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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

It’s Saturday. My wedding day. And I’m not nervous at all. This is what I want. I want to be Garret’s wife. I want him to be my husband. I want to be with him forever and I can’t wait for that forever to start. And now it’s just a few hours away.

I didn’t sleep much last night because I’m so excited about today. Plus, it’s hard to sleep without Garret next to me. I’ve been lying awake since 6 this morning, waiting for the day to begin. Harper came into the guest room at 7 to wake me up, all giggly and girly, almost as excited as me about today.

As we’re eating breakfast, someone knocks on the door.

“Can you get it?” Harper asks. She’s making one of her healthy green juice drinks. She has a juicer and uses it every day to make these strange juice concoctions.

I open the door to find Garret standing there, freshly shaved, his hair still a little wet, wearing a light-blue fitted t-shirt and shorts.

“Good morning,” he says.

A huge smile lights up my face, and his, too, as he lifts me up into his arms and kisses me. I kiss him back and we keep kissing until we hear Harper yelling from the kitchen.

“Are you guys ever going to stop?” She’s laughing. “We have things to do today.”

Garret sets me down, keeping his eyes on me. “I missed you last night. I barely slept.”

“Yeah, me, too,” I say, gazing back at him.

He pulls me outside so Harper won’t bother us. “So today’s the day. You nervous?”

I hug his chest, breathing in his freshly showered scent. “Not at all. I can’t wait to marry you.”

He kisses the top of my head and holds me closer. “God, you feel good. I can’t believe you made me sleep alone last night. That totally sucked, Jade.”

I look up at him. “Yeah, but now I want you more than ever. I thought about you all night, so don’t expect to get much sleep tonight.”

“I don’t think I can wait until tonight.” He leans down and whispers. “Let’s go back to our room.”

His warm breath tickles my neck, making me shiver. “No, we’re waiting until tonight. I’m done with boyfriend sex. The next time I do it I want it to be with my husband.”

He puts his lips to mine. “You’re killing me. But if that’s what you want, we’ll wait.”

Harper pokes her head out the door. “Garret, you want breakfast?”

“Sure. Sean will be over any minute.” Garret laughs as we follow her to the kitchen. “I don’t think he liked staying at our place last night. That air mattress isn’t exactly comfortable. I think he ended up sleeping on the floor.”

“Really?” She pouts. “Now I feel bad. I should’ve just had him stay over here.”

She sets two glasses of green liquid in front of Garret and me as we take a seat at the table.

“What’s this?” I hold up the glass.

“Just drink it,” she says as she disassembles the juicer to clean it.

“I’m not drinking this.” I sniff it. “It’s green and it smells like grass.”

Garret laughs as he holds his own glass up. “There’s no way in hell she’ll drink that, Harper. I don’t even know if I’ll drink it.”

She stands there facing us with her hands on her hips. “Come on. Just try it. It’s oranges, spinach, strawberries, protein powder, and some fresh herbs. It cleanses your system and makes your skin glow.”

“My skin already glows.” I set the glass down and lean over to kiss Garret.

“The herbs increase your stamina,” she says, going back to cleaning her juicer. “You might want to try it, Garret.”

He huffs and looks at me, annoyed. “What are you telling her? That I don’t have stamina?”

“I didn’t tell her anything. Harper, look what you started. Now he’s mad at me.”

“I’m not mad at you.” He pulls me onto his lap and starts kissing me. I kiss him back, forgetting the fact that we’re in Harper’s kitchen.

“Okay, you two.” I hear her behind me, laughing. “Are you really not going to drink these?”

I look back and see her holding the glasses. Garret takes one from her. “I’ll drink it.”

“I thought you didn’t need it,” I say.

“I don’t. But since she made it for us I might as well try it.” He takes a big gulp. “It’s not that bad if you can get past the grassy smell.”

Sean comes walking in, going right up to Harper and kissing her. “Hey. Missed you last night.”

“Oh, yeah?” She uses her flirty tone. “I made you something.” She hands him a glass of the green juice.

He eyes it, then smiles back at Harper. “So I guess we’re not sleeping tonight.”

She shakes her head, smiling. Apparently she’s made this drink before and tested its effects.

Garret’s watching the interaction, still holding his drink. “So this shit really works?”

Sean glances at us. “Yeah, buddy. You drink that and you’ll be amazed at the results.”

“Huh.” Garret hesitates, then gulps the rest of it down. Then he grabs mine and drinks it.

I’m staring at him.

“What?” He sets the glass down. “I’m getting my fruit in for the day.”

I shake my head at him just as his phone rings. It’s his dad telling him what time he’ll be over. And then Harper’s phone rings and then Sean’s. And from that moment on, there’s a flurry of wedding day activity.

Sean’s restaurant friends come over and get to work on the food. The company we hired to set up the outside arrives, and the florist brings the flowers over.

