Chapter 26 #2
My mother told me they usually had everything, including the wedding, in the barn for events held this time of year—but she’d known my dream had been to be outdoors—and the tent was the closest we’d get.
The photographer, also there to get candid pre-ceremony shots, promised we could try to get some photos outdoors if we could all handle the cold, using the pristine lakes and majestic mountains as backdrops.
Of course, it would depend upon if the women in the party—who didn’t have tuxedo jackets like the men—could handle it.
Still, before that, as we drove up to over nine-thousand feet in elevation, my breath hitched. The first thing that caught my eye as we began to climb was the sign announcing Independence Pass was still closed for winter, making me wonder when it would open. Would we have to deal with snow?
Twin Lakes itself, though…it really was the perfect spot, even if the timing wasn’t ideal. There was snow everywhere except on the highway and the peaks were capped with it. The lakes still had ice on them, although much of it had melted along the shore.
As Braden pulled up to the lodge where we’d be staying, I said, “Maybe we should have chosen Hawaii.”
When we got out, he paused at the trunk of his car. “I dunno, Dani. I think this is pretty perfect.” With that, he put an arm around me and kissed me on the temple in reassurance. “Besides, I’d marry you anywhere. All that matters is the pictures we get for our kids to see down the road.”
Fuck. Kids? We’d talked about maybe having children in the future…but saying something like that freaked me out a bit.
After unpacking in our separate rooms, we met up and headed to the venue.
After the wedding, Braden would be moving to my room and, the next morning, we’d head for I-70 and take it to Denver International Airport to begin our honeymoon.
Fortunately, my mother was going to take the wedding dress home so I wouldn’t have to lug it to Mexico and back.
Slowly, the wedding party arrived at the venue, and it felt like we’d doubled the population of that tiny dot on the map: first, there was my mother and her boyfriend.
I’d only learned the day before that she was dating the principal of the school in Nopal—and it had been hush-hush initially because he was in the middle of a messy divorce.
He hadn’t been the principal when I’d attended but had only taken the job two years earlier when his family had moved from Holly, a town close to the Colorado-Kansas border, famous for being the lowest spot in the state.
Then there were the guys—Zack and Cy. Both were allowed plus-ones, but neither brought anyone with them…
and I wondered why Zack hadn’t brought Ellie along.
Cy had joked about “meeting women,” and maybe he’d been serious about it.
Then there was Roxy, who brought her new boyfriend Dean from the nu metal band MAIMD, and Braden’s immediate family—mom, dad, and sisters.
But that wasn’t all. We’d chosen as the ring bearer and flower girl Braden’s second cousin’s adorable four-year-old twins, so also along were his second cousin and his wife, plus two other children. Then, of course, my grandparents were there. My grandpa would be the one walking me down the aisle.
We’d planned to have the rehearsal at four o’clock that afternoon and most of us checked into the accommodations we’d booked beforehand.
The folks in charge of the wedding were located down a side road about half a mile from the center of town.
We’d have both the wedding and reception there—the reception and meal in the barn itself—so, although we’d have all wedding activities there, we’d be eating our rehearsal dinner in Twin Lakes at a restaurant that could accommodate us all.
Again, my mother had gone above and beyond.
Because of that, I’d asked her to think about where she and her boyfriend would like to spend a week over the summer, all expenses paid.
At first, she told me no, because she’d enjoyed planning it, but the more I asked, the more I could tell she was thinking about taking me up on the offer.
It probably hadn’t hurt when I’d said, “If you don’t pick a place, I’ll pick one for you. ”
Everyone gathered at the venue and, once the officiant arrived, a kind middle-aged man many women might consider a silver fox, we all headed inside to practice.
And it was a disaster—but, more than once, the officiant assured us that a bad rehearsal meant a perfect wedding.
But I felt like it was a bad omen.
First, we realized that, although I’d thought everyone was there, we were missing a key player: Zack. And I immediately grew angry. Typical. He might have finally been sober now, but he still couldn’t be reliable?
While we waited, the officiant began explaining what he would say and the order when certain things would happen. “Did you write your own vows?”
