by Ivy Smoak
"No bickering. Hey!" Justin said and clapped again. "James, did you want to start everything off by walking down with your mom?" he pointed at Mrs. Caldwell.
"No," James said quickly. "I'll walk alone."
Mason patted his back. No one pointed out the fact that James' parents actually weren't there.
"Whatever suits you," Justin said. "The less family drama the better if you ask me. You first then, handsome," he said to our pastor. "I almost forgot about you. And go slowly, it's not a race." He pointed to the aisle.
Pastor John laughed.
"And now the man of the hour," Justin said and grabbed James' arm. "Just wait until he's halfway down the aisle and it's your turn to shine. Wait for it. Wait for it."
"See you up there," James said. He ran his fingers gently from my elbow to my wrist. The gesture gave me shivers. Or maybe it was the fact that this was all actually going to be happening in a day.
"Now!" Justin said, like it was the most magical moment of his own life. "What's your name again?" Justin said as he spun around and pointed at Matt.
"Matt."
"Okay, Matt, hold your arm in front of yourself like you're holding a baby," Justin said and showed him what he meant.
Matt made a funny face.
"And Jen, just grab his muscle and hold on tight."
"What muscle?" she said with a laugh.
"Don't pretend you haven't noticed that I'm ripped now," Matt said.
"Mhm. Whatever you say," Jen said and grabbed his arm.
"What did I just say about bickering! Now hold this rose. No, lower. Just pretend it's a whole beautiful bouquet like you'll have tomorrow. Yes, there, perfect! Now put on a smile and follow that handsome man down the aisle."
"Ew, Matt?"
"No, James of course! The man of the hour. Have you never seen him or something?"
"He's my brother."
"Your loss, honey. Go, now," Justin said and snapped his fingers.
"Hey, Pen."
I turned around to see my dad standing behind me. "Hi, Dad." I gave him a hug, tuning out my friends squabbling and Justin giving orders to everyone.
"Nervous about tomorrow?" he asked.
"More excited than nervous."
"That's my girl."
I laughed and unwrapped my arms from around him. "What about you?" I asked. "Are you worried that you're going to trip?"
"Absolutely," he said. "And if I do, I'm pulling you down with me."
"Fair enough."
"Pen, I can't believe..."
"Your turn, future Mrs. Hunter," Justin said, cutting my dad off. "Okay, slip your hand around his arm and hold this flower. You want it low so that everyone can see your gorgeous dress." He grabbed my hand and lowered it.
"Now, Dad, it's your job to make sure this goes smoothly. You've been taking care of her ever since she was a little girl. Don't ruin the last time you're the only man in her life. Got it, Dad?"
My Dad looked a little flustered that Justin kept calling him Dad.
"Okay, now walk slowly, and gracefully. Try to float. Head up, shoulders back. Work it!"
I laughed, which made my dad laugh too.
"Laugh all you want now, tomorrow I know you'll be crying. God, I'd be crying if I was marrying a hunk of meat like that."
And those comments were the reason why James hadn't wanted to hire him. But, I liked Justin too much to care if he was a little inappropriate sometimes. He was just excitable.
"And go. Now." He motioned for us to start walking.
"He's quite the character," my dad whispered to me as soon as we were out of earshot.
"No talking down the aisle!" Justin yelled after us.
"That he is."
"Great, great," Justin said from right behind us, making me jump. "You guys look perfect. Now stop here. Give your daughter a kiss on the cheek."
"Good luck, Pen." He reached up and squeezed my cheek like he used to do when I was little.
"I said a kiss, not a weird squeeze," Justin said. "Do it for the pictures."
My dad smiled down at me. "You look beautiful, Pen. And I'm so glad you found someone to make you happy." He kissed my cheek.
My eyes were getting watery already.
"Now, Dad, sit down next to Mom. And Penny, gracefully float up to your soon-to-be husband."
James' eyes were glued on me as I walked toward him.
When he opened his mouth, I thought he was going to say something romantic, but he said, "I kind of wish this had been the real thing. The video footage would have been hilarious."
