Game Planner

by BJ Harvey

  “What on earth are they up to?” Jase mutters, picking up his jersey and holding it out in front of him.

  I quickly glance at the clock on the wall and seeing we’ve still got a few hours, an idea of just what we can do to pass the time forms in my mind. One look at Jase’s expression tells me I’m not the only one having impure thoughts. What else does a soon-to-be-married couple do during their last few hours alone the day before their wedding?”

  Looping my arms over his shoulders, I pull my body in close, lift up on my toes, and brush my lips against his, looking deep into his warm eyes the entire time. “I’ll wear mine if you wear yours,” I whisper against his mouth. Not even a second later, I’m clutching the jersey tightly in my fingers as I’m thrown over his shoulder and carried down the hallway into our bedroom.

  The jerseys never made it onto our backs. But I sure did.

  And it was fucking fantastic.

  As instructed, we’re both wearing our matching jerseys as the taxi we’ve been riding in for the past thirty minutes turns into the Waldron deck parking area near Soldier Field, and stops just inside the entrance.

  The driver turns back to face us. “Instructions say to let you out here, and for you to walk up to the top deck.”

  Jase and I look at each other and shrug. Jase pulls out his wallet, but he’s waved away.

  “It’s all been taken care of. Have a good night, you two,” the driver adds with a wink.

  Five minutes later, we turn the corner onto the upper deck to a loud “surprise” being cried out by all our friends and family. I burst into tears, I can’t help it, and I lean into Jase and bury my face in his neck. His arm tightens around me, his chest vibrating as he chuckles and rubs my back.

  “Getting engaged has made you soft,” he murmurs against my hair.

  I gently slap his arm, smiling against his skin. “I’ve always been soft.”

  “You’ve always been mine and tomorrow, everyone will know it.”

  I jerk my head back, narrowing my eyes. “Did you know about this?”

  His expression gives nothing away, but his dancing eyes say it all.

  “Oh my god, you!” I say, tugging his head down and kissing him hard and fast. “I’m so gonna get you for this.”

  He smiles against my lips. “That’s payback I’ll gladly take just for the look on your face right now.”

  Then he lets me go in time for Mia to wrap her arms around me.

  “Surprise,” she says, her own voice rough. She stands back and grins. “We couldn’t let you two get hitched without a bachelor/bachelorette tailgate.”

  I tilt my head. “Isn’t tailgating supposed to be on game day?”

  “Well technically your wedding is like a game day, so it still counts,” she says with a huge grin. “Besides, who needs an excuse for a good ol’-fashioned tailgate with friends?” She hooks an arm in mine and leads me towards a huge array of tables and chairs, including one set up for beer pong, two cornhole boards, and some giant Jenga towers, as well as enough food and drink to feed an army. Which—looking around our group of friends—we could contend we have here.

  For the next few hours, we eat, drink, play games, and talk shit amongst ourselves, and Mia even drags me over to play a few bachelorette party games: pin the tail on Ryan Reynolds, a cock-ring toss—which Mom took great pleasure in winning, pocketing the X-rated prizes—and one where I had to sit back-to-back with Jase, big whiteboards and pens in our hands for a ‘how well do you know your partner?’ game.

  Feeling deliriously happy, and with a full belly and a permanent smile on my face, I snuggle into Jase’s side as we all sit around a portable firepit, plastic cups of beer in our hands.

  “Okay, so spill. Who slept with who to organize all of this?” I ask.

  Jase looks at Mia, who looks at her brother Zander, who then—along with everyone else in the group—looks towards Cade and Abi, who now have big grins on their faces. “Well, it was touch and go, but Cade was able to call in a favor or two,” Abi says.

  “We had to go big to celebrate the last wedding in the group,” Cade adds.

  “Hey, speak for yourself,” Abi’s twin brothers, Jaxon and Bryant, say in unison, earning laughs around the large circle.

  “The next time you’re back here, you’ll be walking down the aisle,” Mac says from her perch between Daniel’s outstretched legs.