Jesus. My mother had said something offhand once—but I’d forgotten. In response, both Braden and I glanced at each other sheepishly. Braden said, “No. Is that a problem?”
“Not at all. Some couples like to write their own, but you don’t have to.”
Braden squeezed my hand, even as my blood pressure rose.
Zack appeared in the tent just then. “Sorry, guys. I got a flat tire outside of Buena Vista—and discovered my spare was also flat.” He held up his blackened hands to prove it.
“No worries, dude,” Braden said. “Everything okay now?”
“Yeah. I got them both fixed enough—but I’ll need to get new ones when we get back home.”
Braden said, “This is Zack, my best man.”
Nodding, the officiant held out his hand but Zack again held up his hands to show that shaking them might not be the best idea.
After the officiant caught Zack up, we went through all the motions of the ceremony.
But, at one point, a violent wind rustled the tent, causing air to blow through the flaps that served as doors, reminding me that an outdoor wedding was definitely off the menu.
But it took a while for the heaters to warm it back up, and the woman standing nearby, the owner of the venue, said they’d have the heaters on early so it would be warmer in the morning.
“Besides,” she said, “when you get one hundred bodies in here, the temperature will naturally go up.”
And, of course, we’d be heading to the barn after the ceremony.
Then, after the officiant had us practice putting on the rings, the little ones started running all around the tent, under chairs and through the rows, screaming and giggling, no doubt tired of having to stand still.
Worse, their parents kept yelling at them but they kept it up.
When we finally got through the rehearsal, my nerves were shot.
Not long after, we were all driving back to the highway toward the restaurant—all twenty-ish of us. Although we invited the officiant to dine with us, he said his partner had a hot meal waiting for him back at home.
The restaurant already had two big long tables set up for our party, complete with filled water glasses and pitchers of water and iced tea placed at key spots.
They also had rolls and butter on the table—and they were just waiting for us to arrive before bringing out the family-style bowls and platters that we would pass around the tables.
My mother—with very little input from Braden and me—had chosen fried chicken and roast beef as the main entrées.
On the side were mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, and a green salad.
Dessert would be a surprise. And they had outdone themselves.
A banner on the wall behind the second table said Congrats, Dani and Braden!
The owner greeted us as we walked in. After everyone was finally seated (with booster seats for the twins), she told us what was coming (as two servers began loading the tables with food).
“There is water and iced tea, but please let me know if you’d prefer a soda.
We have Coke products, so just say the word. ”
Braden and I sat underneath the banner, with our immediate family at the table.
To Braden’s side and wrapped around were his parents and sisters, while my mom sat next to me, her boyfriend at the end, and my grandparents directly across from us.
Everyone else was at the other table. I was sad that Roxy was over there but glad that Zack was there as well—not to mention Braden’s cousin’s rambunctious, though adorable, children.
My nerves were fraught, and, when the owner came to our table to ask if anyone wanted anything else to drink, I asked, “Do you happen to have any adult beverages?”
“I absolutely do—if you don’t mind paying extra.”
Of course. That made sense, and I nodded my head. “What do you have?” After she uttered a long list, I thought I wanted a few shots of tequila—but that wouldn’t look so good. I settled on a glass of white wine, thinking it would look more dignified, so long as no one noticed how I gulped it down.
Another reason it was good that Zack was at the other table.
Unfortunately, he, Cy, Roxy, and Dean were seated so that they faced us. Although there were two rows of bodies in between, we could look at them when we wanted to.
The food began getting passed around the table.
Even though it smelled good, I wasn’t hungry at all.
My nerves were eating away at my gut, churning and burning, and I thought I might throw up if I ate.
Still, if I didn’t put anything on my plate, people would question it.
So I took a chicken thigh, a small amount of salad, and dabbed tiny amounts of veggies and potatoes on.
The rolls were the only thing that even sounded appealing, but I skipped the butter.
Just as I’d filled my plate, the owner arrived with my glass of wine. Over the noise of our group, she asked, “Can I get you anything else right now?”
