Marriage Matters

Eighty-two

Walking through the entryway of the country club, Chloe stopped. “Wow,” she breathed, grabbing Ben’s arm. “This is beautiful.”

An attendant swiftly took her coat, while another thrust a glass of champagne into her hand.

“June sure knows how to throw a party,” Kevin said, clinking his glass against Kristine’s.

Kristine smiled, adjusting the sleeves of her green satin dress. “You can say that again.”

The entryway was perfectly decorated. The walls were draped with white flowing fabric while votive candles covered practically every surface. They were lined up in little vases along the floor, hanging from the ceiling in glass bubbles and glowing from holders on the side tables. The muted, flickering light gave the room a romantic, elegant feel.

Well-dressed guests were lined up to sign the guest book, and Chloe heard more than one person commenting on the floral arrangements. They were creations of decorative branches and roses woven through with strings of bright red cranberries and white pearls.

After a photographer shot a picture of the four of them, Ben holding Chloe tight, they walked toward the main room. Just before the entrance, they stopped to admire a five-tiered wedding cake with frosting as white as snow. It was accented with dark chocolate and topped with a crowning bouquet of lush red roses.

Kristine exchanged a confused look with Chloe. “Is that the cake we picked out?”

“Not even close,” Chloe said. “Grandma must have had a backup plan.”

Kevin grinned. “Or maybe she was just planning to surprise you.” He nudged Kristine. “Like that time with the flowers?”

Kristine groaned. “Don’t remind me.”

“Come on,” Chloe said, reaching for Ben’s hand. “Grandma wouldn’t do something like that.”

Kristine gave Chloe an incredulous look. “Really?” They all burst out laughing, even Ben.

“Good,” Kevin said, giving him a hearty pat on the back. “It sounds like you know exactly what you’re getting into. Welcome to the family.”

As they walked into the main room, Chloe squeezed Ben’s hand. “It’s so pretty!”

The ceiling was draped with white billowing fabric that gathered in the center and practically dripped with sparkling crystal chandeliers. Tables draped in deep reds were set with bone white china and elegant crystal goblets. In the center of each table, dramatic rose arrangements were topped with white tapered candles.

The room bustled with guests from all three generations and suddenly, Chloe felt self-conscious. Since Kristine and Kevin were so obviously together, there had been only minor confusion about the fact that they hadn’t been up at the altar with June. But as for Chloe . . . Well, everyone knew she was supposed to get married that day. To someone very different than the man escorting her into the room.

For a split second, she considered dropping Ben’s hand. Then, she came to her senses. It was hard to believe she’d come so close to spending the rest of her life married to someone other than her best friend. With that in mind, it really didn’t matter what people thought. This was her life, her chance at happiness. She was not about to settle for anything less.

Reaching up, she gave Ben a kiss.

“What was that for?” he asked, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

Chloe grinned. “For that time I punched you in the face.”

Taking her hand, Ben led her to the bridal table. June and Charley sat in the center, like a king and queen. June’s cheeks glowed and Charley watched her with adoration.

“She looks so happy,” Ben said. “And so do your parents.”

Chloe looked down the table. They were talking and laughing with Charley’s son and his wife. In the middle of a sentence, Kevin stopped talking to gaze at Kristine in adoration.

Even though Chloe still didn’t know what had caused the rift in their marriage, it was obvious that something between them had changed. Gone was the tight-lipped, serious woman Kristine had been for the past few years. In her place was someone who looked younger and . . . Chloe studied her for a moment, trying to put her finger on it. Happy. Her mother finally looked happy.

After the guests had settled in at their tables, Chloe’s father pushed back his chair and stood up. Clinking a fork against his crystal flute, he waited until the chaotic buzz of the room settled and the guests gave him their full attention. Then, in his booming voice, he said, “I would like to make the first toast of the evening.” He gave June an impish smile. “This one’s for you, Cupcake.”

June’s eyes widened. “Oh, no, no, no.”

Kristine nodded. “Oh, yes, yes, yes.”

Laughing, June buried her head in her hands.

Facing the room, Kevin said, “Over twenty-five years ago, I married my beautiful wife. Last night, we renewed our wedding vows. Thank you for helping us celebrate this happy occasion, along with the marriage of Charley and June.” The guests burst into applause. “Twenty-five years ago . . .” He pointed at June. “This wonderful woman, my mother-in-law, made a speech at my wedding reception.”

Chloe sat up straight, grabbing Ben’s hand. The infamous speech!

“I was young and earnest,” Kevin said. “And scared to death of her.” Some people chuckled and nodded. “And the first words my mother-in-law said, in her brilliant, memorable, heart-warming speech were: Kristine, if it doesn’t work out, you’ll always have your family.”

“You didn’t under—” June tried to say, but Charley silenced her with a kiss.

“At the time,” Kevin said, “I was devastated. I thought, What am I doing? This marriage is not going to work out. My bride’s very own mother doesn’t think this marriage is going to work out. Not one person in this room thinks this marriage is going to work out. But as the years went on, I finally understood what her words meant.”

Kevin looked at Kristine, who smiled.

“Marriage doesn’t work out,” he said, “a lot of the time. It takes hard work and determination and just when you get to that point where you think you can’t do it anymore . . . you have your family to put you back on track.”

June nodded, her eyes shining with tears. “Yes,” she whispered. “That’s exactly what I meant.”

