by Lane Martin
“I was looking forward to spending our birthday together this year. We’ve never both had boyfriends and been in the same place, and I was kind of hoping we could go on a double date.” I’d also never had a boyfriend I wanted to introduce to my family before. A grin formed on his lips and he tried to contain his laughter, but he failed.
“Oooh,” he grimaced as he began to rub out the spot on his arm I just punched. Big baby.
“You promised.” I pouted as he took both of my hands in his again. He looked at me, and my heart was beating so fast I worried something was wrong with me. Maybe it was heat stroke. My mouth instantly dried when he licked his lips. Oh, Jesus, he’s trying to kill me. I was in the white dress again. Maybe Emily and I could have a double wedding like Marsha and Jan. Jesus, I’m dying. Please watch over my baby. When did I go from the girl who never wanted to get married to the one envisioning myself in a wedding dress? It just takes the right man.
“I’m sorry Libby. I never want to break any vows I make to you. I love you and Aria more than I ever thought I could love anything again. Where did you come from Libby Barnes?” Everything Logan did or said just made me love him even more.
“Venus,” I joked to break the tension that crackled between us. He shook his head before leaning forward and kissing me. Logan’s kisses were all exceptional, but this kiss was a make your knees wobble, take your breath away kind of kiss.
“I’m going to miss you.” I was being ridiculous because it was only for one night. I didn’t get my double date, I got something better, dinner with my family, cooked by my amazing mom. It was a hodgepodge of a meal that didn’t make any sense, but it didn’t matter because it was all delicious and it was all of our favorite things. We also each had our own cake and as my mother always insisted, they sang the birthday song to both of us.
“I’m going to miss you too.” Logan and the guys were going to play poker and drink whiskey while us girls were being whisked away to a swanky hotel to be pampered. I wasn’t going to lie, having a brother in law with more money than sense was kind of fun.
“You’re as bad as your sister.” Our mother declared as she pulled me out of the apartment. The next time I saw Logan, I would be walking down the aisle. True, I wouldn’t be the one in white, but it would be him I was walking toward. It would always be him.
Pampered didn’t even begin to describe the way I felt. The hotel suite was the penthouse at the Plaza, and Declan hired a professional au pair to watch after Aria while we had our spa treatments. We cuddled in the softest robes known to man after every inch of our bodies were buffed, waxed, massaged, exfoliated, and polished. I sipped a refreshing glass of cucumber water and sighed, “This is heaven.”
“This is hell.” My sister grumbled, and she crumbled up another piece of paper and tossed it across the room.
“You don’t need to write anything down.” I patted the cushion beside me after pouring my sister another glass of champagne. “Just speak from your heart.”
“It’s not that easy Libby. You try it. What would you say to Logan if you were standing in front of him and everyone you love exchanging your vows?” It was that easy. I knew exactly what I would say.
I cleared my throat and began, “Logan, you’re my person. My love and my life. You don’t make my heart just beat. You make it race. You make it skip. You make it strong. You make it safe. I take you as you are, faults and all because that’s how you take me. I promise to lift you up and support you and to kick the ass of anyone who tries to mess with you. I promise to laugh with you and cry with you, and most of all to dream with you because you are my dream come true. High or low, left or right, rich or poor, you’re stuck with me because you’re my person. Now and forever.” I don’t know when I started crying or when our mom came in the room holding my daughter.
“Holy shit that was beautiful.” Emily was crying too. So was Mom, so I could only guess that she heard me rambling on.
“Grandma Rose was right Aria. She said that when your mommy found the right man, she would love him with everything she had.”
Declan sent me to the hotel to deliver a gift to his bride. Plus I really wanted to see my girls. I lifted my hand and knocked on the door. “Why the fuck are you nervous Wheeler?” I had been thinking of our future since before our trip to California. But my talk with Declan and meeting her dad had solidified it. I hadn’t planned on asking for her hand, but he pushed me, so I told him I wanted to marry his daughter. I didn’t ask him for his permission; as far as I could tell he didn’t deserve the honor. It took everything for me not to lay him out cold when he asked if I could handle his “pistol” and “some other guy’s baby.” Instead, I told him the truth “She handles me, sir, and that little girl is mine.” I wasn’t prepared for what I saw when she opened the door.
