I reached out to pull Jordan close but she took another step back. It was the ultimate betrayal—until now Grannie had completely had her back. Whatever was ping ponging around in Jordan’s brain, it didn’t look promising. The rigidity of her stance spoke volumes and I desperately wished I could find a resolution to our dilemma which was palatable to both of us.
“Well fine.”
Her tone of voice was far too calm and sent chills up my spine.
“If you’re going to get all righteous and full of demands about what’s right and what’s wrong in that traditional head of yours, JT, then I’ve got a demand of my own.”
“Fine,” I said and ran my hands through my hair in frustration. I didn’t know what she’d come up with but I was sure I wasn’t going to like it. “Whatever you want in exchange for postponing the wedding, you got it.”
“No home run until the wedding night.”
Anything except for that. Christ, the woman was infuriating at times. How did she always manage to get me by the balls? It didn’t get any more traditional than that. I glared at her for a few moments and actually considered giving in. But this was important to me. Besides, I imagined there was a greater chance of her caving on her demand first.
“Deal.” I chuckled inwardly at the disappointed expression that engulfed her face. She was trying to call my bluff. Well now I had her by the ba—or whatever it was that men had women by. I grinned salaciously at her and lifted my brow. “But you didn’t say anything about bases one, two and three.”
I began to stalk her around the tiny room like a panther after its prey. Her eyes popped open when I reached out to grab her. She squealed as she raced out of the bathroom, giggling uncontrollably, and then ran around the couch in the suite to separate us. Oh, yes, I had a very good chance of getting her to cave first. And it would start by getting those clothes off her and sinking into the hot bubble bath together.
Chapter Sixteen
Celebration
Jordan
I stirred at the tickling sensation on my neck but ignored it and snuggled back down into my pillow, not ready to wake up. The girls had kept me up way past my bedtime last night against my own will. I had tried to argue that there was too much to do today in preparation for Grannie’s life celebration party, but Leah and my two cousins, Tyler and Rebekah, overruled me, insisting the party didn’t start until nearly seven o’clock in the evening. It left plenty of time on the morrow. I was just being a control freak in my desire to make sure it all went perfectly as planned.
I giggled softly in my sleepy haze at the memory of Grannie putting a dollar bill in Bryan’s thong on a dare from my mother. The two women were dangerous together. Jared would have a heart attack if he knew. I thought it was hilarious. How our girls’ night out had ended up at the male entertainment club where Bryan was a dancer I could not fully recollect. Something about Grannie demanding to finish my wedding journey with me by celebrating with a mock bachelorette party. Never mind that a wedding date hadn’t been set yet. By that point, I already had a healthy beer buzz and decided to go with the flow. With the drinking age set at nineteen in Canada, even my cousins were able to come along and enjoy the fun when we crossed the border to Windsor.
What a riot. I wondered idly what the boys had done for their night out. My mother had stolen my phone when she caught me texting JT for the third time. I couldn’t wait until I started working and could pay for my own cell phone. Then my mom couldn’t take it away anymore.
There it was again; almost like cat whiskers and a dog’s wet nose tickling my neck below the ear. Hmmm…what a strange combination. I reached a hand over lazily to swat at the spot.
“Owww!” JT cried out and then chuckled.
My eyes flew open and rested on the devilishly handsome, but very stubbly, face of my fiancé. That accounted for the cat whiskers. If I’d known it was his tongue and not a wet dog’s nose, I wouldn’t have swatted him away. Yes. Fiancé. The word was music to my ears. I still couldn’t believe JT had surprised me by proposing during our vacation on Mackinac Island.
The heavy rock weighing down my left ring finger was positive proof. It must have cost a fortune and I had protested that he’d used some of Derek’s college fund to buy my engagement ring instead of paying down his debt. A rock half the size would have been fine. But he pointed out that the funds were simply replenishing what he had earned working the last five years. How could I argue his point since it was the same argument Derek had made to get JT to accept the money in the first place?
