by Amber Burns
Early morning light streamed in through his window and Cade covered his eyes to try and hide from the pain. His head throbbed. When he walked into the living room he found Tommy stretched out and snoring loudly. He shook the groom to be, but when that didn’t work he gave Tommy a few pats on the cheek until he woke.
“What…what time is it?” He asked smacking his lips and pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Time for you run and get ready.”
“Ok.” He called a cab and within fifteen minutes he had left. Cade only had a few hours until the wedding, so he showered to hopefully wash away the stink of last night and help sober himself up a little faster. After the shower, he looked in the mirror at his long shaggy beard, and got to work trimming and cleaning it. Cade brushed back his hair and have himself one last appraisal before dressing in his tux and calling a cab. The wedding was being held at a winery a few miles down the road and in the country. Since Cade missed the rehearsal dinner, he had to arrive early to practice.
When Cade reached the winery, he was taken down a twisting dirt road, rows of vines with purple globes were nestled along the side. It was a beautiful setting for sure. He groaned at the absurdity of it all. At the top of the dirt road, a large pavilion and rows of tables dressed with white linens were strategically placed. Little strings of golden lights were hung around the pavilion and purple and blue flowers sat in vases on every table. To the side of the pavilion, an elaborate arch was erected and covered in flowers, sat in front of rows of fold out chairs that were separated by a runner. Cade felt as if he had just stepped into a live version of some wedding magazine clipping.
Spotting Tommy, Cade paid the cab driver and strode over to the groom who was welcoming a few early arrivals.
“Hey man, looks nice.” He said, pointing at the set up.
“Thanks. Hey, we are going to run through this pretty quickly since you didn’t make it to the rehearsal dinner.” Tommy showed Cade where he would be standing behind him at the altar, and told him the line the pastor would say to signify it was time to hand him the rings. Cade listened and even practiced handing him the rings, not wanting to mess anything up on his best friend’s special day. A violin started playing quietly in the background, the soft notes just barely audible.
Cade looked back at the winery’s main building and saw the curtains rustle and satin disappear out of view. He was a little nervous about meeting this Cindy character. Tommy had warned him she was somewhat prude. His mind drifted to the beautiful blonde he saw outside the formal wear store. He usually noticed pretty women and forgot them quickly, but for some reason he couldn’t shake the image of this one. She even had revisited his dreams since the one on the river bank. He felt a thrill of lust at the memory of those dreams, and quickly pushed it away. Lusting for women he didn’t know made him feel lonely, and he did not want that.
The guests started pouring in and filling in the seats. That same violin from earlier, was now accompanied by a cello, their melody humming through the quiet conversations of family reuniting and new family acquaintances. Tommy had repaired his relationship with his parents over the years. He had been living on the streets by choice, and had run-away from home at a very young age. His parents had never quit searching for him, and one day, years after Heather and Cade had helped straighten him out, he found them and apologized for the missed years. They were thrilled to see their young son turn into such an intelligent and successful young man.
They had also adopted Cade in a way. He was always welcome at the family dinners and events, and had attended a few. He preferred to be alone though, it had never been a problem for him, until recently.
“Cade, you look absolutely handsome.” Mrs. Lane gave him a kiss on his cheek and squeezed him in a warm embrace. “Need to eat though!” She said as she patted his stomach. She hadn’t known about his injury, and he wasn’t going to let her know his side throbbed from the hug. He just enjoyed her hug and caring nature.
“Yes, ma’am. I need to come over for some of the best cooking again soon.” He smiled at her and kissed her forehead.
“Hey son, how is the business?” Mr. Lane hugged him and then held him out by the shoulders, love shining warm in his eyes. Tommy actually had a little brother, but he passed away in infancy, so Cade had sort of filled the role.
“Business is great. We have your charity on our list this year.”
Mr. Lane patted him on the shoulder in approval and turned to collect his wife.
“Come on Martha, let’s leave the lad to his work. Best man is a stressful position.” He winked at him and they made their way to their seats in the front row.
Cade stood there holding his hands behind his back. Tommy motioned for him to join him and the other groomsman. Mrs. Lane appeared out of nowhere once again.
“Tommy, where is Cade’s corsage and a kerchief?” She was fussing with Tommy’s shoulders and furrowing her brow at Cade’s tux. She reached into her purse and pulled out both a corsage and a kerchief. Tommy laughed and kissed her on the cheek.
“I knew you would have them mom.”
She batted away his affections and set to work folding the kerchief into Cade’s front pocket and pinning his corsage too. He felt a little silly having a small flower pinned to his top. She then started fussing with his messy brown hair, trying to slick it back for him and also brushing off his shoulders and straightening his tie.
“That will do.”
She looked over the two of them, but didn’t seem completely pleased. She then turned to the other three groomsmen, but didn’t fuss over them the same way. Returning to her seat, they all let out a sigh of relief and their shoulder relaxed. The music grew very quiet for a moment and then completely silent. Everyone in the crowd grew very quiet and soft notes began again. Slowly, a little girl walked down the aisle, her hair tied back and curled and her hands wearing lace gloves. She tossed little flower petals and giggled as she made her way down the aisle.
