Meri was already steering him away with polite force. “It will only take a moment.”
James disappeared down the hall still talking, still gesturing, camera crew stumbling behind him like they were being led into a trap. I mouthed thank you to Meri as she vanished too, mission accomplished.
Braxton’s eyebrows lifted, his mouth tilting in an almost smile as we shared amusement at Meri’s machinations.
Braxton found his way back to my side as dessert plates were cleared. “You were right,” he murmured.
“About what?” I wondered.
“Food solves most problems,” he said.
I smiled. “Most.”
The officiant stood and cleared his throat, signaling the beginning of the rehearsal portion.
“All right,” he said. “Let us walk through this. Bride and groom, please stand.”
The groom stood so quickly his chair nearly toppled.
The bride rose more gracefully, as if she had been preparing for this her whole life.
The officiant began explaining positions. The groom immediately stepped the wrong way.
“No,” Lydia called cheerfully. “The other left.”
The groom froze. “My left or your left?”
The room laughed, tension easing.
Dad rose calmly and moved closer, his presence calm and soothing.
“Breathe,” he told the groom quietly, with a hand on the groom’s shoulder. “Just breathe.”
The groom nodded, eyes wide. “I am breathing.”
“Slower,” William advised.
The officiant continued, walking them through timing, cues, where to stand, when to turn. The bride kept smiling, patient and amused. The groom looked like he was doing advanced math in his head.
Then came the rings.
“All right,” the officiant said. “Rings.”
Silence.
The groom patted his pockets, panic spreading across his face. “I had them.”
The best man went pale. “I thought you had them.”
One of the groomsmen began checking under chairs as if the rings might have rolled away in protest.
The room collectively held its breath.
Mom pressed her hands to her chest. Kitty’s face went the color of paper.
I felt my own stomach tighten, already imagining how we would solve this in the next thirty seconds without anyone crying.
Dad didn't react at all. He simply reached into his jacket pocket and produced the rings without comment, holding them up like he was presenting a perfectly normal object that had always been there.
