“If you touch anything else and keep messing with stuff,” Riley tells me, fixing her earring. “You’re going to end up breaking something before you can even make it to the altar.”
Yeah, I think that’s more like the sisters I recognize, laughing to myself.
“I just want this day to go perfectly,” I tell them both. I know I’m frowning, spinning around the venue to check over the decorations for any imperfections. “This is the least I can do for her after all the things she’s done for me. I love her, and I want her to be happy. I need it to be perfect.”
I’ve been up since dawn to ensure everything is just how Kathleen imagined it to be.
I am absolutely determined to make our wedding day perfect for the woman I love, no matter how many times she lets me know that it’s actually a day for us both.
I’m not even thinking of myself at all as I fluff the flowers hanging from the chairs and smooth down the seat covers to perfection.
The only thought that is a steady thrumming beat in my mind is her infinite happiness and how I can achieve that for her in this lifetime. This is the woman I want at my side forever, and I’m finally getting what I’ve wanted since I met her again a year ago.
Now, she’s a part of me, ingrained in me like a tattoo.
Riley drops her careless look, and she smiles from beside me, nudging against my hip gently with her elbow.
“You two are perfect for each other, Ed, and one day isn’t going to change that fact. It’s okay either way. We’ve checked everything several times, and there’s absolutely nothing that could go wrong.”
“How can you be so sure?” I wonder and feel like a child, looking to someone for comfort. I’m a grown man, but my sister’s placating words still make me feel that much more at peace than before.
“Well, what if something goes wrong today? The last thing I want is something to mess up this day, especially for Kathleen. Damn, if she doesn’t deserve the world.”
“She’s marrying you, big brother,” Robin asks me. “What could possibly go wrong?”
I can’t help but laugh. “You two are oddly nice today. I think you feel bad for me.”
Riley shakes her head. “We’re all guilty of getting nervous and scared at times, but that’s natural. It’s what makes us human. If you weren’t nervous about getting married and spending the rest of your life with someone, we’d all think something was seriously wrong with you.”
“There probably still is,” Robin says, shrugging. She’s smiling, though.
That does pull a small laugh out of me, one that’s still filled with wrangled nerves, but it’s as good as it’s gonna get, I guess. My hands are clammy, and my heart is pounding harder and harder with each passing second that goes by as I wait for Kathleen’s inevitable arrival.
“Have you seen her dress yet?” Stevie says as he steps inside the room. “She’s getting ready now, I think.”
He’s wearing a tux that looks more neatly put together than mine. Of course, an eleven-year-old is better dressed than I am on my wedding day.
“It’s bad luck,” I tell him, reaching over to ruffle his hair. “She was very clear and secretive about every last detail of the dress. I’m not even sure whether it’s white or not,” I say with a grin. “I think I know what she likes, and I can paint a pretty good picture of it in my head.”
“I think it’s pretty cool,” Stevie says, turning to leave again as someone calls for him. “My mom is waiting for me. See you guys later!”
“See you in there, Stevie,” I nod, giving him a nervous little wave as I turn back to my sisters. Technically, he’s my brother now too.
“I’m sure whatever she’s wearing, she’s going to look absolutely stunning,” Riley says as she smiles beside me.
“You haven’t seen it?” Robin asks, looking smug. “It’s really gorgeous.”
“Why did Kathleen let you see and not me?” Riley complains, making a face. “You don’t have any sense of fashion. I mean, look at your shoes, Rob. What even are those?”
Robin shrugs, glancing down. “Clogs are always in fashion. They’re timeless.”
The group is disturbed by a head peering around the door at the end of the beautifully decorated venue. Straight away, I can recognize Kathleen’s best friend smiling and waving at me from where she sits in the pews.
Chrissy had opted out of being a bridesmaid only because, in the end, we both chose to share Riley and Robin as our bridesmaids/groomsmen. Allison sits, heavily pregnant, in the pews with her new boyfriend. She glances back at us, waving a little too. Soon enough, I’m at the front of the church, waiting with my sisters in their plum-colored dresses.
I look to either side of me where they stand. Robin is gripping tightly onto my suit jacket sleeves to stop me from getting too nervous. Riley’s warm fingers quickly latch onto mine before I can get too fidgety where everyone can see.
“Don’t panic, dummy,” she whispers in some strange version of a pep talk, squeezing my hands tightly in her own. “She’s here for you, and she’s yours now.”