Big Tex (25 page)

"Gee Willow, you make it sounds like we're on a dating show or something."  Brighton said.

"Not a dating show, but I'm setting the two of you up.  No need to hide any ulterior motives!  Now Brighton, can I trust you to show Jordy around our town here?  Show him a good time and get to know each other.  Here are the keys to my convertible.  Be careful, have fun, call if you need anything."  Willow said as she handed them her keys and walked them to the door where she pushed the two stunned people outside and shut the door in their faces before they could say anything.

Willow turned around to see Sierra, Micah, and Brody all laughing.  "What was that about?"  Brody asked.

"Oh, just two of my favorite people being sent out to have some fun."  Willow said.

"You didn't let me give him the brotherly talk though.  I feel cheated!"  Brody pouted.

"Oh, take it easy Country Boy.  There will be plenty of time for that, trust me.  I don't think this will be the last time we see Jordy around Brighton."  She laughed.

"He is such a sweetheart!  Definitely a good match for Brighton!"  Sierra said.  "I don't know why we never thought of that before."

"Maybe because he's been in New York the whole time?"  Willow said and rolled her eyes with a smile on her face.  "Well, now that I've played matchmaker, I think I need a little nap.  Do you think anyone will mind?"  Willow asked.

"No, I'm sure everyone understands.  You must be exhausted with all of the planning and stuff."  Sierra said.

"Something like that."  Willow muttered under her breath.  Then a little louder, she said, "Actually, Brody's been working a lot harder on it than I have.  Maggie too.  I think all of the excitement is getting to me though.  I just don't want to get worn out before the wedding, you know?"  Willow felt a twinge of guilt for not telling her best friend about her pregnancy.

Brody took Willow upstairs and tucked her into bed.  "Just sleep for as long as you need to.  Don't worry about the guests, me and Mom will take care of everything, ok?"

Tears came to Willow's eyes.  "You are too good to me Brody.  I love you so much and I don't know where I'd be without you.  I am so thankful for you and all of the help you've given me with the wedding.  I can't even explain how much it means to me, how much you mean to me."  Willow said with tears streaming down her face, trying to hold back a yawn.

"I feel the same way.  It was my pleasure to help plan our wedding.  Get some sleep and I'll see you when you wake up, ok?"  He kissed her forehead, then left the room to go back to the guests.

Willow fell into a deep sleep, and didn't wake again until the next morning, where she found herself wrapped tightly in Brody's arms.  "Good morning sleepy head.  Only one more day until you become my wife."

"Mmm…I like the sound of that!  Did I sleep all night?"  Willow asked, still groggy.

"Yeah, you must have been really tired.  But it's ok, you need your rest.  Today's a pretty big day with the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, but tomorrow will be bigger.  Are you up for it?"  Brody asked.

"You better believe it."  Willow said as she made her way to the bathroom.  She turned on the water in the Jacuzzi-tub and poured some bubbles into the water.  "Would my gorgeous fiancé like to join me for a relaxing soak to start our day?"  Willow asked as she poked her head back into the bedroom.

Brody didn't answer her, but Willow knew the answer when he stood up on top of the bed, jumped off the end of it and ran into the bathroom, shedding his boxers in the process.  He stood next to Willow, slowly undressing her as the water filled the tub.

When the tub was full, Brody turned the knobs on the faucet to stop the water, then picked Willow up and put her in the tub.  He climbed in after her and sat behind her, with her back resting on his chest.  "What a perfect way to start the day."  Brody murmured into Willow's ear.

"I agree.  And just think, we have the rest of our lives to start our days like this."  Willow said as she cuddled closer to Brody, thinking about how perfect everything would be once they got married.

The couple sat in the tub, just relaxing, until the water started to get cold.  After they got out, they both jumped in the shower to clean up for the day.  They would spend the day picking up last minute things for the wedding, packing for the honeymoon, and entertaining guests.  Later that night would be the rehearsal.

As they were leaving the house, Willow noticed that her car wasn't in the garage.  She began laughing, knowing that Brighton must not have made it back to their house the previous night, after her date with Jordy.  Brody must have noticed, but didn't want to acknowledge that his little sister may have spent the night at a hotel with a guy.  Instead, he got into his SUV with Willow and drove away from the house to get their errands done.

