Chapter Eighteen #2
Mindy is scarfing hers down so quickly, I'm not sure she's even tasted a single bite.
Carrie, Lucy, Lawsyn, Nova, and Violet are crammed at the table while Kendra, Bristol, and Raven are seated on the couch.
I'm sitting in the passenger seat and Bud dog is lying in the middle of the floor, drooling and waiting for someone to drop a bite.
I swear he acts like he's never had food in his life. I break a small piece of beignet off and toss it to Buddy. He catches it like the professional he is, earning him some claps and a few 'good boys' from a few of the ol' ladies. He sits proud, waiting for the next bite.
I have a bandana for him to wear today as the ring bearer, and I am so excited to see how handsome he's going to be in it. Good thing I didn't put it on him yet, or it'd be covered in powdered sugar.
"What time do you want to start getting ready?" Mindy asks between bites.
"What time is it now?" I ask, searching for my phone but not seeing it.
"Eleven," Bristol says.
"Now. We have two hours before the ceremony starts," I say, feeling a twinge of panic rising in my chest.
"Okay," Mindy says, getting up and stuffing her plate in the trash. She heads toward the bathroom and I follow along, leaving the rest of the women to sit and mingle. I sit down on the small stool that I had tucked into the bottom of the closet and Mindy stands in front of me.
"What colors are we thinking on the eyes?" she asks, looking at my face as if there's some answer lying just on the surface.
"Reds, pinks, purples. One of those color schemes," I say, closing my eyes.
Mindy makes a humming noise and then moves my face from side to side, investigating her canvas. "I think that's a good choice," she finally says.
Opening the make-up case that she left her yesterday, she digs through it until she finds what she's looking for. She begins applying makeup to my face when Carrie pops her head in the door.
"You're going to be such a beautiful bride, my friend." Carrie says the words so endearingly that it makes me want to cry.
"Thank you," I say, somehow managing to keep my emotions under control.
Mindy finishes my makeup and moves on to begin curling my hair. We're down to one hour and ten minutes before the ceremony begins and I'm getting more anxious with every minute that passes.
"Hey," Mindy says, drawing my attention to her eyes in the mirror.
My eyes dart to hers. "Everything's going to be okay. Just breathe."
A nervous laugh escapes me, and I take a deep breath, exhaling and making my body relax.
"I know," I say, trying to reassure myself more-so than her. Buddy has tried to come in here at least five times but there's no room. He's settled for laying just inside the doorway with his big ol' head as much in this tiny room as he can get it.
I reach out to pat his nose with my foot and almost take a curling wand to the ear.
"Hey, sit still," Mindy complains. I wince and put my feet back where they go, tucking my hands beneath my thighs.
"Sorry," I say softly, refocusing my attention to the mirror.
I sit quietly while Mindy puts the finishing touches on my hair.
Curled, it still nearly grazes the top of my butt.
The last piece of my wedding day look comes together as Mindy lays a tiara on top of my perfect curls.
I feel like a princess. It's everything and more than I thought it would be.
The final piece of the puzzle is slipping into my dress.
Before I put it on, Mindy gets the others attention and presents me like I'm her masterpiece at an art show.
I walk out and do a small spin, letting my hair flow in the gust of air created by my twirl.
"Lilly, you look fucking hot!" Raven says.
The room resounds with 'yeahs' and 'hell yeahs', making me grin and blush simultaneously.
"Okay. One last thing to do then I can go get married," I tell them. I slip into the bedroom and dig my dress out of the very back of the closet where it has been hidden for weeks now. I step into it, shimmying the white fabric around my hips and slipping my arms into the lace sleeves.
I open the white shoe box at the bottom of the closet and open it.
The bedazzled silver tennis shoes I picked out to go with my dress are even more beautiful than I remember.
I slip my bare feet into them and look at myself in the mirror.
I turn my foot side to side, admiring the glittery appearance it has.
"Okay, I'm ready!" I yell, taking one last look at myself in the mirror before walking out.
Mindy has tears welled up in her eyes but a smile on her face. "Lilly, it's perfect. And those shoes!"
I stick my foot out and turn it for them in the same manner I'd done in the mirror a moment ago so they can get the full effect of the shimmer.
"They're so sparkly!" Carrie says.
