by Ivy Smoak
"The one with brown hair standing right by the door. She doesn't know anyone else here and Rob hasn't spotted her yet. Come on, let's go save her." He grabbed my hand.
"So, you already know her pretty well then?"
"Yeah, we actually got to talk quite a bit during my bachelor party weekend."
"Anything I should know? I don't want to say something stupid."
"You'll be fine." He squeezed my hand.
I was nervous. This girl could potentially be a huge part of my life if she was able to get Rob to settle down. Plus she must be magical if she was dating Rob. Rob never dated anyone.
"Oh, hey, James," Daphne said. "I hope it's okay that I just walked in. Rob didn't really say if..."
"It's fine. It's great to see you again." He gave her a quick hug. "This is my fiancée, Penny."
"Hi. Wow, I've heard a ton about you, Penny. I'm super excited to finally meet you in person." She stuck out her hand for me and I shook it.
"What terrible things has Rob told you about me?"
"Mostly good things, I promise. He's super excited to have you officially be his little sister, I know that."
"Did he really say that?"
"A couple times, yeah."
That's so sweet. "Well, I think that's a total lie. He just loves tormenting me. A big brother thing I guess?" I said with a laugh.
"I'm pretty sure that's what little sisters are for," she said. She glanced past us, probably looking for Rob.
James' grip tightened slightly on my waist.
Had I said something wrong? "I wouldn't know. I'm an only child."
"I've heard you and Rob had quite the exciting week," James said.
She gave him a small smile. "Yes. God, he's...it was probably the best week of my life. After Costa Rica we flew to Paris. And then we went to Venice before coming back here. I think he might already have tickets to go to Sydney next week. He's so full of surprises. I never know what to expect next."
"Welcome to my life," James said.
I laughed. "Rob is certainly full of surprises. Always good though."
"Stop freaking Daphne out," Rob said. He had suddenly appeared next to Daphne. He grabbed her waist and pulled her in for a kiss. And she melted into his kiss. She so clearly adored him. "Hey," he whispered to her, but it was loud enough for us to hear. "You look amazing." Her face blushed. "I see that you've met my super annoying soon-to-be little sister."
Was that the new way he was going to torture me? "Annoying? Thanks, Rob."
"I'm just kidding. You know you're my favorite sister. And definitely sexier than Jen. You know...since Jen is actually my sister and that would be disgusting if I thought she was sexy. But it's still okay if I think you are." He winked at me. "Speaking of which, Daphne, you have to come meet my real sister, not the fake one."
There were some weird things mixed in with that rant about sisters and I was happy to see that Daphne laughed. She must have already realized that Rob was an endless flirt.
"It was really great meeting you, Penny," she said.
"You too."
"And you have a lovely home." Before she could say anything else, Rob whisked her away.
"She seemed really nice. Did I say something wrong, though? I feel like I might have."
"Yeah. She actually lost her brother only a year and a half ago. She's having a hard time with it."
"James. I just asked if there was anything I should know before talking to her."
"I didn't think it would come up." He shrugged.
I pursed my lips together. "I feel awful. Do you know what happened to her brother? Was it an accident?"
James shifted uncomfortably. "He died of an overdose."
"That's horrible." I looked over at Daphne. She was meeting Mason and Matt's parents. "She probably hates me now."
James laughed. "I don't think so, Penny. Are you okay? It seems like you were nervous about getting her approval."
"Of course I am. If she marries Rob, then we're going to be sisters. And I don't want her to hate me. I blew it."
"You're incredibly cute. You didn't do anything wrong."
"Is there anything else I should know about some of your friends I'm meeting tonight? Like horrible things in their past I shouldn't talk about lightly?"
"Try not to talk about Davy Jones' missing eye. He's very sensitive about it."
"Which one is Davy Jones? And how did he lose his eye? I don't want to mention whatever did it either."
"You're kidding, right? Davy Jones? Like the pirate? I was just joking, Penny."
"So, you don't have a friend name Davy Jones?"
He laughed and pulled me in for a kiss. "No. I'm not a pirate, so I don't have any super awesome pirate friends."
I laughed against his chest.
"What are you so nervous about tonight? All these people are here because they love us. There's nothing to be nervous about."
I looked up into his eyes. "Honestly, I just want tonight to be more memorable than your rehearsal dinner with Isabella."
"Penny..."
"I'm sorry. It's just hard for me not to think about what might be running through your head. And I just want..."
"There is no comparison, baby," he said and grabbed the side of my face. "None."
I nodded.
"So, stop being nervous. Let's just enjoy tonight. Let me get you a drink."
"No, that's okay. My stomach has been kind of upset."
He lowered his eyebrows. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just don't want to make it worse."
"I'm going to go grab you something for that. I'll be right back." He kissed the tip of my nose and walked toward the bathroom. I watched Mrs. Caldwell stop him and give him a hug. Tonight was perfect. It was exactly as it should be.
I noticed Ellen helping the caterers with something. She was used to preparing our meals and I knew she was probably having a hard time being our guest tonight. She never seemed to stop moving. I walked over to her and lightly touched her shoulder. "Ellen, you don't have to do anything tonight. We invited you to be part of the celebration."