I gazed at him through sleepy eyes and my heart swelled with love. We were going to get married—sometime in the future—after he completed school and began his career. I had tried my best to convince him there was no time like the present. But with Grannie and my mother having his back, there was no winning. Fine time for my grandmother to leave me hanging.
“Good morning, beautiful,” JT said, gazing into my eyes as he rubbed his hand gently over my cheek. He leaned down and softly kissed my lips. “It’s time to wake up or you won’t be ready in time for the celebration.”
“What time is it?” I asked and yawned loudly. “It can’t be later than noon. Can’t I have just a few more minutes of sleep?”
He ruffled my hair. “Not if you want to make it to the hairdresser in time.”
I closed my eyes and rolled back onto my side. “I’m not going to a hairdresser today.”
“Ok,” he said. “It’s your choice. I just thought you’d want to look nice in our wedding pictures.”
What did he just say?
I sat up in a flash and stared at him wide-eyed. The grin plastered across his face set my heart beating in my chest at a furious pace. Thunderous laughter crashed into my bedroom as the door burst opened.
“Surprise.”
I stared at the crowd gathered around my bedroom door with my mouth hanging wide open. What the hell was going on? My mom, Grannie, Jared, Derek, Aunt Mary, and even my cousins Tyler and Rebekah…they were all standing there smiling at me.
I ran my hand through a mass of tangled hair. “What’s going on?”
“Will you marry me, Jordan?”
“Yes, of course, dummy.” I flashed my ring at him. “I said yes two weeks ago.”
“Today?” he clarified with a chuckle. “Will you marry me today?”
“Are you nuts? I can’t marry you today.”
“Why not?” JT sat back and crossed his arms lightly over his chest. The face splitting grin told me he was really enjoying this.
“Well because.” I scratched my head and stared blankly at him. It was obvious why not. “We stopped planning for a wedding a month ago.”
“No,” JT said, shaking his head. “You stopped planning for the wedding a month ago.”
My head started spinning. Maybe I was hung over and was in the middle of a strange dream. I couldn’t comprehend what he was trying to say. There were so many things left unplanned.
“We don’t have a band!” It was the first thing that came to my mind. I wanted to dance with JT on our wedding day.
“DJ Mikey Mike stands ready to entertain.” JT said with a boyish grin.
“We never ordered flowers or centerpieces,” I pointed out. I had to have flowers. What’s a wedding without flowers—around the gazebo—for the centerpieces—on the lapel of JT’s tuxedo—my bouquet?
“I took care of that honey,” my mother said from the doorway. “Jared and Leah helped me. You’re going to love the arrangements.”
“Photographer,” I declared. “We don’t have a photographer.”
“Mr. Rogers is thrilled,” Grannie said and came to sit down next to me. “He will be at the chapel starting at four o’clock to take pictures of the groom. Ceremony starts at six o’clock in the evening. Just the way you planned.”
It was suddenly too much. How could this be? What were they talking about? JT had been adamant we wouldn’t get married until he had started his career. I felt the torrent of tears bui
lding and building and I fought valiantly to hold them down.
I didn’t want to cry on my wedding day.
My wedding day!
I threw my arms around JT’s neck and let the tears wash over me like a soothing balm. Grannie was going to be at our wedding.
“But we didn’t send out wedding invitations!” I cried out through my tears. “What about our friends and your family JT. What if nobody shows up?”
I felt JT’s body shaking against mine and I pulled back to find him laughing at me.
“Of course we sent out invitations,” he said, producing a sweet little card announcing our wedding day.
I read it through my tears. ‘Shhhhh! It’s a surprise! Please join us in celebrating the union of Jordan Elizabeth Billette to Justin Theodore Murphy on July 27, 2013 at Canterbury Castle, Canterbury Village at Six O’Clock in the Evening. Reception to immediately follow.’ I chuckled through my tears at the reaction the guests must have had upon opening the card. What a unique concept, a surprise wedding.
“Grannie sent it out three weeks ago. I promise that everyone who matters to you and me will be there. Aunt Mary’s here…see? Your Aunt, Uncle and cousins from Florida…they’re all here.”
