Valentine Wedding Hound

by Rachelle Ayala

  Her heart thudded in her chest and her fingers tingled with pins and needles. Something Grady said kept buzzing in her mind.

  She was having a pity party because she wasn’t used to losing. Larry had unfinished business with Shelly, and this meant she’d lost. She’d never lost anything before—not when it was important to her. She’d won a scholarship to the fashion institute, won awards and accolades. She usually won during family game night no matter what card games they played. She won at Risk, Catan, and any board game that required strategizing and gaining allies, and her family accused each other of favoring her.

  She’d always won in love. No one had ever cheated on her before.

  Nope, she wasn’t used to losing. Sure, her ex-boyfriend had stolen her designs and walked off with a prize, but she hadn’t lost fair and square, so that hadn’t counted.

  But with Larry? This was a clear case of her losing, and losing big—to Smelly Shelly of all people.

  The letter beckoned her, and as she tried to silence her mind, she heard Grady again telling her Larry worshipped the ground she walked on, and that the only reason she was with him was because he always let her get her way.

  That thought gutted her with shame.

  Was she spoiled? Entitled? Self-centered?

  Was everything truly all about her, and not about Larry?

  She held her head and moaned, realizing how horrible she’d been, even now, focused only on herself.

  It was all about her losing the reality show, her losing to Shelly, her getting hurt, her being betrayed. But had she ever thought of what life might look like for Larry? A lonely boy who’d never had the family she had. Who’d wanted to belong, and who’d been so brave, he’d run into a burning building and saved the lives of people he didn’t know.

  She ripped the letter from the nightstand. Whatever it contained, it was something Larry needed to communicate to her. Whether good or bad, she had to hear him out. Maybe it wasn’t about her losing to Shelly, but what was important for Larry.

  Maybe he needed more time before taking such a big step by marrying her. He needed closure. That was his explanation. He couldn’t move forward if he kept looking backward.

  It wasn’t always about her. She loved Larry, and she needed to do what was right for him.

  Jenna hastily slipped the card out of the envelope.

  It was a sappy Valentine’s card, all hearts and flowers. Larry had sweetly signed it with a heart.

  The letter, however, looked like it had been folded and refolded multiple times. Jenna unfolded it and read.

  My dear Jenna,

  There are so many ways to say how wrong I was, but my biggest mistake was not telling you what was in my heart.

  Instead, I told you what you wanted to hear because I wanted to be supportive. I wanted you to be happy, and nothing made me happier than to see you successful and fulfilled.

  But the reality show changed us, and we both got caught up with greed and wanting things we shouldn’t have coveted: fame, money, material things, and drama.

  All I wanted was for our wedding and marriage to mean something to us and to our family. I never wanted it to turn into entertainment for the masses.

  Yet I wanted you to win, so that your design studio would get the recognition it deserves.

  After seeing how single-minded you were about the show, and how it didn’t bother you at all that the mother who rejected me would be decorating for our wedding, I grew despondent.

  I felt you would choose the reality show and its riches over me, an average guy with no money, no fame, and nothing to offer you but myself.

  I thought about how much Shelly hurt me when she tossed me aside, and I said to myself, arrogantly, that you would never do that to me. That you were millions of times better than her, and that you loved me so much, you would sacrifice the show for me.

  At least that was my fantasy.

  Or maybe I wanted to test you, because I couldn’t believe such a fascinating creature like you would have anything to do with me.

  So, I made the biggest mistake in my life. I called Amy and told her I could arrange for Shelly to be in the show. She jumped at the idea and had a contract drawn out. Then, I went to Shelly and sold the idea to her.

  In my deluded mind, I thought you would be outraged on my behalf and refuse to have Shelly on the show, even after I told you it was okay.

  I wanted someone to take my side automatically, the way your family always rallies to your side. I’ve never had anyone who’d defend me first and ask questions later, and I thought it would be you.

  I’m so very sorry I hurt you, and I wish you would give me another chance. My heart is broken, because I love you very, very much.

  Your Larry, always.