Before I know it, it’s late afternoon and Harper hides me away in her room, telling Garret I’m hers until the wedding starts. While Harper does my hair and makeup, Kelly and Lilly hang out with us. Kelly paints Lilly’s tiny fingernails and toenails a bright, bubble-gum pink. Lilly picked the color. She’s so excited about it Kelly can barely get Lilly to sit still long enough for her to paint all 10 fingers and toes.

If Katherine found out we did this, she’d totally freak. Lilly’s never had her nails painted because Katherine thinks nail polish on children is tacky and inappropriate. But Katherine’s not here and I checked with Pearce before we did it and he was totally fine with it.

Later, Kelly helps Lilly put on the pink dress we got her and the little white sandals. Then she uses a curling iron to curl Lilly’s normally straight blond hair. She looks so cute. She’s like one of her little dolls. I make Harper take a photo of her with my phone and then she takes one with hers.

“I’m just like a princess!” Lilly says, twirling in front of the mirror. The dress has a knee-length skirt that flares out as she twirls.

She comes up to me. “You look like a princess, too.”

“Yeah, we all do. We all have pretty dresses.” I’m now in my wedding dress, sitting on a tall stool while Harper messes with the pins in the back of my hair.

Lilly’s staring at me. “You look really pretty.”

“Thank you. You look pretty, too.”

Kelly takes Lilly’s hand. “Let’s go get your flower basket.”

Harper waits for them to leave, then says, “She’s so cute. I have to go visit her when I’m back at school. You think Pearce would let me babysit?”

“Yes, but Katherine won’t.”

“Don’t talk about her today.” Harper comes around to face me. “I want you to only have happy thoughts.”

Harper’s wearing the pale pink chiffon bridesmaid dress I got her. It has tiny straps at the top and is fitted at the waist with a simple satin sash. It has a loose, flowing skirt that ends right at the knee. She’s wearing her hair down but has a headband holding it back so her hair doesn’t blow in her face during the ceremony. It’s a thin, crystal-covered headband that she bought just for today.

“Okay, you’re all set.” Harper helps me off the stool and turns me toward the mirror. I smile when I see my reflection. I never imagined how I would look on this day because I’d never given it much thought. But everything came together perfectly. Harper did my makeup just like I wanted it, soft and natural. My hair is pulled up off my face and shoulders, but I like that it’s not pulled too tightly. I didn’t want it to be stiff or overly formal. I wanted it to be more casual, like it should be for a beach wedding. Harper hands me a small mirror and I turn to see the back of my hair, gathered in a loose knot, the sparkly clip from the bridal store placed just above it.

“Harper, you did a really great job on my hair and makeup.”

“Thanks. And that lady did a great job on your dress. It fits you perfectly.”

She’s right. The neckline, the waist, the length. The dress fits like it was custom made for me.

“It’s time, Jade.” Harper stands in front of me. Her eyes are teary but she’s smiling.

I glance at the clock by the bed. It’s now 6:45 and almost time to get married.

There’s a knock on the bedroom door and Harper answers it.

“Can I see the bride for a moment?” It’s Grace, all dressed up in a light gray short-sleeve dress, a small pink rose from the florist pinned just below her left shoulder.

“I’ll see you out there.” Harper grabs a tissue on her way out of the room.

“You make a lovely bride.” Grace comes over and takes both my hands.

“Thank you for coming. It means a lot to me.”

“I wouldn’t miss this, Jade.” She smiles. “You’re my granddaughter. My first grandchild to get married.”

When I hear her say granddaughter, the word ‘daughter’ sticks in my head and it reminds me that someone’s missing here today. My mom. On your wedding day, you want your mom there and I don’t have one. I never really did. I had a shell of a mom, her true self hidden by drugs and alcohol.

“What’s wrong, Jade?” Grace wakes me from my thoughts.

“I was just thinking that it would’ve been nice to have my mom here.”

Her smile fades and I realize I shouldn’t have said that to her since her son is the reason my mom is no longer alive.

“Grace, I didn’t mean—”

“You’re right.” She nods, her eyes on our joined hands. “A mother should see her daughter get married. I’m sorry he took that from you. From both of you.”

“No, I didn’t mean it that way. I just—” I stop and Grace looks at me. “Actually, Grace, you’ve been more of a mom to me than my own mom ever was. You take care of me and listen to me and worry about me. So in a way, I kind of do have a mom here today.”

She smiles, her eyes wet. She takes a tissue to blot her tears.

I take one, too. “We’re going through a lot of these today.”

“That seems to happen at weddings.” She hugs me, then stands back, smiling at me again. “I’ll see you after the ceremony.”

She leaves, and I look at myself one last time, then go downstairs. Frank is waiting in the living room. He stands up when he sees me. His lips quiver and his face gets all red.

“Oh, honey.” He smiles as a tear goes down his face. “You look beautiful. And so grown up. I don’t know if I can give you away yet. I’m not ready to.”

His voice is shaky and I feel tears forming again as I meet him at the bottom of the stairs. “Don’t make me cry, Frank.”

