#Heart (Hashtag #6)

by Cambria Hebert

  There along the side, it said Mrs. Anderson in the same crystals as the toes.

  “Look at the bottom!” She insisted.

  I flipped one over and laughed. There on the sole was a decal that read #Bride in blue.

  “So this gift totally covers something new and something blue.” She nodded.

  I started crying.

  For so long, I lived in a world where my family was small, my friends were none, and love was just something I read about in books.

  But now, all those things were my life, and it was so amazing.

  “Aww!” Ivy threw her arms around me and hugged me close.

  “I knew you were dreading the heels you were supposed to wear today, so I figured it would be totes appropriate for you to have a pair of wedding sneakers. They’re not really anything to cry over.”

  “I love the shoes so much, but it’s not them. It’s you. You’re like the sister I always wanted. I can’t tell you how happy I am you’re marrying my brother and we get to be family. I’m so looking forward to when my niece or nephew arrives. I’m so thankful for all of you.”

  Ivy wiped at her eyes. “Great. Now you’re going to make me cry.”

  “I got you something, too,” I confessed. “But it’s not nearly as epic as bride Converse!”

  I fished a small box out of the nightstand and handed it to her. It was also wrapped all in white. When she opened the box and peered inside, she smiled. “How did you know!”

  “I listen. And sometimes Braeden talks a lot, especially when he’s had a few beers.”

  Ivy lifted the garter out of the box. I’d had it made. It was a deep-blue lace band with a large white anchor on the side. The anchor was material that looked like a pearl.

  “He’s my anchor,” she whispered, fingering the anchor.

  “You’re his,” I added. “And it’s blue!”

  She nodded. “Thank you.”

  “There’s something else in there.” I pointed.

  She went back to the tissue paper and found the bracelet. It was a Pandora, the kind made of cord. I’d chosen white because of the occasion. On the bracelet were two charms. A silver anchor, representing her marriage to B, and a round pendant with the word sisters engraved in the center.

  She looked down at it, rubbing the sister charm in her fingers.

  “I thought I could get you a charm for every milestone you have. The next one we add will be for the baby.”

  We proceeded to cry like a bunch of girls and proclaim our sisterly love for each other.

  It was kinda awesome.

  But then Ivy pulled back and set aside the box. “I actually have something else for you, too. I was going to show you when we were getting dressed at the stadium, but since we’re already crying, might as well get the rest of the tears out now, too.”

  Before I could say anything, she jumped out of the bed with a, “Stay there!” and raced out of the room. Seconds later, she returned carrying a familiar garment bag.

  “Is that my gown?” I asked.

  Ivy nodded. “I didn’t ask you before I had it altered, so I really hope you like it.”

  “You had my dress altered?” I asked, sort of alarmed. It had been perfect before, so even though I trusted Ivy implicitly, I was nervous. I mean, it was my wedding gown.

  Ivy hung the bag on the top of the door and then unzipped the front. She glanced at me before slipping her hands inside and pulling out the fabric to drape over the open sides.

  I caught a flash of yellow.

  But my dress was all white…

  “I know how hard this entire wedding has been for you.” She started, a little nervous. “Because your mom can’t be here.”

  My chest tightened.

  “And I didn’t say anything at the time, but I noticed the way you watched me and my mom when we were shopping that day.”

  “Ivy, I—”

  She held up her hand. “Let me get this out,” she said, her voice already teary.

  “It gave me an idea. So I called your grandmother in Florida—Romeo gave me the number—and I asked her if there was anything left of your mom’s that she had. I was hoping for her actual wedding gown, but your Gran didn’t know where that was. But she did have something. A yellow dress that she wore the day they brought you home from the hospital.”

  I nodded. I could picture the dress in my head perfectly. Yellow had been my mother’s favorite color because it reminded her of the sunshine. I had pictures of her carrying me inside the house the day I was born. I still could hear her voice telling me it was the best day of her life.

  I brushed a tear off my cheek. “I know the dress.”

