by Karen Booth
"Oh, yeah. Definitely." Sam nodded, looking around the room. It felt as though she would have paid anything to avoid looking at me. She was having all kinds of change foisted upon her. I couldn't expect her to meet it all with enthusiasm.
"I love babies, but they can be so much work,” Julie said. “I don't know how you're going to be able to deal with the sleep deprivation at forty. It's going to be a lot different than when you were twenty-two, that’s for sure. Oh, and the laundry, good God, the laundry. How a tiny human can go through so many clothes always mystified me." She shook a can of hairspray and popped off the top. "Don't forget the dirty diapers and the crying. You'll be lucky if any of you are able to get any sleep."
As if Sam didn't have enough reasons to be unexcited about this. "I'll have Chris to help me. We'll do great. I'm excited."
"He says that now, but men aren't equipped to deal with all of that." Julie sniggered, spraying my hair and creating a cloud in the process.
"That enough hairspray," I said. "I probably shouldn't be breathing in all of that right now."
"Oh, sorry." Julie held her hands up in surrender.
Sam hopped off the counter and knelt to tie her shoe. "I haven't been around many babies, but I guess it'll be okay."
I reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We may have a new baby coming, but you’ll always be my first."
She looked up at me, sucking in the corner of her bottom lip. "Okay, Mom."
Chapter Twenty-Five
Graham helped me put on the jacket of my best suit—charcoal gray, Italian, custom made for me a year or two ago. I buttoned the top two of the three buttons. With the wedding at home, a tuxedo seemed like too much. Plus, I’d never liked the way I looked in them and this suit had cost a fortune. Best to get my money’s worth.
He patted me on the shoulder firmly, smiling at my reflection in the mirror. “Now, don’t be nervous. You can ask me whatever you want about the wedding night. You must have a lot of questions about sex.”
I laughed and shook my head. “You’re a bloody wanker. You know that, don’t you?”
“Ah, you love me for it.” He leaned against the wall of the nursery, which we were using as a dressing area.
I turned and looked into the eyes of my oldest friend, a pain in the ass who I loved to the ends of the earth. We were both starting to show our age and it wasn’t surprising—we’d been through the war together. Granted, the war had been an unforgettable ride littered with limousines, recording sessions and Dom Perignon. “You’re really serious about getting the band back together?”
“Yes. Terence and Nigel will gladly talk your ear off about it later if you like. Or I can bring them upstairs now. Last minute band meeting?”
“Later. I have a few things on my mind right now.” I hadn’t expected nerves, but now that we were closer to go-time, my palms were starting to sweat. I tugged at the cuff of my shirt. “What’s Nigel’s new wife’s name again?”
“Heather.”
“I don’t know why Terence said she was dumb. She seemed very intelligent.” I combed my fingers through my hair, none too carefully. Claire had reminded me that morning that she preferred it messy.
“Oh, she’s blooming brilliant. Turns out when Terence called her a rocket scientist, that she actually is a rocket scientist. It’s a real job.” Graham tossed his hands up in the air as if he couldn’t possibly be more confounded.
“Wonder how long before she figures out who she married.”
“He seems to have pulled the wool over her eyes pretty well.”
“Did Terence bring his girlfriend? The one we’re supposed to call Angela so we don’t confuse her with Angie?”
“That one dumped him. He has a new one. Name’s Michele. She’s just as gorgeous, minus the Southern accent.”
I glanced down and noticed a scuff on my black leather dress shoes. “Never a dull moment, is there?” I grabbed the towel I’d used after my shower and kneeled down to buff the mark from the toe.
“Yeah, meant to tell you. Claire’s dad had to scare off some bloke with a camera who was lurking in the driveway.”
Bloody hell. “Really?”
“No worries. He’s gone. Richard has the police patrolling the neighborhood. And I know you love it. The limelight. The attention.”
“Not like that, I don’t.”
“You know what I mean. Being in the thick of it.” He cleared his throat. “What do you say, man? You ready to write some new songs? Get into the studio? Find a new record label?”
