It turns out it’s actually pretty easy to plan an awesome wedding in only twenty-four hours when some of your best friends happen to be rolling in cash and hold a ton of influence and prestige throughout the city—or dating guys who happen to fit that description.
Skyler and I haven’t had to lift a finger—everything’s been taken care of for us. Charlie sweet-talked the clerk at the City Hall into squeezing us in with a decent time slot this evening; Paxton’s recruited one of his camera guys to take video—a job that I’m positive is well below the paygrade of someone working at a cable news station like BCN; Deacon’s arranged for us to have the reception at Tanner’s son’s bar—and I can only assume Tanner has foot the bill; even Mom’s been taken care of, with Emme squeezing her in for a complimentary hair appointment on what would be one of her busiest work days.
Spencer and Sullivan were particularly quick to spring into action when Skyler and I broke our news yesterday. I’d almost go as far as to call itsuspiciouslyquick. As much as I appreciate their help, and I’m sure it’smostlycoming from a place of friendship and love, I have a feeling they’re both over the moon that we’re not lingering over our nuptials, so the risk of thunder being stolen for their own upcoming weddings has been dramatically reduced. Personally, I don’t really get the whole concern there—I wouldn’t give a shit if someone decided to make some big, exciting announcement today, or show up with a new partner and steal everyone’s attention. As long as I can still marry Skyler, that’s all I need.
But considering the generosity they’ve shown us, I’m not going to call them out. Spencer has organized for us to stay in a deluxe penthouse suite at one of his hotels tonight and tomorrow—a mini honeymoon considering Skyler won’t be able to take any real time off work for a while. He’s also offered the services of his private driver and one of hisgorgeouscars—a gun metal gray Aston Martin that I unashamedly drool over every time I lock eyes on it.
Sully took care of last night’s bachelor party—because apparently even a one-day engagement needs a bachelor party—and he’s had his private tailor measure us up for new suits.
“He won’t have time to make them to order,” he told us last night, looking far more disappointed that the situation warranted if you ask me. “So you’ll have to make do with ones that are adjusted off the rack.”
“Off the rack?On ourwedding day?”Skyler gasped, clutching his chest. “Are you hearing this Jackson? We may as well walk down the aisle inrags.”
Sully groaned, covering his face with his hand. “I know. It’s terrible…”
“For fuck’s sake, Sullivan.” Drew let out an exasperated huff, shaking his head. “He’s messing with you. No one but you even knows the difference.”
Yep. That’s true. I have no idea what the difference is. A designer suit is a designer suit, right? I feel just as weird wearing this as I do in any other suit I’ve ever worn.
But Skyler’s going to like it. That makes me smile softly as I give my reflection one last glance in the bathroom mirror.
“You ready?” Drew asks me.
My smile widens. “Hell, yeah.”
We exit the bathroom into a corridor that’s not quite bustling, but not empty either. It’s a little strange to see people going about their business while I walk toward the what is bound to be the best moment of my life.
Okay, maybe second best. The best will always be the moment Skyler knocked on my window when we were seven years old.
“Nervous?” Drew asks.
I shake my head, my smile still in place. “Nope.”
He lets out a wry laugh. “You’re not even a little worried about giving Sky control over the song selection for your first dance?”
“Why should I be worried about that?”
“Because it’sSkyler. You could end up dancing the first dance of your married life to “Pump It” or something like that.”
I let out a little huff of amusement and give a one-shouldered shrug. “Then we’ll dance our first dance to “Pump It”.”
I don’t think it’ll come to that, though. Skyler can be fanciful and inappropriate and irreverent at times, but that’s with other people; not us. He’s never trivialized our relationship and I can’t imagine he’d start now.
We finally get to the clerk’s office, and I push the door open, causing the soft hubbub floating around the room to quiet. Everyone’s here. The guys from the team, their partners, some of Skyler’s friends from work, my mom…even Deacon’s parents have made the drive over from Long Island; and Paxton’s daughter, Kaley, is here all the way from North Carolina. I’m touched by the unexpected gestures of support, and I know it’s going to mean a lot to Skyler as well.
But as thrilled as I am to have all these people here, there’s only one face I want to see right now. And fortunately, I don’t need to wait long, because Skyler and Deacon stroll into the clerk’s office only a minute or so behind Drew and me.
Flickers of amazement and gratitude cross Skyler’s face as he notes all the people in the room, and then it melts into a familiar expression of love and appreciation as his eyes land on me. He steps toward me, not saying anything but not needing to. I can see it all there in his face.
We take a long moment to just gaze at each other, soaking in the moment. And then Skyler breaks the silence, his lips curved up in a wry smirk. “You see, Drew? This is how you do an engagement—no muss, no fuss.”
“So after twenty years together, you finally decide to get married and that’sfastto you?” Drew shoots back, his pierced eyebrow raised in challenge.
“I’m not sure you can count the twenty years when they only started dating a month or so ago,” Skyler’s friend Cait says thoughtfully.
“Yeah, I keep expecting one of them to announce they’re pregnant,” Charlie snorts.
“The past totally counts—they’ve been in love with each other since they were kids,” Deacon declares.