Next the bridesmaids came walking in slowly. Three ladies in floor length purple dresses walked in followed by Heather who was stunning in her white lace wedding gown. Behind her, the maid of honor trailed her, holding onto her train. Cade felt his heart jump into his throat. That same beautiful blonde that had haunted his dreams and memories from the other day was holding the train. She was moving slowly, and a little awkwardly. Her blonde hair had been curled and pinned back, and the purple satin dress she wore hugged her waist tightly and slightly fanned out around her knees. He saw the cause of her awkward walk. She wore silver high heels shoes, and with each step, she moved gingerly down the aisle to avoid tripping while holding the train to keep the bride from falling as well. He smiled at her, she was pure beauty and her awkward step was adorable.
Once they were all in place, Cade realized he was staring at her when her icy blue eyes turned on his. Where had he seen those eyes before? He felt like he knew her from somewhere, but he wasn’t sure where. He tried to pay attention to the words of the pastor so he wouldn’t miss his que, but she was standing there holding the bride’s bouquet and he was ready for their dance. When Tommy had first told him there would be a dance between him and the maid of honor, he was not thrilled. Now he couldn’t shake the idea of holding her body close to his.
As Cade stood motionless and staring at Cindy, he didn’t hear his cue.
“Cade, psst!” Tommy’s head was turned so he could whisper over his shoulder.
“Oh, sorry, here.” He quietly, but quickly produced the two rings and the ceremony continued without any further disruptions.
“I pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride.” The husky voice of the pastor drifted into Cade’s senses and Tommy dipped Heather into a romantic and deep kiss.
Everyone cheered and the music from the music began to crescendo. Tommy and Heather turned to their guests and faces full of joy, they walked hand in hand back down the aisle as Mr. and Mrs. Tommy Lane. Cade stepped up and hooked his arm with Cindy’s, his heart rac
ing when they touched for the first time. She turned her bright blue eyes on his and a spark of recognition flashed behind them. They both paused, almost causing a bridal party pile up but they quickly continued down the aisle after the newlyweds.
Each couple made their way to the pavilion and Cindy, to Cade’s disappointment, let go of his arm and hurried over to wrap Heather in a big hug. Soon, the guests came pouring in to congratulate the newlyweds with hugs, kisses, and handshakes. One of the tables was covered in beautifully wrapped wedding gifts and cards. Each table was already set with dinner plates and silverware for the guests to help themselves to the various hot and cold foods at the buffet. Pewter platters and chafers sat in a row with labeled white cards and gold text indicating each item.
All of the wedding party was supposed to take pictures with the bride and groom before eating. The aroma of succulent roasted chicken, creamy mashed potatoes, and buttery fresh baked bread filled the pavilion. A large six tier wedding cake sat on a table by the groom’s cake. Cade walked over to get a closer look at what Heather chose to represent Tommy with. It was a chocolate cake with rolled up newspapers and a news anchor microphone resting on top. He thought it was an excellent choice for Tommy.
As the professional photographer moved them around into different group and couple poses, Cade kept catching glimpses of Cindy. He noticed a few times she was also watching him. Every time their eyes met, a slight blush filled her cheeks. His heart would beat a little faster, and he just wanted to talk to her. When they were finally done, he made his way to her, but once again she took off after Heather. They all filed into the dining area and took their seats at the head table. Time for the speech. He had not actually prepared anything, just thought he would wing it. A microphone was handed over to him and for some reason, he was instantly nervous. He had never had stage fight, so this was an interesting experience for him.
“Many of you know that I came into Tommy’s life many years ago. Not too long after that, he met a beautiful red-headed angel, Heather. She is truly a gem and over the years she has been by his side. Tommy, man, I love you like a brother and I have to say, that I am so glad Heather came along to start taking care of you, because whew was that pretty exhausting,” all of the guests gave a slight chuckle at that. “Anyways, Heather, you have made Tommy one of the happiest fools and I love you like a sister. I wish the two of you many happy years together.” With that he raised his glass and handed off the microphone. Cindy reached for the microphone and her warm honey voice reached Cade’s ears for the first time.
“Heather, I have known you since nursing school and our first days as sisters in Kappa Phi. We pinned each other in our white uniforms and spent our first sleepless nights, eating pizza after finishing our first exhausting clinicals. When you met Tommy, I thought ‘oh no, trouble walking.’ I was wrong, he is the kindest and most thoughtful person. He has brought you soup when you were sick, flowers on every occasion, and always put you first. Tommy, thank you for making Heather the happiest woman and here’s to many blissful years!” She raised her glass, and everyone cheered.
Next, Tommy grabbed the microphone.
“Thank you everyone that is here to celebrate with us, we would like to join you on the dance floor and at the buffet. Please, help yourself. I am going to go boogie with my beautiful bride for a few moments on the dance floor.”
