The O'Malley Brides (34 page)

“No, we will be at Mass that night,” Tess assured her
,
blushing.  We both probably need it more than anyone here she thought, after some of the things that went on in their bedroom.

“Well whatever you decide
, d
ear,” Maeve said.  “What’s left on the list
,
Molly?”

“Did you get the license?” Molly asked.

“We got that last week,” Tess replied.

“Okay
,
how about the food?”

“I ordered a meat tray, rolls and some salads from Hansberger’s Deli.  They have the best food around.  I couldn’t get anything hot because like the bakery, they are closing early.  I hope that’s alright
,
Ma.”

“That’s fine
,
Maggie
.  I think we’ll eat before the wedding and then Tess can go upstairs and get ready.  Then after the ceremony we’ll have cake and champagne
,
unless
you don’t want Rory to see you before the wedding Tess?”

“Originally I felt that way and I planned on staying at your house overnight the day before, but Rory absolutely
refuses to allow it.”

“What do you mean he won’t allow it?” Bridget asked outraged.  “It’s your wedding too.
  Tess,
” she
continued, narrowing her eyes,
“
p
lease tell me you’re omitting the word ‘obey’ from your ceremony.”

“I cannot,” Tess replied quietly.

“Well then tell me why you can’t stay at the house for one night?  He’s being ridiculous.”

“He tells me he cannot live without me for that long.  He says his heart will break if he has to spend even one night without me,” Tess whispered.

“Oh,” Bridget sighed
,
deflated for the moment.  She had never pictured her big tough brother being all that romantic, but apparently he was. 

All the
girls
cleared their throats, taking sips of their
drinks except
Molly who just smiled knowingly.

“What’s left
,
Molly?  It sounds like everything is taken care of,” Maeve stated, getting back to business before her eyes could tear up again.

“I think so,” Molly said
.
“
Rory insist
ed on professional pictures.  The photographer
will be there early, but he wants to be done by ten.  I told him the wedding was at eight and he assured me he’ll be there by seven.  That will give him time to take some pict
ures of the Rory
and the family and still plenty of time for some after the ceremony.”

“That sounds perfect,” Tess added.  “I did invite a couple of friends from school.  I hope you do not mind.”

“Of course not, Tess,” Maeve answered smiling.  “Is there
anythin’
else we need to discuss before we go find the most beautiful dress in the world?” she asked, looking around the table.

“There is one small thing I am having trouble with,” Tess stated hesitantly.

“What’s that
,
Dear?
” Maeve asked as all eyes turned to Tess.

“It is the house,” Tess answered, her voice becoming stronger.  “Rory has not been any help at all.  Apparently it is the only thing in the world he has
no opinion about.”

“Have you tried to explain that you need help?” Maggie asked, pushing her empty plate away.

“I have Maggie, truly.  All he say
s is “
Do whatever you want,
Babe
. Whatever you decide
Babe
”
,” Tess continued trying to mimic Rory’s deep voice.  By the time she paused they were all cracking up.  “It really is very frustrating,” Tess groaned.  “I so wanted to be able to put up a small tree, but we do not even have any furniture in the living room.  He will not tell me what colors he likes or what style.  Twice I have made appointments for the man to come about the carpet, but I have had to cancel both times.”

“Where is Rory today?” Maggie asked, an expression on her face that the other girls recognized, but Tess didn’t.

“He is home right now, but he has to work late tonight.  He is doing some kind of swap to have a longer holiday.”

“So he’ll be gone until about what time tonight?” Colleen asked grinning.

“I am not sure, but probably until after eleven,” Tess answered.  “Why
,
are you girls going to help me?”

“We’
re going to help you
,” Molly answered laughing.  “Let’s go find your dress Tess and then we’ll see how much time we have to work with.

“Thank you,” Tess replied gratefully.

“Oh, don’t thank them yet,” Bridget shot in as she left the table.  “Save that for later after you see how things turn out,” she insisted laughing.

Tess nodded and went to the bar to pay the bill.  All the girls argued, but she cheerfully paid with Rory’s bank
card
, including a generous tip for Patrick who laughed heartily about it and thanked her with a big hug that took her off her feet.

Chapter 19

Tess carefully hung the garment bag containing her wedding dress and veil in the closet.  She fell in love with the first dress she tried on.  It was a strapless ivory gown with a ruched bodice.  Ivory chiffon fell from the bust to the floor and was sprinkled with tiny
crystals that caught the light each time she moved.  Her headpiece was a slim headband of crystal flowers attached to yards and yards of ivory tulle.  The shoes looked like delicate glass even though they were made of much sturdier material and she felt like a princess the minute she slipped her foot into the first one.  
Putting what she considered an outrageous amount on Rory’s bank card made her feel guilty until the girls assured her it really was a bargain.  Tess placed the shoebox on the shelf and quickly changed into an old pair of jeans and a tee shirt.  The girls were coming to help her and she had a hard time containing her excitement.

