Joy and Tiers (38 page)

Heather squeezes my hand as she passes me the vows. I have to swallow a lump in my throat when I recognize the handwriting as that of her grandmother from all of the paperwork that I helped her sort through when we went to Texas. I felt that I had gotten to know the feisty woman that Heather adored so much through reading her love letters and diaries when we were trying to prove her intent in court. I can only imagine what this means to Heather to bring this moment full circle. 

I grasp Heather’s hands in my own and get a little lost in her blue eyes as she blinks away tears. I carefully repeat the words on the page, my voice full of emotion. “I, Tyler Joseph Colton take you Heather Lydia LaBianca, to be my wife, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our union and love you more each day than I did the day before. I will trust you and respect you, laugh with you and cry with you, loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward for as long as we both shall live.”

I make the mistake of glancing over at my parents. My dad is wiping away tears with the back of his hand. The sight of that is almost enough to make me lose it right there. I’ve only seen my dad cry on a handful of occasions. The last time I remember him truly breaking down was at my bedside in Germany. But, the smile on his face makes it clear that these are happy tears. It feels incredible to make my parents proud for a change. I know that they have long ago forgiven me for the bad choices I made when I was younger, but I still feel terrible for letting them down. I would do anything I could to erase the pain that I caused them. Yet, had I not made those choices, I wouldn’t be standing where I am right now.

Justice Gardner looks at Heather. “Do you have rings to exchange?”

“Yes, we do, your Honor,” she answers.

He rolls his eyes. “How many times do I have to explain this? Unless you’re standing in front of my bench, my name is William.”

Heather giggles. “Whatever you say, sir.”

Justice Gardner just shakes his head. “You guys are a lost cause.”

“What can I say? I was raised with good Southern manners, sir,” she teases.

I look at Heather with sheer panic on my face. “Gidget, I hate to tell you this but you’ve caught me without a ring again.”

Heather winks at me. “Don’t worry, Cowboy. I’ve got you covered. I’m not the middle child for nothing. I’m always prepared for every contingency.”

Heather fishes a little silk pouch out of her bosom area. She whispers in a not so quiet stage whisper, “Sometimes my body type has its own advantages.” 

My mom who has also struggled with an ample pear-shaped figure her whole life just laughs and says, “Amen to that.”

Mindy just shakes her head as she asks, “Are all wedding ceremonies this weird?”

Justice Gardener laughs. “This group likes to add its own little flair, that’s for sure,” he remarks as he hands the rings to Jeff. He turns to Heather and hands her the other ring. “Heather, please repeat after me.”

I give you this ring

as a reminder

that I will love, honor, and cherish you,

in all times,

in all places,

and in all ways, forever.

I have to catch my breath as she slides the hard metal ring on my finger. I’ve never heard more beautiful words in my life, she could not have chosen a more perfect vow. They are everything I feared I would never hear. As the ring settles in place it’s almost as if I can feel a hole in my heart physically heal over. For the first time in years I feel like I can take a full breath. The weight on my chest is gone. I don’t even realize that I’m crying until Heather wipes away a tear with the pad of her thumb.

“It’s all right, Cowboy. I know you’re really a marshmallow. You don’t have to pretend with me,” she teases.

“I know. You’ve had my number for a while now.”

Jeff hands me two rings. I realize one is Heather’s engagement ring and the other is her grandmother’s wedding band. I didn’t realize it until now how well they complement each other. Maybe that’s why Heather was so drawn to her engagement ring. It took her about two and a half seconds to choose her ring when we went shopping. I offered her a much more expensive ring, but she couldn’t be talked out of the one she chose.

“Tyler, as you place the ring on Heather’s finger, please repeat after me,” Justice Gardner instructs.

I give you this ring

as a reminder

that I will love, honor, and cherish you,

in all times,

in all places,

and in all ways, forever.

As I repeat the simple vows, I can barely keep my voice from cracking with emotion as I repeat them. My hands are shaking so violently as I place the rings on her fingers that you’d never guess that I sometimes help the bomb disposal unit in the field. Usually, I have ice in my veins when the pressure is on. But, it seems all bets are off today. It’s like I’m starring in my own sappy Hallmark special.