Braden’s cousin waved her over. I noticed a couple come into the restaurant, and one of the other folks working there found them a seat at the table farthest from our noisy group.
They didn’t seem that busy, and I figured it was due to the time of year—too late to do winter activities but too early for summer fun.
Braden whispered in my ear. “You okay?”
“Yeah. It’s just…a lot.”
His eyes softened, full of love and adoration for me, and I was able to relax my tense shoulders for just a moment. “Is it too late to elope?”
I smiled. “I think so. Nice try.”
“Just think,” he said as I took the first sip of the wine. “This time tomorrow we’ll be husband and wife, dancing and partying with all our friends to celebrate.”
“Yeah.” My stomach churned again, and I took another big drink of the wine.
Of all people, Cy stood up just then, holding up his water glass. “I know this isn’t exactly expected, but I wanted to say it’s pretty cool seeing two of my best friends getting married. But you’re not hitched until tomorrow so, after dinner, Bray, we’re taking you out for a night on the town.”
Everyone laughed—and Braden said. “I’ve seen the town. I think we’ll be done in five minutes.”
“We’re going to the saloon, my friend. Pool and darts and a little beer—not a real bachelor party, but still…just a celebration of your last night as a single guy.”
They’d already had a real bachelor party two weeks earlier and I’d told Braden I didn’t want to know about it.
All I knew was that they’d spent the night in Colorado Springs, and I’d gotten the feeling they’d visited a strip club or two.
Roxy had offered to put together a bachelorette party for me, but I told her it would have just been the two of us.
Maybe we could have our own little party tonight while the guys did their thing.
Braden held up his glass to Cy’s kind-of toast, as did everyone else. He said, “You’re all invited—Dean, Kenny, Tom,” he said, naming Braden’s cousin and dad, and then he just pointed toward my grandpa and mother’s boyfriend. “You guys, too. We’ll make it a night to remember.”
By the time most of the people had eaten at our table, seconds included, I’d barely choked down a bite of everything on my plate. When the owner came back by, she asked, “Who wants a piece of chocolate cake for dessert?”
Several people at our table said yes, and I asked for a second glass of wine.
When it was time to go, I gave her my debit card to pay for my drinks. Braden and I had already split the bill for the meal a month earlier, including a twenty-percent gratuity, but I still gave an extra tip for the wine. I asked the owner, “What time do you close?”
“This time of year, usually seven o’clock or when the restaurant’s empty, whichever comes first. Sometimes we’re shutting off the lights at six.”
“Would it be possible to buy a bottle of wine from you?”
“Sure. Let me see what I’ve got.”
As I put my card in my wallet, I said, “I don’t know if I want it yet—but if you’re still open when I make up my mind, I’ll come by.”
I knew it would be a bad idea to have an entire bottle of wine, even with Roxy there to help me drink it.
The owner said, “If we’re closed, you can buy a bottle from the saloon next door.”
Next door, she’d said, but the buildings were connected, so I suspected she knew what she was talking about.
Our big group was congregated outside where my mother was giving last-minute instructions.
“Dani and Braden paid for breakfast here as well, but you’ll have to be here between eight and ten if you want it.
It’ll be buffet-style, but there’ll be plenty, so please fill up.
We’ll be meeting at the venue no later than eleven.
” She looked at Braden and me at the back. “That includes both of you.”
Braden grinned and said quietly, “I’ll text you when I plan to go to breakfast so I don’t accidentally see you.”
It was superstitious, but it had turned out he was more traditional than I. He’d even planned to carry me over the threshold of our room that night.
“Me too,” I said.
“I can’t wait to see you in your wedding dress. You’ll be the most beautiful bride on the planet.” He stroked my cheek as he gazed into my eyes before giving me a sweet kiss.
Cy said, “Wait till your honeymoon, guys. Braden needs to enjoy his last few hours of freedom!”
Braden kissed me again. “See you tomorrow, future Mrs. Mitchell.”
I smiled as widely as I could, reminding myself that I was the luckiest woman in the world. Just as Roxy approached me, I caught Zack looking straight at me before joining the group of guys heading into the saloon.
Looking at me? It must have been my imagination.