I straightened and tossed the towel aside. “In theory, it sounds amazing. I’d be a fool to turn down the chance to make another run at it, especially after the high of the New York shows. But with the baby coming and Claire’s new job, I’m not sure. I need more time to think about it before I make that sort of commitment.”
Graham nodded and smiled, but I sensed he would have preferred a straight-out “yes” from me. “Absolutely. Just don’t take too much time. We’re chomping at the bit.”
“Got it. Don’t worry. I’ll have an answer for you in a few weeks. Does that work?”
“I’d like it sooner, but I suppose so. Not much sense making a decision until after the holidays.”
Richard poked his head into the room. “Everybody decent?”
“Richard. Didn’t Chris tell you that I’m never decent?” Graham stood and shook Richard’s hand so enthusiastically that Richard’s shoulders bounced. “I’m really quite a pervert when it comes right down to it.” He elbowed Richard in the stomach.
Pervert. Just what Richard needs to think of my best man. Never before had I had a desire to rescue Richard. I usually enjoyed watching him squirm, but Graham might have been a bit much. “All set downstairs?”
“We are. I just checked in with Sam and Claire is almost ready. We should take our places.”
“Graham, do you mind if Richard and I have a minute together?”
“Yeah, of course. I’ll be waiting at the bottom of the stairs.” He clapped me on the back and strode out of the room.
“Everything okay, Chris? It’s okay to have some jitters. I did like crazy the day I married Claire’s mom.”
“Oh yeah? Nervous?” Anytime Richard offered some sliver of his past, I was eager to have it, especially when he talked about Sara. It made me feel a little closer to the woman I would never know, the woman so monumentally important to Claire.
“Oh, good lord. The minister practically had to talk me off the ledge. I was shaking in my boots. Of course, I wasn’t actually wearing boots.”
I laughed. “So what made the difference?”
“Seeing her in that dress, walking up the aisle to me, the most beautiful smile on her face. She was a perfect angel. I knew then that I shouldn’t be nervous about being the luckiest man on earth. I just needed to get her to say “I do” as quickly as possible before she realized what she was doing.”
“You know, Richard, it means the world to me to have your blessing. Truly.”
“I don’t offer it lightly.”
That’s an understatement. “I realize that.”
“Claire’s lucky to have found you, Chris.” He looked down at the floor, out the window, anywhere but at me. “I know I misjudged you when we first met. I can admit that now.” He then did something I never expected. He hugged me. “I’m proud to have you for a son-in-law.” His voice trembled, such an expression of emotion for a stodgy, closed-off man.
“I’m happy to have you for a father-in-law.” He stepped out of the hug and I straightened the front of my jacket. “I’m glad we’ve had the time working on the studio together. It’s been great fun. You know, I missed out on that sort of thing with my own dad. You’re the closest thing I have to a father.”
“I’m sure this is hard for you. I know it’s hard for Claire to get married, knowing her mom can’t be here. It’s certainly difficult for me.”
“All we can do is keep the love we have for the people who aren’t here any
more and move forward.”
With a flick of his wrist, he looked at his watch. “Speaking of moving forward, I believe you have a date with my daughter.”
My hands again became clammy. “Do I ever.” We walked down the hall, stopping outside the master bedroom.
“Move along, buster.” Richard shooed me away with his hand, faking sternness. “No seeing the bride ahead of time.”
“I know. I know.”
Graham was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. “It’s show time, P-man.” He grabbed on to my shoulders, as if I was a fighter in the ring and he was my trainer.
“Hey. The jacket. Careful.”
We stepped into the living room, where the chairs were lined up on either side of a white carpet runner. Angie had been put in charge of getting everyone to take their seats, and they were all there—Bryce, who had been sworn to secrecy, and had told his parents he was merely coming to our house for dinner. Rosie, who was now so openly annoyed by Richard’s behavior that she insisted someone else give her a ride home after the ceremony. Claire’s sister Julie’s husband, Matt, Terence and his girlfriend Michele, Nigel and his new wife, Heather, the rocket scientist. My mum and Kate were in the front. Kate managed half a smile, which might be as much approval as I would ever get from her.
