Episode 75 - Wedding Preparations

Chloe stood in her dining room with a checklist in one hand and wedding supplies spread out across the table. She ran down her list, making sure that everything was in order and accounted for.

"Anything I can do to help?" James asked as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

She spared him a quick kiss before turning back to her work. "Yes, plenty. You can help me carry these bags out to the car once I check them. The restaurant manager is going to meet us there in an hour to let us in, so we can get everything set up. Do you have the music prepared?"

"It's all ready."

"Good. I can check that off my list."

James knew Chloe could be a perfectionist when it came to her work and that a little reassurance could help her keep her worries in perspective. "You've got this."

"I know. It should be easy since it's such a small wedding, with just Reese and Simon's immediate family attending, but I want it to be special. I just wish we would have had access to the venue earlier to have more time to set up and decorate."

When Reese had accepted her offer to be her wedding planner, Chloe knew that Reese and Simon's wedding had to be uniquely suited to who they were as a couple. Chloe found herself inspired by the couple's engagement story of how Simon had proposed over a moonlight dinner at a rooftop restaurant that looked over the bay. Wanting to capture that romantic setting, Chloe made some phone calls and was thrilled to discover a restaurant that had the setting she wanted was closed for New Year's Day, but willing to rent out the space for the wedding. The only downside was they had been open late the night before for New Year's Eve, leaving her little time to transform the venue into the magical backdrop she envisioned for Reese and Simon's nuptials.

"I can come help," Blaine offered as he walked past.

Chloe turned her attention away from her clipboard. "Thanks, Blaine. I appreciate it, but I don't think that's the best idea. Springing an ex on a bride on her wedding day, even when they're on good terms is not a good idea. Reese is nervous enough as it is."

"She's nervous?" Blaine asked. "I thought she and Simon were a solid couple. Is she having second thoughts about getting married?"

"No, it's nothing like that," Chloe answered adamantly. She hoped she hadn't made a mistake and said too much. "It's just normal wedding day jitters about the ceremony. We don't need your help at the venue, but you can help James load all of this into the car while I call to let the bakery and the venue know we are on our way."

Chloe traded her clipboard for her phone and started dialing. As she walked away she called back to the guys, "There is a box of lights in the living room that needs to go too."

"I'll grab those," James offered, leaving Blaine alone in the dining room.

As Blaine started gathering the packed bags on the dining room table, he noticed Chloe's clipboard on the table. Her checklist outlined all the details about the decorations, music, refreshments, and the name of the restaurant where the wedding was going to be held. It sounded like it was going to be a beautiful ceremony. He was sorry he wasn't a part of it.

* * * * *

A few hours later, while James and Chloe were finishing setting up for the ceremony and reception at the rooftop dining area, Reese and Natalie arrived at the venue. One of the dressing rooms in the boutique below the restaurant had been reserved as a bridal room for the bride and her maid-of-honor daughter to prepare before the ceremony.

"This is it," Natalie declared as they settled into the prettily decorated room. "Do you still want me to do your makeup, Mom?"

"Yes. Just don't overdo it," Reese made Natalie promise.

"I won't. I'll keep it subtle. Trust me," Natalie assured her mother as she stripped off her coat and went behind the dressing screen to change into her maid-of-honor dress.

As Natalie started on her mother's makeup, there was a knock on the door.

"I hope we're not intruding," Marna said as she peeked into the room with Claire behind her. "How is it going? Is there anything we can do to help?"

"I think we have it under control," Natalie answered as she looked at her mother, who nodded her confirmation.

"I also wanted to drop in and give you a little wedding gift before the ceremony," Marna said as she handed Reese a present.

"That is so thoughtful," Reese said, genuinely caught by surprise. "Thank you."

Inside the package, Reese discovered a wooden index card box, a tin of assorted homemade baked goods, and an embroidered handkerchief.

As Reese pulled out each item and examined them, Marna explained their significance. "The box is a collection of my favorite family recipes, some of them have been passed down for many generations. In my family, each generation adds their favorite recipes to those that are passed on to the new bride. And sometimes we leave out the ones we don't like," she added in a conspiratorial whisper.

"I told her she should give that Simon instead, so he can do the cooking," Claire chimed in.

"It's for all three of you," Marna insisted. "Shared traditions and shared food link us together as a family. There is no obligation to ever use any of these recipes, but I want you all to feel included in our family traditions."

"I do," Reese assured her with complete sincerity.

"The tin of cookies, teas, and treats is a little sample from the recipe box. I know you have your own menu prepared for today, but you can save these for tomorrow when you want a chance to relax after the busyness of your wedding day.

"And the last of my family traditions is the handkerchief," Marna explained as Reese unfolded the small square of white cloth and followed the embroidered floral pattern around its edges. "It is something of a good luck charm to carry with you on your wedding day. All of the women in my family who have carried it at their wedding have had long and happy marriages and I hope you and Simon will too. Maybe you could pass it on to Natalie one day."

"Are you sure you want me to have this?" Reese asked incredulously. She was absolutely overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity Simon's family had shown her, someone they had just met. She wasn't sure she deserved all of this attention. "What about Claire?"

