On the ninth Zac and Ginger arrived. Kris and I wanted to pick them up from the airport but they insisted on getting a car of their own and they were going to take care of that at the airport. I didn't know exactly how they were going to go about that, considering a person has to be 25 before legally being able to rent a car. I wasn't at all surprised when Ginger called and asked for a ride.
When we got home Kris jumped up and hugged Ginger. "I missed you!" Kris said. "I don't want to do that again! Where's Jenny?"
"Zac's got her," I said, gesturing behind me. Zac came in the room with Jenny in one arm and a suitcase in the other.
"That's okay, Ging, I'll bring everything in and deal with Jenny too!" he said. Ginger gave him a big, innocent smile. "Whatever. Hey Kris." He gave Kris a kiss. "Ging, get your shit out of the car." Ginger left.
"Hey Jenny," Kris said, taking Jenny from Zac. "Did you miss your Auntie Kris? I missed you!" Kris kissed Jenny's forehead. "Oh, man, Zac, she's gotten so big lately! I'm missing out."
"She started walking."
"What?" Kris asked. "What! When?"
"About a month ago."
"A month ago? I've talked to you a million times since then and you never once told me she started walking? How dare you!"
"Oh, whatever, Kris. Every single time we've talked since then you had something to take care of and neither of us could mention it. Come on, she's doing it all the time now. Sit down on the floor." Kris sat on the floor and Zac sat on the other side of the room. Kris put Jenny down on the floor, and upon seeing her father, she got up and walked over to him.
"Oh my God!" Kris said, putting her hands over her mouth. "She's walking! Taylor, are you seeing this?"
"Yes I am, dear," I said. Unlike Kris, I already knew Jenny was walking. I thought she knew as well, which was why I didn't make such a big deal about it when Zac said it. It was amazing to watch, however. Jenny was getting bigger with every passing day and although it was kind of sad that she wasn't a little baby anymore, it was still exciting to see where she'd be tomorrow.
Ginger came in with her suitcase. "Taylor, aren't your parents here?" Ginger asked.
"Yeah," I said. "They're around�somewhere."
"Actually, honey," Kris said, standing up, "they left while you were out. I think they went to pick up Ike and Roni at the airport."
"Oh, I forgot they were coming today," Zac said, standing up with Jenny in his arms again.
"Why didn't they just have me to do it? I was just there," I said. Kris shrugged.
"Who else is coming?" Zac asked.
"Well everybody's going to be arriving in the next day or two," I said, "but I'm not really keeping track of when they're all arriving. The kids will be here tomorrow and they'll probably do Busch Gardens or Disney World or something so they have something to do while they're here."
"Or they'll hang around here and watch TV."
"That too."
Zac and Ginger brought their suitcases upstairs, leaving Jenny with Kris and me while they unpacked. "She's so beautiful," Kris said, watching as Jenny walked from the couch to the middle of the room and plopped herself down to watch TV. "I just can't believe she got so big in a month and a half!"
"Yeah�" I said, smiling. "So we're going to start trying right after we get married, right?"
"Yes," she said, and then gave me a kiss. "Oh, I forgot, I need to ask Ginger something. I'll be right back, sweetheart." She got up and ran out of the room. I walked over to Jenny and sat down.
"Hi bubs," I said. "How's it going?" Jenny looked up at me and smiled. "Yeah, me too." She climbed into my lap and turned to watch television again. The garage door opened and a moment later my parents came in with Isaac and Roni.
"Hello?" Roni called out.
"Hi!" They walked into the living room and I waved. "How's it going?"
"Where is everyone?" Roni asked.
"Zac and Ginger are upstairs, and Kris just ran up now," I said. "Jenny's here." I heard bouncing down the stairs and soon Kris came into the room.
"Hi all!" Kris said. She gave a hug to Roni and one to Isaac, who was surprised by it. "Come on, I'll show you your room. Zac and Ginger are up there already." She ran out of the room again with the two of them. My mother sat down while my father wandered off.
"Oh, look at her," my mother said of Jenny in my lap. "She's getting so big."
"Yeah," I said. "She started walking a little while ago."
"Did she really?" I nodded. "That's amazing." Zac walked into the room. After saying hello to our mother, he sat down as well.
"Taylor told me Jenny's walking now?" my mother asked Zac. He nodded.
