THE WEDDING
MEL
Mel had slept so soundly with Taylor that she panicked when she woke up and saw the time. The sun was almost up! He was nearly insistent on taking her back to the condo himself, but she ultimately put her foot down. "We've already broken the rules once," she said. "Let's keep the small shred of luck we still might have today!"
The sun was peeking over the horizon of the East River, the small sliver of it she could see through the buildings, as she stepped out of the cab and walked as briskly as possible as she could through the building and impatiently tapped her toe in the elevator. The sun had JUST come up. Surely Nikki and Kate weren't awake yet. Surely not...
Mel quietly and carefully unlocked the door and slowly opened it so that it wouldn't creak like it sometimes did. If she could just tiptoe in and make it to her bedroom...
Fat chance.
"Mel!" Nikki said in wide-eyed shock. "Where have you been?"
She closed the door behind her.
"Um..."
Kate lifted her head from her phone long enough to give Mel the once-over. "Look at her hair, that should tell you where she's been," she muttered.
Defensively, Mel attempted to smooth her hair down as Nikki's eyes widened. "Mel!" She scolded. "Were you with Tay?"
Her eyes flashed guiltily between Nikki and Kate. "Um..."
"All night?" Nikki asked.
Now Kate put her phone down and narrowed her eyes at Nikki. "Seriously?"
"Oh my god, Mel, how could you?" Nikki said. "You know that's bad luck!"
Mel scrunched up her nose in sorrow. "I'm sorry! You know I don't sleep well without him!"
"How do you survive when he's gone?" Kate asked.
"Not easily," Mel retorted. "Besides, did you want me to be a pregnant zombie bride? Cause if that was the idea, letting me know before bed would have been beneficial to the cause."
Nikki huffed and put her hand on her hip. "Well the damage is done now. We have just enough time to get a little breakfast in before we have to head to the venue so we should probably get moving."
Slightly ashamed of herself as Nikki took charge of the morning, Mel tucked her hair behind her ear and took the walk of shame to her bedroom.
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Within an hour, the three ladies were headed to the venue. The luggage that went into the trunk of the cab was insane. As they finally settled in, Nikki said to the driver, "1 Hanson Place in Brooklyn, please."
Mel whipped her head over at Nikki. It was odd enough, the address. "I'm getting married in Brooklyn?" She blinked, her lip curling up.
Nikki scowled at her. "The venue is beautiful, you'll love it. Tay went out of his way to do this for you because he loves you, don't turn into a bridezilla today."
At this, Mel's eyes widened. Coming from Nikki, this surprised her. The only other person who had ever shut her down besides her future husband was Jason. She had to admit, though, Nikki was right. Mel had no right questioning anything that went on today, more or less. She made a mental note to remember that and never vocalize anything that popped into her head.
Apparently, Nikki immediately regretted her tone because she sighed and took Mel by the hand. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound like a bitch. I just--I really want you to enjoy this day and I KNOW you will. He worked so hard to make this perfect for you--"
Out of nowhere, tears welled up in Mel's eyes. She didn't know if she was starting to feel emotional because of the day in general or just the mere thought of Tay putting his heart and soul into it, but she felt the need to cry. Jesus, if she was feeling overwhelmed with emotion now, she couldn't imagine how the rest of the day was going to go.
As if reading her mind, Kate, on the other side of her, patted her leg. "That's it. Get it out now. We won't have time to stop and adjust your makeup fifty times today."
This made Mel giggle through her tears and as her brain raced a mile a minute, she was already on the next subject. "Were there plans made for lunch today?"
"Um..." Leaning over Mel, Nikki stared wide-eyed at Kate. It was obvious that nobody had a plan.
"I got this one," Kate said as she started typing furiously on her phone. "Sorry, we thought we thought of everything..."
As Kate went from typing to calling, Mel smiled. She couldn't have picked a better matron of honor and bridesmaid.
Once at the venue, Mel couldn't help but gaze upward at the tall clock tower that used to be Williamsburgh Savings Bank once upon a time. Mel had never been here--she never had any business in Brooklyn so she had no reason to go, but she was vaguely aware of the building's existence. The thought of the clock tower dizzied her and she must have made an off-the-wall comment about it when Nikki suddenly said to her, "Don't worry, the wedding is on the first floor. Everything else is apartments."
As the women began to take their bags and cases out of the cab's trunk, Nikki was steady on her phone and her other three sisters-in-law and her mother briskly came out of the venue to meet them curbside. They all hugged each other and had a mini reunion by the cab's open trunk until they were reminded by the cabbie, "Hey, this is touching and all and I'm glad you're getting married, but I got a job to do."
"Where's Tay?" Nikki asked no one in particular as the women all made their way inside.
"He's been randomly milling around everywhere, the poor thing," Susan said. "He's worrying himself sick over the smallest little things."
"Doesn't he have a wedding planner for that?" Kate asked.
Jessica smirked over her shoulder as they walked. "You know how he is."
Mel hadn't realized that the women had nearly formed a wall around her until they walked inside the venue. They tried to rush her off to the side to an empty room, but Mel wanted to stop and look at the venue. "We don't have time," Nikki hissed. "We need to get you in here before he sees you."
She looked at Nikki, pleadingly. "But--I just--can't I just have a moment? To myself? Just to--to--"
Mel could practically see Nikki's heart melt on the spot. She sighed. "Of course you can. We'll just get this stuff into the dressing room and start setting up. Don't be long, though, we have a lot of makeup and hair to get done." Then, as she hesitantly left Mel alone, Nikki was on her phone as she walked off, her voice echoing through the building. "Hey, sweetie, I need you to keep Tay in that room. Don't let him look out any windows...No, just for a few minutes. Trust me. I'll let you know when it's safe again."
When the women had disappeared off to her right, Mel stood for a moment and looked around. The venue was gorgeous. For Brooklyn. The ceilings were ridiculously high, cathedral-style, with dark, cone-shaped chandeliers that hung on long chains from the height. The mosaic floors and the marbled columns on the sides were absolutely gorgeous. The old, glass teller windows along the sides were interesting. In the immediate opening, there were tables with white table cloths. Workers milled around setting up chairs and place settings. This large area was obviously where the reception was being held.
Walking a little ways toward the front, close to the tables, she had to gaze at the centerpieces. They were absolutely beautiful and she knew she couldn't have picked better ones herself. A mixture of small, red flowers rested in a round bouquet in the center of a tall, silver candelabra that held four, white taper candles. Hanging from the bouquet were red, hanging amaranthus, painting the picture of perfect, gothic-style elegance. Along the base were smaller white votive candles surrounded by red rose petals. These centerpieces lined all along both sets of long tables that lined along both sides of teller windows. The staff was still setting up so there wasn't much more to see but Mel knew she couldn't wait to see the finished product.
As she stood along the tables, she spied something through one of the teller windows. Turning back, she rounded a corner and walked through a door to get behind the windows and she smiled. White chairs decorated with small red rose bouquets were being set up on either side of the small area and she saw a couple of small music stands at the front. Along the teller windows and the window ledges on the other side, sat more votive candles. Sheer, red cloth was being hung from the windows and Mel smiled. Had they planned to dim the lights? As she smiled and breathed in the aroma of the fresh, red roses that were adorning the ceremony space, she heard a voice behind her, "This is the first time I've ever heard of anyone hoping to have an overcast day on their wedding day. Rainy, even."
Mel turned around and grinned as she hugged Zac. "What are you doing out here? Aren't you supposed to be guarding Tay or some shit?"
Zac chuckled. "I was actually sent out here to assess the situation. Nikki never said why he had to stay put, but he's itching to get out of that room."
He stood there in jeans and a t-shirt. She knew none of the men were dressed yet. Except maybe her father. He probably arrived in full suit. But it wouldn't take them near as long to get ready as it would Mel and the women. There was still at least three hours worth of hair and makeup ahead of them. Mel was in no rush. Apparently neither was Zac. "Overcast or rainy? Why would he wish such things on my hair?" She joked.
Zac chuckled with her. "If you haven't noticed, the natural light in this place is...a little overwhelming, to say the least. In here he wants...less light, I guess. I'm not entirely sure. Either way, I checked the weather report and it looks like he's gonna get his wish. It's supposed to rain any second. I kinda feel sorry for the guests, but he says as long as the wedding party is dry, that's all that matters."
"This place is beautiful," she smiled as she looked around. "Everything is beautiful. I'm dying over the centerpieces. Zac, I don't know how he did it, but it's so much more beautiful than I imagined the first one was going to be." Then she laughed lightly. "My dress is going to be so out of place. It doesn't even match any of this décor. It's going to clash. But it's necessary."
Zac looked at her in silence for a moment before he spoke. "I'm really glad we're here today. I'm glad I'm standing here, talking to you. I'm glad my brother is nearly having a neurotic meltdown in the dressing room. I'm proud of him for pulling this--the wedding and his life--together and I'm glad to see that it makes you happy. I'm glad we've finally made it to this point. This is going to be the perfect day."
Mel smiled, those old familiar tears springing to her eyes. She swallowed hard to rid herself of them. "I'm proud of him, too," she whispered. "Sometimes I don't think I deserve any of this."
"Both of you deserve this. You both deserve to be happy. For once in your lives, you deserve to know what it feels like to have no fear and no worries and to be happy together. Hell, I'm probably as excited about this as you guys are."
The two of them chuckled as they began to walk across the other side of the building. "I have a surprise for him today," she said.
"A good one?"
She furrowed her brow. "Of course it's a good one. I just hope the circumstances don't upset him."
"Of course this day couldn't go without the opportunity to piss the other one off. Why should it?" Zac muttered.
She side-glanced at him. "It's a good surprise. I'm sure it in itself will be enough to overshadow the--the rest of it. Don't worry. It's our wedding day, nobody's allowed to be mad."
"Except you."
"Not even me. Nikki shut that down in a hot second."
Zac laughed. "Okay. Well I'm headed back in."
"I'm disappearing into a world of hair and makeup, never to emerge for the next few hours, I'm sure. Tell Tay it's safe to come out." As they parted ways, Mel stopped him. "Oh, Zac? Um, tell him that I love him. And thank him for everything. And that I can't wait to marry him."
He smiled warmly at her. "Sure thing."
Smiling, Mel walked into estrogen chaos.
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TAYLOR
Taylor nearly accosted Zac as he walked in the door. "Is everything okay?"
Zac shook his head and placed a hand firmly on his shoulder. "You gotta stop freaking out. Everything is fine. Everything looks like it's coming together. You gotta relax and let Kari do her job. It would probably make it easier if you weren't up her ass and in her business the whole time."
"Was she out there? Did she say something?"
"I didn't see her."
Tay thought he would faint from panic. If she wasn't out there, where the hell was she? What if the centerpieces didn't match on both sides? What if they didn't have enough fabric for the windows? What if the cake was late? Holy shit, it was raining--how could they get the cake inside?
Interrupting his thoughts, Zac continued, "I talked to Mel, though."
This snapped Tay out of his stupor in an instant. "She's here?"
"Yeah. Got here about ten minutes ago."
Tay let out a breath, slightly relieved. "Is that why I was forced to stay in here?"
Zac nodded.
"Well, how does she look?"
Zac narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Um...pregnant? I mean, she's nowhere close to ready, if that's what you're asking. She just got here. Jeans, t-shirt..."
Tay nodded as he shoved his hand into the pocket of his own jeans. "Oh. Okay. Um, sure, of course."
"She did tell me to tell you that she loves you, though. And to thank you for everything and that she can't wait to marry you."
A grin spread across Tay's face a mile wide. "She said that?"
Zac smiled back at him. "Yeah. She did. Verbatim."
Then the blood drained from Tay's face once more. "She saw everything? She saw what's going on out there? Nothing's finished!"
"Don't worry. Her exact words were that it was more beautiful than she imagined your first one to be. She's happy and she's proud of you and you really need to calm the fuck down. I added that last part."
Tay hadn't even been aware that Isaac had left the room until he came back with a small glass. "Here, drink this," he said, handing it to him. Tay could smell the alcohol before he got his hands on it.
"I am not drinking before I'm married."
"No, you'll die of a heart attack before you get married because you can't seem to get a grip. Just drink this and calm down a little. Have a seat."
Against his will, Tay was nearly bullied down into the loveseat as he mindlessly sipped the whiskey in his hand. "I need to talk to Kari--"
"Unless it's something new, Kari has this under control. If she has a question or if something goes wrong, she knows where to find you," Ike said. "Just chill out for awhile. You still have several hours before the ceremony."
Tay took a deep breath as his sips of whiskey grew gradually longer. They were right. He just needed to calm down. Everything would be fine.
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MEL
Mel's eyes lit up as she walked into the dressing room and saw Amber putting rollers in Kate's hair. "Oh my god, Amber!" Mel walked across the room and Amber took her hands out of Kate's hair long enough to hug her. "I can't believe you flew all the way from Tulsa just for this!"
"What, and miss this? Are you kidding?" She said as she went back to work on Kate. "I gotta admit I was crushed when I found out there was no wedding before, but when Nikki said it was back on, I was all over it. I wouldn't dare let some other floozy touch your hair after MY hands have graced it."
"Thank you so much for being here," Mel said. "I appreciate this so much."
"Appreciate me when you see how fabulous you are when I'm done with you."
Over the next couple of minutes, Mel busied herself by taking her dress from the bag and hanging it in one of the doorways. She hadn't realized in her first wedding, but apparently hanging the dress was important for airing it out and loosening it up. she supposed she couldn't wear it around to break it in, so this was the next best thing.
As the ladies had just finished freaking out over her standing in the chair to get her dress hung, a small woman with glasses knocked and walked in the door, followed by a female photographer. She smiled as she approached Mel. Holding out her hand, she said, "Hi, Melody. I'm Kari, the wedding planner. It is SO nice to finally meet you."
Mel grinned, ignoring her hand, and instead hugged Kari. "It's so nice to meet you, too. Thank you so much for doing all of this."
Kari chuckled as she pulled away from Mel. "Ninety-nine percent of it was Taylor's doing. I just simply did what he told me to do. This is definitely the most unconventional wedding planning I've ever done and there were moment where I thought it was never going to happen, but it's pulling together and I couldn't be more happy for the two of you."
Mel smiled. "Thank you. And I know you say it's all him, but he couldn't have done it without you, honestly. And I couldn't be more grateful."
Kari smiled back at her as she went straight back to business. "So this is Francesca. She's your wedding photographer and she's fabulous. She's going to be milling around, taking pictures here and there. Just wanted to give you a heads up."
"Hello," Francesca said with a European accent that Mel couldn't quite place. "I'll try not to be in the way too much. If I make you uncomfortable, just say so. This is your day, I just want to help you capture every second of it."
Mel was feeling exceptionally loving today, apparently, because the next thing she knew, she was hugging the photographer, too. "Well, apparently we're hugging everyone today," she heard Kate mutter in the background.
"It could have been the opposite, but it's not!" Nikki hissed back at her.
Mel smiled, dismissing their words. She knew how she could be. Except today was her wedding day. She was marrying the man of her dreams. She couldn't think of any one possible thing that could upset her that day.
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TAYLOR
A couple of hours had passed. In spite of himself, Taylor had been in and out of the dressing room. He didn't even have to ask if there was any risk of running into Mel because he knew there wouldn't be. He was in the midst of talking to Kari at the end of one of the reception tables when the women's dressing room door opened up, Tay keeping a keen eye on it. "I don't want any preparation going on during the ceremony," he was saying to her. "I'm a little fearful of how long this is taking."
"You have nothing to worry about. This is a popular wedding venue, there are facilities for everything. The caterers will deliver in the back back there and the serving will start once everyone is seated for the reception. All the settings should be placed before the guests even start arriving and if they aren't, I'll do it myself. I promise. Don't worry. This is your wedding day. Go spend time with your groomsmen."
As he was about to give in, he witnessed Nikki, fully dressed and ready to go, bounding swiftly across the room. When she caught up to them she looked from Tay to Kari. "There's been a slight change in plans."
Tay thought he might die. "No. No change in plans. It's too late and I'm not authorizing it. Whatever it is, it's not gonna happen."
"I don't think a couple more bridesmaids and groomsmen will hurt you."
"Excuse me? That wasn't the plan."
"Well, when Mel saw Kate getting dressed and she saw the dress..."
"Shit..."
"She automatically assumed that Jess, Avery, and Zoe were in the wedding, too. And, well, hey, what do you know, they brought their dresses with them!" Nikki smiled nervously.
Tay was sweating bullets. "Nikki, have you seen the space in there? You can't fit a string section AND a twelve-person wedding party in here!"
"Tay, I'm sorry, but nobody had the heart to correct her! She looked so excited!"
Tay sighed, his heart melting a little at the thought. Dammit. "Fine. But what the hell am I supposed to do on my side, I never got that finished."
"Um..." Nikki looked around in thought. "Ike, Zac, Mac...um, Jess's husband..." When Jason suddenly walked in the door, Nikki's eyes lit up. "What about Jason?"
"Are you out of your fucking mind? I can't ask him to be one of my groomsmen."
"What did he ever do to YOU?"
Tay fell silent and scowled at Nikki. Dammit, she was right. She was absolutely right. But it was just too damn awkward. "No," he said. "Somebody else."
"Your father," Kari piped up.
"Done," Tay said. Then he turned to Kari. "Make sure the ushers know that there is no bride's side or groom's side. Everyone sits where they want. Together."
"Got it," Kari said.
As Tay and Nikki parted ways with Kari, he said to her, "Any more fun surprises I need to be aware of?"
"Not that I know of," she said. "But it looks like Jason is coming this way, so you need to smile and do the deed. I'll go check on your blushing bride!" And with that, she bounded off toward the dressing room.
Taking a deep breath, Tay met the hulking Hawaiian in gray Armani in the middle of the room. "Hey," he said, shaking Jason's hand. "Thank you for coming."
"Thank you for inviting me," Jason said, coolly, obvious that both men were trying to keep the peace. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it to dinner last night. My flight got delayed due to the weather."
"It's okay. I didn't tell Mel you were coming anyway, so she wasn't disappointed."
"Doesn't matter anyway, I left her a voicemail. Then I stopped by your condo last night after I got in."
Tay cleared his throat and adjusted his collar. "Oh, you did? Um, well, uh, good. Glad she got to see you."
"I gave her the keys to my place in Hawaii like we talked about."
Tay couldn't help but let a laugh escape his throat. "Did she throw them back in your face?"
Jason smiled. "Surprisingly, no. She still has them."
"Thank you," Tay said. "You have no idea what this will mean to her. And to me. I know we've had our differences and I know--I know you must think...awful things of me, I'm sure, but I'm honestly glad she has you. I've said it before and I'll say it again. She's lucky to have friend like you."
"I told her I was glad that she's marrying you," Jason said. "And I meant it. Don't make me regret it."
Tay let out a breath and smiled. "Never. You will never regret it." Then he glanced behind Jason at the clock on the wall and back at him. "Hey, you want a beer? Ike has taken it upon himself to keep us stocked today."
Jason smiled. "Yeah, what the hell? It's your wedding day, I could use a celebratory beer."
As the two men made their way back to the men's dressing room, the women's came open once again. What Tay wouldn't give to see Mel right now.
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MEL
As Amber double teamed hair and make up on Zoe and Avery, Mel rummaged through the bag she brought with her in search of a snack. As she opened a pack of crackers, Nikki breezed through the door for at least the third time since she had been ready. "If you sweat that makeup off, it will make me very angry," Amber warned her. "Please don't make me angry before I get my hands on the bride."
Nikki grinned shyly and then looked at Mel as she snacked on her crackers. "You know lunch is on the way."
"Not fast enough," Mel said with her mouth full. "Is there any water in here?"
In the next hour, after Amber finished up with Jess and Mel's mother, Mel sat in the makeup chair and happily devoured her lunch as Amber worked on her hair. "Amber," Mel said, her mouth full of a deli sandwich. "Stop and break for lunch. Seriously."
"I appreciate your concern, but we're on a time crunch here."
Mel scowled at her and put down her sandwich. "That wedding can't start without me anyway. And I'm the bride. And if the bride says you stop and eat, you stop and eat. They'll get over it."
In that instant, Susan brought a sandwich and a drink to Amber and offered her her seat. "Here, sweetheart. Take your time and have a seat," she said to her. "Take a load off." As Amber smiled at her, Susan looked around and spied Diana, who was busy keeping Junia busy. "Come on, Di, let's go find our men and check on the groom." Susan kissed Mel on the cheek and then left the room.
"Tell him I miss him!" Mel called after them, her mouth still full of food.
