Epiphany Page 18

  “Jacoby. He wanted to see if we’re ready.” Wait, what? Jacoby’s here? Furrowing my eyebrows,

  I wait for her to elaborate. I was under the impression it was just us or I would

  have insisted Skylar come, too.

  “I didn’t know he was coming. Are we meeting him at the diner?” I ask, slightly disappointed Skylar won’t be joining us. There’s no way he can get down here in time.

  “No, right over there,” she says, pointing to where the wedding will be taking place.

  “Why is he over there? I’m starting to get one of those feelings like you know something

  I don’t know.” Kylee smirks, trying to hide it behind her jacket when she burrows

  inside, eyes still gleaming with mischief.

  “You didn’t think he’d miss your wedding, did you?”

  “My wedding? Are you fucking high? Did you find some pot in the apartment and smoke that shit?

  I’m pretty sure you need to go to the hospital.”

  Now, my phone starts ringing. This night just keeps getting weirder and weirder. Pinching my arm, I confirm that I’m awake and not in some kind of crazy dream … again. The caller ID is flashing Skylar’s name and I answer.

  “Hey,” I answer.

  “Hey, yourself. Got a question for you,” he says, sounding every bit as devilish as Kylee looks,

  staring at me with wide eyes.

  “I’ve got an answer, shoot.”

  “You still think that I won’t want to marry you because we might not be able to have a traditional family?” My stomach flips and I consider lying to him, only to not make this night any stranger than it already is, but I don’t. I can’t lie to him.

  “Sometimes, yeah. Why?”

  “If you’d do me the honor of walking down the aisle, I’d like to prove you wrong.”

  “We can start planning whenever you want. I don’t want to pressure you. There’s a lot to consider. When you asked, we thought I’d be able to give you children. You don’t have to feel obligated, Skylar.” I try to rationalize with him, wanting him to understand that he’s got an out if he needs it.

  “Can you just walk down the damn aisle? It’s getting lonely down here. A wedding

  just isn’t a wedding without a bride.” My eyes shoot back to the gathering in the

  quad. A man looking very much like Skylar is wearing a suit and has a phone to his

  hear. Holy shit, it is Skylar.

  “What are you doing?” I loudly whisper. Has he lost his fucking mind?

  “I’d like to make sure that you know I’m going to marry you because you’re the only

  person in this world I want to spend the rest of my life with. Kids, no kids, whatever. It’s you that I want. So, how about we hang up and you walk your sexy ass down

  here?”

  I turn back to Kylee, glaring at her. She knew. She was in on this. “Kylee Renee Anderson. You’re a part of this.” I don’t question, I already know the answer. Her girlish giggles don’t help her case. She’s guilty as sin right now.

  “Of course I knew. Do you think it’s a coincidence you’re wearing a white, fancy dress to go out to dinner? Baby girl, I’m much smarter than that. Now, can you follow his direction and get your ass down there. My Maid of Honor kindness is only going to last so long.”

  Kylee stands first, outstretching her hand, which I take reluctantly. The phone still to my ear, I must be in shock because Kylee’s voice and all the people buzzing around me are drowned out by the person on the other end of the call.

  “You coming down, Sweets?” Skylar asks.

  “I’m sorry. I’ve got to go. It was great chatting with you, but I have a wedding

  to get to. I hope you understand.” I don’t wait for a response, hanging up and putting

  the phone back in my bag.

  “You ready, baby girl?” Kylee takes my arm in hers and we make our way toward the

  gazebo.

  “It’s like a fairytale. I don’t even know what to say.”

  “That’s silly. You do know what to say. Repeat after me. I do.”

  As we reach the path that will lead me to my forever, Kylee stops me. My mother comes

  up on my other side, handing me a bouquet of daises.

  “You’re here!” I yell, pulling her into my chest, hugging her without abandon. Nothing could make this night any more perfect.