Pastor John laughed.
It reminded me that the vows I had been working on for months weren't going to be heard by just James. They were going to be heard by the pastor and all our friends and family. I was suddenly extremely nervous.
"Pretend you like each other!" Justin shouted and pushed his hands closer together to show us we were standing too far apart.
James laughed and grabbed my waist, pulling me against his chest. "How about this?" he said more toward me than to Justin.
"Okay, pretend you like each other a little less than that."
James kissed the tip of my nose and let go of my waist. I took a step back. James held out his hands for me and I grabbed them. All I could focus on were his eyes. The same eyes that had captivated me when I was his student. I never thought we'd wind up here. But I was so thankful that we had.
"Bridesmaids, each take half a step to your left," Justin said. "No not that much! God, I'll just make some kind of markings so you know where to stand tomorrow. Forget about it. Pastor, get your thing on."
Pastor John laughed. "Right, well, I'm going to make a few jokes, which I'll keep to myself for now. I want to get you laughing on your wedding day. I'll do the normal spiel about love and what this commitment means. Normally right now, I would just have you practice reciting the vows after me, but you've decided to read your own vows, correct?"
James squeezed my hands. "Correct."
"Well, then after you exchange vows, I will simply say, do you James take Penny to be your lawfully wedded wife?
James ran his thumbs against the backs of my hands. "I do."
"And Penny, I'd say, do you Penny take James to be your lawfully wedded husband? And you'd answer 'I do.' But don't say it now, it's only the rehearsal."
I laughed. "I do," I mouthed silently to James.
He raised his left eyebrow.
"And then I'd say, by the power vested in me, by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride. And you'd..."
James pulled me against him and pressed his lips against mine. His tongue darted across my lips and I opened my mouth, inviting him in. His fingers tangled in my hair as mine pressed against his neck, deepening a kiss that was already too sexual for public.
"Ow ow!" Melissa yelled.
"Get a room," Rob said.
I laughed and pressed on James' chest.
"God, I can't wait for tomorrow," he said.
I kept my hand on his neck and smiled up at him.
"Less tongue tomorrow, yes?" Justin said from the seat he had taken in the second row. "Now after that, you'd walk hand in hand back down the aisle with huge wedding bliss smiles. I love newlyweds."
James gave me a playful smile.
I wanted to tell him to follow Justin's instructions. But that smile of his was my favorite. It meant he was so caught up in this moment, that nothing else in the world mattered. Just him and me. "Whatever you're thinking of doing, do it. I dare you."
"Dare accepted." He leaned down and lifted me over his shoulder.
I squealed as he put his hand on my ass. I wasn't sure if he just wanted to touch me or if he didn't want me to moon all of Central Park. I laughed the whole way down the aisle.
"Piggyback time, Melissa!" Rob said from behind us.
I heard Melissa laugh and I didn't doubt at all that Rob was giving her a piggyback ride down the aisle.
"No!" Justin
shouted. "No, no, no! The exit is supposed to be elegant and...ugh! I give up. Rehearsal done."
James set me back down on my feet. "I'm pretty sure we just got hitched."
"I didn't say 'I do'."
"I saw you say it, baby." He tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
"No paper, no proof."
"You got me there. Tomorrow I'll get the signed evidence."
"I can't wait."
Chapter 9
Friday
My friends had been doing a fantastic job decorating. But when I stepped back into our apartment, my jaw dropped. Justin's assistants had rearranged all the furniture so that there was room for long tables with elegant tablecloths and huge flowery centerpieces. The caterers were all set up and the food smelled amazing. Everyone was bustling around, doing last minute preparations.
"Told you I'd make it beautiful," Justin said. "What do you kids think?"
James smiled at me, only caring about what I had to say.
"It's perfect, Justin. Thank you."
"Does that mean I get an A?" he said with a wink to James.
James laughed. "Absolutely."