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SUSAN
Susan knocked lightly on the door and alerted the men of hers and Diana's presence before they entered the room. Susan wasn't sure what she expected when she walked in the room. The same hustle and bustle that had been going on in the ladies' room, maybe? She didn't know. What she walked in on was a room full of half-dressed, laughing and joking men, with apparently hers and Diana's husbands being the life of the party. Well, at least they didn't see any skin. That was a plus.
Taylor's eyes lit up and he stood when he saw the two women. "Is everything okay?" He asked, alarm in his voice.
"Everything is fine, sweetheart," Diana said, observing him in jeans and a white dress shirt. "You're not dressed yet? It smells like a brewery in here."
The men all looked at each other sheepishly as Diana eyed each one of them hard. "There better not be a single drunk soul in this room." Her eyes landed, lastly, on her husband, who threw his hands up.
"They've all been on their best behavior," Walker said. "Honest. Just doing a little celebrating, that's all."
"Mmhmm," she answered.
Tay was still focused on Susan. "So. How does she look? How is she doing?"
Susan smiled warmly at the nervous groom. She reminded him of a young boy who was getting married for the first time. She guessed in a lot of ways he was. "Right now the most important thing in her life is turkey and mayo on wheat. She did say to tell you she misses you, though. Unfortunately, though, sweetheart, I think we're looking at a little delay."
His eyes darted from Susan to his own mother. "Delay? Why is there a delay?"
"Well because she's pregnant and she's eating lunch," Diana said bluntly. "Sometimes feeding that baby takes precedence."
"That and she forced the stylist to take a lunch break, too," Susan added. "So, right now, at this very moment, she is sitting in a makeup chair, half of her hair in rollers, not an ounce of paint on her face, with a cheek full of meat and bread. She looked like she was in heaven when we left the room."
Surprisingly, he didn't have a meltdown like Susan expected. Instead, he had stars in his eyes. "I bet she's adorable," he said quietly.
"I think you need another beer," Jason muttered in the background.
Susan's head peeked around and spied Jason on one of the loveseats. "Jason," she smiled. "How nice to see you. It's been much too long."
Jason stood and walked over to hug her gently. "It's good to see you, too. You look stunning today. If nobody knew any better, they'd think you're the bride."
Susan blushed as she glanced over at Paul. "Oh, well. Thank you, Jason. You sure know how to make an old lady's day."
"Of course she's stunning," Paul huffed. "She's always stunning. Where do you think my daughter gets her good looks?"
"Certainly not from you, old man," Walker joked.
"Okay, well, we just wanted to stop in and see the progress in here," Diana said. Then she looked around the room. "Where are the boys?" She asked, referring to Ike's two and Zac's one.
"Kelly's keeping them occupied," Ike spoke up. "They're close by somewhere."
Diana raised an eyebrow. "The tutor? You brought the tutor to New York? Ike, she's a tutor, not a babysitter."
"She was happy to do it, it's no big deal."
"Okay. That's fine. Not my business anyway. You all should probably start getting ready soon. We're maybe looking at another hour and a half. And I'm sure guests will start arriving within the hour. I know your cousins are planning to make it a little early."
With that, Susan and Diana set off in search of Kari to inquire about the guest book and guest arrival.
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NIKKI
The hour and a half seemed to fly by. Before Nikki knew it, the bridesmaids were dressed and ready and Susan and Amber were helping Mel into her dress. "Sweetheart, I don't know if you noticed," Susan observed. "And I'm not trying to upset you, but you do realize that this sash is blue and your wedding is not."
"I know," Mel said simply.
"And you knew about the wedding when you bought this dress...but you bought this dress..."
"I love this dress."
"Yes, but the sash..."
"If I wanted a red sash, I would have gotten one with a red sash. Besides, it's my something blue."
As Nikki watched the scene unfold, as both Susan and Amber laced Mel's dress up as best they could while still keeping her belly comfortable, Nikki's eyes widened. Suddenly, she grabbed a pair of scissors and headed for Mel.
Mel's eyes widened as Nikki grabbed up the hanging tails of her sash that hung from the knot that tied underneath her breasts. As Nikki raised the scissors, Mel started to panic. "Nikki, what are you doing? That's my wedding dress!"
Suddenly there was commotion in the room. "Trust me," Nikki said in concentration. "Everybody just trust me." Carefully she cut off both tails and kept the fabric balled up in her hand. "Quick, somebody, I need something. I need something bejeweled, it doesn't matter what it is. A brooch, a hair pin, something."
Quickly, Amber went to the makeup table and dug in a box. "Here!" She said, handing Nikki a rose-shaped hair pin, bejeweled in clear, fake stones.
"Perfect, thanks." Expertly, Nikki opened the pin and shoved it downward between the fabric in the knot and it perfectly covered the places that she cut off. Mel stood there in silence, still devastated, until Nikki turned her around into the full length mirror. "Look," Nikki said. "It's perfect. I told you to trust me."
Mel started to smile a little as she admired the new adornment on her dress, but Nikki had no time to relish in the moment. In a flash, she darted out of the ladies' room and over to the men's room and she stopped abruptly as Jason came out the door. "Whoa, where's the fire?" He asked.
"I gotta get in there before they go up front," she said breathlessly.
"Okay," he said, his face a little startled with concern, but choosing not to question her. He opened the door for her and let her in.
"Thanks," she said to him gratefully as she breezed past him.
The men were putting the finishing touches on their suits. Nikki didn't pay any of them any attention, including her husband. Instead, she went straight for Taylor. She frowned as she spied him in a red necktie and a red handkerchief in his pocket. That would never work. Without question, she breathlessly breathed, "Trust me," as she yanked the handkerchief out of his pocket.
"Whoa!" A chorus of men's voices littered the room.
"Nikki, what the hell are you doing?" Isaac asked her.
"It's okay," she said as she concentrated on Tay's suit. "I know what I'm doing."
Tay merely looked back at her in bewilderment as she replaced the red handkerchief with the light blue satin fabric she produced from her fist. She arranged it just so in his pocket then smiled as she patted his chest. "There," she said.
"Nikki, this isn't right," Tay said. "I don't know what's going on here, but I look like the damn poster child for the American flag. There is no blue in this wedding."
She looked at the red, white, and blue across his chest in thought. He was right. With that, she began to loosen his tie. "Somebody give me a black tie," she commanded. The men merely stood there and gaped at her. She pulled the red tie from around Tay's neck and looked around. "Come on. Somebody's gotta have an extra black tie. Ike! I'm sure you brought a million of them! I just need a black tie, is that too much to ask?"
Three black ties ended up in her face. Grabbing the closest one to her, she tied it around Tay's neck in seconds, tucked it into his vest, adjusted his collar, straightened his lapel, and stood back and smiled. "That's perfect. Absolutely perfect. AND it brings out your eyes. It's a win-win!"
"Nikki," Tay said. "WHAT in the hell just happened here?"
"You gotta trust me," she said excitedly. "You just gotta trust me. Please don't change a thing after I leave."
Looking back at her, still bewildered, Tay nodded. "Okay. Okay, fine. No problem."
Grinning, Nikki bounded out of the men's room and back to the ladies'.
--------------------------------------------------------------
MEL
Finally, everyone was ready. So far, they were only running about ten minutes behind schedule, which Mel didn't think was so bad. "What kind of a Hanson wedding would it be if it wasn't running on Hanson time?" Kate muttered.
After Susan had her personal moment with Mel, she and Diana took Junia and left to sit down. The guests had arrived and the ceremony space was reportedly standing room only. Mel hoped that Taylor wasn't freaking out at this news.
After the bridesmaids had left the room to line up and Amber had long since left her duties to attend the wedding herself, Mel took a deep breath before she exited the room to meet her father. Gripping her small bouquet of roses, which, admittedly, did NOT match her dress, she unexpectedly came face-to-face with Jason, who looked incredible in perfectly-tailored, gray Armani. No necktie. Never a necktie.
Wordlessly, she wrapped her arms around his neck, willing herself not to cry. It was a struggle. A battle. She was trying to save her tears for when she saw her father. And her future husband. But it meant everything to her that Jason was there that day. Her day wouldn't have been complete without him. Pulling away, he smiled down at her. "Hey, gorgeous," he greeted her gently. "You're the most beautiful bride I've ever seen. I just want you to know how proud I am of you and how happy I am for you. Genuinely happy."
She smiled sheepishly. "I don't match," she said. "I guess I should have known better--"
"You're perfect. You've never been more perfect."
"Thank you," she whispered, desperately fighting tears. She'd never fought so hard in her life. Her hand fell to her stomach and her eyes glanced down as if to follow it. Suddenly, hear head jerked back up and looked Jason in the eyes. "Jason. I want you to be our baby's godfather."
Jason's eyes widened and he blinked from the shock. "Do--do what? You want me to--what?"
"I know this is sudden. And I know it might be a burden on you. And you can turn me down if you want to. But, Jason, if anything were to ever happen to Tay and I--you're the one I would want my child to learn from. I would want you to share your wisdom and your strength and your knowledge--I can't think of anyone else I could trust more to raise my child than you--in the event that I, yanno, can't."
"Does Taylor know?"
"We discussed it."
"And he's okay with it?"
"Of course he is."
Jason narrowed his eyes at her, studying her face for a moment. Mel's heart pounded. Was this the right time to come to him with this? Of course it was, he was about to spend a couple months in Europe. Finally, his face softened and he smiled. "Of course, Mama. I'd be honored to be that baby's Uncle Jason."
She grinned and threw her arms around his neck one more time. "Thank you. Thank you so much, you have no idea what this means to me."
He pulled away and smiled one more time. "Time's a wasting, gorgeous. It's time to finally get you married."
She didn't know what it was. What triggered it. But she peeked around him at the wedding party lining up and she instantly burst into tears and turned and ran in the other direction.
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TAYLOR
Taylor's heart pounded and his palms began to sweat as the string section began to echo through the building. He watched his sisters walk up the aisle, each of them every bit as beautiful as they were the day they were born. He loved his sisters--but each walk felt like an eternity.
His heart raced faster when he saw Kate. Beautiful, model-esque Kate. This was it. Nikki would follow her and then--he couldn't even think it without a lump forming in his throat.
When Nikki finally made her descent down the aisle, he could barely keep it together. He didn't realize he was toe-tapping until he felt Isaac's hand fall calmly on his shoulder. Ike was right in his gesture. That's why he was his best man. Tay needed to keep it together. Somehow, he found that impossible.
The small string section had changed up the music once Nikki took her place. Tay's heart nearly pounded out of his chest. He wanted to die from the anticipation.
The guests would stand when the bride came into view. Except that when the string section started the song over, and the guests still weren't standing, Tay began to grow a little anxious. Fearful, even. Halfway through the second round, and no bride in sight, it was obvious that there was a problem. Surely this wasn't her revenge against him. Surely she hadn't built him up just to tear him down in front of God and everybody. Would she, though? Was this her way of saying she'd had enough of him?
His eyes met both his and Mel's mother's eyes, both pairs filled with horror. He scanned the concerned looks on the guests' faces, as well, and witnessed a good majority of them looking around in their seats.
He then scanned the faces of the bridesmaids and groomsmen, getting quickly frustrated with that fact that nobody seemed to have an answer to his silent, but obvious, question. Behind him, he started to hear a quiet commotion among the men. After a moment, Ike leaned in and quietly said into Tay's ear, "Um, so she's apparently locked herself up in the restroom..."
Tay straightened his stance and looked over his shoulder. "You're kidding."
Ike shook his head. "They're saying she won't talk to anyone."
"They WHO?"
"Jason just texted Zac."
Tay could only shake his head. This was what Mel did best. When things got heavy, she locked herself in the bathroom. And when she found herself in such situations, he knew he was the only one who could talk her off the ledge. "I'll handle it," he said to Ike.
"But, Tay. You can't--"
"Look, this is kind of our thing. I could deal with this in my sleep. Just--give me a couple of minutes."
Ike shook his head, defeated. "Okay, then..."
Blushing, Tay found himself straightening his tie and jacket. "Well, then," he addressed calmly. "It seems I have to go retrieve my bride."
Uneasy chuckles sounded from the small congregation as Tay stepped out of line and briskly up the aisle, turning left around the corner to cross the building to the other line of old teller booths where the dressing rooms and restrooms were located. The strings had stopped playing and all that could be heard was the sound of Tay's shoes against the waxed mosaic tile. As he made his way toward the restroom, Jason met him mere feet from the door. Tay could hear her sobbing from behind him. "What's going on?" Tay asked him, alarmed.
He pointed behind him with his thumb. "So, yeah, she's not coming out. She won't even talk to me, if that tells you anything. It's pretty bad."
"Hey, uh, you think we can refrain using the word 'bad' today?"
"Hey, it's your wedding, pal, I'm just telling you like it is."
Annoyed, Tay asked. "How did she end up in there in the first place?"
Jason shrugged. "I don't know. She and I were talking and the next thing I know, she's crying and running off to the bathroom."
Tay narrowed his eyes at the Hawaiian. "What were you talking about?"
Jason scowled back at him. "Does it matter? She's locked up in the fucking bathroom on her wedding day."
Letting a breath out, he decided Jason was right. He couldn't ignore the burst of adrenaline he felt, however, at the knowledge that, for the first time since Jason had entered their lives, he couldn't save the day. Tay thought that moment would never come.
"Hey," Jason said, his voice softening. "Just go get your woman."
Just steps behind Jason, Tay approached the bathroom door, Mel still sobbing inside. He leaned his shoulder against the door. "Mel," he said as gently and as quietly as he could, as sound seemed to carry throughout the building. "What is it this time?"
"Go away, you're not supposed to see me."
He had to smile. He hated when she did this, but she was just so damn cute when she did it. "I can't see you from out here, anyway."
"Well, let me just paint a picture. It's not pretty. You know how there's, like, the big, white elephant in the room?" She asked between tears. "Well today it's more like a big, white cow!"
"She's lying," Jason whispered to him loudly. "She's the most beautiful I've ever seen her. You're a lucky guy."
Tay smiled, appreciative of Jason's words. Then he said into the door, "Mel, they can probably hear you."
"I'm surprised they can't see me!"
"Sweetheart, there won't be a person in this building who won't be stunned at how beautiful you look. I promise."
"How do you know, you haven't even seen me."
"I don't have to."
There was silence for a moment and her tears seemed to be subsiding. Suddenly she blurted. "Marry me in the bathroom!"
Tay laughed. He couldn't help it. "I'm not marrying you in the bathroom. And, besides, I don't think the officiant would go for it."
"Tell him to just send the paperwork. Or let Jason do it. Just tell him to let Jason do it!"
Tay glanced up at Jason, who held his hands up in the air. "Hey, I am completely out of this."
"Yeah, I don't think that's a very good idea. He's not even ordained," Tay said into the door. "I wish you'd stop crying. Your makeup's probably running now, you know."
"Oh my god, I'm hideous!" Tay heard fresh tears from the other side of the door.
He sighed and looked up at Jason. "Has to be hormones," he whispered to him. "HAS to be."
"Would you be surprised if it wasn't?" Jason asked.
Tay shook his head in defeat. Then he did the unthinkable. He lifted the legs of his pants and sat himself right there on the floor, suit and all, and sat against the door, leaning his head back against it. "Look," he said quietly. "I'm not always gonna know all the right things to say. I'm not always gonna have all the answers. And neither are you. But together, we're gonna laugh and we're gonna cry and we're gonna figure it out. Just like we always have since we were three. We've been through a lot over the years, survived odds and defeated obstacles that nobody else could. But we made it through and we did it together. There is nothing that we can't do together and there is NOTHING that I can do without you. As our lives go on, there will be more odds and more obstacles for us to face, but there is one thing that will NEVER change and that is how much I love you. And I promise you, for the rest of your life, you will never need for anything, want for anything, or ever go a single day without knowing how much I love you and how beautiful you are to me."
There was silence on the other side of the door and he could hear the shuffling of the congregation across the room as he waited for a response. Any response. Finally, after a nervous moment, she squeaked out, "Tay?"
"Yes, sweetheart."
"Did you just recite your vows?"
He was stunned for a second as the realization hit him. He ran a hand through his hair nervously. "Well, shit," he sighed. "Yeah, I guess I did."
"I do," she responded.
"Yeah, I don't think we're quite at that part yet. Nice try, though."
"Go away so I can marry you."
Tay smiled in triumph. "Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure, what did you think was gonna happen here today? Give me a couple minutes, though, make sure nobody leaves."
"I'm pretty sure nobody's going anywhere. And, Mel? I love you."
"Save it for the wedding," she said brusquely.
Tay chuckled as he stood, straightening his suit and dusting himself off. "Okay. You know where to find me."
And then he made his way back to his original location and assumed the position.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
MEL
Mel looked in the mirror, eagerly adjusting her makeup as best she could. Amber was going to kill her if she looked anything less than perfect when she walked down that aisle. Mel loved that girl. She made a mental note to invite her for drinks once she could drink again.
Poking her head out the door and looking around, she found herself alone. Jason was gone. The only person she spied was her father, standing a ways away, his hands folded patiently in front of him. Mel was glad she'd just cried a monsoon because this was the part that made her the most nervous.
Clearing her throat and straightening up, she lifted the side of her dress and made her way across the room, her bare feet cold against the tile. She smiled as she approached Paul and he smiled back at her. "Decided to forego the shoes, huh?" He observed.
"Yeah," she said. "I can only handle heels in small doses. I'll put on some sandals or something for the reception."
"Could have worn sandals under your dress there."
Mel looked at him blankly for a moment. "Yeah...yeah, I guess I could have."
Paul chuckled lightly and gazed at his daughter. "You were beautiful on your first wedding day. But your beauty back then doesn't hold a candle to the way you look today."
She grinned at her father. "I'm finally doing it, Daddy. I'm finally marrying the man I always wanted to marry."
"I'm so proud of you, princess. I'm glad you're finally happy."
"Thank you. I am."
"You know, giving you away the first time was hard. And you were younger then. Green. More naïve. But you've turned into a brilliant, strong woman with a great head on your shoulders--and giving you away isn't any easier. You're always going to be my baby girl."
Mel hugged her father. "I love you, Daddy."
"I love you, too, princess." The he pulled away and looked at her, taking a deep breath. "But let's finally get you out of my hair and into his."
Paul smiled as Mel giggled, hooking her arm into his. As they made their way over to the ceremony area, the music started to play again. Mel's heart pounded, but she was ready.
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TAYLOR
Taylor's breath caught in his throat when he finally saw her. Except that he only saw her for a split second before everyone stood up. He was instantly annoyed at the small space they were in and he instantly questioned his choice in lighting. Very little natural light was allowed in and the room was lit with dim lighting and candles. There was plenty of light to be seen, but it was just dark enough to be romantic. When he could finally see her, halfway down the aisle, the way she grinned at him and never took her eyes off of him, tears sprang to his eyes and he cleared his throat in an attempt to fight them off.
Her dress was simple but perfect. It had a small train and small, capped sleeves lined with lace. Her hair sat loosely, pinned up off her shoulders, wisps of it flying away from her. She looked like a princess. She barely looked like she was from this century but the look couldn't have been more perfect. At the sight of her, he smiled, knowing the décor and the lighting were just right.
She took his breath away.
When Paul and Mel finally stopped at the end of the aisle, in front of Tay, it was like dangling her in front of him with no intent of letting him have her. It was torture and he found it difficult to listen to the officiant as he started to speak. "Dear Family and Friends. We have gathered here today, from far and wide, in the presence of these witnesses, to join Melody Brianne Banks and Jordan Taylor Hanson in matrimony, which is commended to be honorable among all men and, therefore, is not by any to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, and solemnly. Into this holy estate, these two persons present now come to be joined. If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."
Tay stiffened at these words. He'd forgotten about this part. If his wedding to Mel was ever going to be ruined, it was going to be right now. He looked at Mel, who continued to smile, but he could read it in her face, too. He glanced at Mel's father, at his own mother who sat in front of him, at Mel's mother--all of them reading the same facial expression. The only other person he couldn't bear to lay eyes on was Jason.
It was obvious that everyone who was aware of the situation was expecting it. This was it. This was Jason's opportunity. Glancing at Mel once more, her body stiffened as if bracing herself for the blow. Finally, Tay managed to glance at Jason. Jason caught his eye and he nodded subtly and, instantly, Tay was okay. He knew though, if he were in Jason's shoes, he would have caused an unholy riot right then and there. But Jason was a better man than he and Tay knew that. He would go the rest of his life never forgetting it. And, in that moment, it was suddenly more important that Jason gave her away to him rather than her father. After all, Jason WAS there in the beginning. He was there before Tay was. And if it weren't for Jason, in some ways, this wedding wouldn't even be happening. Tay owed him big time and he knew it.
