by K. Leah
As I crawl into bed, all I can think about is becoming Brady’s wife. It is a lot harder to sleep tonight than I thought it would be. I lay there for a half hour; eyes wide open, replaying the events of the night. Such raw emotion hits me that I have one of those ugly laugh-cries for a few minutes. You know…. The kind when you’re so tired you can’t do anything but giggle and then it turns into a cry and you’re not sure why you’re crying? Yeah. That was me.
Once I recover, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, with my hand held up in the air. I can’t take my eyes off the ring. Even though I can barely see it in the dark night, I feel its weight on my hand. I belong to someone. For the past 10 years, I thought I would end up spending my life alone. I’m Plain Jane - I may as well be invisible, the way I blend into the background most times. But I’m not alone anymore….and for the first time, I feel cherished. Just when you think you know how your story will end, plans change. In this case, I’m glad they did.
I hear the ding of my phone...Brady.
Brady: Are you sleeping?
Me: No… :)
Brady: I can’t stop smiling long enough to relax and close my eyes.
Me: I can’t stop staring at my ring. Even though it’s dark and I can’t really see it.
Brady: Lol! Well then turn on the light.
Me: Then I won’t go to sleep!
Brady: Sounds like you aren’t sleeping anyway.
Me: Ha ha… Says the one who is texting me at 1:39 am
Brady: Well, you responded ;)
Me: I love you.
Me: So much <3
Brady: I love you more!
Me: Goodnight… sleep tight… don’t let the bedbugs bite.
And with that, I roll over and finally fall into blissful slumber.
34
Let the Planning Begin
When my doorbell rings the next morning at 9 am sharp I know it’s Angie. She said last night that she would be over first thing in the morning. Geez… I just wanted to sleep in. I crawl out of bed and throw on my robe. My hair's a wreck because I didn’t bother to comb it last night, and it’s still full of hairspray. I steal a quick glance in the mirror and think whoa, that’s a scary sight.
Making my way down the hallway, the doorbell rings again. “Geez, have a little patience will ya,” I mumble to myself. But when I open the door it’s not Angie, it’s Brady. Suddenly I feel very self-conscious of my appearance, but he’s standing there smiling like the Cheshire cat, holding a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts and two coffees.
“Morning beautiful,” he says, kissing me on the cheek. He makes his way past me and into the living room. “I brought breakfast.”
I’m still standing at the door looking at him as he turns to me and says, “Are you gonna stay in the doorway, or are you going to join me for breakfast?”
“I thought it was going to be Angie at the door, so I’m a little surprised.” As soon as the words leave my mouth, I regret them. That sounded bad. “Sorry… that came out wrong. Yes… I would love to join you for breakfast.”
Brady tilts his head to the side as he places the goodies on the coffee table. I’m still baffled at how he’s this bright and chipper this early in the morning. Technically, it’s not that early. But when you don’t go to sleep until after 2 am, it’s early. I need a full 8 hours of sleep to function.
I greet him with a hug, and suddenly remember my morning breath as I have just gotten out of bed. “Hey, babe… can you give me like 5 minutes?” I ask, covering my mouth. “I need to brush my teeth and comb my hair,” motioning toward the mop on top of my head.
Brady laughs. “Well, you do look a little disheveled this morning. Go do what you need to do. I’ll grab the creamer and some napkins.”
I head back to my bathroom and make a rushed attempt at putting myself together. I put on some comfy clothes and brush my teeth. I comb through my hair and pile it into a messy bun on top of my head. As I come back into the living room, Brady is sitting on the couch with his feet crossed and propped up on the table, sipping his coffee. He’s such a handsome man. I scored big time with him.
“So please tell me how you are so wide awake at this early hour?” I ask him as I sit down and curl into him. He reaches his arm around me, pulls me into a hug, and kisses my mouth this time.
