“Oh my God,” Natalie says, her eyes glittering as she takes in the elegant, intimate scene before her.
I try to see it through her eyes, as if I’m seeing the room for the first time with its high ceilings and elaborate crown moldings. The centerpiece is a huge crystal chandelier that bathes the room in soft, romantic light. Mom has put a tasteful emphasis on Valentine’s Day through red accents but thankfully hasn’t gone overboard with the hearts. Round tables are laden with china, crystal, candles and red roses.
“It’s absolutely beautiful, Stella,” Natalie says, her eyes shimmering with tears.
“I’m so glad you’re happy with it, honey. We’re thrilled to officially welcome you into our family.” As Mom hugs Nat, I contend with a huge lump in my throat. It’s at moments like this when all the crazy shit that surrounds me fades away, and I’m reminded of what’s truly important in this life. “Come,” Mom says, taking Natalie by the hand. “You two can relax in Flynn’s old room until the guests begin to arrive. We don’t want them to see the gorgeous bride and groom before we’re ready.”
She deposits us in my old room, which is exactly as I left it, right down to the vintage poster of Farrah Fawcett on the wall, the Dodgers pennant, the surfing posters, the trophies from my short-lived career as a lacrosse star and posters of the metal bands I’d worshiped in high school.
While I flop down on the bed and wish for more time alone with my wife in my old room, Natalie looks at everything. “Metallica? Seriously?”
“It was a phase.”
“Tell me you didn’t have a mullet.”
“Okay, I didn’t have a mullet.”
“Did you?”
“I dare you to find a picture of me in this room where I have a mullet.”
“I’ll ask your sisters. They won’t lie to me.”
“Come over here, Mrs. Godfrey, and make all my teenage boy fantasies come true.”
“No way am I coming near you when I’m all ready. You like to mess me up too much.”
“You’re wearing the panties, right?”
“Yes, Flynn,” she says with a long-suffering sigh that makes me smile. “If you turn them on when I’m talking to friends of your parents, I’ll kill you. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
A knock on the door makes my heart beat faster with excitement because I know who it is, and I can’t wait to see her reaction. I pretend to check my phone. “Can you get that, hon?”
“Sure.”
Natalie heads for the door, and I keep my phone out to take pictures. I want to capture every second of this to show her later. She opens the door to Candace and Olivia, who are wearing matching red silk dresses.
“We heard you needed bridesmaids today,” Candace says.
Natalie lets out a shriek that reminds me a little too much of other times she’s made that particular noise, but I quash those thoughts to fully wallow in her joy at seeing her sisters. It’s the first time she’s seen Olivia in person in more than eight years, and the three of them cling to each other, all of them talking at once.
I told Addie to tell Nat’s makeup artist to use only waterproof mascara. I’m glad now we thought of that.
The girls are still carrying on when Leah and Aileen appear in the doorway.
“Is this a private party, or can anyone join the fun?” Leah asks.
Natalie lets out another scream and launches herself at her friends, who wrap her up in hugs. “Oh my God! I’m surrounded by liars!”
“It was so hard,” Aileen says. “We all felt terrible telling you we couldn’t come.”
I’m pleased to see her looking a thousand times better than she did the last time we saw her. My father’s doctor friend set her up with the top breast cancer doctor in New York, and he has made some changes to her treatment that have her feeling much better. She and Leah are also dressed in the red gowns the four of them chose to wear as Natalie’s attendants.
Natalie turns to me, shaking her head. “And you… You did this.”
I go to her, put my arm around her and kiss her forehead. “You couldn’t get married—again—without your people here.”
“Thank you so much.” She looks up at me with those eyes that have held me in their thrall from the first time I ever saw them. “Thank you.”
“Anything for you, my love.” I release her to hug my sisters-in-law, who are pretending not to stare at me. “I’m Flynn. So nice to finally meet you both.”
“Doncha love how he says that?” Leah asks with a giddy grin. “‘I’m Flynn.’ Like the whole freaking world doesn’t already know that.”
“He’s got manners, Leah,” my wife says dryly. “You might want to get some.”
“Manners are so overrated.”
Laughing, I hug her and then Aileen. “Did you have a good trip?”
“The private plane totally sucked,” Leah says. “We all hated it.”
“I worried that you might.” She cracks me up. To Aileen, I say, “Where are the kids?”
“Oh my God,” Nat says. “Logan and Maddie are here, too?”
“Yep.” Aileen glances over her shoulder. “They’re downstairs with your nephews, raising hell out by the pool. I just hope they don’t fall in.”