You could feel the tension in the room dissipate as the officiant started to speak again. The smile returned to Tay's face as he relaxed and gazed at his now blushing bride. "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"
"I do," Paul said proudly.
As Mel took her arm from Paul's in preparation to stand with Tay, Paul sniffed unexpectedly. Mel's head whipped around as he quickly wiped a tear away. "Daddy, don't cry," she smiled as she hugged him.
"These are happy tears, sweetheart," Tay heard Paul whisper to her. "You're not the only one who's waited for this moment their entire life."
The comment touched Tay. He looked at Paul as a father as much as Paul looked at him as a son. Tay stepped toward him to shake his hand and hug him. "Thank you," Tay said to him quietly. "I promise I'll take care of her."
"You better," Paul said in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Don't forget that conversation we had."
Tay smiled. "Yes, sir."
The tears came when he finally touched her skin. All it took was the touch of her hand and Tay was wiping a tear from his eye. He couldn't help it. He had just seen her the previous night, but the entire day had felt like a million years. She was perfection, she was everything, and she was his. The emotions of the day, and all through the years, were finally starting to get to him. And the ceremony had barely started.
Mel handed Nikki her bouquet and then took Tay's other hand and smiled up at him. She stood so close to him that her belly nearly brushed him and it was all he could do to keep from taking her in his arms. In that moment, all he wanted to do was put the ring on her finger, kiss her, and go hole up in a room alone with her somewhere.
His thoughts were interrupted once more when the officiant spoke again. " 'Ultimately there comes a moment when a decision must be made. Ultimately two people who love each other must ask themselves how much they hope for as their love grows and deepens, and how much risk they are willing to take...It is indeed a fearful gamble...Because it is the nature of love to create, a marriage itself is something which has to be created so that, together, we become a new creature. To marry is the biggest risk in human relations that a person can take. If we commit ourselves to one person for this life this is not, as many people think, a rejection of freedom; rather it demands the courage to move into all the risks of freedom, and the risk of love which is permanent; into that love which is not possession, but participation, then it is part of that co-creation which is our human calling, and implies such risk that it is often rejected.' That excerpt was taken from The Irrational Season by Madeleine L'Engle. I chose this excerpt because, after learning of Melody and Taylor's relationship, and how it has progressed over the years, I felt that it perfectly defined the two of them. These two individuals have struggled. They have fought, and been defeated, for their love for one another. They took the gamble of love, several times, with each other. And they didn't stop after the first loss. They didn't stop after the second. They didn't stop at any of their losses. They kept at it and they kept at it. And they say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and getting the same result. Gambling with love with the same person over and over and over with the same result can maybe be described as insanity. Except that this time, with THIS gamble, something different finally happened. This time, they blossomed and something very rare and very pure and very beautiful happened--they gambled with love and they won. Finally, they won. Something different happened. So, then, by definition, this pair is not insane. All they are, is in love."
The tears were silently falling down Mel's cheeks. Steadily falling. She smiled through them and gripped Tay's hands, only breaking long enough to wipe the tears away. After a moment, Nikki handed her a tissue over her shoulder and Mel laughed lightly, dabbing her eyes. Wasting no time, her eyes locked back on his. Could she see the tears that lined his own eyes? Undoubtedly so, because she shared her tissue with him.
"A good marriage must be built on the foundation of a powerful commitment. In marriage, the 'little' things are the big things. It is never being too old to hold hands. It is remembering to say 'I love you' at least once a day. It is never going to sleep angry. It is standing together and facing the world. It is speaking words of appreciation, and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways. It is having the capacity to forgive and forget. It is giving each other an atmosphere in which they can grow. It is a common search for the good and the beautiful. It is not only marrying the right partner--it is being the right partner."
Tay smiled at Mel and she smiled back at him. His cheeks hurt from smiling but he didn't care. He would take that hurt any day of the week. "I love you," he mouthed to her silently.
"I love you more," she mouthed back.
"Melody and Jordan," the officiant continued. "The vows that you are about to make are a way to share your love and commitment to each other in your own words. Sometimes poems, verses, or quotes just don't get the point across the way you need them to and the best option is just to do it yourself. These vows are your way of openly declaring your promise to one another as well as to all of those who are here in attendance today." The officiant looked toward Tay and nodded. "Jordan," he prompted.
Suddenly, Taylor smiled and blushed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously as he glanced at the congregation. "Um, well I did...have vows...but I, uh, I just said them to her outside the bathroom door just before the ceremony, so..."
Light laughter filled the room.
Then he looked back at Mel, into her eyes, and his face changed. Taking her hands in his once again, he stepped closer to her. "Mel, I love you. You are my best friend. Today, I give myself to you in marriage. I promise to encourage and inspire you, to laugh with you, and to comfort you in times of sorrow and struggle. I promise to love you in good times and in bad, when life seems easy and when it seems hard, when our love is simple, and when it is an effort. I promise to cherish you and to always hold you in the highest regard. These things I give to you today, and all the days of our life."
Mel smiled at him, reaching up and touching the side of his face. "Oh, Tay," she whispered. "That was so beautiful. And I'm not confident that I can pull something that eloquent out of my ass like that."
The room roared in laughter, as did Tay, and Mel blushed, apparently just now recognizing the microphone they stood in front of. She covered her mouth in shock and looked around before finally giggling herself.
The officiant smiled as he looked at her. "Well, Melody, I do believe you've set the stage for yourself."
She looked at him, then back at Tay, and then out at the congregation. And then, much to Tay's surprise, she reached up behind the microphone and clicked it off. Tay and the officiant exchanged glances.
Mel took a deep breath and took Tay by the hands and stepped close to him. Her body pressed against his, as close as she could get, and she spoke quietly. "Do you like my dress?" She asked him.
This was the most random thing he thought he'd ever hear in the middle of his wedding. But he was honest. "I think it's gorgeous. Not near as gorgeous as the women wearing it, but still gorgeous."
Mel smiled as her eyes fell on his jacket pocket. Narrowing her eyes, she fingered the blue material that peeked out of the top of it and she turned and glanced at Nikki quickly before turning back to him. "This is from my dress," she said to him.
"Is it?"
She nodded as she stepped back for a moment. "Can't you see the matching colors? The material?"
He smiled as he reached up and touched his own pocket. "I love that."
Mel then took a deep breath. "Everyone's been asking me about my dress today. About why the colors don't match the wedding. And when Nikki came at me with the scissors and started cutting, I nearly died right there. But now seeing what she did with the remnants, it touches me in ways that--I think she gets it--I think she's the only one who knows--why she did it." Mel turned around and smiled at Nikki, who beamed back at the couple. "I thought so," Mel confirmed gently. Then she turned back and looked up into Tay's eyes. "Tay, I lied to you."
Tay's heart pounded into his ears. Could Mel hear it? It pounded so hard he thought the entire congregation could hear it. He swallowed hard and his breathing quickened. "Um...okay..."
"I picked out this dress on purpose. As a representation."
Tay's eyes bored into hers. What was she getting at? Why wouldn't she keep talking? Was he supposed to get it now?
Letting out a breath, Mel continued. "A little while back, I lied to you. I've been lying to you this entire time. Sometimes it's been so hard, but--that day that I had my appointment and you had to miss it--and I told you that I didn't find out the gender of the baby? I lied. I've known this whole time."
Tay felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. He would have been upset had the realization of the situation not taken over.
Noticing the look on his face, Mel squeezed his hands. "I wasn't trying to be deceitful. I wanted it to be a surprise."
Tay blinked, finally getting it. It took a second, but he got it, and he smiled, the shock causing him to cover his own mouth. And then he cried. He couldn't help it. It was an instant reaction and he couldn't stop it before it happened. Finally, wiping his cheeks quickly, he said to her, "Are you saying we're having--?"
She nodded excitedly and she leaned up into his ear. "We're having a boy."
Tay immediately looked to the officiant. "Can I kiss her NOW?"
Quickly, the officiant smiled and shook his head.
Without even thinking, in the midst of his excitement, he reached out and clicked the microphone back on before he glanced around at the congregation and back at Mel. She nodded at him as if she could read his mind. He glanced around nervously and ran a hand through his hair. "Um, so, I just got told that we're having a boy..."
The room erupted in applause and Tay felt himself blushing. There wasn't really much he could do from where he was standing, but he did realize that the ceremony did need to continue. As if they shared a wavelength, Mel took his hand and turned his attention back to her. "Sweetie, I'm so glad you're excited and that I'm not first on your hit list--but I really do want to get married."
"Right," Tay said, pulling himself together. "Right. So do I."
Mel cleared her throat and smiled up at him. "Okay," she started. Then she paused and turned around to allow Nikki to hand her a small sheet of paper that looked as if it had been used and folded repeatedly a million years ago. "I'm sorry, I don't have it memorized," she said. "I should, though, I've had it a long, long time."
He searched her eyes. "How long?"
"Long enough," she whispered. Then she raised her voice just slightly and read aloud, "Tay, today I become your wife and you become my husband. I will strive to give you the best of myself, while accepting you the way you are. I promise to respect you as a whole person with your own interests, desires, and needs, and to realize that those are sometimes different, but no less important than my own. I promise to keep myself open to you, to let you in to my most innermost fears and feelings, secrets and dreams. I promise to grow along with you, to be willing to face change as we both change, keeping our relationship alive and exciting. I promise to love you in good times and bad, with all I have to give and all that I am, in the only way I know how--completely and forever. And, finally, I promise to be all that I can be in a wife and a mother and to provide a loving, caring home for you, for us, and for our family. I love you so much, Tay. More than you'll ever know. And I have never been more proud of you than I am right now."
By the time it was time to exchange the rings, Tay was ready for this business to be over. At this point, he decided they were already married. 'Let's just get the rings and get out,' he thought to himself. He was ready. All he wanted was her. Nothing else. If he shut down the entire deal, cancelling the reception and all, and just went back to the condo and lounged around lazily on the sofa for the rest of the night, alone with her, it would have been perfection. Now he was beginning to understand why she was looking forward to the wedding night the most.
However, the ring exchange was something else in itself entirely. He figured by the time the wedding was over, they'd both be dehydrated from the tears they shed. Never, in his entire life, had he ever worn his emotions on his sleeve like he did today. And, for the first time, he didn't care who saw him cry. They'd likely never see it again, but today, he didn't care. He hadn't even shed a tear at his wedding to his ex wife. Not a single one. But today? They wouldn't stop flowing. And he knew that if he'd married Mel all those years ago instead of his ex, the tears would have flowed just the same. He'd never stopped loving Mel and he never would.
Once the rings had been placed, the officiant spoke again, much to Tay's dismay. He felt like an impatient ten-year-old kid in church, but damn. Let's get on with it. "Melody and Jordan, you have professed your love by exchanging your vows. You have symbolized your commitment by exchanging your rings. With this, there is just one more question I need each of you to answer and then we're off to the reception to celebrate."
At that moment--in that very moment--the reason why Tay was marrying Mel became painfully apparent. Because she WAS him. They were one. They were on a wavelength that day like they'd never been on before. Narrowing her eyes at Tay, Mel turned to the officiant and said very frankly, "I'm not trying to be rude, here. Honestly. But we've both been married before. We know what the question is and we know the answer. We both 'do.' " She said, making quotation marks in the air. "I do, he does--"
"--I do," Tay interjected quickly.
"--and we just--DO."
It was apparent that the officiant didn't quite know what to do with himself at that point and all Tay wanted to do was shove his tongue down Mel's throat.
"Um, well..."
"I'm sorry," Mel said to him. "Really. But my feet hurt, and this baby is beating the shit out of me right now and all we really wanna do is just get married."
Finally, the officiant smiled. "Well, okay, then. It's your wedding. If it's okay with the two of you..."
"It's okay!" Mel and Tay both said in unison. Laughter filled the room.
"Well, okay, then. By the power vested in me, by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Go ahead and kiss her, already!"
Mel was already on Tay before he could get to her. He tried as hard as he could to behave himself, but he couldn't stop kissing her. They kept it classy to a degree. They finally broke the kiss long enough to remember where they were and were growing ever more anxious to get out of there. All the officiant had to do was sign that paper. This was it, but that paper was the ultimate prize. He knew Mel was just as anxious to get her hands on it as he was.
"It is my great honor and privilege," the officiant said. "To present to you Mr. and Mrs. Jordan Taylor Hanson!"
The typical post-wedding fanfare started, but before Tay could take any of it in, Mel was already pulling him down the aisle. As they walked briskly together down the aisle and out of the ceremony area, a blast of cool air a pleasing welcome, Tay knew what she was up to. Since he knew the venue better than she did, he pulled her into an empty office and closed the door, locking it behind him.
She shoved him against the wall and kissed him eagerly. Happy to kiss her back, he let it go as far as he could before he had to put on the brakes. "Mel. Sweetheart," he said. "Hold on. Hold on."
She pulled away and looked into his eyes. They both stood and looked at each other as they calmed their breathing. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just wanted to be alone."
"Me, too," he said. Then a smile crept across his face. "Mrs. Hanson."
She grinned. "We did it. We finally did it." Then her eyes lit up and she grabbed his hand, pressing it against her belly. "Ooh, feel!"
Tay smiled as he felt the light, tiny pressing against his palm. "That's Daddy's boy right there."
Mel's smile widened and she nodded. "It is. I think he might be a drummer. He beats me so much I think I'm starting to catch a rhythm."
Tay chuckled as he looked into his wife's eyes. "I'm so happy right now."
"Me, too. I'm sorry I rushed the wedding. I didn't meant to embarrass you--"
"No. I'm glad you did. After the vows, I was done."
She giggled, "Yeah, so was I." Then she grew serious. "I just wanted a moment alone with you before all the craziness began. I wanted to let it all sink in. You know?"
"I know. So did I."
"Where did your vows come from? The ones you said in the ceremony?"
He smiled sheepishly. "I've had them memorized ever since the first one."
Her face melted. "Oh, Tay. You had them memorized already?"
He nodded. "Yeah." Then he smiled. "What about you, Ms. 'I can't pull anything out of my ass?' "
"I didn't. I had them on paper."
"Since when?"
"Since you first proposed to me. I wrote them after you went to sleep that night. I've carried them with me all this time and when I was in New York--after--all I did was read them. Just kept reading them and putting them away."
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "Pictures!" Kari called from outside. "You two better be decent by the time you come out of there!"
"We'll be right out!" Tay called behind her.
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MEL
After pictures was the signing of the marriage license. Mel and Taylor had already signed it, now it was just up to the officiant and the witness to sign it, and it was all good. The officiant was kind enough not to make it a long, drawn-out process and Isaac couldn't sign his name fast enough. Once it was signed, and that made it TRULY official, Tay and Mel were ready to celebrate. "Maybe it'll go by fast," Mel hissed at him.
"I feel bad acting like I don't want to be at our own party," Tay responded.
"We'll just keep it to ourselves," she said quietly. "We can always use my pregnancy as a reason to bolt early."
Tay laughed as they went their separate ways to the dressing rooms.
Mel was met with a room full of women and hugs and congratulations. She was elated. She was happy, she was free--she felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. There were no questions anymore. No questions, no concerns, no doubt. Tay was her husband now. Finally. As it was always meant to be.
She couldn't change dresses fast enough. She ditched her long gown for a short, white, strapless chiffon cocktail dress that fell just above her knees and had detailed beading around the chest. It laced in the back and the chiffon fell just comfortably enough around her belly. As she had told her father, she slipped on a pair of silver sandals, let her hair down and Amber re-styled it, and then she was ready for the reception. Quick and easy.
She opened the dressing room door and came face-to-face with pure sex. Tay had removed his jacket, his tie, and comfortably rolled up his white shirt sleeves. He left the vest on, still buttoned, but the chest hair that peeked from his shirt made her tingle all over. The ring on his left hand nearly sent her over the edge. He smiled at her, the charm making her swoon. "Are you ready, Mrs. Hanson?"
She grinned. "I'm always ready for my husband."
His smile widened as she hooked her arm through his. As they made their way to the reception area, he leaned into her ear, "So apparently, we've inadvertently skipped an important part of the ceremony? We're supposed to 'receive' the guests?"
"Um..." Mel thought for a moment. "I think we spent that time receiving ourselves..."
He smiled. "Well, I'm not sure how it would have worked anyway, seeing as they never left the building. Anyway, Kari says we're going to have to be creative."
"We have to work the room."
"Pretty much, yeah."
"My feet will fall off."
"I won't let your feet fall off."
Then her hand flew to her stomach. "I'm starving."
"I know. I can hear it."
Guests were seated at the tables lined up against the walls. The wedding party sat at a couple of tables up front and the bride and groom were assigned to sit at a table in the very center, at the head of the reception. The placement made Mel feel weird, as if she were putting on a show while everyone watched her eat. Tay assured her that it wouldn't be as bad as she thought since everyone else will be too busy to pay attention. He asked her how, again, she didn't remember any of this from her first wedding. The truth was, the entire day had been a blur.
As her first option of the day, Mel was surprised when Kari approached their table from behind and asked in her ear, "Do you want dinner or the first dance first?"
"Dinner," Mel said. The question was a no-brainer. She could already smell the food and she was famished. "And I want you to sit down and eat with everybody else, don't you go working yourself to death. That's crazy."
As Kari disappeared, Zac stood up and picked up the microphone that had been laying on the long table they sat at. Turning it on, he checked it and then he spoke into it. "While dinner is being served, I'm gonna take a minute to say a couple of things. Now, I'm not the best man here. Well, let's face it, I AM the best man--just not by title." The room chuckled as Zac smiled. "But since Ike used up his opportunity last night at the rehearsal dinner, I thought I'd steal his spot now. Um, Mel has been a member of my family since--well, practically before I was. I'm not sure I was even walking. And the truth is, when people like to tell all these stories from when they were kids, well, I don't remember a damn bit of it. However, as we became teenagers and we all...found ourselves all together again, I really got the opportunity to get to know Mel. She and I clicked and became close friends and she's been one of my closest friends ever since. She was like the big sister I never had. And now, today, she literally is. I've been through it with this couple. From their secret relationship as teenagers to the new one they rekindled all those years later. From what I understand, there have been two marriage proposals, two wedding dates--"
"Four," Tay corrected as he sipped his beer. "If you want to get technical, there have been four proposals--sort of."
Zac turned his attention away from the crowd long enough to look at Tay like he was crazy. "Four? Are you serious?"
"If it makes you feel any better, they all were accepted. Three by her and one by me. Three of them were this year." Tay turned his beer up once more.
Zac shook his head. "There is no understanding these two. There never has been. They're crazy and they're unconventional and difficult to keep up with. But they understand it and they get it and that's all that matters. And if crazy and unconventional works for them, then it's okay with me. At least there's never been a dull moment where the two of them were involved. Ever. In short, I just want to say that I'm proud of my brother. I'm proud of my new sister-in-law. You two are truly an inspiration and I will always look up to you both." Zac raised his glass. "So here's a toast to the bride and groom, Mr. and Mrs. Hanson."
As applause filled the room, Nikki walked over and took the microphone from Zac. "Um, I guess I'll just follow in his footsteps," her bright voice said into the microphone. "Hi, I'm Nikki, I'm the sister-in-law and matron of honor. I've known Mel now for...four years? Is that right? Four? Going on four? Something like that. Anyway, I've only known her for a few short years. I met her in my mother-in-law's dining room as the three of us sat down to tea. Taylor was married to his first wife then and Mel was trying her best to get the hell out of Tulsa and back to New York," Nikki giggled. "But I liked her immediately and I knew she and I would become fast friends and we did. To be honest, at the time of meeting her, I had no idea I'd be standing here right now saying these very words--or even attending this wedding at all. Mel had her own life here in New York and Tay had his own life back in Tulsa and I merely thought of her as a distant, extended member of the family. Nothing more, nothing less. I got a crash course in their history that weekend, though. That much is for sure. And their tragic love story made me cry. And now here they both were, in the right place at the wrong time and--well I was hooked. On the both of them. You can't not be. So as time progressed, people entered our lives to stay and people left our lives for good, each person and each incidence changing and shaping the world around us. Not just the two of them, but for all of us. I don't know how many of you in here are familiar or whatnot, but the entire Hanson family is a packaged deal. Something happens with one of us, it affects the entire family. Anyway, in all this time, as things changed and people came and went, Tay's and Mel's flame just--seemed to burst. And it only kept growing. And at times I think it grew faster than either one of them was ready for it to, causing explosion after explosion. But the one constant that remained was, that flame never went away. It never grew smaller and it never went away. It burned and it only got brighter. In this short amount of time, I've cried with these two, I've laughed with these two, and I've been lucky enough to bear witness to the amazing connection they have and the life that they've begun to build together. Yesterday I was a friend, today I became a sister, and in a few short months, I'll become an aunt--again. I am so honored to be here to witness their marriage and their love and their commitment to each other. As Zac said, they are truly an inspiration. So, I, too, raise a toast to the happy couple."
