Nuptials for Sale

by Virginia Jewel

  “Well, maybe if someone would make a dinner that doesn’t consist of chicken nuggets and fruit snacks then I wouldn’t have to stop somewhere to grab something to eat.” Tommy snapped back at her, but with a smile plastered on his face.

  Sasha rolled her eyes, “Are you sure you want to do this and end up like us?”

  I smiled at her. Despite all her negative comments, I knew that she was happy with her life. Her contentment with her life was one of the reasons it was killing me to lie to her. She loved me, and she loved Josh, and the idea of us together was just too perfect. As a couple, Josh and I would make the perfect coupled-companions for them. I also knew that both Sasha and Tommy took their commitment seriously.

  “Look at you two! How cute are you with your color-coordinated outfits?” Tommy chuckled and pointed to us.

  “She said it was our right to be obnoxiously cute tonight.” Josh rolled his eyes as he explained.

  Tommy put his hand on Josh’s shoulder, “Trust me, bro. If you start letting her dress you now, you’ll never be allowed to pick out your own outfit again.” He pointed down at the outfit he was wearing. It was something that, before he married Sasha, he wouldn’t have been caught dead in. The men all laughed, their wives swatted them.

  “Is everyone here?” Sam walked up with a host of assistants behind him.

  “Carrie and Jody are just meeting us at dinner. We can go ahead and get started.” I answered him quickly, anxious to get the whole thing over with.

  “Great, let’s get going!” Sam turned and headed off towards the center of the store. His minions trailed behind him, and the rest of us followed them.

  We stood in the center aisle for five minutes while Sam discussed details with his assistants, then he grabbed me and my dad and took us away towards the women’s clothing department.

  “You two will be here,” he pointed to the dressing rooms. “Actually Mel, we’ll have you in one of the rooms until it’s time to walk down the aisle. Mr. Holden, you’ll wait here for her.”

  I glanced at my dad and he winked at me. A small giggle escaped my lips.

  Sam gave us a grin, “You wait here until Marley gives you the signal.” He left us standing outside the dressing room. Marley, the assistant, waited a few feet away. She looked nervous like she was afraid if she missed the signal Sam would fire her on the spot. The seriousness of it all made me giggle again.

  “What’s so funny Melly?” my dad leaned down to ask me. He hadn’t called me by my nickname in years.

  I shrugged, “Nothing, I was just thinking about how organized this whole thing is.”

  “How do you really feel about all this?” he studied my face.

  I thought for a while about how to answer.

  “It’s not what I would have planned for myself, obviously, but at least this way it’s not costing everyone an arm and a leg.”

  “Well, at least you know you’ve got the right guy.” He laughed, “I’ve never known a man to be more in love with a woman than Josh is with you.”

  I looked up at him, “Why do you say that?”

  He smiled, “You know that evening your mother had the shower for you and I took Josh out to get a beer?”

  I nodded and blushed, remembering what Josh had told me they talked about that night.

  “He talked about you the whole night. He started by apologizing for not asking my permission to marry you then proceeded to tell me how long he’s been in love you and how being married to you would mean so much to him.” He smiled at me. “Of course, he wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He smiled at me, “I’ve known that Josh was in love with you for years.”

  “What? He is not!” I quickly corrected myself, “I meant was not.”

  “A father knows when a boy is interested in his daughter. Believe me; little Josh Matthews was interested in you!” My dad laughed at me.

  Even though I couldn’t see it, I knew my face was red. My dad wasn’t the first person to suggest that Josh had feelings for me, but he was definitely the last person I would have suspected it from.

  “You’re on!” Marley came behind us and pushed us towards the main aisle.

  Sam met us at the spot where the guests would be seated, and talked to us the whole way up the aisle. I tried to concentrate on what he was saying, but my mind was somewhere else. Up ahead of us, Josh was waiting for us.

