Chapter 28:
Time had been flying by for Janet and Eddie. Janet realized that she had better get started with the planning process of her wedding pretty darn soon because it was only a few months away. They had reserved the Paine Gardens for the first weekend in August and decided that since they had really met and gotten to know each other that their reception would be at Sully's. Sully decided that his gift to two of his favorite people would be the close Sully's for the night and make it a night to remember for the couple. When he asked Janet what she thought, she thought it would be perfect. Their guest list wasn't huge and with Sully's closed to the public it would certainly accommodate everyone nicely. When Janet talked to Eddie about it and appeared to happy with it but only if Janet was ok with it.
"Are you sure that is where you want to have it?" Eddie asked kind of thinking that Janet would want something a bit more fancy.
"It sounds perfect to me Eddie. We decided on the gardens because it reminded us both of how we found our love again and Sully's was the place that it all started really, where we became friends and where you asked me out the first time. It kind of seems like the place that we would celebrate with our friends the start of our married life…at least that is how I was thinking of it but you if want to have it somewhere else we can keep looking." Janet said hoping that Eddie would want it at Sully's.
"Janet, you are the only thing that matters to me and this day is about us so if this is what you want I am absolutely thrilled to have it here. I spent a lot of time coming back in here 'buying the house a round' trying to figure out my feelings for you so to be here celebrating the fact that we found our way to one another…I can't think of a better place." Eddie said grabbing one of Janet's hands in his.
"Eddie, I just want to be with you so all of this is just to let the others in our life to be a part of it. I don't feel like we are the fancy wedding type…I'd marry you today if you wanted to." Janet said with a smile.
Eddie sat there and stared at Janet. He felt exactly the same way. He knew that he wanted to give her the chance to walk down the isle and wear the beautiful dress but he kind of liked the idea of them being married right away. He suddenly had a crazy thought. "Why don't we Janet? Why don't we go somewhere just the two of us and get married. We'll keep our day in August to celebrate with our friends and family and party and all of that but there is nothing that says we can't go somewhere and have our own celebration – just the two of us. What do you think?" Eddie wasn't really sure why he said all these things but he realized in that moment that he really just wanted to married to Janet.
Janet looked at him like he had seriously lost his mind. "Where was all of this coming from?" she thought. But somewhere in the back of her mind she was thinking how romantic would it be to go off some where and get married not letting anyone know except them. They could still have the ceremony where her Grands could be there because they would never forgive her if they couldn't see her get married but really there was nothing from stopping them from having their own personal celebration, right?
Janet stared into Eddie's eyes that just seemed to be on fire with this idea. "If you are serious Eddie, then let's do it. I don't really have much going on today or even tomorrow. I do have to work the next day though at Sully's…what about you?" Janet was growing more excited by the second.
"There isn't anything that Ikey can't take care of on his own. I'll just let Nick know that we're going to go visit your Grands and he wouldn't really question me about it. So we are really doing this?" Eddie said with the biggest smile.
"Yeah, I guess we are, but where?" Janet had no idea where to go next.
"There is this place on the way to see your Grands that I saw. It is by a small lake and really private. I am sure we could find a justice of the peace that could marry us. They have these really beautiful cabins that are on the water. They seem perfect for a wedding and honeymoon." With that last statement, he had the biggest smile.
Janet said, "Well I guess if we are going to go I need to do some shopping and we need to find out who to call that can marry us. We would need a license right?"
"Yeah, but I think that in that part of New Hampshire you only have to wait a day so we could go today and have it ready for tomorrow. I'll make some calls, K?" With that Eddie grabbed his cell phone and started to call all the places he needed to.
Janet walked into their bedroom and her head was spinning. Were they really doing this? This is so crazy, she thought. They never did things so impulsively, but she was so happy and excited that by tomorrow at this time she could really be Mrs. Eddie Latekka. She really liked how that sounds. She began to put some clothes in her bag and pack for the two nights for both her and Eddie.
