Invisible Crown

by T. A. Hardenbrook

  My stomach lurched as laughter tore through my body. Of course Danielle was worried about what my cast looked like for the big day. I’m surprised she didn’t call the doctor before hand and made them send some color samples to her for approval.

  “Seems like it’s starting to take effect.” Scrolling something on the tablet she had been carrying, the nurse gave us a quick smile and headed for the door. “If all goes well, we shouldn’t keep you more than an hour or so.”

  “Thank you,” I managed to say without holding the bin up to my face.

  Thank the heavens for amazing drugs, now if my stomach would only hold that sandwich I knew Reid had sitting on the far chair, today wouldn’t be a total waste. That, and the world obviously didn’t end when I was knocked out.

  Smiling, I let me head rest the back of the chair, while letting out a sigh. I really wasn’t prepared to get all buff, start living off the land, and become even more demented in the head from lack of social interactions than I already was. Zombie apocalypse wasn’t something I would be preparing for.

  “I now know why some people get addicted to all those prescription pills. The last couple weeks had been freaking fantastic.” Staring out the car window, I turned my head and tossed a smile over at Reid. The vomiting finally stopped, and they loaded me up with some magical concoction of drugs before leaving the medical building. Basically, a mysterious cocktail that calmed my stomach and took all the pain away.

  “What about the unicorns, Molly?” Tiny asked from the front seat. The amusement in his voice was hard to hide, as he stifled a small chuckle with one of his large hands.

  “Asshole,” I muttered. I had no clue what he was talking about, but figured it was something I probably said while sedated; Loopy Molly had always been a good time. At least I hadn’t started in on my elaborate plans of world domination, or what would happen if zombies took over the world. A girl had to have some secrets.

  “Megan hired a nurse for the next forty eight hours, so she should be at the house right now.” Reid braced himself for impact, squishing himself into the side of the door.

  Lifting my good hand, I thought about whapping him across the head, but figured it wasn’t his idea on the whole nurse thing.

  “Why do we have a nurse, Reid?” I calmly asked, trying to suppress the anger that had been trying to override my drug induced happiness.

  “Megan’s idea.” Giving me a sketchy smile, I automatically knew he had taken part in that decision too.

  “Great,” I grumbled. Resting my head on the cool window, my stomach started to growl from hunger. I had yet to eat that stupid sandwich, but I knew better than unwrapping it. My body might be claiming it was hungry, but I also knew my stomach was a lying sack of shit. The moment I opened my mouth to shove it down the hatch, that once delicious sandwich would come back up, and sadly I wouldn’t be able to eat another one in a hell of a long time.

  “Molly Anne, with the wedding next week, and the baby, and you just coming out of surgery, the last thing we need was you getting run down to the point where you were a few months ago. It’s just to help for the next few days. Danielle basically moved into one of the guest bedrooms, Megan hired the nurse, and found a reliable company to deliver the groceries, and Stephanie even sent over a chef who prepped meals for the next could days. Everyone just wants to make sure you were okay, so don’t get all moody over the generosity of your friends.” Reid straightened himself up, no longer cowering in the crack of the car door.

  Letting out an irritated snort, I knew he was right. There was no way I would have been able to keep up with everything without help, and not drive myself directly into the ground wasn’t probably good for my heath. My mother could have done it all. She could have been on her death bed and that woman would be in six inch heels, pearls, and the perfect French twist tucked neatly on the back of her head, all while baking fourteen dozen cookies for some charity she didn’t even know the name of. Being sick was never a good enough excuse to not be put together, but thankfully the apple fell far away from that tree when I popped out of her nether regions. As much as I liked to pretend I’m was not a total control freak, I didn’t exactly live in a lifestyle where that was possible. Not to mention, we had an infant in the house, and lord knew that sleep wasn’t happening during the nighttime.

  “We’ve got everything under control, Molly. The strippers know they have to clean up after themselves after tonight’s party.” Tiny tried to contain the laughter, but it all went to hell when Reid reached over the headrest and whapped him.

