Righteous Obsession (27 page)

“Yeah, Mom,” he called, his voice thick with sleep. 
He threw back the covers and got out of bed then pulled on his jeans and a
T-shirt and opened the door.  He yawned while rubbing his eyes.  “What time is
it?”

“A little after eight so you have plenty of time.  I
ordered breakfast and it just arrived.”

Colin grinned.  “I don’t know if I can eat anything. 
My stomach’s still kind of jumpy.”  He followed her into the living room.

Peter and Liam, looking sleepy and disheveled, had
already started eating.  As Colin sat down, his father smiled at him and asked,
“Feeling better, Son?”

“Yeah, but my stomach still feels like it’s got a
good-sized knot in it,” He replied as he poured himself a cup of coffee and a
glass of orange juice.

Peter laughed.  “I felt the same way!  It’ll pass.”

“Try and eat something,” Amanda urged.

Colin shrugged and reached for a piece of toast.  He
scrapped butter and jam across it then took a bite, hoping his stomach would
settle.  He forced himself to finish it and take a second piece.  He took a
gulp of his coffee, finished his juice and rose.

“Are you sure you don’t want anything else, Colin?”
Amanda asked.

He shook his head.  “Thanks, Mom, but I’m fine.  I’m
going to get ready.”

“Don’t worry, Mandy; he’ll be fine,” Peter assured her
as Colin left the room.

Colin took his time getting ready.  He took a
leisurely shower then shaved and dried his hair.  He dressed in the slacks his
mother had bought for him.  He also was wearing a white silk shirt, a colorful
print vest and the same jacket he’d worn the night before.  He exchanged his
usual dangling earring for a plain gold hoop.  “Don’t want to look too heavy
metal and scare Alethea’s relatives!”  He muttered.  He sat down on the bed and
put on his shoes cursing their tightness again.  His feet still hurt from
wearing them last night.  He finished, surveyed himself in the mirror and said,
“Guess you’ll have to do!”  Only one thing remained.  His shirt had a
band-collar with one button and he couldn’t get the blasted thing fastened!  He
left his room and knocked on the door of his parents’ room.  “Mom?”

“Come on in,” Amanda called.

He entered.  His mother was sitting on the bed,
putting on her pumps while his father stood in front of the mirror, knotting
his
Jerry Garcia
® tie.  His attire consisted of a lightweight gray suit.

“Sorry to bother you, but I couldn’t get this buttoned
fastened.”

“Here, sit down.”  She quickly got the button
fastened.

“Thanks, Mom.”  He got up and took a step back.  “So,
how do I look?”

“Very handsome, of course,” Amanda replied.

Peter turned from the mirror.  “I second the motion.”

“Geez! Dad, did you borrow your suspenders from Larry
King?”  Colin teased him.

Peter looked down at his bright blue suspenders and
grinned.  “Hey!  These are the hot item for politicians these days!”  He
buttoned his vest over them then picked up his suit jacket.

“Well, you both look great!  Mom especially.  It’s
just my opinion, but I happen to think I have the best looking parents around!”

 “Thank you, Colin,” Amanda said, smiling.  She wore a
rose-colored silk dress gathered at the waist with a matching dress-length,
silk jacket.  With it, she wore the diamond earrings and necklace that Peter
had given her for their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.  Her hairstyle was an
elaborate French twist.  “Would you mind checking on Liam to see how he’s
getting along and if he needs any help?”

“Sure,” Colin answered.  “I’ll bet he’s really fussing
with his hair today.”

After Colin had left, Peter sighed and said to his
wife, “You know, Mandy I had actually hoped to see Colin in a tuxedo on his
wedding day.”

Amanda laughed.  “Are we talking about the son who
refused to go to either of his high school proms because he’d had to wear a
tuxedo?”

Peter laughed, too.  “I know.  I’m suffering from a
case of wishful thinking.”

Colin knocked on Liam’s door.  “Mom wants to know how
you’re doing and if you need any help?”

“I’m fine,” Liam assured him.

Colin went into his room, repacked his bag and took it
upstairs.  There was nobody around except the security guard by the elevator so
Colin figured Steve, Mace and Jake had already left for Alethea’s house and
their road crew were at the arena.  He went downstairs to the florist shop near
the lobby and picked up the floral items he’d ordered yesterday.  He and Louisa
had decided that he would provide the corsages and boutonnieres for his
grandparents, aunts and uncles as well as Alethea’s grandmother and
great-aunt.  Louisa would supply his, Liam’s, Peter’s and Beau’s boutonnieres
as well as hers and his mom’s corsages so they would match the flowers in
Alethea and Vanessa’s bouquets.