  “She mailed it to me,” Ivy said. “And I had a piece of the dress cut out and sewed onto your gown.”

  I sucked in a breath as Ivy turned the gown so I could see.

  Right there on the waist, off to the side, was a yellow heart the size of my palm, the color of sunshine.

  “So now that dress and your mother can be a part of the day you came home and the day you get married.”

  I couldn’t say or do anything. I just sat there in the center of bed and stared at the yellow heart that was now a part of my gown.

  “Rimmel?” Ivy said, wary, after a few moments. “Did I do the wrong thing? Are you upset I had this cut out of her dress?”

  You know what happened, right?

  I burst into tears.

  Not the delicate, let me dab the corners of my eyes on a single tissue kind, either.

  The ugly kind.

  The kind that snotted up your whole face, made your eyes red and your chest heave. I fell over and buried my face in Romeo’s pillow. Even after only one night in this bed with him, it smelled like him.

  I cried harder.

  I cried so hard it hurt my chest.

  Poor Ivy was so horrified she started crying, too.

  Drew burst into the room seconds later to find us both. “What the hell is going on in here?” he bellowed.

  Neither one of us thought it was strange he was in my hotel room without being let in. Maybe I’d have asked him if I hadn’t been bawling like a baby.

  “I cut up Rimmel’s mom’s dress and put in on her other dress, and she hates it and I’m a terrible friend!” Ivy sobbed. “And she gave me a garter with an anchor on it!”

  Drew’s eyes widened like he had no idea what the hell was happening.

  “I don’t hate it!” I sobbed. “It’s the most thoughtful thing anyone’s ever done for me!”

  Ivy cried some more, and Drew frowned. “Ives, stop it. That can’t be good for the baby.”

  When she didn’t stop, he went forward and hugged her. “Stop,” he said and rubbed her back.

  “I’m sorry.” I climbed out of the bed and went across the room to hug them both.

  Then we were all standing there in a three-way hug while we used Drew as a human tissue. Trent appeared, and I heard his feet halt at the door. “What the fuck is going on in here?”

  “Dude, they won’t stop crying.” Drew sounded horrified.

  I held out my arm to Trent, and he laughed and joined the hug. “Aww, family times,” he quipped.

  Ivy sniffled.

  “Both of you better quit it or I’m gonna call Romeo and B. They sent us up here to check on you.” Trent went on.

  Ah, so that was how they got in here.

  His threat worked wonders in shutting off the waterworks. Once we were both under control, the two guys backed out of the room warily, like they expected us to explode again. Before Drew went, he rubbed his hand over Ivy’s softly rounding belly and smiled.

  “Is the baby okay?” I stressed.

  “She’s fine.” Ivy promised and wiped her eyes. Then she rested her hand over her belly. She wasn’t showing much except for her stomach, where the belly was softly rounding out. I thought she looked adorable, and by the way B watched her around the house, he thought so, too.

  “I’m sorry I lost it.” I sniffled and walked ove
r to see the gown up close and personal. “I really have been missing her.” I fingered the yellow fabric. It was silky to the touch. “And this really makes me feel like she’s here with me today.”

  “She is.” Ivy smiled and hugged me. “Oh,” she added, “and just so you’re prepared, there will be an empty seat in the front row today, with a yellow rose bundle on the seat.”

  “For her?” I asked, getting emotional again.

  “Yeah. In memory of her.”

  I hugged her for a long time. She didn’t seem to mind.

  “Thank you,” I whispered finally.

  She took a shuddering breath and pulled back. “I’m going to take a shower. Hair and makeup people will be here in an hour, and I want to be ready.”

  I groaned.

  “It won’t be so bad.” She laughed and headed for the door. “But don’t forget. My mom, your grandmother, and Romeo’s mom will all be invading soon as well.”

  Double groan.

  Everyone was staying here at the hotel and we would all be riding over to the stadium in limos.

  Yep. A line of limos going down the road like some royal parade.

  I was kind of embarrassed.

