“See you at the church, cupcake,” he said.
“I’ll be there,” Mel said. She stood in the door and waved until he drove away. She was going to marry that boy.
“Mel!” Angie cried her name from the second floor and Mel turned and raced to the stairs. It was showtime.
Eighteen
Getting dressed while not mussing her hair and makeup proved more of a challenge than Mel was prepared for. How she wished for the simplicity of her chef’s hat and coat right about now.
Angie’s colors from the start had been aqua and pewter. Her bridesmaids wore varying shades of pewter in all different styles, so there were one-shouldered dresses with elaborate beading, strapless dresses with a flared skirt, and dresses with a sweetheart neckline with cap sleeves and beading along the hem. All together, they looked stunning.
As maid of honor, Mel was the lone aqua-colored dress in the bunch. To Mel, it looked like a light shade of blue, but Kim, the dressmaker, had insisted it was in fact aqua, and Mel knew that Kim had a bride-shaped pincushion in her office that looked remarkably like a voodoo doll, so she didn’t argue.
The dress was beautiful whether it was called aqua or blue or green. The bodice was snug and the skirt flared. Aqua- and pewter-colored beads were embroidered along the short cap sleeves and the hem, making Mel feel very feminine, especially since she lived in jeans and T-shirts most of the time.
All of the bridesmaids wore matching low-heeled pewter-colored sandals, and as they gathered one by one in the DeLauras’ master bedroom, where Angie was getting dressed, Mel felt her tension ratchet up. This was it. After today, everything changed between her and Tate and Angie. When her friends had started dating, she had been worried that things would change. They had, but only a little. Now, she suspected, big changes were coming.
Tate and Angie would be an officially recognized legal twosome. They would have kids and build a new world in which Mel was only a visitor. That was okay. She and Joe would likely do the same and she was excited about that. Still, she wanted a moment with her longtime friend just to tell her how much she loved her, how much she appreciated Angie always having her back, and that Mel would always be there for her. No matter what.
She tightened the strap on her shoes and crossed the bedroom to do just that.
“Angie, you’re going to have a wardrobe malfunction if you’re not careful,” her sister-in-law Suzie said. “Every time you bend over, you’re flashing boobage.”
“What?” Angie cried. “How is that possible? That never happened in the fitting room.”
“Did you bend over in the fitting room?” Suzie asked.
“No.”
“Well, there you go.”
“Oh, no!” Angie wailed.
Which was when Mel realized that this was not going to be their shared moment. Instead, she went into crisis-prevention mode.
“Up, up,” she said. She gestured with her hands for Angie to stand.
“Oh my god, Mel,” Angie cried. She grabbed her hand and said, “I don’t know what happened, but my dress is showing more of me than I’m comfortable with. I’m going to end up flashing someone and it will get filmed, and I’ll end up going viral like that unfortunate hat shop girl from London that we met on vacation who threw cake at her lying married boyfriend.”
“No, you’re not,” Mel said. “Relax.”
She opened her purse and pulled out a roll of double-sided sticky tape. She always carried this tape with her because it came in handy at different venues. It worked like magic to keep her cupcake displays from toppling over.
“We’re going to tape your dress in place,” Mel said.
Angie clutched her front. “Is that a good idea?”
“Do you have a better one?”
“No.”
“Okay, then, trust me.” Mel set to work taping the bodice down. The rest of the women and girls fluttered around the room, doing their last-minute preparations.
Mel figured now was as good a time as any to have a quick chat.
“Ange—” That was as far as she got.
“Oh, Angie.” Maria DeLaura entered the room in cloud of lavender silk. She clasped her hands over her chest and immediately started to water up. “You are beautiful.”
Mel finished fitting the last piece of tape and backed up. It was mother-daughter time. She could wait. Suzie ushered everyone out of the room, including Mel.