Justin clapped his hands. "Okay, people! Everyone not in the bridal party will be arriving in fifteen minutes! Places everyone! Places!"
We had originally wanted to keep our rehearsal dinner small. Just the people that were a part of the wedding. But with so many people coming in from out of town, we decided to make it a bigger thing. Mostly James' friends that I had never met. I was a little nervous to meet them. I wanted to hear their stories. I wanted to know what James was like in college.
Bee looped her arm in mine. "I feel like I just got completely schooled in party decorating."
I laughed. "I like the streamers. It's exactly what I would have done."
She smiled. "We'll learn how to step up our party throwing game together. Sometimes I still feel so out of place in all," she gestured with her hand, "this."
"Yeah, I know what you mean." I looked over at James. He was standing with my mom, introducing himself to the caterer. No matter the situation, he always looked so in his element. I looked back at Bee. "I'm glad I have you to figure it out with."
"Here's to that. God, I need a drink. These shoes are killing me. I have no idea what I was thinking, they just looked so cute with this dress."
Her shoes matched her dress perfectly. But they were also at least 7 inches tall. "They are really cute."
She laughed. "Thank you. Can I get you something?"
"No, I'm good." Ever since James had kicked me out, my stomach had felt uneasy. I knew it was probably just nerves now, but I didn't want to add alcohol to the mix.
"Penny! Come over here for a second," my mom said and waved her arm toward the caterer. She had been very insistent on hiring the catering staff by herself. Whoever she had chosen, it smelled amazing. I walked over toward her and James.
"Remember La Patisserie? Your favorite restaurant in Philly?"
"Of course."
"This is Rory, he used to work there."
"Oh yeah? You're an amazing chef." I tried not to look directly at him. I used to love going to La Patisserie because he was as mouth watering as his food. I had never even had a boyfriend in high school. I may have daydreamed quite a lot about Rory. It had been a few years since I had seen him, but he looked exactly the same.
"Thank you. It's nice to meet you, Penny," he said and stuck out his hand for me.
I quickly shook it.
"James, this is a funny story," my mom said and lightly touched his arm. "In high school, Penny always wanted to go to that restaurant. The food was really good. But I have to say, I was completely convinced that she had a crush on Rory."
"Oh my God. Mom." I was completely mortified. "That's not...the food was just..."
Rory and James both laughed.
"I never really thought about it before, but I guess she's always had a thing for older men." My mom shrugged. "But, either way, you did love his food, so...here he is. The chef himself! And James, you've had his food before too. The first time you came to our house. You know, when you told us who you really were. Oh, Peter was so angry that day." She laughed. "Anyway, I'm going to go try some of the appetizers." She walked toward one of the servers.
"I am so sorry," I said to Rory and James.
James laughed and put his arm around my shoulders. "Such great memories."
"Geez, parents can be so embarrassing sometimes," Rory said with a smile.
"You have no idea," I said.
Rory laughed.
"So, you started your own catering company?"
"Yeah. We only just opened a couple weeks ago, but your mom sought us out. I actually just have my friends helping me out tonight because I haven't had time to find staff." He pointed them out to us. "Connor, Jackson, and my wife, Keira."
Keira glanced over and smiled at Rory when she heard her name. She was arranging some delicious looking appetizers on a serving tray.
"Well, everything looks amazing," James said. "Hopefully tonight will go better than the first time I ate at her parents' house. Because that was pretty much a disaster."
Rory laughed. "If not, hopefully it won't be due to a mistake on my part. Actually, if you'll excuse me for one second. I promise they'll all be professional by the time the rest of the guests get here." Rory rushed past us to go talk to his friends.
I glanced over my shoulder. It looked like Jackson and Justin were arguing heatedly over decorations. And Conner was sitting down across from Melissa at one of the tables talking to her. I laughed.
"So, you had a crush on him, huh?" James asked.
"That was a long time ago."
"Any traces of that remaining?"
"No," I said and placed my fingers behind his neck. "Not one lingering trace."
"Why did we invite all these people over to our house again?" he whispered in my ear.