“Minty,” he says and winks at me. “Well… I couldn’t sleep much last night. Can’t imagine why?” he smirks. “Anyway, I dozed in and out all night and at 6 am I couldn’t take it any longer. But, I didn’t think you would appreciate me showing up at your door at 6 am. I thought about using my key and coming in to make you breakfast, but then I decided you probably would be sleeping in since we had such a late night, and 8:30 was the longest I could hold out. So, I stopped by KK to get doughnuts and figured we could take a nap this afternoon. I needed you to be awake, and I decided you’d slept long enough.” He taps the end of my nose. He’s so cute when he’s excited.
“You know, Angie will probably be here any minute,” I tell him.
“Nope, not this morning anyway. I told her to stay away until after lunch,” he says taking a bite of doughnut.
“What? And she agreed?” I ask, surprised.
“Reluctantly, but yes. I argued the point that you and I just made this major, huge agreement last night, and I needed to be the first one you spent the morning with.”
“Oh my gosh. I can’t believe she bought it. She’s starting to cave a little,” I snicker, rolling my eyes.
“I think she finally likes me and trusts my judgment. I mean, she did agree to pretty much be my slave yesterday.”
“She has always liked you, Brady! What are you talking about?” I exclaim.
“Eh… maybe. But she has no choice because she gets a two for one package now,” he says taking another bite of doughnut.
“Give me one of those. Are they hot?” I ask.
“Half box of hot & now and half box of cold. Just for you m’dam,” as he opens the box and pulls one out for me.
“You know me so well,” I giggle and take a bite too. Call me strange, but nothing about the “hot & now” sign pulls me in. I love Krispy Kreme, but I’d rather eat them when they don’t melt in my mouth. Its little things like this Brady does for me that makes me feel special.
We spend the morning cuddling and talking on the couch. We watch TV and flip through wedding magazines Angie left at my house last night. Probably on purpose. I pull out my laptop, and we look through Pinterest at all the secret boards I’ve been creating the past few months. A girl can dream on Pinterest, but now I get to take advantage of my dream wedding board. Brady nods and agrees and keeps telling me to plan whatever I like.
Of course, we call our parents too. They already knew about the plan though. Brady had called my dad about a month ago to get his blessing. He also talked to my parents yesterday, telling them what he had planned for the evening. They were both super excited for us, and my mom is planning her next visit to take me dress shopping.
“We can talk details all day long, but there is still a big question to be discussed,” Brady says.
“You mean picking a date?” I ask him.
“That would be correct.”
“Hmmmmm…. I’ve always loved the idea of a fall wedding, but spring weddings are beautiful too. What do you think?”
Brady stares at me a few seconds, as his eyes soften, and the corners of his mouth turn up. He cups my cheek in his hand, “I think whatever date makes you my bride quickest is the time I choose.” Awww…he’s such a smooth talker. That answer gains him some major brownie points.
“I want to make sure I have the energy to plan everything though. I want to be 110 percent back to normal. So, maybe we should wait until spring. That will get us through the holidays, so we’re not rushed,” I tell him.
“You’re right. As selfish as I want to be, I know the majority of all of this will fall on you to plan. I only have to rent a tux and show up at the approved destination. Right?”
; I can tell he’s joking, so I elbow him in the side, and he jerks away laughing. “I’m kidding!” he squeals as I continue to torture him with pokes and prods in his midsection.
“I assure you I will prepare a master list for you. It will even have little check boxes so that you can check them off in the appropriate order. And I will be checking up to make sure you stay on task,” I tell him with a serious look on my face.
He leans in to kiss me, and I dodge away. “I’m serious, Brady!”
But he’s quicker than I am, and he catches me anyway, planting a big kiss on my mouth.
“I’m hungry, but I need a shower first,” I tell him as we get up from the couch.
“Me too,” he says and gets up to head toward the kitchen. “I’ll fix lunch while you get ready.”
After I shower and get dressed, we have lunch, and as promised, the doorbell rings at 2:02 pm. I look at Brady. “Angie,” we both say at the same time.
