Texas Weddings (Books Five and Six)

by Janice Thompson

  ***

  The next several days flew by. Things appeared to calm down, at least for a while. Just three days before the wedding, however, I received a visit from someone that shook me to the core. Brenna Cole. She appeared at my front door just as I was heading out to spend the day with Matti.

  “Brooke.” She looked at me with tears in her eyes. “Do. . .do you remember me?”

  “Remember you?” How could I forget?

  “I. . .I just didn’t know who else to talk to. Is it true?”

  “Is what true?”

  “They’re getting married? Jakey and that actress?”

  “Who told you that?”

  She flinched. “Someone close enough to the situation to know. That part doesn’t matter. I just need to know if it’s true.”

  Ugh. One of those life-moments every Christian dreaded. If I lied and told her there was no wedding. . .well, I’d be lying. But if I told her the truth, she would surely run to the paparazzi.

  Hmm. Perhaps she already had. Yes, maybe she was the one responsible. . .for all of this.

  My insides began to quiver like Jello. I managed to speak the only thing that made sense. “Brenna, you know that Jake loves Matti, right?”

  Her expression hardened.

  “Whatever happens with the two of them is between the two of them. Any relationships he had in past are truly in the past.” I reached to squeeze her hand. “It’s time to let it go.”

  At this point, she erupted in tears, babbling incoherently.

  After offering what little consolation I could muster up, I somehow managed to make the drive to the B&B. All the way there, I thought about what had happened over the past few days. When I arrived, I did my best to smile and look relaxed. After all, we still had décor to discuss, seating arrangements to coordinate, and the ceremony to plan. And the last thing I wanted to do was get the bride-to-be stirred up over a former fiancée. . .possibly a former fiancée who’d wreaked havoc with the paparazzi.

  ***

  The last few days flew by and the morning of the wedding dawned clear and bright. We’d somehow managed to keep things on an even keel. Sure, I’d had a couple of run-ins with reporters, especially those who’d flown in from L.A. I did my best not to let it deter me. I found myself thinking as much about the incident with the prostitute as anything else. I had my suspicions, of course. And, as I prayed it through, I found myself leaning more toward one potential suspect than the others.

  With the ten a.m. wedding looming, I headed to the B&B, a host of butterflies swarming in my stomach. I arrived to find Kieren and Jake in a deep conversation in the lobby.

  Jake rose and took a few steps in my direction. “Brooke, good to see you. Matti’s upstairs with her mom. I’m sure they’ll be happy you’re here.”

  “I’m going right up.” In just a moment. One thing I had to deal with first. I turned to Kieren. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure?”

  “What happens to Matti’s career after this?”

  His brow wrinkled. “What do you mean?”

  “After the wedding. She’s still going to do movies? TV shows?”

  A smile lit his face. “Lots stirring there. Can’t wait to give her some big news. Just waiting till after the wedding. We’re not supposed to be working right now, remember?” He quirked a brow.

  “Just one more question?” I asked.

  “Sure.”

  “Did I see you at the Festival Institute the other day?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. I met with local police to lay out a plan of action to keep the paparazzi at bay. We don’t need any more catastrophes.”

  “No.” Indeed we don’t.

  A thousand questions swirled around in my head as I climbed the stairs to meet with my bride-to-be. By the time I arrived at the door of her room, I knew exactly what had happened to cause all of this. . .and why.

  I swung wide the door and smile as I saw Matti with the hair and makeup folks gathered around her.

  “Brooke!” She rose, and for the first time, I saw the gown—beautifully altered—in all of its splendor. It took my breath away.

  We oohed and aahed for a few minutes, and then I got down to business. Before I could go on with my wedding plans, Matti and I had to talk.

  “I know this is your wedding day. . .” I hesitated. “But, could I have a moment alone with you? There’s something we need to discuss.”

  “Sure.” She gestured for everyone to leave, and they did. As Aubree reached the door, I decided to ask her to stay. She gave me a perplexed look, but settled onto the edge of the bed.