The rest of the reception was a party. They laughed and they cried and they ate and they danced. They managed to speak to everyone and Mel was exhausted by cake-cutting time, but she was ecstatic, not only because it was cake at all, but that meant the reception was winding down and she was dying to find out where Tay was taking her for the night. Maybe she could score a foot rub out of him. Right now that would have been better than sex...
As they cut the cake together and Mel held the plate, they looked at each other. "Um, do we use our hands or a fork...?" Mel asked.
"You already went barefoot at the ceremony," he joked. "At least use a fork and pretend to be civilized."
She smirked at him and picked a fork up off the table. "You're lucky I'm not into the whole face-smashing bit."
Gently he took the fork from her hand and speared a section of the cake slice. "Wait," Mel said, pointing to it. "Get me one that has all the frosting on it."
Shaking his head, he speared a second section and carefully fed it to her. Once in her mouth, her eyes widened and she covered her mouth as she slowly chewed it. "Oh my god."
Tay grinned. "You like it?"
"It's the same cake we decided on in Texas," she observed, swallowing.
"Not the same baker, but it is the same flavors. I did try to recreate the first wedding as much as possible."
"You did a fantastic job. Much better than I could have dreamed it would be. Even the first time around."
When they finished the cake exchange, Mel stated, "Okay. After I consume an embarrassing amount of this cake, we're out of here. Deal?"
"Deal," Tay smiled.
-------------------
Finally, the reception began to wind to a close. Mel, Nikki, and Kate retreated to the dressing room to get Mel ready to leave. They packed all of her belongings as best as possible and bagged up her wedding dress. "Don't worry, I already saved a piece of your cake and I'm taking it straight to the condo tonight," Nikki assured her.
"And I took portions of your decorations," Kate added. "Collected as many mementos as I could get my hands on."
Mel smiled at the two of them as she hugged them. "I don't know what I would ever do without the two of you. Honestly."
Interrupting their moment, there came a light knock at the door. Kate opened it to reveal Tay standing there, back in his suit jacket, covered by a heavier jacket and a white scarf. He looked like a million bucks. He stepped in the room and smiled. "You almost ready?"
"Getting there," Mel grinned back at him.
He looked her over and frowned. "You're gonna want to put on something a little warmer."
"It's okay, I brought my coat," she answered.
Tay shook his head. "That's not enough. It's really cold outside."
"I promise, I'll be fine--"
"Trust me. You're gonna want something on your legs."
Eying him curiously, Mel decided not to argue further and she rummaged through her bag and found a pair of gray leggings. Frowning, she pulled them on underneath her reception dress, not willing to take the dress off, and pulled her coat closed around her.
Moments later, they were greeted by friends and family as they stepped out the venue doors and onto the cold pavement. After saying her goodbyes and thanking those that were out there, Mel stopped short as she watched Tay begin to haul their overnight bags into the trunk of a black, stretch limousine. "Tay!" She exclaimed in awe as he loaded the last of the bags and came back for her. "This is too much!"
He smiled and held a hand out to her. "You wanted cheesy, cliché romance and I'm gonna give it to you."
Happily, she took her husband's hand and allowed him to lead her to the limo as their guests shouted their goodbyes. Once the door closed, the couple found themselves in the quiet warmth of the vehicle.
Mel was silent for a moment as she looked around them. Champagne that she couldn't drink chilled on fresh ice. The lights were dim and soft, instrumental jazz music played. As the vehicle began to move, Tay scooted close to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into him. "How are you doing?" He asked her gently.
She smiled up at him. "Tired. So tired. Tired, fat, and happy."
Tay smiled. "I'll take tired and happy." Then his expression grew serious as picked her hair up off her shoulder and twirled it around his finger. "I know it's our wedding night. But if you're tired or anything, I don't want you to feel obligated--"
"No," she said, cutting him off. "We're gonna have our wedding night tonight. And that's it."
Tay smiled and looked forward as he held her close to him. "Okay."
They sat in silence together as the limo made it's way into Manhattan. They didn't say a word as their hands listlessly entwined in each other's, caressing the skin and interlacing their fingers. After a moment, Mel reached beside her and pressed a button, silencing the soft jazz and, in turn, silencing the vehicle. "I know this sounds totally cheesy," she said quietly, "But right now I just want to hear you breathe."
Tay didn't say a word and Mel turned her body so that she could rest her neck into his shoulder. She wrapped her arm around his waist and she cuddled closer to him. He wrapped his arm tighter around her and suddenly, the baby kicked. Mel smiled into Tay's chest as she reached for his free hand and placed it against her stomach. "Either we're very active today or we're fighting sleep."
"Fighting sleep, huh?" Tay responded quietly. "If he's fighting sleep this early, we might have a problem on our hands."
Mel smiled into the dim light of the limo and closed her eyes. Before they knew it, the limo was turning its last corner before slowing to a stop. As Tay shifted underneath her, Mel groaned in objection. "I gotta get out for a minute, babe," he said. "Sit tight, I'll be back."
She looked at him, puzzled. "Be back?"
He smiled as he opened the car door. "Yeah. We gotta make a quick pit stop before we call it a night."
Moments later, after their bags were taken out of the trunk, and Tay got back in the limo, he smiled and put his arm around her again. "Okay. Where were we?"
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TAYLOR
Taylor was excited. He had planned to pull out all the stops tonight and treat his wife to the ultimate, luxurious, five-star VIP experience. He was bursting at the seams with romance, of both the best and worst kinds, and he couldn't wait to see the look on Mel's face when he surprised her with all of it.
As if on cue, she looked up at him and asked, "Where are you taking me?"
He hadn't wanted to say anything, but as his eyes glanced out the window, they widened, something happening that he didn't quite expect. "Look," he said to her.
Following his gesture toward the window, Mel sat up and looked outside. She looked back at Tay, excitement written all over her face. "It's snowing!"
"I knew it was cold and rainy, but--I had no idea they were calling for snow."
Suddenly, Mel's face fell. "This could be bad. What if it sticks?"
Tay's face softened as he moved a strand of hair from her cheek. "Then I hope it sticks. And I hope it snows us into that hotel room for several more days."
Mel smiled at him, covering the hand that now rested on her cheek with her own. "So where are we going in this wintry weather?"
Tay blushed as he smiled at her, taking his hand from her cheek and running it through his hair. "Central Park," he answered.
Her brow furrowed. "What's in--?"
"I arranged for a carriage ride around the park. All the best, cheesy, cliché romantic gestures, at your service. But this snow--well that's just the icing on the cake. New ballgame."
To Tay's unexpected surprise, horror washed over Mel's face. Her expression alarmed him for a moment before she slowly shook her head. "No," she whispered. "That's horrible..."
He was momentarily taken aback. "What?"
"Do you have any idea how those horses live?" She continued. "Confined in tiny stalls when they're not being worked to death all over the city for tourists' amusement? The entire idea makes me sick. They've been known to just collapse in the streets. This is New York. There's nowhere for those horses to just be horses. Their lives must be horrible and I won't condone it. Tay, I understand what you're trying to do. And I appreciate it, I really do. But this is something that I am strongly against."
His eyes were wide with surprise at this statement and he blinked in response, having no idea what to say. He couldn't be hurt because he had no idea. He'd never put any thought into the treatment of the horses and he certainly hadn't known how passionate she was on the subject. He thought he knew everything about her but, even on their wedding night it seemed, he was still learning. He would forever be learning.
His expression must have read--well, he didn't know--but it caused Mel to start apologizing. "Sweetie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin the night. Please don't be upset."
Finally, he shook his head. "No. No, you didn't ruin anything. I'm not upset. I just--I had no idea..."
"It really is horrible..."
"Okay," he said gently. "Okay. Do you want to, uh, just go back to the hotel?"
She smiled and nodded. "Yes. More than anything."
Finally, he smiled and he pulled her close to him again, instructing the driver to turn around and head back to Langham Place on Fifth Avenue.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
MEL
Entering the hotel that was located merely a block away from the Empire State building, Mel had to admit surprise at the uber modern chicness of the atmosphere. This was...different. Mel's and Tay's taste was normally more...classic. Elegant. Old worldly, for lack of a better term. But modern artsy chic? Not normally.
As he led her by the hand through the lobby of Langham Place and to the elevators, he murmured quietly. "I picked this hotel for three reasons and three reasons only. The bed, the view, and the view from the bathtub."
Mel had to giggle. "The bath TUB?"
"Precisely."
Moments later, they stepped off of the elevator onto the very top floor, the 27th. As Tay unlocked the door, they walked into what appeared to be an apartment with the same modern artsy chic décor as the lobby. The suite was large, complete with a sitting room, bathroom, bedroom, full kitchen, and a washer and dryer. This was insane. "Oh my god," she said in awe of the suite's size. "Do we really need--?"
"Three reasons," he reminded her. "Just three."
Upon entry of the bedroom, Mel had to cover her mouth in shock. The entire room was adorned with candles as the New York City lights sparkled through the windows that covered the entire wall opposite the bed. The over-sized king bed was covered in rose petals and a bottle chilled in fresh ice on an end table by the bed. Mel walked over to the bed and picked up a rose petal. "Tay, these are real."
He smiled and walked toward her. "Only the finest in cheesy, cliché romance for my wife."
She grinned back at him as his eyes sparkled in the candle light. He removed his scarf and his coat and he took a step toward her. "I've been looking forward to this moment since I woke up this morning," he whispered as he unbuttoned her coat.
He kissed her as he exposed her bare shoulders from her strapless dress, allowing her coat to fall to the floor. Running his hands across her shoulders made her tingle all over and she sucked in her breath, feeling his hands on her skin. He broke their kiss just long enough to remove his own suit jacket and vest and she assisted him in un-tucking his shirt. Looking up at him, she smiled as she unbuttoned his shirt. "Want me to run us a bath? I'm dying to see this view you speak of."
Biting his lip, he smiled down at her. "Yeah. That would be great."
Dropping her hands from his shirt, she went in search of the bathroom, which was located just on the other side of the wall from the bedroom and she smiled as she entered, yet, another room full of candles. Tay wasn't kidding about the view from the tub. It sat directly in front of a pair of double windows that covered the entire wall. Walking across and raising the blinds, the lights from the city glittered into the dark, candle-lit bathroom. She stood at the window and smiled for a moment as she gazed out into the city. She would never get sick of the city. She was certain she would live in Tulsa for the rest of her life. Or at least until the band retired. But a big portion of her heart would always remain in New York. And Tay knew that. And that was why this entire wedding, as well as this entire night, was so completely perfect.
Standing on one leg at a time, Mel expertly unbuckled her sandals and let them fall to the floor and then reached under her dress and took off her leggings. Her body seemed to sigh with relief at each article of clothing she shed. As she continued to gaze out the window, Tay's voice startled her from behind. "I thought I'd come check on you when I didn't hear any water running."
She turned around and looked at him, her breath catching in her throat. The way he stood there, leaning against the doorway...his white shirt unbuttoned, his feet bare as he stood against the bright candle light...she could see his eyes sparkling from across the bathroom. Suppressing the urge to maul him on sight, she smiled sheepishly. "Um, yeah. Sorry. I just--I was distracted by--" She listlessly pointed to the window behind her.
He smiled. "I know. I knew you would be. That's why I picked this hotel."
She smiled at him and then her heart raced as he walked into the bathroom, unbuckling his belt. He stopped short at the tub and looked her over. "Gotta say, I'm surprised you're still dressed," he observed. He leaned over and turned the faucet on and began adjusting the temperature.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAYLOR
It was all Taylor could do from attacking Mel on the spot. The way she looked in the short white chiffon, in her bare feet, the candle light reflecting off the beads at the top of her dress--every part of her seemed to be beckoning to him. Almost like a dream.
As he busied himself with the faucet, until he was satisfied enough to let it run, he looked at her. She looked back at him in wide-eyed innocence as she rested her hands behind her back. "Um," she said nervously. "I, um, I can't undress myself. My dress, it--it laces up the back..."
Tay found himself smiling as he straightened up from the tub. "Well, uh, that could be a problem."
Then she smirked at him skeptically as she walked to the middle of the room and stood in front of the bathroom mirror, pinning her dark hair on top of her head. Meeting her there, he stood behind her in the mirror and let his hands fall on the back of her dress. Suddenly, she whispered to him into the mirror, "You're so beautiful."
Tay blushed and he smiled, letting his head drop, unable to look in the mirror for a second. "I think that's my line."
"Not right now," she whispered. "You're beautiful. Inside and out. You're perfect."
Finally, he looked back up into the mirror. "Nobody's ever perfect."
"But you are to me," she said.
He looked at her through the mirror for a moment before he silently looked down at the back of her dress as he concentrated on unlacing the back of it. It wasn't as difficult as he thought it would be and as it loosened up, he let it fall to the floor, the white chiffon splaying silently at her feet. She didn't wear a bra. She stood in front of him in nothing but a pair of white, cotton panties, and diamonds dangled from her ears, sparkling in the candle light. If anyone was beautiful right now, it was her.
He braced his hands on the counter on either side of her and let his head fall to her bare shoulder, gently kissing her soft skin. The faint scent of her perfume was irresistible and he heard her let out a silent, content breath as his lips trailed from her shoulder to the back of her neck. Her hands covered his on the counter and the more kisses he planted on her, the more she began to rub his forearms, her head hanging as she took in another satisfied breath.
Suddenly, she turned around and looked up at him, letting her hands trail up his shirt and then peeling it back off his shoulders. He pulled it he rest of the way off of him and then he took her in his arms, desperate to feel her skin against his. He kissed her lips gently as he let his hands softly explore her arms, then her shoulders, then her neck, and then back down again. After a moment, she broke their kiss and said softly, "I think it's time to turn off the water now."
He smiled at her and did as he suggested. A moment later, he was helping her into the over-sized tub full of hot water and he sat, facing the window, while Mel took her usual position, her back against his chest. They sat in silence for a moment in the candle light, facing the city lights out the window, Tay cupping water in his hands and gently pouring it onto Mel's dry, exposed skin. "You don't have to shave my legs tonight," she said quietly.
Tay smiled into the air. "I didn't figure I'd have to."
"Okay."
They were silent for a moment more, Tay steadily covering his wife with water. Then she broke the silence again. "It's hot in here."
"Do you want to get out? If it's too much, we can--"
"No. I just want to sit here."
He smiled again, shaking his head, as she bent her knees together and took his hands in hers. "I can't wait till I can touch my knees to my chest again," she observed.
"You're giving me dirty visuals," he joked quietly into her ear.
"I DO like positions like that," she replied, a hint of deviousness in her voice.
"I know."
They were silent for another moment. Mel wasn't kidding, it was hot in there. But he'd die of heat exhaustion before he would ever ruin this moment. Suddenly, he felt her body tense up against him, which caused his to tense up in response. "What's the matter?" He blurted.
"Look," she said, her eyes intent on the window.
He followed her gaze and his eyes widened for a second before he smiled. "Look at that," he observed. "I thought it had stopped snowing. But it's REALLY coming down now."
"This was fate," she said. "I bet this is the first snow of the season here."
"We can pretend it is," he said quietly into her ear. "We can pretend that it waited specifically for us to be in this moment."
"Have you ever seen anything more beautiful in your life?"
Soaking in the warmth of the water, and of the warmth of her body pressed against his, he sat and watched the large snowflakes falling fast and hard against the twinkling city lights. "Every single day," he whispered.
"I'm so happy," she said. "I'm the happiest I've ever been in my entire life."
"When did you know?" He said quietly into her ear. "When did you know that you wanted to marry me?"
"You mean, the very first time?"
"Yeah."
"The first time you ever kissed me," she said. "We were sitting on the sofa at your house, watching old home movies. You turned my head and you kissed me. You were so soft and so gentle...it was my first kiss."
"It was?"
"You were my first everything."
They were quiet as he recalled the memory. He was surprised he even remembered it at all. There was nothing spectacular surrounding it. No fancy dinner, no ferris wheels, no doorstep at the end of a date night. It was just them, sitting home alone on a sofa. No big deal. Kissing her had been natural. He hadn't been nervous at all. It was like he'd been kissing her forever.
"What about you?" She asked, interrupting his thoughts.
He smiled. This one was easy. "The first time you ever broke up with me. Excuse me--the first time you ever TRIED to break up with me."
The water swished around them as she turned her body and looked over her shoulder? "Seriously? I'm trying to dump you and you're thinking marriage?"
Tay laughed. "Come on, you gotta admit your reasoning was kinda stupid. You were trying to 'free me' after seeing, like, half a percent of our fan base at the time. I was starting to wonder what I was actually doing WRONG for you to come up with THAT crazy excuse."
She turned back around and settled back against him. "Did you not ever look in a mirror growing up?" Then she paused. "Don't answer that."
He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. "I belonged to you then. I've always belonged to you. Even when I wasn't yours."
"The street goes both ways. You were never NOT mine."
"Mel, do you think--do you think now that we're married, we won't be so...I dunno, jealous? I mean, we both are. We're both crazy jealous, I just--I wonder..."
"No, honey," she said matter-of-factly. "Even in the nursing home I'll be running over old ladies with my wheelchair."
Tay got a hearty laugh out of that. She was probably one hundred percent telling the truth. Some things would never change.
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MEL
After their soak, Taylor made love to Mel in a way that was unlike anything she'd ever felt before. He spooned her from behind as he made love to her, his hand exploring her body. She wasn't self-conscious this time. This time she was aware of every move, every stroke, every thrust, and every touch and she welcomed each one without shame. He was her husband, making love to his wife, and in that moment, their bodies bare and pressed against the other, she had never been more in love.
When they'd finished and they'd blown out the remaining candles that had managed to stay lit, trading the candle light for lamp light, the couple lay under the covers close to each other. Mel was on her back, hugging the comforter over her chest and Tay propped his chin on his hand as he looked down at her, his free hand resting comfortably on her stomach. "Do you think things will be different now?" She asked.
"Different how?"
"I don't know...different. You know."
"I think things can only get better," he answered.
"You think?"
He smiled down at her and winked. "Of course I do. We've already been through hell and we came out of that stronger than ever. There is NOTHING we can't do now. We're practically invincible."
She giggled. "You make us sound like superheroes."
"I wish I could fly."
"I wish I could...morph!" Mel said, her eyes lighting up.
"Morph? That might make sex interesting."
"Just sex?"
He looked around in thought and then he smiled, nodding. "Yeah. Pretty much."
She smiled up at him, feeling herself swooning. "You make me laugh," she said. "I love the way you make me laugh."
"And I love the way you laugh," he smiled back. "I love the way you smile. I love the way your eyes light up when I walk in the room. I love the way the sight of you makes my heart beat faster and the way the sound of your voice makes me forget my words."
"I love your passion," she said, reaching up to move his hair out of his eye. "I love how, even after all these years, when you take my hand, I feel like a teenager again. I love the way you blush when I tell you how gorgeous you are. I love your modesty. Most of all, though, I love being your wife."
He smiled down at her, his eyes sparkling, as he caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. "And I love being your husband."
The snow continued to fall outside the window as their wedding night wound to a close and they slowly began to fall asleep, wrapped tightly in each other's arms. A door had closed on their lives and a brand new one had just opened, the two of them prepared to take the next chapter by storm, hand-in-hand, heart-to-heart, side-by-side. Together. And they wouldn't have it any other way.
------------------
"What would I do without your smart mouth
Drawing me in and you kicking me out?
Got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down
What's going on in that beautiful mind?
I'm on your magical mystery ride
And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me, but I'll be all right.
My head's under water but I'm breathing fine
You're crazy and I'm out of my mind
Cause all of me
Loves all of you
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections
Give your all to me
I'll give my all to you
You're my end and my beginning
Even when I lose I'm winning
Cause I give you all of me
And you give me all of you
How many times do I have to tell you
Even when you're crying you're beautiful, too?
The world is beating you down,
I'm around through every mood
You're my downfall, you're my muse
My worst distraction, my rhythm and blues
I can't stop singing
It's ringing in my head for you
Cards on the table, we're both showing hearts
Risking it all, thought it's hard
Cause all of me
Loves all of you
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections
Give your all to me
I'll give my all to you
You're my end and my beginning
Even when I lose I'm winning
Cause I give you all of me
And you give me all of you"
--------------------------------------------------
Alternate Jason chapter: http://tyamwedding.weebly.com/the-wedding-alternate.html
MEL
Mel had slept so soundly with Taylor that she panicked when she woke up and saw the time. The sun was almost up! He was nearly insistent on taking her back to the condo himself, but she ultimately put her foot down. "We've already broken the rules once," she said. "Let's keep the small shred of luck we still might have today!"
