This has been banging around in my head for months and wouldn't go away so here we go. FYI, I'm using very little of the last two seasons. Plane crash, yes. Scunnar angst, Hallie in her role as the person who saved Juliette, Clay might make an appearance. But as for the rest, huh-uh. In this universe, Rayna's alive and kicking ass and Juliette stays in her right mind and definitely doesn't get involved in a cult (wth? lol). There won't be any token homeless people, no stalkers, no stolen songs and ain't nobody quitting the music industry.
Four times they practiced just the flower girl part and Juliette stood in the back of the church, watching as her daughter dropped fake petals in the aisle. The first time Cadence had tossed the entire basket of flowers on the floor before she'd even reached the first pew. The second time, none. And then the third time she saved them until the end and proudly presented a handful of crushed petals to her daddy. The last time was a little better. At least she'd reached the end of the aisle with a partially empty basket.
"She did good that time," Emily said.
Juliette glanced at her, taking her eyes off Avery and their daughter. "I'll bet you a chocolate doughnut she's gonna do her own thing."
Her assistant chuckled. "Someone can walk down with her if you want, kind of guide her? Maybe Scarlett?"
She shook her head. "Nah. It's okay, Em. She's 3 and a half. It's not gonna be perfect. I just don't want her to freak when she sees everybody looking at her." Everybody consisted of only about fifty people and Cadence wasn't necessarily shy but Juliette didn't want her to be nervous and start crying. She wanted her daughter to be there, happy and hopefully quiet as she watched her parents get married.
Emily hummed, pecking at the screen on her iPad. "You're awfully chill about all this. Wedding's tomorrow and you haven't had a single meltdown."
Juliette shrugged. "For one, I have an awesome wedding planner who I trust with my life. If she can handle me on an arena tour, she can certainly handle this little shindig." She looked pointedly at Emily. "And two, I'm marrying the love of my life." She stared at Avery fondly as she watched him chat with the rest of the bridal party.
"Well, speaking as the awesome wedding planner - and thank you - y'all made it easy by choosing a weekday. No trouble booking anything."
Emily had been teasing her about date since they'd announced their engagement. Everyone had wanted to know why a Wednesday of all days? Even Avery felt maybe it'd be better to move the wedding to the weekend but Juliette insisted. It was the anniversary of the day they'd first met, when they'd nearly knocked each other down in the hallway at the Opry. He'd wanted an actual wedding instead of a second civil ceremony and she'd been fim on the date, regardless of when it fell during the week.
"It had to be the 10th, Em," she said. "That was the night that changed everything, even if we didn't know it at the time." I'd be lost without him. "This whole church could fall apart tonight and I'd marry him on top of the rubble tomorrow."
When Gunnar had asked him if he was nervous, Avery'd said no even though it wasn't entirely true. He wasn't worried about any aspect of the wedding and he was one hundred percent certain about spending the rest of his life with Juliette. But he was a little anxious about his family, his father to be specific. He'd told his sister the same thing he'd said to his childhood best friend JT, that he wasn't getting married without her there. "Put aside your issues with Dad for one damn day, Bren. This is the last time I'm getting married and I want you to be here."
For the first time in the history of their relationship she'd actually listened to her little brother and showed up a few days before, finally meeting her niece and former/future sister-in-law for the first time. She hadn't wanted to see their parents though.
"This isn't about them, Avery. I'm here for you."
She'd chosen to sit near the back of the nave, rows behind his parents, but they both knew she couldn't avoid their dad for the entire evening. That's what concerned him, the rest of night. It'd be wonderful if his sister and father could put years of bad blood to rest but as long as they were civil he'd live with it for now. He just wanted the day to go smoothly. After everything he and Juliette had been through, Avery wanted their wedding to go off without a hitch.
So far so good. The church was intimate, with a high ceiling, plenty of windows and a wide center aisle separating two rows of pews that were sparsely filled with their closest friends and family. Emily had it decorated with tulle and flowers and candles and he didn't even know what all else but it was beautiful.
