My First - Jason & Katie (31 page)

Then, before he knew it, the pastor was saying, “You may now kiss the bride,” and the whole place was cheering.

Sophie and Bobby headed down the aisle, beaming proud and joyful smiles from ear to ear, and then he took Katie's arm and the
y followed.

Man. It was becoming clearer and clearer to him that, with Katie by his side, all was right with the world. Without her, nothing was. He felt his chest get tight when he thought about letting her go. Again.

Katie took a moment and looked around the reception, which was in a refinished barn at the edge of the lake, a few blocks from the chapel. It retained enough of its rustic original architecture to lend itself well to 'country chic' events like Sophie and Bobby's wedding reception, but it had been completely outfitted with a commercial kitchen, a dance floor and sound system, and every amenity that event-goers might need.

The best part was that both ends of the 'barn' had huge, open double doors that led outside. One set led to a grove of trees, which was completely outfitted with twinkle lights tonight. The other set of doors looked right out onto the lake.

Katie sat at the head table with Chelle, giggling and gossiping yet again. It really was their 'default' and Katie liked that just fine.

Chelle leaned in close and Katie could already see that she had a wicked look on her face.

“I know you did the dirty last night, girl, don't even try to deny it,” she said, waggling her eyebrows up and down for naughty emphasis.

“You don't
know
anything,” Katie countered with a smirk.

“As good as,” Chelle shot back, “Oh dff, it was embarrassing how hard he was staring at you before, and today it's magnified tenfold. It's like he's the starving desert guy from cartoons and you've turned into a steak.”

Katie shook her head, “I don't think I come out particularly well in that analogy. I'm basically just a piece of meat?”

Chelle laughed, “Don't go getting all feminist on me. At least, in my analogy, Jason wants to eat you. That can't be bad, right?”

They both burst out laughing just as Jason returned to the table with their drinks. He chuckled as he set the glasses down, “Seems like I'm missing all the good stuff,” he teased.

“The way I hear it, you're not missing much,” Chelle said with a grin, and Katie elbowed her.

Just then, they heard the DJ announce that it was time for the toasts.

Oh, Lord, Katie thought. Please don't let me bawl in front of all these people!

Jason stood and tapped his fork against his glass, and the room quieted. He looked over at Sophie and Bobby, who were looking up at him with expectant faces.

He smiled, picked up the microphone, and began, “I'm sure most of you know that Nick, Sophie's older brother, was my best friend. I spent more days and nights at the Hunter house than...well, than I spent at my own, a lot of times. In truth, I've always thought of Sophie as my little sister in a lot of ways.

“Especially after we lost Nick, I stepped in and tried to fill that void. I tried to give her advice, about school, about friends. Even about men. I tried to tell her what I thought Nick would have wanted her to know. To hold out for someone who didn't just love her, but couldn't live without her. Someone that she didn't feel like she could live without, either.

“Someone kind, and honest, and that treated her like a princess.

“I didn't realize when I gave her those words of advice that I was describing my own baby brother, but, man...I'm sure glad I was.”

Jason turned around to face Sophie and delivered the rest of the speech directly to her, “I can tell you from experience that Bobby is the best man I know. He has courage, he has integrity, and he has more loyalty in his little finger than most people have in their whole bodies. I know him, Sophie, and he will fight for you. He's loved you forever, and he'll love you forever to come. He's everything that I think Nick would have wanted for you, he's everything I told you to hold out for.

“Like, I said, Soph...I've always considered you my little sister, and now you actually are. Nothing could make me happier.”

He turned back to the crowd and raised his glass, “To the happy couple!”

“To the happy couple!” The crowd echoed, raising their own glasses.

Jason handed her the microphone and sat down, watching her eagerly.

Katie turned to the crowd, “I'm not sure how I'm going to top that,” she joked lightly, and the guests chuckled.

Katie opened her mouth to speak, but her throat closed from the tears that were threatening. She waited a few beats, getting herself under control.

She smiled, and addressed the crowd again, “Wow, that's been happening a lot this weekend,” she said lightly, and they chuckled again.

“I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one here who has been overcome by tears more than once as they watch these two beautiful young people make a commitment to each other, one that
signifies just how much they love each other. And you can see just by looking at them exactly how much that is.

“I've known Sophie since she was just a little thing. Sophie – or Sophiebell, as she will always be to me – was only four years old when the Hunters moved next door. She was my shadow from the very first day, and that couldn't have made me happier. I always wanted a little sister, and Sophie seemed more than eager to fill that role. She used to come bopping over to my house, wearing her ballet leotard and tutu, and treat me to impromptu recitals on a moment's notice.

“I don't think there was any choreography involved. I think she just wanted to dance.

“Now, when I see Sophie all grown up and beautiful, wearing that wedding gown – I can still see that little four-year-old ballerina inside, that little girl who just wants to dance. And now she's found the perfect partner.

“I love you, Sophiebell. I always will.”

Katie raised her glass, “To the happy couple!”

The attendees echoed, their own glasses raised, “To the happy couple!”

Katie sat down and Jason put an arm around her shoulder. Chelle grasped her hand from the other side, and Katie felt (to quote Anne of Green Gables) pretty nearly perfectly happy.

They sat and chatted like that for awhile, with others coming up intermittently to tell either Jason or Katie how much they had enjoyed the toasts, and before Katie knew it, it was time for the first dance.