The sun was peeking over the horizon of the East River, the small sliver of it she could see through the buildings, as she stepped out of the cab and walked as briskly as possible as she could through the building and impatiently tapped her toe in the elevator. The sun had JUST come up. Surely Nikki and Kate weren't awake yet. Surely not...
Mel quietly and carefully unlocked the door and slowly opened it so that it wouldn't creak like it sometimes did. If she could just tiptoe in and make it to her bedroom...
Fat chance.
"Mel!" Nikki said in wide-eyed shock. "Where have you been?"
She closed the door behind her.
"Um..."
Kate lifted her head from her phone long enough to give Mel the once-over. "Look at her hair, that should tell you where she's been," she muttered.
Defensively, Mel attempted to smooth her hair down as Nikki's eyes widened. "Mel!" She scolded. "Were you with Tay?"
Her eyes flashed guiltily between Nikki and Kate. "Um..."
"All night?" Nikki asked.
Now Kate put her phone down and narrowed her eyes at Nikki. "Seriously?"
"Oh my god, Mel, how could you?" Nikki said. "You know that's bad luck!"
Mel scrunched up her nose in sorrow. "I'm sorry! You know I don't sleep well without him!"
"How do you survive when he's gone?" Kate asked.
"Not easily," Mel retorted. "Besides, did you want me to be a pregnant zombie bride? Cause if that was the idea, letting me know before bed would have been beneficial to the cause."
Nikki huffed and put her hand on her hip. "Well the damage is done now. We have just enough time to get a little breakfast in before we have to head to the venue so we should probably get moving."
Slightly ashamed of herself as Nikki took charge of the morning, Mel tucked her hair behind her ear and took the walk of shame to her bedroom.
---------------------------------------
Within an hour, the three ladies were headed to the venue. The luggage that went into the trunk of the cab was insane. As they finally settled in, Nikki said to the driver, "1 Hanson Place in Brooklyn, please."
Mel whipped her head over at Nikki. It was odd enough, the address. "I'm getting married in Brooklyn?" She blinked, her lip curling up.
Nikki scowled at her. "The venue is beautiful, you'll love it. Tay went out of his way to do this for you because he loves you, don't turn into a bridezilla today."
At this, Mel's eyes widened. Coming from Nikki, this surprised her. The only other person who had ever shut her down besides her future husband was Jason. She had to admit, though, Nikki was right. Mel had no right questioning anything that went on today, more or less. She made a mental note to remember that and never vocalize anything that popped into her head.
Apparently, Nikki immediately regretted her tone because she sighed and took Mel by the hand. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound like a bitch. I just--I really want you to enjoy this day and I KNOW you will. He worked so hard to make this perfect for you--"
Out of nowhere, tears welled up in Mel's eyes. She didn't know if she was starting to feel emotional because of the day in general or just the mere thought of Tay putting his heart and soul into it, but she felt the need to cry. Jesus, if she was feeling overwhelmed with emotion now, she couldn't imagine how the rest of the day was going to go.
As if reading her mind, Kate, on the other side of her, patted her leg. "That's it. Get it out now. We won't have time to stop and adjust your makeup fifty times today."
This made Mel giggle through her tears and as her brain raced a mile a minute, she was already on the next subject. "Were there plans made for lunch today?"
"Um..." Leaning over Mel, Nikki stared wide-eyed at Kate. It was obvious that nobody had a plan.
"I got this one," Kate said as she started typing furiously on her phone. "Sorry, we thought we thought of everything..."
As Kate went from typing to calling, Mel smiled. She couldn't have picked a better matron of honor and bridesmaid.
Once at the venue, Mel couldn't help but gaze upward at the tall clock tower that used to be Williamsburgh Savings Bank once upon a time. Mel had never been here--she never had any business in Brooklyn so she had no reason to go, but she was vaguely aware of the building's existence. The thought of the clock tower dizzied her and she must have made an off-the-wall comment about it when Nikki suddenly said to her, "Don't worry, the wedding is on the first floor. Everything else is apartments."
As the women began to take their bags and cases out of the cab's trunk, Nikki was steady on her phone and her other three sisters-in-law and her mother briskly came out of the venue to meet them curbside. They all hugged each other and had a mini reunion by the cab's open trunk until they were reminded by the cabbie, "Hey, this is touching and all and I'm glad you're getting married, but I got a job to do."
"Where's Tay?" Nikki asked no one in particular as the women all made their way inside.
"He's been randomly milling around everywhere, the poor thing," Susan said. "He's worrying himself sick over the smallest little things."
"Doesn't he have a wedding planner for that?" Kate asked.
Jessica smirked over her shoulder as they walked. "You know how he is."
Mel hadn't realized that the women had nearly formed a wall around her until they walked inside the venue. They tried to rush her off to the side to an empty room, but Mel wanted to stop and look at the venue. "We don't have time," Nikki hissed. "We need to get you in here before he sees you."
She looked at Nikki, pleadingly. "But--I just--can't I just have a moment? To myself? Just to--to--"
Mel could practically see Nikki's heart melt on the spot. She sighed. "Of course you can. We'll just get this stuff into the dressing room and start setting up. Don't be long, though, we have a lot of makeup and hair to get done." Then, as she hesitantly left Mel alone, Nikki was on her phone as she walked off, her voice echoing through the building. "Hey, sweetie, I need you to keep Tay in that room. Don't let him look out any windows...No, just for a few minutes. Trust me. I'll let you know when it's safe again."
When the women had disappeared off to her right, Mel stood for a moment and looked around. The venue was gorgeous. For Brooklyn. The ceilings were ridiculously high, cathedral-style, with dark, cone-shaped chandeliers that hung on long chains from the height. The mosaic floors and the marbled columns on the sides were absolutely gorgeous. The old, glass teller windows along the sides were interesting. In the immediate opening, there were tables with white table cloths. Workers milled around setting up chairs and place settings. This large area was obviously where the reception was being held.
Walking a little ways toward the front, close to the tables, she had to gaze at the centerpieces. They were absolutely beautiful and she knew she couldn't have picked better ones herself. A mixture of small, red flowers rested in a round bouquet in the center of a tall, silver candelabra that held four, white taper candles. Hanging from the bouquet were red, hanging amaranthus, painting the picture of perfect, gothic-style elegance. Along the base were smaller white votive candles surrounded by red rose petals. These centerpieces lined all along both sets of long tables that lined along both sides of teller windows. The staff was still setting up so there wasn't much more to see but Mel knew she couldn't wait to see the finished product.
As she stood along the tables, she spied something through one of the teller windows. Turning back, she rounded a corner and walked through a door to get behind the windows and she smiled. White chairs decorated with small red rose bouquets were being set up on either side of the small area and she saw a couple of small music stands at the front. Along the teller windows and the window ledges on the other side, sat more votive candles. Sheer, red cloth was being hung from the windows and Mel smiled. Had they planned to dim the lights? As she smiled and breathed in the aroma of the fresh, red roses that were adorning the ceremony space, she heard a voice behind her, "This is the first time I've ever heard of anyone hoping to have an overcast day on their wedding day. Rainy, even."
Mel turned around and grinned as she hugged Zac. "What are you doing out here? Aren't you supposed to be guarding Tay or some shit?"
Zac chuckled. "I was actually sent out here to assess the situation. Nikki never said why he had to stay put, but he's itching to get out of that room."
He stood there in jeans and a t-shirt. She knew none of the men were dressed yet. Except maybe her father. He probably arrived in full suit. But it wouldn't take them near as long to get ready as it would Mel and the women. There was still at least three hours worth of hair and makeup ahead of them. Mel was in no rush. Apparently neither was Zac. "Overcast or rainy? Why would he wish such things on my hair?" She joked.
Zac chuckled with her. "If you haven't noticed, the natural light in this place is...a little overwhelming, to say the least. In here he wants...less light, I guess. I'm not entirely sure. Either way, I checked the weather report and it looks like he's gonna get his wish. It's supposed to rain any second. I kinda feel sorry for the guests, but he says as long as the wedding party is dry, that's all that matters."
"This place is beautiful," she smiled as she looked around. "Everything is beautiful. I'm dying over the centerpieces. Zac, I don't know how he did it, but it's so much more beautiful than I imagined the first one was going to be." Then she laughed lightly. "My dress is going to be so out of place. It doesn't even match any of this décor. It's going to clash. But it's necessary."
Zac looked at her in silence for a moment before he spoke. "I'm really glad we're here today. I'm glad I'm standing here, talking to you. I'm glad my brother is nearly having a neurotic meltdown in the dressing room. I'm proud of him for pulling this--the wedding and his life--together and I'm glad to see that it makes you happy. I'm glad we've finally made it to this point. This is going to be the perfect day."
Mel smiled, those old familiar tears springing to her eyes. She swallowed hard to rid herself of them. "I'm proud of him, too," she whispered. "Sometimes I don't think I deserve any of this."
"Both of you deserve this. You both deserve to be happy. For once in your lives, you deserve to know what it feels like to have no fear and no worries and to be happy together. Hell, I'm probably as excited about this as you guys are."
The two of them chuckled as they began to walk across the other side of the building. "I have a surprise for him today," she said.
"A good one?"
She furrowed her brow. "Of course it's a good one. I just hope the circumstances don't upset him."
"Of course this day couldn't go without the opportunity to piss the other one off. Why should it?" Zac muttered.
She side-glanced at him. "It's a good surprise. I'm sure it in itself will be enough to overshadow the--the rest of it. Don't worry. It's our wedding day, nobody's allowed to be mad."
"Except you."
"Not even me. Nikki shut that down in a hot second."
Zac laughed. "Okay. Well I'm headed back in."
"I'm disappearing into a world of hair and makeup, never to emerge for the next few hours, I'm sure. Tell Tay it's safe to come out." As they parted ways, Mel stopped him. "Oh, Zac? Um, tell him that I love him. And thank him for everything. And that I can't wait to marry him."
He smiled warmly at her. "Sure thing."
Smiling, Mel walked into estrogen chaos.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAYLOR
Taylor nearly accosted Zac as he walked in the door. "Is everything okay?"
Zac shook his head and placed a hand firmly on his shoulder. "You gotta stop freaking out. Everything is fine. Everything looks like it's coming together. You gotta relax and let Kari do her job. It would probably make it easier if you weren't up her ass and in her business the whole time."
"Was she out there? Did she say something?"
"I didn't see her."
Tay thought he would faint from panic. If she wasn't out there, where the hell was she? What if the centerpieces didn't match on both sides? What if they didn't have enough fabric for the windows? What if the cake was late? Holy shit, it was raining--how could they get the cake inside?
Interrupting his thoughts, Zac continued, "I talked to Mel, though."
This snapped Tay out of his stupor in an instant. "She's here?"
"Yeah. Got here about ten minutes ago."
Tay let out a breath, slightly relieved. "Is that why I was forced to stay in here?"
Zac nodded.
"Well, how does she look?"
Zac narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Um...pregnant? I mean, she's nowhere close to ready, if that's what you're asking. She just got here. Jeans, t-shirt..."
Tay nodded as he shoved his hand into the pocket of his own jeans. "Oh. Okay. Um, sure, of course."
"She did tell me to tell you that she loves you, though. And to thank you for everything and that she can't wait to marry you."
A grin spread across Tay's face a mile wide. "She said that?"
Zac smiled back at him. "Yeah. She did. Verbatim."
Then the blood drained from Tay's face once more. "She saw everything? She saw what's going on out there? Nothing's finished!"
"Don't worry. Her exact words were that it was more beautiful than she imagined your first one to be. She's happy and she's proud of you and you really need to calm the fuck down. I added that last part."
Tay hadn't even been aware that Isaac had left the room until he came back with a small glass. "Here, drink this," he said, handing it to him. Tay could smell the alcohol before he got his hands on it.
"I am not drinking before I'm married."
"No, you'll die of a heart attack before you get married because you can't seem to get a grip. Just drink this and calm down a little. Have a seat."
Against his will, Tay was nearly bullied down into the loveseat as he mindlessly sipped the whiskey in his hand. "I need to talk to Kari--"
"Unless it's something new, Kari has this under control. If she has a question or if something goes wrong, she knows where to find you," Ike said. "Just chill out for awhile. You still have several hours before the ceremony."
Tay took a deep breath as his sips of whiskey grew gradually longer. They were right. He just needed to calm down. Everything would be fine.
---------------------------------------------------------------
MEL
Mel's eyes lit up as she walked into the dressing room and saw Amber putting rollers in Kate's hair. "Oh my god, Amber!" Mel walked across the room and Amber took her hands out of Kate's hair long enough to hug her. "I can't believe you flew all the way from Tulsa just for this!"
"What, and miss this? Are you kidding?" She said as she went back to work on Kate. "I gotta admit I was crushed when I found out there was no wedding before, but when Nikki said it was back on, I was all over it. I wouldn't dare let some other floozy touch your hair after MY hands have graced it."
"Thank you so much for being here," Mel said. "I appreciate this so much."
"Appreciate me when you see how fabulous you are when I'm done with you."
Over the next couple of minutes, Mel busied herself by taking her dress from the bag and hanging it in one of the doorways. She hadn't realized in her first wedding, but apparently hanging the dress was important for airing it out and loosening it up. she supposed she couldn't wear it around to break it in, so this was the next best thing.
As the ladies had just finished freaking out over her standing in the chair to get her dress hung, a small woman with glasses knocked and walked in the door, followed by a female photographer. She smiled as she approached Mel. Holding out her hand, she said, "Hi, Melody. I'm Kari, the wedding planner. It is SO nice to finally meet you."
Mel grinned, ignoring her hand, and instead hugged Kari. "It's so nice to meet you, too. Thank you so much for doing all of this."
Kari chuckled as she pulled away from Mel. "Ninety-nine percent of it was Taylor's doing. I just simply did what he told me to do. This is definitely the most unconventional wedding planning I've ever done and there were moment where I thought it was never going to happen, but it's pulling together and I couldn't be more happy for the two of you."
Mel smiled. "Thank you. And I know you say it's all him, but he couldn't have done it without you, honestly. And I couldn't be more grateful."
Kari smiled back at her as she went straight back to business. "So this is Francesca. She's your wedding photographer and she's fabulous. She's going to be milling around, taking pictures here and there. Just wanted to give you a heads up."
"Hello," Francesca said with a European accent that Mel couldn't quite place. "I'll try not to be in the way too much. If I make you uncomfortable, just say so. This is your day, I just want to help you capture every second of it."
Mel was feeling exceptionally loving today, apparently, because the next thing she knew, she was hugging the photographer, too. "Well, apparently we're hugging everyone today," she heard Kate mutter in the background.
"It could have been the opposite, but it's not!" Nikki hissed back at her.
Mel smiled, dismissing their words. She knew how she could be. Except today was her wedding day. She was marrying the man of her dreams. She couldn't think of any one possible thing that could upset her that day.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
TAYLOR
A couple of hours had passed. In spite of himself, Taylor had been in and out of the dressing room. He didn't even have to ask if there was any risk of running into Mel because he knew there wouldn't be. He was in the midst of talking to Kari at the end of one of the reception tables when the women's dressing room door opened up, Tay keeping a keen eye on it. "I don't want any preparation going on during the ceremony," he was saying to her. "I'm a little fearful of how long this is taking."
"You have nothing to worry about. This is a popular wedding venue, there are facilities for everything. The caterers will deliver in the back back there and the serving will start once everyone is seated for the reception. All the settings should be placed before the guests even start arriving and if they aren't, I'll do it myself. I promise. Don't worry. This is your wedding day. Go spend time with your groomsmen."
As he was about to give in, he witnessed Nikki, fully dressed and ready to go, bounding swiftly across the room. When she caught up to them she looked from Tay to Kari. "There's been a slight change in plans."
Tay thought he might die. "No. No change in plans. It's too late and I'm not authorizing it. Whatever it is, it's not gonna happen."
"I don't think a couple more bridesmaids and groomsmen will hurt you."
"Excuse me? That wasn't the plan."
"Well, when Mel saw Kate getting dressed and she saw the dress..."
"Shit..."
"She automatically assumed that Jess, Avery, and Zoe were in the wedding, too. And, well, hey, what do you know, they brought their dresses with them!" Nikki smiled nervously.
Tay was sweating bullets. "Nikki, have you seen the space in there? You can't fit a string section AND a twelve-person wedding party in here!"
"Tay, I'm sorry, but nobody had the heart to correct her! She looked so excited!"
Tay sighed, his heart melting a little at the thought. Dammit. "Fine. But what the hell am I supposed to do on my side, I never got that finished."
"Um..." Nikki looked around in thought. "Ike, Zac, Mac...um, Jess's husband..." When Jason suddenly walked in the door, Nikki's eyes lit up. "What about Jason?"
"Are you out of your fucking mind? I can't ask him to be one of my groomsmen."
"What did he ever do to YOU?"
Tay fell silent and scowled at Nikki. Dammit, she was right. She was absolutely right. But it was just too damn awkward. "No," he said. "Somebody else."
"Your father," Kari piped up.
"Done," Tay said. Then he turned to Kari. "Make sure the ushers know that there is no bride's side or groom's side. Everyone sits where they want. Together."
"Got it," Kari said.
As Tay and Nikki parted ways with Kari, he said to her, "Any more fun surprises I need to be aware of?"
"Not that I know of," she said. "But it looks like Jason is coming this way, so you need to smile and do the deed. I'll go check on your blushing bride!" And with that, she bounded off toward the dressing room.
Taking a deep breath, Tay met the hulking Hawaiian in gray Armani in the middle of the room. "Hey," he said, shaking Jason's hand. "Thank you for coming."
"Thank you for inviting me," Jason said, coolly, obvious that both men were trying to keep the peace. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it to dinner last night. My flight got delayed due to the weather."
"It's okay. I didn't tell Mel you were coming anyway, so she wasn't disappointed."
"Doesn't matter anyway, I left her a voicemail. Then I stopped by your condo last night after I got in."
Tay cleared his throat and adjusted his collar. "Oh, you did? Um, well, uh, good. Glad she got to see you."
"I gave her the keys to my place in Hawaii like we talked about."
Tay couldn't help but let a laugh escape his throat. "Did she throw them back in your face?"
Jason smiled. "Surprisingly, no. She still has them."
"Thank you," Tay said. "You have no idea what this will mean to her. And to me. I know we've had our differences and I know--I know you must think...awful things of me, I'm sure, but I'm honestly glad she has you. I've said it before and I'll say it again. She's lucky to have friend like you."
"I told her I was glad that she's marrying you," Jason said. "And I meant it. Don't make me regret it."
Tay let out a breath and smiled. "Never. You will never regret it." Then he glanced behind Jason at the clock on the wall and back at him. "Hey, you want a beer? Ike has taken it upon himself to keep us stocked today."
Jason smiled. "Yeah, what the hell? It's your wedding day, I could use a celebratory beer."
As the two men made their way back to the men's dressing room, the women's came open once again. What Tay wouldn't give to see Mel right now.
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MEL
As Amber double teamed hair and make up on Zoe and Avery, Mel rummaged through the bag she brought with her in search of a snack. As she opened a pack of crackers, Nikki breezed through the door for at least the third time since she had been ready. "If you sweat that makeup off, it will make me very angry," Amber warned her. "Please don't make me angry before I get my hands on the bride."
Nikki grinned shyly and then looked at Mel as she snacked on her crackers. "You know lunch is on the way."
"Not fast enough," Mel said with her mouth full. "Is there any water in here?"
In the next hour, after Amber finished up with Jess and Mel's mother, Mel sat in the makeup chair and happily devoured her lunch as Amber worked on her hair. "Amber," Mel said, her mouth full of a deli sandwich. "Stop and break for lunch. Seriously."
"I appreciate your concern, but we're on a time crunch here."
Mel scowled at her and put down her sandwich. "That wedding can't start without me anyway. And I'm the bride. And if the bride says you stop and eat, you stop and eat. They'll get over it."
In that instant, Susan brought a sandwich and a drink to Amber and offered her her seat. "Here, sweetheart. Take your time and have a seat," she said to her. "Take a load off." As Amber smiled at her, Susan looked around and spied Diana, who was busy keeping Junia busy. "Come on, Di, let's go find our men and check on the groom." Susan kissed Mel on the cheek and then left the room.
"Tell him I miss him!" Mel called after them, her mouth still full of food.