"Yeah, she started about a month ago," he said. "We have it on video somewhere."
"Why am I not surprised?" I asked. Zac gave me a look. Jenny began to cry in my lap. "Oh, boy, somebody's not happy."
"I'll take her up to Ginger," my mother said. She took Jenny off my lap and took her out of the room. I got up off the floor and sat next to Zac on the couch.
"So, three more days, man," Zac said. I nodded. "Are you nervous?"
"No," I said. "Well�yes, but not in the whole 'I'm getting married' part. I just want everything to go smoothly and I'm afraid something's going to happen, like the caterers aren't going to show up, or the photographer's going to get drunk�"
"Or I'm going to get drunk and fall in the wedding cake?" Zac asked, laughing.
"Yeah, although it's not my birthday, you do have a tendency to ruin cakes," I said. "I'll just make sure you're not anywhere near the cake until after it's cut."
"Just keep me away from that side of the room altogether."
"Done."
"Taylor!! I need you up here!!" Kris yelled from upstairs. I groaned.
"Of course she does." I got up and went upstairs to aid my future wife in whatever decision she needed me for now.
On Friday at around five o'clock all of us headed down to the hotel for the rehearsal. I drove Kris, Zac and Ginger there while Isaac and Roni took my parents in a different car. Kris was incredibly excited. In fact, she had a hard time sitting still. "I'm getting married tomorrow," she sang under her breath.
"Kris," I said. She looked over.
"Yes, baby?"
"Calm down."
"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm just excited."
"I know you are. I am too. But sit still, we'll be there in a minute." Kris huffed and crossed her arms, looking out the window. I couldn't stop picturing the wedding in my head. I had no idea how it was actually going to turn out, but the picture in my head was good. "I just noticed something."
"What?" Kris asked.
"There are three bridesmaids, but there are only two groomsmen," I said. "Who's supposed to be walking with Jess?" Kris didn't have a lot of close friends so she decided to make a Jess a bridesmaid, but for some reason it never came up for me to find another groomsman.
"Oh, I found someone," Kris said with a wave of her hand.
"Who?"
"Shit, look at that," Kris said as I pulled in front of the hotel. It looked like a heated argument between Kris's mother and one of the hotel employees. "I better take care of that." She got out of the car and ran to her mother. I got out of the car and handed the key to the valet. He gave me a card and we went inside. Zac took care of the luggage; since I'm not allowed to see Kris tomorrow until the wedding, the girls were going to spend the night at home while Zac, Isaac, and I stay here at the hotel.
We went inside and I noticed everyone seemed a little nervous, especially Kris (although she's been nervous for weeks now), Zac, and Ginger. "Oh come on," I said. "It's just the rehearsal."
"Well, still, it's almost the real thing," Ginger said. I looked at Kris, who was off to the side explaining to a few people how she wanted the hall to be decorated tomorrow. She spotted me and smiled before she turned to explain further.
"Where is Ike?" I asked. "They were right behind us on the highway."
"I don't know. Maybe they got lost," Zac said. "I'll call him." He took out his phone and I waited, my arms crossed. "Ike? Where are you? Oh, all right, I'll send Taylor out for you." He hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket. "They just got here."
"Okay." I turned around to leave the room when I stopped dead in my tracks. Leo had just walked into the room. He saw me and stopped as well. The room went to silence around us. "What are you doing here?" I asked.
"Kris invited me." I looked at Kris and she quickly turned away. "She said you needed another groomsman." I sighed. I stepped up to him and pulled him into a tight hug.
"I'm glad you came."
"There's no way I would miss it." I let go of him.
"I've gotta go meet Ike," I said. "I'll be back in a minute. We'll talk." I started out of the room. "I'm still pissed off at you!"
"I know!"
I left the room and went outside where my parents, Isaac, and Roni were standing. Isaac had a suitcase. "Hey," I said. "Come on in." They followed me inside. "Okay, down there, make your first right you'll see the hall on the left. The doors are open and you can see inside. Ike, I'll show you the room." I took Ike to the elevator and we went up to the fifth floor where our room was. I took the key out of my pocket and opened the door to the room. "I guess you can just throw your shit on the floor there near mine."
"Are you nervous?" Isaac asked. I was surprised at how many people have asked me that.
"Nope," I said, smiling. "I mean Kris and I have practically been married already, it's not like it's going to be pretty much the same."