Avery stood next to the altar, Gunnar on his left with Will and JT lined up after. He resisted the urge to pull at his bowtie and fingered his cuffs instead. The waiting had to be the hardest part, something he hadn't experienced the first time he and Juliette were married. But everything was different this time around. Juliette wasn't pregnant, his proposal had been a lot less frantic (and he hoped a lot more romantic) and they both had some idea about how marriage worked. Some idea, as their first marriage hadn't lasted very long, but they had the rest of their lives to figure out the rest.
He looked out at the pews, briefly meeting the eyes of their guests. The Claybournes were near the front and Scarlett gave him a bright smile. Avery'd wanted her in the wedding but she refused to be a pregnant bridesmaid so Juliette had asked Hallie, the woman who'd saved her life. It was just as well because Scarlett's baby bump was out there, sitting in her lap like a beach ball - not that it'd stopped her parents from touring. Rayna wasn't sitting next to Deacon but Avery could have sworn he'd seen her unmistakable red mane somewhere in the church.
Bren caught his eye and stuck her tongue out at him and Avery ducked his head to keep from laughing. She was a goof. He'd missed her.
Hallie started the bridal processional, slowly walking down the aisle with Maddie following a few beats behind and then Emily. Cadence came next and Avery's heart melted at the sight of his daughter in her little white dress with baby's breath in her hair. She seemed a little taken aback by the people watching but she braved the aisle, dropping rose petals in a wavering line until she reached the steps leading up to the altar. Then she dropped her basket and ran to Avery, hugging his legs and pointing back at what she'd done.
"Daddy, I did it!"
Avery knelt to her level and he could very faintly smell Juliette's perfume on her. He imagined her mother had given her a hug before sending her down the aisle. "You did a great job, baby."
"Mama's coming." She told him. "She's beauliful."
"I'll bet," Avery said. "Princess, where are you supposed to stand? Do you remember?"
"With Auntie Em."
"Right. Can you go stand next to her for me, please?"
Cadence nodded and ran to Emily, picking up her basket on the way. He shook his head and adjusted the tuxedo as he stood. Before he could stop himself his fingers had wandered to his neck; he hated ties, but he let the hand fall back to his side when he recognized the first notes of the bridal march. Avery didn't see that Rayna had snuck in and didn't notice everyone turning around because when he looked to the back of the church he only had eyes for his bride.
Juliette wiggled in the chair, her face tilted so the makeup artist could finish her face. "This garter is itchy," she complained.
"You've got it up too high." Emily fussed with Cadence's hair. "It's practically a belt."
She pulled away from the woman's hands, checking her face in the mirror. "I did that on purpose. I want Avery to pull it down with his teeth." She smirked as Maddie giggled.
"We're in a church." Hallie said, stressing the word. "And there are innocent ears in this room."
"The Lord knows me and Cadence has no idea what I'm talking about." Juliette rolled her eyes, but then glanced at Hallie. "Unless you meant your ears are innocent." She teased, laughing at the blush that colored Hallie's cheeks. They'd known each other for some time now but Juliette still found her angel to be far too serious at times and she got a kick out of teasing her.
"I have something for you." Hallie changed the subject by handing Juliette a penny. "For your shoe. It's silly but it's supposed to be good luck."
Juliette turned the penny over in her palm. She wasn't superstitious and had serious doubts that wearing a penny in her shoe would help her marriage, but Hallie took it back from her and dropped it inside one of the white Jimmy Choos anyway. "Better safe than sorry." She bent down, fussing with the hem of the custom couture dress to help Juliette slide the shoe on.
"Do you have everything else?" Maddie piped up, spinning around in front of the only full-length mirror in the room. "Something borrowed, something blue?"
Juliette made a face. "I don't really believe in all -"
The words died in her throat when someone knocked on the door. Emily set Cadence on the floor before opening it to find Rayna on the other side.
"Hey, Mom!" Maddie grinned at her mother and made her way to the door.
"Look at you. You're gorgeous." She air-kissed her daughter's cheeks and spoke to Emily and Hallie, waved at Cadence then turned to Juliette. "I know you've got Emily but I just wanted to see if you needed anything."