  “Strippers carry diseases, and shit like that won’t be brought into our house around the baby. You can mount the pole outside somehow, at least it’s easier to hose that shit off.” Rolling my eyes, I shook my head at Reid and then closed them for the remainder of the drive. Sure, I was technically only marrying Reid next week, but Tiny came as a packaged deal. Thankfully, I only had to sleep with one of them.

  Chapter 26

  Drugging the wedding planner is always a viable option.

  Had you asked me a year ago if I thought marriage was in my future, I would have laughed and asked if you were fucking crazy? Most women dream of this day, and I just wanted to get the damn thing over with. I had probably said it a million and one times by now, but it would have been way easier to fly off and elope somewhere. Hell, I’d even drive down to the court house if it saved me some sanity. Everyone around me was in constant overdrive, and the whole shebang wasn’t going down till tomorrow.

  “I swear if they can’t get the damn draping right, I am going to fucking sue the entire company, and own the bitch before tomorrow.” Danielle screamed into her cell phone and tossed her middle finger up in the air.

  Rocking Rain’s car seat gently with my foot, I silently laughed as I watched the drama unfold in front of me. Today alone, Danielle had pissed off the caterer, the florist, the rental company, and now the draping and lighting company was on her shit list too. Thankfully, even with all her raging bitch mood swings, no one in their right mind would have pulled out of the event tomorrow. It was all about the publicity, and by the amount of press and paparazzi waiting outside the venue, each company was getting their fair share of the limelight.

  “I said black curtains over in the reception area with red up lighting to give it that glow effect. I wanted the sheer black panels over in the ceremony area. Can’t you guys see the difference? Sheer……solid……is that too much to ask?” Puling the phone away from her ear, Danielle ended the call and slammed her phone down on the table next to her. “Did I seriously hire idiots in skinny jeans, Molly?”

  Shrugging my shoulders, I let a small smile spread across my face as Danielle stormed off to attack someone else. The entire morning she reamed the poor caterers as they were setting up their work stations in the kitchen. I’m still not exactly sure what they did, but sadly they felt the wrath of evil bitch lord of the underworld. Luckily, they didn’t hate me, and brought me out some finger foods to snack on while Danielle turned her attention to the florists. She was like a raging honey badger, addicted to crack, and her crack was disguised as black and red roses with sparkly shit hanging from the ceiling.

  My cell phone started to blare out over the metal table, starting me for a second. “Hey there,” I smiled while answering the call.

  “Has she calmed down any? Or do you want me to swing by some Prozac of something?” Megan laughed on the other end of the line.

  “Well, I’m not exactly sure who she stormed off to belittle next, but everyone around me has been super nice. I don’t think any more drugs were needed, since she switched to vodka about an hour ago. I’d give her another couple hours before we had to drag her passed out self out of here.” Looking around the venue, there had to be at least fifty people wandering around the loft space. It was crazy to think how much work went in to pulling this one evening off, and a stupid wedding none the less.

  “Booze and pills, great combination,” Megan muttered.

  “
Eh, it shouldn’t kill her…….this time.” I seriously didn’t know what I would have done without Danielle in my life. That woman had been nothing but amazing to me since stepping onto the BL tour. She planned the whole wedding thing, helped take care of Rain last week while I was drugged up the wazoo, and still seemed to do it all in spiker heels and tight ass leather pants.

  “I swung by Reid’s and grabbed your bags. I’m going to drop them off at the suite, then pick up the dresses, stop and get the gift, and should hopefully meet you at the hotel around six. Am I missing something?”

  “Sounds great, Megan. Thank you for everything,” I gushed quickly. There would be no more emotional sappy bullshit today; I refused to cry anymore damn tears over stupid girly shit.

  “Don’t start that now, Molly. I’ve cried like three times today over this whole thing, and I doubt that it’s going to be the last time. Call me if you need anything, otherwise I’ll see you later.”