*****

Later that night, everyone gathered at the church for the rehearsal.  They went through the bridal procession, the vows, and the readings.  It ran quickly and efficiently, so that everyone could head to the restaurant to eat.  The day had been so busy that no one had a chance to eat earlier.

As they got to the restaurant, Brody looked at Willow nervously.  She hadn't been talking much, and she looked very pale.  "Willow, are you ok?"

"I'm just feeling really light-headed right now.  I don't know if it's from all the activity, or if it's just because I'm so hungry, but I'm not feeling too good.  I'm sorry, I don't want you to think I'm unhappy."  Willow said.

"You know I'm just concerned for you.  I don't think you're unhappy, but I can tell you're not feeling well.  We'll get you something to eat right away, even if it's just a snack until the food's ready."  Brody said as he sat Willow in her seat at the head table.  He went to the bar to ask if any of the food was ready yet, but they were running behind schedule on it.  Luckily, Brody remembered there was a gas station just down from the restaurant, so he ran over there.  Brody ran back in five minutes later to find Willow even more pale than when he left her.

She sat at the table with her head in her hands, and didn't look up when Brody sat next to her.  He took the bag that he had and reached inside, coming back out with a package of Hostess Chocolate Cupcakes and a small bottle of skim milk.  He put the cupcakes between Willow's elbows, right below her head, and sat the bottle of milk on the table in front of her.

She looked up at him, in obvious distress, then looked at the food he had brought for her.  Her sad face broke into a small smile when she looked at him.  Brody took the cupcakes and opened the package, taking one of them out of the tray.  He held it up to Willow's mouth, and she took a big bite.  She smiled even bigger when she tasted the chocolate on her tongue.  Brody put the cupcake down and opened her milk and handed it to her so she could take a drink.  He repeated the process until both cupcakes and the milk were gone.

"How did you know I was craving chocolate cupcakes?"  She asked, the color slightly coming back to her face.

"Must be ESP or something.  You're looking a little better, and after we eat dinner, I'm sure you'll be feeling better too.  You had me worried there!"  Brody told her.  He leaned over and gave her a kiss just as Maggie came over to them.

They greeted Maggie and talked with her for a few minutes before she handed them a big box.  Brody opened the box to find 6 bottles of what looked like champagne.  Each one had a special label on it that said 'Willow Ashley Fox and Brody Michael Harris, November 28, 2004'.

"Well, since you don't want everyone to know you're pregnant, and a lot of people would wonder what was going on if you weren't drinking, I had these bottles of sparkling cider made up so that it would look like you were drinking champagne.  Just remember to drink out of the bottles with these labels."  Maggie said.

"Ah, thank you so much Maggie!  This is great…and so thoughtful!"  Willow said as she began to tear up, for about the millionth time that day.  She got up and hugged Maggie, almost falling back in her seat since she was still a little light headed.

"Dinner will be served in about 5 minutes, just sit there until you can eat something else.  Obviously the cupcakes weren't enough."  Brody told her.

"Is my future grandchild giving you some problems?"  Maggie asked.

"No, she just hasn't eaten today, and it's affecting her more than if she was just eating for herself."  Brody explained.

Maggie nodded her understanding and left the two of them to talk while she went to check on the food.  As soon as Maggie walked away, Brighton snuck up next to Willow and Brody.  Willow saw her and started laughing.  "So, did you have fun last night?"  She asked Brighton.

"Yeah, sorry I didn't bring your car back last night.  I called and Brody told me that you were sleeping, so I didn't think it was too big of a deal.  But, we had a great time, so thanks for setting us up."  Brighton told Willow, her eyes set in a dreamy gaze as she told Willow the details, or most of them, of her date with Jordy.  "He is so sweet, why couldn't he live here in Texas?"  Brighton whined finally, after telling Willow about her night.

"Well, all I have to say is don't let that stop you from getting to know him.  Look what happened with me and Brody.  I was so dead set against Texas, now look at me.  Don't let any geographic boundaries make up your mind for you, ok?"  Willow advised.

Brighton hugged her and got up and left, just as the food was being brought out.  Willow dug in as soon as the food was served, and after eating, she felt like a new person.  Her and Brody were able to get up and mingle, handing out the bridesmaids and groomsmen gifts, and talking with everyone that was there.

At the end of the night, Willow and Brody had to separate.  "Do you really need to stay at your parents' house tonight Country Boy?  I am going to be so lonely at the house all by myself."  Willow whined.