The bridesmaids all hurried downstairs to fortify themselves with food and the last of the coffee. Mel always had time for a snack. She was taking a bite of her chocolate croissant very carefully over the sink when a man spoke from behind her.
“Well, who knew Melanie Cooper could clean up to be such a beauty?” Ray DeLaura asked.
“I did,” Joe said. He entered the room, looking impossibly handsome in his tuxedo. Then he pursed his lips and gave Mel a wolf whistle while he looked her over from head to toe.
“Some guys have all the luck,” Ray said. He winked at Mel and moved past her to attack the plate of pastries on the counter.
“Yes, I do,” Joe said. Mel dropped her croissant and he pulled her into a careful hug. “You look gorgeous.”
This. This right here was a moment that, had Mel known about it during her unfortunate adolescence, would have pulled her through a million dark days of bad diets, binge eating, acne, braces, and assorted other teenage horrors.
“Thank you,” she said. She was pleased that she did not sound as breathless as she felt. Even after all this time, Joe could still make her dizzy.
“How’s the bride holding up?”
“Small wardrobe malfunction, but we sticky-taped our way through it.”
“If that’s the worst thing that happens today, we can call it a win.”
“How is Tate holding up?”
“Great. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone smile wider. He is so ready to make Angie his bride.”
Mel smiled. She could only imagine. “He wasn’t singing, was he?”
“All morning long,” Joe said. “Then he got panicky and sent me here to do bride recon for him. I told him I’d make sure everything was a go and then I’d take him to the church. Right now he is in the very capable hands of Marty and Oz.”
“Oz?” Mel asked. “What about the cupcakes?”
“We delivered them to the reception hall early this morning,” Joe said. “No worries. We’ve got this.”
Mel forced herself to relax. A smidgen. Truly, she didn’t think she’d be able to relax until the wedding was over and they were two or three drinks into the reception, but still she tried.
“All right, people,” Ray called out from where he hovered over the pastries. “We have thirty minutes until showtime. Thirty minutes. If you have to use the bathroom, do it now. The limo will be leaving for the church in thirty minutes.”
“That’s my cue to go get the groom,” Joe said. He very carefully kissed Mel’s cheek. “Give Angie my love, okay?”
“I promise,” Mel said. Although when she’d have a chance to tell Angie about Joe’s feelings, when she hadn’t even had a chance to tell her her own feelings, Mel had no idea.
It was rush, rush, rush to the limo, which was packed with bridesmaids. Mel sat next to Angie on the bench seat in the back while the rest of the ladies filled the side seats. The younger ones, who’d never been in a limousine before, giggled and chattered. Angie smiled at her family, but she had a faraway look on her face, as if she was thinking about something else.
“You okay?” Mel asked.
Angie turned to her and nodded. “I am. I feel as if I’ve planned everything I can for this day and now it just has to roll out however it does.”
“That’s very Zen of you,” Mel said.
“I watched Father of the Bride last night with my dad,” Angie said.
“Steve Martin versio
n?”
“Of course,” Angie said. “He cried—my dad.”
“Aw,” Mel said. She could see Mr. DeLaura watering up. “Was it at the part where the father realizes he’s been dreading this moment since the day she was born?”
“Yeah,” Angie said. “It made me realize that Tate and I will be doing the same thing, you know, someday.”
“Circle of life,” Mel said.
“Promise me—” Angie began, but was drowned out by the stereo kicking in. Her niece Kaylee had found the music, which she cranked.
“What?” Mel yelled at Angie. She saw her lips move, but she couldn’t understand a word she said.
“What?” Angie yelled in return.
They frowned at each other and then at Kaylee, who was dancing in her seat. Oblivious to their ire, Kaylee kept grooving, getting the other young bridesmaids to join in. Finally, Suzie reached across the limo and slapped the music off.
“Honestly,” she said. “We’re on our way to church. Settle down.”
“You are no fun.” Kaylee pouted.
Suzie pressed finger to her right eyelid as if to stop it from twitching. “I can live with that.”
