April showers gave way to May flowers. The invitations were out and the fittings were almost done. Brie was nonstop on the phone making sure that every detail was in place the entire month of May. At the last of the fittings the week before the wedding, Brie was in the fitting room with Jona as she stood on the platform that made sure that every detail of the dress was in order. Brie couldn’t help but smile. “Jona, you look lovely”, she said.
Jona smile brightly. “Thanks, Mrs. Draiman.” She took a deep breath. “Goodness, I’m so nervous.” She said as her hands fluttered near her stomach.
“What are you so nervous about, dear?”
“I don’t know. It’s just that it’s becoming more real. I’m going to be Mrs. Jona Draiman in a week.”
Brie smiled softly. “Sweetie, can I share a secret with you?”
“Sure.”
“I felt the same way when I married David.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Not a lot of people know this, but the first 8 years of our marriage, we really weren’t married. Sure, we had a marriage certificate that had both of our names on it, but we didn’t really get married until we’d been together for 9 years. I’d spent that entire time calling him my husband but we never made it official. We really couldn’t because of the war. We tell everyone that we eloped to Vegas, but it’s a lie. Anyway, every time we’d fly out to Chicago for the fittings, it became more real. I hid my nerves because I didn’t want to make David or the children nervous as well, but as I waited in the bride’s dressing room I was so nervous I actually started crying before I started walking down the aisle. My brother wiped the tears from my cheek and told me to wait until I was at the altar to actually start crying.”
“Wow. Was your brother’s name Matthew?”
“Yes, why?”
“Jeremiah told me something about him a while back. I’ve always liked the name Matthew.”
“Do you know something I don’t, Jona?”
“A while back, ‘Miah had a dream about our first child together. At first, I was really excited, but now I’m really, really scared. Kids make me nervous.”
Brie smiled softly. “Jona, marrying into our family means that you get the support that we offer. We’ll be there for you while you adjust to motherhood and being a parent. Jeremiah is great with kids and has been since he was young. He just has a way with children. I’m sure that he’ll have no problem picking up where you can’t honey. Anyway, you two will barely see that baby because while David and I are still in the country, we’re going to kidnap him every chance we get.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Draiman. I really appreciate that.”
“It’s not a problem, Jona. You’re family. You make ‘Miah so happy and that’s all that’s asked of you. Everything else is negligible. We’ll help out in any way we can.”
“I heard that you made Mandy go to counseling because she was having trouble adjusting to motherhood.”
“No, I made Mandy go to counseling because she was suffering from severe Post- Partum Depression that stemmed from going her entire life and not being diagnosed as a bipolar.”
“But she got the help she needed?”
“Yes. She got the help she needed and she didn’t go through the same thing with Elijah because she was properly medicated and had tools to keep herself from sinking into that deep dark hole.”
“Oh. See, I was told wrong then.”
“People have different interpretations of what happened. But Mandy, David, Malachai and I all know what happened.”
“You won’t do that to me, will you?”
“No sweetheart. You told me what the problem was. Now that I know what’s going on, if you end up pregnant, I’ll know what to do. And, I’m going to take it that you’re not going to want to go to the hospital to have this baby should this happen?”
“No, I’m not really going to want to go to the hospital.”
“Then I’ll deliver the baby at home. How does that sound?”
“I’d like that a lot.”
“Then it’s settled. I’m going to deliver that baby at home when and if he comes. Now you don’t need to worry, Jona. Everything will be ok. In a week, you’re going to be walking down the aisle and saying ‘I do’ to a young man that adores you and thinks you’re the greatest thing to ever happen to this planet. I know you’re nervous, but sweetie, it happens. You’re not the first woman to get nervous about marrying the man of her dreams. Now, let’s get out of that dress so that we can get Miri fitted for her dress as well, and see what your sisters in law look like in their dresses. They’ve all chosen to go strapless like the bride, just so you know.”
Jona smiled. “Awesome. I can’t wait to see the dresses.”
---------------
Meanwhile, Jeremiah and David were having doing Ira’s final fitting for his little tux. Jake was trying to coach his son on being still so that the tailor didn’t poke him with the pins. David was standing back trying not to laugh hysterically. “Hey, ‘Miah”, he laughed.