“Wow,” It was all I could say. I just opened the door to the suite to find my man on the other side. My smokin’ hot man that was. I’d never seen Logan in a suit before. Not that he would look bad in anything, but suits had never done it for me. Until now that was.
“I’ll say.” I loved the way he looked at me, and it wasn’t just now after a crew of stylists had worked their magic, it was all the time. It may sound silly, but he really did make me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world.
“You like?” I asked as I did a little twirl. I‘d just had a baby, so my tits looked fabulous if I did say so myself, and the cut of this dress did a great job in hiding the pooch that came along with said new rack. I knew it would take time to get back into my pre-baby body, which I knew wouldn’t be easy living with my own personal chef, but Logan certainly seemed to like what he saw, so I was going to cut myself some slack.
“No,” he said as he pulled me into his strong arms. “I love.” I knew most couples could tell you when they first exchanged the “L” word, but neither Logan or I could. It wasn’t this big moment where everything around us stood frozen in time. It was hard to explain, but it was just very organic and natural with us. After my big plan to tell him on Valentine’s Day fell apart, it just sort of happened. Neither of us expected it or really wanted it. Logan was completely focused on his restaurant, and I was just trying to figure out how to do right by my baby when BAM we were in love and living together. Now, I couldn’t imagine my life without him.
“I love you too, but what are you doing here?”
“I have gifts, and I missed my daughter, so I thought I would take her off your hands so you can focus on your sister.” Jesus and I thought pregnancy hormones were bad. I should write a blog about the things nobody tells you about breastfeeding hormones.
“Gifts?” I asked to distract myself from the sexy man in front of me while taking a step back. The bastard winked at me. Yeah, he had my number, but by the look of his pants, I would say I had his too. I needed to call my doctor. No way in hell are we waiting six weeks for the go-ahead to have sex again. It was not going to happen.
An incoming text from Logan’s phone distracted us both. “The groom is rather anxious,” he said after reading his screen and returning his phone to his pocket.
The au pair greeted us at the door with the ridiculously expensive pram that Declan bought for the wedding. I swear the thing cost more than my first car. Aria was blissfully asleep, not that I could blame her; the bedding inside her elegant carriage was to die for. Logan handed me three velvet pouches before kissing me goodbye and telling me he’d see me at the end of the aisle. I never wanted to get married, now I couldn’t help but wish I were the one in white and we were the bride and groom instead of my sister and Declan. I missed them both terribly, the second they were gone.
“I never thought I would see the day,” my mother had tears in her eyes, and they weren’t from seeing my sister in her wedding dress.
“Me either Mom,” we were all on the verge of tears. This was going to be an emotional day. As I began to hand my sister her gifts, I noticed the bags were labeled. One was for Emily, one was for our mother, and one was for m
e. “What has he done now?” besides making my sister happier than I’d ever seen her before.
“I don’t know if I can take this. Let’s open them together.” Emily fanned at her face to combat the new tears that threatened to fall. It was a good thing they used waterproof mascara on us.
“It’s time to go ladies.” Suzie’s assistant remained with us while Suzie darted over to Swayed to check on everything else. I was sure she interrupted our moment to keep those tears at bay. Suzie’s team was the best.
“Okay, let’s do this.” Together we opened our bags. Nothing could prepare us for what was inside. We would recognize them anywhere. They belonged to Grandma Rose. I don’t remember a day where she wasn’t carrying a white hand embroidered handkerchief, each one decorated with the flower she was named after. I hadn’t seen one since the last time I saw her. That alone would be enough to bring us all to tears, but these had also been personalized. Emily’s bore today’s date and her new initials in an elegant scroll. My mother’s said, “Cheryl, thank you for raising a beautiful swan. Love, Declan.” As I unfolded mine, I revealed a card with the name of the embroiderer and a note that divulged, paid in full, initials and date to be provided. “Damn he’s good.” Grandma was right about this man, he was the only “one” for Emily, and as she predicted, I got my “one” too.