We laugh, noting she is literally here as soon as she was told she could be. Opening the door, she busts in and grabs me around the neck, pulling me into a bear hug.
“Oh. My. Gosh! You. Are. Engaged!!!!!!!” she shrieks loudly.
As she pulls away, she grabs my hand to examine the ring. Staring with her mouth wide open, she says, “That thing is HUGE! Good job, Brady Reese!” she says, and slaps him on the shoulder.
“Holy cow, I can’t believe my best friend is getting married! This is so exciting!” she squeals.
Angie is full of energy this afternoon. She’s probably been sitting at home watching the clock tick away the hours until she could drive over here.
Brady says he’s going to leave us to do “girl things” and heads out, after kissing me on the forehead.
We sit on the couch in my living room while I recount all the details of last night, even though she already knows every bit of it. She needs to hear my version of the night I guess. I tell her all about the limo ride and our delicious dinner at The Capital Grille. I recount certain parts of the play and lead up to the last-minute stop at The Overlook where Brady proposed. She confesses she was hiding in the bushes across the street with binoculars, watching us.
“I seriously could not put in all of the prep work and not watch. Charles was with me. He kept saying we should go, but I insisted we stay and watch just a little bit.”
“Angie,” I say, slapping my forehead with my hand. “You seriously were hiding in the bushes?”
She smiles a cheesy grin that screams, “Busted.”
“We didn’t stay the whole time. I just wanted to see your expression when you got out of the car. From what little I did see, I think you were not expecting any of it.”
I laugh, “You would be correct. I was floored.”
“Good! Operation, Get Clara Out of the House was a success,” Angie beams.
35
Dum, dum, dee dum
Six Months Later
It’s a beautiful spring day in April. And it’s my wedding day.
My. Wedding. Day.
I’ve spent the past six months planning our wedding like a boss. Winter passed in a flash and Mom made quite a few trips down to help sort out details. Pinterest has been my new best friend. How in the world do people plan anything these days without Pinterest?! Even though I spent my childhood dreaming about this day, it's absolutely nothing like the 10-year-old-version-of-me planned, except for the handsome groom, of course.
I’m standing with my mom, in a suite at the Duke Mansion, looking into the mirror. My dress is beautiful ivory lace, with a fitted bodice, flaring out at the skirt. When I was a young girl, I imagined my wedding dress would be fluffy, with a big pouffy skirt and mounds of crinoline underneath. You know, the kind of dress that flies up in your face when you sit down.
Duke Mansion. I can’t believe I’m getting married here. This place is beyond magnificent. I worried it was too much, but my parents insisted they had been saving up for years, and that we needed a place that would suit the occasion. Brady and I are going to stay here tonight before we head out tomorrow for our actual honeymoon, so I’m using the suite for all the girls to get ready. Angie is my maid of honor, Brady’s sister Reagan, and sister-in-law Nicole are bridesmaids, and his niece Liza is our flower girl.
While the rest of the girls busy themselves with finishing touches, I look over at my mom and see her eyes are glistening. “Mom… please stop… I can’t start crying, or I won’t be able to stop. You don’t want me to have red, puffy eyes in all of my wedding pictures, do you?”
She pulls a handkerchief out of her bag and dabs her eyes. “Okay… okay… I’m drying it up. You are so beautiful, and this day is everything I ever dreamed it would be. Not to mention a long time coming.” She gives a smirky smile to lighten the mood a bit. Now, we are all ready and just waiting for the wedding director to give us our cue to walk downstairs.
The photographer has been snapping pictures of us getting ready. Thank goodness. The day’s activities have been such a blur I know it will be nice to look back at the pictures and reflect on all the festivities. Angie walks over and hands me an envelope, giving me a slight smile. When I look up at her, I know it’s not from her but Brady. I can tell by the handwriting on the front. I feel tears start to well up in my eyes, and I’ve not even opened the card yet.