"Wishing we were alone right now?"
"So badly. About not sharing a room tonight...I think we should discuss that."
"You're not excited to have a slumber party with all your friends tonight?"
He laughed. "Not in the least."
"Talk about an upgrade," someone said from behind us. I hadn't even realized that guests had started arriving. "She's stunning."
James let go of my waist. "Luke. Geez, how many years has it been?"
Luke embraced him in a huge bear hug. "Too many, man."
"So, you must be Penny," he said and put his hand out for me.
I recognized him from the one picture James had of him and his frat brothers. "It's so nice to meet you."
"The pleasure is all mine," he said.
"You knew James in college, huh? I would love to hear some stories."
"Just you wait till Benny and Mike get here and the beers start flowing. There will be plenty of stories."
I couldn't help but notice that James looked a little uncomfortable. "I can't wait," I said.
"Definitely a keeper," he said to James as he pointed at me. "Are any of the guys here yet?"
"Mason is here somewhere." James looked around the room.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of my oldest friends walk in. "If you'll excuse me, it was great meeting you," I said to Luke and gravitated toward the door. "Mila!"
"Penny! It's so great to see you!" She gave me a huge hug. "Oh my God, this place is amazing. Do you seriously live here?"
"We just moved in, yeah."
"Geez, I'm so sorry, I'm being incredibly rude. This is my boyfriend, J.J.," she said and gestured to the guy smiling beside her. He was so tan it looked like he spent all his time on the beach. "J.J., this is Penny."
"It's so nice to meet you," I said and shook his hand. "It's so funny, Mila, the last time I saw you, we were both boyfriend-less. It was actually your going away party. Before you left me and moved to Cali."
"I know. I'm sorry I've been missing in action that last few years. Geez, time flies, doesn't it?"<
br />
"It does. I'm just really, really glad you could make it."
"I wouldn't have missed your wedding for anything in the world. I'm so happy for you, Penny. I've really missed you."
I was getting teary eyed again. God, what was wrong with me tonight? "Are you moving back to the east coast anytime soon?"
"We're actually thinking about it," J.J. said. "We both grew up on the east coast. We're just waiting to hear back on some job offers."
"Who are your friends?" James asked as he slid his arm around my waist.
"Mila was my best friend growing up. She went to UCLA and dropped off the face of the earth for awhile."
Mila laughed.
"And this is her boyfriend, J.J."
"It's great to meet both of you," James said and shook their hands. "That means you were the neighbor growing up, right?"
"Yes, that's me. What terrible things has Penny been telling people about me?"
"Only good things. Mrs. Bennett on the other hand..."
"You've met Mrs. Bennett? She was the nosiest neighbor in the history of nosey neighbors. Please tell me she's not behind me right now?"
I laughed. "No. Mrs. Bennett is surely patrolling the neighborhood as we speak."
"I feel so out of the loop right now," J.J. said with a laugh.
"Trust me, you don't want to be in the loop on this," I said. "Mila, my parents were looking forward to seeing you."
"I can't wait to see them either. I need to stop disappearing for years. I'll go say hi to them. Congrats, Penny," she said as she passed me and squeezed my shoulder.
"Did you two get in all sorts of trouble growing up?" James asked.
"If by trouble you mean staying in and watching movies and eating popcorn in pajamas? Or catching fireflies? Or playing with Barbie dolls? Then yes, we were in trouble constantly."
He kissed my temple. "I'm envious of your childhood."
When he said things like that, my chest actually ached. "You know, whenever I picture your childhood, I see little you locked in your room being denied anything good."
"It wasn't quite that bad."
"What was a normal day like in the summer? Didn't you do anything fun? I bet you were probably holed up in your tree house terrorizing Jen."
"Hey, Daphne's here."
I knew he was purposely trying to distract me. But I was dying to meet Rob's girlfriend. Or friend that was a girl. I wasn't going to throw out terms and freak them out. I just couldn't believe that Rob was actually dating someone. "Which one is she?"