  “There’s a bottle of champagne chilling, so maybe you should have a glass, relax a little,” Ivy suggested.

  She knew me too well.

  “Thanks. I will after I shower, too.” I agreed.

  When I stepped out of the bathroom a short while later, I wrapped myself in one of Romeo’s button-ups (that way I could take it off easily once my hair was done) and a pair of black leggings and headed out into the bedroom.

  Romeo was sitting in the center of the bed.

  I gasped and pressed a hand to my chest. “You scared me!”

  He chuckled. “After one night alone, you already forget what I look like in our bed?”

  I rolled my eyes. “You’re not supposed to be here.” My eyes widened. “She didn’t see you, did she?”

  He laughed and held out his hand. “Hell no. I don’t want that pregnant bridezilla’s wrath.”

  I climbed into the bed and onto his lap. “I was hoping you’d sneak in,” I whispered.

  “Woulda come through the window, but it’s kinda hard when we’re on the top floor.”

  “Like that night at the dorms,” I mused, thinking back to the beginning of our relationship.

  He chuckled.

  “That your dress over there?” he asked, and I gasped and slapped my hands over his eyes.

  “You can’t see that!”

  I felt rather than saw him roll his eyes. “It’s not bad luck if we’re already married.”

  “I’m so glad we had that night,” I confided and lowered my fingers.

  He smiled and gazed into me with blue eyes like no one else’s. “I am, too.”

  He made a growling sound and rolled us over, pressing me into the mattress with his weight. His palm explored beneath the hem of my shirt, and he groaned when he felt I wasn’t wearing a bra.

  I filled my hands with his hair and tugged him just a little closer, exploring his mouth with my tongue as if it were the first time. I knew we were already married, but the anticipation of today still made my body hum.

  I tugged his hair so he lifted his head slightly, and he gave me a lazy smile.

  “I can’t wait to see a wedding ring on your finger tonight,” I confided. “And that way everyone will know you’re taken, and not just me.”

  “Baby, I’ve been taken since the day we met.”

  My heart skipped a beat.

  He dipped his head again and thrust against me. We made out like teenagers, fully clothed and afraid if we went any further, we’d get caught.

  “One night without you, Smalls, and I’m already desperate.” His voice was hoarse, and he leaned in to kiss the side of my neck.

  “Tonight.” I promised, reaching between us and stroking his hard length.

  “Rimmel!” Ivy called from outside the door. “They’re here!”

  I used Romeo’s shoulder to muffle my laughter. “Coming!” I yelled. “I have to go,” I told him.

  He groaned. “Don’t make me go back out there. My mother keeps asking me about last-minute details. And trying to make me put on my suit… What the hell am I going to do in a suit a million hours before the ceremony? Then she’d be all over me not to wrinkle it.”

  I giggled. “She just wants to take your picture.”

  He moaned. “You’re killing me, Smalls.”

  “I love you.”

  He pressed his forehead against mine. “I love you, too.”

  He helped me off the bed, and we straightened each other’s clothes. “Distract the herd of women so I can slip out the front door.”

  I saluted him.

  He gave me one last swift kiss before holding the door for me to go ahead of him. “I’ll see you at the altar, Mrs. Anderson.”

  My stomach danced with butterflies.

  “See you there.”

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Ivy

  As a girl, when I dreamed of my wedding, I thought of fairy tales. Of castles on hills or beaches with pristine sand and crashing waves. I even used to daydream about a southern wedding in the mountains of North Carolina in a rustic barn with bare feet.

  I never dreamed I’d get married on a football field. With my very best friends right beside me. I never thought I’d have a growing child in my belly when I pledged my love to someone forever.

  I never dreamed of any of those things, because not even in my dreams could I conjure something so perfect.

  It was everything I never knew I wanted, and in just a few short minutes, it wouldn’t be a dream anymore… It would be reality.

  The guests were here, all six hundred of them. Even though I was still in the back, I could picture them sitting in the rows and rows of pristine white chairs that were perfectly placed near the end zone of the Knights home field.