The ceremony was everything my sister could have ever wished for. She could have planned for years, and it still wouldn’t have been any better. We were transported from the hotel to Central Park in a carriage Declan had once before hired for her, and as we marched across the bridge, everyone that mattered to my sister and Declan joined behind them. My heart beat faster the moment I saw Logan standing next to his best friend. Instead of Aria being in the pram and being watched by an extremely expensive nanny; she was nestled in a carrier strapped to Logan’s chest. And here I thought he was sexy in a suit. I was sure I was supposed to be looking at the bride and groom and listening to the vows they were exchanging, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Logan and our daughter. I thought about the vows I recited earlier in the hotel room and about saying those words to him. I hoped the initials I would have sewn into my grandmother’s handkerchief would be “LW” and that the date would be in the not so far off future.
“What were you and Declan saying when I was walking across the bridge toward you?” We were riding in a Pedicab from the wedding site to the conservatory where we would give a toast to my sister and new brother-in-law.
Logan wiped an unruly hair off my face. “Declan said I was supposed to be keeping him calm.” I knew the feeling. It took everything for me not to sprint straight to him. “I also told him I am going to marry you.” Well, fuck me. What could I say to that? So instead of saying anything, I just snuggled into him further.
"We thought about reading one of those Irish blessings," Logan squeezed my hand. "You know, may the road rise up and all that blah, blah, blah. But instead, we decided today was about celebrating a new beginning." Like the one, I got when I came to New York. "So, lift your glass for Emily and Declan as they release these butterflies as a symbol of luck, love, and blessings for their union." Together the happy couple lifted the lid of the small wire cage I held up, and hundreds of little yellow butterflies filled the air. Was it wrong that in that minute I wondered if the beautiful creatures shit? God, I’d been changing too many diapers.
“They don’t,” Logan whispered so only I could hear. Jesus, could this man get any better?
“I think that’s the best meal you’ve ever cooked.” Logan and his team outdid themselves with a picnic that was delicious. We sat in groups of six to eight on Tartan blankets. “He really did think of everything.” I mused as I leaned back against a relaxed Logan. Just like the rest of us, Aria was fed and happy. It was a beautiful summer day, Emily and Declan were literally surrounded by everyone they loved, and we had the unforgettable meal Logan promised.
“He’s going to be a tough act to follow,” I swear I didn’t know how much more of this I could take. He leaned forward and kissed my temple. “Not yet Lib. Let’s take our daughter on her first carousel ride.” Okay, I didn’t know when he became a mind reader.
Excitement filled the air as we rode the antique trolley to our final destination inside the park. Emily was blindfolded and wore noise-canceling headphones. She looked ridiculous in her wedding dress with her eye and ear accessories, but more than that, she looked happy. Aria and the nanny were escorted to one of the private tour buses while the rest of us were shown to a special VIP area that was reserved just for us. Who gets a special concert in Central Park for their first dance? My sister, of course. I still couldn’t believe country singing royalty, Mackenzie Cooper, was the same shy girl named Hope, I kept hearing so much about. The second I saw her I knew exactly who she was. Her hair color was different, and she hid in clothes that didn’t fit and were probably bought second hand, but it was her. At the time I had a secret too, and she hadn’t told mine, so I’d kept hers. I was sure most everything I’d read in the news was inaccurate. Anyway, it looked like the princess might have found her prince in Matt. We swayed back and forth as a video montage played of Emily and Declan. Matt sang about seeing an angel and wanting a lifetime with her, and I couldn’t help but hope he got it.
“I have a gift for you,” Logan whispered in my ear while my sister was whisked off the stage in her new husband’s arms.