  Jenna’s tears dripped onto the handwritten page. Larry was too good to her, and he was blaming himself. He’d set up a test for her and she’d failed it.

  All he ever wanted was unconditional love, the type she enjoyed on a daily basis. He’d only known rejection, being that little boy who was on the outside looking in. He wanted to belong to her and have her put him in first place.

  She ran to the door and opened it. The apartment smelled like delicious food. Harley chuffed a greeting and waddled over to her, tail wagging like an upright flag.

  She bent over and hugged him, letting him kiss her, doggy breath, burps, and all. “He left you here to comfort me, even though he needed you more.”

  Larry had to be in the kitchen, but he didn’t come out to see her, though he must have heard her open the door and talk to Harley.

  He was afraid of her, like Grady had said. He was afraid she would reject him, the way others he’d loved had rejected him.

  Nope, she would never reject him, and he needed to know that right away.

  “Larry,” she called, rushing into the kitchen.

  He looked up from where he was sitting, his hands still pressed together, as if he had been praying.

  “Oh, Larry.” She ran to him and wrapped her arms around him. “I would never, ever turn you away. No matter what, I love you most of anyone in the whole wide world. And I promise to listen to you more and consider your feelings. I’m so sorry.”

  “I’m sorry, too.” He rose from the chair and turned around, holding her tight. “The truth is, you did listen to me. You listened to what I told you. You couldn’t be a mind reader.”

  “But I should have put myself in your shoes and read between the lines.”

  “No, you shouldn’t.” Larry caressed her hair and held her tight. “I need to be upfront and straight with you. It’s the only way our marriage will work.”

  “Oh, Larry, I want so much for it to work.” She rocked in his arms, looking up at him with those gorgeous watery eyes. “Do you have any other things you need to say to me?”

  He smoothed the crease between her eyebrows. “Only one thing stands out.”

  “What is it?” Her heart raced, wondering whether it was a deal killer or not.

  He bent down and rested his forehead against hers. “Children. I wasn’t sure if you wanted any. We don’t have to have them right away, but I’d love to have a few, maybe many.”

  She felt the corners of her lips lift as she nodded. “I’d love to have children with you, Larry. After this wedding gown fiasco, I’ve decided I’m a designer, not a model, and I’m tired of dieting and trying to lose weight.”

  “You’ve just made me the happiest man alive.” Larry kissed her forehead. “Is there anything you need to tell me? Just in case?”

  “Sure.” She waited a moment until his eyes dilated, keeping him off-balance. “From now on, it’s not going to be me first, or you first, but us and our family first.”

  “I like the sound of that. Us first.”

  “Waaarooahhh!” Harley howled from between their legs, and they both laughed.

  “Us includes Harley,” Larry said, bending over to rub the sloppy folds of his neck.

  “Definitely Harley.” Jenna kn
elt and let Harley slobber over both of their faces while she and Larry sealed their vows with a hot, meaningful kiss.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “You first.” Jenna cupped her hands over Larry’s eyes and leaned in behind him, whispering so only he could hear.

  They were at the top of the tallest building in San Francisco, at the Baytop rotating bar with their family and friends at the rehearsal dinner.

  It was Saturday night, and instead of watching She Wouldn’t Dare, Jenna and Larry celebrated their upcoming wedding with a rehearsal dinner and gifts to each other.

  “Open it, Larry,” Connor said. “Why isn’t she letting you see what it is?”

  “It’s probably something sexy, and not suitable for viewing since Mom and Dad are around,” Cait added her commentary, as usual.

  “Don’t forget, we were young and frisky just like you,” Mom spoke a little too loudly, after having a single margarita.

  “Ewwee, I don’t want to hear it.” Grady batted his hand. “Jenna, stop holding us in suspense. What’s in that box?”

  Larry opened the box to expose another box inside. “Oh, it’s a box!”

  Their entire family groaned as Larry handed the wrapping paper to his mother, Cora. After Jenna had her meeting with the priest, they’d both decided to give Cora a chance and understand what had happened to her.