Two hours later a pickup backed into the driveway and Bridget and Maggie jumped out.  Molly pulled in behind them with Jason and Colleen parked on the lawn, Michael and Ryan spilling from her car.  Tess ran outside as Maggie dropped the tailgate and stared at the array of items.  It seems
everyone in the family had cast offs they were willing to donate and as they unloaded the truck
, Tess had a moment of panic. 
Rory was going to kill her.

“No
,
he’s not,” Molly assured her standing off to one side as the boys carried in a bright purple rug. 

“Are you sure?” Tess asked doubting Molly for the first time.

“
Pretty sure,” Molly replied with a grin.  “On the other hand, Patrick may kill me when he finds out I’ve given his brother his prized possession,” she continued skipping to her car and returning with a replica of the lamp from
A Christmas Story
, complete with fishnet stocking and tassel trimmed shade.  “Pat loves this lamp but I’ve tolerated it for the last holiday.  Take it with my good wishes,” she laughed.

All in all they were there about four hours
“
fixing up
”
the house.  Half the living room floor was covered with the purple rug, the other half with neon g
reen shag.  The couch Maggie picked up was two houses down fro
m hers.  It was waiting for the trash man, but Maggie and Bridget managed to stuff it up onto the truck.  Her neighbor behaved very sympathetically offering a nicer couch she had in the garage but Maggie insisted that this one was perfect.  It was red, lopsided with one broken leg and the cushions were as thin as pancakes. 

Molly covered Rory’s recliner with a ruffled pink bedspread that had seen better days and quickly stitched up the back so it would stay on.  While Colleen hung curtains on the window, half Supe
rman and the other half, Barbie,
the boys carried in something
they
called a potato chip chair.  It had no arms and looked a little like a lounge chair, but wider.  It was upholstered in orange fur and it vibrated.
 

Tess got into the spirit of things and strung Christmas lights corner to corner across the ceiling with Jason’s help.  When she plugged them in she realized they were
chasing lights in green, purple,
yellow, blue and red. 

Maeve arrived about an hour before they were finished as she had to wait for Sean to get home, carrying a lighted picture of the Eiffel Tower and another of Elvis painted on black velvet
that had its own
spotlight to go over it. 
They
hung
one
on
each side of
Rory’s big screen TV
,
which they decorated with silver garland. 

“I picked up a couple
of thin
g
s at the store for ya, D
ear,” she told Tess.  “Run out to my car and get the packages in the back seat
,
Jason.”

The first item was a singing Christmas tree the danced around and had them all laughing.  This they placed on Rory’s end table so he could enjoy it while he watched TV.  The other item was a wireless doorbell.  It was programmable and it took quit
e a while to decide on what sound to have it play.  They finally agreed on
the
barking dog.

Tess made a big pot of hot chocolate
and got out the cookies she
baked yesterday
.
Looking out the window she saw Mason’s truck.
They
la
ughed hysterically when Rebecca rang
the doorbell.  

Wide-eyed
,
Rebecca
looked nervously around until she was assured there was no dog.  She
didn’t have a clue what to say when she got a l
ook inside the house.
“It looks nice,”
she stammered,
not wanting to hurt Tess’s feelings.

“Thank you,” Tess replied straight faced, which had Colleen running for the bathroom, before she wet her pants
,
and Maggie and Bridget howling as they held each other up.

Maeve
,
too
,
was wiping her eyes as she giggled like a girl.

“Did I say something
funny
?” Rebecca asked seriously.

“No,” Tess relied wiping her own tears from her cheeks and holding her aching side.  “I
have
been having a problem with Rory about helping me redecorate the house
,
so the girls decided to help me out.  What do you think?”

“Impressive,” Rebecca laughed, her gre
en eyes twinkling as she took each
item that had been added.  The Elvis picture was her favorite followed by the dancing tree.
“Hey
,
Mason wants one of those lamps,” she told her pointing to the leg in the fishnet hose.  “I told him absolutely not.”

“He can have this one after I am done with it,” Tess teased.

“Don’t be so sure he will let you get rid of it,” Molly spoke up.   “He may decide to keep it.  I never would have gotten out of the house with it if Patrick had been home.”

“What will you tell him happened to it,” Tess asked curious to how Molly dealt with this type of situation.

“I’m going to tell him that it shorted out so I set it out by the curb and the garbage truck ran over it,” she insisted laughing with glee as the girls cracked up.  “And no one better tell him any different,” she continued, giving the boys a penetrating stare.

“Rebecca
,
can I get you something, some hot chocolate maybe?” Tess asked when she could talk once again.

“No thanks
,
Tess, I wanted to ask you to dispose of this for me,” Rebecca begged, handing Tess a thick black book.   “I don’t care if you burn it or bury it in the trash, but I can’t do it at my house.”

Tess opened the book and gasped as she read dates and offenses.  “You found it,” she cried.

“Only by
accident,” Rebecca replied quietly.

“Where was it?”

“If you can believe this, it was in the glove compartment of his truck.  Apparently he was afraid something was going to happen
to it if he left it home,” she complained her hands on her hips.

“It was lucky you thought to look there,” Tess replied.

“That’s the scary thing.  I didn’t look there.  I had to run
out to the store and both Julia
na and Mason were napping so I decided to take his truck instead of moving it to get my car out.