Inconceivable! - Chapter 9
What do you do when what is suppose to be the best day of your life, is quickly becoming your worst nightmare. That was the question Danny had been asking himself the last month. The wedding was tomorrow, the rehearsal dinner tonight, Danny should be on cloud nine getting ready to float down. Instead he's waking up to Riley having a screaming match with one of the poor wedding vendors on the phone, like he had every morning this past week. He didn't know what to do. When Riley first told him that she wanted to take care of all the wedding details herself, he was semi relieved but also a little upset, he was looking forward to planning with Riley but figured that he could leave it up to her to make their wedding something they both would like. So now, even though he wants to say something, there's a little voice in his head telling him that it's just wedding stress that's making Riley act this way and he should be supportive and not say anything that could make it worse. So he just got up and decided to get Jamie ready for the day.
As he walked out of the bedroom, he could hear clearly what was just a minuet ago Riley's muffled yelling
"Well if you can't do what we want, who needs you. Yeah same goes to you pal." Riley shouted into the phone before hanging up.
"Who was that?" Danny asked, almost afraid to.
"Oh nobody that can't be replaced." she brushed her hair behind her ears before going over and linking her arms around Danny's waist.
"Good morning almost husband, again." Riley said as she placed a kiss on Danny's back.
This was another reason that Danny didn't say anything, after she was done yelling she was always back to the same old Riley again.
"Good morning almost wife," he said, turning around in her arms.
"You ready to get married again?"
"Like you wouldn't believe. I know I probably shouldn't be saying this about our wedding, but I can't wait for it all to be over and done with." Riley said, as she buried her face in Danny's chest.
"I understand completely, I can't wait till we can get back to just being married and living our lives how they use to be before." Danny agreed. Their moment of bliss was interrupted by Riley's phone ringing again. She groaned before answering,
"Go for the bride. Okay, I'll be there." She hung up as quickly as she answered.
"Okay, so small problem at the country club. I just have to meet your mom down there and get it all straightened out." Riley said as she ran into the bedroom.
"I can come with you if you want. Add a little brawn to your brains." Danny offered. Riley came out, fully dressed and said as she ran out the door.
"No thanks honey, I have all the brawn I need. That's why I'm bringing your mom. Okay I'll see you later, bye bye."
Danny barely had time to process what Riley said before she had gone. It was like she had superpowers or something, moving so fast Danny felt like he could count on one hand the number of times he'd seen her in the past 6 months. But none of that mattered now, because all of it would be over in two days. He finished feeding Jamie and then got dressed. It was a blessing in disguise that Riley had gotten called out to a wedding emergency, because it gave Danny time to go get Riley's wedding present. He carried Jamie across the hall to see if Ben or Tucker would baby-sit; not knowing what awaited him once he stepped through the door.
"Surprise!" Ben and Tucker yelled as he came in, as they covered him in silly string.
"What's all this?" Danny asked as he looked around at all the decorations.
"This is your impromptu bachelor party." Tucker said.
"Aw thanks guys, but I already told you that I,"
"Don't need a bachelor party, we know. But what kind of best man would I be if I didn't even try to throw you a little something. After all, tomorrow is your big day." Ben chimed in, as he took Jamie from his arms and replaced him with a beer. Danny decided there was no use arguing, but when he saw the time, he knew that the party was gonna have to wait.
"Okay guys we can party, but first I have to go pick something up."
"What?" Tucker asked.
"Riley's wedding present. I had the board from the tree house where I wrote our initials put back together and then have it framed so we can hang it in our apartment and have it always as a symbol of our love."
"Wow that is one heck of a present. Go ahead man, the party can wait until you get back." and with that Danny was off.
As if Danny wasn't already in enough of a bad mood, his trip to pick up Riley's wedding present just added to it. Turns out they had an accident with the frame and the repairs wouldn't be finished until after the wedding. Normally, it wouldn't bother him, but it wasn't the only thing that changed of the plans he had made. First it was Riley deciding to cut him out of the wedding plans, then she changed the theme colors, the flowers, the seating, pretty much everything Danny had a hand in doing. Next, he finds out that neither of them can get any time off from their jobs to have a honeymoon for longer than a weekend and finally this gift problem that was the straw that broke the camels back. When he got back to the apartment, hours later, Danny was not in a party mood.
"Dude, what happened? You've been gone for 2 hours and your present-less." Ben said.
"Don't ask, there was an accident and now the present wont be ready until midway through the wedding. I am so done with all of this."
