Wish Upon a Star (28 page)

Her cheeks turned pink, and she glanced at Beth.

"You're doing fine, but the Boss here's looking a little
weary."

Ashley sat up a little straighter. "Right, well to make a long
story short, one day Missy and I were chatting and a song came on
the radio. I started going on and on about how you'd mentioned to
me how much you loved it. So I got on the horn and once everyone
had a chance to listen to it, we all agreed... Oh, you tell her, Beth. I
can't."

Beth smiled and looked from Ashley to Annie. "What we'd
like to do is play for your wedding party, and you, as you walk down
the aisle. We'd like to perform 'Amazing'."

All heads turned toward Annie, who sat there, as still as a
statue.

When she didn't say anything, Beth went on.

"E.J. cleared it with your minister friend. I guess after she
listened to the song, she said something like it was a whole lot better
than that boring wedding march you two had picked out. So what do
you say? Would it be okay if we played for you?"

Annie put her spoon down and shook her head. "You all
know how I've never liked surprises. Well, this is quite the surprise.
And I have to say, it's a pretty fabulous one. So yes, I would be
honored to have the Downtowners play 'Amazing' for my wedding
processional. Thank you, thank all of you."

Out of the corner of my eye, Ashley was tapping at warp
speed on her phone. When I cleared my throat, she looked up. "Oh,
sorry." She held the phone out for us to read the message.

She said yes!!!

Annie tipped her glass toward Ashley. After taking a drink,
she let out a long yawn. "With apologies ladies, I believe it's time for
me to retire. Please don't feel you need to leave on my account, but
I'm wiped." She rose and hugged our visitors. She blew me a kiss,
glided to the bedroom, and shut the door.

Beth and Ashley hung out for a little bit before heading back
to their hotel. I spent most of the time answering Beth's pointed
questions about Annie's condition. Ashley was quiet, but from time
to time, she'd type something into her phone. I got the sense she
wasn't texting anybody. She appeared to be taking notes. Probably so
she could fill the rest of the band in later.

God love Ashley. When I'd first met her, I'd thought she was
this screwball with about as much sense as a chipmunk. I had been
so wrong. While I'd nailed the screwball part right, underneath the
garish hair and fun-loving spirit was a young woman who was
talented beyond belief, wise beyond her years, and willing to run
through a brick wall for Annie.

After about forty-five minutes of detailed grilling, Beth sat
back and drained her glass of wine. "So, you're sure she's going to be
okay."

"If I've learned anything, it's that nothing's certain. But I
think so. Once she's recovered from the radiation, she'll starting
having the expanders filled, but that's not supposed to be that big of
a deal. The docs will monitor her closely for a year or so, and then
scale back the check-ups over time. If we get to five years without
the cancer coming back, we should be home free."

"You know what I like about that E.J.?" Ashley said. "That
you said we, not Cassandra, or Annie, or whatever." She giggled. "I'll
never get that straight. Anyway, you guys make a great couple."

"Well said, Ash," Beth said. She got to her feet. "Let's get out
of here, so we can get a rehearsal session in."

We said our goodbyes and I got ready for bed, marveling yet
again at how I'd totally hit the jackpot, having Annie in my life.

* * * *

The following day was a postcard-type of day for October in
Indiana. By the time we completed the hour drive to Bloomington,
the mercury had risen to the mid-sixties under a cloudless blue sky.
Paul manned the grill, and we feasted on a lunch of brats, grilled
peppers and that tailgate staple, potato salad. The atmosphere for
the game was electric. The stadium was a sea of crimson that was so
loud I was certain the Football Gods could hear us on Mount
Olympus. It was a high-scoring, back and forth battle. My beloved
Hoosiers almost gave it away in the final minute, but the defense
made an incredible goal line stand and sent the cream and
crimson-clad crowd home in a buoyant mood.

We celebrated with a victory dinner at the Irish Lion where
the guys made me polish off a half-yard of Harp before we left. By the
time I finished it, I thanked my lucky stars that's all I'd had to drink
all day, because my head told me that was more than enough.