“Oh, we’re here,” one of the bridesmaids cried.
They all turned to look out the window. There it was with its doors wide open, the DeLaura family church where Angie and Tate would get married. A sudden bout of nerves hit Mel. This was it. They were down to mere minutes. She wanted to talk to Angie. She needed just a minute, but there wasn’t a second to be had.
Again, it was hurry, hurry, hurry into the church, where all of their family and friends were gathered. Mel could hear the noise of the crowd right before all of the bridesmaids and Angie were hustled into a small room at the front of the church.
Angie’s cousin Judi was there. She looked lovely in a floral dress that had just the right shade of blue in it. She calmly took Angie’s hands and talked her through what would be happening next. A woman from the church joined them as well.
Once they left, Father Francis arrived with Angie’s dad. He was a jovial priest who’d been close to the DeLaura family for years. Mel watched as he said a blessing over Angie and then told her he’d see her at the altar. Angie nodded and gave him a happy, nervous smile.
As Father Francis walked by Mel, he leaned close and said, “I expect I’ll be seeing you, Melanie Cooper, for some pre-marriage counseling.”
“Uh . . . I . . . um,” Mel stammered.
Father Francis winked at her. “Don’t be nervous. You picked a fine man in Joe DeLaura.”
“Thank you, Father,” Mel said.
He left and the door closed behind him. Mel stood staring at it. She hadn’t really thought about it before, but this was the DeLaura family church. Of course they would be married here. She glanced down at her ring. Was she ready for that? A small smile curved her lips. Yes, yes, she was.
“Okay, it’s time,” Judi announced from the door. “The music is about to start. The ushers are bringing in the moms. Everyone line up.”
Mel pulled herself away from her thoughts and took her place in line. Judi handed each of them their bouquets, which had been dropped off at the church by Annabelle, the florist, earlier that day.
Mel glanced over her shoulder to see Angie take her father’s arm. Mr. DeLaura looked like he would burst with pride. Mel didn’t want to take his moment, so she flashed Angie the hand sign that meant I love you and when Angie flashed it back they shared a smile and Mel took her place in line. This was it.
The moment had arrived when Angie would become Mrs. Tate Harper.
Nineteen
The service was perfect. Angie didn’t light herself on fire, trip over her gown, or say the wrong name. She did cry, however. When it came time to say her vows, she blinked and bit her lip, and in a voice that quavered with emotion, she promised to love and cherish Tate all the days of her life.
The tenderness with which Tate gazed upon his bride made Mel’s resolve not to cry melt into tears that streamed down her face. Tate wiped away Angie’s tears with his thumbs and looked at her as if he could not believe that this amazing woman had just vowed to be his wife.
When he slid the ring onto her finger, and said, “With this ring, I thee wed,” his voice was gruff and his eyes watery. It was Angie’s turn to look upon the man she loved with all of the love in her heart. Mel glanced over her shoulder at the packed church. There was not a dry eye in the house.
When she looked back, she felt Joe’s gaze upon her. His warm brown eyes made her heart pound triple-time. His expression told her he couldn’t wait for it to be their turn. Mel smiled at him. She couldn’t, either.
They turned back to the bride and groom just in time to hear Father Francis say, “You may kiss the bride.”
Tate leaned in and kissed Angie as if no one else were there. When it went on a little longer than necessary, Tony and Al both took a step in the direction of the altar and Joe cleared his throat and gave Tate a solid nudge. Tate released Angie just in time.
“I now present Mr. and Mrs. Tate Harper,” Father Francis said. The guests cheered wildly as happy music pealed out of the old church organ, and Tate grabbed Angie’s hand and they ran up the aisle together. Joe held out his arm to Mel and she took it, and they followed in the newly married couple’s wake.