“Are we all ready?”  Amanda asked as he returned to
the suite.

“I am if everybody else is,” Colin joked.

Amanda stepped back and looked at her two sons, her
expression struggling between pride and joy.  “You guys look so handsome!”

“Awe, Mom!”  Both Colin and Liam chorused in unison.

“And you look as beautiful now as you did on our
wedding day, Mandy,” Peter said.

“Thank you,” she replied and glanced at her watch.  “We’d
better get going. The rest of the family’s probably already waiting in the
lobby.”  She turned to Colin.  “I don’t think I told you, but both of your
grandparents, Dick and Lucy, and Angie and Greg are leaving right after the
reception.”

“I figured they wouldn’t be able to stay very long.
I’m just glad they were able to come at all on such short notice.”

“Have you got Alethea’s wedding ring, Liam?”  Peter
asked.

“Yup, Dad, right here,” Liam replied, patting his
pocket.

Father Michaels slouched way down in his car.  He kept
his eyes on the limousine parked in front of the hotel’s front entrance. 
Presently, he saw four couples, dressed formally, come out and get into the
limousine.  Colin and his family also formally dressed, followed them out and
got into the rental car.  He waited until their car had pulled out and two cars
had passed him before he pulled out into the street.  He kept a comfortable
distance between his and Colin’s car.  He recalled immediately that this was
the way to the blond whore’s home.  When their car turned into Alethea’s
street, he turned also.  He saw the limousine had pulled up in front of her
home and noticed other cars lining the street with formally dressed people
emerging from them and entering the whore’s home.  He drove past as slowly as
he dared, trying to see what was going on, but the high wall that enclosed the
property frustrated his efforts.  In his rearview mirror he saw the family
emerge from their car and go into the house.  Since he couldn’t risk loitering,
he reluctantly decided to return to the hotel.

Alethea stood very still while her mother and Susanna
Lee carefully arranged her bridal veil and securely fastened it to her hair.  A
female photographer had been snapping pictures of Alethea being attired in her
wedding gown.  She was also taping it for Jazz’s video cameraman.

“Brides in your great-grandmother’s day always used
fresh flowers like roses or orange blossoms as a veil ornament,” Susanna
explained.  She took the coronet of pink rosebuds, cut from Louisa’s garden
that morning, and pinned it securely to Alethea’s pompadour.  She stepped
back.  “There!  I promise that will hold even if the weather turns windy.”

“Thank you, Susanna, for all your help,” Alethea said,
squeezing her hand.  Louisa and Vanessa straightened the skirt of her dress,
her train and veil then the photographer took one final shot and departed.

“I’m going downstairs and see how your guests are
doing,” Susanna said.

“You look so beautiful, darling,” Louisa assured her,
giving her a hug, her eyes moist.

“Mom, don’t start crying or I’ll start, too, and
Vanessa will have to redo my make-up,” Alethea warned, feeling her own eyes
growing moist.

“I’m trying very hard not to.”

“You’re going to knock Colin’s socks off when he sees
you coming down that aisle!”  Vanessa promised.  She wore a ruby-colored gown
in the style of Alethea’s with a fitted bodice and sleeves that were full at
the shoulders and tighter at the wrists.

“Your gown compliments mine so well, Vanessa,” Alethea
remarked.  “Wherever did you find it on such short notice?”

“It’s actually from Mr. Edwards
Victorian Fantasy
collection.  I did a layout for this collection about a month ago.  When you
described your wedding gown to me I knew this dress would be perfect!  I called
him in New York, asked to borrow it and he sent it to Savannah special
delivery.  He also sent you his best wishes.”

“Mr. Edwards!”  Alethea laughed.  “I always hated
modeling for his line.  He was always such a fuss-budget!  Everything had to be
perfect …my hair, my make-up and especially my skin!  If I had one blemish he’d
have a cow!”

Vanessa nodded in sympathy.  “You’ll be glad to hear
he hasn’t changed a bit.”

“It was sweet of him to loan you that gown and send me
his best wishes though.  I’ll have to be sure and thank him.”

“I think under that fuss-budget exterior beats the
heart of a teddy bear!”  Vanessa laughed.

“I’m going down and get your bouquets out the
refrigerator,” Louisa decided.  There was a knock at the door and she peeked
out then opened it fully.  “Hello, Nancy.”

A chic-looking blond woman, a few years older than
Alethea, with a rather arrogant air about her and holding a cocktail strolled
inside. “Your intended just arrived,” her voice was loud and her pronunciation
sounded slightly slurred.  She took another sip of her cocktail.  “Long hair,
an earring and a loud vest.  I assume he’s yours or I’d be seriously concerned
that the quality of the people coming into this house has really declined!”