  “Or the players’ tunnel, but tomayto, tomahto,” I reply.

  “It’s definitely going to be memorable.” Jase pulls me in close. I tip my head back and brush my lips against his.

  “As long as we’re together, it always is,” I say quietly, ignoring Matt’s gagging noises from beside us.

  “And the honeymoon?” Amy asks.

  “That’s top secret,” Jase says. “Only select people know.”

  “You mean the men know because we all know our women tell each other everything,” Noah says

  A loud, collective gasp fills the air from all the girls in the group.

  “Not everything,” Dani says.

  “Well…” Kate says, her and Mac looking at each other and smirking.

  “Do we need to list the different topics of conversation we’ve all overheard at one time or another?” Cam asks, earning an elbow in the ribs from his wife, Sarah.

  “Women always share everything, whether we want them to or not,” my dad says with a laugh. “I care to bet there isn’t a subject on earth that they haven’t discussed at one time or another.”

  “I take offense to that,” Abi says with a harrumph.

  “Spitfire,” Cade replies, “I seem to remember Jase telling us about a certain talk over chocolate pudding.”

  “Then there’s the many different names we’ve heard for certain body parts over the years,” Daniel says with a grin.

  Thomas laughs and shakes his head. “Downtown playground was my personal favorite.”

  “Clam jamming,” adds Zander.

  “Pussy puffing,” says Matt.

  “Oh, let’s not forget the nickname Walking Dildo.” Noah’s grin is huge as he looks at Mac, the creator of said moniker.

  “Or Mini Walking Dildo,” Mia says pointedly to Matt.

  “Kids these days,” Zach says, shaking his head.

  “You’d know. You married the youngest of all of us,” Zander jibes, but there’s nothing but mirth in his tone.

  “We’ve definitely had a good deal of fun over the years, haven’t we?” Sean looks down at Sam with an uncharacteristic smile. I still remember the night I set my sights on Jase at his club, Throb. Mia was terrified he was going to tell everyone about her and Matt making out on the dancefloor, but one thing I’ve learned about that man is his ability to protect our secrets. He was amazing when dealing with Amy and her baby-daddy dramas with his own brother.

  I look around the circle, seeing so much love and respect. It’s been mentioned more than once by outsiders that we’re all rather incestuous. Most of us come from different worlds yet one by one, we’ve all been embraced into this now tight group of close friends who will always have each other’s backs, will always offer truth bombs when needed, and always provide shoulders to cry on. We may be different in many ways, but there’s one thing that ultimately binds us: love.

  Tomorrow, Jase and I will be the last couple to seal the deal, with all of these friends of ours by our sides, and I have no doubt in my mind that whatever life throws at any of us, we’ll see it through.

  As the night draws to an end, Noah arrives with his car, ready to escort Zoe, Mia, and I to his house for the night.

  With a kiss and a wave to Jase, then another deeper, longer, far hotter kiss, I hop into Noah and Zoe’s car with Mia in tow. I turn to look out the back window and take a long-lasting look at my fiancé.

  “Are you nervous?” Mia asks from the doorway of Zoe’s guestroom, where I’ll be spending my last night as a single girl.

  “Surprisingly no,” I reply with a soft smile.

  “You seem
pretty Zen for someone who’s getting married in a football stadium tomorrow.”

  “It’s the ceremony that matters, not the clothes, the in-laws, the outlaws, or the guests. I’m marrying the love of my life and tying him down forever.”

  “Kinky,” she says with a laugh. “Who cares whether it’s the dream wedding of your ten-year-old self or the teenage-boy fantasy of your husband-to-be. Let’s face it: as soon as you see him dressed in that suit, you’ll be fighting the urge to run and jump him. Screw the vows and the piece of paper.”

  This is why Mia Roberts is my best friend. She offers no crap, no bullshit. Just a blunt reality check. She’s right. Of course she is. I could get married in a burlap sack and it wouldn’t matter as long as Jase was standing at the end of that aisle waiting for me.

