And I had him the whole time.
“Yes, I remember. Girls were always at his house, calling him, following him around.”
“But he rarely paid attention.”
That’s because he was in love with me.
“Some thought he was gay,” she says, which causes me to laugh.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to move.”
“No worries, I probably shouldn’t have said that. I think those who did were probably rejected by him.” She smiles softly and goes back to work, pinning half of my curls up. Noah loves my long hair and being that it’s winter I want to keep most of it down. “Christmas weddings are so beautiful.”
“I agree.”
Mom comes over with a big grin on her face. “Oh Peyton, you’re going to be such a beautiful bride.” She kisses my cheek, smelling of champagne.
“Thanks, Mom. Hey, Elle, maybe chill out on giving Mom so much to drink.”
Mom scoffs and waves my comment off as she goes back to the other gals. Aunt Josie and Betty Paige are getting manicures, Eden and Elle are getting pedicures, and it seems that Jenna and my mother are hitting the bottle.
“You’re pretty lucky,” the hairdresser says.
“Why do you say that?”
She nods toward Josie. “She’s Noah’s Mom, right?” I nod. “Yeah, she came in one day and asked about services. When she told us it was going to be on Christmas, we all passed.”
“What changed your mind?”
“She told us your story and everything you’ve been through. She sat in here for an hour after we closed, talking about Noah and his love for you. I was the first one to say yes, the other girls followed quickly.”
“Thank you. I know working on Christmas Day isn’t the best way to spend the time.”
“No, but helping a bride look her best for her fairy tale wedding is a pretty good reason to skip dinner at my in-laws.”
By the time I’ve been buffed, polished, had my makeup applied, I’m on edge. My team is doing everything they can to keep my nerves calm on the ride over to the church. The limo pulls around the back, but not before I see so many people walking in.
“People came,” I say as I look out the window. My mom holds my hand, squeezing it lightly.
“Everyone RSVP’d, Peyton,” Josie says.
“Everyone?”
She nods. That means there are over five hundred people cramming into that church, on Christmas night. That means people gave up time with their families, to watch ours become one.
“Don’t cry, sweetie.” My mom pats my leg. Too bad her words make me want to cry even more now.
Once the limo driver opens the door, we rush inside. In the small chamber room, my dress is hanging, suspended in mid-air, waiting for me to slip into it.
“Jenna pressed it one more time before she and Eden started their duties,” Mom tells me. Jenna oversees the guest book, while Eden hands out programs. Jimmy is an usher. The perfect job for a man like him, escorting women to their seats. No doubt cracking jokes as he walks them down the aisle.
I go over to my dress and touch the silky fabric. In terms of design, this is a simple gown. It’s perfect for me.
“I have your something new,” Betty Paige says. She hands me a small blue box tied in white ribbon. “It’s from Noah.”
I look at her questioningly before pulling on one of the ribbons. Inside the box, is another box. She helps me pull it out and holds it while I flip the top open. Nestled on top of velvet is a diamond tennis bracelet, set in platinum.
“If you look underneath each piece or whatever you call them, it says Noah and Peyton,” Paige tells me. I do as she says and flip the bracelet over once I have it out of the box. Sure enough, there’s a tiny letter on each bracket, and enough to spell out our names.