  I leaned in to Matti, and looked at both of our reflections in the mirror above the vanity. “I just want you to know that I’ve figured out who set Jake up.”

  She and her mother let out a gasp at the same time. “You. . .you have?” Matti looked stunned.

  “Yes.” I released a breath and worked up the courage to finished. “Matti, it’s possible you’re going to have to let Kieren go.”

  “Let Kieren go?” Her mother’s voice rang out from behind us. “No!” She dropped her tube of lipstick and her eyes filled with tears.

  “You might not have any choice.” I chose my words carefully. “He triggered the events of the past week.”

  “How can you say such a thing?” Her mother stormed toward us, hands raised. “Kieren would never do anything to hurt either of us. He’s a good man, better than Matti ever deserved in the first place, though she never really saw that.”

  Matti’s mouth rounded in an “O” shape. “M-mama? How can you say that?”

  “How can I help but say it? You’ve always had any man you wanted—Kieren, then Jake. It’s all so easy for you, isn’t it? And if this wedding goes through. . .if this wedding goes through. . .” She dissolved into a puddle of tears.

  Matti looked my way, eyes brimming over. “I. . .I don’t understand.”

  I swallowed hard, knowing I could put off the explanation no longer. “Let me explain. I told you that Kieren triggered the events, but I didn’t say he was actually responsible for them. Your mother is the one who paid the prostitute to set Jake up.”

  “W-what?” Matti paled and turned to her mother, mouth falling open.

  Aubree glared at me with such anger that I thought for a minute, she might actually come after me.

  I stiffened my backbone and kept going. “I say Kieren’s the trigger, because he’s got feelings for you, and not everyone likes it.”

  “Well yes, of course he has feelings for me. He’s my agent.” Matti swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. “We’ve been friends forever.”

  “No, his feelings run deeper, and I think at least one person in this room recognizes it, even if he’s never admitted it.” I shook my head. “Your mother”—I pointed to Aubree—“was convinced that Kieren would stop representing you if you married Jake. Isn’t that right?”

  Aubree’s eyes widened and she took a step backwards. “I. . .well, I. . .”

  “You were afraid you would lose him.” I paused and released a slow breath as I turned back to Matti. “And maybe he would have dropped you once you and Jake married. It’s hard to know. But your mother wasn’t about to see that happen, because she’s in love with him.”

  “Mama. . .” Matti’s voice trailed off and the tears started.

  I looked at Aubree. “That day you left us at the cake shop, you said you were going shopping for a new dress.”

  “Y-yes.”

  “Only, you never showed up with one, and you never said a word about your shopping experience. It’s as if the whole thing never happened.”

  She gestured to her gown. “Well, I decided this one was fine. Besides, I didn’t find anything that suited me.”

  “Oh, yes you did. You found Jake at the capitol building, just where he said he would be. And you worked your magic to find a woman—not just any woman—to set him up.” I crossed my arms at my chest. “And if I’m not mistaken, you’re also the one r
esponsible for Brenna Cole knowing all about the wedding.”

  “What?” Matti’s eyes widened. “That’s why she’s back in town? Because she knows about the wedding? Are you sure?”

  “She knows you’re getting married. She showed up on my doorstep a few days back and told me so, herself. It took me awhile to figure out who had told her, but something she said rang a bell. She told me that the person who’d tipped her off was close enough to the situation to know what they were talking about.” I turned to Aubree. “You are very close to this situation. Maybe closer than any of us realized.”

  Aubree rose and paced the room, looking almost wild-eyed. After awhile, her franticness was replaced with tears. She eased her way onto a chair, dissolving into a puddle. Through the tears she managed a whole confession—falling in love with Kieren, being injured by his lack of interest, the fears that he might drop Matti once she married Jake—everything came out.