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SUSAN
Susan knocked lightly on the door and alerted the men of hers and Diana's presence before they entered the room. Susan wasn't sure what she expected when she walked in the room. The same hustle and bustle that had been going on in the ladies' room, maybe? She didn't know. What she walked in on was a room full of half-dressed, laughing and joking men, with apparently hers and Diana's husbands being the life of the party. Well, at least they didn't see any skin. That was a plus.
Taylor's eyes lit up and he stood when he saw the two women. "Is everything okay?" He asked, alarm in his voice.
"Everything is fine, sweetheart," Diana said, observing him in jeans and a white dress shirt. "You're not dressed yet? It smells like a brewery in here."
The men all looked at each other sheepishly as Diana eyed each one of them hard. "There better not be a single drunk soul in this room." Her eyes landed, lastly, on her husband, who threw his hands up.
"They've all been on their best behavior," Walker said. "Honest. Just doing a little celebrating, that's all."
"Mmhmm," she answered.
Tay was still focused on Susan. "So. How does she look? How is she doing?"
Susan smiled warmly at the nervous groom. She reminded him of a young boy who was getting married for the first time. She guessed in a lot of ways he was. "Right now the most important thing in her life is turkey and mayo on wheat. She did say to tell you she misses you, though. Unfortunately, though, sweetheart, I think we're looking at a little delay."
His eyes darted from Susan to his own mother. "Delay? Why is there a delay?"
"Well because she's pregnant and she's eating lunch," Diana said bluntly. "Sometimes feeding that baby takes precedence."
"That and she forced the stylist to take a lunch break, too," Susan added. "So, right now, at this very moment, she is sitting in a makeup chair, half of her hair in rollers, not an ounce of paint on her face, with a cheek full of meat and bread. She looked like she was in heaven when we left the room."
Surprisingly, he didn't have a meltdown like Susan expected. Instead, he had stars in his eyes. "I bet she's adorable," he said quietly.
"I think you need another beer," Jason muttered in the background.
Susan's head peeked around and spied Jason on one of the loveseats. "Jason," she smiled. "How nice to see you. It's been much too long."
Jason stood and walked over to hug her gently. "It's good to see you, too. You look stunning today. If nobody knew any better, they'd think you're the bride."
Susan blushed as she glanced over at Paul. "Oh, well. Thank you, Jason. You sure know how to make an old lady's day."
"Of course she's stunning," Paul huffed. "She's always stunning. Where do you think my daughter gets her good looks?"
"Certainly not from you, old man," Walker joked.
"Okay, well, we just wanted to stop in and see the progress in here," Diana said. Then she looked around the room. "Where are the boys?" She asked, referring to Ike's two and Zac's one.
"Kelly's keeping them occupied," Ike spoke up. "They're close by somewhere."
Diana raised an eyebrow. "The tutor? You brought the tutor to New York? Ike, she's a tutor, not a babysitter."
"She was happy to do it, it's no big deal."
"Okay. That's fine. Not my business anyway. You all should probably start getting ready soon. We're maybe looking at another hour and a half. And I'm sure guests will start arriving within the hour. I know your cousins are planning to make it a little early."
With that, Susan and Diana set off in search of Kari to inquire about the guest book and guest arrival.
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NIKKI
The hour and a half seemed to fly by. Before Nikki knew it, the bridesmaids were dressed and ready and Susan and Amber were helping Mel into her dress. "Sweetheart, I don't know if you noticed," Susan observed. "And I'm not trying to upset you, but you do realize that this sash is blue and your wedding is not."
"I know," Mel said simply.
"And you knew about the wedding when you bought this dress...but you bought this dress..."
"I love this dress."
"Yes, but the sash..."
"If I wanted a red sash, I would have gotten one with a red sash. Besides, it's my something blue."
As Nikki watched the scene unfold, as both Susan and Amber laced Mel's dress up as best they could while still keeping her belly comfortable, Nikki's eyes widened. Suddenly, she grabbed a pair of scissors and headed for Mel.
Mel's eyes widened as Nikki grabbed up the hanging tails of her sash that hung from the knot that tied underneath her breasts. As Nikki raised the scissors, Mel started to panic. "Nikki, what are you doing? That's my wedding dress!"
Suddenly there was commotion in the room. "Trust me," Nikki said in concentration. "Everybody just trust me." Carefully she cut off both tails and kept the fabric balled up in her hand. "Quick, somebody, I need something. I need something bejeweled, it doesn't matter what it is. A brooch, a hair pin, something."
Quickly, Amber went to the makeup table and dug in a box. "Here!" She said, handing Nikki a rose-shaped hair pin, bejeweled in clear, fake stones.
"Perfect, thanks." Expertly, Nikki opened the pin and shoved it downward between the fabric in the knot and it perfectly covered the places that she cut off. Mel stood there in silence, still devastated, until Nikki turned her around into the full length mirror. "Look," Nikki said. "It's perfect. I told you to trust me."
Mel started to smile a little as she admired the new adornment on her dress, but Nikki had no time to relish in the moment. In a flash, she darted out of the ladies' room and over to the men's room and she stopped abruptly as Jason came out the door. "Whoa, where's the fire?" He asked.
"I gotta get in there before they go up front," she said breathlessly.
"Okay," he said, his face a little startled with concern, but choosing not to question her. He opened the door for her and let her in.
"Thanks," she said to him gratefully as she breezed past him.
The men were putting the finishing touches on their suits. Nikki didn't pay any of them any attention, including her husband. Instead, she went straight for Taylor. She frowned as she spied him in a red necktie and a red handkerchief in his pocket. That would never work. Without question, she breathlessly breathed, "Trust me," as she yanked the handkerchief out of his pocket.
"Whoa!" A chorus of men's voices littered the room.
"Nikki, what the hell are you doing?" Isaac asked her.
"It's okay," she said as she concentrated on Tay's suit. "I know what I'm doing."
Tay merely looked back at her in bewilderment as she replaced the red handkerchief with the light blue satin fabric she produced from her fist. She arranged it just so in his pocket then smiled as she patted his chest. "There," she said.
"Nikki, this isn't right," Tay said. "I don't know what's going on here, but I look like the damn poster child for the American flag. There is no blue in this wedding."
She looked at the red, white, and blue across his chest in thought. He was right. With that, she began to loosen his tie. "Somebody give me a black tie," she commanded. The men merely stood there and gaped at her. She pulled the red tie from around Tay's neck and looked around. "Come on. Somebody's gotta have an extra black tie. Ike! I'm sure you brought a million of them! I just need a black tie, is that too much to ask?"
Three black ties ended up in her face. Grabbing the closest one to her, she tied it around Tay's neck in seconds, tucked it into his vest, adjusted his collar, straightened his lapel, and stood back and smiled. "That's perfect. Absolutely perfect. AND it brings out your eyes. It's a win-win!"
"Nikki," Tay said. "WHAT in the hell just happened here?"
"You gotta trust me," she said excitedly. "You just gotta trust me. Please don't change a thing after I leave."
Looking back at her, still bewildered, Tay nodded. "Okay. Okay, fine. No problem."
Grinning, Nikki bounded out of the men's room and back to the ladies'.
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MEL
Finally, everyone was ready. So far, they were only running about ten minutes behind schedule, which Mel didn't think was so bad. "What kind of a Hanson wedding would it be if it wasn't running on Hanson time?" Kate muttered.
After Susan had her personal moment with Mel, she and Diana took Junia and left to sit down. The guests had arrived and the ceremony space was reportedly standing room only. Mel hoped that Taylor wasn't freaking out at this news.
After the bridesmaids had left the room to line up and Amber had long since left her duties to attend the wedding herself, Mel took a deep breath before she exited the room to meet her father. Gripping her small bouquet of roses, which, admittedly, did NOT match her dress, she unexpectedly came face-to-face with Jason, who looked incredible in perfectly-tailored, gray Armani. No necktie. Never a necktie.
Wordlessly, she wrapped her arms around his neck, willing herself not to cry. It was a struggle. A battle. She was trying to save her tears for when she saw her father. And her future husband. But it meant everything to her that Jason was there that day. Her day wouldn't have been complete without him. Pulling away, he smiled down at her. "Hey, gorgeous," he greeted her gently. "You're the most beautiful bride I've ever seen. I just want you to know how proud I am of you and how happy I am for you. Genuinely happy."
She smiled sheepishly. "I don't match," she said. "I guess I should have known better--"
"You're perfect. You've never been more perfect."
"Thank you," she whispered, desperately fighting tears. She'd never fought so hard in her life. Her hand fell to her stomach and her eyes glanced down as if to follow it. Suddenly, hear head jerked back up and looked Jason in the eyes. "Jason. I want you to be our baby's godfather."
Jason's eyes widened and he blinked from the shock. "Do--do what? You want me to--what?"
"I know this is sudden. And I know it might be a burden on you. And you can turn me down if you want to. But, Jason, if anything were to ever happen to Tay and I--you're the one I would want my child to learn from. I would want you to share your wisdom and your strength and your knowledge--I can't think of anyone else I could trust more to raise my child than you--in the event that I, yanno, can't."
"Does Taylor know?"
"We discussed it."
"And he's okay with it?"
"Of course he is."
Jason narrowed his eyes at her, studying her face for a moment. Mel's heart pounded. Was this the right time to come to him with this? Of course it was, he was about to spend a couple months in Europe. Finally, his face softened and he smiled. "Of course, Mama. I'd be honored to be that baby's Uncle Jason."
She grinned and threw her arms around his neck one more time. "Thank you. Thank you so much, you have no idea what this means to me."
He pulled away and smiled one more time. "Time's a wasting, gorgeous. It's time to finally get you married."
She didn't know what it was. What triggered it. But she peeked around him at the wedding party lining up and she instantly burst into tears and turned and ran in the other direction.
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TAYLOR
Taylor's heart pounded and his palms began to sweat as the string section began to echo through the building. He watched his sisters walk up the aisle, each of them every bit as beautiful as they were the day they were born. He loved his sisters--but each walk felt like an eternity.
His heart raced faster when he saw Kate. Beautiful, model-esque Kate. This was it. Nikki would follow her and then--he couldn't even think it without a lump forming in his throat.
When Nikki finally made her descent down the aisle, he could barely keep it together. He didn't realize he was toe-tapping until he felt Isaac's hand fall calmly on his shoulder. Ike was right in his gesture. That's why he was his best man. Tay needed to keep it together. Somehow, he found that impossible.
The small string section had changed up the music once Nikki took her place. Tay's heart nearly pounded out of his chest. He wanted to die from the anticipation.
The guests would stand when the bride came into view. Except that when the string section started the song over, and the guests still weren't standing, Tay began to grow a little anxious. Fearful, even. Halfway through the second round, and no bride in sight, it was obvious that there was a problem. Surely this wasn't her revenge against him. Surely she hadn't built him up just to tear him down in front of God and everybody. Would she, though? Was this her way of saying she'd had enough of him?
His eyes met both his and Mel's mother's eyes, both pairs filled with horror. He scanned the concerned looks on the guests' faces, as well, and witnessed a good majority of them looking around in their seats.
He then scanned the faces of the bridesmaids and groomsmen, getting quickly frustrated with that fact that nobody seemed to have an answer to his silent, but obvious, question. Behind him, he started to hear a quiet commotion among the men. After a moment, Ike leaned in and quietly said into Tay's ear, "Um, so she's apparently locked herself up in the restroom..."
Tay straightened his stance and looked over his shoulder. "You're kidding."
Ike shook his head. "They're saying she won't talk to anyone."
"They WHO?"
"Jason just texted Zac."
Tay could only shake his head. This was what Mel did best. When things got heavy, she locked herself in the bathroom. And when she found herself in such situations, he knew he was the only one who could talk her off the ledge. "I'll handle it," he said to Ike.
"But, Tay. You can't--"
"Look, this is kind of our thing. I could deal with this in my sleep. Just--give me a couple of minutes."
Ike shook his head, defeated. "Okay, then..."
Blushing, Tay found himself straightening his tie and jacket. "Well, then," he addressed calmly. "It seems I have to go retrieve my bride."
Uneasy chuckles sounded from the small congregation as Tay stepped out of line and briskly up the aisle, turning left around the corner to cross the building to the other line of old teller booths where the dressing rooms and restrooms were located. The strings had stopped playing and all that could be heard was the sound of Tay's shoes against the waxed mosaic tile. As he made his way toward the restroom, Jason met him mere feet from the door. Tay could hear her sobbing from behind him. "What's going on?" Tay asked him, alarmed.
He pointed behind him with his thumb. "So, yeah, she's not coming out. She won't even talk to me, if that tells you anything. It's pretty bad."
"Hey, uh, you think we can refrain using the word 'bad' today?"
"Hey, it's your wedding, pal, I'm just telling you like it is."
Annoyed, Tay asked. "How did she end up in there in the first place?"
Jason shrugged. "I don't know. She and I were talking and the next thing I know, she's crying and running off to the bathroom."
Tay narrowed his eyes at the Hawaiian. "What were you talking about?"
Jason scowled back at him. "Does it matter? She's locked up in the fucking bathroom on her wedding day."
Letting a breath out, he decided Jason was right. He couldn't ignore the burst of adrenaline he felt, however, at the knowledge that, for the first time since Jason had entered their lives, he couldn't save the day. Tay thought that moment would never come.
"Hey," Jason said, his voice softening. "Just go get your woman."
Just steps behind Jason, Tay approached the bathroom door, Mel still sobbing inside. He leaned his shoulder against the door. "Mel," he said as gently and as quietly as he could, as sound seemed to carry throughout the building. "What is it this time?"
"Go away, you're not supposed to see me."
He had to smile. He hated when she did this, but she was just so damn cute when she did it. "I can't see you from out here, anyway."
"Well, let me just paint a picture. It's not pretty. You know how there's, like, the big, white elephant in the room?" She asked between tears. "Well today it's more like a big, white cow!"
"She's lying," Jason whispered to him loudly. "She's the most beautiful I've ever seen her. You're a lucky guy."
Tay smiled, appreciative of Jason's words. Then he said into the door, "Mel, they can probably hear you."
"I'm surprised they can't see me!"
"Sweetheart, there won't be a person in this building who won't be stunned at how beautiful you look. I promise."
"How do you know, you haven't even seen me."
"I don't have to."
There was silence for a moment and her tears seemed to be subsiding. Suddenly she blurted. "Marry me in the bathroom!"
Tay laughed. He couldn't help it. "I'm not marrying you in the bathroom. And, besides, I don't think the officiant would go for it."
"Tell him to just send the paperwork. Or let Jason do it. Just tell him to let Jason do it!"
Tay glanced up at Jason, who held his hands up in the air. "Hey, I am completely out of this."
"Yeah, I don't think that's a very good idea. He's not even ordained," Tay said into the door. "I wish you'd stop crying. Your makeup's probably running now, you know."
"Oh my god, I'm hideous!" Tay heard fresh tears from the other side of the door.
He sighed and looked up at Jason. "Has to be hormones," he whispered to him. "HAS to be."
"Would you be surprised if it wasn't?" Jason asked.
Tay shook his head in defeat. Then he did the unthinkable. He lifted the legs of his pants and sat himself right there on the floor, suit and all, and sat against the door, leaning his head back against it. "Look," he said quietly. "I'm not always gonna know all the right things to say. I'm not always gonna have all the answers. And neither are you. But together, we're gonna laugh and we're gonna cry and we're gonna figure it out. Just like we always have since we were three. We've been through a lot over the years, survived odds and defeated obstacles that nobody else could. But we made it through and we did it together. There is nothing that we can't do together and there is NOTHING that I can do without you. As our lives go on, there will be more odds and more obstacles for us to face, but there is one thing that will NEVER change and that is how much I love you. And I promise you, for the rest of your life, you will never need for anything, want for anything, or ever go a single day without knowing how much I love you and how beautiful you are to me."
There was silence on the other side of the door and he could hear the shuffling of the congregation across the room as he waited for a response. Any response. Finally, after a nervous moment, she squeaked out, "Tay?"
"Yes, sweetheart."
"Did you just recite your vows?"
He was stunned for a second as the realization hit him. He ran a hand through his hair nervously. "Well, shit," he sighed. "Yeah, I guess I did."
"I do," she responded.
"Yeah, I don't think we're quite at that part yet. Nice try, though."
"Go away so I can marry you."
Tay smiled in triumph. "Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure, what did you think was gonna happen here today? Give me a couple minutes, though, make sure nobody leaves."
"I'm pretty sure nobody's going anywhere. And, Mel? I love you."
"Save it for the wedding," she said brusquely.
Tay chuckled as he stood, straightening his suit and dusting himself off. "Okay. You know where to find me."
And then he made his way back to his original location and assumed the position.
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MEL
Mel looked in the mirror, eagerly adjusting her makeup as best she could. Amber was going to kill her if she looked anything less than perfect when she walked down that aisle. Mel loved that girl. She made a mental note to invite her for drinks once she could drink again.
Poking her head out the door and looking around, she found herself alone. Jason was gone. The only person she spied was her father, standing a ways away, his hands folded patiently in front of him. Mel was glad she'd just cried a monsoon because this was the part that made her the most nervous.
Clearing her throat and straightening up, she lifted the side of her dress and made her way across the room, her bare feet cold against the tile. She smiled as she approached Paul and he smiled back at her. "Decided to forego the shoes, huh?" He observed.
"Yeah," she said. "I can only handle heels in small doses. I'll put on some sandals or something for the reception."
"Could have worn sandals under your dress there."
Mel looked at him blankly for a moment. "Yeah...yeah, I guess I could have."
Paul chuckled lightly and gazed at his daughter. "You were beautiful on your first wedding day. But your beauty back then doesn't hold a candle to the way you look today."
She grinned at her father. "I'm finally doing it, Daddy. I'm finally marrying the man I always wanted to marry."
"I'm so proud of you, princess. I'm glad you're finally happy."
"Thank you. I am."
"You know, giving you away the first time was hard. And you were younger then. Green. More naïve. But you've turned into a brilliant, strong woman with a great head on your shoulders--and giving you away isn't any easier. You're always going to be my baby girl."
Mel hugged her father. "I love you, Daddy."
"I love you, too, princess." The he pulled away and looked at her, taking a deep breath. "But let's finally get you out of my hair and into his."
Paul smiled as Mel giggled, hooking her arm into his. As they made their way over to the ceremony area, the music started to play again. Mel's heart pounded, but she was ready.
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TAYLOR
Taylor's breath caught in his throat when he finally saw her. Except that he only saw her for a split second before everyone stood up. He was instantly annoyed at the small space they were in and he instantly questioned his choice in lighting. Very little natural light was allowed in and the room was lit with dim lighting and candles. There was plenty of light to be seen, but it was just dark enough to be romantic. When he could finally see her, halfway down the aisle, the way she grinned at him and never took her eyes off of him, tears sprang to his eyes and he cleared his throat in an attempt to fight them off.
Her dress was simple but perfect. It had a small train and small, capped sleeves lined with lace. Her hair sat loosely, pinned up off her shoulders, wisps of it flying away from her. She looked like a princess. She barely looked like she was from this century but the look couldn't have been more perfect. At the sight of her, he smiled, knowing the décor and the lighting were just right.
She took his breath away.
When Paul and Mel finally stopped at the end of the aisle, in front of Tay, it was like dangling her in front of him with no intent of letting him have her. It was torture and he found it difficult to listen to the officiant as he started to speak. "Dear Family and Friends. We have gathered here today, from far and wide, in the presence of these witnesses, to join Melody Brianne Banks and Jordan Taylor Hanson in matrimony, which is commended to be honorable among all men and, therefore, is not by any to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, and solemnly. Into this holy estate, these two persons present now come to be joined. If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."
Tay stiffened at these words. He'd forgotten about this part. If his wedding to Mel was ever going to be ruined, it was going to be right now. He looked at Mel, who continued to smile, but he could read it in her face, too. He glanced at Mel's father, at his own mother who sat in front of him, at Mel's mother--all of them reading the same facial expression. The only other person he couldn't bear to lay eyes on was Jason.
It was obvious that everyone who was aware of the situation was expecting it. This was it. This was Jason's opportunity. Glancing at Mel once more, her body stiffened as if bracing herself for the blow. Finally, Tay managed to glance at Jason. Jason caught his eye and he nodded subtly and, instantly, Tay was okay. He knew though, if he were in Jason's shoes, he would have caused an unholy riot right then and there. But Jason was a better man than he and Tay knew that. He would go the rest of his life never forgetting it. And, in that moment, it was suddenly more important that Jason gave her away to him rather than her father. After all, Jason WAS there in the beginning. He was there before Tay was. And if it weren't for Jason, in some ways, this wedding wouldn't even be happening. Tay owed him big time and he knew it.
