Playing the Game (27 page)

Three little girls toddled into the room,
ushered in by Kendra’s mother and Troy’s mother. Kendra explained
the tiniest was her niece and the other two were Troy’s. They were
darling in miniature gowns almost exactly like Kendra’s, except
they had spaghetti straps and were pale lavender – the same color
as the bridesmaid gowns.

I dressed in a hurry and stood still as
Troy’s sisters painted my face.

All too soon, Kevin, Kendra’s brother, was
knocking on the door announcing it was time to go. I handed Kendra
her bouquet of white roses while Kelly collected lavender rose
bouquets for each of us bridesmaids.

The girls marched beautifully down the aisle
with only one minor incident when little Chelsea, Kevin’s daughter,
started picking up the rose petals the other girls were
dropping.

I followed Kelly down the aisle and smiled
warmly at Troy, hoping he’d get a little color in his pale face
before he fainted. He tried to smile back but failed and I had to
suppress a laugh.

I chanced a quick glance at Jess and the
look in his eyes caused me to falter. Heat shot through my body and
I had a sudden urge to push him behind the pulpit and ravage him. I
flushed, embarrassed by my feral thoughts while in a church and
concentrated on the pastor instead.

Kendra floated down the aisle on Kevin’s
arm. Her pretty face shone brilliantly as her eyes remained firmly
on Troy. Her dress trailed behind and never before had I ever seen
a fairy tale come to life.

Kevin handed her off after a quick peck to
her cheek and Troy eagerly took her hands. The color had finally
returned to his face as eyes devoured every inch of Kendra. He
loved her so much that it was painfully obvious. It made me long
for Jess. I glanced at him and was mildly surprised but extremely
happy to see him watching only me.

Once the ceremony finished, we all headed to
the reception hall. Chandeliers sparkled from above and cast subtle
light on the intimate tables below.

Yards of lavender and white chiffon
streamers weaved in and out on table tops and pillars as crystal
candle holders held twinkling candles.

The dinner finished and the new couple was
asked to go to the dance floor for their first dance. Jess draped a
careful arm over my shoulders as we watched Troy sweep Kendra in
his arms. I looked up at Jess’s face, expecting to see a smirk on
his lips and amusement in his eyes, but I found neither. He watched
them carefully and, feeling my gaze on him, smiled at me before
pressing his lips to mine.

When the time came for the attendants dance,
I looked around for Derrick as he’d escorted me down the aisle but
Jess stopped me.

“
You’re with me on this
one, sweetheart,” he said, conniving look in his eyes. “I bribed
the groom.” He held me close as we twirled to the music. “Is this
what you want, Aubrey? Something like this?”

I peered around the hall at the beautiful
decorations and the simple elegance. I lifted a shoulder before
meeting his eyes. “It is beautiful but I’m really not too picky. I
just want to be your wife.”

The smile that broke out on his face was
even more breathtaking than Kendra in her gown.

***

The semester ended as the holidays
approached. I couldn’t be happier, either. The excitement I’d felt
when I’d enrolled in college had disappeared rather quickly.

I hurried to my car after my meeting with my
advisor, feeling as if one huge weight had been lifted from my
shoulders. I’d finally decided what I wanted to do and college
wasn’t it.

I eyed my watch in disdain. Jess would be
expecting me soon but I had one more stop to make. His surgery
before Thanksgiving had gone extremely well and he was able to do
more things for himself. But I still couldn’t resist pampering him
when I could. Of course, he ate it up.

I smiled softly. Jess would always be
Jess.

I parked at Spitz Records and rushed inside.
The December wind chilled to the bone and the clouds threatened to
dump snow at any given time. I wanted to finish my errands and get
home before it happened.

“
Hey, Aubrey!” Jon
greeted. “I wasn’t expecting you today. Is everything okay? Jess
isn’t having complications, is he?”

“
Nope,” I grinned, eyes
sparkling. “Everything is fine.” I herded him to his office and
closed the door. The worried frown on his face caused his forehead
to crinkle. “I just need to talk to you.”

“
What?”

“
I want to
sign.”

His face changed in a snap. His eyes lit up
and his face couldn’t hold his smile. He hugged me close, thanking
me over and over.

I pulled out of his embrace, trying to
appear stern. “There are a few stipulations, though.”

“
I knew there would be,”
he said. “Name them.”

“
I want to be able to
travel with Jess as much as possible. I don’t want my career to
interfere with my relationship,” I demanded.

“
I’ll do everything I
can,” he promised. “But you know, sometimes the stress of the road
and recording can put a strain on any relationship. That’s why a
lot of the musicians go through spouses like underwear.”

“
I know,” I conceded. “But
I’ll quit before I let that happen.”

He nodded, apparently not doubting my words.
“Make me a list and we’ll put it in the contract.”

“
Thanks,” I said as I
hugged him. “I’ll give it to you next week.”

“
Thank
you,
Aubrey,” he
repeated.

I left him still smiling and rushed home. I
found Jess lounging on the sofa watching a cheesy Christmas movie.
His left arm was propped on pillows and I fluffed them before
leaning over to kiss him softly.

“
Everything set?” he
asked. I sat next to him so he could wrap his right arm around
me.

“
Yes. He said to make a
list of stipulations and it would go into the contract.” I snuggled
into his shoulder.

“
How do you feel about all
this, Aubrey?”

He’d asked me this several times over the
past few months as I’d agonized over my future. He’d listened
patiently to each of my suggestions and had thrown in a few of his
own. And he’d supported me one hundred percent when I’d come to the
decision that I really wanted to sing.

“
I feel pretty good,” I
said, meaning every word.

“
Good,” he sighed, kissing
the top of my head. “Now maybe you’ll shut up about it and we can
have a little peace and quiet around here.” I smiled at his teasing
tone as I slapped him lightly on the stomach. “Maybe things can
finally return to normal.”

“
Maybe,” I said, wondering
vaguely what normal would be like living with Jess. I was about to
find out.