As I’m lost in my thoughts, I almost miss the fact that Justice Garner is rapidly moving forward with the ceremony.

“Now, by the power vested in me by the State of Oregon, I hereby pronounce that Tyler Colton and Heather LaBianca are now husband and wife. Officer Colton, you may now kiss your bride. After all, she practically made miracles happen to pull this off.”

I flash the judge a wide grin as I respond, “I know! Isn’t my wife amazing?”

I pull Heather close to me and give her a long, deep thorough kiss. Eventually my dad pipes up from the corner of the room and says, “Son, I know you just got married and all, but you have to remember there are children present in this room.”

“Oh, I’m used to it. All the grown-ups around me are always kissing. It’s like watching the soap operas at Grummy’s house. I think it’s gross but, whatever.” Mindy replies with a shrug.

My mom just laughs as she remarks, “Just give yourself a few years honey, you won’t think it’s so gross then.”

“Let’s hope it’s more than just a few years,” Jeff mutters under his breath. He turns to me and louder he says, “Well, it’s true what they say. Couple-hood is contagious. We’ve managed to marry everybody off in our little group. I wonder who’s next?”

Justice Gardner looks a little startled by Jeff’s question. He opens his mouth to speak then closes it and starts again as he looks back and forth between Jeff and Kiera.

Jeff and Kiera look at him quizzically. “What?” they ask curiously.

“Well,” he begins cautiously, “if I were a betting man, I might lay odds on Denny and Gwendolyn.”

Jeff looks a little shell-shocked, Kiera much less so. “Really? My mom swears they’re just friends,” he argues.

Justice Gardner nods sagely. “In my experience, there’s a thin line between friendship and love. I’m just saying I’m not sure which side of the line Denny’s on. It’s been a long time since Karen died. I just haven’t seen him this happy in a really long time and I think Gwendolyn is responsible for that.”

“I have to say, I think I agree with you. At first, I was a little weirded out by our parents were dating, but I’ve gotten used to it now and I actually think it’s kind of cute. They’ve both been through so much. They deserve to find love again. If they make each other happy, I’m all for it,” Kiera responds with a shrug.

Justice Gardner spreads some paperwork out on a nearby pool table and pulls a fancy gold-plated pin out of his pocket. “I have one formality I need you, as Tyler and Heather’s friends and family, to take care of before this is all official. As witnesses to this union, I need you to sign this paperwork.”

“Can I sign too?” asks Mindy.

“Unfortunately, the official witnesses have to be grown-ups, but there is a small space on the certificate where I can draw in a line so you can have a space to sign your name,” Justice Gardner explains.

“Awesome!” Mindy responds. “I know how to write my name in cursive too.”

My mom laughs and says, “Great, let’s get this over with. I can’t wait to cut into that cake. I’ve heard great things about Heather’s cooking and I’m looking forward to it.”

“Where in the world have you been?” Tara asks as I run into the kitchen. “I figured you’d be back here obsessing over every little detail.”

I loop an apron over my head and carefully give Tara a side hug so I don’t mess up her impeccable hair and makeup. I whisper in her ear, “Would you believe I just got married?”

Initially, she looks shocked but then a thoughtful expression crosses her face.

“Huh… I guess Mouse called this one a while back, didn’t she?”

I nod, “That she did. I don’t know how, but she did.”

Tara smiles, “I’m starting to understand how people feel when they encounter me. It’s odd being on the other side of things. So, how do you feel about the change of plans?” she asks.

Her question surprises me. I haven’t really even taken a moment to stop to think about it. It all happened so fast, it seems like a blur. “Excited, scared, elated, amazed— I’m not sure. I guess I feel a lot of everything. It’s hard to feel truly blissful about getting married when I know in a few short hours I’m going to have to say goodbye. If I let myself think about it too much I get really scared because I don’t even know if it’s our last goodbye.”

“So, it’s official then? Tyler got the call?” Tara asks.