“I just never expected this to happen so soon. But sometimes the right person just walks into your life when you least expect it. And for you that happened to be on your first night at college. Who would’ve thought?”

“Yeah. I know.”

“Well, I suppose we should get out there.” He turns to leave.

“Wait.” I pause as he turns back around. “Before we go, I just need to say thank you. For everything you’ve ever done for me.” I reach over and hug him. “I love you, Dad.”

I feel him tremble as he hugs me back. “If you didn’t want me to cry, then you shouldn’t have said that.” He pulls away, tears running down his cheeks. But he’s smiling wider than I’ve ever seen him smile.

“You’re the only dad I’ve ever known and even though I’m not technically your kid, if it’s okay, I want to call you that. I want my dad to walk me down the aisle.”

“Nothing would make me happier.” He hugs me again. “I love you, honey. Now let’s get this thing started.”

We each grab a tissue and wipe our eyes, then I pick up my pink rose bouquet and we head outside. Frank takes my arm as we walk onto the beach.

White chairs sit on each side of a narrow piece of white fabric and at the end of it is a trellis covered with bright pink and white flowers. And standing just in front of it is Garret, looking more handsome than I’ve ever seen him, in his black tuxedo and crisp white shirt.

Seeing him there, I’m overwhelmed with love, excitement, anticipation, and so much happiness I feel like I can’t contain it. I can’t believe he’s mine and that I get to spend the rest of my life with him.

We’re still far away from each other but I can see Garret smiling, his eyes not leaving me for even a second. The violinist that Harper hired starts playing the processional music and I realize that this is it. It’s time.

I watch as Sean and Harper walk down the aisle. Lilly follows, looking so tiny and adorable, tossing pink rose petals from her little white basket. She’s skipping, which is not what we practiced but the skipping is even cuter than the walking.

Now it’s my turn and I glance at everyone standing there, their eyes focused on me as Frank leads me down the aisle. There are only a few chairs and two rows since it’s such a small wedding. Grace and Harper’s parents are in the second row. Ryan is in the first row and Pearce is across the aisle from him, along with Lilly. She’s so excited she’s bouncing on her toes. Pearce is holding her hand, trying to keep her still.

I look up and see Garret. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look at me this way. I’m not sure how to describe it other than to say that I feel how he looks, filled with pure joy and happiness.

When we finally reach the end of the aisle, Frank hands me over to Garret. My heart was beating really fast, but as soon as Garret takes my hand, I relax.

He leans down to my ear. “You look so incredibly beautiful.” He smiles as he stands up straight again.

We turn to face Andrew. He begins talking, giving a little speech about marriage and love. I’m kind of listening, but not really. I’m too lost in the moment, trying to capture each detail so I’ll remember this forever. The roaring ocean, the cool salty air, the warm sun, the sweet smell of the fresh flowers lining the trellis. The setting is more perfect than I could’ve ever imagined.

Garret keeps glancing my way, watching me, smiling. I look at him, too, and when I do it makes my heart get all fluttery.

I pay attention again when I hear Andrew say my name.

“Jade and Garret have written their vows and will now recite them.”

Andrew steps back and Garret and I turn to each other, holding hands. Garret doesn’t seem nervous at all, but now my nerves are kicking into high gear. What if I forget my vows? Damn, I should’ve practiced more.

“Relax.” I hear Garret talking softly and I look up at him. “It’s just you and me.”

I nod and feel myself calming down.

Garret keeps hold of my hands, looks into my eyes, and starts speaking.

“Jade. You’re my best friend. And today is the greatest day of my life, because today I take you, my best friend, to be my wife. To be forever by my side, making each day even better than the last. I promise to always support you, respect you, protect you, take care of you, and give you hugs.” We both laugh a little at the hug reference. “I vow to cherish you and never take you for granted. I love you with all my heart and I promise to spend the rest of my life loving you.”

I stand there, letting my mind absorb his beautiful words and all their meaning.

Garret gently squeezes my hand. I see him smiling at me. “It’s your turn,” he whispers.

I get nervous again, but then I look into his eyes and do as he said and pretend it’s just the two of us, with nobody else around.

“Last September, I arrived at college thinking I would just learn about things like biology and physics. But then I met you and you taught me so much more than that. Things you can’t learn in a textbook. You taught me how to love. How to trust. How to forgive. And even how to hug.” I take a breath, trying not to cry. “And today I’m happier than I’ve ever been, because today I take you, Garret, to be my husband. I promise to always believe in you, appreciate you, and be your best friend. I vow to always be at your side, supporting you, trusting you, and caring for you. And I will love you forever and ever.”

Garret lightly rubs my hand, still smiling at me, his eyes filled with so much love. I smile back, hoping he can feel how much I love him, too.

Andrew steps up to us again and continues the ceremony. It goes really fast after that. We say our I do’s and exchange rings and then he finally says the words I’ve been waiting to hear.

“And now I am happy to introduce, for the very first time as husband and wife, Garret and Jade Kensington. Garret, you may kiss your bride.”