A/N –There you go 3 chapters today, sorry I was m.i.a. over the weekend. The characters you know and love aren't mine – but you knew that.
Chapter 37
"Ready for dinner, Mrs. Mars?"
Veronica's laugh was rich and throaty. "When have I not been ready for dinner?" They walked quietly into the ballroom as a couple. The room had been transformed, the tables that had been circling the walls were now tastefully arranged together to form a u-bend around the stage. Each table was draped in white linen, tea light candles lite in the center, with toy fighter jets and plastic magnifying glasses strewn about. A head table was set up in front of the stage, it was similarly appointed, but Veronica and Mac's bouquets were gracing it in wrought iron holders.
The DJ was setting up on the stage, expertly checking his cords and wires, and testing the connections. The speakers crackled and LL Cool J's I Need Love filled the room softly. Logan smiled at Veronica and spun her onto the dance floor. Their guests were still outside, and the sounds of Elvis belting out Suspicious Minds making an odd remix. They shared their first dance in impromptu bliss, before Veronica's stomach rumbled. Logan grinned and led her to the buffet tables. "Might as well go first, people are going to want your attention once they come inside."
Parallel tables groaned with food. One boasted a small sign "Omnivores," the other a matching sign, "Herbivores." Both had large bowls of chopped salad, the greens decorated with cranberries and candied nuts; grilled vegetables, the omnivore vegetables, obviously cooked with bacon; a selection of breads and cheeses; and steaming trays of lasagna. Veronica breathed deeply, taking in the smell with giddy delight. "Luigi's?" She asked hopefully, having given up thinking anything was beyond Logan this day.
He smiled fondly at her, "Alas, no. Even I have my limits, and they turned me down flat no matter how much I offered…I even offered to send Dick to pick it up and transport it on the plane out of Neptune." Veronica was only half listening, she was busy piling her plate high. "I ended up having the catering done by a restaurant down in Vegas."
Veronica brought her fork up to her mouth, where she stood, still only half listening to him. She moaned in delight, "Chicago Joes!"
Logan smiled happily, "So glad it meets your standards." He started loading his plate, as he heard fat Elvis' voice from the deck.
"Ladies and gentlemen, that's the end of my show. I have been told that dinner is now ready if you care to make your way back into the ballroom. But let me leave you with one final thought on the love that Logan and Veronica have shared with you tonight….Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away. Thank you, and good night!" There was a smattering of applause, and Logan and Veronica could see people start to turn their direction.
Veronica looked at her plate piled high with food wistfully, "Is it too late to go hide in our room with room service?"
Logan chuckled, "Come on Bobcat, you have stared down tougher crowds than this. Let's grab our seats and see what kind of theater enfolds." He winked broadly, nodding at Sissy dragging Cliff along to the buffet line, while Trina was clearly snubbing Connor and flirting with M.B.
The guests hadn't seem to notice Logan and Veronica quietly sitting at the head table; so, the two fell to eating with relish. Logan clearly hadn't had time to do assigned seating, and was actually crossing his fingers that there were enough seats and food for the last minute feds and airmen that Jay and Step seemed to add to the guest list of their own accord. But everyone seemed to be getting along, and tables were easily filling with a mix of Neptunians and Vegans.
Dick and Mac joined them at the head table, seated to Logan's side. There were still plenty of empty seats, but the lack of formality of this part of the wedding left people hesitant. Logan waived over Step and Katie and introduced them to Dick and Mac. Veronica meanwhile tilted her head at Wallace and saw him laugh as he carried his plate in her direction. Jay and his partner Ethan had no compunction and immediately joined the group once their plates were filled.
Sandeep risked a glance out of the closet. He cursed under his breath. His meddlesome brother was sitting with his Veronica. How could Sanjay betray me so? He was laughing and smiling at that man. It was bad enough that Sanjay dishonored the family with his lifestyle choices, working for a living! But now Sanjay was happy for his Veronica with another man? Sanjay should be standing with him, helping him keep his Veronica safe from the world. His frown seemed etched in stone as he closed the closet door again. He left a small crack, so he could look out on the ballroom while he waited.