“Yeah, Dad?” Jeremiah laughed in return.
“I remember when that was you on that podium and I was in Jake’s position telling you to be still.”
Jeremiah laughed and shook his head. “No, that was James.”
“I beg your pardon, Alexander. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was both you and James. Neither of you could sit still while the tailor was pinning the hem of your slacks.”
“I know. I think I still have the scars from that.”
“You should have stood still, son.”
“I know, but how old was I when you and Mom renewed your vows?”
“Three.”
Jeremiah laughed. “Precisely.” They fell into silence and watched as Jake coached Ira on how to be still while his hem was being pinned for sewing. “Dad, can I ask you something?”
David looked over at Jeremiah. “You know you can, ‘Miah. What’s going on?”
“I’ve been having weird dreams of late.”
“Son, that’s par for the course for you and a few of your other siblings. You’re going to have to be more specific.”
Jeremiah chuckled softly. “Ok, remember a while back when I told you and Mom about that dream about Granddad Cartwright and him telling me that I’m going to pass this crap on to my kids? It was the night after I proposed to Jona.”
“Yeah. I remember. What about it?”
“Around Thanksgiving I had another dream about Granddad, but Uncle Matt was with him. And, I got a glimpse of my son.”
“So you’re going to have a boy first?”
“According to all of the shit I keep seeing. And the dreams keep getting more vivid.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, the dream at Thanksgiving, I could see a resemblance, but not a lot of detail. When I came out of the dream, Jona and I talked about it and I ended up telling her what I remember of Uncle Matt. We decided that we’re going to name him Matthew Ryan. After the Kennedy Center thing- I think it was the night we got home from that shit- I started seeing more details. At first it was hair and eye color. Then the outline of his face. Slowly, more and more features came into stark detail. And it seems that the more detail I can see, the more likely this is going to happen and the closer we’re getting to it happening.”
“And you’re scared out of your mind.”
“You better believe it. I don’t know if I’m ready to be a father yet, Dad. I mean, I’d LOVE to get used to my wife before we start having kids. And I’m not the only one of us that’s scared. Jona’s frightened of the prospect.”
David placed his hands on his son’s shoulders. “Jeremiah, what you need to do is take a deep breath, and calm the hell down. We will deal with this when and if the time comes. I understand that you don’t think you’re ready to be a father. If you ask me, you’re more than ready. You’re wonderful with kids. You always have been. And you have all of us there to support you. We’re not going to throw you into the deep end and make you and Jona sink or swim. You two have a huge network of resources in your family. We’re here for you and I’m sure that Jona’s family will be there for you too. Just relax, ‘Miah. There’s nothing to freak out about.”
“Are you sure about that, Dad?”
David smiled at his son. “Yes, I’m sure, Alexander. Just calm down. Everything will be fine.”
---------------
The time between the fitting and the actual wedding day went by quickly. Three days before the wedding, Jeremiah’s uncles arrived, as did his Godmother and his father’s brother. The following day, Jona’s family arrived. The Mason’s and ‘Miah’s Aunt Angela were staying at the house. His uncles were staying in hotels in town. Everyone that Jeremiah or Jona could have wanted had arrived.
The day that the Mason family arrived, David looked Skyler dead in the eyes and asked, “Are you ready to give your little girl away, brother?” He couldn’t help but laugh when he asked.
“No, not really, but I knew this day was coming. It really hit home when your son asked me for permission to marry her then, bold as brass, asked her to marry him moments after I told him he could. Your son have balls, David.”
“Yes, he does. I’ll give ‘Miah that much. The boys got balls.”
Brie had wandered in from the kitchen with two glasses of tea in her hands. “Just like his father”, she said with a laugh.
“No, I think his brand of cajones comes from his mother.”
She laughed again. “What makes you say that, David.”
“Have you looked in the mirror lately?”
“Only every fucking day. I have to look pretty for you in the mornings.”
David looked at Skyler. “Do you know of some unspoken rule that states that they have to fuck with us every chance they get?”