Everything was set. Eddie managed to talk the justice into performing the small ceremony by the lake near the cabin he had just rented. He couldn't believe it – they were all booked up but just 15 minutes before Eddie called they had a cancellation. He thought this is how it was meant to be…just us. Eddie walked into their bedroom and told Janet the good news. He doubled checked to make sure she had packed his one and only suit. She looked at him and said, "I really need to do some shopping. I don't have a dress that would come close to being ok for this." Eddie looked at her and smiled. "You go and get a dress, I'll finish up here. Just don't take too long because I promised the Justice we would make it to the court house before they closed to get our license squared away." He said.
Janet said, "Ok, I'll be quick…I can't believe we are doing this…I am so happy Eddie, I love you so much." Janet walked up to Eddie and kissed him so passionately.
As they part, Eddie said, "I love you too but let's save some for the honeymoon." He raised his eyebrow and walked in their bathroom.
Janet headed out and headed to the one store that she thought would give her exactly what she needed. There was this small consignment shop that she had seen this dress in. It was in the window for the longest time. It was an antique champagne color and was beautiful in its simplicity. She would drive past this shop and see it in the window and just fell in love with it but could not think of a single reason to buy it until today. She walked in the shop and looked around for a bit and didn't see it. She felt so let down because there was just something about that dress. The saleswoman walked up to her and asked if she needed anything. Janet had just said that she was looking for the dress that had been in the window but that she didn't see it anywhere so it must have been sold already. The saleswoman could see the sadness in Janet's eyes when she said it. The saleswoman said, "could you excuse me just for a second I need to check on something, I'll be right back." Janet said, "sure no problem."
Janet continued to look throughout the shop but nothing came close to that dress. She couldn't help but feel as though this was a sign that maybe they shouldn't be doing this but then the saleswoman returned and brought her out of her thoughts.
"Sorry about that, now you were looking for the dress that was in the window a few months ago. " the saleswoman said.
"Yes, my fiancée and I are getting married the first weekend in August but when we were talking about the plans today we decided to get married tomorrow, just us you know and then celebrate with all our friends and family on our scheduled date. I know it seems a bit impulsive but I just thought that dress would have been perfect. We are getting married by the lake jut outside of Rhode island." Janet explained not sure why.
"Well I think I have the perfect dress for you. Come with me." The sales woman smiled and Janet followed her to a dressing room that the saleswoman had set up obviously while she was away. When Janet stepped into the room, she saw the dress that she wanted hanging on the rack in the dressing room. Janet gasped. "That is the dress!" Janet had tears in her eyes.
The sales woman said, "I suspected this was the dress you were referring to. I had it in the back since I was switching the dresses in the window. It is a very special dress, let's try it on. I think it will look beautiful on you."
The saleswoman helped Janet get into the dress. Surprisingly it fit Janet perfectly, as if it were made just for her. It had three quarter length sleeves that were flowing not fitted. It had a v neck and hugged Janet's curves amazingly. It was a heavier material with a hint of floral in the pattern that was just a bit darker champagne colored than the dress. It came to Janet's mid calf area in the front and was a bit longer in the back. It was just beautiful. She felt like someone who existed from another era. It was so unique and special she knew right then that this dress would be perfect for her wedding with Eddie. "I'll take it." Janet said with a huge smile.
"Wait one more thing that would be perfect." The saleswoman said leaving for a brief moment and returning with the most beautiful necklace and matching bracelet. It was a combination of pearls and diamond like stones. It was the perfect accent to the dress, as if they all came together.
The saleswoman said, "The woman that brought this dress to my shop also brought this jewelry with it. She instructed me to give the woman who bought this dress these jewels to accompany it. She wasn't selling the jewels they were to go along with the dress when the right person came in to buy it. I think that she would be smiling right now if she could see you in her dress and would definitely want you to have these." Janet just stood there in shock. It was as though this dress had a story and she was now somehow a part of it. She was not a big believer in fate but in her recent months of meeting Dwayne and Eddie coming back into her life she was starting to feel as though her life had a purpose and all the parts of it were coming together just as they were always meant to. Even though her and Eddie decided to do this on a spur of the moment it somehow felt planned by something greater than themselves now and she knew beyond certainty that they were doing the right thing.
Janet said, "I can not tell you how much this means to me. When you see this woman again, please tell her how much I love this dress and the jewelry and I will wear these with honor. This dress will always be very special to me just as I suspect it was to the woman who brought it to you."