  “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be, Princess. This is your night. I’m just happy

  my son in law remembered to call my little old self. Kylee,” she turns away from

  me, nodding her head.

  Kylee slowly walks down the pathway, also holding a bunch of flowers. The way Jacoby’s

  looking at her, I’ll be surprised if she actually makes it all the way to the makeshift

  altar and not get kidnapped for some sexy times. Surprisingly, my mother walks ahead

  of me also, putting out her hand for me to stay put.

  Suddenly, another wave of emotions come over me—this time sadness. I don’t have a daddy to walk me down the aisle. I won’t have a daddy to dance with or give me away. Starting to cry, a familiar strong hand starts to rub my back, comforting me.

  “When Skylar called, I couldn’t say no. I figured who better to give you away? We probably should get moving before he passes out. Sky’s not lookin’ too good up there, a little green for my liking,” Danny says, embracing me. His scent, a mixture of fall and summer and heavenly, takes my hand and together we walk to where my future husband waits.

  “You have no idea, Danny. Thank you for this. I’ll never be able to repay you.”

  “No repayment necessary, Pea. All I ever wanted was for you to be happy. You were

  mine first. I’ve held on to so much pain recently, because I thought he stole you from

  me. This is my way of telling you that he can’t steal something I willingly give

  to him. This is me giving you the parts of your heart I refused to return.”

  My stomach turns and the tears cascade from my eyes. I lied when I said nothing could

  make this night anymore perfect. This is the icing on the cake and I’m so blessed

  and lucky to have such amazing people in my life. People that love me for no other reason than I’m me. Wiping away the moisture, careful to not get mascara all over my face, I squeeze

  Danny’s hand. “Thank you,” I whisper.

  “Come on,” he nudges my side, “your husband’s waiting.”

  The Adele song, that’s been on repeat, changes and the traditional wedding march starts.

  Just like in the movies, I move toward Skylar slowly, with small steps, our eyes never

  losing contact, both of us with fresh tears and cheesy smiles plastered all over our

  faces.

  Skylar

  She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Standing at the other end of the pathway,

  wearing the dress Kylee said she’d fall in love with, watching me with loving eyes.

  I’m going to need her to start moving so my knees will stop shaking, threatening to

  buckle.

  This has to be the most nerve wracking feeling ever. Standing here, in front of a

  few members of our family and friends, waiting for her to walk to me, hoping she does.

  My dad told me once, even if you know it’s a sure thing that your woman’s going to

  walk down that aisle, the urge to vomit doesn’t stop until her hands are safely in

  yours. I’m beginning to think he’s the smartest man in the world, because I’m about

  to lose it all over the altar.

  My nerves don’t stop when Danny takes her hand. I knew I wanted him to be here for this and thankfully, when I called him earlier this morning, he was able to catch a flight home, but I wasn’t aware he’d be walking Mira down the aisle. It’s doing weird things to my head, remembering not too long ago, he thought this would be him and Mira, being joined tog
ether forever. But, as my best friend, he needs to be here with me. He’s my Best Man no matter what’s happened in the past. I just hope Mira’s okay with all of this.

  It’s pretty risky, planning and carrying out a surprise wedding with the help of the bride’s best friend and mother. I’m thankful to have them in my corner, and the way Mira’s watching me, it would appear that she’s not upset, the exact opposite in fact.

  When she starts walking down the pathway, my heart hammers powerfully against my chest and my mouth goes instantly dry. Swallowing hard, I try to moisten it, but there’s no use. I see why people drink before weddings. This shit is stressful.

  Before I know it, Mira and Danny stand before me and the minister, hand in hand. Impatiently and a little jealous he’s touching my fiancée, I wait for him to give her to me. He whispers something in her ear and she nods in response. Danny steps forward, shaking my hand and pulling me into him, also needing to share a secret with me.

  “She’s all yours, man. Keep her happy, that’s all I ask.”