Juliette knew why Rayna was there. Because Rayna always came through. She was there after the plane crash, visiting so much that Juliette told Avery she was tired of seeing the superstar's face even though they both knew that wasn't true. She was there when Juliette went through the hard months of physical therapy and had often walked with her as she struggled with crutches, distracting her from the pain by telling stories of the good old days on the road touring with Deacon. Rayna was among the first people Juliette had called after Avery proposed and she'd helped Emily with the bridal shower - saying she was only helping set things right after she didn't get to host the baby shower for Cadence. She'd been there when she didn't have to be, even when Juliette hadn't wanted her. In fact, if Rayna Jaymes hadn't showed up while she was getting ready for her wedding, Juliette would have been deeply disappointed.
"Juliette doesn't have the things," Maddie said, gesturing with her hands. "The something new, something blue stuff."
"No?" Rayna met her former rival's eyes in the reflection of the mirror. "Well, let's see. Your dress is new."
Emily piped up. "The garter's blue."
"It's Avery's favorite color." Juliette explained. She held her hand up so they could see her finger. "My ring's old." She and Avery had started wearing their old bands when she was still recovering from the plane crash but when he proposed for the second time he did so with a family heirloom, a ring his mother had inherited from her mother.
"That just leaves the something borrowed and I've got just the thing." Rayna dug into the small white purse she was carrying and pulled out a scrap of cloth and put it in Juliette's hand. "It was my mama's. I always bring it to weddings because I always end up crying."
Juliette unfolded it in her lap, realizing it was an embroidered handkerchief. "Rayna, this is beautiful," she gushed, fingering the lace edging of the square of fabric. "I can't take this." She tried to give it back but the older woman wouldn't accept it.
"Sure you can...for a couple hours. That's what borrowing is."
There she was, coming through again and Juliette had to close her eyes for a moment to stop the burn behind her eyelids. "What if I drop it somewhere and lose it?"
"Then I'll kill you," Rayna said casually. "So don't."
Juliette carefully balanced herself on her heels as she hugged her daughter, whispering a few words of encouragement before standing back up and watching as Rayna sent the little girl after Emily and then snuck off to her seat. She and Glenn watched Cadence's first hesitant steps and then he held out his arm. She took his hand instead, raising her head to look into the eyes of the man who'd been so much more than just her manager.
"Before we do this, I want to thank you for being there for me."
Glenn's face softened into a smile. "Juliette, I'm honored you asked."
"Not just in this moment, Glenn. In every moment." She reached for his other hand and pulled them together, holding his hands in between her own. "I've known you almost half my life. You changed the path I was on and probably saved my life by taking a chance on this little know-nothing girl from nowhere. All I had was a dream but you made the impossible happen and I know it wasn't easy - that I wasn't easy." She smirked, trying to keep the tears at bay. "You've been the father I didn't have and the grandfather my daughter doesn't have. I don't know what I'd do without you and I'm the one that's honored to have you giving me away."
He blinked a few times, clearing his throat as he composed himself. "All this time I've just wanted you to be happy, Juliette. You deserve it. Always have." He kissed the top of her head before pulling back and giving her a wink. "Don't you start crying, kiddo." He warned, offering his arm again. "Let's go get you married. Avery's probably getting impatient."
In hindsight, it was an incredibly stupid idea but at the time it'd made perfect sense. Avery had spent an entire day writing and rewriting his vows. He'd put down three words, scratch them out and rip the entire paper in half, crumbling it up and sending it across their bedroom in an arc. He practiced reciting them, muttering to himself as he walked in and out of the bathroom. Every so often he'd glance at the mirror and grimace. Several times he kicked a wad of crumbled paper into a corner and then had to go scrambling after it so Juliette wouldn't find it later. Why was this so hard?
Later that night Gunnar had come up with the solution, the stupid solution.
"Why don't you just wing it?" His friend handed him another beer. "I mean, you know what you want to say for the most part, right? Love, sickness and all that. How hard could it be?"
And then Will drunkenly nodded along as if it was the greatest idea he'd ever heard and Avery, his poor brain addled with beer and pre-wedding stress, found himself actually considering it. Gunnar was right, he'd thought. How hard could it be?
Now, days later and completely sober, he wanted to kick himself for ever listening to his doofus of a best friend. He should have been prepared but instead he had nothing, only the snatches of lines he remembered writing down earlier that week and even those tenuous thoughts fled him as he stood there staring into Juliette's gorgeous green eyes while she waited for him to speak.
