Chapter 26
STELLA
Jayden arrives at my place at three o’clock the next afternoon, along with Frank. We decided that Frank and Betty could keep each other company while we’re at the wedding.
Since I talked to Harrison last night, I’ve had an uneasy feeling about bringing Jayden to the wedding. But I can’t cancel now. And… I don’t want to.
I’ve never seen Jayden in a suit before, although there are images all over the Internet of him arriving for game day in stylish suits. My lungs feel like they can’t expand when I open the door to him and take in his appearance.
He looks at me too, both of us oblivious to Betty and Frank going crazy at our feet. “Jesus Christ, Stella.”
I blink and a shaky smile tugs at my lips. “Um, hi?”
“You look… Jesus.”
“Thank you. You look amazing, too.”
The warm admiration in his eyes and his smile as he studies me make my heart pick up speed. Finally, he stoops and picks up Betty, who’s greeted Frank and now wants attention from him. “Are you sad you can’t come to the wedding?” he asks her.
I bend to pet Frank and grin. “Of course she is. I tried to convince them she would be good. I even got a little pearl collar for her to wear. But they weren’t having it.”
“Damn.” Jayden accepts a couple of tongue swipes on his chin, then sets down my dog. “Seriously, you are stunning.”
“Thank you!” I do a little twirl, swirling the skirt of my chiffon dress, sage green with burgundy and deeper green flowers in a sort of watercolour floral pattern.
His gaze drops to my cleavage. “Very nice.”
The plunging bodice does reveal some boobage.
I smile and pet the lapel of his charcoal suit jacket. “How did you know to wear a green tie?”
“I had no idea. It’s that crazy fate or destiny or luck, or whatever.” He’s still looking at my chest.
“You can’t stare at my boobs all night.”
He grins. “Why not?”
“It’s, um, unseemly.”
“There’s a good old-fashioned word.”
I move to get my coat where I draped it over the back of an armchair. “Inappropriate?”
“Eh.”
“Improper? Indecent?”
“I get the gist.” He takes the coat from me and holds it for me to slip my arms into. “I try to control myself around you, but goddamn, just looking at you drives me crazy.”
I’m enchanted. Despite his unseemly fascination with my tatas. Which, to be honest, also charms me.
I pick up my little purse and turn to Betty, who looks devastated that we’re leaving. Okay, that’s her normal expression. “I’ll be home as soon as I can,” I tell her. “But don’t wait up.”
Jayden has a car waiting out front and he opens the door for me.
I slide in, gathering up my skirt, and he follows.
It’s not far to the Gastown Guild. In other circumstances, we would walk, but I’m wearing three-inch heels.
Also, Jayden’s foot is better, but it still hurts. At least it’s not raining today.
“How was the rehearsal dinner?” he asks.
“Oh. Pretty much as expected.” He knows I’m nervous about how my parents are going to behave at the wedding. I tell him their shenanigans last night. “Harrison talked to Dad, and I talked to Mom, but I don’t think it matters. Mom’s still so bitter.”
“That’s too bad. It’s been a long time.”
“I know. It’s frustrating. And sad.” I make a face.
His face is shadowy in the back seat of the car but I see the somber expression. “That is sad.”
I wave a hand. “She has a date for the wedding. A new man. He seems nice. I hope we just all have fun tonight. It’s supposed to be about Meredith and Harrison, not them.”
“Exactly.”
The Gastown Guild is an old private club.
The building is historical and beautiful, and we enter the lobby with its granite floors and soaring ceilings.
Other guests are also arriving and after checking my coat, we make our way to the Harbour Room where the ceremony will be.
It’s small and cozy, with a big fireplace on the far wall adorned with masses of flowers and hundreds (maybe?) of flickering candles.
“So bougie,” Jayden murmurs.
I give him a raised-eyebrows look.
He grins. And I smile, too.
We’re seated right up at the front. I smile at other family members and friends of my brother as we take our seats.
We watch Meredith’s grandparents be seated, then Mom and Jason settle in chairs in front of us.
I quickly lean forward and introduce Jayden.
“This is my mom, Cheryl,” I say. “And her friend Jason. Mom, Jason, this is Jayden Wood.”
They shake hands and exchange hushed greetings and then Meredith’s mom is escorted down the aisle to her seat, followed by Harrison and his groomsmen.
“I can’t believe my brother is getting married!” I whisper to Jayden. I give Harrison a finger wave as he takes his place and he grins at me.
Jayden catches my hand and squeezes it. I look down where his strong hand closes around my smaller one. And I curl my fingers around his, too.
The bridesmaids start down the aisle, all looking beautiful in burgundy gowns, carrying bouquets of dark-red and blush-pink roses and eucalyptus.
When Meredith appears in her beautiful, billowy white dress, my heart squeezes then swells in my chest, pushing against my breastbone.
I look at Harrison looking at her, and his expression is one of such adoration, my eyes prickle with unexpected tears.
Sniffling like a child, I watch wide-eyed as his bride glides down the aisle.
A tissue is pressed into my hand and I glance at Jayden. His smile is gentle.
Well, this is embarrassing. I dab at my eyes and nose, listening to the officiant begin the service. But when Harrison says his vows, my eyes overflow again.
“You move through the world with endless grace and kindness,” Harrison says to his bride. “And I vow to show you the same every day of our marriage.”
I swallow a sob.
Jayden squeezes my hand again.
I swipe at my eyes with a sheepish smile for him.
Meredith takes her turn and I watch her with my vision blurred by hot tears, pressing a hand to my aching heart.
It’s their love story and it’s romantic and moving because I care about both of them and want them to be happy forever.