You could feel the tension in the room dissipate as the officiant started to speak again. The smile returned to Tay's face as he relaxed and gazed at his now blushing bride. "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"
"I do," Paul said proudly.
As Mel took her arm from Paul's in preparation to stand with Tay, Paul sniffed unexpectedly. Mel's head whipped around as he quickly wiped a tear away. "Daddy, don't cry," she smiled as she hugged him.
"These are happy tears, sweetheart," Tay heard Paul whisper to her. "You're not the only one who's waited for this moment their entire life."
The comment touched Tay. He looked at Paul as a father as much as Paul looked at him as a son. Tay stepped toward him to shake his hand and hug him. "Thank you," Tay said to him quietly. "I promise I'll take care of her."
"You better," Paul said in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Don't forget that conversation we had."
Tay smiled. "Yes, sir."
The tears came when he finally touched her skin. All it took was the touch of her hand and Tay was wiping a tear from his eye. He couldn't help it. He had just seen her the previous night, but the entire day had felt like a million years. She was perfection, she was everything, and she was his. The emotions of the day, and all through the years, were finally starting to get to him. And the ceremony had barely started.
Mel handed Nikki her bouquet and then took Tay's other hand and smiled up at him. She stood so close to him that her belly nearly brushed him and it was all he could do to keep from taking her in his arms. In that moment, all he wanted to do was put the ring on her finger, kiss her, and go hole up in a room alone with her somewhere.
His thoughts were interrupted once more when the officiant spoke again. " 'Ultimately there comes a moment when a decision must be made. Ultimately two people who love each other must ask themselves how much they hope for as their love grows and deepens, and how much risk they are willing to take...It is indeed a fearful gamble...Because it is the nature of love to create, a marriage itself is something which has to be created so that, together, we become a new creature. To marry is the biggest risk in human relations that a person can take. If we commit ourselves to one person for this life this is not, as many people think, a rejection of freedom; rather it demands the courage to move into all the risks of freedom, and the risk of love which is permanent; into that love which is not possession, but participation, then it is part of that co-creation which is our human calling, and implies such risk that it is often rejected.' That excerpt was taken from The Irrational Season by Madeleine L'Engle. I chose this excerpt because, after learning of Melody and Taylor's relationship, and how it has progressed over the years, I felt that it perfectly defined the two of them. These two individuals have struggled. They have fought, and been defeated, for their love for one another. They took the gamble of love, several times, with each other. And they didn't stop after the first loss. They didn't stop after the second. They didn't stop at any of their losses. They kept at it and they kept at it. And they say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and getting the same result. Gambling with love with the same person over and over and over with the same result can maybe be described as insanity. Except that this time, with THIS gamble, something different finally happened. This time, they blossomed and something very rare and very pure and very beautiful happened--they gambled with love and they won. Finally, they won. Something different happened. So, then, by definition, this pair is not insane. All they are, is in love."
The tears were silently falling down Mel's cheeks. Steadily falling. She smiled through them and gripped Tay's hands, only breaking long enough to wipe the tears away. After a moment, Nikki handed her a tissue over her shoulder and Mel laughed lightly, dabbing her eyes. Wasting no time, her eyes locked back on his. Could she see the tears that lined his own eyes? Undoubtedly so, because she shared her tissue with him.
"A good marriage must be built on the foundation of a powerful commitment. In marriage, the 'little' things are the big things. It is never being too old to hold hands. It is remembering to say 'I love you' at least once a day. It is never going to sleep angry. It is standing together and facing the world. It is speaking words of appreciation, and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways. It is having the capacity to forgive and forget. It is giving each other an atmosphere in which they can grow. It is a common search for the good and the beautiful. It is not only marrying the right partner--it is being the right partner."
Tay smiled at Mel and she smiled back at him. His cheeks hurt from smiling but he didn't care. He would take that hurt any day of the week. "I love you," he mouthed to her silently.
"I love you more," she mouthed back.
"Melody and Jordan," the officiant continued. "The vows that you are about to make are a way to share your love and commitment to each other in your own words. Sometimes poems, verses, or quotes just don't get the point across the way you need them to and the best option is just to do it yourself. These vows are your way of openly declaring your promise to one another as well as to all of those who are here in attendance today." The officiant looked toward Tay and nodded. "Jordan," he prompted.
Suddenly, Taylor smiled and blushed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously as he glanced at the congregation. "Um, well I did...have vows...but I, uh, I just said them to her outside the bathroom door just before the ceremony, so..."
Light laughter filled the room.
Then he looked back at Mel, into her eyes, and his face changed. Taking her hands in his once again, he stepped closer to her. "Mel, I love you. You are my best friend. Today, I give myself to you in marriage. I promise to encourage and inspire you, to laugh with you, and to comfort you in times of sorrow and struggle. I promise to love you in good times and in bad, when life seems easy and when it seems hard, when our love is simple, and when it is an effort. I promise to cherish you and to always hold you in the highest regard. These things I give to you today, and all the days of our life."
Mel smiled at him, reaching up and touching the side of his face. "Oh, Tay," she whispered. "That was so beautiful. And I'm not confident that I can pull something that eloquent out of my ass like that."
The room roared in laughter, as did Tay, and Mel blushed, apparently just now recognizing the microphone they stood in front of. She covered her mouth in shock and looked around before finally giggling herself.
The officiant smiled as he looked at her. "Well, Melody, I do believe you've set the stage for yourself."
She looked at him, then back at Tay, and then out at the congregation. And then, much to Tay's surprise, she reached up behind the microphone and clicked it off. Tay and the officiant exchanged glances.
Mel took a deep breath and took Tay by the hands and stepped close to him. Her body pressed against his, as close as she could get, and she spoke quietly. "Do you like my dress?" She asked him.
This was the most random thing he thought he'd ever hear in the middle of his wedding. But he was honest. "I think it's gorgeous. Not near as gorgeous as the women wearing it, but still gorgeous."
Mel smiled as her eyes fell on his jacket pocket. Narrowing her eyes, she fingered the blue material that peeked out of the top of it and she turned and glanced at Nikki quickly before turning back to him. "This is from my dress," she said to him.
"Is it?"
She nodded as she stepped back for a moment. "Can't you see the matching colors? The material?"
He smiled as he reached up and touched his own pocket. "I love that."
Mel then took a deep breath. "Everyone's been asking me about my dress today. About why the colors don't match the wedding. And when Nikki came at me with the scissors and started cutting, I nearly died right there. But now seeing what she did with the remnants, it touches me in ways that--I think she gets it--I think she's the only one who knows--why she did it." Mel turned around and smiled at Nikki, who beamed back at the couple. "I thought so," Mel confirmed gently. Then she turned back and looked up into Tay's eyes. "Tay, I lied to you."
Tay's heart pounded into his ears. Could Mel hear it? It pounded so hard he thought the entire congregation could hear it. He swallowed hard and his breathing quickened. "Um...okay..."
"I picked out this dress on purpose. As a representation."
Tay's eyes bored into hers. What was she getting at? Why wouldn't she keep talking? Was he supposed to get it now?
Letting out a breath, Mel continued. "A little while back, I lied to you. I've been lying to you this entire time. Sometimes it's been so hard, but--that day that I had my appointment and you had to miss it--and I told you that I didn't find out the gender of the baby? I lied. I've known this whole time."
Tay felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. He would have been upset had the realization of the situation not taken over.
Noticing the look on his face, Mel squeezed his hands. "I wasn't trying to be deceitful. I wanted it to be a surprise."
Tay blinked, finally getting it. It took a second, but he got it, and he smiled, the shock causing him to cover his own mouth. And then he cried. He couldn't help it. It was an instant reaction and he couldn't stop it before it happened. Finally, wiping his cheeks quickly, he said to her, "Are you saying we're having--?"
She nodded excitedly and she leaned up into his ear. "We're having a boy."
Tay immediately looked to the officiant. "Can I kiss her NOW?"
Quickly, the officiant smiled and shook his head.
Without even thinking, in the midst of his excitement, he reached out and clicked the microphone back on before he glanced around at the congregation and back at Mel. She nodded at him as if she could read his mind. He glanced around nervously and ran a hand through his hair. "Um, so, I just got told that we're having a boy..."
The room erupted in applause and Tay felt himself blushing. There wasn't really much he could do from where he was standing, but he did realize that the ceremony did need to continue. As if they shared a wavelength, Mel took his hand and turned his attention back to her. "Sweetie, I'm so glad you're excited and that I'm not first on your hit list--but I really do want to get married."
"Right," Tay said, pulling himself together. "Right. So do I."
Mel cleared her throat and smiled up at him. "Okay," she started. Then she paused and turned around to allow Nikki to hand her a small sheet of paper that looked as if it had been used and folded repeatedly a million years ago. "I'm sorry, I don't have it memorized," she said. "I should, though, I've had it a long, long time."
He searched her eyes. "How long?"
"Long enough," she whispered. Then she raised her voice just slightly and read aloud, "Tay, today I become your wife and you become my husband. I will strive to give you the best of myself, while accepting you the way you are. I promise to respect you as a whole person with your own interests, desires, and needs, and to realize that those are sometimes different, but no less important than my own. I promise to keep myself open to you, to let you in to my most innermost fears and feelings, secrets and dreams. I promise to grow along with you, to be willing to face change as we both change, keeping our relationship alive and exciting. I promise to love you in good times and bad, with all I have to give and all that I am, in the only way I know how--completely and forever. And, finally, I promise to be all that I can be in a wife and a mother and to provide a loving, caring home for you, for us, and for our family. I love you so much, Tay. More than you'll ever know. And I have never been more proud of you than I am right now."
By the time it was time to exchange the rings, Tay was ready for this business to be over. At this point, he decided they were already married. 'Let's just get the rings and get out,' he thought to himself. He was ready. All he wanted was her. Nothing else. If he shut down the entire deal, cancelling the reception and all, and just went back to the condo and lounged around lazily on the sofa for the rest of the night, alone with her, it would have been perfection. Now he was beginning to understand why she was looking forward to the wedding night the most.
However, the ring exchange was something else in itself entirely. He figured by the time the wedding was over, they'd both be dehydrated from the tears they shed. Never, in his entire life, had he ever worn his emotions on his sleeve like he did today. And, for the first time, he didn't care who saw him cry. They'd likely never see it again, but today, he didn't care. He hadn't even shed a tear at his wedding to his ex wife. Not a single one. But today? They wouldn't stop flowing. And he knew that if he'd married Mel all those years ago instead of his ex, the tears would have flowed just the same. He'd never stopped loving Mel and he never would.
Once the rings had been placed, the officiant spoke again, much to Tay's dismay. He felt like an impatient ten-year-old kid in church, but damn. Let's get on with it. "Melody and Jordan, you have professed your love by exchanging your vows. You have symbolized your commitment by exchanging your rings. With this, there is just one more question I need each of you to answer and then we're off to the reception to celebrate."
At that moment--in that very moment--the reason why Tay was marrying Mel became painfully apparent. Because she WAS him. They were one. They were on a wavelength that day like they'd never been on before. Narrowing her eyes at Tay, Mel turned to the officiant and said very frankly, "I'm not trying to be rude, here. Honestly. But we've both been married before. We know what the question is and we know the answer. We both 'do.' " She said, making quotation marks in the air. "I do, he does--"
"--I do," Tay interjected quickly.
"--and we just--DO."
It was apparent that the officiant didn't quite know what to do with himself at that point and all Tay wanted to do was shove his tongue down Mel's throat.
"Um, well..."
"I'm sorry," Mel said to him. "Really. But my feet hurt, and this baby is beating the shit out of me right now and all we really wanna do is just get married."
Finally, the officiant smiled. "Well, okay, then. It's your wedding. If it's okay with the two of you..."
"It's okay!" Mel and Tay both said in unison. Laughter filled the room.
"Well, okay, then. By the power vested in me, by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Go ahead and kiss her, already!"
Mel was already on Tay before he could get to her. He tried as hard as he could to behave himself, but he couldn't stop kissing her. They kept it classy to a degree. They finally broke the kiss long enough to remember where they were and were growing ever more anxious to get out of there. All the officiant had to do was sign that paper. This was it, but that paper was the ultimate prize. He knew Mel was just as anxious to get her hands on it as he was.
"It is my great honor and privilege," the officiant said. "To present to you Mr. and Mrs. Jordan Taylor Hanson!"
The typical post-wedding fanfare started, but before Tay could take any of it in, Mel was already pulling him down the aisle. As they walked briskly together down the aisle and out of the ceremony area, a blast of cool air a pleasing welcome, Tay knew what she was up to. Since he knew the venue better than she did, he pulled her into an empty office and closed the door, locking it behind him.
She shoved him against the wall and kissed him eagerly. Happy to kiss her back, he let it go as far as he could before he had to put on the brakes. "Mel. Sweetheart," he said. "Hold on. Hold on."
She pulled away and looked into his eyes. They both stood and looked at each other as they calmed their breathing. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just wanted to be alone."
"Me, too," he said. Then a smile crept across his face. "Mrs. Hanson."
She grinned. "We did it. We finally did it." Then her eyes lit up and she grabbed his hand, pressing it against her belly. "Ooh, feel!"
Tay smiled as he felt the light, tiny pressing against his palm. "That's Daddy's boy right there."
Mel's smile widened and she nodded. "It is. I think he might be a drummer. He beats me so much I think I'm starting to catch a rhythm."
Tay chuckled as he looked into his wife's eyes. "I'm so happy right now."
"Me, too. I'm sorry I rushed the wedding. I didn't meant to embarrass you--"
"No. I'm glad you did. After the vows, I was done."
She giggled, "Yeah, so was I." Then she grew serious. "I just wanted a moment alone with you before all the craziness began. I wanted to let it all sink in. You know?"
"I know. So did I."
"Where did your vows come from? The ones you said in the ceremony?"
He smiled sheepishly. "I've had them memorized ever since the first one."
Her face melted. "Oh, Tay. You had them memorized already?"
He nodded. "Yeah." Then he smiled. "What about you, Ms. 'I can't pull anything out of my ass?' "
"I didn't. I had them on paper."
"Since when?"
"Since you first proposed to me. I wrote them after you went to sleep that night. I've carried them with me all this time and when I was in New York--after--all I did was read them. Just kept reading them and putting them away."
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "Pictures!" Kari called from outside. "You two better be decent by the time you come out of there!"
"We'll be right out!" Tay called behind her.
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MEL
After pictures was the signing of the marriage license. Mel and Taylor had already signed it, now it was just up to the officiant and the witness to sign it, and it was all good. The officiant was kind enough not to make it a long, drawn-out process and Isaac couldn't sign his name fast enough. Once it was signed, and that made it TRULY official, Tay and Mel were ready to celebrate. "Maybe it'll go by fast," Mel hissed at him.
"I feel bad acting like I don't want to be at our own party," Tay responded.
"We'll just keep it to ourselves," she said quietly. "We can always use my pregnancy as a reason to bolt early."
Tay laughed as they went their separate ways to the dressing rooms.
Mel was met with a room full of women and hugs and congratulations. She was elated. She was happy, she was free--she felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. There were no questions anymore. No questions, no concerns, no doubt. Tay was her husband now. Finally. As it was always meant to be.
She couldn't change dresses fast enough. She ditched her long gown for a short, white, strapless chiffon cocktail dress that fell just above her knees and had detailed beading around the chest. It laced in the back and the chiffon fell just comfortably enough around her belly. As she had told her father, she slipped on a pair of silver sandals, let her hair down and Amber re-styled it, and then she was ready for the reception. Quick and easy.
She opened the dressing room door and came face-to-face with pure sex. Tay had removed his jacket, his tie, and comfortably rolled up his white shirt sleeves. He left the vest on, still buttoned, but the chest hair that peeked from his shirt made her tingle all over. The ring on his left hand nearly sent her over the edge. He smiled at her, the charm making her swoon. "Are you ready, Mrs. Hanson?"
She grinned. "I'm always ready for my husband."
His smile widened as she hooked her arm through his. As they made their way to the reception area, he leaned into her ear, "So apparently, we've inadvertently skipped an important part of the ceremony? We're supposed to 'receive' the guests?"
"Um..." Mel thought for a moment. "I think we spent that time receiving ourselves..."
He smiled. "Well, I'm not sure how it would have worked anyway, seeing as they never left the building. Anyway, Kari says we're going to have to be creative."
"We have to work the room."
"Pretty much, yeah."
"My feet will fall off."
"I won't let your feet fall off."
Then her hand flew to her stomach. "I'm starving."
"I know. I can hear it."
Guests were seated at the tables lined up against the walls. The wedding party sat at a couple of tables up front and the bride and groom were assigned to sit at a table in the very center, at the head of the reception. The placement made Mel feel weird, as if she were putting on a show while everyone watched her eat. Tay assured her that it wouldn't be as bad as she thought since everyone else will be too busy to pay attention. He asked her how, again, she didn't remember any of this from her first wedding. The truth was, the entire day had been a blur.
As her first option of the day, Mel was surprised when Kari approached their table from behind and asked in her ear, "Do you want dinner or the first dance first?"
"Dinner," Mel said. The question was a no-brainer. She could already smell the food and she was famished. "And I want you to sit down and eat with everybody else, don't you go working yourself to death. That's crazy."
As Kari disappeared, Zac stood up and picked up the microphone that had been laying on the long table they sat at. Turning it on, he checked it and then he spoke into it. "While dinner is being served, I'm gonna take a minute to say a couple of things. Now, I'm not the best man here. Well, let's face it, I AM the best man--just not by title." The room chuckled as Zac smiled. "But since Ike used up his opportunity last night at the rehearsal dinner, I thought I'd steal his spot now. Um, Mel has been a member of my family since--well, practically before I was. I'm not sure I was even walking. And the truth is, when people like to tell all these stories from when they were kids, well, I don't remember a damn bit of it. However, as we became teenagers and we all...found ourselves all together again, I really got the opportunity to get to know Mel. She and I clicked and became close friends and she's been one of my closest friends ever since. She was like the big sister I never had. And now, today, she literally is. I've been through it with this couple. From their secret relationship as teenagers to the new one they rekindled all those years later. From what I understand, there have been two marriage proposals, two wedding dates--"
"Four," Tay corrected as he sipped his beer. "If you want to get technical, there have been four proposals--sort of."
Zac turned his attention away from the crowd long enough to look at Tay like he was crazy. "Four? Are you serious?"
"If it makes you feel any better, they all were accepted. Three by her and one by me. Three of them were this year." Tay turned his beer up once more.
Zac shook his head. "There is no understanding these two. There never has been. They're crazy and they're unconventional and difficult to keep up with. But they understand it and they get it and that's all that matters. And if crazy and unconventional works for them, then it's okay with me. At least there's never been a dull moment where the two of them were involved. Ever. In short, I just want to say that I'm proud of my brother. I'm proud of my new sister-in-law. You two are truly an inspiration and I will always look up to you both." Zac raised his glass. "So here's a toast to the bride and groom, Mr. and Mrs. Hanson."
As applause filled the room, Nikki walked over and took the microphone from Zac. "Um, I guess I'll just follow in his footsteps," her bright voice said into the microphone. "Hi, I'm Nikki, I'm the sister-in-law and matron of honor. I've known Mel now for...four years? Is that right? Four? Going on four? Something like that. Anyway, I've only known her for a few short years. I met her in my mother-in-law's dining room as the three of us sat down to tea. Taylor was married to his first wife then and Mel was trying her best to get the hell out of Tulsa and back to New York," Nikki giggled. "But I liked her immediately and I knew she and I would become fast friends and we did. To be honest, at the time of meeting her, I had no idea I'd be standing here right now saying these very words--or even attending this wedding at all. Mel had her own life here in New York and Tay had his own life back in Tulsa and I merely thought of her as a distant, extended member of the family. Nothing more, nothing less. I got a crash course in their history that weekend, though. That much is for sure. And their tragic love story made me cry. And now here they both were, in the right place at the wrong time and--well I was hooked. On the both of them. You can't not be. So as time progressed, people entered our lives to stay and people left our lives for good, each person and each incidence changing and shaping the world around us. Not just the two of them, but for all of us. I don't know how many of you in here are familiar or whatnot, but the entire Hanson family is a packaged deal. Something happens with one of us, it affects the entire family. Anyway, in all this time, as things changed and people came and went, Tay's and Mel's flame just--seemed to burst. And it only kept growing. And at times I think it grew faster than either one of them was ready for it to, causing explosion after explosion. But the one constant that remained was, that flame never went away. It never grew smaller and it never went away. It burned and it only got brighter. In this short amount of time, I've cried with these two, I've laughed with these two, and I've been lucky enough to bear witness to the amazing connection they have and the life that they've begun to build together. Yesterday I was a friend, today I became a sister, and in a few short months, I'll become an aunt--again. I am so honored to be here to witness their marriage and their love and their commitment to each other. As Zac said, they are truly an inspiration. So, I, too, raise a toast to the happy couple."