He dropped the microphone and the disc jockey started the dance music. They even had colorful lights start with the music and the bride and groom made their way to the center. The first few songs were pretty fast paced, but then a slow song came on. Cade saw Cindy with a plate of food back at the head table and he made his way to her.
“Hello, may I have this dance?” He smiled at her, spoon of mashed potatoes half way to her mouth. She blushed and set down the spoon. He was slightly embarrassed for interrupting her meal, but he was so nervous he couldn’t even think straight.
“Uh, yes.” She nodded and stood up to take his hand. Her hand was cool in his warm one, but he loved the feel of it.
They walked out to the edge of the dance floor, not wanting to interrupt the bride and groom. He placed his hands on her hips and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He was instantly reminded of his middle school days. Molly Edwards with braces and frizzy hair had asked him to the homecoming dance. Not interested in going, but also not wanting to hurt her feelings he agreed. He had no idea he was supposed to buy her a corsage, and he also had no rhythm. When she went in to kiss him, he was so nervous and accidentally scraped against her braces.
Despite the awkward night, for several days Molly pursued him after the dance and he even heard rumors she was telling everyone they were a couple. Finally, with a heart-shaped and obviously hand-made card in his locker, he knew he had to tell Molly they were not in fact a couple. She burst into tears and never spoke to him again. After middle school, Molly straightened her hair and had dumped the braces. She eventually became rather stuck up, and he was glad he did not entertain her fantasy that they were together.
He looked into those bright blue eyes that felt so familiar and he inched a little closer to her.
“You don’t remember do you?” She asked, her soft voice shaking him out of his memories. He realized he daydreamed a lot, most of the time on his own memories.
“Huh?” He was puzzled by her question.
“I was the nurse on call in the ER that night, when you were brought in on a stretcher.”
Cade stopped moving side to side for a second and he realized those blue eyes were the ones that were full of concern as he looked up on the stretcher. That small hand, the one that felt so soft in his own, was the hand that held the bag squeezing oxygen into him. That also meant she was also the hand that cut his shirt off to assess the damage.
“I guess I never got around to thanking you, so thank you.” He smiled at her.
“You are welcome. We don’t usually get to hear a thank you. So, I am Cindy, Cindy Watkins.” She smiled as she officially introduced herself to him.
“I, uh, I am Cade Winters, nice to meet you Cindy.”
As the slow song faded, another took its place. He pulled her a little closer and he breathed her in. Her hair smelled floral and minty and wanted to bury his face in the nape of her neck to see how the rest of her smelled. He felt himself growing hard as her body was so close to his, invading his senses. Not wanting to alarm her, he shifted so she wouldn’t feel the bulge forming against the inside of his leg. He tried to shake himself from this carnal desire, but her warm scent and proximity was overwhelming. The song slowed and he stepped back.
“Do you care if I join you with food?” Cade asked.
“No, I mean, yes… let’s eat.”
They made their way back to the buffet and despite having a plate already sitting at the table, she awkwardly grabbed another plate and stood in line with him. He loved her quirky mannerisms. She was awkward in heels and clearly nervous around him. He hoped that meant she was as interested in him as he was her. They took their plates back to their seats and sat down. Neither actually taking bites, they kept stealing glances at one as their food grew cold.
“So, what do you do?” She asked him as she finally sliced into her roasted chicken and took a small bite.
“I own my own business actually. I am a tattoo artist and I own the shop on Main Street, Inked Dragon.” He also took a quick bite of food, hoping his profession wouldn’t be a deal breaker. He had met women in the past who ran from the idea of a motorcycle riding, inked up, tattoo artist.
“Oh, that explains your arms and chest. Did you design any of those yourself?” Her blue eyes shown with genuine interest and so he continued to divulge.
“I actually designed the dragon on my left, but I have let many of my friends custom draw the other ones.” Not realizing he was stroking his beard, he stopped and ran a hand through his hair.
“That is really awesome. I have always wanted a tattoo, but I have never known what I would want permanently on
my body.” She took another bite. He wanted on her body. He wanted all over her body.
“Well, you should come by some time and I can show you my book. I would be more than happy to sketch you something.” He winced. He wasn’t supposed to talk shop.
“That would be great, maybe next week?” She smiled at him again.
“Yea, definitely, any day. Uh, do you like coffee?” He hoped she would say yes, he would love to take her for a coffee date before she came by the shop. He wanted to ease her in so she wasn’t intimidated when she met some of his pierced staff.
“I love coffee, are you kidding!?”
They chuckled.
“Well, I would love to meet you at Loco Joe’s if you would like, maybe Tuesday? Would you be available for an afternoon coffee?”
“I should be done with my shift by noon. Here, let me give you my cell so you can call me.”
He pulled out his phone and punched in the numbers as she read them. After they grew more comfortable in company and conversation, they finished their plates. They were so distracted that they didn’t even see the bride and groom cut their cake or head straight towards them with two giant slices of red velvet.