“Nancy …” Louisa began, but stopped as she saw Alethea
motioning to her.

“Colin’s not into dressing formally; he really prefers
wearing nothing.”

“Well …I never!”  Nancy hissed.  She gave an angry
sniff and exited the room, her back stiff and her heel clicking loudly on the
wood floor.

Louisa gave her daughter a grateful smile then said,
“I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Who was she?”  Vanessa asked.  “Besides a loud drunk,
that is.”

Alethea sighed.  “My cousin.  I’m sure you know her
type – the head cheerleader, homecoming queen and prom queen who marries the
captain of the football team.  Her husband, George is a major loser.  Nancy’s
the kind who looks forward to her high school reunions so she can relive her
glory days and be in the spotlight again.  We were hoping they would be sober
at least for the wedding ceremony, but I guess it was wishful thinking.”

“She sounds pretty pathetic to me!”  Vanessa replied. 
She looked Alethea over entirely.  “Now what about you?  Do you have
everything?”

“Heavens!  I almost forgot Colin’s ring!”  She opened
her dresser drawer, took out a small black box and gave it to Vanessa who
opened to and took out an unusual antique wedding band.

“It’s definitely one-of-a-kind and definitely Colin.” 
She assured Alethea.  “But I was talking about something old, something new,
etc…”

“Well, something old is my wedding gown and something
new are these diamond earrings mom and dad gave me this morning.  Something
borrowed is this brooch Amanda loaned me.”  She touched the antique cameo
brooch at her throat.

“What about something blue?”

“Mrs. Hunter, the seamstress, sewed a blue bow on the
hem of my slip.”  She lifted her gown up slightly revealing the bow.

“We’ve got your garter that Colin gets to take off you
and toss.”

“Yes.”  Alethea nodded.

“We’re all set then.”

There was another knock at the bedroom door and
Vanessa peeked out then opened the door so Beau could come inside.  “It’s just
about time, Alethea.  Are you ready?”

“Just as soon as mom brings our bouquets, Dad.”

“You look very beautiful, darling.  I hope Colin
realizes how lucky he is.”

“He does, Dad,” She gave him a hug and a kiss.

Colin was standing with his parents and Judge
LeCarre.  He glanced around the room at Susanna Lee who was busy steering the
guests outside into the garden.  The photographer and Jazz’s camcorder guy were
busy recording their wedding for posterity.  They’d already taken pictures of
him pinning corsages on his mother, Louisa, his grandmothers, his aunts,
Alethea’s grandmother and her great-aunt.  Peter was photographed pinning on
his and Liam’s boutonnieres.  He spotted both the photographer and the video
cameraman, waiting by the patio doors.

Susanna came up to him and whispered, “We’re ready for
you outside.”

Colin swallowed nervously and nodded.

“This is it, Son, are you ready?”  Peter said,
clapping him on his back.

“I will be, Dad, as soon as I swallow my heart!”  He
joked.  He and Liam waited until his parents were sitting before they walked
out and took their places by Judge LeCarre. Colin looked around him, surprised
to see more people than he’d expected on such short notice.  He assumed the
ones he didn’t know were either relatives or friends of the Ford’s.  He smiled
and nodded at Mace, Jake, Steve, Clem and McGregor.  He felt really
uncomfortable with all these unfamiliar people staring at him.  He was about to
resort to his usual nervous gesture of shoving his hands into his pockets when
he caught a stern look from his mother and dropped them to his sides.

Liam had caught the exchange between Colin and their
mom and chuckled softly.  “You aren’t nervous, are you, Colin?”

“Little brother, I wasn’t this nervous when we played
our first opening concert for Guns ‘N’ Roses!”

Jazz hurried up and took a seat next to McGregor just
as the music started.  Vanessa came into view first.  Colin bit his lip and
quickly ducked his head so he wouldn’t burst out laughing at the expression on
Jake’s face when he saw her.  He looked up just in time to catch Jake, shooting
him a dirty look.  The wedding march started to play and everybody stood.

Alethea, escorted by both her parents, came slowly
towards him.  Colin felt awed by her beauty and he couldn’t take his eyes off
her.  Beau and Louisa walked her to where he stood and she took his arm then
handed her bouquet to Vanessa to hold.  Both bouquets consisted of pink roses
with satin and lace streamers.

Judge LeCarre looked at them and smiled then after a
short speech on the virtue of marriage, he asked, “Who gives this woman to be
married?”

Beau and Louisa looked at each other, smiled and
replied, “We do.”  They quietly seated themselves next to Peter and Amanda.