The rest of the reception was a party. They laughed and they cried and they ate and they danced. They managed to speak to everyone and Mel was exhausted by cake-cutting time, but she was ecstatic, not only because it was cake at all, but that meant the reception was winding down and she was dying to find out where Tay was taking her for the night. Maybe she could score a foot rub out of him. Right now that would have been better than sex...
As they cut the cake together and Mel held the plate, they looked at each other. "Um, do we use our hands or a fork...?" Mel asked.
"You already went barefoot at the ceremony," he joked. "At least use a fork and pretend to be civilized."
She smirked at him and picked a fork up off the table. "You're lucky I'm not into the whole face-smashing bit."
Gently he took the fork from her hand and speared a section of the cake slice. "Wait," Mel said, pointing to it. "Get me one that has all the frosting on it."
Shaking his head, he speared a second section and carefully fed it to her. Once in her mouth, her eyes widened and she covered her mouth as she slowly chewed it. "Oh my god."
Tay grinned. "You like it?"
"It's the same cake we decided on in Texas," she observed, swallowing.
"Not the same baker, but it is the same flavors. I did try to recreate the first wedding as much as possible."
"You did a fantastic job. Much better than I could have dreamed it would be. Even the first time around."
When they finished the cake exchange, Mel stated, "Okay. After I consume an embarrassing amount of this cake, we're out of here. Deal?"
"Deal," Tay smiled.
-------------------
Finally, the reception began to wind to a close. Mel, Nikki, and Kate retreated to the dressing room to get Mel ready to leave. They packed all of her belongings as best as possible and bagged up her wedding dress. "Don't worry, I already saved a piece of your cake and I'm taking it straight to the condo tonight," Nikki assured her.
"And I took portions of your decorations," Kate added. "Collected as many mementos as I could get my hands on."
Mel smiled at the two of them as she hugged them. "I don't know what I would ever do without the two of you. Honestly."
Interrupting their moment, there came a light knock at the door. Kate opened it to reveal Tay standing there, back in his suit jacket, covered by a heavier jacket and a white scarf. He looked like a million bucks. He stepped in the room and smiled. "You almost ready?"
"Getting there," Mel grinned back at him.
He looked her over and frowned. "You're gonna want to put on something a little warmer."
"It's okay, I brought my coat," she answered.
Tay shook his head. "That's not enough. It's really cold outside."
"I promise, I'll be fine--"
"Trust me. You're gonna want something on your legs."
Eying him curiously, Mel decided not to argue further and she rummaged through her bag and found a pair of gray leggings. Frowning, she pulled them on underneath her reception dress, not willing to take the dress off, and pulled her coat closed around her.
Moments later, they were greeted by friends and family as they stepped out the venue doors and onto the cold pavement. After saying her goodbyes and thanking those that were out there, Mel stopped short as she watched Tay begin to haul their overnight bags into the trunk of a black, stretch limousine. "Tay!" She exclaimed in awe as he loaded the last of the bags and came back for her. "This is too much!"
He smiled and held a hand out to her. "You wanted cheesy, cliché romance and I'm gonna give it to you."
Happily, she took her husband's hand and allowed him to lead her to the limo as their guests shouted their goodbyes. Once the door closed, the couple found themselves in the quiet warmth of the vehicle.
Mel was silent for a moment as she looked around them. Champagne that she couldn't drink chilled on fresh ice. The lights were dim and soft, instrumental jazz music played. As the vehicle began to move, Tay scooted close to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into him. "How are you doing?" He asked her gently.
She smiled up at him. "Tired. So tired. Tired, fat, and happy."
Tay smiled. "I'll take tired and happy." Then his expression grew serious as picked her hair up off her shoulder and twirled it around his finger. "I know it's our wedding night. But if you're tired or anything, I don't want you to feel obligated--"
"No," she said, cutting him off. "We're gonna have our wedding night tonight. And that's it."
Tay smiled and looked forward as he held her close to him. "Okay."
They sat in silence together as the limo made it's way into Manhattan. They didn't say a word as their hands listlessly entwined in each other's, caressing the skin and interlacing their fingers. After a moment, Mel reached beside her and pressed a button, silencing the soft jazz and, in turn, silencing the vehicle. "I know this sounds totally cheesy," she said quietly, "But right now I just want to hear you breathe."
Tay didn't say a word and Mel turned her body so that she could rest her neck into his shoulder. She wrapped her arm around his waist and she cuddled closer to him. He wrapped his arm tighter around her and suddenly, the baby kicked. Mel smiled into Tay's chest as she reached for his free hand and placed it against her stomach. "Either we're very active today or we're fighting sleep."
"Fighting sleep, huh?" Tay responded quietly. "If he's fighting sleep this early, we might have a problem on our hands."
Mel smiled into the dim light of the limo and closed her eyes. Before they knew it, the limo was turning its last corner before slowing to a stop. As Tay shifted underneath her, Mel groaned in objection. "I gotta get out for a minute, babe," he said. "Sit tight, I'll be back."
She looked at him, puzzled. "Be back?"
He smiled as he opened the car door. "Yeah. We gotta make a quick pit stop before we call it a night."
Moments later, after their bags were taken out of the trunk, and Tay got back in the limo, he smiled and put his arm around her again. "Okay. Where were we?"
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TAYLOR
Taylor was excited. He had planned to pull out all the stops tonight and treat his wife to the ultimate, luxurious, five-star VIP experience. He was bursting at the seams with romance, of both the best and worst kinds, and he couldn't wait to see the look on Mel's face when he surprised her with all of it.
As if on cue, she looked up at him and asked, "Where are you taking me?"
He hadn't wanted to say anything, but as his eyes glanced out the window, they widened, something happening that he didn't quite expect. "Look," he said to her.
Following his gesture toward the window, Mel sat up and looked outside. She looked back at Tay, excitement written all over her face. "It's snowing!"
"I knew it was cold and rainy, but--I had no idea they were calling for snow."
Suddenly, Mel's face fell. "This could be bad. What if it sticks?"
Tay's face softened as he moved a strand of hair from her cheek. "Then I hope it sticks. And I hope it snows us into that hotel room for several more days."
Mel smiled at him, covering the hand that now rested on her cheek with her own. "So where are we going in this wintry weather?"
Tay blushed as he smiled at her, taking his hand from her cheek and running it through his hair. "Central Park," he answered.
Her brow furrowed. "What's in--?"
"I arranged for a carriage ride around the park. All the best, cheesy, cliché romantic gestures, at your service. But this snow--well that's just the icing on the cake. New ballgame."
To Tay's unexpected surprise, horror washed over Mel's face. Her expression alarmed him for a moment before she slowly shook her head. "No," she whispered. "That's horrible..."
He was momentarily taken aback. "What?"
"Do you have any idea how those horses live?" She continued. "Confined in tiny stalls when they're not being worked to death all over the city for tourists' amusement? The entire idea makes me sick. They've been known to just collapse in the streets. This is New York. There's nowhere for those horses to just be horses. Their lives must be horrible and I won't condone it. Tay, I understand what you're trying to do. And I appreciate it, I really do. But this is something that I am strongly against."
His eyes were wide with surprise at this statement and he blinked in response, having no idea what to say. He couldn't be hurt because he had no idea. He'd never put any thought into the treatment of the horses and he certainly hadn't known how passionate she was on the subject. He thought he knew everything about her but, even on their wedding night it seemed, he was still learning. He would forever be learning.
His expression must have read--well, he didn't know--but it caused Mel to start apologizing. "Sweetie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin the night. Please don't be upset."
Finally, he shook his head. "No. No, you didn't ruin anything. I'm not upset. I just--I had no idea..."
"It really is horrible..."
"Okay," he said gently. "Okay. Do you want to, uh, just go back to the hotel?"
She smiled and nodded. "Yes. More than anything."
Finally, he smiled and he pulled her close to him again, instructing the driver to turn around and head back to Langham Place on Fifth Avenue.
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MEL
Entering the hotel that was located merely a block away from the Empire State building, Mel had to admit surprise at the uber modern chicness of the atmosphere. This was...different. Mel's and Tay's taste was normally more...classic. Elegant. Old worldly, for lack of a better term. But modern artsy chic? Not normally.
As he led her by the hand through the lobby of Langham Place and to the elevators, he murmured quietly. "I picked this hotel for three reasons and three reasons only. The bed, the view, and the view from the bathtub."
Mel had to giggle. "The bath TUB?"
"Precisely."
Moments later, they stepped off of the elevator onto the very top floor, the 27th. As Tay unlocked the door, they walked into what appeared to be an apartment with the same modern artsy chic décor as the lobby. The suite was large, complete with a sitting room, bathroom, bedroom, full kitchen, and a washer and dryer. This was insane. "Oh my god," she said in awe of the suite's size. "Do we really need--?"
"Three reasons," he reminded her. "Just three."
Upon entry of the bedroom, Mel had to cover her mouth in shock. The entire room was adorned with candles as the New York City lights sparkled through the windows that covered the entire wall opposite the bed. The over-sized king bed was covered in rose petals and a bottle chilled in fresh ice on an end table by the bed. Mel walked over to the bed and picked up a rose petal. "Tay, these are real."
He smiled and walked toward her. "Only the finest in cheesy, cliché romance for my wife."
She grinned back at him as his eyes sparkled in the candle light. He removed his scarf and his coat and he took a step toward her. "I've been looking forward to this moment since I woke up this morning," he whispered as he unbuttoned her coat.
He kissed her as he exposed her bare shoulders from her strapless dress, allowing her coat to fall to the floor. Running his hands across her shoulders made her tingle all over and she sucked in her breath, feeling his hands on her skin. He broke their kiss just long enough to remove his own suit jacket and vest and she assisted him in un-tucking his shirt. Looking up at him, she smiled as she unbuttoned his shirt. "Want me to run us a bath? I'm dying to see this view you speak of."
Biting his lip, he smiled down at her. "Yeah. That would be great."
Dropping her hands from his shirt, she went in search of the bathroom, which was located just on the other side of the wall from the bedroom and she smiled as she entered, yet, another room full of candles. Tay wasn't kidding about the view from the tub. It sat directly in front of a pair of double windows that covered the entire wall. Walking across and raising the blinds, the lights from the city glittered into the dark, candle-lit bathroom. She stood at the window and smiled for a moment as she gazed out into the city. She would never get sick of the city. She was certain she would live in Tulsa for the rest of her life. Or at least until the band retired. But a big portion of her heart would always remain in New York. And Tay knew that. And that was why this entire wedding, as well as this entire night, was so completely perfect.
Standing on one leg at a time, Mel expertly unbuckled her sandals and let them fall to the floor and then reached under her dress and took off her leggings. Her body seemed to sigh with relief at each article of clothing she shed. As she continued to gaze out the window, Tay's voice startled her from behind. "I thought I'd come check on you when I didn't hear any water running."
She turned around and looked at him, her breath catching in her throat. The way he stood there, leaning against the doorway...his white shirt unbuttoned, his feet bare as he stood against the bright candle light...she could see his eyes sparkling from across the bathroom. Suppressing the urge to maul him on sight, she smiled sheepishly. "Um, yeah. Sorry. I just--I was distracted by--" She listlessly pointed to the window behind her.
He smiled. "I know. I knew you would be. That's why I picked this hotel."
She smiled at him and then her heart raced as he walked into the bathroom, unbuckling his belt. He stopped short at the tub and looked her over. "Gotta say, I'm surprised you're still dressed," he observed. He leaned over and turned the faucet on and began adjusting the temperature.
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TAYLOR
It was all Taylor could do from attacking Mel on the spot. The way she looked in the short white chiffon, in her bare feet, the candle light reflecting off the beads at the top of her dress--every part of her seemed to be beckoning to him. Almost like a dream.
As he busied himself with the faucet, until he was satisfied enough to let it run, he looked at her. She looked back at him in wide-eyed innocence as she rested her hands behind her back. "Um," she said nervously. "I, um, I can't undress myself. My dress, it--it laces up the back..."
Tay found himself smiling as he straightened up from the tub. "Well, uh, that could be a problem."
Then she smirked at him skeptically as she walked to the middle of the room and stood in front of the bathroom mirror, pinning her dark hair on top of her head. Meeting her there, he stood behind her in the mirror and let his hands fall on the back of her dress. Suddenly, she whispered to him into the mirror, "You're so beautiful."
Tay blushed and he smiled, letting his head drop, unable to look in the mirror for a second. "I think that's my line."
"Not right now," she whispered. "You're beautiful. Inside and out. You're perfect."
Finally, he looked back up into the mirror. "Nobody's ever perfect."
"But you are to me," she said.
He looked at her through the mirror for a moment before he silently looked down at the back of her dress as he concentrated on unlacing the back of it. It wasn't as difficult as he thought it would be and as it loosened up, he let it fall to the floor, the white chiffon splaying silently at her feet. She didn't wear a bra. She stood in front of him in nothing but a pair of white, cotton panties, and diamonds dangled from her ears, sparkling in the candle light. If anyone was beautiful right now, it was her.
He braced his hands on the counter on either side of her and let his head fall to her bare shoulder, gently kissing her soft skin. The faint scent of her perfume was irresistible and he heard her let out a silent, content breath as his lips trailed from her shoulder to the back of her neck. Her hands covered his on the counter and the more kisses he planted on her, the more she began to rub his forearms, her head hanging as she took in another satisfied breath.
Suddenly, she turned around and looked up at him, letting her hands trail up his shirt and then peeling it back off his shoulders. He pulled it he rest of the way off of him and then he took her in his arms, desperate to feel her skin against his. He kissed her lips gently as he let his hands softly explore her arms, then her shoulders, then her neck, and then back down again. After a moment, she broke their kiss and said softly, "I think it's time to turn off the water now."
He smiled at her and did as he suggested. A moment later, he was helping her into the over-sized tub full of hot water and he sat, facing the window, while Mel took her usual position, her back against his chest. They sat in silence for a moment in the candle light, facing the city lights out the window, Tay cupping water in his hands and gently pouring it onto Mel's dry, exposed skin. "You don't have to shave my legs tonight," she said quietly.
Tay smiled into the air. "I didn't figure I'd have to."
"Okay."
They were silent for a moment more, Tay steadily covering his wife with water. Then she broke the silence again. "It's hot in here."
"Do you want to get out? If it's too much, we can--"
"No. I just want to sit here."
He smiled again, shaking his head, as she bent her knees together and took his hands in hers. "I can't wait till I can touch my knees to my chest again," she observed.
"You're giving me dirty visuals," he joked quietly into her ear.
"I DO like positions like that," she replied, a hint of deviousness in her voice.
"I know."
They were silent for another moment. Mel wasn't kidding, it was hot in there. But he'd die of heat exhaustion before he would ever ruin this moment. Suddenly, he felt her body tense up against him, which caused his to tense up in response. "What's the matter?" He blurted.
"Look," she said, her eyes intent on the window.
He followed her gaze and his eyes widened for a second before he smiled. "Look at that," he observed. "I thought it had stopped snowing. But it's REALLY coming down now."
"This was fate," she said. "I bet this is the first snow of the season here."
"We can pretend it is," he said quietly into her ear. "We can pretend that it waited specifically for us to be in this moment."
"Have you ever seen anything more beautiful in your life?"
Soaking in the warmth of the water, and of the warmth of her body pressed against his, he sat and watched the large snowflakes falling fast and hard against the twinkling city lights. "Every single day," he whispered.
"I'm so happy," she said. "I'm the happiest I've ever been in my entire life."
"When did you know?" He said quietly into her ear. "When did you know that you wanted to marry me?"
"You mean, the very first time?"
"Yeah."
"The first time you ever kissed me," she said. "We were sitting on the sofa at your house, watching old home movies. You turned my head and you kissed me. You were so soft and so gentle...it was my first kiss."
"It was?"
"You were my first everything."
They were quiet as he recalled the memory. He was surprised he even remembered it at all. There was nothing spectacular surrounding it. No fancy dinner, no ferris wheels, no doorstep at the end of a date night. It was just them, sitting home alone on a sofa. No big deal. Kissing her had been natural. He hadn't been nervous at all. It was like he'd been kissing her forever.
"What about you?" She asked, interrupting his thoughts.
He smiled. This one was easy. "The first time you ever broke up with me. Excuse me--the first time you ever TRIED to break up with me."
The water swished around them as she turned her body and looked over her shoulder? "Seriously? I'm trying to dump you and you're thinking marriage?"
Tay laughed. "Come on, you gotta admit your reasoning was kinda stupid. You were trying to 'free me' after seeing, like, half a percent of our fan base at the time. I was starting to wonder what I was actually doing WRONG for you to come up with THAT crazy excuse."
She turned back around and settled back against him. "Did you not ever look in a mirror growing up?" Then she paused. "Don't answer that."
He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. "I belonged to you then. I've always belonged to you. Even when I wasn't yours."
"The street goes both ways. You were never NOT mine."
"Mel, do you think--do you think now that we're married, we won't be so...I dunno, jealous? I mean, we both are. We're both crazy jealous, I just--I wonder..."
"No, honey," she said matter-of-factly. "Even in the nursing home I'll be running over old ladies with my wheelchair."
Tay got a hearty laugh out of that. She was probably one hundred percent telling the truth. Some things would never change.
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MEL
After their soak, Taylor made love to Mel in a way that was unlike anything she'd ever felt before. He spooned her from behind as he made love to her, his hand exploring her body. She wasn't self-conscious this time. This time she was aware of every move, every stroke, every thrust, and every touch and she welcomed each one without shame. He was her husband, making love to his wife, and in that moment, their bodies bare and pressed against the other, she had never been more in love.
When they'd finished and they'd blown out the remaining candles that had managed to stay lit, trading the candle light for lamp light, the couple lay under the covers close to each other. Mel was on her back, hugging the comforter over her chest and Tay propped his chin on his hand as he looked down at her, his free hand resting comfortably on her stomach. "Do you think things will be different now?" She asked.
"Different how?"
"I don't know...different. You know."
"I think things can only get better," he answered.
"You think?"
He smiled down at her and winked. "Of course I do. We've already been through hell and we came out of that stronger than ever. There is NOTHING we can't do now. We're practically invincible."
She giggled. "You make us sound like superheroes."
"I wish I could fly."
"I wish I could...morph!" Mel said, her eyes lighting up.
"Morph? That might make sex interesting."
"Just sex?"
He looked around in thought and then he smiled, nodding. "Yeah. Pretty much."
She smiled up at him, feeling herself swooning. "You make me laugh," she said. "I love the way you make me laugh."
"And I love the way you laugh," he smiled back. "I love the way you smile. I love the way your eyes light up when I walk in the room. I love the way the sight of you makes my heart beat faster and the way the sound of your voice makes me forget my words."
"I love your passion," she said, reaching up to move his hair out of his eye. "I love how, even after all these years, when you take my hand, I feel like a teenager again. I love the way you blush when I tell you how gorgeous you are. I love your modesty. Most of all, though, I love being your wife."
He smiled down at her, his eyes sparkling, as he caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. "And I love being your husband."
The snow continued to fall outside the window as their wedding night wound to a close and they slowly began to fall asleep, wrapped tightly in each other's arms. A door had closed on their lives and a brand new one had just opened, the two of them prepared to take the next chapter by storm, hand-in-hand, heart-to-heart, side-by-side. Together. And they wouldn't have it any other way.
------------------
"What would I do without your smart mouth
Drawing me in and you kicking me out?
Got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down
What's going on in that beautiful mind?
I'm on your magical mystery ride
And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me, but I'll be all right.
My head's under water but I'm breathing fine
You're crazy and I'm out of my mind
Cause all of me
Loves all of you
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections
Give your all to me
I'll give my all to you
You're my end and my beginning
Even when I lose I'm winning
Cause I give you all of me
And you give me all of you
How many times do I have to tell you
Even when you're crying you're beautiful, too?
The world is beating you down,
I'm around through every mood
You're my downfall, you're my muse
My worst distraction, my rhythm and blues
I can't stop singing
It's ringing in my head for you
Cards on the table, we're both showing hearts
Risking it all, thought it's hard
Cause all of me
Loves all of you
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections
Give your all to me
I'll give my all to you
You're my end and my beginning
Even when I lose I'm winning
Cause I give you all of me
And you give me all of you"
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Alternate Jason chapter: http://tyamwedding.weebly.com/the-wedding-alternate.html