Avery suspected this marriage was apt to be even shorter than their first because he knew she'd kill him if he messed this up. And he didn't want to mess it up. He loved this woman more than anything and wanted his promises to her to reflect that.
He could feel his heart kick up a notch so he took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down and focus. It's just me and you, baby. He took her hands, loosely intertwining his fingers with hers and spoke from his heart.
Juliette felt a twinge of panic at the look that crossed Avery's face. For just a second he'd seemed terrified, maybe even nauseous and she thought he might have forgotten the vows he'd surely written down somewhere. She assumed he had them tucked in a pocket or that Gunnar had them at the ready or maybe they were even typed up on his phone. But then his face relaxed into that confident look she knew so well and he reached for her hands instead of his pocket.
"Juliette, they say lightning doesn't strike the same place twice but I think our love has defied the odds more than once. I thought you were lost to me, but we're here. You're my miracle and you and our daughter are the center of my universe. I'm so thankful for this second chance to be your husband. I promise you patience, unconditional love and support through the best, the worst and the mundane. I will be your confidante and your counsel. I will comfort you, encourage you and cherish you. You're my partner and my best friend. My gift from God. I will never leave your side. I adore you. You've always been the girl worth choosing and I take you to be my wife, from this day until the end of days."
Wow. Juliette's eyes welled with emotion almost as soon as Avery started speaking and she pulled her hand away from his to fan her face. She would have used Rayna's handkerchief to dab at her eyes but it was safely tucked away in the pocket of her dress. She bit at her lip, blinked again and looked up at him with clear eyes, feeling that the words she'd memorized were an inadequate response to what he'd just said.
"Avery, I chose this day because I want to celebrate our anniversary on the day God put me in the right place at the right time to run into you. Your love amazes me. You have been my strength when I had none. My friend when the world was against me. You've carried me through darkness into light. I'm not perfect, but with you I aim to be the best version of myself. I told you before, you have my whole heart and you always will. I promise to be your friend, to support you loyally and fiercely, to create with you, to learn from you and listen to you. I'll be your strength and your shelter, your partner as we raise our family together. I am yours, forever. And with all that I have and all that I am, I give you my life and my love. I take you as my husband from today until my last day."
Her words seemed to affect him as much as his did her and Juliette reached up to wipe away his tears. Neither one of them actually heard the pastor pronounce them husband and wife. They were too busy beaming into each other' faces until he brought his lips down to hers.
Juliette had described her wishes for the reception as an elegant late summer barbecue, emphasis on elegant but she wanted it to be fun and not too glamorous. Of course Emily had understood that rather confusing request perfectly. The venue, decor and service was sophisticated; the food was informal but delicious, brisket, crab boil and gumbo - everything that made Juliette's heart sing.
Avery shocked her by joining in a line dance with everyone else. She known for years he hated them and he'd assured her he'd be nowhere near the dance floor when it came to that. She thought it'd just be her and her guests and her jaw dropped when he shuffled in place next to her. The look on his face was a combination of embarrassment and determination and she almost couldn't stay on beat from laughing so hard.
Afterwards she pulled him close and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Where'd you learn that?" She asked, still breathless from dancing.
"Will," he said with a frown. "With Scarlett and Gunnar laughing their asses off in the background." He put his hands on her waist, swaying a little bit to the slow song the live band had segued into. "I hope you enjoyed that. I suffered through that for you."
She laughed again and stood on her toes to kiss him soundly. "I did. Never thought I'd see you line dancing. Next thing you know you'll be learning how to two-step."
"I wouldn't hold my breath for that one, baby."
He shook his head at her, wrinkling his nose just slightly in that way she loved and she couldn't stop herself from staring back up at him, feeling as though she could sink into his blue eyes and stay forever. "My sweet husband. You are so beautiful."
"Wife." Avery grinned, bending his head so his mouth was near her ear. "I love you, baby."
Juliette took a small step, moving even closer to him as she wiggled her toes inside her shoe. "You know, I've got this stupid penny in my shoe for luck but I don't think we need it." She pulled back so she could meet his eyes again. "We've already had all of our bad luck. I say from now on we make our own."
"I agree." He stepped back, keeping hold of her hand as he suddenly spun her around and she gasped in surprise during the twirl, then returned to the circle of his arms. "Only the best of luck for our new beginning."