Toss the Bouquet (36 page)

My gaze shifted from Derrick to the other groomsmen standing in line behind him. Like me, Tyler was at the end of his row. Wow. He looked pretty spiffy in a tuxedo. With
his face clearing up and his hair neatly combed, I almost didn't recognize him. Then again, he looked a little uncomfortable in the bow tie. He tugged at it, a pained expression on his face.

I tried to focus on the happy couple, but found myself completely distracted. Memories of my sister flooded over me as they said their “I do's.” The two of us swimming at the neighborhood pool. Vacationing at Disneyworld with our parents. Mission trips with our youth group. These images planted themselves in me, but I did my best to push away the tears.

The tears could not be held back, however, as Crystal and Phillip had their first kiss as a married couple. And the emotions only intensified when the pastor introduced them as husband and wife. The congregation gave a cheer as the new Mr. and Mrs. Havenhurst turned to face them, then headed up the aisle.

Sienna and Derrick linked arms and headed up the aisle after them. Sienna seemed a little subdued, and I briefly wondered why. Then Gillian and her partner, followed by Brianna and hers. Tyler and I met in the middle. He gave me his arm, flashed a comforting smile, and we walked up the aisle last. I didn't have a care in the world, nor did I feel less than any of the others. In fact, thoughts about me didn't enter into it. I was far too busy focusing on my sister and Phillip, who were standing in the foyer, kissing.

A few minutes later the foyer filled with happy wedding guests, who offered their congratulations. I allowed myself to be pushed to the edge of the crowd, pressed away by the ever-growing throng. Fortunately, I wasn't alone. I found
myself standing right next to Derrick, who slipped his arm around my waist.

“That went well.” He drew me close.

“Mm-hmm.” I snuggled up to him, loving the scent of his cologne. “Loved every minute.”

“Oh, but the fun is just beginning. Remember, you promised me a dance.”

“I did. I hope your feet are ready for the pain I'm going to cause.”

He laughed and then turned his attention to Tyler, who called out to us to join the rest of the wedding party. We still had a handful of pictures to take before leaving for the reception. The photos would forever mark my spot as the end-of-the-line bridesmaid, but I didn't care. Not one bit. All that mattered now was celebrating the happily ever after of my sister and her new husband.

But, I admit, I was pondering the possibilities for a happily ever after of my own. Just as soon as we wrapped up the photoshoot.

The photographer had obviously done this a time or two. She corralled us into position after position, taking one photo after the next. I couldn't help but notice that she angled Sienna to hide the Double-D's. Mostly, anyway. Oh well. We would laugh about them later. Maybe.

When the photo shoot ended, I rode with the other attendants to the River Oaks Country Club. Phillip's father had rented limos for the whole wedding party and, despite my earlier reservations about feeling out of place in a hoity-toity world, I enjoyed the ride immensely.

“A girl could get used to this.” Cassie giggled as she leaned back against the seat. “Don't you think?”

“I do.” Brianna opened a can of soda and poured it into a glass of ice. “They can chauffer me around any day.”

I glanced over at Sienna, who remained quiet, gazing out the window. Her silence threw me a little. “Didn't you think the wedding was gorgeous, Sienna?”

“Hmm?” She looked away from the window. “What?”

“The wedding,” I repeated. “It was beautiful.”

She shrugged. “Yes. It was great. I'm sure even Phillip's mother would agree. I know she's given Crystal kind of a hard time.”

“Well, I thought it was great.” My heart flooded with emotion as I glanced from one bridesmaid to another. “I've loved every minute of getting to know you all better. I don't want this to end.”

“Interesting.” Sienna turned back to the window. “Because I can't wait for it to be over.”

“You don't mean that. I think maybe you're just sad and a little confused right now.”

She shrugged again and continued to stare out the window. When we arrived at the country club, we were all staring out the window.

I'd heard about the River Oaks Country Club for years but had never seen it for myself. Now, as the driver swung the door of the limo open and offered me his hand, I stepped into a whole new world. The gorgeous front doors were majestic in size. Gorgeous. I could barely breathe as I took it all in.

A man in a tuxedo greeted us, and we took a few cautious
steps into the grand foyer. “Are you here for the Havenhurst reception?”

I nodded, unable to speak as I gazed upward at the massive chandeliers, in all of their crystallized beauty.

“This way, please.” He gestured down the hallway to our right and we walked as a group until we came to the reception hall. There simply were no words to describe its beauty.

“Wow.” Cassie's eyes widened. “This is . . . wow.”

“Wow is right.” I stood completely dumbfounded by the place.

Off in the distance a band played country tunes, my sister's favorite. The heavenly aroma of food emanated from the buffet table to our right. I pushed away the “sixty-five dollars a head” speech rolling around in my brain and made up my mind to relax and enjoy myself.

A few minutes later my parents arrived with Grandma Nellie close behind. As they were seated, she carried on and on about the beautiful room. “This place!” She gestured to the hall chandeliers, also dripping with crystals. “I've never seen anything like it.”

“Me either. But I think Crystal is going to have the time of her life. This is perfect for her.”

“She deserves this.” My grandmother's eyes flooded with tears. “You, too, precious girl. You deserve this, and so much more.”

“Aw, thank you, Grandma Nellie. Maybe someday.”

“Maybe someday . . . soon.” She nodded toward Derrick, who stood nearby, talking to one of the groomsmen. “Remember, sometimes the Lord—”

I put up my hand and laughed. “Don't say it. Don't say it.”

At that moment, the deejay announced the arrival of the bride and groom. The guests rose and greeted them with applause, and then the band began to play.