  When we got to the front, my dad put my hand in Josh’s, and we ran through the ceremony. I was on autopilot, because in my mind I was still running through all the things my dad had said.

  “Let’s run through that again.” Sam said when we’d gone through the whole ceremony once. “This time, I want to go through it with the cameras. We need to make sure we catch as much as possible.”

  Marley pushed me back to the dressing room and my dad followed behind us. She dropped us at the dressing area we’d started from earlier. I stayed lost in my thoughts, and my dad didn’t press me to talk. He was always great about that. He never forced me to talk about things, but if I wanted to talk, he was always there.

  When Marley signaled us, I stood up and took my dad’s arm.

  The rehearsal went a lot faster the second time and before I knew it, it was over.

  “Hello! Earth to Mel!” Josh was shaking my arm.

  “What?” I said absently.

  “They want to know if we have any questions about tomorrow.” Josh looked at me oddly.

  “Oh, no, I don’t have any questions.”

  “Well, if there are no questions, then let’s head to the dinner. Thank you everyone for being so cooperative. I think we’re going to have a wonderful day tomorrow!” Sam announced to the whole crowd of people around us. Half of the crowd wasn’t even with us, but once they’d figured out what we were doing, they had decided to hang around and take pictures and videos on their cell phones.

  In the parking lot, everyone scattered to their own cars. Josh’s dad decided to ride with my parents to continue catching up, but I suspected it was our parents’ way of giving us some time alone.

  “Is everything alright? You were kind of quiet in there.” Josh asked me when we got to a stop light.

  “I’m just overwhelmed and pensive, that’s all.” I answered, but wouldn’t look at him.

  He didn’t say anything, but I could feel him watching me. We didn’t speak for the rest of the short ride to the restaurant. When we arrived, I quickly opened my door and got out.

  “Wait up! We should probably walk in together.” Josh ran to catch up to me. “What is your deal? You seem so out of it.”

  “I know I’m sorry, I’m just thinking about everything. I’ll try to act normal and happy in there.” I put a big smile on my face and opened the door to the restaurant.

  Josh followed behind me. The host at the front door pointed us to our party. Josh put his hand on the small of my back as we walked. His touch felt strange now. What my dad had said was weighing heavy on my mind, and now Josh’s hand on my back felt like a lead weight strapped to me.

  “There they are!” my mom shouted as we walked in the room.

  Everyone turned to face us and cheer.

  I smiled at them as best as I could, but a familiar panic was building inside me. Josh moved us towards the empty chairs in the center of the table. As soon as we sat down, the salads were served.

  The room was alive with chatter as we ate the delicious food. I talked quietly with the people near me, but it was a struggle to stay out of my thoughts.

  The sound of someone clinking silverware against a glass pulled us all out of our conversations.

  “If I can have everyone’s attention, please!” my dad stood up with his glass in hand. “I know that Josh and Mel requested that there be no speeches or sappy mess, but I am her father and damn it they can’t tell me what to do.”

  Everyone laughed. Josh leaned back in his chair and put his arm around the back of mine. To everyone watchi
ng, we would have looked like a normal engaged couple.

  “I will never forget the day I met Josh,” my dad started with a quick glance over at Josh. “My sixteen year old daughter had asked me for permission to attend an outdoor concert, located an hour away, with friends that she had only known for two weeks. I said no, of course, and a full day of pouting and an awkwardly silent dinner followed. The next day, while Mel and her mother were out shopping, my doorbell rang. I opened the door to find a mop-headed blonde boy standing on my doorstep.”

  Everyone laughed and turned to Josh who gave them a wink and a smile.

  My dad raised his voice and continued, “The blonde boy looked me square in the eye and said, ‘Hello Mr. Holden, my name is Josh Matthews and I’d like to talk to you about why you should let your daughter come to a concert with me.’” He lowered his eyes and gave everyone his mean father look.

  More laughter erupted in the room. Josh grimaced and pretended to hide behind me.