  I knew enough about mothers and daughters to know that Matti might erupt. I also knew that a girl’s wedding day wasn’t the best time or place for that to happen. So, I began to pray. Silently, of course. Thank goodness, Matti took a different route than I’d expected, one that convinced me the Holy Spirit was at work here. Instead of knee jerking, she sat next to her mother and slipped an arm over her shoulder. “Mama, look at me.”

  Aubree shook her head. “H-how can I?”

  “Mama, please.”

  Aubree looked up, tears, rolling down her cheeks.

  Matti reached for a tissue and dried her mother’s face. “This is my wedding day. I’m marrying the man I love, the man God has for me. What’s happened has happened. It’s in the past.”

  “But the paparazzi. . .the news stories. . .” Aubree started crying again. “Look what I’ve done.”

  “Let them say what they like. As long as everyone”—she gave her mother a stern look—“everyone understands that Jake and I are going to get married. We’re going to live happily ever after, no matter what anyone has to say about it.”

  Aubree nodded.

  A knock sounded at the door and Kieren stuck his head in the door. “Everyone ready in here?” He took one look at Aubree and worry lines creased his forehead. “What’s going on? Wedding’s not off, is it?”

  “No.” Matti rose and brushed her hands over the white satin. “It most certainly is not. It’s on. Fully and totally on. And I, for one, am thrilled about it.”

  “Well, so am I.” Kieren flashed a smile. “Looking forward to giving you away.”

  “And after the wedding?” She asked. “What then?”

  “What do you mean?” He paused. “Then you and Jake go on a honeymoon. And after that, you play the lead role in a romantic comedy about a girl who’s planning the wedding of the century. But we can’t talk about that right now. No work on your wedding day, remember?”

  “Yes, I remember.” She laughed. “So, I take that to mean you’re sticking with me?”

  “Sticking with you?” His brow wrinkled. “Whatever made you think I wouldn’t?”

  Everyone turned toward Aubree, who sighed. She rose and dabbed at her eyes with the tissue. “I guess I was just afraid that maybe you might. . .well, leave.”

  “Ah.” Kieren nodded, then paused. “Look, I was hesitant about all of this at first. What agent in his right mind wouldn’t be? Jake’s not exactly the Hollywood material. And plenty of people won’t like this match. They’re going to make life difficult for both of you.” He gave Matti a tender look. “And making your life difficult is the last thing I would ever want for you, trust me.”

  Bingo. He cares about her.

  “But who am I to stand in the way of love?” Kieren’s eyes brimmed over and he shrugged. “The right man caught the girl, Matti. The story ends the way it was supposed to. I’ll get back to work, and I’ll be fine. We’ll all be fine.” He turned to Aubree and gave her an encouraging smile, and she sighed.

  I glanced at the clock, stunned by the time. “Oh my goodness. We’ve got to get to the chapel. . .ASAP!”

  “What about the paparazzi?” Aubree asked. “What if they see us?”

  “Then they’ll see the happiest girl in the state of Texas, headed out to meet her groom.” Matti kissed her mother soundly on the cheek, then looked my way. “So, let’s get this show on the road, people!”

  Minutes later, as I watched Kieren walk Matti down the aisle, I thought back over the events that had led us here. Though the past ten days had taken many twists and turns, I wouldn’t change a thing. Okay, maybe a couple of things, but even the mayhem we’d endured paled in comparison to the sight of Matti Maynor, marching down the aisle in that gorgeous dress, to take Jake’s hand in marriage.

  I gave myself a little pat on the back and whispered up a prayer of thanks. With the Lord’s help, this wedding had come off without a hitch. Great flowers, a great gown, and great food yet to come. No paparazzi. No helicopters hovering overhead. No shots fired.

  Sure, my ex-boyfriend happened to be getting married in the location I’d chosen. So what? At least he was marrying the right girl. And, in the grand scheme of things, that was really the only thing that mattered.

  Thanks for reading Deep in the Heart of Mayhem, a wedding-themed short story. If you enjoyed this fun, first-person tale, you might also love my Weddings by Bella series.

  And while you’re at it, stay tuned for more stories in the Texas Weddings series.