I nod tearfully. For the first time all day, the full weight of that sinks in. “Tara, I’ve got less than forty-eight hours to be his wife, then I have to send him off to fight the stupid terrorists. This isn’t one of my video games. They’re frickin’ beheading people now! What if he never comes back?”

Tara gathers me into a hug.

“I’m going to get makeup on your beautiful dress,” I mumble as I grab a napkin and wipe my eyes. “Your wedding pictures will be ruined.”

Tara raises an eyebrow at me. “Do I look like I care? Honestly, I don’t care if no one ever takes another picture of me for as long as I live.”

“I know you feel that way now, but someday you’ll want to show your grandkids your wedding pictures and you don’t want my mascara blobbed in the middle of them.”

“Well, you’ll always be more important to me than any dumb pictures. Seriously, Heather you can’t think that way. You’re going to be Tyler’s wife for decades to come. His deployment is only a temporary thing. Joy and Tiers is going to keep you incredibly busy. Hopefully time will pass in the blink of an eye. The Girlfriend Posse will do our best to keep you distracted, I promise. Besides, you have the wedding of the century to plan for, right? Because I know you well enough to know you’re not going to pass up another opportunity to cram me into a froufrou dress, especially since I’ve started wearing them now.”

“You bet your bippy! You’re so much more fun now that you can actually distinguish colors and styles. Consider yourself forewarned, we’ll be hitting the bridal salons as soon as the wheels go up on Tyler’s plane. I’ve been planning my wedding since before I started elementary school, so this could take a while.”

Tara groans. “I should’ve known Kiera’s and my wedding were only warm-up acts for the really big show.”

I stick my tongue out at her. “Well, yeah— I had to practice on somebody—-”

Tara surveys the cake and the dessert bar I created as well as the plethora of hors d’oeuvres. “If this is just practice, the ‘real thing’ is going to be spectacular.”

“Oh Hush!” I chide. “As if I would ever give my best friend anything but the absolute best. It might’ve been a rushed, super-secret order, but you still got the Joy and Tiers super deluxe, customized treatment. I even put real 24 karat edible gold leaf on your monogram topper.”

“I know. It’s amazing. It’s like you crawled into my head and pulled out the design I always dreamed of, but didn’t know I wanted. I love that you included a dream catcher filled with musical notes on the groom’s cake. I shouldn’t tell you this, but Aidan teared up a little when he saw that.”

“Doesn’t it make your heart do a little somersault when our big tough guys get all emotional? Wait until you see the video of our ceremony. I think Jeff caught most of it. You would never guess that my husband is a big strong, bad-ass Sheriff. It was the sweetest thing ever. I wish my Grandparents could have seen it. Tyler is a lot like my grandpa. He’s all tough as nails on the outside but at heart he’s a total teddy bear.” 

“Aidan doesn’t really give the appearance of being tough but his spirit is tenacious. It’s funny being in the business that he’s in now. He’s almost too innocent to be in that world.”

I must have given Tara a really strange look because she quickly clarifies her statement. “No, I guess I didn’t put that exactly right. Aidan isn’t hard and jaded like me. He never expects the worst of people. The music business is pretty cutthroat and being in the public eye is brutal. He wasn’t prepared for the nasty side of things.”

“I can see how that could be hard for a guy like Aidan. He’s pretty optimistic,”

“You have no idea, Heather. It’s absolutely crazy. The other day I had to fly back early from one of his concerts because I had to go to a dress fitting and sign some paperwork dealing with the dance school. First, the paparazzi ambushed me in the airport bathroom wanting to know if we had broken off our engagement because we were traveling separately. Then, when he flew back, he was flying next to a lady whose husband was stationed overseas. The poor woman had three children under the age of six and was traveling by herself so Aidan offered to hold one of her kids while she got the other two situated in their seats. One of her children happened to have green eyes, so some junk tabloid ran a story claiming Aidan had a mystery family. It was insane! They followed this woman home. Aidan had to hire a bodyguard for a perfect stranger to keep her safe from the vultures because he was nice to a random mother on a plane.”