Chapter 79
Roger stood there, staring at Cass. He could barely hear Joanne's uncle speaking over the pounding of his own heartbeat in his ears. What he could hear he wasn't sure if he even understood. Cass was smiling at him and holding his hand.
Joanne's uncle was talking to Cass. Roger tried paying attention to him, but he kept focusing on Cass.
"Do you Cassiopeia Isabella DuBartas Sullivan take Roger to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
Roger could feel everyone staring at them.
"To have and to hold?"
The butterflies were flapping double time in his stomach.
"For richer and poorer?"
Roger knew why he was getting so nervous. He knew what was coming next.
"Through good times and bad?"
He knew it was that next statement that made him question today. The only thing that made him question marrying Cass.
"Through sickness and health?"
He looked at Cass. Was she sure about that? Is that what she really wanted? To be saddled with him? Sick and dying? They had so many talks about that. She kept telling him she didn't care about all that. That all she wanted was him. But standing there now, he couldn't help but think about it. About all their conversations and arguments and his fears. He loved her so much. He hated the thought of ever hurting her. He hated that he made her get tested. He hated the compromise they had come to, where she goes every three months instead of every month like he wanted or every six like she originally agreed.
Here he was, marrying her. He loved her more than anything he could imagine. But he was going to marry her, get sick on her, and then die on her. And leave her alone. He didn't want to give her up, but that was so much to ask. Finally somebody other than him was asking her that question.
"Till death do you part?"
Cass had been looking at him the whole time, but now, it was like her eyes were boring into him. She knew what he was thinking. What his greatest fears were. She heard the judge ask the last part of the question. Cass had her hand in Roger's, her smile deepened as her eyes looked into his soul.
"I do." She said, squeezing his hand.
He felt himself let out a huge sigh. The rest of the ceremony blurred by. He said the right things at the right time. He managed to get the ring on her finger without dropping it. The whole time staring at Cass. He heard the judge say to kiss her and he did.
That was it. It was all over. They were married. He and Cass were married. Cass married him. He couldn't stop all that going through his head as he held her while they danced. "Did I tell you how amazing you look?"
"Once or twice."
"Well you do." He grinned, kissing her again.
"I still can't believe we got married."
"You, me and everyone else." He laughed.
Cass held him tight. "I love you Roger."
"Me too Baby."
"Your not mad? About your mom?"
"No. I'm glad you guys called her. I couldn't do it."
"We kinda thought that. I'm glad you're happy."
"As long as I got you Baby." He kissed her again as they kept dancing.
Mark watched them as he danced. "You did a really good job pulling this whole thing together Mo."
"Thanks. I didn't even have to kill any of you guys." She laughed.
"No, but I think you came close a few times."
"Maybe." Maureen grinned, looking around. "Molly's definitely your sister. She hasn't put that camera down since this afternoon."
Mark sort of laughed at that. "Yeah, I guess." He twirled her around.
"Your toast was really good Mark."
"Thanks."
"They're lucky to have you Mark. Real lucky."
Mark just smiled at her thinking about that. Maybe. They were lucky to have each other. And he was lucky to have them. "You look really good Mo. Really. I mean it."
"Thanks." Maureen blushed.
"You're welcome. I kinda like it when we're not fighting. Kinda like the old days. At least the days of the old days when we weren't fighting."
"I think I know what you mean." She leaned against him. "You know I've pictured this before. You and me dancing at a wedding like this. Granted it was never Roger's wedding I pictured." She laughed.
"Yeah, me neither." Mark grinned. "So if it wasn't Roger's wedding, who's wedding did you see us dancing at?"
"Well, um…"she stuttered. "I guess ours." She looked down as she danced.
"Oh." Mark said looking over the top of her head. "Mo you ever think about us?"
"Sometimes. Sometimes a lot. Sometimes I miss us. What about you?"
"Yeah. Sometimes." They danced for another minute or two before he spoke again. "You know if you'd stuck around, and not cheated on me, I probably would have married you. Eventually."
Maureen just leaned against him as they danced. "I think I knew that. I'm sorry Mark." She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "I should go check on the cake. See if they're ready to cut it. It's chocolate you know."
"Yeah, I know." He told her letting her go and watched her walk away. He walked over to a table and sat down. Collins come over and sat with him.
"How you doing buddy?"
"Fine. Why?"
"I don't know." Collins shrugged. "Your best friend for your entire life who's always been there for you, and you've basically taken care of for years just married a girl you were sort of in love with. And all three of you live together and now your gonna have a kid. Well sort of."
Mark laughed. "Yeah, like I said, I'm fine. I mean it's not like any of this is life altering or anything."
"No nothing like that at all." He laughed. "Come on they're going to cut the cake."