Someone started clinking glasses, and the room looked with amused anticipation at Logan and Veronica. Veronica rolled her eyes at the traditional call to kiss, but Logan wasted no time in pulling her close and kissing her deeply. Cliff stood by the side of the stage, a wireless microphone in his hands. He looked relieved to be out of Sissy's clutches for the moment. "Ladies and Gentlemen, you may know me, from your bouts with the criminal justice system in Neptune. But for those that don't, I am Cliff McCormack, and I will be your M.C. tonight. As you are enjoying your dinner tonight, the father of the bride, Keith Mars would like to share a toast."
The Sheriff stood up and walked briskly to Cliff. The two men embraced awkwardly as Keith had been reaching for the mic, and Cliff going in for a handshake with the opposite hand. With the situation managed, and the microphone exchange accomplished, Cliff took a seat on the edge of the stage. Keith cleared his throat as he took a long look at Veronica and Logan. "So, some of you might not realize this, but I was only told my daughter was getting married a few hours ago." Chuckles erupted across the room. "Oh, I see your invitations were lost in the mail also. Therefore, not having the opportunity to prepare and have vetted a speech, I will share some of my memories of my lovely daughter and new son in law."
Veronica smiled at him, and called out, "Do your worst Pops, I already got my man!"
"Oh, look how quick she is to throw down the gauntlet. Who should I tell you about Veronica or Logan?" Keith looked back over at them, and noticed how Logan was trying to avoid his eye, while Veronica stared bluffly back at him. He smiled, "Let's start with the newest of my three sons…" A small groan ensued from the boys in question. "I met Logan for the first time on my front porch, while I was cleaning my service gun. This scrawny kid turned ten shades of pale, and his voice broke as he asked if Veronica could come out and play. It was a good run for a few years of him being terrified of me, but boys become teenagers. He still came around, one of Veronica's best friends, but he was so full of mischief. I was relieved when he started dating someone other than Veronica." Keith paused, as if considering his next words. "When Lily was taken from us, Logan left too. The mischievous young man, so full of light and laughter disappeared. He and Veronica found each other again, and as a father, I am going to admit, I was less than thrilled. In fact, close to fifteen years ago, I remember throwing him out of the house. But it didn't take. Somehow through all their struggles, Logan and Veronica always found their way back to each other. Ten years ago, I thought, these two crazy kids finally figured it out. Well, I was wrong. But then something extraordinary happened. Apart, Logan and Veronica found their stride. The rough edges smoothed away on both of them; they found purpose; they found themselves. But they both were missing something. Today, however, I am pleased to say, they found each other again, and as I look at them, I don't see anything missing." Keith paused a beat, "except maybe a grandchild. After all, I am not getting any younger. To Logan and Veronica!" The room erupted in laughter again, as Veronica went scarlet and hid her face in Logan's shoulder.
Cliff slapped Keith on the back, and a much less awkward mic handoff was accomplished. "Father of the bride everybody," Cliff said to scattered applause. "Now, for the rebuttal, Logan would you like the mic?"
Logan smiled, stood, and kissed Veronica's forehead. He took the microphone from Cliff and walked to the center of the room. He turned in a slow circle letting his gaze take in everyone. His eyebrow quirked for a quick moment when he finally recognized Macy sitting close to Jamie Navarro. "I am overwhelmed. About 24-hours ago, I stumbled back into Veronica's life. Before she had a chance to think things through, I somehow convinced her to marry me. I can't tell you all how happy I am. But you know me, I can never been content to do something small, when I can do something outrageous. So thank you, each and every one of you, who answered your phones at ungodly hours, who got on planes without question, who didn't voice their suspicions and didn't call Veronica and convince her to run while she had a chance. I love you all, and am so glad you are here today, to share this special day with us."
