Blitzed(51)

"And so do you, Peter Vasily Barkovich, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, in good times and in bad, to love, honor, and cherish, for as long as you both shall live?"

I can hear almost everyone hold their breath as Pete swallows a lump in his throat, I guess the product of too many Lifetime movies or something, but Pete's just trying to lubricate his vocal cords, and he nods before speaking. "I do."

The priest smiles and turns his attention to Dani, who's beaming now, barely able to wait to reply. "And do you, Danielle Carlotta Vaughn, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold—"

"I do, I do!" Dani nearly yells, cutting the priest off. She blushes, and everyone in the crowd has a little relieved and warm laughter at her enthusiasm. "Sorry. Go on."

"Oh, I don't think I need to," the priest ad-libs. "I'm pretty sure the answer is going to be the same. Okay then, the rings."

The exchange of the rings goes without a hitch, and as the new couple retreats down the aisle, I can't help it. Looking at Dani in her dress, her hair golden in the sun and Pete looking so handsome and happy in his tuxedo, I want it to be me there. My mind wavers, and I see me, my own dark hair instead of Dani's blonde, and instead of Pete . . .

"Hey, it's our turn," Rita, Dani's friend from State who is serving as bridesmaid, whispers, jogging my elbow. "Come on."

I follow Rita while Pete's brother leads the groomsmen down the aisle, Troy to my left. "You were daydreaming," Troy whispers as we head into the foyer of the church. "What's up?"

"Oh, you know . . . just a girl being a girl," I reply, not quite ready to say to him what I was really thinking. It's too fast, and I don’t want to frighten him. I mean, I already dropped a bomb on him with Laurie, even if he is head over heels about her.

The way he and Laurie played in the park together yesterday, and the way he looked at me . . . maybe there is hope that things can turn out right this time. Getting changed out of my bridesmaid dress and into my burgundy cocktail dress that I'm wearing for the reception, I can't help it. I'm looking forward to the future.

Laurie is glad to be out of her Easter dress, and Mom surprises me when she says she is skipping the reception to take Laurie home. "There's going to be drinking, and while I’m glad that Danielle is getting married, this is a party for you and her. Besides, I've got work tomorrow, and a certain little girl should go to bed early. Have fun."

"Mom . . ." I say, trying to find the words. "But—"

"I know," Mom says simply, smiling. "You think Laurie chewing my ear off for two hours about her time in the park yesterday didn't give me all the clues I needed? It's okay, we'll talk about it later. Just know that I . . . I'm okay with it."

"I love you, Mom," I say, and give her a hug. "Oh, and one more thing. No Froot Loops before bed, no matter how much Laurie begs this time. She can't have all that sugar."

"You did okay on Froot Loops," Mom grumbles good-naturedly, then leaves, Laurie in hand, the two of them talking and getting along. I’d been worried, but five minutes together, and Laurie was ecstatic to be hanging out with her grandmother.

I drive to the reception, which is being held at a house along the river. Apparently, the Barkovich family knows some people who can afford houses in the best parts of Silver Lake Falls. The house overlooks the actual Silver Lake itself, just a little way up the Silver River close to Slater's Point, and it’s big enough for the entire party.

Troy's still wearing his suit, I notice, as he gets out of his car. When I first saw him in town, I figured him for a sports car or maybe a gaudy SUV, like so many other professional athletes, but Troy's the complete opposite, driving a two-year-old Nissan Altima that looks like any other four-door sedan. Still, as he makes his way across the grass of the parking area, he cuts a path just by his natural charisma and presence. Well, that and being six foot two, two hundred and thirty-two beautiful pounds of athletic manhood. I am soooo lucky.

"You look beautiful," Troy says to me as we come closer. "Then again, even in that horrible dress, you looked beautiful."

"Flattery is much appreciated," I say, patting his shoulder and barely holding back the urge to do more. "And you should charge whoever made this suit. A picture of you in it should double their sales with the way you look."

Troy actually blushes slightly and smirks. "Okay, well, let's hold off on the rest until the big reveal. Deal?"

"Deal. Come on."

For the first half of the reception, Troy and I consciously stay on nearly opposite sides of the party, and in some ways, I feel like I'm back not in high school, but junior high school as the girls tend to stick to one side, the boys to the other. Eventually, Cory, who came in town from his new job down in San Francisco, comes over to greet us. He's looking pretty debonair, although there's still that air of being a party boy to him, like he hasn't quite figured out if he wants to settle down yet or if he's still looking for the next club to hit up. "Whitney Nelson. I just had to come over and say it's so good to see you again."

"How're you doing, Cory?" I ask, giving him a quick hug. "My, my, you've gained weight.”

"Hey, hey, it's just five pounds!" Cory laughs, and we both know I'm kidding. He's nowhere near the athlete that Troy is, but Cory's got a slim build now, kind of executive-ish. "You, on the other hand, look absolutely amazing. And can I ask, that little girl with your Mom at the ceremony?"