Don’t Forget to Remember Me (42 page)

She got up and knelt in front of me, our
arms wrapped around each other and we both cried. Mom wiped away a
tear and looked away for a second. “We think you’re pretty amazing
yourself. You make Ryan so happy.”

“I think now is the time, don’t you?” Mom
asked Elyse, coming over to place one hand on her shoulder and
another on the back of my head.

Elyse pulled back and I looked up into two
pair of tear-filled eyes. “Yes.” She smiled softly and nodded.

“I do, too.” My mother sat next to me, and
Elyse went to her purse on the table, returning with a white
handkerchief in her hand.

“Julia, we’ve got some business to discuss,”
she said matter-of-factly. “Gabriel and I love you and Ryan is our
pride and joy. I wore these at my wedding when Gabriel’s mother
gave them to me. They were hers, and we want you to have them. They
are something old, but not borrowed.” She carefully opened the
handkerchief and lying inside were a dozen or so hairpins, each
with a sparkling diamond on the end. “I wore them scattered in my
hair under my veil. I’d love it if you’d do the same. I told Ryan
that I’d give them to the girl he chose to marry, and here we are.”
She laughed lightly as she placed them in my hands.

“They’re just stunning,” I said in awe as I
looked at them. I was speechless at the unselfish gesture. Each one
must have been at least a carat, totally priceless, mounted in the
white gold pins.

“Ryan called the day he met you, Julia. I
could tell by the tone in his voice that these would be yours one
day. I love you as if you were my own daughter, and as a mother, I
couldn’t ask for anyone better for my son.”

I was crying like a baby, and both of the
other women were, too. “He…touches me, in ways that no one else
ever could. I love him more than anything in the world.”

She nodded. “I know. I trust that,
Julia.”

My mother wrapped her arm around my
shoulders and I leaned my head into the curve of her neck and
rested my head against hers. “My baby.”

“Mom.” I choked out.

“You’ll always be my baby. I wouldn’t trust
anyone but Ryan with you.”

Elyse took a tissue and wiped at her eyes.
“What a bunch we are.”

“Do you have something blue and borrowed?”
Mom asked gently. “The dress is new, so…”

“Um…Ellie gave me the gloves that go with
the dress and they’re embroidered with our names and wedding date
on the inside of the cuffs. The embroidery is pale blue. Does that
count?”

“Yes. Now, what about something
borrowed?”

“Mom, you know I don’t believe in all this
superstitious stuff.”

“Humor me. I have a handkerchief that I was
going to carry, but I’ll give it to you to use.”

“Okay, if you want it back full of snot. I
expect to be a huge mess!” We all three burst out laughing, just as
the door opened and Ryan entered looking very handsome in black
jeans and a white button down, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He
set his keys on the table in the hall and walked in slowly. I
looked at the clock.

“Hey. You’re back early.
Where are the guys?” He looked good enough to eat, his hair a
little longer than usual and
tousled,
like
he’d run his hands through it a hundred times.

“Hmmph.” He let his breath out and came to
stand in front of us. “Enjoying my bachelor party. I wanted to be
here. But…I don’t want to interrupt.” He glanced at our mothers and
then down into my eyes. He seemed pensive, his brilliant mind
racing. The blue eyes were intent and did not move from my
face.

Elyse and Mom understood and both rose at
the same time. “When your father comes back with Paul and the boys,
let him know that Marin and I went on to the hotel.” She hugged
Ryan as my mother hugged me.

“Thank you, both. Tonight was wonderful. I
love you.”

“Oh, Julia. My pleasure,” Elyse touched my
face and then started toward the door.

“Julia, what time tomorrow? Ten?” My mom
asked as she waited to give me one last hug.

“Uh…” I tore my gaze away from Ryan to look
at my mother. “Yeah. I’ll swing by the hotel and pick you up.”

When they left, Ryan sat
down in the big chair and put his feet up on one of the boxes that
were strewn around the room, ready for the moving truck on Monday.
I walked up behind him, went down on my haunches and wordlessly
slid my arms around his neck from behind.
Instantly
, he grabbed my hand and pulled
it to his mouth, rubbing his lips lightly back and forth over the
top of my knuckles thoughtfully. I turned my face toward him and
placed an open-mouthed kiss on the tender skin below his ear.
“Uhhhh,” he sucked in his breath. “Come here.”

As I stood to do his bidding, he never let
go of my hand, gently tugging on it until I sat on his lap. I
curled into him, my head coming to rest in the curve of his
shoulder, my forehead resting on the side of his face as he pulled
me close and wrapped his arms around me.

I nuzzled into him and my hand inched up his
chest to the opening of his shirt. I opened one, then two, of the
buttons and slid my hand inside. His skin was warm to the touch and
the light smattering of hair there tickled my fingers.

His lips found my temple and then my cheek,
waiting for me to speak or turn my mouth up for his kiss.

“What’s wrong?”

“Not a thing. I just wanted to be here more
than there. I missed you. I haven’t seen you in two weeks and I
wanted you in my arms.”

“Ryan,” I whispered. “I missed you, too.”
Finally his mouth found mine, opening hotly; his tongue plunging
hungrily into my mouth. We clung to each other, both clearly
aroused and wanting. I raked my hands down his chest as his fingers
found the skin beneath the hem of my shirt and started moving in
slow circles. I could feel him getting hard beneath me as he pulled
his mouth from mine in a groan, only to return and place a few
soft, sucking kisses back on my lips.

“I want you.
So
much
.” The words practically ripped from him,
but his tone was soft and breathless.

“Yes,” I whispered breathlessly, no
hesitation.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but not
tonight, Julia. Not tomorrow night. Not until I’m peeling that
wedding dress off of your luscious little body.”

“Uhh…why?”