Bristol takes her phone out of her pocket. "One last picture before you get married," she says with a soft smile on her face.
I pose with my hand on my hip and a nervous smile on my face.
She snaps it and then they all leave to change clothes, leaving me and Buddy alone for the next thirty minutes.
Thirty minutes. It feels as if my entire life has come down to this moment.
Twenty-eight years and it has all been reduced to thirty minutes.
As if everything that has ever happened in my life has been a minute's time and this is the big finish. The big finale I've always dreamed of.
My heart slams in my chest. It's just me and Buddy in the silence. The calm before the storm. He's laying on the couch beside me and I pet the top of his head.
"Best good boy," I whisper. He looks up at me with his golden brown eyes, as if to say 'it's okay mom' and somehow that panic that was rising in my chest has dissipated.
I open my phone and snap a selfie with Buddy before I remember to put his bandana on him. He sits up tall while I wrap it around his neck and tie it. I take a picture of him with his bandana and send it to Cass.
Cass hearts it immediately and somehow that makes my stomach knot all over again. I look at the time. It's almost time. It's really almost time. I've got seven minutes.
I remove Buddy's leash from the hook by the door and he's bouncing around the small space in the living room, ready to go.
"Hold on, Bud," I say, laughing at how silly his personality is.
I peek out the door and spot the girls meeting up in a circle two spots down. I know that Cass is nowhere near here, so I walk out and am nearly dragged when Buddy barrels toward the rest of the crew. Somehow, I manage to remain upright and gain control of the leash.
"Whoa, Bud!" I huff, walking a little faster than I planned.
Bristol and Kendra take Buddy from me, and we all pile into three separate vehicles and we still hardly fit.
I'm in the car with Mindy, Lucy, and Carrie and Mindy is driving.
She parks in the small parking area beside the other vehicles and the rest of the girls head toward our makeshift altar, which is really just us standing in front of a rock.
I can't see it from here, and I can't see Cass, but I know that he's waiting for me. The heater in the car suddenly feels like too much and I need some air. I roll the window down a smidge and the cold air bursts through. It gives me the "shock" I needed to calm down and breathe.
"You okay?" Mindy asks.
I nod with a smile, hoping it's enough to convince her.
"I'm going to go check and see if they're ready for you. Be right back. And Lil?"
"Hmm?"
"You've got this. This is the easy part," she chirps, slamming the door as she walks off.
I sit there in the silence yet again. Cass took care of a few details for me, one of them being the officiant. He wouldn't tell me who he got to officiate the ceremony, but he seemed a little giddy about it, so I try to focus on that thought. Wondering who could be officiating.
And since my dad has long been gone, and I don't have anyone I'm close to, Buddy will be walking me down the aisle.
Kendra is waiting for me at the mark where I'll start walking from, which is just around the corner of the cliff that blocks the view of the altar.
Mindy pops her head around the corner and waves me on before disappearing from view.
I take a deep breath and climb out of the car. I begin walking toward Kendra and Buddy. As I get closer to her, I notice she's holding a bouquet in her hands.
She reaches her hands out, handing me the stunning bouquet. It's got a plethora of red and white flowers and the stem is wrapped in a silver, glittery ribbon. "Oh, it's perfect!" I say, trying to will the tears in my eyes not to fall and ruin my make up.
Kendra bursts out laughing and begins fanning my face. "Don't cry, don't cry. Mindy will kill me," she says.
"Ready?" she asks, quirking a brow at me.
I nod. "Yep. Ready or not, here I come."
She hands me Buddy's leash and walks off.
I wait for the music to start. It's quiet for a beat and then I hear the sound of John Michael Montgomery's 'I Can Love You Like That' playing.
That's my cue. I glance down at Buddy. "That's us, Bud.
Are you ready?" I ask with excitement. If his tail wags any harder, it's going to wag right off his body. I'll take that as a yes.
I start walking and when I make it to the curve and everyone comes into view, the anxiety that was overwhelming has passed and suddenly, everything is right in my world.
Nova is standing at the end of the aisle where everyone is seated, snapping photos already.
The walk is longer than I realized and Buddy spots Cass when we make it to the aisle between the seats.
It takes all my strength to hold him and not get dragged down the aisle.