Katie got up from her seat and moved to the edge of the dance floor so that she would have a better view. Sophie and Bobby looked into each other's eyes lovingly as they swayed to the music.

After the first dance, the father-daughter dance began. Mike joined Sophie on the dance floor, and the two of them laughed and talked as they moved around the floor, and – most of all – looked to be very happy.

Katie realized, maybe for the first time, that when she got married, there would be no father-daughter dance. She was missing a pretty critical portion of that equation.

She started to feel a little sad, and that quickly bled into feeling overwhelmed. That led to feeling claustrophobic in the room packed with people.

Oh, no, she thought. A panic attack is coming on.

She began to repeat the mantra to herself:

You can breathe. Just breathe. Breathe in and out slowly. You can breathe.

Where was a good old fashioned brown paper lunch sack when you needed one?

The mantra wasn't working, but she knew that she could not just duck out of the reception in the middle of the dance. She was the maid of freaking honor! People would probably notice!

That knowledge only made her feel MORE out of control and panicked, which fed into her ever-increasing symptoms, which made her feel out of control, and...vicious circle...and yadda yadda yadda. She needed to figure out how to STOP it!

Her heartbeat was erratic, her palms were sweaty, and she was starting feel as though the walls were closing in. Her chest felt like an elephant was sitting on it.

She didn't know what to do.

Then, just when it was getting really bad, she felt a hand on the small of her back. Jason was standing beside her, and he leaned in to whisper in her ear. At first, she was so far gone that she couldn't even understand what he was whispering to her, but then she deciphered his words.

“Are you OK, or do I need to get you out of here?”

The tone in his voice, the heat of his breath on her neck, the weight of his hand on her lower back – all of it served to anchor her to the room.

Screw the mantra, she thought, just Jason’s presence seemed to be keeping the looming panic attack at bay.

Then, luckily after Jason had stood with her long enough to calm her down considerably, it was time for the wedding party to join the bride and groom. Jason led Katie to the floor and
pulled her against him. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, and she melted into him. When she was in his arms, she felt so safe, so solid, so secure, so...perfect.

She closed her eyes and laid her head on his shoulder. They swayed back and forth in an almost hypnotic fashion, following the slow and lovely melody of the music.

Jason leaned down and whispered that he had chosen this song specifically for the wedding party dance because he knew that he would be dancing with her.

Katie focused in and made a point of listening to the lyrics.

I melt in your mouth when you talk to me

I wanna kiss you so slow and sweet

You are the book that I want to read

In Braille cover to cover

Girl, you're so deep inside, you're my DNA

You're how tall I am, you're how much I weigh

You're the reason that someone had to pen the phrase,

“To know her is to love her”

Silly girl, pretty girl, if you don't see

What a spell your sweet love has cast on me

Girl, and I pray that never will this trance be broken

She pulled back to look up at him, amazement filling her countenance. “Is that how you really feel about me?” she asked, her voice tinged with awe.

Jason leaned in and kissed her, slowly and sweetly, just like the song had said. Forgetting completely that they were in a room full of people, she kissed him back, all her inhibitions dropping away for the duration of that one perfect kiss.

He looked into her eyes and answered her, “All that and more, my Katie.”

As the song drew to a close, Katie felt utterly overwhelmed with emotion. She told Jason that she needed to have a minute for herself, and headed for the restroom.

She sat down on the closed lid of the toilet in the stall, trying to slow her breathing and calm her frazzled nerves. So much had happened this weekend – some of it good, some of it bad...some of it GREAT – but all of it had been
intense
. She just needed a moment to gather herself.

When she heard other people entering the bathroom, she pulled her feet up, not wanting to be engaged in conversation. She heard the distinctive voices of Lisa and Tiffany, two of the mean girls from high school...and they proceeded to prove that they had not yet reformed, even ten years later.

“God, could you believe it?”

“Ohmygod, I know exactly what you're talking about, you don't even need to say it.”

“On three, we'll go together...”

“1, 2, 3...”

“Katie Lawson being a total slut!”

“I know, right?!”

“Totally, girl, you read my mind!”

“Oh. My. God. Can you believe she's such a whore? Just sucking face with Jason, at Nick's SISTER'S WEDDING, right in front of God and everyone...”

“Including Nick's parents!”

“You're right! I didn't even think about Nick's parents being there!”

“I guess she didn't either. She's such trash. I bet they, like, totally hate her now.”

“Oh my God, totally. I feel so totally sorry for Nick.”

“I know, right? He was such a good guy, and his girlfriend's such a slutbag!”

Ironic, Katie thought to herself as the girls filed out, coming from the mouths of two girls who had screwed Nick while he'd been her boyfriend.

But...she also couldn't deny that they had a point.

She just couldn't take any more of this. She shook her head. She was going to avoid Jason for the rest of the reception (even if it killed her) and then she was going to head back to the hotel (alone) and indulge in a (probably particularly raucous) shower concert. Maybe that would help her get her head on straight.

Katie stepped out of the shower, feeling slightly better. Her shower concert had been bittersweet, mainly focusing on titles such as, “I Will Remember You,” by Sarah McLachlan and “It Must Have Been Love” by Roxette. Still. Despite her melancholy repertoire, she felt that she had regained some of her composure, and some of her perspective.

Which was, of course, immediately shattered upon opening the bathroom door and hearing a persistent pounding, along with Jason's sing-song voice saying, “Katie! Open up, I know you're in there. I can hear you!”