“Because,” he whispered against my mouth. “I
want it to be perfect and any little thing I can do to make it that
way, I will.” His hands were roaming my body softly, arousing in
his touches, in his hardness beneath me, in the way his breath was
coming in hot panting rushes over my skin.

“Will you at least sleep with me, then? I
can’t bear to let go of you.”

“Just try and stop me.”

Chairs were lined up on a wooden parquet
floor that would later become the platform for Harris’s band and
dancing, but now was adorned with sparkling lace bows and candles.
The large, ethereal flower arrangements on all of the white linen
covered tables were breathtaking in their simplicity. My heart
pounded furiously as I watched our friends file in and take their
seats. The girls had certainly outdone themselves. My mother and
father stood near as I looked into the room from the doorway. There
was a beautiful white cake towering on a table along one side of
the room and a bar would be set up in the back after the ceremony
when Julia and I would take a minute to ourselves.

“It’s perfect,” I murmured softly, glancing
at my watch for the twentieth time in as many minutes. My mother
placed her hand over mine.

“Breathe, Ryan,” my father cautioned, but
with an indulgent grin on his face.

“Are you nervous?” Mom asked gently. “You
look so handsome.”

I was wearing a modern version of the
traditional tuxedo with a fitted white linen shirt and a long black
tie instead of a bow tie. “That suit is so gorgeous on you.” Her
voice cracked on the words.

“Mom. Stop. I’ll be a blubbering idiot in a
few minutes, so can we not cry right now?” I begged. She hugged me
close.

“Yes,” she said with a sympathetic
glance.

I looked at her anxiously. “Have you seen
her? How is she doing?”

My dad put a calming hand on my shoulder.
“She’s breathtaking, son. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more
beautiful bride.” I smiled when my mother elbowed him in the ribs.
“Oh, except for your mother.”

She grabbed his chin and planted a quick
kiss on his mouth. “You’d better say that.” When she let him go,
she turned back to me. “Ryan. Julia is so gorgeous.” She bit her
lip as her eyes filled with tears. “You’ll be heartbroken, she’s so
beautiful.”

Thud.
My heart
pounded and then stopped, my emotions threatening to overwhelm me.
I nodded as their faces blurred before my eyes. I blinked in
rapid
succession
to keep from losing it,
and put a hand over my eyes to brush an errant tear away. “I can’t
believe this day is finally here.”

Aaron moved toward us to offer his arm to my
mother. “Time to get seated Mom. Dad?”

“All right. Looks like this is it. I
couldn’t be more proud of you, Ryan,” my father told me as he
turned to leave. “I know this marriage will last.”

I took a ragged breath as I watched Aaron
escort my parents down the makeshift aisle. Little votives
flickered at every place-setting and larger candles on pedestals
lined up on both sides of the altar. Everything was glistening
softly. I wasn’t sure who was responsible for all of this, but I
couldn’t have pictured anything more perfect. There was a large
round floral arrangement in the same style as the ones on the
tables hanging from the high ceiling, over the altar and a white
runner along the floor that was strewn with red and white rose
petals. The petals were also all over the tabletops and classical
music was being played by a string quartet seated at the front of
the room.

I was nervous as hell, which I didn’t
understand considering this was what I’d been dreaming of for
almost eight years. I wanted to pull at the front of my shirt to
ease the tightness in my chest.

“Are you okay,
bro’
? You’re looking as green as Jen’s dress,”
Aaron said caustically after he’d delivered my mother to her
seat.

“I’m good,” I said as I ran a hand over the
back of my neck. “Except I can’t…feel my hands. Do you have Julia’s
rings?”

I’d had two more thin
bands, each encrusted with diamonds, connected on either side of
her engagement ring when she left it with me before she went to New
York.
“This is the last time this comes off,” she’d said
and kissed my hand after my fingers had closed around the diamond
ring.

Paul and
Marin
approached as I waited outside the double doors.
Marin was dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. I tried to
concentrate on what she was wearing, but ten minutes from now I
wouldn’t be able to remember. Only that it was a very light shade
of green and made of silk.

“Hello, darling,” she said as I wrapped my
arms around her. “You look so handsome. Julia is a lucky girl.” Her
arms tightened for a second before she stepped back and I offered
my hand to Paul.

“Thank you both so much
for just…for having her.”
Damn throat. How am I going to
get through the vows if I can’t get through this?
“I’m sorry. I need you both to know that Julia is my entire
life. There is nothing that I wouldn’t do for her.”

“We know that, son. We couldn’t be more
proud to have you in the family. Our little girl loves you a lot.”
Paul placed one hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “Come on, Marin;
let’s get you to your seat.”

I took another huge breath as I watched Paul
take her to the front row on the left, and then return back up the
aisle. “Here we go, Ryan. Are you ready?” he asked with a
smile.

I returned the smile and nodded. “Yes. Thank
you, Paul.”

“Just don’t cry on Julia’s dress. She’ll
kill you,” he teased me lightly. If he was trying to put me at
ease, it worked a little bit.

Harris and Aaron stood next to me as Paul
retreated down the hallway. My heart was pounding so hard I could
hear the thrumming behind my ears.

“Let’s go, Ryan,” Harris said quietly. “This
is it.”

“Yeah,” I said more to myself than to either
of them. The minister was already at the front of the aisle
waiting, and once we took our places, the music changed to ‘Canon
in D’ by Pachelbel. It had always been one of Julia’s favorites,
and was the processional song for all of the girls.

First, Jenna stepped into
the opening. She looked beautiful, her hair swept up with a
few
loose
tendrils falling around her
face. She carried a bouquet of red roses and her dress was a medium
shade of moss green. It was strapless and fitted with lace trim on
the top that was sprinkled with sequins.