I woke up in the morning the same way I've been waking up every morning since I met Kris. I had a smile on my face, but this morning that smile faded when I remembered I was not in bed with Kris, but with Leo. It wasn't a pretty sight but it's not like I've never had to do it before, unfortunately. I sat up and padded over to the bathroom, where I had myself a shower, then went back out into the main room and got dressed. When I sat down Zac got up.
"Hey Zac," I said.
"Oh, hey Taylor," he said. "Well, it's finally the big day."
"Yeah," I said, smiling. "It is, isn't it?"
"I better wake someone else up while I take a shower. I don't want you going anywhere."
"I'm not going anywhere, Zac."
"Hey, you never know." I gave him a look. I looked at the time; it was ten o'clock.
"Oh my God, it's ten o'clock!"
"Well what do you expect? We didn't even get home until two." That was true. I have to admit I believe everyone else had a fun time last night except for me. I don't know if Kris was aware I was having a bachelor party, but I'm sure she wouldn't approve of me going out for a night of half naked women shoving their asses in my face. Zac told me constantly to lighten up, but when I did I got a pair of tits shoved in my face and frankly if they don't belong to Kris, I really don't want to see them. I'm not like that anymore. There definitely was a time when I did like that, but not anymore.
Zac left to take a shower and while he was in there his cell phone rang. I picked it up. "Hello?" I said.
"Taylor? Where's Zac? I've been calling all morning!" Ginger yelled.
"He's in the shower. We just got up."
"You just got up? It's ten o'clock in the morning!"
"I know."
"Did you guys go out last night?" she asked. I didn't say anything. "I knew it! I knew Zac was going to do something! You're not massively hung over or anything, are you?"
"No!" I said. "No, I didn't drink last night. To tell you the truth I didn't even have that much fun. You better keep an eye on your husband, though, he was being pretty nasty with those girls�"
"Girls?"
"They took me to a strip club. I didn't have fun. I kept my hands over my eyes the entire time and Zac kept trying to get me to drink but I wouldn't."
"Whatever," she said. "When Zac gets out of the shower have him call me."
"All right," I said. "How's Kris doing?"
"She's fine. She's really excited and it's kind of annoying, but she's doing well. We're going to get our hair done now, but I'll have my phone with me. Make sure Zac calls me!"
"Okay!" I hung up the phone. "Geez, have a cow." Zac got out of the shower a few minutes later. "Ginger wants you to call her right away. She's got her cell phone."
"All right," he said. "When the hell are lumpy and dumpy going to wake up?" Zac gestured to Leo and then to Isaac. I shrugged. "Well you wake them up while I call Ginger, I want to go downstairs for breakfast."
"Are they still serving breakfast?"
"They've got to be serving something." Zac got dressed and walked out onto the balcony to call his wife. I walked over to Leo and hit him. He groaned and rolled over.
"Leo!" I said. "Get your skinny ass up!"
"I'm up, I'm up," he said, and sat up. "What time is it?"
"Ten-fifteen. Get up." He got up and grudgingly walked over to the bathroom. I hit Isaac. "Hey, you, when Leo gets out of the shower your ass better be in there too."
"Whatever, Taylor," he mumbled and put his pillow over his head. I hate it when I'm the first person up.
It was about twenty minutes later when we went downstairs in search of some food. They stopped serving breakfast at ten-thirty, and we had just missed it. Lunch wasn't going to start for another half hour, so the four of us just went back upstairs and ordered room service.
"So," Leo said, looking at the time. "Almost five hours to go. You scared?"
"No I'm not scared," I said. "And I'm not nervous. I just kind of want to get it over with. Why did we decide to get married at four o'clock in the afternoon instead of two like every other normal person in the world?"
"Because you know Kris is at home right now going 'We only have five hours! We only have five hours!' She's freaking out, I can almost guarantee it," Zac said.
"You're probably right," I said. "I didn't think there'd be so much work involved in getting married! It gives me a little more respect for the two of you, just running off and doing it, not having to worry about all the shit we've been going through for nine months now."
"Do you still want to have kids right away?" Leo asked. Zac looked over at me, interested.
"Yeah," I said. "We've been talking about this all this time, more so lately, actually, now that the wedding's getting closer, and yeah we still do."