  “Okay,” I replied before ending the call. Even with all the chaos that was happening today, my stress level had been relatively small. Rain ate around four, then didn’t wake up again till seven-thirty, I got to eat my entire breakfast without her screaming at me, Danielle came over around nine so I could shower and get ready alone, and now we’ve been sitting here watching Danielle’s head spin around for the last couple hours.

  “Okay, I think we got the whole draping issue cleared up. They are leaving now, and promised to be back tonight to switch out the panels over in the ceremony area. Maybe after dinner, I’ll swing back by here and make sure it’s done. There was seriously no time tomorrow for any fuck ups.” Danielle’s once sleek and perfectly placed hair looked a little frazzled, and I’m pretty sure she broke a nail or two earlier this afternoon while hashing it out with the rental company over the size of the tables being delivered.

  “Well, let’s get out of here then. I’m sure everyone knows what they should be doing, and you did hire that wedding planner that’s running around with the clipboard. Let the poor soul do her job, Danielle.” Getting up from my seat, I tossed the diaper bag over my shoulder and bent down to grab Rain’s seat.

  “Seriously, Molly? Step away from the baby seat,” Danielle glared as she pushed me back slightly. “Tiny!” she yelled across the busy room.

  As if he appeared out of nowhere, Tiny came strolling over to us with a stupid grin plastered over his face. Where that man was hiding during all this disaster this afternoon, I’ll never know. But in all seriousness, how did I not see someone that big watching over us?

  “What were you doing here, Tiny? Shouldn’t you be with Reid and the guys at some cigar bar or something like that?” I asked, shifting the diaper bag up higher on my shoulder. Thankfully, my arm didn’t hurt nearly as bad as it did with the rods sticking out, but it still smarted when struck on something.

  “When have I ever left you or Rain in the last couple weeks?”

  Pondering that statement over in my head for a few moments, I realized that everywhere the baby went, I usually went, and then Tiny followed as well. Come to think about it, Tiny was rarely with Reid anymore outside of our house.

  “Now, don’t go stressing that pretty blonde head of yours. Scott is with Reid today, and I’m getting a girls day with you ladies.” Tiny snatched up Rain from the ground, wiggled his butt, and started walking to the door.

  “I don’t know how that man was still single,” Danielle laughed while grabbing her purse from the table.

  “Right? Who wouldn’t want a giant with moves like that?” Both of us got a good chuckle out of that last comment as we stepped over the massive pile of black draping and lights. The venue was going to be something else tomorrow, but it still didn’t ease the nerves that something would go wrong. Things always went wrong in Molly world; not even a wedding could chase those black rain clouds lurking overhead away.

  ***

  The amount of photographers that followed us to the Four Seasons was completely insane. Thankfully, the security at the hotel didn’t allow them in their parking garage, the so only photos snapped where from getting in the car at the wedding venue, and it wasn’t like it was a glamorous or exciting exit from the building. Construction on the canopy for our arriving guests tomorrow was already underway when we left the loft, this way they weren’t totally bombarded by the flashbulbs going off in their faces. Not like I really cared since the only people I wanted there would already be in the building with me, but the PR department thought it was a nice gesture for the other celebrities. Everyone besides my little family was only invited for social reasons, and most of it came from the business side of the music industry. Kissing ass was my least favorite thing to do in the business, but I had gotten really good at making people think I was truly interested in hearing them talk for hours upon end, about absolutely nothing.

  “I love you, but please tell me you have your own room tonight?” I asked Tiny as we climbed out of the SUV.

  “What? No sexy jammies and green shit on our face time? I’m highly disappointed, Molly, I thought we meant more to each other?” Tiny snickered as he carefully lifted Rain out of the base, and shut the door.

  “I love you, Tiny, but no.” Shaking my head, we were escorted to the elevators as Danielle feverishly tapped something out on her cell phone.

  “Seriously, Woman, give that phone a rest.” Swatting her phone away, I stepped into the elevator and smiled at the security guards. They looked small next to Tiny, but, then again so did everyone else in the world.