At that point, I was ready to call it a day, but the guys had
other ideas. When I asked where we were going next, they refused to
tell me. Content that my friends wouldn't lead me too far astray, once
we were buckled in and headed back to Indy, I closed my eyes and
drifted off for a cat nap.

A knuckle rub to the sternum roused me from my nap. I
rubbed my chest.

"Damn dude, that hurt. Where are we?"

"Bellhops." Dave got out of the car and opened my door.
"Didn't think we were going to let you have a bachelor party without
a visit to your favorite watering hole, did you? Besides, what better
place for the three of us to tell stories about you? When you were
asleep, Ryan said he even has one or two good ones."

I followed the guys inside and to a corner booth. It was
adorned with a table topper that said
Reserved
. We spent the
rest of the evening telling lies about each other that got bigger with
each turn.

Around eleven, it was time to pack it in. Ryan and I were
surprised to find Annie and Miranda watching a movie when we
opened the door to the condo.

"Honeys, we're home. Miss us?" I tossed my keys on the
kitchen counter.

Annie shushed us with a wave of her arm. "We're almost to
the best part of
Roman Holiday
. Get a couple of beers and go
hang out on the patio so we can watch the rest in peace."

Without so much as a peep, we slunk to the patio.

"God, Ryan, we are such wimps."

He gave me a fist bump. "I know, right? On the other hand,
you don't get between Miranda and her Audrey Hepburn movies.
We've got everything she was ever in, and I think I've seen every one
probably three times by now."

We were comparing our respective better halves' movie
tastes when Miranda texted Ryan to let us know we could come
inside. Both Annie's and Miranda's eyes were a little red and there
was a pile of used tissues on the coffee table.

"Good movie?" I said.

"Every Audrey Hepburn movie is a good movie." Miranda
said.

"Amen to that, sister." Annie told us she'd been feeling
wiped out by the time the play ended, so they'd concluded the
festivities at that point. The highlight of the day, without question,
had been when their limo had pulled up in front of Staci's house.
Staci had invited a few friends over to say hi to Annie, and my North
Star had immediately turned on the Cassandra charm for the girls.
From that point on, you couldn't have slipped a piece of paper
between my fiancé and her young friend. The only time Staci had left
Annie's side was when she'd gone to the bathroom.

Miranda promised to send me a few pictures from the
evening to post on Annie's website. It had warmed my heart to see
how excited Annie's fans had gotten when she announced we were
getting married. It had overwhelmed me to see the genuine concern
her fans had expressed throughout Annie's cancer treatment. As a
way to say thank you for all the support, we'd posted pictures from
time to time that showed Annie smiling and happy.

She and I had agreed to post a few select pictures from the
wedding and the events leading up to it, including her bachelorette
party. A quiet dinner with close friends followed by a trip to the
theater—the cockroaches at
Gotcha
would be so
disappointed.

I almost had to beg Annie to come to the bedroom after
Miranda and Ryan took off.

"I'm too tired to get up. Just let me sleep here on the couch,"
she said through a yawn.

"Yeah, and before you know it, some rumor will start going
around about how Cassandra Lawrence got so out of control at her
bachelorette party that she ended up passed out on her living room
floor."

She glared at me. "Don't even think—"

"That's why you need to come to bed, right now. I would
never want you subjected to a rumor like that."

Once we were both settled in bed, Annie snuggled up to me.
"Did you have a good time with the guys today?"

"I did."

"Good. I want to hear all about it. You'll tell me, yes?"

Despite my exhaustion, I wrapped my arm around her and
filled her in on my day. How she managed to stay awake was beyond
me, but her periodic head nods, uh-huhs and questions confirmed
she hadn't fallen asleep. I'd made it to one of the stories Dave had
told while we were at Bellhops when Annie's breathing deepened
and evened out.

"Sleep well, North Star." In a week I was going to marry this
priceless jewel. I couldn't recall whether or not I'd actually made a
wish upon a star, but I had the girl of my dreams right here in my
arms, so that part was definitely coming true. With that thought in
mind, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep and dreamt of sunny
days, green grass and newly-paved roads.