The saleswoman just smiled and "I will my dear. Now let's get you out of here so you can get to New Hampshire."
Janet walked out of the store with the dress, jewelry and shoes. She actually found a pair just as she was walking to the register that would go perfectly with the dress. She couldn't believe that she had gotten so lucky. She couldn't wait to see the look on Eddie's face when he saw her in this dress. She knew that the next day would end of being one of the most special of her life.
Janet returned home and Eddie was sitting on the couch watching TV. She had put the dress in a garment bag and placed it in the back of Eddie's truck so he wouldn't see it. She walked into the living room and went over to sit by him on the couch.
"Hey, your back already?" Eddie said smiling thinking that she would be gone for most of the day.
"Yep, I found exactly what I was looking for so I am already to go if you are." Janet said looking to him to see if he had changed his mind.
"Well then, let's go!" Eddie practically leaped off the couch. He seemed to have this permanent grin on his face. Eddie could not have been happier at that very moment. There was something about the two of them having this moment that he absolutely loved. He knew that Janet really wanted the wedding with the white dress and the bridesmaids and all that stuff but really all Eddie wanted was Janet to be his wife.
The two had been on the road for a few hours and arrived in the small town in New Hampshire. They went directly to the courthouse to meet with the Justice and he was somewhat surprised on how quickly they had arrived. After spending the approximate 30 minutes with the couple filling out all the paperwork and getting all the legalities in order the Justice could see the love between these two people and could understand a bit more what was going on here. This type of love isn't often see so the Justice felt so privileged to be a part of it all. He agreed to come to their cabin and they would have the ceremony at sunset by the lake behind their cabin. It would be a simple ceremony with only the three of them in attendance.
As soon as all the paperwork was processed, Eddie and Janet thanked the Justice and headed to their cabin for the night. They were pretty tired when they arrived as it had been a busy day. They got to their cabin and walked through the door to see why this resort had always been booked. The cabin's were spectacular. The wall that faced the lake was covered from top to bottom with windows so you could see the sunrise and set. It had a fireplace with a cobblestone chimney that went from the floor to the ceiling. The furniture was a combination of leather and suede material. There were two couches, a love seat and three big oversized chairs scattered through out the great room. It had a small kitchen area with every appliance necessary and a loft with the bedroom in it. The master bathroom was on the first floor and had the largest whirlpool tub Janet had ever seen. This wasn't the typical "cabin" that they were used to. Eddie was so happy that everything was turning out so nicely. He knew the moment they arrived in the town that they were doing the right thing. It was just a perfect location and one he thought they could return to for their anniversaries…the one that only they would remember and know existed.
Janet walked around looking at everything and stopped briefly to look at Eddie. "This is absolutely perfect Eddie. I can't believe that we will be husband and wife by this time tomorrow. I want to say something to you." Janet paused for a second and Eddie looked at her a bit concerned.
"Eddie I have never been as happy as I am right this moment and I promise you that I will be there for you for the remainder of our lives together. I can't think of anything that is more perfect than being here with you and tomorrow before you and God alone we will promise to be there for each other. It is just the way I want it to be." Janet said with tears shining in her eyes.
Eddie walked over to her and put his arms around her. Eddie had so much he wanted to say in that moment but all he wanted to do was to be with Janet. He decided he would tell her everything he was feeling tomorrow during there ceremony but tonight he just wanted to hold her close to him and enjoy the fact that they were together. "I love you so much Janet." It was the only words that Eddie spoke before he lead Janet to the bedroom in the loft and they spent the rest of the night holding each other close, kissing with the most intensity of their relationship and enjoying the fact that they would no longer be Eddie Latekka and Janet Meadows after tomorrow. They would finally be the family that they always wanted to be and be a part of. After tonight, they would face the world together as husband and wife and no matter what obstacles came their way they would have each other to face them together. All of the past mistakes, heartache and pain that they each had faced were just memories from their past. The future was going to be filled with love, friends, fun and family, but tomorrow will be just from them. Tomorrow is the wedding day of the bartender from The Ridge and the football hero who decided that the most noteworthy thing each had accomplished in their lives had nothing to do with making the best play in Knight's Ridge history or serving the best drinks in town, it was simply to find each other.