  My dad laughed a little, but continued, “What followed was a forty-five minute lecture on how the young man was a safe driver, a good student, a responsible person, and a reliable escort for my teenage daughter. He did everything short of showing me his report card in an attempt to prove his point.” He rolled his eyes causing more giggles.

  “I have to admit, I admired his moxie. It takes a lot of courage to introduce yourself to a girl’s father by telling him he’s made a poor decision. I let her go, with a few conditions which he happily complied with.”

  My dad gave Josh a stern look, but then a smile played across his face.

  “Nevertheless, his little visit sparked a completely new set of worries for me. Any man in this room who is the father to a little girl, of any age, knows what I’m talking about. Josh’s visit was the first time I realized that my little girl wasn’t my little girl anymore.”

  All the women in the room sighed. I watched my dad as he struggled to hold back a tear. My mom, who had given up the fight, was sobbing quietly into her napkin.

  He turned towards us, “Josh, you and I have had many talks since that first one, but they’ve always had a recurring theme. You’ve always made it clear that you will stop at nothing to keep Melody safe and happy, and I have every confidence in the world that you will continue to do that every day for the rest of your life.” My dad raised his glass and everyone else followed suit. “To Josh and Mel, may you always keep each other safe and as happy as you are today!”

  The room cheered and drank their champagne.

  When the room was quiet again, my dad added with a glare at Josh, “However, Josh, just remember what I told you about that concert. She’s my little girl and if you hurt her, I will kill you.” He winked and started to sit down.

  Everyone laughed and Josh got up to give my dad a handshake and hug. My mom rushed over to give me a hug. She squeezed me tightly and I could feel her shaking with sobs. She and my dad switched places and my dad pulled me in for a big embrace. After my dad let me go, Josh’s dad hugged me.

  After that, the party pretty much died out. As we were walking to the parking lot, I asked Josh for the keys to his car.

  “I can get your bag for you,” Josh offered before I could explain.

  I got in the backseat of my parents’ car and waited for him to bring me my bag.

  When he came back, he slid into the backseat next to me.

  “What’s going on?”

  “I asked your parents to give us some privacy, so they’re talking to my dad.” Josh said quietly.

  “Oh.” I looked back at my mom and saw her watching us with a smile. I turned back around to stare out the windshield.

  “So, I hope you have a good night. Sam said you had to be at the salon at six, right?” he rested his head against the back of the seat.

  “Yes, I have to get my hair and makeup done, as well as get a manicure and pedicure. Then I have to be ready for pictures by nine, and it takes at least twenty minutes to get the dress on.”

  “Well, then I won’t complain about my eight o’clock call time, as Sam referred to it.” Josh flashed me an apologetic look.

  “Right, well, I guess I’ll see you in the morning.” I smiled at him weakly.

  “I’ll be the one at the end of the aisle,” he winked at me as he slid towards the door.

  “Wait!” I shouted as he opened the door to get out. He turned to look at me. “They’re probably watching.” I nudged my head in the direction of our parents.

  Josh’s eyes wandered over and then back to me. “I suppose we should make it believable,” he said with a smile.

  He slid back across the seat to within inches of me. He gently cupped my face in his hands and pulled me towards him. His eyes were locked on mine as we got closer. Uncontrollably, my eyes closed as I felt him press his lips against mine. His hand wrapped around my head and into my hair. He pulled me closer to him and my hands went up to rub against his face.

  Our kiss deepened and Josh’s other hand wrapped around my waist and pulled me into his lap. Desperate for air, I broke the kiss. Josh’s mouth moved to my neck, and traced a path down and then back up again. I brought his head back up and pressed my mouth against his again. I could feel his heart beating against me and heard his ragged breath as we continued our kiss.

  A knock on the window startled us both and I shot up from Josh’s lap hitting my head against the overhead light in the car.

  “That’s enough, you two! There’ll be plenty of time for that after the wedding.” My dad grinned at us from the outside.