“I think there is a rule like that because Kay does it to me all the time.”
“But you leave yourself open to it so nicely”, Kaylian said with a laugh.
Brie looked at Kaylian. “They do, don’t they?”
“I could swear you two conspire behind our backs a lot of the time”, David laughed. “You two talk on the phone far too much.”
“Well David, my dear, sweet, wonderful husband; we do have children getting married to each other here in a couple of days. We have to coordinate certain details.”
“Like the flower shipment”, Kaylian said matter- of- factly.
“Precisely. That had to be spotless and perfect so that the flowers don’t wilt before we can set them up. It takes planning to pull that off.”
“If you say so”, David said with a shrug.
Brie placed herself in his lap. “Do you remember the day we renewed our vows, David?”
“Like it was yesterday. Why?”
“If I hadn’t coordinated that set up with florist, those pretty white flowers that were not ONLY in my and the girls’ hair, but in my bouquet and on the chairs would have been ruined. Those are temperamental flowers too. And those pretty orchids I had in my bouquet and hair never would have made it. Flowers can be, pardon the expression, bitchy. If you don’t plan perfectly for them, then they will fuck with you.”
David laughed. “Like I said, if you say so. You’re the expert on this, not me. I’m just here to look handsome this time around. Not like Maddie’s wedding.”
“What do you mean by that?” Skyler asked.
“I had one job at Maddie’s wedding, and I damn near made a fool of myself.”
“What was the job?”
“Walk her down the aisle. When we reached the altar, I didn’t want to give her hand to Colton. It felt like by doing so, I was going to lose my little princess. But, finally, I made myself place her hand in his and gave her away to become someone else’s queen. And I cried like a baby that day.”
Brie smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of her husband’s bald head. She spoke in Hebrew, asking him if he remembered growing older. He responded in Hebrew saying that , no, he didn’t, then asked when they children had.
Kaylian and Skyler looked on in admiration and confusion. “What’s going on here?” Skyler asked
“Nothing, we were just reminiscing. I asked him if her remembered growing older and he said that he didn’t and asked when the kids did. We did the exact same thing the day Maddie got engaged and got married, though the day she got engaged, we both ended up going for a swim in the pool”, Brie said with a laugh.
“How did that happen?” Kaylian laughed.
“I dropped her in it then she pulled me in when I offered her a hand out. Right after she threatened to make me sleep on the couch, I dunked her.”
“She must not have been happy about that. Did you sleep on the couch that night?”
“Nope. I redeemed myself somehow.”
Brie giggled. “What can I say? I’m a sucker for a those big brown eyes.”
---------------
When they weren’t in the house, Brie, Kaylian, Angela, and the other wives were in that little clearing that Brie had affectionately started calling “The Chapel” getting everything together the ceremony. Just as Brie had thought, the other wives and Angela adored Kaylian. They all considered her a breath of fresh air, much like they did Brie when she first came into their lives when she and David married. “Brie, where did you find her?” Kristen asked.
“She’s Jona’s Mom”, Brie said with a laugh. “I didn’t find her anywhere. She and her husband wanted to meet me and mine.”
“Kaylian, honey, you are so funny. You have got to come around more often”, Nicole said as she put together small little bundles of flowers for the backs of the chairs.
“Thanks Nikki. I just tell it like it is”, Kaylian said with a smile.
“So, do we know who’s going to be flower girl and who’s going to be the ring bearer?” Angela asked.
“Miri is the little flower girl and Ira and Levi are both going to be ring bearers.”
“How did that happen?” Tina asked.
“Well, Miranda took herself out of the running because she’d already gotten to be a flower girl at Maddie’s wedding. Hunter couldn’t seem to behave himself the way he was supposed to so James and Kimberly pulled him from the competition. When it came down to the wire, I couldn’t decide, so we’re going to do like when David and I renewed our vows and have two ring bearers.”
“That’s pretty funny”, Kristen laughed. “Jeremiah was one of the ring bearers for you and David now he has two ring bearers as he marries the girl he loves. Talk about fate.”
Brie thought about it for a moment and laughed. “So it seems, Kris. So it seems.”
No comments:
Post a Comment