"I like to help, dear," she said with a smile.
"Please just sit down and enjoy yourself. You do so much for me and James. The caterers can handle all this."
She smiled and patted my cheek. "I just want it to be perfect."
"Thank you." James' parents might not be here, but between Mrs. Caldwell and Ellen, he definitely had a motherly influence. "But really, just relax."
She nodded. "I packed up all your things and James' too for tomorrow. Your suitcases are by the bedroom door. I left his tux and your dress in the closet though. I didn't want them to get wrinkled."
"Thanks, Ellen. You're the best." I gave her a hug.
"Just keep making him happy. I already know I'm going to cry my eyes out during the ceremony tomorrow. James asked me to look over his vows and..." she put her hand over her heart. "He loves you so dearly."
It felt like I had written my vows a thousand times and they still weren't perfect. "Were his funny at all? Or were they completely serious?"
Ellen laughed. "You know I'd never say a word. I need to go make sure they know where the extra glasses are. Then I promise to join the fun."
"Okay."
"Speak from your heart, though, Penny. That's the most important thing." She quickly walked back into the kitchen. There was no way she was actually going to relax tonight.
Speak from your heart. That was better advice than she probably realized. I was pretty sure that meant James' vows were sweet. I'd be the one crying my eyes out, not Ellen. Maybe I needed to take out a few jokes from mine. What had I been thinking?
"I still can't believe this is actually happening," Melissa said from beside me.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know. It's just crazy to think my best friend, who never took any risks, slept with her billionaire professor and now they're getting married. It's insane."
"Yeah." I gu
ess?
"Don't you ever just feel like you're going to wake up and all this will be a dream?"
Yes. I glanced at James again. Someone else had stopped him and was hugging him. Maybe one of his friends. "Yeah, sometimes."
"You have to enjoy moments like this. Because they can be taken away like that." She snapped her fingers when she said the word 'that.'
I frowned. Was this seriously her idea of a good conversation for a rehearsal dinner? "What do you mean by that?" I folded my arms in front of my chest. I had almost lost James. We had only just made up this morning. I had already thought about what we had disappearing enough for one day. Especially today of all days.
"I just mean I'm happy that you finally learned how to live in the moment. Now, I'm not quite as sure that you have. What's going on?"
I sighed. "I don't know. I just feel kind of on edge tonight. James is worried Isabella's just going to show up and...I don't know exactly." Hurt us?
"I'm sure that's not going to happen."
"I hope not."
"All I meant was that your life is kind of like a fairytale." She squeezed my arm. "Handsome prince. A castle of an apartment." She smiled. "A happily ever after."
Melissa still didn't know about James' problems. At least, I had never told her. It wasn't something I had shared with anyone. It wasn't my secret to share. Yes, James was the light of my life. But there was darkness there too. Worry. Fear. Especially now that he thought he was addicted to me. I had a pit in my stomach that seemed to be growing by the second. What if James decided at the last minute that he couldn't be with me? That I wasn't good for him because of something he had built up in his head that wasn't true at all?
"Are you okay?" Melissa asked. "You look a little pale."
"Yeah, I'm just not feeling very well."
"Maid of honor, at your service. What do you need?"
"A hug."
She laughed. "I think I can arrange that." She put her arms around me and ran her hand up and down my back. "I didn't mean to upset you. If anything, I was just saying how envious I am of you."
"Melissa, I'm so sorry about..."
"No. We're not talking about that until after your honeymoon. Not another word."
I laughed.
"Take a deep breath. And try to do what I thought you were already doing. Enjoy tonight. Remember every second. You only get one rehearsal dinner your whole life. Unless you're James."
I laughed again. "Ugh. God, I've been thinking about that too. I just want all of this to be better than whatever he had with Isabella."
"It's better by default. Because this time he's marrying you." She put her hands on my shoulders and held me at arm's length. "And you, Penny, are my best friend in the world. James is the lucky one."
"Thanks, Melissa."
"You don't think Penny is a little lucky to have wound up with me?" James said with a smile. "Here, take this." He handed me a few pills and a glass of water.
"Of course she's lucky." Melissa squeezed his arm. "You're both lucky. And you're seriously the happiest, cutest, most amazing couple I know. Was any of that good? I'm so nervous about my speech tomorrow. I feel like you're going to be grading me."
James laughed. "Something along those lines would be perfect."
"Oh, good. I'm definitely going to pay attention to Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell's speech tonight to get some ideas on what to say."
"They're giving a speech?" James asked.
"Um, of course. I thought you knew that?'
"No, they didn't say anything to me about it," he said.
"That's really sweet of them," I said and looped my arm in James'.
"They don't have to do that."
"Yeah," I said. "They want to do it. That's the sweet part."
He laughed. "I guess so." He glanced over at Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell. He said he was envious of my childhood. Was he envious of Mason and Matt's too? As far as I could see, Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell had been better parents to him than his own.
Despite how much I thought it might hurt him, James had made the right call. His parents shouldn't be here. Tonight was supposed to be fun with the people we were closest to. That wasn't James' parents. And to me, it seemed pretty clear that that was on them, not James. I was done pushing it. I just wanted us to be happy. We had enough negativity that we couldn't shake. I didn't need to add to it.
