Not Quite A Bride (27 page)

Authors: Kirsten Sawyer

BOOK: Not Quite A Bride

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Getting Things Straightened Out

O
nce the crowd finally settles down, my dad makes his way up to where Justin, Logan, Brad, and I are standing at the front of the room. The poor guy has gone from looking very red to very white.

“Okay, lemme get this straight,” he says, scratching his head, which I notice for the first time looks a little balder. “You are also gay?” he says to Justin.

“Yes,” Justin confirms.

“And you love Logan?”

“Very much,” Justin answers as he squeezes Logan closer to him.

Dad nods and then turns to Brad and me, but before he says anything he turns back to Justin. “Did you know you were gay when you proposed to Molly?”

Uh-oh ... my heart skips a beat ... how much truth is going to come out here today?

“I had a feeling,” Justin admits, and then he steals a glance at me and gives me a quick wink, which I return with a heartfelt smile. “But as the wedding day got closer I realized I couldn't be with her, especially since I had fallen in love with Logan.”

Phew ... yet another exemplary job of using vague truths to cover our lie. Well done, Justin.

“Okay.” Dad nods with the slightest understanding before turning back to Brad and me. “And Brad, you love Molly?”

“With all my heart,” he says, and my insides completely melt.

“And you're sure you're not gay?” Dad says with only the slightest hint of sarcasm.

“I'm positive.”

“And what about Claire? Aren't you supposed to marry her next week?”

Brad hangs his head in shame, “I was supposed to, but I can't. I'm in love with Molly and I can't spend the rest of my life denying it.”

Dad smiles warmly. “I always thought you two belonged together.”

There is a loud, almost animal, grunt from where Claire is standing, tapping her foot.

“Screw you!” she screams at Brad, and maybe at me, too. “You pathetic twerps deserve each other!!” she screams before turning and storming out of the room. Once again, the wedding guests erupt into cheers.

“Well,” Dad says as the room quiets back down, “I couldn't agree with her more. You twerps do deserve each other,” he says. “And as for you twerps,” he continues, turning toward Logan and Justin, “we've grown to adore Justin over the past ten months and I'm glad that this means he'll be staying in our family.”

All the new couples are hugging and glowing, all the wedding guests (especially those who believe they are play patrons), are clapping wildly until Brad lets go of me and gets down on one knee. My heart literally stops beating.

“Molly Rose Harrigan,” he begins, “you have been my best friend for twelve years, you are my soul mate, you are my other half, and I want you to be my wife. Will you marry me?”

Needless to say, the answer is yes, but I'm crying so hard at this point that I can't get it out; instead, I resort to frantic nodding. He seems to get the picture, because he stands up and grabs me in a tight embrace, twirling me around and tangling us both in my train sash.

“I love you!” I manage to get out through the sobs, as there is mad cheering once again, and Brad lays another of his amazing kisses on me.

“So,” my mom breaks in, interrupting our kiss, “you know, we could have a wedding here today if you want.”

I pull back from Brad and look around the room ... I'd practically forgotten where we were and what else was going on. Brad and I look at each other and shrug.

“If you want to,” Brad says.

Wow ... my heart is racing as I look around the room and think, and finally, I decide. I take a deep breath, “No.” The crowd groans. “I want to be engaged! I want the experience of planning the wedding with the person I love,” I explain, and I steal a quick glance at Justin, who is nodding in agreement.

“Well, then,” Dad announces, “join us today for an engagement /coming-out/falling-in-love party!” The room goes completely berserk as the newly-in-love-and-engaged couple and the newly-out-and-in-love couple kiss, again.

Epilogue

One Year Later

I
remember a year ago, on my first wedding day, I read Martha's “
Your Wedding Day”
list. The only item for the day was “Relax and enjoy yourselves!” Yeah, right, I thought to myself, and I began to wonder if Martha herself had ever even had a wedding. I had seen a Cybill Shepherd made-for-TV movie about Martha's life (rather unflattering, I might add), and I know she was married but never remember her actually having a wedding. I bitterly cursed myself for spending all those months blindly following the advice of someone who may have never actually been through it; proof that she had no clue what she was talking about was the suggestion that a girl could possibly relax on her wedding day.

Today I get it. Today is my
real
wedding day, and I honestly am completely relaxed. This whole year has been totally different. The year has been how I always thought and dreamed wedding planning would be. Brad and I have had a wonderful time doing everything together. Nothing has been stressful, nothing has made me miserable, and I haven't cried anything except tears of joy. This is how it should be.

My marriage is minutes away and I am in my old room at my parents' house, looking down into the yard where our most loved family and friends are happily drinking champagne. I am wearing the same dream white, strapless wedding dress, but I have had it hemmed to the middle of my calf and I have retired the crown and veil. The dress looks fantastic. Although Helen, at Barney's, was terrified to carry out my alteration request, she stuck by her “customer is always right” mantra, and in the end, she even admitted that she almost liked it better. My hair and makeup have been done by me ... and Jamie, and Justin, and a little bit of input from Logan.

Jamie is wearing the same beautiful bridesmaid's dress, but instead of a professionally polished hairdo, she has her hair up in a comfortable ponytail. Kate, of course, has outgrown her perfectly matched dress, but that's okay ... Jamie and I had tons of fun shopping for a new flower girl dress ... and this time around she is actually going to walkâwell, toddleâdown the aisle.

There is no fear today, there is no stress, only happiness and love. I take one more look down at the people in the yard, and turn around when I hear my mother knock softly on the door.

“Come in,” I tell her.

Mom slowly pushes the door open and takes one look at me, sitting on the window seat, looking down at the yard like I always did as a child, and the tears start falling. “Good Golly Miss Molly,” she whispers. Then she pauses, wipes her tears with the back on her hand, and looks at me again, “That's the last time I'll be able to call you that.”

“Why?” I ask.

“Because, tonight you'll be Mrs. Molly.”

Now it's my turn for the waterworks. I'm going to be Mrs.âMrs. Molly Lawson.

“Let's go,” Mom says, taking my hand. I grab the bouquet of wildflowers Iris has made for me and walk downstairs with Mom. Dad is waiting for me on the deck. I stand with him and together we watch Mom and then Jamie with Kate walk down the aisle. The best part is that at the end of the aisle I can see Brad, standing and waiting for me ... and looking more handsome than ever.

Dad gives me a final hug as the “Wedding March” begins to play and we follow the rose-petal-strewn path that the others have already walked down.

All the guests are crowded around the ivy-covered arch at the end of the yard. Brad and I decided not to have official seats with “bride's side/groom's side” because we are on the same side. Everyone smiles brilliantly at Dad and me as we walk, but I can only see Brad ... and I think Brad can only see me, because his twinkling blue eyes are locked on mine.

Today just feels right. Getting married to Brad, in the backyard of the house I grew up in, surrounded by friends, family, and love all around, is how it should be. This whole year, in fact, has felt right. Justin was exactly right when he said that the experience of being engaged and having a wedding would be better when shared with someone I love.

I do not, however, have any regrets about hiring Justin. Okay, well a few regrets about all the lies I had to tell, but when I think about what a wonderful friend I have made, and when I think about how happy in love my little brother is and how he may never have had that if not for my insanity, it feels worth it.

Brad and I exchange vows that we have written to each other and rings engraved with our wedding date and the infinity symbol before we are pronounced husband and wife and Brad is given the go-ahead to kiss me with one of his amazing kisses that a year later still weaken my knees.

Then we run down the aisle like two kids on a playground and into our future ... which is much more romantic than into the sunset.

KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by

Kensington Publishing Corp.
850 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10022

Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

ISBN: 978-0-7582-8803-5

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