The wedding planner comes to tell us we need to get inside. "You don't want to be hanging out here when guests start to arrive."
We head indoors where all the guys, including Eric and Lucas, Special who is really pregnant and due in a couple of months, Cody, Special's grandmother, Grand, and Granddad are waiting. A tray of champagne is passed around and everyone except Special and Cody take a glass. A toast is raised to us and we sip our drinks.
"Are you nervous, Scotty?" Harrison asks.
"Not even close," I say.
"What about you, Vivi?" Eric asks.
"I'm only afraid I'll trip over these stupid feet of mine."
"Lucas," I say, "that's your job."
He gives me a thumbs-up.
The wedding planner comes in to let us know it's time. All the guests have been seated, and the guys need to take their places. I kiss my bride and leave, along with everyone else. Vivi, Lucas, and Eric hang back.
We walk in a line to the front, where the ceremony will take place, and I stand with my hand folded behind my back. Grand and Granddad sit smiling like they are the happiest people in the world. I almost wave at them, but catch myself at the last second.
Then Eric walks down the aisle. He looks so serious. I wish I could poke him and tell him to loosen up.
When the moment finally arrives, she walks down the aisle on Lucas's arm, carrying a bouquet of white roses. She remembered how I compared her to a rose that day and insisted she'd carry them today. Then I almost laugh at her ridiculous dress descriptions. Ruffles and a turtleneck. My Sexy Wolf. I can't wait to take that hot dress off her tonight to see what she has hiding beneath.
Uh, better not think of that right now, though.
The minister places our hands in each other's as he says our vows. We'd talked about writing our own, and went back and forth, but in the end decided to go with the traditional marriage vows. As soon as he says, "You may kiss the bride," I'm all over my wife, nearly picking her up off the ground to a round of applause. Then we turn to face our guests and the minister announces, "May I present to you, Mr. And Mrs. Prescott Whitworth?"
The clapping begins again with the music striking up. We march down the aisle and the party gets started. Vivi and I take the dance floor together and I do my best to show off, knowing I can't hold a candle to my buddy Weston. But Vivi loves it nevertheless. After the dance ends, Twinkle Toes himself steps forward and says, "Let me show the bride how it's done."
"Show-off."
I hand her over and damn, the man does have the moves. Vivi laughs and has a blast as he spins and dips her, and I've gotta say, I wish I had his finesse. When he's done, Eric steps up, then her friend Vince, and the line goes on. Finally I rescue my beauty and carry her off for a drink and some food. The night flies and at one point I'm standing with my bros when Weston raises his glass.
"You're not going to toast to my dick falling off, are you?" I ask. I do this because when he got married I gave the worst toast ever. It was to the tune of having so much sex his dick would fall off. I was hammered, what can I say?
"Oh, hell no. I wouldn't do that to you. I'm a little more poetic than you are, asshole."
"Thank God," I say.
"So raise your glasses, guys, and let's toast Scotty and Vivi. Dude, here's to a long, crazy, and mad life together. She fell in love with your madness. Don't ever try to be normal or change to fit in. She found your heart and loved the mad messy way it is. Whatever you do, don't try to fix it."
I clink my glass with theirs and realize he's right. I wasn't nor have I ever been normal and she never cared. She loved the raw and edgy person inside. I worried about it and made myself sick over it, but it never mattered because she loved me anyway.
"Hey, what's the cluster here?"
It's Vivi.
"Get over here." I pull her into my side. "My guys here were just toasting us." I glance at Weston and ask, "Wanna tell her what you toasted?"
He repeats it and she says, "It's so true." Then she stands on her toes to reach my lips. "Don't ever change. I'm in love with your madness, Scotty."
Epilogue
Prescott
Three Months Later - Crestview Academy Ten-Year Reunion
"I can't believe you talked me into this," she says, tightening the strap of her sexy sandal.
"Why? You're going to kill it."
"I may kill them."
She turns around so I can zip up her dress. It's a sexy as fuck hot little black number that's simple yet elegant. When I'm done, I kiss her shoulder and spin her, getting the final view. The diamond necklace shimmers around her neck and the diamond stud earrings I gave her for a wedding gift reflect the lights, setting sparklers off all over the place. Diamonds really are a girl's best friend. I'll have to buy her some more since I adore seeing her in them. She doesn't give a shit about the things, but I do.
"You're going to blow everyone away with your beauty, Little W. You are extraordinary tonight. Every night. Morning. Day." I kiss her again. "Have I told you how damn happy I am that I went for coffee that day?"
She touches her finger to my lip. "Not today."
"Hmm. Too bad we have to meet everyone in the lobby." I pull the top of her dress down a little. "What I could do to those nipples."
"Stop it." She swats my hand away. "I don't want to walk around that party with a wet thong."
"You will. I've already decided on it." Holding out my hand, I say, "Let's go."
Everyone is already waiting. Special and Weston came for the night. Special's grandmother is babysitting their four-week-old daughter and both of them are a wreck over leaving little Sasha. We flew the Whitworth jet to Atlanta and picked them up before heading here. First thing in the morning we'll take them home. It's the only way we could get them to come and Vivi wouldn't go unless Special did.
"No way will I go to that thing," she said. "Those awful people." She shuddered.
"This could be your way of getting back at them … of showing how you triumphed."
"I'll only go if Special goes."
Harrison and I had to practically kidnap both of the Wyndams. And Mimi, Special's grandmother, was never so happy in her life to be left alone with the baby.
"It's about time. Let's go," Weston says, walking outside, dragging Special behind him.
"What's your hurry?" I ask.
"The sooner this night is over, the sooner I can get home to our baby girl."
One look at Harrison and he and I both die laughing. We never thought our boy Weston would be so over the top about his kid.
"Slow down, I can't keep up with you in these heels," Special calls out.
"If we ever get pregnant, promise you won't get all nutty on me," Vivi says.
"Hey, no worries on that. I'm already crazy. Remember?"
"Right."
We climb into the giant van we hired for the night and are driven to Crestview. We have no idea why they decided to hold the reunion at the school, but whatever. When we get there, the place is lit up and it doesn't look like anything has changed since we graduated.
There's a table set up as we enter and we have to wear nametags. I write down Vivi's and my names and off we go.
The first person to approach us is our old principal. I smile because I know exactly what he wants.
"Prescott, it's great to see you. Could I have a private word with you, please?"
"I think anything you say can be said in front of my wife. You remember her, don't you? Vivienne Renard?"
I almost have to hand him his eyeballs back.
"Vivienne? Vivi Renard?"
"Hello."
He asks about the funding and I launch into the bullying, while Vivi observes with a smile. He's clearly out of his league. Then he tries to wiggle his way out of it.
Vivi steps in by saying, "You saw the way my locker was vandalized every day, yet you did nothing."
The principal squirms. "I didn't have a choice."
"You always have a choice," I say. "Nevertheless, I'm sure you understand why I can't support a school that condones and looks the other way where bullying is involved. Maybe this will be a lesson for you."
We walk away and run right into Felicia Cunningham.
"Prescott," she coos. "How wonderful to see you."
"Felicia. I think you remember my wife, Vivi Renard. Or Vivi Whitworth now."
"Ex-excuse me?"
"Hi Felatio, uh, Felicia. Hope you're well."
My cheek is raw from biting it at Vivi's name for her. And then Felicia can't speak. Before she utters a sound, we're making our way around the room.
"Nice. I liked that. Felatio."
"I honestly didn't mean to call her that. It slipped out." She laughs.
"Can I tell you something?"
"Sure."