"He didn't say the both of you," Zac said. "He asked if you still wanted to have kids right away."
"Of course I want kids right away," I said. "And it's gotten even worse with Jenny around, because I see her and frankly, Zac, I just want to snatch her away from you and run." Zac laughed.
"I'd like to see you try."
"By the way, where did you and Ginger go yesterday?" I asked. "Me and Kris were looking for you but all of a sudden the three of you were gone."
"Oh," Zac said. "We went to see Ginger's parents."
"Really?" I asked. "How did that go?" Zac let out a deep breath.
"Not so well," he said. "I mean, it was all right at first because they thought Ginger and I were married before Jenny was born, but then it slipped out that we weren't and her parents went off on her. I was standing right there and they didn't seem to mind yelling at her about her career, and that they 'knew this was going to happen' because she was writing trashy slutty books and they knew someday her life was going to imitate her art�We didn't stay for very long but Ginger was in the car bawling her eyes out for at least a half an hour."
"Geez."
"It was bad. At least now I know why she hates them so much," Zac said. "Anyway�so you're getting married today, eh?" I shook my head. Zac was always so good at slyly changing the subject.
At three o'clock we went downstairs to the preparation room. I kept saying I wasn't nervous before, and that was because I wasn't, but now I was really starting to get nervous. I didn't know why but the feeling entered the pit of my stomach as I was getting dressed and I sat down.
"Something wrong?" Zac asked, turning to me.
"I'm�just a little nervous," I said. He smiled.
"I knew you would be. Don't worry about it, Tay. It's only Kris."
"Yeah," I said to myself. "It's only Kris." I kept repeating that thought in my head and it calmed me down. I hadn't seen her since last night and the first time I would see her would be when she came walking down that aisle. I couldn't even begin to imagine how beautiful she was going to look.
Isaac came in. "They're here," he said.
"Does that include Kris?" I asked.
"Of course that includes Kris!"
"I'm just making sure," I said. "Did you see her?" He nodded. "Is she hot?"
"She's not dressed yet," he said.
"So?"
"Okay," he said. "From what I could see, and considering she's not even in her dress yet, yes, she looks hot, Taylor."
"Good," I said. I stood up. "Well, I better finish getting ready." I continued to get dressed. I was just putting my shoes on when there was a knock at the door. "Come in!" Ginger opened the door and poked her head in.
"How's everything going in here?" she asked.
"You can come in, baby, we're all decent," Zac said. She stepped inside. "Oh, wow." She posed; she was wearing a strapless off-white gown; the back was silver and had a bow at the top. It was amazing on her.
"If you like this you should see Kris," she said. "She's at least twice as hot as I am today. I'm jealous."
"Really?" I asked. Ginger nodded.
"Oh, man, you're going to be up there drooling," Ginger said. She looked at the clock. "Oh, shit, better get back over there. Kris just wanted me to see if you were looking hot, Taylor. And I have to check on the hall to make sure everything's just how she wanted it. See you!" She ran out of the room.
"See," I said. "I'm not the only one looking to see who's hot."
It was a few minutes later when I was ready to go. The male marriage coordinator entered. "How's everything going?" he asked.
"We're all set in here," I said.
"Great. Why don't you come with me, I'll bring you out there. As for the rest of you, go out into the hallway; we're almost ready to start." I took a deep breath and followed him out of the preparation room. He turned to me on the way to the hall. "How are you holding up?"
"Fine," I said. "I'm a little nervous, but I'm fine."
"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.
"What?" I asked, slightly offended. "Of course I want to do this!"
"I know it sounds rude, but it's something you have to ask. You'd be surprised at how many people still have doubts. It's better to doubt now than to doubt later when there's so much more at stake."
"Well I don't like that at all," I said.
"So you're sure?"
"Of course I'm sure! Geez�" He led me into the hall where it looked like everybody had taken a seat already. I was ushered in through the side door and stood up on the little stage. The coordinator left and I was standing up there alone. I didn't like it at all. But momentarily my parents were announced (my mother was holding Jenny), as was Kris's mother, and Avery and Mackenzie because they were readers.