  Down the center of the chairs was the aisle Rim and I would walk down, the path that led to the rest of our lives. It was lined with white and silver lanterns filled with flickering candles, and white rose petals fell like snow across the deep green of the turf.

  Right on the touchdown line began a large white platform that would lift the brides and grooms off the field enough for all the guests to see. It wasn’t a terribly large platform because we didn’t have a large bridal party.

  There was no reason to.

  Rimmel and I would stand with Romeo and Braeden, and my brother would stand on Braeden’s side, and Trent would stand on Romeo’s.

  The rectangular platform was lined with more of the white and silver-painted lanterns in various shapes and sizes. They too would flicker and dance with light as we said our vows.

  The goal post, which stood close behind, was draped with a thick garland of white flowers that dripped off the pole into long strands of more white blooms that were lit from within with white lights.

  I had no idea how Valerie got such an elegant, large display of flowers made, but it was absolutely gorgeous.

  Right on the fifty yard line was a massive white tent. There was no time to go inside to see how everything came together for the reception. Valerie caught Rimmel and me snooping around the field when we were supposed to be getting dressed and chased us back in the locker rooms before we could get a peek.

  I had an idea what it would look like, of course, but Valerie was in charge of the setup and a lot of the details, so I knew it would be a surprise even to me.

  The morning passed by in a flurry of activity. Once Rimmel and I had our moment together, we spent several hours getting our hair and makeup done. Everyone but me sipped champagne, and I sipped orange juice.

  Out of a champagne glass, of course.

  Now here we were, standing in a locker room in wedding gowns.

  Everyone but the photographer had gone to find their seats. My father and Rimmel’s father were waiting outside to escort us onto the field.

  We
could hear the soft playing of music over the loud speakers even in here, and I wondered for like the millionth time what Braeden was doing right that minute.

  “I can’t believe I’m getting married,” I said and walked over to the large floor-to-ceiling mirror hanging on the wall.

  I think for the first time ever, I was more nervous than Rimmel. Usually, I was the calm one, but today, it was the other way around. Maybe it was because she had liquor and I didn’t.

  I stood in front of the mirror and took in my appearance, scrutinizing every last detail. My hair was up in a simple bun with a thick braid wound around the perimeter. A few loose wisps of hair framed my face and lay against the back of my neck. The style wasn’t slicked back and sleek, it was more casual elegant, which I thought fit the whole football field theme.

  I went classic with my makeup because making trendy, bold choices on a girl’s wedding day wasn’t the best idea. So we concentrated on achieving glowing, luminous skin, neutral yet dramatic eyes (with gorgeous fluffy false lashes), peachy cheeks with golden highlights, and pale pink lips.

  I’d exfoliated and moisturized my skin almost to death leading up to today, so my bare arms and chest would look soft and touchable in Braeden’s eyes.

  What I considered the most dramatic statement of my wedding look was my gown. I’d been worried how much of a baby bump I’d be sporting for my walk down the aisle, and while I was happy to be pregnant, no woman wants her baby bump to been seen before she is on her wedding day.

  So I chose something that would help conceal it but still flatter my shape.

  The gown was snow white with thin straps and a neckline that plunged low between my breasts (which were slightly fuller thanks to the baby). The waistline was defined right below my breasts with a thick white band of the same white fabric that made up the top. It was a backless dress, except for the thin white straps that went all the way down to the waistband.

  Basically, the top was simple and beautiful. It was tailored to fit me perfectly, so I didn’t have to worry about some kind of wardrobe malfunction and one of my girls falling out.

  Nobody wanted to see that.

  The bottom half of the gown was more dramatic and honestly made me feel like a princess. It was a long, full skirt that blossomed right out from the fitted waistband. Layers of tulle floated over the satin under layer with a slightly sheer quality. What made the fact that the tulle was slightly sheer so special was there was color beneath it. A deep blush pink started just beneath the waist, and it faded out to a soft muted shade that gave way to pure white right above my knees.