Devotion - Chapter 13
Saturday
"I have a gift for the bride," Rob said as he peered around the door. "Everyone decent?"
I laughed. My hair and makeup were done, but I was still in my robe. All I had left to do was put my dress on. "It's just me and Jen. And we're both good." The rest of my bridesmaids had gone for a coffee run. And my mom was on the phone outside giving last minute directions to relatives.
He closed the door and walked in.
"How is James? Is he nervous?"
Rob smiled. "I think excited is a better word for it. You look beautiful, Penny."
"Thanks, Rob. You look very handsome in your tux."
"I better. Because this tie makes it feel like someone is fucking strangling me."
I laughed. "I know James appreciates you wearing one. And I do too."
"You know I'd do anything for you. What's your dress like? Can I see it?"
"Did James ask you to report back to him about that?"
"What? No. Psh. Your veil looks nice." He gently touched the veil that the hair stylist had already gotten perfectly in place.
"I'll take that as a yes."
Rob shrugged. "Worth a try. I figured you'd already have it on, actually. I think he just wants to know whether or not he's going to have to hide a boner or not."
"Ew, Rob," Jen said from behind us. "But yeah, it's that kind of dress."
"Score." Rob winked at me.
"You really should be cutting down on this whole inappropriate comments thing now that you're dating Daphne."
"Boners are uncontrollable, Penny. Fuck, now I'm worried I'm gonna get one."
I laughed and took the box that he handed me. There was a note folded beneath the ribbon. I couldn't wait to read it.
"Is there anything else you need?" Rob asked. "I have very specific instructions to give you anything that you might want." He raised his left eyebrow just like James always did.
"Oh, I think I'm good. Thanks, though."
"You sure? It's your last chance to take me up on my offer. I'll fuck you right now, Penny. Just say the magic word."
I scrunched up my face.
"The magic word is please. Just in case you were wondering."
"Rob! Seriously, you have a girlfriend," Jen said. "Stop being gross."
"She'd understand. Penny and I have both been wanting this for so long." He winked at me again.
"You're ridiculous," I said.
Jen laughed. "Rob, get out of here. None of us need anything. Go bother James."
"And that's why Penny is my favorite sister. Seriously, Penny. You look gorgeous."
"Thank you. You're sure James is good? He's still planning on showing up?"
Rob laughed. "He's good. You have nothing to worry about."
"Okay." I took a deep breath.
"And I can tell him you're still planning on walking down the aisle, right?"
I smiled. "Of course."
"I'd kiss your cheek, but I'd probably mess something up. And I don't want to do anything inappropriate." He frowned at Jen. "Fist bump?" He put his fist out to me.
I laughed and bumped his fist with mine.
He made an exploding noise. "See you girls in a bit. Text me if you need anything. And open that in private, Penny. James said it was personal."
"I won't look," Jen said and started rummaging through her purse as Rob left the room. "Even though I'm dying to know."
"I'm sure I can tell you. Just give me a second." I walked a few steps away from her and pulled the note out from under the ribbon.
Penny,
I can't believe this day is finally here. I've been waiting my whole life to feel the way I do when I'm with you. You're everything to me. And today I finally get to make you mine.
I promise not to slip, Penny. I promise to apply to another teaching job like you want.
And I promise to love you for the rest of my life.
As long as I have you, I'll never need this.
And I like to think it's because you make me whole.
Not because I'm addicted to you. Give me time.
Please don't give up on me. Our love is forever.
And I'll never do anything that would cut our forever short. "
I love you with all my heart, Penny.
-James
Need this? I pulled the string and opened up the box.
The bag of cocaine was sitting there. I hadn't even seen him grab it back last night.
What the hell am I supposed to do with this?
Luckily Jen was preoccupied on her phone instead of staring at me opening the present.
I quickly excused myself to the bathroom and poured the powder into the toilet.
It mostly dissolved, but I flushed the toilet anyway.
I watched it spin away until it was gone.
I tossed the bag in the trash. The gesture was sweet, but he really knew how to give me a heart attack when I was already nervous enough.
For the first time I saw that there was something else in the box.
I lifted up a picture. It was a picture of a tattoo that looked like the lines on an EKG.
The ones you see on heart monitors. The beginning of it was flat and there was a date on it, and then the lines started up and down.
