked her as they danced slow even though the music was fast.

  “So happy.” She rested her head on his chest.

  They danced and drank and ate until midnight arrived, and Shane sat down on the piano bench; her favorite brother spoke in a low voice, in between puffs on a cigarette, to the band. After a minute, he adjusted the microphone and asked for everyone’s attention.

  Bruce and Savannah stood next to the stage, their arms circling each other.

  “Most of you know that I don’t do covers.” Shane spoke in a raspy voice as the crowd gathered around the stage. “But this here’s Savannah’s favorite song, so I’m gonna play it for you folks right now.”

  Shane’s hands on the keyboard, her troubled, talented brother-in-law said, “I love you, Savannah. Bruce.”

  As they stood, wrapped in each other’s arms, their friends and family all around, Shane began to play the piano and sing, in that haunting, rough, damaged-deep-in-his-soul voice, Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight.”

  The crowd was mesmerized by Shane’s rendition of a classic song; everyone was so quiet until he took his hands off the keys and put the half-smoked cigarette burning on the edge of the piano back into his mouth.

  “Thank you,” Shane said before he stood up. “Take care of each other.”

  Before they could catch him and say thank-you for the song, Shane disappeared into the crowd, and undoubtedly returned to his garage apartment, his safe zone, back in town.

  Savannah tried to stifle a yawn, but Bruce felt as tired as she looked at this point. This day had been incredible, but the planning of such a big event had been exhausting for them both.

  “We need to go to bed, my love. We have an early flight and a long journey.”

  She nodded her head in agreement. They began to make the rounds, saying good-night and thanking everyone who had been such an important part of their day. They had one last champagne toast with their guests, then they turned in with their dog pack. With his help, Savannah carefully took off her dress and hung it in a protective garment bag.

  He came up behind her, brushed her hair off her neck and kissed the warm, sweet-smelling skin he’d uncovered.

  “You looked wonderful tonight,” he told her, repeating the words of her favorite song.

  She turned in his arms and held on to him, her head on his chest, her arms wrapped tightly around his body.

  “I love you more than words can say, Bruce.”

  He took her face in his hands, his eyes sweeping the lovely features. “That makes me the luckiest man in Montana, my love. The luckiest man.”

  * * *

  “I can’t believe we went to bed without fooling around on our vow renewal day.” Savannah brought him a cup of coffee while he packed the last toiletries into his carry-on bag.

  “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about that.” Bruce took a sip of the coffee. “We’re going to more than make up for it on our trip.”

  “When are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

  “I already gave you a hint.”

  “A ridiculous hint.”

  He laughed. “You won’t need a bathing suit, but you can bring one if you want. That’s a great clue.”

  “No.” She frowned at him playfully. “It’s not.”

  They both took turns hugging and kissing their dogs before they dropped them off at the main house. They headed to the airport and that was when Savannah finally got to find out where Bruce had been planning, for a long time now, to take her for their vow renewal honeymoon.

  “Oh. My. God!” Savannah grabbed his arm and pushed it back and forth excitedly. “Fiji? You’re taking me to Fiji?”

  “That’s where you always wanted to go, isn’t it?”

  “Are you trying to make me fall in love with you all over again, Mr. Brand?”

  Bruce gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “You’d better believe it.”

  * * *

  It was a long day of traveling, and she had never been much of an airplane person. The seats were too cramped; there were too many people coughing. She w
as more concerned about the germs recycling throughout the cabin than she was of crashing, oddly enough. But by the time they were close enough to Fiji to see those legendary sapphire-and-turquoise blue waters, Savannah forgot about her germ concern and just focused on all of the amazing adventures she was going to have with her husband in the most amazing paradise on the planet.

  Bruce had booked a private bungalow on Turtle Island. They would have access to their own private beach, opportunities to hike, bike, snorkel, surf, sunbathe in the nude and lounge in their own hot tub.

  “We have to get couples massages at the spa.” Savannah pointed to a picture in the dog-eared brochure she had been reading and rereading to pass the time on the plane.

  “I don’t like people touching my feet.” Bruce gave a little shake of his head. “Can I keep my boots on?”

  Savannah smacked him with the brochure. “When in Fiji.”

  They took a pontoon plane for the final leg of the journey to the five-hundred-acre privately owned Fijian island called Turtle Island, which was one of twenty volcanic islands in the western division of Fiji. They were going to be in paradise for two glorious weeks, and because the island was privately owned, they would have the run of it, and the utmost privacy on the beach dedicated for their bungalow. Bruce wasn’t a fan of the idea, but she fully intended to get naked on the beach. She had always wanted to frolic on the beach in her birthday suit; this might be her one and only opportunity to have access to a totally private beach.

  “This. Is. Amazing! Look at this place!”

  They were shown to their accommodations by their own private butler, or Bure Mama, who would take care of their every need during their stay. Their villa, named the Ratu Mara Bure for a former Fiji president, was a thatched, vaulted-roof bungalow, hand-constructed from hardwood indigenous to the island by local artisans; the Ratu Mara was designed for luxury and complete privacy. Only one of fourteen tucked away in the tropical foliage with a view of their own completely private slice of white-sand beach, it was better than she had imagined. The pictures in the brochure, as beautifully done as they were, did not, could not do the real magic of Turtle Island justice. The native hardwood gave off a sweet scent that mingled with the salty breeze blowing in from the beach. The first thing she did after she hugged and kissed her husband for finding them the perfect spot to celebrate their marriage reboot, was yank off her boots and socks and run out to the beach.