June 28 #2
Mommy Jess was a blubbering mess as she watched them declare their vows to each other and despite her cool exterior, Jordan was also desperately trying not to let mascara stain her cheeks, continuously dabbing her eyes before a tear escaped.
The love of this family and this couple seemed almost tangible and Jasmin got a little choked up too just watching them.
After the ceremony, everyone gathered at the front of the church to congratulate the happy couple. Kevin waited until the crowd dispersed before he led her towards them. The broad grin Max had been wearing for the last hour stretched even wider and Jasmin noticed that he only had one dimple.
“Congratulations, bro!” Kevin said, giving his brother a hug. He moved to Danny and kissed her on the cheek. “You look beautiful, Danny.”
“Thanks, Kev.” Her eyes shifted to Jasmin. “So is this your girlfriend that we’ve been hearing so much about?”
“Hi,” Jasmin said, extending her hand. “Jasmintha.”
Max ignored her hand and instead wrapped her in a tight hug. It was amazing how warm and welcoming his family was. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Jasminda.”
She tried not to cringe at the mispronunciation of her name. She couldn’t understand what was so hard about getting the TH right. “Uh…it’s Jasmintha,” she corrected.
“That’s what I said.”
“No, you said—”
“Just call her Jasmin,” Kevin cut in. “Jasmin works fine. I have to admit, this seems so surreal. The two of you are actually married. Never thought I’d see the day.”
“I know. It’s been a long wait. Mom has already started nagging us for more grandkids. She’s even picked out names—”
Max was cut off when his best man came rushing out of the church. Up close, Jasmin could see that even though his hair was almost completely gray, he didn’t look a day older than Max.
“Oh, my God!” he gasped. “Danny, how are you? Are you fine? You were in church for so long…surrounded by all that holy water and…goodness. I thought you were gonna burst into flames.”
“Go to hell, Charlie!” she snapped.
Kevin seemed taken aback and Jasmin stared wide-eyed as the two of them went at it. Max, however, just shook his head as if this type of snarling was a regular occurrence.
“Do you have a room set up there for me?” Charlie retorted. “I never pegged you for the hospitable type.”
“Oh, there’s a room there for you all right. Right there in the senior section, Grandpa.” Danny sneered her irritation and turned to Max. “Why did you even invite this loser?”
Max chuckled. “He’s kinda the reason we’re together.”
“I’m just kidding,” Charlie said, and just like that, the fake animosity between them faded. “You clean up good, Satan.”
“Thanks,” she replied with a smile.
“Well, I’ll see you two at the reception.” He patted Max on the shoulder. “I wanna say congratulations, but I think good luck is more appropriate.” He gave Danny one more teasing grin, then walked away.
“I’m dying to hear his best man speech,” Kevin commented.
“I think he knows better,” Max said, putting his arm around Danny. “My wife is the violent type.” Another broad smile stretched across his face and he leaned down to kiss her. “I like the sound of that. My wife.”
He kissed her again and Kevin groaned. “I think we’re gonna leave before I lose my breakfast.”
“Sure, Kev,” Max replied with a laugh. “We’ll see you later.”
They left the two lovebirds staring adoringly at each other and walked back to the car. His mother’s tears of joy were still flowing ceaselessly as they drove to the reception venue.
Once they were inside, Jasmin was overwhelmed with the amount of people.
Kevin introduced her to his aunts, uncles and cousins, and after about the first dozen, she stopped trying to remember names.
Cousin Morris really was creepy. He didn’t sit at any of the tables, but rather chose to linger at the back of the room, watching everyone like he was about to set the building on fire.
His parents sat up front with the bride and groom while they sat at a table with the rest of his siblings and their partners.
Dom and Shane were equally welcoming, greeting her with a warm hug.
Jasmin sat down beside Tyler, who seemed to be in a heated debate with Kevin’s youngest niece, Makayla.
She was trying to convince him that the flowers on her dress were pink and he insisted that they were peach.
Although his stamina to argue with a toddler was impressive, after a few minutes, his growing irritation caused him to relent and he let her win the squabble.
Shane was exactly as Kevin described him, talking non-stop. As if the color debacle wasn’t enough for Tyler to deal with, he also had to fend off comments from Shane about him and Jordan living in sin and how he should make an honest woman out of his sister.