  “I need to just make one more quick call,” Danielle mentioned, immediately dropping her head back down to the phone.

  “No, you need another drink and to forget about what was happening back at the loft. I didn’t really care if everything was perfect tomorrow. As long as I end up walking down the aisle, and Reid was standing there, I could have really cared less if the lighting was just right or the flowers matched the seat covers. So, put the phone back in your bag, and chill the fuck out.” Tightening my lips, I gave Danielle a threatening glance while pointing to her purse.

  “I don’t understand how you can be so calm over everything.” Danielle tossed me an annoyed look in my direction, but finally dropped the cell into her bag.

  “Because it’s just a wedding, Danielle. I already knew that Reid was the person I was spending the rest of my life with, and just because we were making it official, didn’t change anything. My last name goes from McGlenister to Chambers, and I’ll be legally able to adopt Rain, and not a single damn thing different after that. I still worked for NP, I would still be managing a group of four stupid rock stars who can’t keep their penises in their pants, and I have an assistant who fell in love with one of them nasty stripper obsessed boys. You will still be the most sought after designer and wedding coordinator at the end of the day, and everyone will gush over how amazing the evening was. It’s just a wedding, Danielle, stop stressing so much.”

  The doors opened on a lavish hotel lobby, yet we all were still standing in the elevator.

  “I’ll go check us in,” Danielle muttered softly. I loved that woman, but she was so high strung right now, that I was contemplating dosing her with some valium to knock her ass down a couple pegs. Giving Tiny a frustrated glance, I let out sigh and dropped my purse on a fancy looking chair next to me.

  “You realize that it’s only going to get worse, right?” Tiny commented while rocking Rain gently in her car seat.

  “I’m going to need some more booze.”

  “Got that covered,” Megan said while walking over to us, holding a large brown bag in her arms. Leaning over to give me a peek, I smiled at the contents in the bag.

  “I love you.”

  Grinning, Megan nodded her head and shifted the bag carefully. “I figured we were going to need these tonight if we were going to make it through the evening with Danielle.”

  I continued to smile like an idiot at the thought of getting sloshed the night before my wedding. Everyone needed a little booze
in their life to release the tension and stress. The party was on everyone’s last nerve, and drinking directly from the bottle was exactly what we needed.

  Licking my lips, I began to fantasize about the bottle of Jack when Rain let out an ear piercing cry.

  As if reality smacked me in the face, the hopes and dreams of getting wasted were gone in a flash. Babies and booze didn’t mix, unless you were planning on making one, and that would certainly not be happening anytime soon.

  “I think she is hungry,” Tiny said while trying to soothe the wailing Rain.

  I traded my carefree lifestyle for baby bottles and vomit. I loved my daughter, but what in the hell was I doing?

  Chapter 27

  Emptying a bottle of Jack does not bring out a genie.

  “Please explain to me again why this was a good idea?” Danielle asked while taking another swig from the vodka bottle. Grabbing the paint brush, she smeared another layer over my hair, then smashed a piece of foil over the section.

  “Because, if I have to get all prettified tomorrow, I’m doing it my way.” Thankfully, Megan had thought of basically everything for this evening, and hired an amazing older lady who had been doting on Rain since the moment we walked in the door. I think she might have been Megan’s grandmother, but didn’t really care to find out the logistics. The wonderful, fantastic, pretty sure I had a girl crush on woman was feeding, changing, and rocking my sweet daughter in the bedroom, while we got a little tipsy and did stupid things that we might regret tomorrow morning.

  “Well, I think it was a fantastic idea,” Megan slurred, pulling her legs up underneath her on the desk in front of us.

  “Yes, fucking fantastic idea, Megan. But…….this doesn’t go with the color scheme. Couldn’t you have at least done red…..or something along those lines?” Danielle grabbed another piece of foil and smashed it on my head. The gentleness of her hands had been getting worse the more color she applied. Hopefully, I still had some hair left for the wedding tomorrow, otherwise I’d be rocking a bald scalp for pictures.