"I can't wait to hear their speech," I said.
"Me too." James smiled. "Although, I have no idea what they're planning to say."
"Probably something about how lucky Penny is to have you," Melissa said with a smile. "Okay, I have no segue. But what's the deal with that caterer over there? God, he's gorgeous isn't he?"
"So gorgeous," someone said from behind us.
I turned around. "Hi, Kendra."
"Girl, you were not lying about the plethora of single men. It's like walking into a very elegant candy shop. Now I just need to find the right flavor lollipop."
I laughed.
"Don't be gross," Marie said from beside her. "Hey guys," she said and gave me and James each a hug.
"Congratulations, you two," her husband, Carter, said. He gave me a hug and James a handshake. "Kendra has been talking non-stop about weird, sexual candy references the whole taxi ride over here. I need a drink."
James laughed. "Come with me."
"I still can't believe you snagged the sexiest bachelor in New York," Kendra sighed.
"We were just talking about that," Melissa said.
"Wait, you're referring to Carter, right?" Marie said.
We all laughed. I don't know what I had been so worried about. Tonight was going so well.
Chapter 10
Friday
Yes, I may have had a crush on Rory in high school. But that in no way reflected on the fact that his food seriously was amazing. It was even better than the restaurant he used to work at. La Patisserie was probably going out of business without him. Plus, after the stress of the day, I hadn't realized how hungry I was until there was food right in front of me.
It took me awhile to realize that James was staring at me. I wiped my napkin across my mouth. "Sorry," I whispered.
"About what?"
I laughed. "Eating like a ravenous animal."
He smiled. "That's not why I was staring at you."
"Then why were you staring?"
He grabbed my hand on top of the table and ran his thumb along my palm. Whenever he did that, I automatically felt comforted. "Because I'm so happy that we're here. And that you forgave me. This morning, I woke up and realized what I had done and I...I couldn't breathe. I thought I lost you. Baby, I don't ever not want to be staring at you when I wake up."
He had said something similar to me once before. About how his house growing up felt stifling, like he couldn't breathe. He used to escape to his tree house. And when he grew up he found other devices; booze, drugs, sex, anything that made him feel like he was still breathing. Why did he keep saying stuff like this to me? Why was he tainting what we had with his insecurities? What we had was so much more than booze or drugs or sex. We had talked about this, and I thought he was going to accept that our love was just that...love. But it seemed like he was going backwards. I didn't know how to make him stop falling.
"James..."
The clinking of a glass made us turn our heads.
Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell slowly stood up. "For those of you who don't know us, we're Mason and Matthew's parents." Mrs. Caldwell gestured to her sons. "Our boys and James basically grew up together, mostly getting in all sorts of trouble. And I'm not excluding you, Rob," she said and pointed to him. "He was the most troublesome of the four."
Rob laughed and winked at James.
"James, you have always been part of our family. And I just want you to know how much we care about you. And how happy we are that you found someone who sees you the way we see you. Max," she said and squeezed her husband's arm. She had grabbed a napkin and was blotting her eyes.
Mr. Ca
ldwell cleared his throat. "James. I see the lives that you and my boys have carved out, and I can't help but feel proud. I know you're not my son, but I knew you as a baby. I saw you grow up. I taught you how to play catch and ride a bike, and..." he cleared his throat again. "I'll always be there for you. We'll always be there for you." He put his arm around Mrs. Caldwell. "And Penny. You make him happier than we've ever seen him." He smiled at me and raised his glass. "Here's to hoping that your life will be blessed with children as wonderful as ours and an extended family that shares equal space in your hearts." He lifted up his glass. "We love you both. And we're so happy for you. Here's to the happy couple."
James and I clinked our glasses together.
A slow clapping from the doorway made me turn my head. James' parents were standing there. "Maxwell, that was a wonderful speech," Mrs. Hunter said. She laughed, but it came out icy. "I always wondered why James begged us to play little league. Such a waste of time if you ask me. I guess we can blame that on you. I should have known. Honestly, Maxwell, you really should have asked us if it was okay."
Okay to play catch with their son who wanted to be outdoors? Laughing and having fun and just being a kid? Was she being serious right now?
Jen was the first one to acknowledge the awkwardness of the situation. She quickly stood up and walked over to them. "Mom, Dad! I didn't think you were coming." She kissed them both on the cheek.
"We didn't even realize the wedding was back on. We had to hear it through the grapevine. The girl told me it was over."
The girl? God, did she even know my name?
I saw some people turn toward me and James out of the corner of my eye. Only a few people knew about last night. My parents weren't among them. Shit.
James cleared his throat. "Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell, thank you so much for that wonderful toast. Being at your house was the highlight of my childhood. As you might have guessed. I'm sorry, if you'll all excuse me." He tossed his napkin on the table. His chair squeaked against the floor and he made his way over to his parents. He walked out the front door without saying a word to either of them. Mrs. Hunter smiled at me and then followed her son out of the apartment with her husband in tow.
