“Fair enough, but can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“You’ve never had Jeff followed, have you?”
Daddy gave me his Cheshire Cat smile, winked at me, and then turned, walking away.
Oh shit.
“Ari, we really need to get you back up-stairs, so you can get ready.” Jenny said.
She practically pulled me away from my stance as I watched my father retreating and laughing.
***
Missy, who was Jenny’s new makeup girl, touched up my makeup. She was a quiet little thing. I guessed my threat of any pink anywhere on my face might have scared her just a bit.
Ellie curled a few strands of hair that had lost their curl and then sprayed the shit out of them with hair spray.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, can you please stop, Ellie? I seem to remember you bitching about the hair spray on your wedding day.”
“That is true. I was upset about it, but hey, my hair looked beautiful all night, even after my passionate love making on my wedding night.”
I turned and looked at her. “Really? You had to go there? I’d be more than happy to tell you about the night before last with your big brother in the living room of the cottage, then in the hallway, then in the shower.”
Ellie held up her hands to ears and started to stomp her feet. “Stop! Okay, I’m sorry….eww….don’t talk about Jefferson that way. I think I just threw up in my mouth some, you bitch.”
“Ari, it’s time to put on your dress,” Heather said as she stood next to my wedding gown.
I took off the robe I was wearing and looked in the mirror. I was wearing a beautiful vintage silver corset that Ellie and Heather had bought for me. The matching garter belt was a gift from Amanda.
I sat down in the chair, and Ellie helped me put on the blue garter that my mother had worn wore in her wedding from her mother that had worn it in hers.
Then I slipped on the silver Manolo Blahnik shoes my mother had insisted I buy.
Finally, I looked in the mirror and smiled. Jeff was going to faint when he saw me in this.
Ellie bumped my shoulder.
“I don’t even want to know what you’re thinking about right now.”
I let out a laugh. “No, you don’t.
“Ugh, gesh, Ari.” Ellie rolled her eyes.
When we walked over to the wedding dress, I stopped and stared at it. It was intoxicating, and I knew Jeff was going to love it. Designed by Matthew Christopher, it was a strapless A-line dress with a sweetheart neckline and fitted corset that descended into a flared, full chapel-length train. Two different kinds of lace were appliquéd over the silk shantung.
“Are you ready, Ari?” Jenny asked.
As she took down the dress, Ellie grabbed my hands and turned me toward her.
“You’re beautiful, and by far, you are the strongest person I know. You’re the only person I can say ‘fuck you’ to, and you laugh. You’ve got this, baby.”
I smiled at her as I nodded my head.
After listening to all four of them yell at each other for two long-ass minutes about watching out for my hair and makeup, the dress was finally on.
I turned and looked into the mirror as Ellie and Heather put on my veil. Oh my god, I was getting married.
“Do you think the baby will ask about us getting married after I got pregnant?”
Ellie looked at me. “Umm, that’s random as hell, Ari, but no. Even if she does, it doesn’t matter. Y’all loved each other when she was made.”
I turned to face Ellie. “She?”
“Or he. It doesn’t matter as long as she is healthy,” Ellie said with a smile.
I turned around and looked at my three best friends. They were all so beautiful. Amanda had her spit-and-fire attitude and that red hair of hers. Sweet Heather, was blessed with her caring heart and soul, beautiful blonde hair and blue eyes, and those boobs. Lucky bitch. Then there was Ellie….my soul sister…my other half. With her beautiful blue eyes and brown hair, she was just breath-taking.
They were each dressed in a fitted strapless silver taffeta dress that flared just at the bottom. The beading on the bodice was amazing, and I loved the corset back. The light from all the candles would reflect off their dresses, and I knew it was going to be so damn pretty.
We all just stared at each other.
My mother had brought Matt in to see me before the wedding.
“Ari, you are most beautiful!” Matt said as he smiled up at me.
“I love you, buddy.”
Then, I heard a knock on the door. Jenny opened it and then slammed it shut.
“Holy fuck!”
I turned around to see she was white as a ghost.
“What? What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Holy fuck!”
We all turned and looked at Matt. Oh great, at least he won’t be saying assmole anymore.
“I wanna be a mudder-fucking cowboy, just like in Jeff’s song.”
I had to grab onto the wall, or I would have went straight to the floor.
“I’m going to kill Jefferson for listening to that song around him,” Ellie said.
She walked up to the door and opened it.
Then, she immediately slammed it shut.
“Oh, um…shit.”
“Would someone please tell me why y’all keep slamming the door shut?” I asked.
“It’s Jeff,” Ellie and Jenny said at the same time.
“Wait... what?”
Ellie said, “I’ll see what he wants. Everyone just needs to keep getting ready. Jen, the flowers?”
Jenny seemed shocked as hell and out of it for a good minute or so. “Yes…right the flowers.”
I watched as Ellie opened the door and went out into the hall. I just stared at the door.
What does he want? Did he change his mind? Oh god, what if Rebecca is here? Wait…why would she be here?
The door opened, and Ellie walked in.
“Um, can everyone leave the room for just a few minutes? The groom would like to talk to his bride.”
Ellie looked over at me, smiling as she winked.
After everyone was out, including Matt who kept saying he wanted to be a mudder-fucking cowboy, Jeff walked in the door. He stopped dead in his tracks and just stared at me.
I sucked in a breath of air when I saw him. I’d left what the guys were going to wear up to him, so he’d said he would surprise me. He was dressed in his black tuxedo pants with a platinum herringbone vest and matching platinum tie. He looked breathtakingly handsome.
“Is everything okay, baby?” I asked.
He rushed over to me and took me in his arms. He kissed me like he was never going to kiss me again.
When he finally pulled his lips away from mine, he held me tighter in his arms.
“Jeff, what’s wrong?” I asked as I leaned back to look at him.
His eyes were filled with tears.
“I just needed to make sure this wasn’t a dream, Ari. I needed to see you. I needed to touch you. I needed to kiss you and tell you how lucky I am to have you in my life. Thank you so much for not giving up on me when I gave you so many reasons to just walk away. I was so lost when you weren’t in my life, baby. You literally saved me, Arianna.”
I stood there and just stared at him. I was fighting back the tears. I would be so pissed if I started crying right now.
“Jeff, I love you more than life itself. I never thought this day would come. To be standing here in front of you, pregnant with our baby, knowing I get to wake up to you every morning for the rest of my life, I’m so overwhelmed by happiness I can’t even think straight. The only thing I can think about is if Matt’s going to walk down the aisle, singing about being a mudder-fucking cowboy.”
Jeff threw his head back and laughed. He took a step away and looked me up and down.
“You’re breath-taking. Do you know that, baby?”
I smiled and let my eyes move up and down his body.
“You look pretty handsome yourself.”
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Jeff walked over and opened it.
“What the hell are you doing in here?” my mother asked.
“I’m leaving right now. I just needed to see my beautiful bride and tell her how much I love her.” Jeff turned to look at me.