My days leading up to the wedding were full of activity, but
still relatively calm. I had my trusty to-do list that Annie left on the
kitchen counter every night. While most of my thoughts were on the
wedding, Cassandra Lawrence's life hadn't stopped, so I had to make
sure all of her business affairs were addressed. In addition, I'd been
tasked with serving as travel agent for some of Annie's out of town
guests like Ira and Samantha. I had to make sure their reservations
were confirmed, their transportation was lined up, and other little
things.

Annie served as Beth and Ashley's tour guide the first part of
the week leading up to the wedding. She still lacked stamina, but
from everything I heard, she and her band mates were having loads
of fun. On Tuesday afternoon they'd roped Miranda into a shopping
excursion which yielded predictable closet-filling results.

When Annie dropped the shopping bags on the living room
floor, I closed my eyes and massaged my forehead. "Really? What are
you going to do with all that?"

"Wear it silly. It's our wardrobe. For the cruise. And before
you go on about how you don't need anything, this is the only
honeymoon trip we'll ever take, so we're going to do it right. And
part of that includes dressing like there's no tomorrow."

With a laugh, I got up and took Annie in my arms. "Our only
honeymoon, eh? What if I want to take you on a second one
someday?"

"Then I'll get us another honeymoon wardrobe." She put her
hand around my neck and brought my lips to hers. I relished her
taste, and let my hands make their way from her shoulders to her
hips, where they lingered for a bit.

With a start, Annie pulled back. "Hey that tickles. Stop
that."

"Okay, but I have to tell you something. Your hips aren't
quite as bony as they used to be. You've put on a little weight."

"Is that good news?"

"After everything you've been through, that's fabulous
news."

She smiled and kissed me again, and this time her hands
ended up on my hips.

A knock at the door interrupted us before we could take the
fun further. Annie patted me on the chest. "Do you mind getting
that?"

We'd recently hired a security guard to keep an eye out for
snooping photographers and other unsavory characters inclined to
make a buck by getting some dirt on us. The guard had suggested
that I be the only one who answered the door.

I'd figured it was him knocking. I was wrong, it was
Aidan.

"Dude, happy almost wedding day. I got something for
you."

I ushered him in and when Annie saw who it was, she
literally skipped over and gave him a hug.

"And how's my favorite delivery man?"

"I'm good, thanks," he said, while he rummaged through his
messenger bag. He pulled out a small padded envelope and handed it
to me. "It's from Gloria. Said you you'll need it for Saturday."

When I raised my eyebrows, Aidan shrugged. "Don't ask me,
dude. The only thing she said was that I needed to give it to you and
to stick around while you open it."

"Okay, then." I ripped open the envelope and looked in.
There was no note or anything, just a round button about two inches
across. I took the button out and looked at it. In a heartbeat, a lump
formed in my throat.

It was a picture of Evan.

I kept my eyes on the picture while I drifted over to a bar
stool and sat down. With his blonde hair and troublemaker smile,
Evan could have been a Norse god. I didn't need a note to know what
to do with the button.

"E.J., what is it? What's wrong?"

The urgency in Annie's voice brought me out of my musings.
I shook my head and handed the button to her.

"Nothing's wrong. Just something to complete my wedding
ensemble. Since Evan couldn't be here in person, he'll be with me,
with us," I patted my chest above my heart, "right on my lapel."

Annie stared at the button, her fingers over her mouth. She
nodded and passed it to Aidan.

After a moment or two, he returned it to me. "That's cool
dude. Hey, I gotta be going." He headed for the door, but Annie
reached for his hand before he could get away.

"You'll be there for the rehearsal dinner Friday night,
yes?"

"Yeah, looking forward to it."

"Good. There's someone I want you to meet who'll be there.
She's single and cute and I think you two would hit it off."

Aidan cleared his throat and gave us a little salute. "Sounds
great to me. See you guys then."

When he'd gone, I asked Annie who she wanted Aidan to
meet. She got a little twinkle in her eye and grinned like the Cheshire
cat.