Logan moved to sit down, and the crowd responded with a round of clinking glasses. He obliged the audience and leaned over Veronica for another kiss. When he pulled away from her, he noticed the tears in her eyes. He raised soft fingers to her cheek and brushed a stray drop away. She clasped his fingers, and whispered, "I love you too."
Cliff and Dick were struggling with several pieces of poster board, propping them against the edge of the stage, one, with a large red circle on it affixed to an easel in the center. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to introduce another one of my clients and the best man, Dick Casablancas." Dick took a small bow as Cliff walked back to the edge of the stage.
"So Dudes and Dudettes….my beautiful, and scary smart wife, has spent the last thirty minutes nixing my ideas for a speech. That combined with the fact, that I am pretty sure Ronnie could kill me with her pinkie, seriously, she once ran over my surfboard because I was a smart ass, and I am going to be brief." A chuckle ran through the audience. Dick walked to the first piece of poster board and picked it up with one hand. "As many of you know, and some of you have guessed, Ronnie and Logan have known each other for a long time. And during that time, let's just say things have been intense. My bro is a passionate man, and his special lady friend, well she takes things very seriously…so, back in high school, the betting pool was established. The original members each threw in $25 for a week. We thought it wasn't going to be long, and the winner would have enough to buy a keg for the stag party. You see we were betting on when Logan and Veronica would run off and get married." Dick set the original poster board down and walked the line. "But these two are as hard headed as they are passionate, and they would break up," he pointed to large areas of white space on the calendar, "and they would make up." He pointed to colored blocks. "New people came into the betting pool, and the pot kept growing. Let's just say that about ten years ago it became quite substantial, and was going to buy more than a keg! So then the plots hatched. You can see them on the board." He pointed to randomly colored blocks. "Laker games where they were supposed to bump into each other, high school reunions, other people's weddings, ski trips, we came up with all sorts of schemes, and these two foiled them all. One or both of them would come up with an excuse, busting a terrorist cell, bombing a foreign country. I mean come on…I get it you are both super heroes, but would it have killed you to have done this on one of my weeks?" The room laughed at Dick's whine.
"Anyway, the betting ended at about 4:30AM this morning, when Logan woke me up. You should be pleased to know that I did not use my inside knowledge for the win. However, there were two bets placed by email last night, and the requisite Pay Pal transfer was made. So without further ado, I give you the co-winners of the $8,575 pot – Jamie Navarro and Darrell Fennel. Come on up and tell us how you knew!" The room applauded as the two athletic young men jogged up.
Jamie grinned as he took the microphone. "You know, when I first found out about the LoVe pool, I was told I was too young to gamble. It was only last year that Dick started taking my money. So, let me start with my thanks Logan and Veronica for waiting for this moment. Last night, I happened to see Veronica and Logan together, and let's just call it a hunch. But I had never seen Veronica look so alive, and I have seen her busting perps. So, there you go, easy money."
Darrel had been fooling around with his cell phone while Jamie spoke. Taking the microphone he placed it by the phone's speaker. Veronica's sleepy voice filled the room, "Papa Bear, why aren't you picking up? I have news!" Veronica looked appalled and jumped up to try to stop the recording. The young basketball player laughed and jumped up onto the stage, keeping the phone out of her grasp. Her voice continued, now in lilting song, "I'm getting married in the morning, ding dong the bells are gonna chime! Well at least I promised to get engaged in the morning. And you won't guess who. But since you didn't answer, I am turning my phone off for the rest of the weekend." With that, the recording stopped, and Veronica stood at the edge of the stage red faced. Darrel continued, "Veronica must have hit the wrong number on her speed dial, because seriously, do I look like a Papa Bear to you? So, Veronica, thank you for the intel, and Logan, welcome to the family!" He tossed the mic back to Cliff and hopped off the stage, going back to his table.
Veronica quickly grabbed the microphone away from Cliff. "So, before anyone else has a chance to talk. I also wanted to say thank you, and ask my husband a very, very important question….is there cake?"
The room laughed and Logan smiled indulgently, "Is there cake? It's like she thinks I don't know her!"