“He wants you to read this before you walk down the aisle, but when you are alone. He said when everyone leaves, and it’s just you, that’s your cue to open it. And it’s not supposed to make you cry but, well… you know how he is.” Angie slips it into my hand.
As if on cue, the wedding director steps into the suite and says, “Alright ladies… I need the bridal party to come downstairs to get in place…” Then she looks at me and says, “…and Clara I believe you have something you need to read,” and winks at me. I return her smile while everyone is ushered out the door. Brady obviously had very specific instructions and wanted to make sure I followed his orders.
When everyone is gone, I open the card. It’s not a store-bought card, but a letter he has written himself.
My dearest Clara…
I’ve waited for this day for so long. There was a time I was afraid I would spend the rest of my life alone. But now, I don’t have to worry about that anymore because I have the most beautiful girl in the entire world getting ready to become my wife. I never knew my life could feel so complete. I know God sent you to me. I knew we were meant to be together from the moment I laid eyes on you at the Corner Café. The electricity between us was undeniable. You know the struggles I have faced, and we have overcome so many challenges together. But every struggle was worth it…..because they brought me to you. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you… having babies, traveling (maybe not so much on a plane), growing old together, and so much more. You are the love of my life, and I thank the Lord every day I can call you mine. Today, as we are getting ready to be married, I want you to know I promise to make you happy. I promise to love you forever, and I promise to always try my best to be the husband you want me to be. There will always be challenges to overcome, but we can work on them together.
When you see me standing at the end of the aisle waiting for you today, please know that I love you unconditionally, fully, with every fiber of my being and I’m ready to pledge that to you. Just like the cheesy line from that old movie, “you complete me” in every way possible. Now dry your eyes and blow your nose, because your dad is getting ready to come and get you. Soon you will be on your way to see my handsome face.
Love you bunches and forever,
Brady
Surprisingly, I only shed a few tears. I think it’s because I know what he is saying is so true it already resonates within my soul… to the core. His words are just an affirmation of what my heart already knows. A few moments later there is a light tap on the door, and I get up to open it.
There stands my dad in his tux, looking handsome. His smile is bright, and I match it with one of my own.
&nbs
p; “Clara… you are the second most beautiful bride I have ever laid eyes on.” I give him an odd look, which prompts a response. “Well, your mom would have to come first.”
Ahhh… well, that makes sense.
“Dad, you are too sweet. I’ll have to tell her you said that.”
He pulls me into a tight hug and says, “Are you ready to change your last name?”
I give him a nod, and we walk out the door and down the grand staircase.
Decorated beautifully, inside and out, the floral arrangements lining the halls of the mansion send a sweet aroma through the air. As we make our way to the garden entrance, I see chairs filled with wedding guests, waiting for the ceremony to begin. Dad turns to me and tucks my arm through his. He holds my hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. He looks at me with misty eyes and says, “I love you.” We both know it’s probably best not to exchange many words right now because we will both lose it if we do.
The music changes from Canon in D and Trumpet Voluntary begins to play. That’s my cue. We round the corner to the opened doorway, and I see Brady immediately. His eyes focus on me and mine on him. It’s as if no other person is there… just the two of us. As I make my way down the aisle toward him, my smile grows wider.
The ceremony is everything I hoped it would be. And more. Everything was perfect as we pledged our love to one another and became Mr. and Mrs. Brady Thomas Reese. Afterward, we cut the cake, eat until our bellies are full, dance until our feet are tired, and finally say our goodbyes to all our loved ones. As much as I have enjoyed this evening’s festivities, I am ready to be alone with my husband. Yep… that’s right. My husband. The thought makes me smile.
As the reception draws to a close, all the wedding guests line the walkway in front of the Duke Mansion. The wedding director hands each one an unlit sparkler, and I can hear flashes of “don’t light this until I give the word!” and “no, not until I say so!” as she makes her way down the line.