  “That’s the plan,” I respond, taking Mira and helping her up the two steps until we’re

  on the same level of the gazebo.

  Mira turns around, handing her flowers to Kylee, who’s crying her damn eyes out. Women and weddings, I tell ya.

  As Mira and I look into each other’s souls, the minister begins going through all the motions of the traditional wedding, until he gets to the vows. I don’t mean to take Mira off guard, but I feel like I need to tell her exactly how I feel and not something that’s written for me to recite. When the minister cues me to start, I squeeze Mira’s hand and mouth ‘love you’ to her and she reciprocates.

  “Almost five years ago, on this very lawn, I saw a girl. That girl was the definition

  of perfection. She was standing with a friend during orientation. Because of my

  own issues, I didn’t approach the girl, but let my Best Man do it. No matter how

  long they were together, I loved her and was satisfied just being her friend. Anything to be able to talk to her, to be with her. When all of our lives were turned upside down, that girl came out the other side

  with a new outlook on life.” Mira’s not even trying to wipe away the tears, letting

  them freely fall to the ground, smiling, remembering our journey with me.

  “When this girl finally let me into her heart, I promised to never hurt her, always keep her on her toes and love her with every fiber of my being for each day we’re alive, and even more than that, into eternity. Mira, I brought you here because I wanted to go back to the beginning and do what I should have done all those years ago.” I gently wipe a stray tear away from her face and take her hand in mine, like you would for a handshake.

  “Hi, Mira. I’m Skylar, it’s nice to meet you. Would you like to go to dinner sometime?” Uncontrollable

  sobs come over Mira, hand over her mouth, nodding her head.

  “This is what I should have done. I shouldn’t have been trying to be the better man.

  I should have been trying to be your man. And I’ll promise you this, Sweets. You’re always going to be my number one, my best friend and my source of comfort. I’m always going

  to want to come home to you and nobody else. I promise to be the first thing you

  see each morning and hold you through the night. I give you my word that I’ve been

  in love with you since before I even realized it and I’m going to love you until after

  I’m dead and gone. You’re the only one for me. I promise to give you the greatest

  love story ever written.”

  When it’s Mira’s turn to say her vows, she looks a little dumbfounded, having not

  prepared for this moment, but my girl rallies and comes at me with everything she

  has.

  “They say the best relationships begin with friendship, and we have that. We’ve been

  best friends for years and have always loved each other. Every day, I promise to

  love you more than I did the day before. I promise to never forget that you’re my

  man and you’re my partner. I promise to let you have your way sometimes and to fix

  the leaky sink when it drips. I promise that I won’t take my car to the oil change

  place without asking if you want to do it first. I vow to baby you when you’re sick

  and think the world’s ending. I’ll promise, in front of everyone, I won’t make you

  watch romantic movies every weekend, and watch a few of those motorcycle shows with

  you. I’ll make sure dinner is on the table every night when you get home from work,

  even if it’s just a takeout menu. Most importantly, I promise that you’re it for me; there’s nobody else and there never will be. I know more than ever that

  the other half of my soul lives inside of you and that’s exactly where it belongs.”

  When our vows are finished, the minister goes on to finish the ceremony, requesting each of us to repeat after him. We both say “I do” and as it’s finally time for me to kiss my bride, I take her in my arms, dip her slightly backward and kiss her with every emotion a man can kiss a woman. I make every attempt to keep it classy, but there’s no use. There’s absolutely nothing classy about it, although I refrain from grabbing her ass and hoisting her onto me—which is harder than I care to express—pun totally intended.

  Walking over to the picnic table Mira’s mom had set up for after the ceremony, everyone

  gathers. A blend of back claps, hugs and tears spill around this circle of loved ones, each one meaning something

  special to us both.

  Taking Mira in my arms as “Here and Now” by Luther Vandross plays on the speakers, I softly sing the words in her ear while she plays with my hair.