  Jase: Whose stupid idea was it to sleep apart the night of the wedding?

  Nat: Blame history. It was a tradition that started when women held their virginities sacred.

  Jase: You’re one of a kind, princess.

  Nat: I wanted to have all the skills to impress my future husband with.

  Jase: You did that even before you dragged me into my bed.

  Nat: You can’t drag the willing.

  Jase: I was beyond willing.

  Nat: Exactly. It was love at first sight for your penis and my vagina.

  Jase: I’m very appreciative of your skills.

  Nat: Glad to be of service.

  Jase: Besides, not ALL of your cherries are popped.

  Nat: Not yet anyway.

  Jase: I love you.

  Nat: I love you too.

  Jase: I can’t wait to marry you.

  Nat: I’ll be Mrs. Cleary.

  Jase: Is it wrong that I love that, but it also creeps me out ’cause that’s always been my mom?

  I giggle, unable to wipe the huge smile off my face.

  Nat: I’m the new Mrs. Cleary. I give stellar head, and I’m a joy to be around.

  Jase: That is true. You’re also sexy as hell wearing that blue tank top…

  Say what now? I look down. I am wearing a blue top, but how does he know that?

  I scan the balcony, wondering if Zoe has cameras or something. My phone buzzes in my hand.

  Jase: You’re even more adorable when you pout…

  Nat: Jason Marcus Cleary, you better tell me where the damn camera is, or there will be nothing popping anytime soon.

  Jase: Look down.

  “That man is gonna be the death of—” The words get stuck in my throat when I peer down into the backyard. There stands the man in question in a T-shirt and jeans, looking sexy as hell and crooking his finger my way. Shaking my head, I spin around and walk into the house, down the stairs, and through the French doors leading outside. I break into a sprint the second I see him, then jump into his open arms and crush my mouth down on his, our tongues meeting in the middle in a desperate kiss. This is the reminder I’ve needed. Tomorrow, this man will be all mine. He’ll be stuck with me forever, and I can’t think of anything else I want more in the world.

  When we finally break apart, he gently lowers my feet to the ground, his arms holding me close. I rest my head on his chest, my shoulders sagging with relief as I stand there and simply breathe him in as he nuzzles my hair.

  “I couldn’t stay away. I needed to kiss my fiancée one last time before I marry my wife tomorrow,” he says quietly.

  I tip my chin and press my mouth to his throat. His pulse thrums against my lips. “Stop being perfect or else I might get jealous of your wife.”

  He runs his hands up my torso and over my breasts to cup my cheeks, pulling me back to meet his eyes. “I can’t wait to be yours, princess.”

  “Not as much as I can’t wait to be Mrs. Cleary.”

  He scrunches his nose which makes me giggle until he kisses the giggle right out of me all over again.

  And under the moonlight, we stand there in each other’s arms, holding each other, taking a moment to just be.

  Twenty minutes, and disappointingly without a quickie, later, Jase leads me hand in hand through the house to the front door. He gives me one slow, spine-tingling kiss goodbye before leaving me giddy, turned on, and completely unable to wait for Saturday to come.

  Because tomorrow, I’ll walk down the players’ tunnel of Soldier Field toward the love of my life, and it doesn’t matter about the dresses or the venue or the invitations, or anything. All of that is inconsequential.

  The most important thing is Jase, and tying myself to him for the rest of my life.

  I hop into bed and stare at the ceiling, then close my eyes and fall asleep with a huge smile on my face.

  Tomorrow, I’ll be Mrs. Cleary, and after that literal kissing-off of my single life, I can’t freaking wait.

  The Big Day

  My alarm goes off, but I don’t open my eyes. Instead, I blindly swing my hand out to swipe the screen of my phone to shut it up, then cover my face with my arm.

  I’ve gotten through the past eight months with an unwavering grin-and-bear-it approach. There was the wedding-dress-fitting disaster where Jase’s first choice of dress was a vomit-inducing meringue orange number. Thankfully, Zoe and Dani went through the racks and found an amazing scoop-necked, lace-detailed, empire-line white gown to which we were able to add a flattering orange belt too. There was less drama with the bridesmaids’ dresses, thank God, all three sisters falling in love with the fitting spaghetti-strap navy dresses which suited each of them in their own different ways.

