Roxie and Hank’s wedding couldn’t have been more different than Eddie and Jet’s.
As Jet wanted, she got her hog roast outside a barn, hayride, s’more reception. It had been a blast. Everyone kicking up their heels on the wooden slats in the barn to rock ‘n’ roll and country, getting drunk on beer and cocktails, eating roasted hog, toasting marshmallows outside around a massive bonfire with big logs covered in fluffy wool blankets set all around and letting their hair down.
The only thing that slightly marred the festivities was when Ally started a hay fight during the hayride, it got a little rowdy (Tex was on that ride) and we got threatened with hayride-ejection from the irate hayride driver.
But other than that, it was the best.
Jet had looked gorgeous. Incongruous with the surroundings she chose, she’d gone the full on, wide skirted, tons of tule, lace and beading, huge wedding dress route, truly looking like a fairy princess.
I wasn’t the only one who thought so.
Standing at the front of the church, when Jet was about to hit the aisle, my eyes had moved to Eddie. The minute he saw her, his whole body changed. It went still then his eyes (no kidding) went liquid and (still no kidding) he broke tradition and walked right down the aisle. Right in front of everyone. Like he couldn’t wait for her to walk to him (which, obviously, he couldn’t). Ray, her father, who was escorting her down the aisle, burst out laughing but Eddie ignored him. She ended up with Eddie on one side, Ray on the other, both her father and her fiancé walking her down the aisle.
Blanca, who I thought would blow the roof off at this display, instead burst into loud, happy tears.
It had been the most romantic thing I’d ever seen in my life.
Until that day.
I looked at Roxie.
She was wearing an ivory satin gown, snug-fitting at chest, midriff, waist and hips, its full skirt was cut on the bias, there was a deep V at her cleavage, material coming up and gathering in points into tiny, spaghetti straps at her shoulders which went up and over and draped down her back, I swear, holding up the material of the dress at her bottom by a miracle. Her back, if seen from afar, looked totally exposed. The dress managed to be both refined and uber-sexy. It was, put simply, breathtaking. The most unusual and fantastic wedding gown I’d ever seen in my life. Her hair was in an elaborate up-do of twists and there were diamonds that were her “something borrowed” (from me) at her neck and ears.
It was a night wedding, starting at five thirty, the ceremony held at Cheesman Park Pavilions amidst huge bouquets of bulging cream pom pom chrysanthemums and thousands upon thousands of twinkling, white Christmas lights.
It was freezing so we all had velvet capes but Roxie walked through the standing crowd toward Hank wearing only her dress, her shoes, my diamonds, carrying her mums, Herb on her arm.
Then she started walking faster, Herb (shorter than his daughter) struggling to keep up.
Then faster.
Then she was (no other way to put it) jogging on her high heels toward Hank, dragging her father with her.
Hank was standing at the front, shaking his head and laughing and by the time she got to him, she was laughing too, out loud.
She kissed him the minute she got close enough to touch him.
“Jesus. You think I could give you away before you kiss him? Shit,” Herb had muttered (loudly). Then he turned to Trish. “Trish, this proves it. She’s your daughter.”
The Rock Chicks all stood to the side giggling our behinds off.
Roxie wasn’t embarrassed at all. She just leaned in, kissed her father’s cheek, turned and linked arms with Hank.
I watched as she rested all her weight into his side like they were standing waiting in line to get into a movie with no one looking, not standing in front of a crowd of family and friends, waiting to get married.
“The Hot Bunch knows but they aren’t talking,” Stella filled in Roxie, taking me out of my trip down Recent Memory Lane.
Roxie turned to Hank. “Do you know?”
“No idea,” Hank returned.
“You’re not lying to me on our wedding day?” Roxie asked but it was more of a warning.
“Sorry, Sunshine, Ally doesn’t keep in touch with me about her love life. She’s my sister. I don’t wanna know. Never did. Never will,” Hank replied.
Roxie’s eyes went round. “Love life? Ren and Ally? Whisky, you do know something!”
Hank’s eyes slid to Lee then he said, “Shit.”
Vance burst out laughing.
Jules hit him in the shoulder.
That’s when I burst out laughing.
Hector put pressure at my hip and curled me into his front.
I tilted my head back to look at him, still laughing.
He watched me, his handsome grin in place, until I was done.
Then he bent forward and his mouth touched mine.
“Do you know?” I asked softly, my arms sliding around his waist.