“I already have everything I could ever want.” A new song began, this time Hope sang about her promise not to run and being home. She promised to love forever, and as I looked at Logan, I knew forever wouldn’t be long enough for me.
What was it about weddings? She’d looked so beautiful when she’d opened the hotel room door that it took my breath away. And when she was walking towards me in that flowy pink dress carrying a bouquet of flowers I almost fell to my knees. Other than the moment our daughter was placed in her arms for the very first time, I had never seen anything more beautiful in my life. As a favor for all the guests, Emily and Declan passed out small white boxes filled with fruitcake. The legend went that if you put it under your pillow, you would dream of your one true love. Now ordinarily I would have kept my girl up all night, screaming to God while she prayed my name, but she just had a baby, so I couldn’t. Instead, I would tuck her in, put her fruitcake under her pillow, and pray that she dreamt of me.
“Is everything okay?” We said goodbye to our friends and family as they enjoyed the rest of the concert and picked-up Aria from the tour bus where she was being watched and headed to Swayed. I felt bad I hadn’t been involved with the renovations and improvements that had been going on during the closure, but Logan had insisted I stay home and take care of the baby. Plus, we had a lot going on with Emily, Declan, and my parents. I did finally talk to my father. He wasn’t happy I neglected to tell him about the birth of his first grandchild. My reply was that I wasn’t happy to hear he was going to jail for running a Ponzi scheme. He didn’t have much to say after that. You know the people who think the rules don’t apply to them? Well, my dad was one of those. Maybe it’s where I got my rebellious streak, or where I used to get it. But, now I was a mom I had no desire to break the rules or even bend them. Okay, that’s not true. There was one rule I absolutely wanted to break as soon as possible if I could just get Logan to agree.
“Yeah, everything’s good. I just want to give you your birthday present.”
I held up his watch covered wrist and smirked, “It’s not my birthday yet.” It was a bit of a stretch since it technically would be my birthday in about twenty seconds.
He quirked his lip, “Watch it Lib, or I’ll put you over my knee.” That sounded like a surefire way to get him to break that rule with me. “Now turn around so I can blindfold you.” Hell yes. A chill ran through me, and once again I swore he could tell exactly what I was thinking. “Not going to happen until the doctor gives you the all clear baby. Now turn around.”
“I have her number. I could call her.” I tried be
fore he spun me around and placed the blindfold over my eyes. “Text her?” His hand coming down across my backside filled the empty room. Damn him. What happened to rules are meant to be broken?
“Let’s go.” His tone was firm. Obviously, Mr. Grumpy Pants wasn’t going to put up with me or my attempts to seduce him.
“Be nice to me. It’s my birthday.” I reminded him. My lip formed a pout that I hoped made Kylie Jenner look like an amateur.
“Libby,” he warned again before taking me by the hands and guiding me to my surprise while Aria slept peacefully nearby in her princess pram. Did he get me a new muddler, or maybe that overpriced mixer? Oooh, maybe it was a new dishwasher. Logan stood behind me and pressed a kiss to the back of my neck and wished me a happy birthday before releasing the blindfold.
“I don’t understand. Where are we?” I asked as I looked around the magnificent space and tried to make sense of where we were. The walls were exposed brick, and the floors were hardwood. Small groupings of furniture were arranged with Chesterfield leather sofas and chairs, and don’t even get me started on the bar.
“Happy birthday.” Logan offered again as I tried to take it all in. I had to sit down. I stumbled toward the closest seat. “Libby, you’re scaring the shit out of me. Say something. Anything.” Logan kneeled before me. Sweat beaded on his furrowed brow and he wrung his hands together in worry.
“How?” It was all I could get out as I took in my dream come to life right in front of my eyes. He shook his head like he couldn’t believe out of all the words I had available to me I picked just one. “How did you do all this? It’s perfect.” I added as I continued to take in detail after detail I missed at first sight. “This was exactly…”