“Three weeks ago?” But that would mean—
Jared’s laughter could be heard above all others when the moment of recognition hit my face. “And I was totally in on it this time, Jordan. JT showed me the ring before you guys went to Mackinac Island and told me he was planning the wedding with mom and Grannie behind your back. I even helped with the wedding plans.”
JT wiped my tears away and laid my head against his chest as he wrapped his arms around me in a loving hug. “It was only fair, my love. You surprised me with a birthday party and I surprised you with our wedding.” He sounded so pleased with himself.
I couldn’t help but giggle at his silly comment. Those were not the same thing. It was absurd for him to try to make a comparison. But who was I to complain? I was getting married today. And Grannie was going to be there. A fresh bout of tears nearly overwhelmed me until I remembered the time. O.M.G. The time.
I suddenly jumped out of bed. “Christ. It’s almost noon. Go! Get out! Now. I have to get to the hairdresser if you want me to marry you today.” I shooed everyone out of my bedroom with thoughts already flying through my head. I hadn’t planned how I wanted to style my hair or what make-up I should wear. Old? New? Something blue? My dress. Did I finalize the alterations? Holy crap! I was getting married in a few hours.
JT grasped me by the shoulders, stopping me in my tracks. “Hey.”
I focused on his smiling face and felt a fluttering in my stomach when I realized he would belong to me—forever—and forever started today. He leaned down and pulled me close for a fiery kiss.
“I’ll see you at the gazebo,” he said as he turned to leave. “I’ll be the one in the tuxedo.”
***
J.T.
I lifted my chin as my Aunt Mary straightened the bow tie that completed my outfit. I couldn’t believe I was wearing a tuxedo. Why I couldn’t just wear a suit and tie was beyond my feeble male understanding. But it was what Jordan wanted, so here I was, trussed up like a penguin. I was learning a lot these days about compromise and listening to other perspectives. There was serious upside when it made the people I loved happy.
“You’re very handsome,” my Aunt Mary said, fussing at my hair and picking imaginary lint off of my jacket. “Well, JT. I don’t know what to say. Except that your parents would be very proud of you and your choice for a wife. I’m sure they’re smiling down on us now.”
“Thanks,” I said and gave her a brief hug. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Her eyes watered and she cleared her throat. “I’d better get out there and check on the bride before I take my seat. Don’t wait too long now boys. The ceremony will be starting soon.”
I stared at my reflection in the mirror one last time as a single man. Soon Jordan would be Mrs. Justin Theodore Murphy. The name brought the sharp image of my mom to mind. I reached into the inside pocket of my jacket and pulled out the picture of my mom and dad on their last Christmas together and smiled at the memory of that day.
My mom had dragged us all to get a family picture for the holidays, just like every year before. Only this one had felt different. Maybe because I’d been older and understood that our family traditions wouldn’t last forever; getting dressed up, goofing off while posing with my mother slapping at one head or another to behave and smile, including our dad, and then going out for dessert as a reward for making it through the photo session, which we never truly deserved. I had been nineteen. It was my last and favorite picture of them. How I wished they could be with me today, sharing in my joy.
I sighed in relief. Thankfully I had realized family is more important than satisfying a stupid, self-inflicted need to be successful in my career before I took a wife. We would make it work over the next year. Jordan had landed the Oak Ridge Elementary job. Although it would be tight, it wasn’t like we were going to starve. Yet we would never have another chance to be with Grannie on our wedding day; to take pictures we would cherish for the rest of our lives. I didn’t have much to give Jordan right now. But I could give her this. And how glad I was to be able to give Jordan the joy of having Grannie with us at our wedding.
“Ready, bro?” Derek said softly as he gazed down on the smiling faces of our parents.
“Definitely.” I placed the picture back in my breast pocket, and then headed out the door and into the blinding sunshine.