"Too bad it's completely different," Isaac said.
"That's because you eloped," I said. "Don't try to scare me." We left the room and went back downstairs. Everybody who was participating in the wedding was there already, including the marriage coordinators who were pretty much doing everything. They knew how the ceremony would run (even more than our minister); Kris and I would be totally lost without them.
"Is everybody here?" one of them asked me. I nodded. "Okay, then we'll start. Okay, I need the bride and her entire bridal party outside right now!" Most of everyone in the room followed the other coordinator out of the room. She turned to me. "You come with me." I followed her to the front of the room. The front of the room was raised two steps so everyone would be able to see. "All right, you'll be standing right here."
"Am I going to be here by myself?" I asked.
"Yes you are," she said, "but not for long. Your parents will be introduced, Kris's mother will be introduced, and then the two readers will be introduced. This will take about a minute, if that. Then the music will start and the first couple will come out." She waved to her partner, who'd lined everyone up already. Jess and Leo came out and went up the stairs, then split to the side, after them was Isaac and Roni, followed by Zac and Ginger. They split at the stairs and Zac stood next to me. After them was Zo�, the flower girl, and a young cousin of mine who was serving as the ring bearer. "Okay, the music will change and Kris and Dad will come out." Kris and her father walked down the aisle and I couldn't help the smile that crossed my face. "All right, Dad'll give her away, Taylor, you'll come out here to meet her�" She pushed me to Kris. "And you'll meet in the center. The minister will begin, and then he'll gesture to the first reader." She gestured to Avery. She read something, and then after her my little brother Mackenzie read something.
After that was the run-through of the vows, the exchange of rings, and the lighting of the unity candle. Then the minister would give his blessing, we'd be presented, and then we'd process out. "Does anybody need that again?" the coordinator asked. "Because we can do it again if anybody's unclear about anything. Bride? Groom?" I looked at Kris and she shook her head.
"No, I think we're good," I said.
"Great! Then we'll see everyone here at three. Try your best to be on time, but if you're not, don't worry; it'll be all right. The wedding won't start until four o'clock, so you have leeway if you need it. That's it! Try to have a good night's sleep tonight. We'll see you tomorrow!" One of the coordinators walked up to me. "You did get the license didn't you?" I nodded.
"Yeah."
"Great! Then everything's set. See you tomorrow." The two of them left.
"All right," I said. "Does everyone know where the restaurant is?" Everyone nodded except for Leo. "Leo, don't worry, I've got you. All right, let's go." Leo walked up to me.
"Hey, man," he said.
"Hey."
"Listen, Taylor�" I put my hand up.
"Don't. I'm the one who should be apologizing," I said. "I shouldn't have reacted like that. You're my best friend and I didn't even give you a chance. I'm sorry."
"Me too." We started to walk out of the hall.
"Can I ask you something, though?"
"I'm clean now," he said, looking at me. It was exactly what I was going to ask, but I had a very hard time believing him. "Ask your mother. She came to visit me when I was in rehab."
"You�went to rehab?" I asked. He nodded.
"Yeah. For six months."
"Man, Leo�"
"But it's not important now." He put his arm around me. "You're getting married tomorrow to an awesome chick. Yay! Be happy!" I smiled.
Dinner was uneventful. It wasn't until afterwards that anything really happened, and that started when I had to leave Kris. Everybody else was gone except for the bridal party and we were going separate places. "We're going to go home," she said, walking up to me. Behind her were Roni, Ginger, and Jess. "There are still some things we've got to take care of at home." She put her arms around my neck. "This time tomorrow we're going to be married."
"Yes we are."
"I'm going to miss you tonight."
"You're gonna miss me?" I asked, a bit of cynicism leaking out. "I have to spend the night in a hotel room that has two beds, mind you, and there's definitely four of us. You get that big ass bed at home by yourself. I'm going to miss you." She smiled.
"I love you, baby." She kissed me.
"I love you too."
"I'll see you tomorrow." She kissed me again before reluctantly leaving with the rest of the girls. I sighed. Once they were gone Zac put his hand on my shoulder.
"Okay, buddy, let's go."
"Go where?" I asked. Zac smiled.
About twenty minutes later I found myself inside Mons Venus, a local strip club, my hands over my eyes as I got a very provocative lap dance to start off my bachelor party.