"Don't worry, I arranged for Sierra and Brighton to stay there with you.  I got some chick flicks for you to watch, and there's a bunch of Ben & Jerry's in the freezer with your name all over it.  I know it'll be hard for me to sleep without you in my arms tonight, but it's tradition, and we have the rest of our lives to spend together."  Brody told her.

"Fine, but I was going to break my resolve and give you all the sex you wanted tonight, even though I was holding out for the honeymoon."  Willow teased.

Brody's jaw dropped for a second, then saw right through her.  "No, you weren't, but nice try.  I'll see you tomorrow at 11:00 am.  I'll be the one up front in the penguin suit.  Don't be late!"  He said and kissed her softly.

"I'll be the one in white, running down the aisle.  You better not back out buddy!"  Willow laughed, then kissed Brody even deeper.

"Ok, that's enough!"  Brighton said, pulling on Willow's arm, trying to get her away from Brody.  "You'll be seeing each other in another 16 hours.  Can't you be apart for that long?"

Willow finally broke from Brody and said "I love you.  Tomorrow, don't forget!"

"I'll be there.  I love you too!"  Brody smiled, got into his SUV and drove to his parent's house, while Willow got into her car with Sierra and Brighton and drove back to Willow and Brody's house.

The girls spent the night watching movies and eating ice cream.  Sierra and Brighton were very proud of Willow for only calling Brody 3 times during the night.

The next morning, the girls awoke early as Maggie came in.  The rest of the bridal party arrived just before the hair stylists and makeup artists came to get the girls ready.  The photographer showed up as the girls were finishing with their hair and makeup, and he took a few candid pictures of them getting ready.

The time finally came to get dressed, and Willow was so excited.  Maggie and Sierra helped her get into her dress, then they buttoned it up.  The dress looked gorgeous on Willow, as the rhinestone spaghetti straps accented her toned shoulders, and the tight bodice had pearls and sequins all over it, showing off Willow's currently small waist.  The skirt was multiple layers of tulle, making it look as though Willow was a princess.  Maggie applied the veil to her head, and Willow pulled on her long white gloves.

Everyone was dressed and ready to head to the church in the limo, when Brighton yelled for everyone to stop.  "We forgot the gift tradition!"  She said as everyone looked at her.

"Oh!  I have 'Something Old'!"  Sierra said.  She handed Willow a beautiful antique embroidered handkerchief.  "I know you'll be bawling your eyes out up there, and you'll need this."

"Who has the 'Something New'?"  Brighton asked.

"I do!"  Maggie said as she went over to Willow.  She brought a small box out of her purse and handed it to Willow.  Inside was a small charm that Maggie helped her put on her charm bracelet from Brody.  It was two small rings, linked together with a topaz in the middle, to signify the month they got married.

"I've also got the 'Something Borrowed'."  Said Maggie.   "These earrings were my mother's, and she wore them on her wedding day, and so did I.  They have brought us all luck so far."

"And finally, I've got the 'Something Blue'!"  Brighton said.  She pulled out a blue and white lace garter.

"Thank you everyone!  Maggie, this is too much, I can't tell you how much I appreciate this.  Sierra, you know me too well girl!  And Brighton, where would I be without you?  I completely forgot the garter!"  Willow said and slipped it up her leg.  "Now, can we please go get me married?  We're going to be late!"  Willow begged.

Everyone laughed and headed for the limo.  When they got to the church, Willow was escorted to the Bride's chambers.  As she stood in the room alone, looking into the full length mirror, she heard a soft knock at the door.  Willow asked who it was, and was surprised to hear Brian call out his name.  She opened the door for him, and he came in quickly before anyone else could see her.

"Wow, you look beautiful Willow!"  He told her.  After she thanked him, he began talking again.  "I know that I don't usually say much to anyone, and my wife calls me the 'strong-silent type', which is true, but even though I don't talk a lot, I see a lot… more than you know.  I guess when you sit back and watch, you tend to learn more than if you were involved in every single conversation.  I've seen how much my son cares for you, and how much you care for him, and I need to tell you that I am so happy that you two have found each other.  I couldn't have asked for a better woman for my son to marry.  I know this has been a tough year for you, and you have shown what a truly amazing and strong person you are.  What I want to ask you is…Would you do me the honor of allowing me to walk you down the aisle?  I know you planned to do it alone, but it would mean a lot if you let me do this for you."