  “You know that this isn’t it, right? I sprung this wedding on you because I wanted you to know exactly what you mean to me. If you want the whole shebang, we can do it. I just couldn’t wait another minute for you to be my wife.” I didn’t even think that she would be missing out on all those things girls dream of doing before they get married. Feeling like a jackass, I pull her tighter, slowly swaying to the music.

  “This is the most perfect wedding I could have ever imagined. Yeah, I won’t get to do some of the things I thought I always wanted to, but watching Kylee plan her own wedding, I’m glad I won’t have to deal with the stress. It’s just you and me, Mr. McBride.”

  “Well, Mrs. McBride, what do you say we get out of here and pretend we’re on a deserted island somewhere celebrating our honeymoon?”

  “Let’s go home,” she whispers, pulling my hair gently, letting me know she needs me just as much as I need her.

  We try to sneak out of the makeshift reception, but we’re caught before we actually get out of the quad. Jacoby tracks us down, wanting to hold a conversation when all I want to do is have sex with my wife.

  My wife. I can get used to this.

  “Hey, guys. I wanted to make sure you got your gift before you took off,” he says. Kylee walks up next to him, holding onto his waist and him kissing her head.

  “You didn’t have to. We’re just happy you guys are here. It wouldn’t have been the

  same,” Mira says, accepting the card Jacoby’s handing her. Another plus to not having an actual wedding—no need to return six toaster ovens and place settings. I might be a genius.

  Mira fingers open the envelope, pulling out a card. Reading the front, she opens

  it and a business card falls out.

  “Oh, here. You must have put this in here by accident,” Mira says, trying to hand it back to

  him. From here it looks like some kind of appointment reminder for a doctor visit

  or something.

  “Nope, that’s for you.” Mira cocks her head to the side, looking at the business listed. Her jaw lax, she fumbles for words. Taking it from her hands, I recognize the name as well.

  “Why do you have t
his?” I ask, angry he would think to bring this up to Mira tonight of all nights. I finally have her in a wonderful mood, and he’s going to go and ruin it.

  “Mira has an appointment next week to begin her fertility treatments,” Jacoby says flatly, like we should have known and not questioned him.

  “I don’t understand,” Mira mutters, looking between Jacoby and Kylee, who shrugs her shoulders, not knowing what he’s up to, either.

  “Listen. Mira, I adore you. Not just because you’re my future bride’s best friend, but because you’ve always been real with me. I want nothing more than to help you achieve every dream you have, professionally and personally. If all that’s standing in your way of having a baby is money, I have enough of that to share. And that’s what I’m doing. My wedding present to you and Skylar is paying for this round, and any additional round, of in vitro. You will get your baby, Mira. I told you earlier, you’re going to make an excellent mother, and I want to be around to witness it.”

  It would appear Mira’s knees give out and she slinks to the ground, clutching her stomach, crying. I follow her down, cradling her protectively in my arms and I rock her gently. “Are you okay, Sweets?”

  “This is the best day of my entire life. I don’t want to go to bed. I’m scared it’s

  all going to be a dream and none of this actually happened. You guys are the absolute

  best and I’m so lucky. God, I’m so fucking lucky,” she laughs, taking Jacoby’s hand

  to stand up and hug him.

  “Where did Danny go? I wanna tell him the news,” Mira says, scanning the guests still by the picnic table, unable to locate Danny.

  “He had to rush back to the airport. His flight is in about an hour. I told him

  to stay the night, but he wanted to get home to Maddie.”

  Mira raises a brow, pursing her lips, “Maddie, huh? Don’t know why I didn’t see what one coming.” Giggling, Mira and Kylee dance around the quad, when Kylee suddenly stops, running up to Jacoby.

  “Marry me,” she says out of breath.

  “Set a date,” he responds sarcastically.

  “Right now.” Jacoby searches her face.

  “Pastor Mike, wait a minute. Got another wedding for you!” Jacoby yells, grabbing Kylee’s hand and dragging her back to the altar.