It wasn’t the grandest gathering of people, but we had wanted it this way. If Claire had invited any of her writer friends or I had invited other musicians, word would’ve leaked out. Not a great way to meet your new neighbors after two weeks in the neighborhood by having photographers stake out the house. I felt badly that Angie was Claire’s only girlfriend in attendance. I had a relatively big turnout, but perhaps that was part of being in a band. At least Claire had her sister.
Graham and I took our places at the end of the aisle, in the far corner of the living room. The municipal court judge we’d hired to marry us, stood waiting, in a black suit. He nodded, but that was as much emotion as he showed.
Angie disappeared down the hall and returned seconds later, flitting along in a dress of royal blue, with a big grin on her face. She looked straight away at Graham and gave him the high sign, then took her seat. He took his cue and pushed play on the iPod, starting Stevie Wonder’s Happier Than The Morning Sun. It couldn’t have been any more perfect…the sparse arrangement of guitar and layered vocals, lyrics that expressed exactly how I felt—happier than the morning sun.
Sam emerged from the hall and the smile on my face could not be suppressed. She marched, a bit faster than she’d been instructed, wearing a cheeky grin. I laughed quietly when I noticed the black high-tops, as did everyone in attendance.
Richard appeared and turned back toward the hall, holding out his arm. I held my breath as I watched him wait for Claire. I could see her in my head—striding down the hall, flowers in hand, on her way to her dad. In seemingly slow motion, she rounded the corner and I couldn’t fully fathom the weight of the moment—her beauty, her very being, everything I’d ever wanted from another person. She hooked her arm in her dad’s and he held on to her for dear life. I couldn’t blame him. I wouldn’t have wanted to let her go either.
As she approached, I was so taken aback by the smile in her eyes that I’d hardly noticed the dress or the flowers or the way she’d done her hair, the trappings that required so much planning. It was nothing more than a beautiful backdrop for my stunning prize—Claire.
She kissed her dad on the cheek and he sat next to Bryce as the final strains of the song wound their way through the room. With a single step, she was exactly where she belonged, next to me. I took her hand and leaned into her ear. “We have to stop meeting like this.”
She elbowed me and giggled.
“Friends and family,” the judge started. “We are gathered here today to witness the marriage of Claire Louise Abby and Christopher James Penman. Claire and Christopher have come together out of love and respect, choosing to live their lives together as husband and wife, expanding family ties and embarking on a grand human adventure. We are here to celebrate their love and commitment, which is about more than the joining of two lives, it is the union of two souls.”
I squeezed her hand. She did the same in return.
“Claire and Christopher will exchange vows they themselves have written.”
Claire handed her flowers to Samantha, who now appeared to be shedding more than a tear. Claire and I faced each other and held hands.
I cleared my throat, but there was an awfully big lump present as she looked up at me with her wide blue eyes. She’d been radiant the entire pregnancy, but today it was magnified.
“Claire, I thought I knew what life was all about until I met you. Then I realized that everything around me was empty because I didn’t have you.” I counted off a few heartbeats. It wasn’t that I couldn’t remember what I needed to say next. I only wanted her and everyone around us to understand how much I meant it. “You are my sunrise and sunset, the air I breathe, the quietest of moments, and the loudest of exclamations. Everything I do is for you and that will remain until I have nothing left on this earth to give.”
Claire sniffled and a tear rolled down her cheek. “That was beautiful,” she whispered.
“Thanks.” I choked back a tear. “Your turn.” My heart sped up as she eased closer to me and turned her back to the crowd.
“Excuse me,” she whispered to the judge, reaching into her cleavage for a piece of paper. He didn’t seem the slightest bit shocked. “I didn’t want to forget anything.”