  Larry had then gone with Cora to see the priest. She’d confessed her sins and explained to Larry that it was better he didn’t know who had fathered him. The person was deceased and a lot older than her, obviously. Larry understood how she wanted to put the abuse behind her, and that it had taken her years of therapy, as well as the death of her husband, who’d resented her having an existing child when she was unable to have more, before she could come to terms with what she’d done.

  “And, it’s another box!” Larry yelped, chuckling. “Jenna, you have to be more original.”

  “Keep digging.” She encouraged him, as Cora saved the wrapping papers and ribbons.

  Sitting underneath the table was Harley. He lifted his long body up and put a paw on Larry’s knee, eagerly sniffing the package for anything edible.

  “And, another box shaped like a doggy bone,” Larry said. “Looks like something for Harley.”

  Harley grunted and licked his chops when Larry opened the box.

  Scattered in the center of assorted doggy treats was a tinier heart-shaped box. Larry let Harley dig into the treats as he extracted the pink heart box.

  “Oh, what I always wanted for my wedding, something pink,” he joked. “Jenna, are you sure you didn’t buy something for yourself and call it a gift?”

  “What do you think I am? Selfish? Entitled? Spoiled?”

  “Never.” He roped her in for a long and luscious kiss, then whispered into her lips. “You’re all mine. That makes me selfish, entitled, and spoiled.”

  She nipped his lower lip. “I’m going to see to it.”

  “Okay, time’s up.” Grady tinkled the glasses, which led to another kiss.

  “Stop tinkling the glasses,” Cait said. “It’s the universal sign for lip locking.”

  After surfacing from the kiss, Larry untied the ribbon over the pink box and drew out a set of dog tags.

  “I knew it. I’m nothing but a hound dog.” He rubbed Harley’s head. “Just like you.”

  “What does it say?” Dale asked. “You’re Jenna’s dog?”

  Everyone around the table roared with laughter.

  “Yeah, that’s what I am.” Larry dangled the larger tag and read. “Reminder: This man comes first in Jenna Davison’s … You’re changing your name?”

  “Of course, I am.” She tickled the back of his neck which was rough with grafted skin. “If you’ll have me as your dutiful and adoring wife.”

  “Of course I will.” He gave her a hot wet kiss and passed the tag around so everyone could see it.

  The other one was the cut out heart that completed the sentence, and it had only one word on each side.

  “You” on one side, and “Win” on the other.

  Larry showed the heart tag to everyone and laughed. “This is my motto. You win.”

  “That’s a perfect tag for a husband and wife,” Mother said.

  “Who’s going to wear that one?” Grady asked, always the instigator.

  “I am,” Jenna said. “That’s my heart that’s cut out for Larry. He’s first in my life and first in my heart.”

  “A toast!” Father stood and raised his glass. “To the newest Hart in the family. Heart comes first.”

  “Hear, hear. Heart comes first.” Their entire family cheered the Hart family motto.

  Jenna clinked her champagne flute with Larry’s and then went around the table to touch glasses with the people she loved most.

  Before she got to Grady, a loud roar of laughter erupted from the elevated bar in the center of the tower. People pointed and hooted at the large flat screens high above the bar, and Jenna almost dropped her champagne.

  The last scene from this week’s episode of She Wouldn’t Dare showed Shelly’s dress splitting and falling to the ground. They blurred out parts of her body and then Amy cut in and said, “Let’s see that side splitting kick again in slow motion.”

  The entire room watched in rapt attention as first Larry kissed Shelly’s hand, then tugged her in close, lifting her horizontally to spin with her feet first, around and around, while her feathers trailed, before finally putting her on her feet and dipping her for a stage kiss.

  Shelly couldn’t help kicking up her leg, and in excruciatingly slow motion, the dress ripped and feathers flew.

  “Too bad they blurred out the good parts,” Dale said. “I wish I had been there.”

  “I can’t believe they’re showing this.” Jenna went back to Larry, and he pulled her onto his lap. “We’d better hide before anyone notices we’re here.”

  “Don’t worry, everyone’s eyes are glued to Shelly’s tree-trunk thighs,” Grady quipped and the entire table laughed.

