“That goes for me as well,” said Fred. “We have a lot of pack members coming down here Wednesday for the big wedding. Thanks for including the two of us at tonight’s rehearsal dinner.”
Once they had checked into the hotel and brought everything up to both Tracy’s and John’s rooms, they said goodbye to Fred and Anya, adding how they’d see them again that night after the rehearsal. Then they went down to review things with the staff at the hotel for both that night’s dinner as well as the arrangements for the wedding reception and banquet the next day.
Once Tracy was satisfied everything was arranged the way she wanted, she and John then went looking for her parents and grandfather. They found they had checked in okay and were relaxing up on the hotel’s rooftop lounge. This was outdoors with a magnificent view of the Hudson River. Not surprisingly, many of the other wedding guests were up there as well, including both the current Defense Secretary and his predecessor, the former Defense Secretary. Both men were sitting with Tracy’s family and had been talking about her when she walked up to them.
Tracy’s mom called out, “There you are, honey! And John, too! Come and sit with us.” She gestured at some chairs which were available nearby.
John suddenly got a text and he said, “I’m gonna leave Tracy here with you folks because my parents just arrived with Heather, Donald and the twins.” He knew Patrick and Lila were in the area and would probably also be arriving soon. “I’ll come back to get you when it’s time for us to go over to the chapel for the rehearsal.”
When Missy and Mike arrived at the Thayer Hotel, they found not only Missy’s entire family in the lobby but Mike’s family as well. Mike’s parents and Mike’s sister Michelle were checking in while Michelle’s husband Aaron was parking the car.
Everyone stopped to welcome Missy and for several minutes things were quite exciting. John explained which room Missy and Tracy were sharing and how Fred and Anya had already delivered all her things up there. He then handed Mike a key to the room which they were sharing that night.
Missy let Mike take care of bringing in all their things and parking the car. She couldn’t resist going over to be with Wendy and Wanda instead. Heather had dressed them in the same outfits but had a red ribbon in Wendy’s hair and a yellow ribbon in Wanda’s hair. Missy, with her supernatural senses, was the only one besides Heather who was able to tell them apart without needing those ribbons to identify them.
Eventually, everyone got checked in, got their bags delivered to their rooms and made their way up to the rooftop lounge. Missy found Tracy there and after hugging her in welcome, she said, “Hey, I can’t thank you enough for arrangingthings here while I was overseas. Mike’s been telling me how you and Sam handled everything.”
Tracy grinned and said, “Well, okay. But I can’t thank you enough for actually surviving that blast over in Beijing. Had you not done that, all my efforts would have been for naught and we’d be having a funeral rather than a double wedding.”
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Over at the West Point Chapel, the rehearsal went smoothly with no hiccups. Captain Bonomo was there with his wife Linda. They of course had been married right there themselves and were very helpful. Several minutes were spent merely reviewing the seating plan for the family, the military guests and the other distinguished guests who had agreed to attend.
Colonel Sager was the West Point chaplain who would be officiating and he knew both Missy and Tracy very well, having been at the academy for the last three years. Although he had declined their invitation to the rehearsal dinner he had promised he would be there at the reception and banquet after the wedding.
When the colonel asked whether the couples had written their own personal vows for the ceremony, he was assured that each of them had done that. No problem. They were ready. He laughed and told them he was not surprised.
Finally, there was the actual walkthrough of the processional, the ceremony itself, and the recessional to familiarize everyone with the flow and eliminate any confusion. Captain Bonomo assured them he had fully prepared the dozen military personnel who would be participating in the Arch ofSabers. He said they all knew exactly what to do and that this too would be done flawlessly.
Once Tracy was satisfied that everything would go according to plan, she announced, “All right everyone! It’s time we all headed over to Thayer Hotel for our rehearsal dinner! Missy and I will be changing into our dinner outfits but dress is casual for everyone else.” Both John and Mike would also be changing into formal dark gray suits, of course, which Tracy had made them agree to wear.
Back in their room, Missy and Tracy did one another’s hair and makeup and then they donned the dresses they’d selected which were very similar except for the colors. Tracy’s was a light blush pink which looked great with her brown hair and brown eyes while Missy’s was a dark sage green which went well with her red hair and green eyes. These colors also complemented one another.
Satisfied they now looked their very best, the two young women went down to find their men and join their guests. This was it. They were getting married. It was time to celebrate with their family, friends and special guests!
Chapter Twenty-One
Tuesday, June 21, 2022
Lila, being a witch, was able to sense when Missy and Tracy were approaching and she said to Patrick, “They’re almost here. Go ahead and let everyone know.”
Patrick then grabbed the microphone and said, “If I could have everyone’s attention, please! Let’s all look over at the entrance to this room and welcome my brother and his bride Tracy along with my sister and her man Mike!”
Everyone had been milling about, conversing while waiting for this moment, and they all quieted as they turned to face the entrance. Upon seeing the two couples walk in, the cheering began. There were three photographers from Missy’s pack who were taking pictures and videos and they zoomed in, recording everything.
Missy and Tracy were both super excited as they made their way into the room and sensed how happy everyone there was for them and the two handsome guys they were now clinging to. Mike and John were equally excited, of course, and each felt his heart swell with joy and happiness.
“Look how gorgeous those two brides are looking,” exclaimed Linda Bonomo in a loud voice. She had taken the microphone away from Patrick and would now act as master of ceremonies for the evening. She continued with, “Now that the happy couples have arrived, please everyone take your seats. They have assured me they will go around after we eat to spend time with each person here but first things first.”
Linda waited patiently until most of the guests were seated. Then she said, “I’ve been honored to act as host tonight and I will therefore give the first toast of the evening. There should be a glass of champagne already poured and ready to drink at each person’s place.” She glanced around until she saw everyone was now seated and appeared ready to drink the toast. Then she said, “Tomorrow will be the long-awaited dual wedding and there will be a great many guests at that who don’t know about supernaturals. Thus, the toasts and conversations which will take place at the huge wedding banquet afterwards will need to omit any reference to witches, werewolves and werecats.
“Tonight, however, everyone in this room …” Linda now paused and gestured all around. Then she continued, “That includes all the waiters and waitresses who are bringing in your food right now, since they are from Missy’s pack. Everyone here tonight does know about supernaturals and therefore we can all speak freely and openly about them.
“I first met Missy when I brought Gene and Amanda Tremblay to Fred Vautin’s place so he could bring them over and introduce them to the former Alpha of the New England Werewolf Pack. I worked for “P” Branch then and I was asked to have Missy accompany them since she was also a Shifter and, should things not go very well for Gene and Amanda, having Missy along might be helpful. Little did I know just howhelpfulMissy could be. As everyone now knows, she became the new Alpha of that pack that night.
“Not long after that, I was asked to accompany Gene and Amanda over to Germany. That was when I met Tracy. I was told she was a fire witch and might be able to help. We were dealing with terrorists who had bombed a nightclub in Munich.Well, Tracy certainly was helpful as I’m sure everyone here now knows. Also along during that adventure was my future husband, Jesse.
“To say my life has been forever changed after meeting these two amazing women, Missy and Tracy, would be a huge understatement. Equally amazing are their soulmates, Mike and John, whom I have also grown very close to. Were I to recount all the wonderful things which these two couples have done, I’d be here all night.