I want to believe in happily ever after for them despite my cynical opinion that love is only fleeting and marriage is for suckers.
After Harrison and Meredith are pronounced husband and wife, I have to desert Jayden for a bunch of family photos back in the Harbour Room in front of the fireplace. Things get tense when Mom insists that Wendy can’t be in the family photos. I guide Mom aside for a low conversation with her.
“Mom, she’s part of the family now.”
“I don’t have to be in pictures with her.”
“But Harrison and Meredith want pictures of everyone. Do it for them.”
“Then I want Jason to be in the pictures, too.”
“Mom, we barely know him.” I glance over at Harrison, who’s watching us. “Hang on.”
I pick up the skirt of my dress and hike over to my brother. “Can we include Jason in some of the pictures?”
He rolls his eyes. “Sure. We’ll probably never see the guy again, but whatever.”
I hasten back to tell Mom that’s okay. Jason isn’t so pleased. He’s well aware he’s not family and doesn’t even want to be in the photos, but Mom grabs his arm and hangs on it, imploring him to join everyone. So he does.
I can see Wendy is pissed. I don’t blame her.
When we’re done with the photos, I hunt down Jayden and find him at the bar with a crowd of people around him. I have to smile at my worry about leaving him on his own not knowing anyone. He’s found all Harrison’s hockey buddies and they have a lot to talk about.
Dinner is in the ballroom which is elegant and sophisticated with a tall ceiling, fluted columns, and glittering chandeliers.
Candles and deep-red roses mixed with eucalyptus boughs adorn every table.
When we check the table assignments, I see that Jayden and I are at the same table as my parents. Both my parents.
“What were they thinking?” I mutter to Jayden. “They can’t sit at the same table!”
I make sure Mom and Dad and their respective partners are on opposite sides of the table with Jayden and me between them.
We’re also with my Aunt Tammy, Uncle Steve, and my cousin Karlie and her husband Leo.
I introduce everyone to Jayden, who shakes hands with confident friendliness.
As we take our seats for dinner, he’s the center of attention.
Again. Dad is especially taken, asking him questions about the team and their season and what happened in the last game when a Dallas player hit Cam when he was in a vulnerable position near the boards.
“He hit him on the numbers,” Dad says irately. “That should have been more than two minutes.”
“He’s getting a call from the department of player safety,” Jayden says.
“Well, good. He should be suspended. Your coach was sure fired up.”
“Oh yeah, he was.”
Duper was behind the bench yelling at the other team and the refs. I kind of enjoyed it.
As we eat our way through several delicious courses, I’m surprised that Mom and Dad are behaving. Which means they’re ignoring each other. I’ll take it.
“I think it’s because you’re here,” I whisper to Jayden. “They’re trying to impress you.”
“Happy to help.” He smirks at me, eyes dipping briefly to my chest.
I give him a warning look and his grin stretches wider.
We make it through dinner and speeches without incident and by the time the dancing is about to start, I’m feeling like we just might make it. But then I hear Wendy say to Dad, not quietly, “You didn’t give them any money for the wedding?”
Dad’s eyes shift around. “Shh,” he says.
Yikes.
“Don’t shush me!” Wendy cries. “I can’t believe you didn’t help pay for this.”
Dad’s expression suggests she’s telling everyone about his prostate exam. “Not here,” he says tightly.
I already knew from Harrison that Dad hadn’t offered to contribute financially to the wedding. Harrison and Meredith could probably pay for the whole thing themselves, but Meredith’s parents gave them money to help out, and Mom paid for the flowers.
I see we’ve caught Harrison’s eye from the head table.
I lean around Jayden to whisper to Wendy and Dad, “Do you want to go discuss this out in the lobby?”
Wendy’s lips press together as she looks at me, but then soften. “I’m sorry, hon.”
Wendy and I aren’t close but I don’t think she hates me.
“We’ll talk about this later,” she says to Dad.
Why do I feel sorry for him? He nearly wrecked our lives and I hated him for years because of it.
But things have turned out fine for all of us.
I might be a little too focused on making money because of the fact we didn’t have any back then, but my business is successful and lately, I’ve felt more comfortable with my finances.
Harrison has a great job. Even Mom is doing okay after those tight years, and I’ve been able to help her out from time to time.
I also hated Dad for breaking Mom’s heart and splitting up our family and…
well, the pain of all that has eased over the years and I don’t hate him anymore.
I wish for his sake he had a better life.
He’s the one who’s never recovered from all that, struggling to pay off his debt for years and possibly still gambling.
He told us he had gone for counseling for his addiction but I’ve never had a good feeling that he has stopped. I’ve learned that addicts will lie.
Jayden clasps my hand on his lap, as if sensing my unease. I give him a quick look of thanks.
The ballroom is rearranged for dancing. I get emotional again watching Harrison dance with his beautiful bride. Then Mom dances with Harrison and Meredith dances with her dad.
Dad looks grumpy.
When everyone can join in the dancing, Jayden pulls me up out of my chair and leads me onto the dance floor.
“Is this when I get to see your dance moves?” I ask him as we move to Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga singing.
“No.” He smiles down at me. “I just wanted to feel you up.”
“Is your foot okay?”
“It’s fine.”
We grin at each other goofily.
“Thanks for being here.” Maybe it was a mistake inviting him, but right now, I really am glad he’s here. His presence is so steadying and strong.
“I’m happy to be here.”
“My family is stressful.” I sigh.
“All families are, sometimes. Let’s consider it lucky that there hasn’t been a shouting match. No punches thrown.”
“Not yet.”