Most of the ceremony went past Colin in a blur except
for the part where Judge LeCarre asked if anyone knew of a reason why he and
Alethea shouldn’t marry.  He knew nobody would lodge an objection, but he held
his breath anyway.  He supposed it was because of the residual guilt he still
felt over his fling with Debbie.  The other part of the ceremony he would
always remember, vividly, was when he and Alethea exchanged vows and rings.

“By the powers vested in me by the state of Louisiana,
I now pronounce you husband and wife.”  He glanced at Colin and said with a
smile, “You can kiss your bride now.”  Flushing, Colin put his arm around a
blushing Alethea and gave her a brief kiss.

“May I present Mr. and Mrs. Colin Matthews,” Judge
LeCarre announced.  Everyone clapped.

They spent the next half-hour posing for wedding
pictures.  Photographs taken included them together, apart, with Colin’s
family, with Alethea’s family and with their wedding party.  It seemed about a
thousand pictures by Colin’s count.  After the principle photography finished,
Colin and Alethea, who had carefully looped her veil over her arm to protect it
from damage, went into the house.  The reception was inside the house, but the
guests spilled out on the patio and into garden where the caterers had set up
tables.  Immediately upon entering the house, Colin and Alethea were pulled in
separate directions.  Every time one of them got free, the other one was busy with
family, friends or other well-wishers.

Louisa caught Colin’s arm just as he was going to look
for Alethea.  “Colin, where is Alethea? The photographer wants to get pictures
of you two cutting the cake.”

“I don’t know, Louisa.  I was just going to look for
her.”

“You go wait by the cake and I’ll round her up,” She
directed him.

Colin did as she requested.  At least he’d get to see
his bride for a few seconds.  Louisa was back in a few moments with her
daughter in tow.  They posed for the standard cake cutting pictures then Louisa
and Amanda took over the actual cutting duties.

“Hey, Colin, do we get to kiss the bride?”  Mace
called.

“If Alethea doesn’t mind; it’s fine with me.”

“I don’t mind,” Alethea said.

Mace, Jake, Steve and McGregor all gave her a kiss
then Jake pulled Colin aside and demanded, “How come you never told me Alethea
knew Vanessa Morrison?”

“Sorry, Jake,” Colin apologized.  “I guess I’ve been
so nervous about this wedding that it just slipped my mind!  You want an
introduction?”

“Does Steve Tyler scream like a banshee?”

Colin touched Alethea’s shoulder and whispered, “Be
right back.”  He saw Vanessa talking to his mother and went over to them. 
“Vanessa, can I borrow you for a moment?”

“Sure, Colin,” She agreed and followed him into the house. 
“What’s up?”

“I have a friend who’s a great admirer of yours and
he’d very much like to meet you.  His name is Jake Rousselle and he plays bass
in our band.”

“Jake?  He’s the one with the long, curly hair?”

“Yes, that’s him.”

“I’ll confess, for your ears only, that I’ve always
thought he was really sexy and I was considering asking Alethea if she’d
introduce us.”

Colin brought Vanessa over to where Alethea, Jake and
Mace were standing.  “Jake, I’d like you to meet Vanessa Morrison.  Vanessa,
this is my long-time friend and band mate, Jake Rousselle.”  He bent slightly
and said to Jake, “Okay, bud, I’ve done my part.  You’re on your own.”

“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m starved
and this food looks too good to pass up,” Mace said, picking up a plate.

“Are you hungry?”  Colin asked Alethea.

She gave him a long, lingering look that suggested
food might not be the only thing she wanted.  “Yes, I am.  I couldn’t eat this
morning.”

“Me neither,” Colin said.  He took a large slice of
wedding cake and two forks and gave them to Alethea.  He filled another plate
with food from the buffet, took Alethea’s arm, steered her into Beau’s study
and shut the door.  They sank down on the couch, savoring the solitude for a
moment.

“Alone at last!”  Colin sighed.

“Good!  Now you can kiss me.”

“Kiss you?  I kissed you this morning!”  He teased
her, setting down the plate of food and licking a smudge of frosting off his
thumb.

“I mean a real kiss!”  Alethea pouted.

“Oh!  A real kiss!  Like this?”  Colin pulled her
close and gave her a long, lingering kiss.

“Yes,” Alethea murmured.  “Exactly like that.”

“You look so beautiful today.  It’s something I’ll
remember all my life.”

“Thank you,” Alethea replied.  “And you look very
handsome and sexy.”  She already knew how he felt by the expression on his face
as he watched her walking up the aisle towards him, but it was nice to hear him
say it aloud.

Colin groaned and slumped back.  “Shit!  I really wish
now I didn’t have a concert tonight as my mind’s definitely going to be on
other things!”