  Well, maybe Cora didn’t laugh, since she was good friends with Shelly’s mom, and Jenna did feel a little bad about the seam split.

  “So, there you have it,” Amy Suzuki said on the TV. “A wardrobe malfunction to remember in this season of accidents and mishaps. Fortunately, Shelly Sweet is a good sport and I have her here wearing the new and improved dress from Jenna Hart.”

  “What? I didn’t know she was continuing with the show,” Jenna said.

  “The contract actually says …” Cait was cut off by her mother shushing her as Shelly walked onto a dance stage. She twirled around, letting the additional tulle triangles flow, and when she moved her arms, the fringe attached to the illusion panel sleeves made it seem as if she had wings.

  “Wow, Jenna, I can’t believe you fixed her dress,” Nadine said. “How much did she pay you?”

  “Nothing. I felt bad for what happened to her, so I went back the next day and fixed her dress,” Jenna explained.

  “You know,” Amy said to Shelly. “I love this dress a thousand times better. Is this the dress you’re going to wear to your master class with Russian dancer Boris Petersky?”

  “It sure is, and it’s all thanks to Jenna Hart for making this signature dress for me.” Shelly beamed and twirled around again.

  “She really loves it,” Melisa said. “That was really nice of you, Jenna.”

  The show moved onto the auction of Jenna’s wedding dress with Shelly playing the role of the auctioneer. People bid from the studio audience as well as online and on the phone.

  “Keep those bids coming,” Amy said. “Jenna Hart is sacrificing her one of a kind wedding dress to benefit Dogs for Vets, a newly formed charity which trains therapy dogs for our veterans suffering from stress-related disorders.”

  “Who runs Dogs for Vets?” Cait asked. “I’ve never heard of it.”

  “Me either, but it’s a good idea,” Connor said. “I bet there are a few disabled firefighters who could use
a therapy dog.”

  “I’ve got my Harley.” Larry scratched the hound dog’s ears. “It’s a great cause.”

  A group of people cheered from one side of the bar, while another group yelled, staring at their phones.

  “Twelve thousand. Bid twelve.” A woman jumped up and down, waving her hand.

  “Twelve five hundred,” a man yelled across the room.

  “Why are they bidding over here?” Jenna asked, looking around at the other patrons.

  “Maybe they’re texting them in,” Larry said. “You should be proud. It’s up to fifteen thousand.”

  Jenna threw her head back and laughed. “I wouldn’t pay fifteen thousand for my holey dress.”

  A commotion arose near the double doors as a camera crew crashed the party. Leading the way was Amy Suzuki, followed on her heels by Shelly Sweet.

  “We are here at the Baytop Lounge, San Francisco’s three hundred sixty degree rotating bar on the top of the Tower of Reeds with the semi-final episode of She Wouldn’t Dare: Wedding Edition.”

  Amy made a beeline for Jenna and Larry, and there was no place either of them could hide.

  “Here we are, with Bride Jenna Hart and her groom, Larry Davison, and their wonderfully adorable basset hound, Harley.” Amy stuck the mic at Harley who grunted, looking away from her. “We’re here to auction off Jenna’s wedding dress to benefit a charity. Shelly? Where is the bidding now?”

  Shelly looked at her phone. “Eighteen thousand. Going once. Going twice. Do I hear eighteen five? It’s for a good cause. Dogs for Vets.”

  “Nineteen over here.” A man waved from the corner table.

  “Nineteen to the gentleman in the corner,” Shelly said. “It’ll make a wonderful gift to a special bride-to-be. Anyone want to top nineteen?”

  A hush fell over the room when a tall brunette wearing spike heels, tight jeans, and a motorcycle jacket sauntered straight up to Amy and Shelly. It was Linx Colson, the woman who ran the Mountain Dog Rescue.

  “I bid twenty thousand for my future wedding dress.” She smirked and her laser focus zeroed in on Grady.

  “Twenty thousand for a Jenna Hart original wedding dress,” Shelly cried. “It’s for a good cause. All those who want this beautiful woman to have the dress say ‘aye.’ All those who don’t, bid higher.”