Don't Hate the Player...Hate the Game(57)
Walking your mother down the aisle to get married—it’s a really surreal feeling. When we reached the altar, I didn’t hesitate when Pastor Dan asked who gave Mom in marriage. I very proudly bellowed, “I do.”
It was a really nice service, and I guess I should give Gerard his due. Of course, if he had even tried laying one finger on me, I would have gone apeshit on him. Thankfully, he stayed the hell away from me, scurrying around to ensure everything was perfect for Mom.
Then after we took a million pictures in a million different poses, we started for the reception. Greg had rented a limo, and the bridal party rode in it to the country club. A tent lit by thousands of twinkling lights and candles sat on the golf course. Music billowed up the hillside from under the tent flaps, signaling the band was already in full swing when we arrived. Elegant tables set with fine china and crystal filled the tent, and at the far side was a wooden dance floor.
I craned my neck, searching for Maddie. I finally saw her sitting at table with her parents. For a moment, I was rooted to the floor. She seriously took my breath away with how beautiful she looked in her deep blue dress. It was pretty daring for her with its tiny straps, plunging neckline, and rather short hemline. Its sequins caught the candlelight and shimmered. Her dark hair was swept away from her face in a twist with little, curly pieces hanging down. I wanted nothing more than to jerk out the pins holding her hair up so I could run my fingers through the silky strands.
Trying to ignore the lovesick thoughts rolling through my head along with the ones steaming below my waist, I pushed myself forward and made my way over to her. “Hey,” I said as I strolled up to the table.
She grinned. “Hi.” Her gaze roamed over me, and she bobbed her head. “Wow, you look so nice.”
I ran my hand down my tux lapel. “Thanks. I do clean up well, don’t I?”
The Parkers and Maddie laughed as Gerard sashayed over to me. “Noah darling, it’s time for you to sing.”
For their first dance as man and wife, Mom wanted me to perform one of her favorite songs. It was cheesy as hell if you asked me—not me singing, but the song choice itself. It was from the movie What a Girl Wants, which my mom adored for some reason. Before Greg, I think she liked the fantasy of a long absent father coming back to his daughter and in turn reigniting the romance with the girl’s mother. In the end, Mom loved the song Long Time Coming, and she always liked to tease me that I sounded just like Oliver James who sang the song in the movie. I wasn’t too surprised when she asked me to sing it because when I really thought about it, the lyrics really did sound a lot like the shit she had been through and now the love she had found.
I nodded. “I’ll be right there.”
She arched her eyebrows teasingly at me about Gerard. “You better hurry, Noah darling.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh give me a break.”
She giggled. “I might just have to start calling you that.”
Leaning in closer to her, I challenged, “And I just might have to hurt you.”
“We’ll just see about that,” she replied with a wicked grin.
“I’ll come back when I’m done, okay?”
Maddie nodded. “Go and wow us.”
I headed over to the stage. Behind one of the giant amps was my guitar—a Fender Stratocaster. I pulled it out of the case and strummed a few chords to warm up. I plugged the amp in and then strode to the microphone. Tapping it a couple of times, I interrupted the buzz of conversation and clinking of silverware.
“Good evening. As the son of the bride, I’d like you all to join me in welcoming the happy couple, Greg and Maggie Anderson to the floor for their first dance.”
The room erupted in applause. Greg took Mom by the hand and led her to the middle of the floor. As I started the first chords, he drew her into his arms, and she beamed.
It was a surreal experience having an entire band playing with me, especially back-up singers. Once I finished, the crowd demanded an encore, which made me grin so hard my face hurt. So I kept singing. From Granddaddy’s instructions, I was able to play rockier versions of classics like Sinatra’s The Way You Look Tonight along with Etta James’s At Last. I kept it up while people finished their dinners, and then as Mom and Greg cut the wedding cake. They teasingly fed bites of sugary sweetness to each other before gleefully smashing each other’s faces full of icing. As they laughed in each other’s arms, I once again felt the familiar tightening in my chest. Focusing on the lyrics I sang, I pushed the unhappy thoughts from my mind. Instead, I was truly grateful that Mom had found love and happiness.
When I finally finished singing, everyone applauded and whistled again. I grinned. “Thank you. Now I’m going to turn it back over to the real band.”
After depositing my guitar, I hopped off the stage and weaved my way through the dancing couples. When I finally made it back over to Maddie’s table, it was empty. I whirled around and frantically searched the crowd. My heart stopped with every second I didn’t see her.
A hand tapped me on the shoulder. “Looking for me?”
When I spun around, Maddie grinned at me. I could barely disguise the whooshing breath of relief I exhaled at the sight of her. I licked my lips to dry and wet where my mouth had gone dry. “Yeah, I was. I thought you’d bailed.”
Quirking her eyebrows at me, she said, “That’d be pretty sad having your date bail on you at your mother’s wedding.”