I let out a quiet, breathy laugh. Always keeping me on my toes.
She stood back and peeked at the paper before closing her hand around it. “Christopher, you make me feel like the luckiest woman in the whole world. Every day.” The way she trembled when she took in a deep breath made me want to sweep her into my arms. “You are sweet and kind and patient, but most of all, I know that the love you give to me is always freely given. You have accepted my daughter without reservation, welcoming her into your life, and that has meant the world to me. You love me and accept my every flaw. I love you more than you will ever know, but I will do my best to show you every day for the rest of my life.”
Wow. “Well done, darling.”
“Now, we will exchange the rings,” the judge said.
I turned to Graham, who handed me the Tiffany box with Claire’s diamond band.
“Claire, you will go first,” the judge said.
“I, Claire, give you Christopher, this ring as an eternal symbol of my love and commitment to you.” She placed my dad’s wonderfully scuffed wedding band on my finger. It fit perfectly. I glanced over at my mum, who was in a heap of tears, clutching a handkerchief. If only Dad had been around for this.
“I, Christopher, give you Claire, this ring as an eternal symbol of my love and commitment to you.” Claire held out her hand and I slipped the diamond Tiffany band on to her slender finger.
“By the power vested in me by the state of North Carolina, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Finally. I wrapped my arms around her and tilted her back, planting the most important kiss of our lives as a couple against her supple lips. She kissed me back—and then some. Graham hooted and hollered. I swore I heard Richard mutter, “That’s enough you two.”
“I would like to present husband and wife, Christopher Penman and Claire Abby-Penman.”
Everyone stood, erupting in applause.
Graham attacked me with a hug. “I’m so bloody happy for you, Chris. Really.”
I hardly had time to turn away before Kate was there to hug me as well, then my mum, her face red and puffy. I grasped her elbow, looked into her sweet eyes. “Mum, thank you so much for being here. It wouldn’t have felt right without you.”
She shook her head, bawling like a baby. “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”
I pulled her into a snug embrace and watched as Claire and Sam clung to each other, rocking back and forth—what an emotional moment fo
r the two of them. Hell, it was emotional for all of us.
The next several minutes were congratulatory hug and handshake after hug and handshake, when all I wanted was to find my bride. After she’d hugged Rosie, I lunged for her and grabbed her hand. “Come here. I’m not letting you go for the rest of the evening.” I got a heady waft of her perfume as she pressed into me.
“Please don’t let go.”
Angie, Graham, Sam and Bryce were clearing the chairs to the sides of the room. Richard dimmed the lights and turned on the switch for the lanterns above, which transformed the room into a space suitable for a party, something I sensed we were all anxious to start as the room was abuzz with happy chatter and commotion. Graham and Angie strode over, hand in hand.
“I don’t think the judge did it right,” Graham said. “I kept waiting for the part where I object.”
Angie swatted him on the arm. “It was lovely you two. Really.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
I thought I’d seen Chris look irresistible in every way possible, but I was oh so wrong. He was particularly devastating as he slumped against our bedroom door on our wedding night—suit pants hanging loose around his waist, wrinkly shirt mostly unbuttoned, hair a wonderful mess, feet bare, toting a bottle and two stemmed glasses.
“They’re gone. Finally. Everyone is out the bloody door.” He sauntered into the room, nearly weaving across the floor out of exhaustion, stopping short of the bed and cocking his oh-my-god-get-over-here-right-now eyebrow.
“I can only have a tiny sip of champagne.” The glow from the candles I’d set out around the room caught his cheekbones with flickers of gold.
“Sparkling cider, darling.” He placed the bottle on his bedside table, set a knee on the mattress and flipped over to his back. “Mmm. You look comfortable.”
“Do you like it?” I smiled, guessing the answer, as he didn’t hesitate to rake his hand up my thigh. It might have been as close as I came to playing seductress—a low-cut ivory nightgown of lace and silk charmeuse, but I felt certain that it was right on the money for Chris.