* * *
• • •
The reception was held at the Italian-American Club, a place Angie’s parents had been going to for years. Mel had wondered how the upscale Harpers would react to a non-country-club venue. Well, it turned out, given that Mr. Harper was a lover of all things Frank Sinatra and that the club catered to that suave vibe, he was in heaven.
Mel saw him at the bar with Mr. DeLaura. He had his arm around him and they were crooning together as if they’d just achieved world peace, and they couldn’t look happier or more relieved.
Mrs. DeLaura and Mrs. Harper were standing off to the side, shaking their heads at their men, although Mel could tell they were secretly pleased.
Mel scouted the room for Angie and found her standing amid a cluster of female relatives, showing off her platinum, diamond-encrusted wedding band and glowing like the perfect happy bride.
While Angie stood with the girls, Mel noted that Tate was surrounded by his new brothers-in-law. There was clearly some heavy male bonding going on as they all drank a toast to brotherhood and downed a shot. Al got so into it, he tried to chest bump Tate, who wasn’t looking and was nearly knocked unconscious.
But there was Joe, catching Tate before he rammed his head into the wall and putting him back on his feet. The brothers were all laughing and so was Tate. Mel remembered the first time she’d met Tate in middle school. He’d been socially awkward like her, and had no friends, but when he found out she liked old movies, he busted out a horrible Groucho Marx impression that had landed her in detention for her uncontrollable laughter. They’d been fast friends from that moment on, easily folding Angie into their tiny group when she arrived as the new kid.
As Mel studied him now, she realized that he no longer wore the look of a lonely boy who wasn’t sure where he fit in. Being embraced into the DeLaura family by Angie’s brothers had erased that lonely little kid forever. Mel couldn’t be happier for him.
She scanned the room, searching for the rest of her people. Her mother was dancing with Uncle Stan. She made a mental note to ask her uncle if Joyce had told him who she was seeing. Given Joyce’s history, Mel didn’t think a background check would be out of order—if Uncle Stan hadn’t done one yet.
Then she glanced over at Marty and Oz. If there were two more miserable looking men, she didn’t know who they’d be. They resembled two tuxedo-wearing wallflowers that were drooping. It was as if they belonged to their own personal lonely hearts club. Without hesitation, Mel went where she was needed.
She strode across the dance floor to
wards the corner, where Oz stood nursing a soda and Marty a soda with some kick. She forced herself to smile as she joined them.
“Hey, guys,” she said. “What’s the good word?”
“Open bar,” Marty said.
Mel gave him a look and he took a swig of his beverage.
She maneuvered herself in between them and leaned against the wall as if surveying the crowd with them.
“Good party,” she said.
“Yeah, it’s great,” Marty said. “Angie and Tate look really happy.”
“Really happy,” Oz repeated morosely.
Mel would have hugged him but she suspected that he didn’t want her to draw attention to his pitiful state. “Come on, guys, look around you. There are loads of ladies just looking for a hot guy to ask them to dance.”
“I don’t dance,” Oz said.
“Not even with me?” a voice asked from his other side.
Oz whipped his head in that direction, causing his bangs to shift to the side. Standing next to him was his girlfriend, Lupe, and she looked beautiful.
“Lupe, I thought you had to study for midterms,” he said.
“I figured I could cram for it on the plane,” she said.
Oz stood blinking at her, not moving, until Marty gave him a hard shove to the back.
“Don’t just stand there, dummy. Kiss the girl before she thinks you’re not happy to see her,” he said.
Oz sent Marty a dark look, but then turned back to Lupe and opened his arms. She stepped into his embrace and the two of them drifted away into their own bubble of giddy couplehood.
“Well,” Marty said. He stared into his drink.
“Marty, what’s going on?” Mel asked. “You’ve been weird ever since Olivia threw you out.”
Marty took a slow sip of his drink as if to avoid talking.
“Come on, you can tell me,” Mel said.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said. Mel opened her mouth to argue but he held up his hand in a stop gesture. “I miss her, okay?”
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