I stood tall with my arms resting calmly at my sides. The gazebo provided much needed shade from the blazing sun. Glancing sideways at my brother and Jared, I smiled as they fidgeted in their suits. Good to know I wasn’t the only uncomfortable one. As soon as the pictures were done, the bow tie was coming off.
The officiator took his place next to me in the center of the gazebo and nodded for the music to begin. As the melody of The Vow drift over me, my nerves calmed and my mind cleared. I felt the corner of my mouth curve up at the memory of picking our wedding music. It had been a game to me then, but it was oh so real now. How many songs had we listened to that afternoon before we finally heard The Vow? Even I admitted the melody was awesome.
With my eyes locked on the aisle, blood rushed through my veins and butterflies fluttered in my gut. It was impossible to see around the corner of standing guests where the wedding procession began. I hoped Jordan was cool with our decision to keep the wedding party to family only. Rebekah appeared first, a beautiful and graceful vision in the strapless bridesmaid’s dress Jordan’s mother had found on short notice. The form-fitting white bodice, which ended abruptly below the chest, contrasted elegantly against the blood red flowing skirt. Tyler stepped slowly around the corner next with a glowing smile. The seconds ticked by at a torturously slow pace, time pausing with each measured step of the bridesmaids. I couldn’t wait for my fiancée to appear; my heart felt light as a feather, drifting higher and higher into my throat with each passing moment.
And then Jordan was there; an angelic vision in creamy white satin, her gorgeous dark locks swept off her face with a satin band and tumbling down her shoulder in thick, soft curls. My breath released in a resounding whoosh and I caught it again, holding it in an effort to stay the tears sparkling in my eyes. Lord how I loved her smooth olive skin. I had secretly hoped for a strapless dress that hugged her perfect form and this one delivered in spades. The women would likely gush over the intricate beading, but it was the sweetheart shape curving over her full-bosom that caught and held my attention. She was a vision of loveliness.
And she belonged to me…forever.
Or she would in just a few minutes, if Mrs. Billette and Grannie would stop with the crying and pick up the pace. Jordan would probably knock me upside the head if she knew, but I just wanted to rush through this next part and make it official. Solemn vows with no turning back.
I watched Jordan walk slowly down t
he aisle, the wide flowing skirt of her gown swaying prettily around her, and her head nodding in recognition to this guest or another as she inched her way closer to me. She wore an elegant smile and paused for Mr. Rogers to get the perfect picture of the ladies. I shifted my position slightly so I could keep her in my line of sight. I wasn’t missing a single moment of this day.
When they were within a few feet of the gazebo, I walked down the steps to greet them. Grannie and Mrs. Billette extended their cheeks for a kiss before placing Jordan’s hand in mine so I could lead her up the steps. Whether true or not, I would come to think of her brilliant smile as belonging wholly to me; the one that lit her face up like stars shining on a dark night. The one that had me wrapped around her little finger; exactly where I wanted to be.
“You take my breath away,” I said, gazing down at her smiling face and pulling her hand up to my lips for a gentle kiss.
“You stole my words,” she teased. “The penguin look suits you.”
I resisted the urge to swat her on the bottom and chuckled instead. We stood quietly at the precipice of the gazebo, facing each other and holding hands, while the officiator spoke words of love and commitment. I couldn’t keep track of the words, not when my eyes were lost in Jordan’s dark brown mesmerizing pools, and the little smile that played on her lips. What did that little smile mean?
My heart skipped a beat before taking off like a race car from zero to sixty in a matter of seconds. In the excitement of preparing for the wedding today, I’d all but forgotten about our deal. Tonight we would be man and wife and share the marital bed. At last. I tried to repress the burst of joy that ended in a wide toothed smile and deep rumble in my chest, but there was nothing I could do to hold it back. Let everyone stare and shake their heads at me like I was a besotted fool. They would be right.
When it was finally time to exchange rings, I recited my vows quickly and placed the ring on Jordan’s finger. Her hands trembled as she slid my ring over my finger. I squeezed her hand before we faced the crowd.
Date Night (Wish Come True Book 1) Page 16