It was the date of when we first met, two and half years ago in that coffee shop.
I turned the picture over. It said, "My life began the day I met you," on the back.
I grabbed a tissue and quickly blotted my eyes. He got a tattoo. For me. If that wasn't permanent, I didn't know what was. When had he gotten it? He had kept his shirt on last night. Had he done that on purpose so that I wouldn't see it?
I walked back out into the room and grabbed my phone to send him a text, but there was already one from him waiting for me: "Thank you for the watch. I love it. And I love you. One more hour until you're mine."
I smiled. The watch I had given him seemed so lame in comparison to what he had done. An engraving on a watch wasn't exactly on par with an engraving on your body. I quickly typed out a text back to him.
"James, that was the sweetest gift you could have given me. I feel the same. That was the best day of my life. Besides for today maybe. Where exactly did you desecrate your perfect body?"
His response came almost immediately. "You'll have to find it tonight. I'll see you soon, baby."
"What did he give you?" Jen asked.
I knew that James wanted me to open it in private because of the drugs. But something felt private about the tattoo too. He got it for me. And depending on where it was, I might be the only one to ever see it. "Something personal."
"Sounds juicy." She smiled but didn't press me for more information.
"Coffee!" Melissa said, carrying in a tray of to-go cups. "What are you all teary-eyed about?" she asked and handed me a cup. She looked funny carrying takeout in her fancy dress.
"James gave Penny some top secret wedding present," Jen said.
"What was it?" Bee asked as she set down a bag of pastries.
I quickly closed the lid of the box. "Just, something personal. Please tell me you got raspberry Danish."
"I know you well." She slid the bag toward me.
I picked one up out the bag. We had been so busy getting ready that we had all completely forgotten about lunch. My mom had insisted that if I didn't eat I was going to faint, which I really didn't want to happen. I took a big bite.
My mom came into the room. "Okay, Aunt Margery is officially no longer lost. Oh my goodness, Penny, you need to get dressed! We have to leave in fifteen minutes!"
"Mrs. Taylor, she's eating like you just said she needed to," Melissa reminded her.
"Sorry," my mom said with a laugh. "I'm just nervous."
"You're nervous?" I said. "I'm the one that's going to trip down the aisle and faint in front of hundreds of people."
"Finish your lunch," my mom said. "I'll go get your dress." I heard her unzipping the bag it was in as I took the last bite.
Bee handed me a napkin from the bag of pastries.
"Thanks."
"Okay, shoes first." Melissa placed my sparkly heels in front of me. "Or else you'll never be able to get them on. Your dress is super tight. It's good that you and James did some late night tangoing, or you'd be torturing him all day."
My mom cleared her throat.
I would never be comfortable talking to my mom about that kind of stuff. I lightly slapped Melissa's arm.
She just laughed. "What? The cat's kind of out of the bag after tonight anyway," she whispered.
"Still." I strapped on my heels. Luckily my mom didn't say anything about it when I walked over to her. I stepped into my dress and she pulled it into place as I removed my robe.
My mom immediately started crying after she finished zippering the back.
"Mom, don't cry, you're going to make me cry."
"I can't help it. You look so beautiful, sweetie." She gestured for me to look in the mirror.
I turned around and stared at my reflection in the mirror. James was going to love this. He liked me when I just wore one of his shirts. I smiled to myself. Maybe he would get a boner when I walked down the aisle. Those would be some hilarious wedding pictures.
My red hair cascaded down my back in loose curls.
The makeup that the stylist did was better than anything I had ever done myself.
I barely recognized the woman staring back at me.
I was an adult. James was right about this being a fresh start.
I wasn't a student anymore. And he wasn't my professor.
Today we left our pasts behind us. I couldn't believe this was actually happening.
Someone knocked on the door and then it opened.
Justin poked his head in. "All the hot studs have officially left the hotel.
If you're ready, we can head over." He came in as soon as he saw I was dressed.
"Honey, you look gorgeous." He walked over to me and kissed each of my cheeks.
"The most beautiful bride I've ever had the pleasure of working with. "
I laughed. Justin worked with famous people. I was just a lucky girl from Delaware. I knew he was just being nice, but it still made me smile. "Thanks." I took a deep breath. "I think we're all ready."