Hi dudes - hope you're all having a wonderful summer, hopefully 3-ish chapters left in this beast! Thank you so much for your lovely, lovely comments!
They got married in August, sun filtering through the smoky haze of a summer forest fire and turning everything a glowing ethereal gold.
She remembered it all in slow motion and fast forward, snippets like watching a favorite movie with the remote in hand, stopping to remember the parts that made her laugh, parts that made her cry.
The planning was somehow easier than she expected, a day on her parents deck with her mom and Janey had hammered out most of the details, the house on the lake, white chairs, and a simple late afternoon ceremony. And a reception that Jill hoped would more closely resemble a family barbecue than anything formal.
Simple, was a word she felt she repeated time and time again, more and more often in the context of the outlandish suggestions from Discovery and Original Productions. Finally, in a meeting where a producer suggested that 2 ice sculptures would be both appropriate and a good visual on camera, Jill flew off the handle.
In a low voice that Josh recognized as an alarming hybrid of Johnathan's firey temper and Kay's frozen calm, Jill made the points quickly and simply, it was her wedding, it was Josh's wedding, they were allowing cameras as a courtesy, as a gesture of good will toward the show that provided opportunity and some financial gain to their families. But those cameras would work within she and Josh's plans, they were simple people, not ice sculpture people.
Despite her constant refrain of simple, Josh celebrated his bachelor-lifestyle one last time with a beer and party filled weekend in Vegas that culminated in a drunken golf cart joyride down the strip, forever immortalized on shaky cell phone camera film with Jake's high-pitched giggles a soundtrack to the careening lane changes.
Jill's bachelorette party was equally full of entertainment caught on film including a McDonald's bag turned hat inscribed with the following message - "someone congratulate me I'm about to give my last blow job."
It became Josh's favorite picture, guaranteed to make him laugh, because the truth was, Jill loved giving blow jobs. She was constantly manhandling him into corners, against cabinets, pulling down his sweats and burying her face between his thighs while he sat at the table or on the couch. So while the hat was funny, he couldn't help but have the last laugh when she lifted her head and rested her cheek against his knee, head fuzzy with orgasm and knuckles white from gripping the edge of the seat.
When the day finally arrived it felt like everything was moving incredibly quickly, like she had to tuck the memories into corners of her brain for processing later, when there was more time and space to think.
And so she filed those memories away, waking up the morning of her wedding in her childhood bedroom to Janey climbing into bed with her. Curling together, laughing and whispering, remembering all the times they had done just this as children. The gauzy white material of her wedding dress, hung over the back of the closet door, floating in the light breeze that came through the open window.
The controlled chaos in the kitchen her mom standing in the middle of it, directing caterers with gigantic hand gestures while her dad leaned against the sink, feet crossed, half a smile on his face and a cup of coffee wrapped in his hand.
Scotty's report that Josh and his groomsman were hanging out and relaxing in air conditioned comfort with leather couches, a giant homemade breakfast spread from June and Louise Hansen and watching reruns of The A-Team
Hours later stepping into the white dress. The clicking of the photographers shutter drowned out by Mandy's gasp as the acres of diamond white fabric draped to the floor. "You're a princess," her mom whispered as she zipped up the back and rested her head against Jill's shoulder just for a minute.
She stood in the shadows to watch as Janey walked alone down the aisle, Jill tucked her hand into her father's elbow, his huge hand covering hers. Took just a minute to look, to watch for one moment before she was at the center of the storm, to see Josh waiting for her at the other end, his brother and her brothers standing in line beside him.
A collective gasp rose from the crowd when they started the long walk up the aisle, she tried to memorize the faces, to remember this moment forever, but one look at Josh's grinning face and she was done for, forgetting to walk slowly, to remember this moment.
Johnathan's hand shook a little as he let her go, he kissed her cheek softly, held her face in his hands and rubbed his nose against hers their secret father-daughter Eskimo kisses ritual. Tears welled in Jill's eyes as he shook Josh's hand, leaned in to whisper something conspiratorially to Josh and took his seat next to Kay, wiping his eyes surreptitiously as he sat down.
Tears poured unchecked down Jill's face as she repeated the vows they'd chosen, unprepared for how much it meant to her to look at Josh and promise a lifetime together. Josh's voice cracked as he promised, "for better or for worse." but his hands were steady as he slid the ring on her finger.
She laughed against his mouth when they sealed the vows with a kiss, and to the cheers of the crowd he spun her in a short circle, skirts billowing in the warm afternoon air.
Josh had his own set of snapshots to go with the day.
When they'd talked about their first dance he told her he was picking the song, and it was a surprise. She wanted to know what it was, she wanted to be in control. But he knew what he was doing, at least with this one, and had shaken his head every time she'd tried to finagle the information out of him.
But it was worth it, to see her, white dress billowing around her, veil abandoned after one too many people hugged her and unknowingly yanked her head back, green eyes sparkling when she caught sight of him across the room.
The timing was just a little off between her dance with her dad and their first dance and she was standing there alone in front of all their family and friends for just a minute as he dropped his beer on the nearest table and hurried to the dance floor, he arrived just in time for the simple opening piano of Faithfully to pour through the speakers and with her cheek cupped in his hand to see her eyes fill. He knew in that moment that this life was going to be full of trials and tribulations, he knew from watching his friends that marriage was work. But when he enveloped her in his arms, he knew he'd do anything to make it work.
He sang softly in her ear while they swayed together. The veil of tears made the entire dance feel like a dream. She laughed when he changed the line loving a fisherman ain't always what it's supposed to be and sang along as she promised again I'm forever yours, faithfully