“So . . .” Kevin raised his glass. “June and Charley, I am here to say to you today, that if it doesn’t work out, you’ll always have your family. Because we love you. And we’ll be there for you, no matter what.”

The room was silent as snow. Then, it erupted into applause. Glasses clinked madly as June and Charley kissed, followed by Kevin and Kristine.

And of course, Chloe and Ben.

* * *

After the meal had been served and the cake had been cut, a DJ replaced the harp player and the cellist. Everyone crowded onto the dance floor. Ben performed not only the Chicken Dance and Macarena for Chloe, Sally and Dana, but the YMCA as well.

At the height of the reception excitement, June seized the microphone and took court in the middle of the dance floor. The music screeched to a halt as she cried, “Attention, attention.” The DJ shined a spotlight on her and she blinked, smiling like a hostess on a cruise ship. “I think we all know what time it is.” She thrust her hand up in the air. “The bouquet toss!”

Kevin and Kristine rushed to the edge of the dance floor, their cameras poised. Charley settled in next to them, smiling.

Sally sidled up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind Chloe’s ear, while Dana whipped out a compact and quickly powdered Chloe’s face.

“Hey,” Chloe said, laughing. “What are you guys . . .”

Sally reached forward, pinching her cheeks. “There. You look great.”

Ben nodded. “You do.”

Chloe groaned. “Oh, crap. She’s going to make me get out there, isn’t she?”

Ben grinned. “Something like that.”

Great. This whole thing was going to be nothing but awkward. Chloe smoothed her dress, which was slightly damp from their crazy dancing.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” June cried. “It’s time for the bouquet toss of all bouquet tosses! But just wait one minute.” She pointed a finger at Bernice. The cute little old lady in her bright red shoes was already inching her way out to the dance floor. “This is not for all the single ladies. It’s going to be for just one.” June pointed and the DJ swung the light toward Chloe. “My granddaughter.”

Chloe felt her face turn as red as Bernice’s shoes. “Oh, geez.”

Sally squeezed her arm in excitement.

“Today,” June said, her voice appropriately somber, “Chloe almost married a young man we all love very much.”

Chloe looked over at Ben, to see how he was handling this. To her dismay, he looked pale and uncomfortable. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

Avoiding her eyes, he shrugged. A small trickle of sweat, either from the attention or dancing, trickled down the side of his face. He wiped at it with his left hand.

“However,” June said, her voice bright, “after some soul searching, they both realized that they were in love with other people!”

A collective murmur swept across the crowd. Chloe noticed that June’s friends were nodding. It was almost as though they, too, knew the match hadn’t been quite right.

“So, with that in mind . . . Chloe,” June called, shielding her eyes against the glare of the lights. “Will you come out here, please?”

Chloe covered her face in embarrassment. “Is it too late to run?”

Ben’s face was bright red. “Kind of. Yeah.”

June beckoned at her madly.

“Go, Chloe.” Sally and Dana practically pushed her out of the crowd. “Get that bouquet!”

Straightening her spine, Chloe walked out onto the dance floor.

“My granddaughter,” June cried, and the crowd went wild. Reaching for Chloe, June pulled her into a rose-scented hug. “Thank you,” she murmured, “for humoring a sentimental old woman like me.”

Turning, June took a few steps, her rose-covered dress swaying behind her. Suddenly, she stopped. Raising up the bouquet, she gave Chloe a mischievous smile. “Catch.”

Before Chloe could even register what was happening, the bouquet was flying through the air toward her face. She put up her hands, more as an instinctive block than anything. A hard stem hit her palm and she felt her fingers wrap around it. Looking down, she stared at the pretty pink and white roses.

And blinked.

In the center of the bouquet, there was a pale pink rose that was dark around the edges. It was actually a dried rose, with a white ribbon dangling from the stem. And attached to that white ribbon was the most perfect, beautiful diamond ring she’d ever seen.

Chloe stared, willing herself to breathe. Was this happening? Was this seriously happening? Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sally leaping up and down on the sidelines like a battery-operated cake topper.

As if in a dream, Ben walked through the crowd and got down on one knee. Slowly, he took the bouquet from her hands and unwound the ring from the ribbon.

“Chloe,” he said, looking up at her with those bright blue eyes. “I love you more than anything in this world. I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy. But from this point forward, I don’t want to be your friend. I want to be your forever.”

Putting her hands to her mouth, Chloe realized she was laughing and crying. Reaching out, she pulled Ben to his feet. He cupped her face in his hand and kissed her gently. She kissed him back and the room seemed to spin around them in bright colors. Everything went quiet, as though they were the only two people in the world.

Until, of course, she opened her eyes. She was quick to see that she and Ben were not alone. They were surrounded by her entire family.

“Congratulations,” June cried, yanking Chloe into her arms and kissing both cheeks.

“I’m so happy for you, son,” Charley said, shaking Ben’s hand.

Kristine beamed, squeezing Chloe tight. “I always knew you two would end up together.”

Kevin clapped Ben on the back. “Welcome to the family, kid.”

The group clustered around them, their faces beaming with excitement. Chloe shook her head, hiding a smile. “I tell you what, Ben.” She indicated her family. “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.”

Taking her hand, Ben slid the ring on her finger and smiled. “Yes,” he said. “I do.”

* * *