Dom got involved too, and she heard the words balls and shears thrown around a lot. But thankfully Tyler was taken out of the hot seat when Charlie stood up and tapped his fork against his champagne glass to get everyone’s attention.
“Hi, everyone,” he said as the room settled into quietness.
“As many of you may have experienced, the road to happiness for every couple is different. For Max and Danny, the road has been hard and very, very long.” There was a slight titter from the crowd.
“My man, Max, here was stuck in the friend zone for many…many, many, many years, just hanging onto the hope that one day the woman he loved would want something more. And then one day, she did. Although tragic, Danny finally got some sense knocked into her. She finally realized that the love she was looking for was right in front of her. It goes to show that every moment should be embraced, the good ones and the bad. Sometimes the most beautiful thing can blossom from what you thought was a tragedy.”
Kevin clasped her hand in his and held it tight. “I agree,” he whispered.
“Sometimes it just takes a twist of fate,” Charlie continued, “and a very trustworthy friend to set you on a path that eventually leads you to your destiny.”
Those words hit home for Kevin and she noticed his other hand move to his chest, rubbing against the medal of Saint Christopher hidden beneath his shirt.
Charlie smiled at the crowd. “If any of you are wondering, I’m the trustworthy friend and, not to brag, but it’s because of my sound advice that you see these two before you a happily married couple. If it weren’t for me, all of us—including Danny—would still be waiting for Max to make a move.”
Max gave an irritated humph and the crowd erupted with laughter.
Charlie turned to face them then. “Max, Danny, I know this road hasn’t been easy for either of you and there will definitely be more bumps along the way, but that’s love and the love the two of you share is strong enough to conquer anything.
” He raised his glass. “To Mr. and Mrs. Shepard! Congratulations!”
Whoops and zealous cheers filled the room and Max pulled Danny in for another kiss.
He whispered something in her ear, which made her giggle like a love-struck teenager, then they stood up and made their way to the dance floor for the first dance.
There were a few confused faces as everyone watched Danny kick off her heels.
Max loosened his tie and they smiled at each other when the beats of Timberland’s The Way I Are boomed through the speakers.
They bounced and hopped and slid across the dance floor.
It wasn’t the best choreography. Actually, it was ridiculous, but it looked like it was very well-practiced by the two of them.
“Is that the robot?” Jasmin asked, barely containing her giggles.
“Probably Max’s idea,” Kevin said.
“I think this is the most unique first dance I’ve ever seen. I’m definitely gonna do something like this at my wedding…Wait. Scratch that. I’m not the best dancer, so maybe I’ll have a rap battle.”
His dimples sank in and he kissed her hand. “Yeah. I guess we could do that.”
There were those tingles again. “Did you just say we, Kevin? Like we’re gonna get married some day? Like I might be your future wifey? Did I hear you right?”
He rolled his eyes, but there was still a smile on his face. “Yeah, you heard me right…Now, fuck off.”
“Language,” Tyler reprimanded from across the table.
Jasmin was neither deterred nor offended by his rudeness, but still sided with Tyler. “He’s such a grumpy asshole, isn’t he?” She plucked a kiss on his cheek before facing the other man.
“I don’t think it’s grumpiness,” Tyler said. “I think cussing just runs in the family.”
“Not true,” Shane argued. “Dom and I are respectable gentlemen. I don’t know what Mom and Dad did wrong with the rest of these hooligans.”
Jordan giggled. “We’re just very expressive.”
There were no stilted moments in the conversation.
His family truly was amazing and it was so easy to get swept into the banter because they didn’t exclude her.
They laughed and teased each other. She wasn’t excluded from that either.
Mostly they mocked her about her poor taste in men.
Kevin had told her a lot about his family, but somehow interacting with them was far better than she’d imagined.
“Okay, I’m ready to dance the night away,” Jordan said after swallowing her last bite of dessert. “Who’s with me?”
Tyler shook his head. “I’ve learned that to keep up with you on the dance floor, I need a few more drinks in me. I’ll catch up soon.”
“No drinks needed for me,” Jasmin replied. “Dancing is my forte.”
“It really isn’t,” Kevin chuckled.
She gave him a quick kiss and headed to the dance floor with Jordan. Max and Danny pulled away from each other to join them. Two songs in and Jasmin realized that sarees and dancing weren’t the best combination. It was time to change into her party dress.