"Don't worry about me. Claire shook her head. "Marriage is not on my agenda."

"Well, if you ever change your mind, I have something special for you too. And I have another family heirloom in mind for Oswald's future wife, if he ever finds it in his nature to settle down. I just felt that this handkerchief was meant for Reese."

"Thank you," Reese managed to utter. "This is so much. I just don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," Marna assured her. "It took our Simon forty years to find the right woman to share his life with. After finally meeting you in person I know that it was worth the wait. He chose well."

"Okay, enough of that," Natalie spoke up as everyone in the room was starting to get emotional. "You're going to make my mother cry and ruin her makeup before it's even finished."

Marna laughed and promised to turn the topic of conversation to a lighter tone as Claire jumped in to assist Natalie with the finishing touches on Reese's hair and makeup.

Once the younger women were satisfied with their work, they sent Reese behind the screen to change into her wedding dress. When she stepped out again the others responded with gasps and aws at the final result.

When Natalie urged her to turn around and look at herself fully in the mirror, Reese was struck speechless by how beautiful she looked. She never imagined herself looking and feeling like a bride. The wedding suddenly felt like it was really happening.

"It's almost time for the ceremony to start. We should go up to the restaurant and join the guys," Marna announced. She stood behind Reese who was still staring at herself in the mirror and hugged her around the shoulders. "You look wonderful and you're going to do great. We'll see you upstairs."

"Are you ready to do this?" Natalie asked her mother once they were alone.

"Yes, I really am."

"Good. I'm really happy for you, Mom. You deserve this."

On their way to the restaurant Reese and Natalie were startled to run into Blaine standing by the stairs.

"Blaine? What are you doing here?" Reese asked in a panic.

"I was hoping we could talk for a minute."

"This isn't a good time. I'm about to get married."

"I know, that's why we need to talk now."

Natalie looked nervously between her parents, her father pleading and desperate and her mother bewildered and nervous. She felt awkwardly out of place.

"Please. It will only be a minute. It's important and can't wait."

"Fine," Reese gave in. "But only a minute." She passed her bouquet to Natalie and asked her to wait for her upstairs.

They watched as Natalie reluctantly made her way upstairs before they continued talking.

"You look . . . wow. Really beautiful," Blaine said. She looked even more gorgeous than she did in his false wedding memories and he knew that was because this was really her standing in front of him.

"Thanks, but what did you want to talk about?" Reese said, anxious for him to get to the point.

"Don't get married today," he blurted out.

"What?" she barely managed to squeak out. Her throat had suddenly gone dry.

"Don't get married today," he repeated. "This is all happening too fast."

"That isn't for you to decide," she said gently. "This doesn't have anything to do with you."

"I'm just starting to figure out who I am and my place in the world. There is a lot I still don't know, but I do know that we have a connection." He leaned forward and grabbed her hands. "I can't stand by and let you get married without giving us the chance to explore that connection and find out what might be between us."

Reese pulled her hands away and took a step back. "I'm sorry you don't remember, but we've already settled this. You moved on. I moved on. There's nothing else to say."

"But that was before. I feel like my accident happened for a reason. I feel like I'm starting over with a blank slate and now I have a second chance at life."

"You might feel that way, but it hasn't changed anything for the rest of us. You still have a wife and children. I still have a fiance. Our lives didn't stop."

"But it's not too late to change your mind. I'm not asking you to not marry Simon if that's what you want, but just wait. Give us a chance."

"I'm sorry," Reese shook her head. "I am getting married today, right now."

She took a breath as she tried not to panic and instead tried to be sympathetic. "I'm sorry you're having a hard time figuring out what you want your life to be, but I know what I want, and what I want is to spend my life with Simon. I'm sorry. You should go."

She pushed past him, keeping her eyes averted to avoid seeing his disappointed expression, and hurried up the stairs.

* * * * *

After leaving her parents, a worried Natalie wandered through the restaurant, lost in her thoughts. She didn't know why her father needed to speak to her mother so urgently that he would show up uninvited to interrupt her wedding, but she knew it couldn't be anything good.

Natalie gazed out through the glass doors that led to the rooftop patio. The railings had been decorated with twinkle lights and flowers all around the patio. Simon and his family were already outside, chatting together as they waited for the ceremony to start. She sighed. Everything looked so beautiful, she hoped whatever her father had to say wasn't going to stop the wedding.

She was happy to have her father and Simon in her life and even though she had just met them, she was starting to like Simon's family so much already. For most of her life, it had just been her and her mom, and she had been content when it was just the two of them, but having a whole new family with her dad, Simon, and all of their relatives had been nice. She hoped she wasn't going to lose them already.

When she heard footsteps coming up the stairs behind her, Natalie turned and saw her mother approaching. Reese seemed a bit shaken, but the fact that she was here and alone was a promising sign.

Before either of them could speak, the glass patio doors swung open and Simon stepped into the room.

"There you are," he said, smiling at Reese. He extended his arm towards her. "Are you ready to do this?"

Reese took her bouquet from Natalie and reached out to Simon with her other arm. She smiled at her husband-to-be. "I am."