Chapter Two
“Nothing prepared me for seeing that man in a dress. Nothing.” - Graham
ELIZABETH
Taking a four-year-old to a wedding in a city and place we’ve never been to before was probably not my brightest idea.
However, when my good friend from college personally called me and asked me to come, there was no way I would have been able to say no.
“Please sit on your butt, Rora,” I whisper to my child, who can’t help but stand on her chair, craning for a look at the bride and groom.
I admit, Quinn looks absolutely stunning in her dress, the glow of her skin giving it even more shine.
Every smile from her shows just how truly happy she is in this moment, and I’m so happy for her.
We’d gone to college together, and I remember being so nervous, so terrified of what college was going to be like when I arrived. Then, I’d met her, my new roommate and soon-to-be greatest friend.
She turned out to be a constant in my life, though there were months that we’d go without talking, and when we did talk again, it was as if no time had passed.
I feel bad that this was the first time I’d visited her new town, but the last few years of my life had been a whirlwind for me, trying to figure out how it was supposed to look after becoming a mother.
But I never would have made it through college without her, and when she called to invite me to her wedding, I knew I couldn’t say no.
I’d thought about leaving Aurora with my parents, since she was young and has never been to a wedding before.
But escaping reality with my little girl for a couple nights in a lodge in the mountains sounded too good to pass up.
“I wanna see!”
The couple behind us laugh, and I shoot them an apologetic look.
They give me smiles back, and I look back to watch the ceremony. Quinn certainly has quite a few bridesmaids, I was sure I’d heard of their names in passing, but I have no idea who each one was.
When Quinn called, she had asked me to be a bridesmaid, and I wanted to, but with everything I’ve had going on, I didn’t think it would be wise to make such a commitment.
I had been sad to turn her down, but Quinn being Quinn, gracefully accepted my response and was kind enough about it to make me tear up.
I shake my head. I have got to get it together.
The wedding ceremony ends swiftly, and Quinn is officially a married woman.
I stand and clap with the rest of the crowd before everyone is released from their seats and ushered to an area with tables and chairs.
A dance floor was smack dab in the middle of what looked to be the lawn of the grand house behind us.
This place is something else.
I know it belongs to Quinn’s in-laws, that they run some sort of cattle ranch up here, and by the looks of things, they are doing well for themselves. How they put up with the odor of cows and horses I will never know, but it’s a great place anyway.
I much preferred the city living, not necessarily in the bustle of it, but more of the suburbs part of life. Where everyone knows everyone on their street and could count on each other.
Of course, the apartment I share with my little sister isn’t quite that way, but we make sure to keep up to date on who our neighbors are. You know, in case a mass murderer decides to come through the doors and try killing all of us.
Okay, I need to stop with the podcasts my sister sends me.
Aurora immediately drags me to the corner where a large multi-tiered cake is situated. It’s gorgeous, with intricate yellow flowers all over the sides.
“So pretty! Can we have some?” Aurora reaches forward, and I grab her hands before she can do something that would be catastrophic.
“Not yet, honey, we have to wait until the bride and groom cut it.”
“But it’s so pretty!”
I smile at her, and my gaze catches on the woman behind it who’s putting the finishing touches on the cake itself.
“Thank you! Do you like the flowers?”
“I love them!” I give the woman a polite smile and nod at it. “It really is beautiful. Did you make it?”
“I did. Only the best for one of my best customers,” the woman replies, then looks at my daughter with kindness in her eyes. “Those flowers are actually pumpkin blossoms, isn’t that fun?”
Pumpkin blossoms. That makes perfect sense.
When I talked with Quinn on the phone, she went on and on about the festival she helps throw with her in-laws now, including the now iconic pumpkin patch that was up and running again.
She mentioned that her father-in-law’s late wife had run the festival for years before she passed, and now Quinn is taking it over.
What I’d give to feel I belonged that way, that I had a partner that I could help and build a business and life with.
That dream had come and gone, and now I was determined to face the challenges of life and motherhood alone.
I bat away the thoughts, learning the cake decorator’s name and conversing with her for a few minutes before we sit down for dinner. Thankfully it’s buffet style, so no one has to wait for their table, meaning my ravenous four-year-old could get some food in her and sit for a moment.
She isn’t great at that, just sitting, but I don’t know a four-year-old that is.
While eating, we see some commotion on the dance floor. The sun has nearly set, and there are lights surrounding the area we are in. Large bulb string lights circled the area, and it’s gorgeous to see as the sun goes down.
When Aurora and I look, we see the groomsmen all standing in a line, with Quinn and Graham sitting in chairs facing them. Quinn’s new husband looks kind of scared, but Quinn was clapping with the music, fully excited about whatever was happening.
The groomsmen stand with bobbing heads until the beat drops and a man, I think he is a groomsman too, steps through them wearing… a full bridal gown.
I snort, laughing at the look, and honestly, he kind of pulls it off. His muscly arms were on full display in the dress, and he was lip-syncing J. Lo’s “Marry Me” into the microphone.
The other groomsmen leave the dance floor, leaving room for the man to do whatever it is he’s doing.
He walks up to Quinn, caressing her cheek lovingly, and she laughs loud enough for me to hear. Her husband bats his friend’s hand away, and the guy turns his attention to him, turning around and twerking in his face.
I cover Aurora’s eyes, laughing at the antics but unsure how far he would go.
Not far, because the groom stands up and pushes his friend away, laughing but also embarrassed, judging by the look on his face.
Then, to my surprise, he and the groomsman hug it out.
The sight shouldn’t make me feel sad, but for a moment, I let it. I haven’t had many good friends over the years, and I haven’t kept in touch with the few good ones that I did make, like Quinn.
While Quinn is here, having the best day of her life, just thrilled that everyone came out to support her, I’m hoping that this can be a fresh start for our friendship.