  “Sorry, so sorry!” Josh said to me as he slid out of the backseat. He closed the door behind him and walked quickly to his own car.

  17.

  I tossed my bag onto my old bed. My bedroom at my parents’ house looked the same as it had in college. Pictures of me with my friends, posters from bands that had long lost their popularity hung on the wall, and old trophies lined the shelves. The only thing that was different was the wedding dress bulging out of the open closet doors.

  A knock on the door made me jump.

  “Can I come in?” my mom’s voice came through the door.

  “Sure,” I said and collapsed down on the bed.

  She opened the door slowly, poking her head in first. When she spotted me on the bed, she opened the door wider and proceeded into the room.

  “Are you getting excited?” she sat down next to me on the bed.

  I stared down at my feet as I spoke, “I’m not sure that excited is the right word to describe how I’m feeling right now.”

  She wrapped an arm around me, “I told you before, honey, it’s normal to be nervous. This is a big commitment, but you’re making it with the right person.”

  I turned to look at her, “How do you know? I mean, what makes you so sure about Josh?”

  She smiled sweetly at me, “Sweetheart, Josh loves you. He’s always loved you, you know that.”

  I shook my head, “But how do you know that we’re meant to be together?”

  “Have you seen the way that boy looks at you?” she lowered her eyes and smiled at me. “There is nothing that he wouldn’t do for you.”

  I sighed and leaned my head against her shoulder.

  “Why are you so worried about this? I’ve never seen you act so strange.”

  I decided to be mostly honest with her, “I guess it’s the wedding. It’s got me all messed up.”

  She laughed, “Weddings do that to people. At least you two are getting it over with quickly. Most people take months or years to get through this process.”

  I sighed, “Two weeks is long enough.”

  She gave me a hug and a kiss on the top of the head then left me alone in my room. I put on my pajamas and curled up in the bed. I thought I’d fall asleep easily, but my mind was racing. I started flipping through my memories to look for what everyone else had seen.

  In high school, our friends used to tease us for being such close friends. The girls would ask me if I liked him, but I’d al
ways deny it. Even when I did have a little crush, I’d always told them I didn’t like him. The guys used to make jokes about us, but Josh always brushed them off.

  When we both ended up at the same college, the questions got even louder. Having a best friend who was of the opposite sex, raised a lot of suspicion. Freshman year was the hardest, but after a full year of denying everything, our friends stopped asking.

  At least they stopped asking me.

  Despite all the denying, everyone seemed to know something I didn’t. For the past two weeks I’d heard everyone, from friends to family, talk about how much Josh loved me. Everyone else seemed to think it was obvious, yet I’d never seen it. I tried to go back to look for clues, but all I could think about were all the times he could have said something but didn’t.

  If he was so in love with me then why wouldn’t he have said something at least once? Why hadn’t he mentioned it on any one of the long nights we’d spent talking? When I came home drunk from Carrie’s bachelorette party, why hadn’t he told me then? I’d kissed him, for crying out loud! Why wasn’t that a good time to tell me? If he was so damn in love with me that everyone else on the planet saw it, then why didn’t he just say it?

  I could feel myself getting angrier as I thought about Josh. He was my best friend. He knew practically everything about me. He was the only person in the world that I could count on for anything, and yet he couldn’t tell me that he loved me.

  I rolled over and caught a glimpse of an old photo sitting on the nightstand. It was of me and Josh standing in the courtyard in college. He was carrying me on his back and we had the biggest smiles on our faces. It was my favorite picture.

  Suddenly, I replayed all the same memories from before, only this time I saw the clues. I saw the way Josh rubbed my back at night when we talked, the way he always called to check on me when he knew I was having a bad day, or the way he made up excuses to stay home with me when I wasn’t feeling well.

  He had always been there for me and I’d never questioned why. I’d been satisfied just taking his kindness for granted. All the clues had been there, I was just too selfish and stupid to acknowledge them.