The Demon and the ghosts left the room. We had work to do.
“Is it cheating if we use magic instead of sweat equity?” I asked.
“Hell to the fuckin’ no,” Candy Vargo answered. “Let’s get this dang party started!”
To say we worked fast would have been an understatement. Heather got back in time to help and to stop Shitty Ritchie from conjuring up naked blow-up dolls so there would be more guests. Fairy lights adorned almost every wall and surface. There were enough flowers to start a garden center. Candy magically whipped up an altar that would have been more at home in a strip club, but I didn’t say a word. She was so proud of herself. It was cute.
The Demons were all in and set up the chairs and draped a lovely white runner for me to walk Gram down the aisle. Charlie helped June in the kitchen as she frantically baked cookies. He used a little juju to speed the process along. Zander and Catriona had come in to witness the ceremony, but would go back on duty once the groom kissed the bride. We were a well-oiled team.
Tim and Gideon conjured up a load of tuxes and handed them out to the men. They even remembered to create a tiny tux for Shitty Ritchie. He literally cried that he was remembered. Heather and I took care of the gals. We all wore tasteful floral garden dresses that blended in with the crazy amount of flowers in the great room. Well, Candy didn’t. She threw down and refused to wear a dress. When I reminded her that Gram had the power to cancel her birth certificate, she caved and dressedherself in knee-length jean gauchos and a shirt that wasn’t ripped or stained. It would have to do.
Jennifer was fine much to my relief. She laughed as she served wine to the crew and only once, did I catch her staring off into the distance. She was content for now. Happiness would come back eventually. She’d grilled Heather on how Dip did and was relieved that the transport went off without a hitch. She truly loved him.
And we truly loved her. Tim followed her around and anticipated his daughter’s every need. He was a wonderful father, even if he’d only been a father for less than a week.
Looking around the great room, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to laugh or groan. It was a lot, but it was done with love. It wasn’t what I would have planned if I’d had the time, but like Jennifer had said… tomorrow wasn’t guaranteed. We were going to run with that and live every moment with as much joy as the Universe was willing to dole out.
Right now, the Universe was in a good mood.
“Are we ready?” Jennifer shouted, holding her wine glass high in the air.
We were ready.
It was time for Gram to finally get hitched.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The décor might have beenover-the-top, but the ceremony was every kind of perfect. Gramps floated on the altar with Alana Catherine by his side as his best woman. The smile of excitement on his mostly intact face lit up the room more than the fairy lights. Gram giggled like a schoolgirl the entire time I walked her down the aisle. She wasn’t nervous. She was sure and delighted to be making it official.
I’d never witnessed so many Demons smiling at once in my life. It was surreal. And again, proof that Demons were not always the bad guys. I caught Gideon’s eye as I delivered Gram to her beau, and he winked. It made me tingle all over. My man was the only one for me. I felt a contentment in my soul. My husband, my daughter, Gram and my sister were all here. I missed the family and friends who couldn’t be with us, but was grateful for the ones who were.
I was a little teary as I took my place next to Gram, but they were happy tears. Gram had walked me down the aisle very recently. Now, I was returning the favor. As unsettling as life had been lately, this was a beautiful moment that I would cherish for the rest of time.
Candy, in all her gaucho glory, almost made it through the ceremony without dropping an f-bomb. But then again, it wouldn’t be a Candy Vargo performance without a bit of profanity in the mix. I did groan when she said that the fuckin’ groom could now kiss the fuckin’ bride. However, Gram and Gramps either heard her or ignored it as they snogged like two randy teenagers. Well, if the randy teens were ghosts without corporeal bodies, and their heads went right through each other’s. Ahh, well. It was the thought that counted.
Sadly, Candy wasn’t done sticking her own foot up her ass. After the kiss, when she pronounced the dead couple as Mr. and Mrs. Fuckin’ Jackson, I thought Gram would have a stroke. It wouldn’t have done her in since she was already deceased, but she wasn’t pleased. Candy tried to make it up to her, by spanking her own ass so hard it would probably leave bruises, but Gram told her to go wash her mouth out with soap. Candy obliged and was coughing up bubbles for the next hour.
“Daisy girlie,” Gram said as she hovered next to me on the couch and watched as everyone danced. “This was one of the best days of my life… or death. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” I kissed her papery cheek. As the Death Counselor, I could physically touch the dead. Her skin was cold and dry, but it felt heavenly to me.
Gram giggled. “I wasn’t sure if I wanted to take Mr. Jackson’s name, but I’m thinkin’ bein’ Mrs. Jackson is just fine and dandy. Of course, we’re not using the “fuckin’” part that Candy Vargo blurted out like a dang fool durin’ the ceremony. But my Mr. Jackson said I could do whatever I wanted. That man is a gem!”
“I’d have to agree,” I said, then pried a little bit. “Umm… Gramps told me that you guys have pet names for each other.”
“Oh, he did, did he?” she inquired with a naughty little grin.
“He did,” I said with a laugh. “Care to share?”
Gram gave me the pursed lip look that I’d seen a lot throughout high school when I’d tried to negotiate a later curfew. “You sure you wanna know, girlie?”
“Do I?” I asked hesitantly. Now the old woman had me unsure. “Will I be scarred for life if you tell me?”
“Possibly,” she said with a laugh. “How ‘bout this… Let’s just say that Mr. Jackson’s pet name has something to do with temperature and male genitalia, and mine has to do with texture and my butt.”
“Mmkay,” I said, trying not to laugh. I failed. “Kinda sorry I asked.”
“Welp, you should be,” she said with a cackle before she flew back to the dance floor to cut the rug with Mr. Jackson.