The string quartet I hired began to play and the doors at the end of the hall opened. Leo and Jess began to walk at a steady pace down the aisle. Jess had a big smile on her face and Leo was happy to be walking down with someone he'd always considered his little sister. I was just happy he was there. Kris was right; I did want him here. When they were halfway down the aisle, Isaac and Roni began to walk. My heart began to race in my chest as I saw Zac and Ginger walking down. I noticed Ginger's dress was slightly different than the rest of them. While hers had no straps, the rest of them were basically the same dress only with thin straps holding it up. It was only to distinguish her as the maid of honor. Her bouquet of flowers was larger as well. After they got halfway down the aisle Zo� came out throwing flowers with my little cousin, who had the ring pillow in his hands. When they reached the head of the aisle my mother pulled them into a pew instead of having them come up on stage with the rest of us.
The music changed into an instrumental version of 'A Groovy Kind of Love,' which was one of the few things Kris and I absolutely insisted on having in this wedding. I bit my lip as Kris appeared with her father. As soon as I saw her, my nervousness went away and my eyes began to fill with tears. "Oh my God," I whispered. Zac, who was standing right beside me, looked at me.
"You okay?" he quietly asked.
"Oh my God, she is so beautiful." Zac smiled. As Kris got closer I could see the tears in her eyes and the big smile on her face. It made me smile as I locked eyes with her. When she got to the head of the aisle, her father lifted her veil, kissed her, and then stepped off to the side. I met her, took her hand, and we walked to the center of the stage. "You look so beautiful," I told her.
"So do you." We turned to the minister.
"Dearly beloved we are gathered here today to join this man, Jordan Taylor Hanson, and this woman, Kristina Maria Carter, in the bonds of holy matrimony�"
After the ceremony Kris and I walked out of the hall along with the rest of the bridal party. "Oh my God we're married," Kris said.
"Yes we are," I said. I kissed her. "I love you."
"I love you too." I kissed her again. The minister came out of the hall.
"All right," he said, "I need the bride, groom, the best man and the maid of honor over here to sign the license."
"We'll see you guys at the reception in a minute," I said, waving to the rest of them. They waved back and left. Kris and I sat down on a sofa that had a table in front of it. The minister pulled out the license and handed me a pen.
"Right there," he said. I signed it, then Kris, and then Zac and Ginger. "All right, so now it's completely official. Congratulations."
"Thank you," Kris and I said.
"I'll take care of that," Zac said, taking it. The minister congratulated us again and left. "All right, let's go to that reception. I promise I'm not going to ruin anything."
"Okay," Kris said. I stood up and offered her a hand to help her up. She still looked absolutely amazing. "Just give us a minute."
"All right," Zac said.
"Thank you guys," she said. She gave Zac a kiss and did the same to Ginger, then the two of them left, leaving Kris and I alone.
"Kris, you look absolutely gorgeous," I said. She smiled.
"I know, I try," she said, laughing a bit. "And you�you look downright sexy." I smiled. She kissed me. "Um, before we go to the reception, there's something I want to give you." She opened the purse she had in her hands that I noticed Ginger was carrying just a minute ago.
"Whoa, I totally did not even see you take that from Ginger," I said.
"I'm sly that way," she said. She handed me a blue Tiffany's box. I gave her a confused look.
"Why am I�?"
"Just open it, baby," she told me. I was very confused. I opened the box and saw a small silver baby rattle. I looked at her and a big smile crossed her face. My mouth dropped. "I'm pregnant."
"Oh my God," I said. I kissed her. "Oh my God! Really?"
"Yes!" she said. She threw her arms around me.
"Oh my God," I repeated. "Honey, this is so wonderful�" She pulled away and nodded, her eyes filling with tears. "Oh, don't cry! We're happy! We're married and we're going to have a baby!"
"I know," she said. "I know, I am happy. That's why I'm crying." I pulled a handkerchief out of my pocket and gave it to her. "Thank you." She dabbed at her eyes. "Are you happy?"
"Of course I'm happy, honey," I said. "You know how much we've been wanting kids." She nodded. "Everything's just perfect now. Let's go." We walked over to the banquet hall where everyone else had already gathered. "Are you ready?" I asked. She smiled.
"Of course."
I took her hand and we walked inside to begin the rest of our life together.
� 2003 [email protected]