"Done with what?" Tucker added.
"This wedding crap, I mean Riley has changed everything we planned together, nothing is going right. I just feel like I'm supposed to just show up, at my own wedding." Danny sat on the couch and put his head in his hands. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Ben staring at him.
"Danny, look I know that this might not be the greatest experience for you but just think how happy this is making Riley. Everything doesn't have to be perfect, just the bond between the people getting married and dude trust me, you got that one down."
Ben's little speech seemed to calm Danny down; he was just hoping nothing else would set him off. With a deep sigh he said,
"You're right, this is all about me and Riley's relationship and nothing could ever change the fact that I love her more than anything and that's all that matters. Thanks Ben, you're a good best man."
"Yeah well, I try. Now come on, lets have that bachelor party and then we all have to get ready for the rehearsal dinner tonight."
"Alright, let's party." Danny said as he took his beer and clinked it with Ben and Tuckers. A little while later he headed back across the hall with Jamie to get ready for the rehearsal dinner, and was surprised to see a note from Riley on the counter. It looked like she would be meeting him there, as she had some final details that needed straightening out. Danny simply sighed and continued on to the bedroom to get dressed.
Danny, Ben and Tucker split a cab after leaving the kids with the babysitter, and made it to the restaurant just in time. Danny walked through the sea of relatives and friends, receiving hugs and pats on the pack, trying to find the one person he really wanted to see. He found her talking to one of her relatives about all the wedding stress.
"I mean yes it has been difficult, but Danny has been so great through it all. I am so lucky." he heard Riley gush.
"Looks like I came just in time." he said as he pulled Riley in from behind and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"There you are I was beginning to worry. Come on, now that you're here we can get to the dinner."
Danny followed Riley as she led him to the head of the table, both of them at the head with Ben and Bonnie on either side. As the dinner wore on, Danny felt like everything was finally being as it should, he turned to Riley and was happy to see she was already looking at him.
"Hey you." he said.
"Hey yourself, what's with the big grin Wheeler, you happy or something?
"Well I am now, that's all thanks to you. I can't remember the last time it was just you and me like this."
"You mean us and twenty of our closest friends and family."
"You know what I mean, I've missed you. The wedding plans have been hogging you but I'm taking you back. Oh, by the way, did you get those last minuet details worked out? What were they anyways?"
"Oh my god, yes I did. I had to find a caterer on short notice because the stupid country club kitchen couldn't keep up with the menu changes I wanted. So I fired them and found this great caterer, very elegant and refined."
"Fine by me, as long as we're still having my little hot dogs, I'm cool." Danny said as he took a sip of his wine.
"I love those things, good call bro." Ben chimed in.
"Oh I'm sorry Danny, we're not having them, they didn't fit in with the rest of the menu. I mean who has little hot dogs with water crest sandwiches and mini quiches, it's just not done." Riley said taking a bite of her dessert.
It was at that moment Danny felt something inside snap. He was gripping his wine glass so hard his fingers were going white. In a very loud and stern tone he turned to Riley and said,
"What do you mean were not having them, how could you do this?"
At his words, the party came to a halt.
"Danny, would you come with me to the coat room." Riley said as she got up and walked away from the table. Danny followed and the minuet they were out of ear shot, Riley went off.
"Danny, what is the matter with you, you're embarrassing me in front of everyone over what, some little weenies. What is your problem?" Riley scolded.
"Whats the matter with me? I'll tell you what the matter with me is, its you. You and this whole circus of a wedding you planned, you and you alone. Riley what happened to our original plans, you've taken everything way too far. You're turning our wedding into something completely different then who we even are. I don't even know what a water crest sandwich is but it sounds gross. Did you ever stop for a minuet to think about me at all while planning this whole thing, because it doesn't seem that way."
"Danny, you opted out of the wedding plans. You said it was okay. I'm just trying to make sure our wedding is perfect."
"It already was perfect, our real wedding. I never really cared about the wedding; I just suggested it because I knew it would make you happy. I've been thinking about you this whole time, turns out that's what you've been doing too."
"Danny…" Riley tried to speak, but he wasn't in the mood to hear what she had to say.
"But you know what Riley, I think its time for me to think about what I want." and with that he left. Danny walked out of the restaurant and down the street. He could hear a mess of voices behind him, but he didn't care. He needed some time to cool down, because right now, he wasn't even sure if there was going to be a wedding tomorrow.