  Then there was the eye-opening conversation I walked in on between Jase’s mom, Heather, and my own mother, where the words ‘swapping,’ ‘schedules,’ and ‘swingers’ parties were overheard, and Jase and I had to instigate damage control. I may have almost had a panic attack that night, but it was Heather who pulled me aside and assured me that she and Marcus had absolutely no judgment when it came to my parents and their living situation. In fact, Jase came home from golf with his dad the following week and told me a few things of his own about his parents, who I’d previously thought of as straight-laced, that made even me blush.

  Cade and Matt pulled some strings, and together with all the guys in our extended group of friends, we were able to tour Solder Field three months ago with an events planner. My initial fear that my wedding was going to turn into an impromptu football game proved to be unfounded once I saw for myself that I wouldn’t be getting married on the fifty-yard line, but in a member’s lounge with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the entire stadium.

  The surprise tailgating bachelor and bachelorette parties last night were the icing on the cake. I’m itching out of my skin to get dressed and walk down the aisle toward my best friend and soul mate and take him off the market once and for all.

  We’ve spent eight years together, and today, I’ll finally become Mrs. Jason Cleary. The only thing I care about is hearing the celebrant say, “I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

  At the top of my old closet back at Mom and Dad’s house in Indiana, is a folder where every single detail of my most perfect wedding is held. A book I started creating when I was ten years’ old, and Mom and Justice had their first commitment ceremony.

  Their ceremony was beautiful. It was filled with love and laughter, and Mom wore a flowing, wide-neck, short-sleeve wedding gown that shifted in the light breeze by the shore of Boner Lake. It was an intimate gathering with only fifty or so guests. I got my own matching white dress just like Mom’s and had a basket full of wild flowers in my arms, and a crown of colorful blooms resting in my hair. Justice wore a cream, open-neck shirt, an emerald green waistcoat, and matching pants. He waited for Mom at the end of the makeshift aisle, the guests seated on folding chairs on either side. Lastly, there was an arch made from ivy, fashioned into a near circle, under which the celebrant stood. Mom and Justice were in front of him, holding hands with the lake in the background, the sun low in the afternoon sky as they read their personally written vows of commitment to each other.

/>   To a ten-year-old girl, the relationships between my parents and their partners meant everything. They were what I dreamed I’d find when I grew up and found a boy who didn’t have cooties.

  I take a deep breath and slowly exhale, repeating a mantra in my head. Today is the day I marry the love of my life. My soul mate. My Jase.

  My lips curve up as I open my eyes and turn my head to the nightstand, frowning at the sight of a crisp cream envelope with the word Princess on it. How on earth…?

  I reach out, grab it, turn it over, and pull out a white card.

  Princess,

  Today I make you my queen and become your humble, loving servant for life. See you this afternoon. I’ll be the one running down the aisle to get you.

  Love always,

  Jase

  Fuck, I love that man.

  I grab my phone and quickly type out a message of my own.

  Nat: Roses are red,

  Violets are blue,

  I’ll bring the ass,

  You bring the lube.

  P.S. You’ll always be my king, but I’ll never stop you dropping to your knees.

  I giggle, butterflies fluttering happily in my stomach as I drop my phone onto the mattress and stare up at the ceiling. He must have slipped the note in last night somehow. Forever the romantic.

  Mrs. Natalie Cleary. I’m going to be a Mrs., and I’m marrying the absolute best man I’ve ever loved. I’m the luckiest woman in Chicago right now. Jumping out of bed, I divert to the bathroom to do what I’ve gotta do, then damn near skip down the hall to the other guest bedroom where Mia is sleeping.

  I swing the door open, singing a loud and obnoxiously cheerful “good morning, sunshine” but stop short when I find the bed empty. In fact, it looks too perfect to have been slept in.