I stepped away from my family's table as Crystal and Phillip took to the floor to share their first dance as husband and wife. In that moment, as I saw the two of them together, all concerns about my sister's happiness faded away. Phillip couldn't take his eyes off her, and she returned his gaze, a blissful expression on her face.

“They're a perfect match.”

I turned when I heard Derrick's voice and then nodded, a lump rising in my throat. I managed to speak above it as I said, “Yes, they are.”

Derrick slipped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. “I'm just waiting for all the designated dances to end so I can spin you around the dance floor.”

“Did I forget to mention that I'm a terrible dancer?”

“Sure you are.”

“No, really. I'm terrible.”

“You said you were terrible at baking, too, and you made some pretty amazing cookies.”

“Your mom made those.”

“Well, sometimes all it takes is someone leading the way.” He gave me a knowing look. “You can follow and learn the steps.”

“So you're good at dancing?”

“No.” He laughed. “I was kind of hoping you were so you could teach me. But I know enough to fake it.” He leaned close, his voice lowering. “And honestly? I won't be thinking
about my feet. If you'll dance with me, I'll just be thinking about how lucky I am.”

Okay, someone had better pinch me, and quick. What had I done to deserve a guy like this?

Before I could give it another thought, one of the wedding guests approached Derrick. “Dude, you're Derrick Richardson.”

“I am.”

“Could I have your autograph?”

“Of course.” He signed the guy's wedding program. This started a group of fans gathering around him, just as my father took to the floor for the father-daughter dance. Derrick continued to sign autographs as Phillip and his mom shared a dance, but he finally managed to turn everyone's attention back to the bride and groom, who opened the dance floor to all of their guests.

“Finally!” Derrick slipped his arm around my waist again. “I thought this moment would never come. Let's hit the floor, Southpaw.”

I took a couple of steps, but a troubling thought caused me to stop just short of the dance floor. “I'd love to dance with you, Derrick, but before I do, I think I need to take a spin with a different partner. Do you mind?”

“A different partner?” For a moment Derrick looked offended—until I pointed to Tyler, who stood against the wall, looking lost and a little overwhelmed. “Ah. Great move, Southpaw. Show the guy how to trip the light fantastic.”

“I'll show him how to trip, all right. Over my feet, is more like it.” The belly laugh that followed must've startled
the prim and proper woman to my right. She turned to give me a stare, straight down her nose. Oops. Almost forgot where I was. People probably didn't belly laugh at the River Oaks Country Club.

“Promise you'll save the next dance for me?” Derrick asked.

I nodded and then stood on tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek. “I promise.” Then, with a song in my heart, I headed over to Tyler, extended my hand, and offered him the first dance.

My sister's reception turned out to be the party of the
century. I'd never seen so many people have such fun. Turned out the country club set knew how to celebrate, especially when it came to the dance floor, where they boot-scoot'n boogied the night away. Go figure.

The sixty-five-dollar-per-head dinner was scrum-diddly-umptious. Even Grandma Nellie agreed. My dad loved the Chicken Cordon Bleu so much that he almost forgot about the price tag attached. Almost.

And me? I almost forgot there was no nacho cheese dip to be found anywhere.

After Crystal and Phillip cut the cake, the time arrived for the maid of honor and best man to give their speeches. Derrick went first. My heart went out to him as he held the microphone in hand. I'd seen him perform on the ball field, but how would he do with a speech? Turned out, pretty
good. He told stories about Phillip that made us laugh . . . and sigh. I had to give it to him.

His job as best man now complete, he passed the microphone to Sienna. Poor girl. Her social skills obviously didn't extend to public speaking. She stumble-bumbled her way through the speech, pretty much making a goober of herself. In fact, she got so flustered at one point that I thought she might run from the room crying.

Derrick gave me that same knowing look he'd given me before. As Sienna ended her speech, he took the microphone and handed it to me. I put my hand over it and mouthed the words, “What are you doing?”

“You know.” He nodded. “Go for it. Give your sister a maid of honor speech she'll never forget.”

And so I did. I shared a funny story about the time we'd shared an upper bunk at camp, and she'd knocked me out of it in the middle of the night. I also told the story about the night she'd decided to go on the mission trip to Haiti, how she'd cried as she talked about the children she wanted to help.

When I finished, the whole crowd cheered. Crystal threw her arms around my neck and squeezed me so tight she almost crushed my windpipe. Next in line to give me a power hug was Phillip. After that, strangely, Sienna. She gave me a quick hug and mumbled, “Thank you for saving my neck.” I hadn't really saved her, of course, but hugged her in response. Maybe, with time, this goofy girl would win me over. And she did, when she added, “You know I love her. Do you think she'll forgive me for falling down on the job?”

“Of course. My sister loves you too, you know.”

In a surprise move, Sienna threw her arms around my neck and gave me a warm hug. Though stunned, I couldn't help but hug her back. Afterward, she gave me a cute little wave and then headed across the room to visit with some of the other bridesmaids. Go figure.

I headed to the cake table for a second slice of the dark chocolate groom's cake. I found my father standing nearby with a large slice from the almond-flavored wedding tier. He took a big bite and sighed, then spoke with a full mouth. “Good stuff. Almost worth the fifteen-hundred-dollar price tag.”

“It is pretty good. Wonder what that breaks down to per slice?”

“I'd rather not think about it, thank you very much.” He took another huge bite.

I laughed and then continued to eat my cake. Mmm.

Just about that time, the deejay announced it was time for the bouquet toss. I hadn't planned to join the festivities, but my father insisted. “Go ahead, Mari. I'll slip over there and tell your sister to aim it your direction. I paid a hundred and twenty-five dollars for that throw-away bouquet. I'd like to keep it in the family.”