They walked over to the cake and watched them cut it. Mark looked around. Roger and Cass were happy. Collins and Jason were happy. Izzy and Krystal were even happy. And Maureen and Joanne were, well not as happy as they had seemed in the past, more preoccupied. He was going to ask her about it later though.
"Hey Marky! I brought you some cake."
"Thanks Molly. You having fun?"
"Uh huh. I got some great shots!"
"Great. Just don't get too drunk hanging out with Ginny and Leslie."
"Oh Marky!" She laughed getting up and walking away.
Mark just laughed at her. Patrick sat down with him. "Man I still can't believe it."
"What that he got married or that fact that he's having a kid?" Mark asked.
"The kid part doesn't surprise me in the least. I'm surprised that didn't happen sooner." Patrick laughed.
"Patrick!" Shelly scolded him. "Behave!" She sat down next to him.
"No." He laughed. "I mean I can't believe he got married."
"Yeah." Shelly agreed. "Look at your mom. I haven't seen her that happy ever."
Mark looked over at Joanie and Roger and Cass. She kept hugging the two of them. Shelly was right, Joanie was about to explode she was so happy. Mark was glad for her. For all of them.
They sat around talking and dancing for a little while longer. Finally the hotel people started cleaning everything up.
"I guess we're getting kicked out. Anybody want to go to the bar?" Jason asked, one arm around Collins and the other around Jen.
"Sure! We're up for it!" Ginny answered for both herself and Leslie.
"We'll go too." Maureen answered, nodding at Joanne who nodded back. "Marky?"
"Yeah sure. Can we get Molly in?"
"We'll get her in." Jason told him. "Pat you guys coming?"
"No, we're going home tonight. If I can ever pry my mom off Roger and Cass." He laughed.
"What about you Iz?"
"No. We gotta take off. I gotta run by the bar. You're working for him Tuesday and Thursday right Jason?"
"Yeah, no problem." Jason answered.
They all said their good byes to Izzy and Krystal and Roger's family. They were still sitting there talking when Cass came over to the table.
Cass sat down on Mark's lap. "Hey Marky! You have a good time sweetie?" She hugged him.
"Great time." He kissed her cheek. "You look great you know."
"Somebody mentioned that earlier." She grinned at him. "Personally I think I look huge."
"Nope. Awesome." He kissed her again.
"I love you Marky." She leaned over and whispered in his ear.
"I know. Me too." He whispered back as Roger came over. His tie was undone and hanging around his neck, his jacket long discarded. Mark could tell he was buzzed. It amazed him how Roger could do shots and drink vodka all night, but champagne got him buzzed.
"Hey we're going down to the bar. You guys coming?" Jason asked Roger.
"You're kidding right?" Roger gave him a drunken grin.
"No." Cass answered, standing up. "I have got to get out of this dress. I can't breath anymore."
Roger grabbed her from behind, pulling her close and grinned. "Yeah, she wants out of the dress."
"Let me guess." Collins laughed. "And you're just the man to help her with that."
"Yup!" Roger laughed, scooping up a giggling Cass. "We'll see you guys tomorrow."
"Right." Collins kept laughing with everyone else. "Have fun." He called to them as they walked out. "Well, that's that I guess." He laughed.
"Mark!" Roger called from the hallway.
"Or not." Ginny laughed. "Jeez Mark, even on their wedding night? I always knew the three of you had a weird relationship."
"Forget it. I already know what it is, he's locked out." He stood up laughing. "Mo you got the key to their room?"
"No. It must be in the room. Just call the desk."
"Yeah okay." He walked out to the hall. "Your pathetic Davis!"
Roger stopped biting at Cass' neck to look up and laugh. "Um, my stuff's in your room and we need a key to ours."
"No kidding." Mark shook his head. "Let's go!"
***************
Mark could hear Cass quietly giggling as he rounded the corner. Roger was sitting on the floor, Cass on his lap facing him. The skirt on her dress flowed over their legs and onto the floor. Cass was drinking out of the champagne bottle and Roger was running kisses down her neck onto her bare shoulders. Roger was whispering something Mark couldn't hear and Cass was giggling again.
"Oh for God sake get a room!" Mark teased.
"We will as soon as you unlock our door." Cass grinned, holding up her hands for him to help her up.
"Okay, okay. Here's your key. And your stuff. You need anything else or can I go now?"
"Yes, go. Please go." Roger teased back wrapping his arms around Cass' waist.
"Yeah, yeah, I get the hint." Mark grinned.
"Night Marky. We'll see you tomorrow at eleven for breakfast."
"Yeah night Marky." Roger said picking Cass up again. "Hey Mark!"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks. Really."
"Your welcome. I'll see you tomorrow." Mark waved as he turned and walked back down the hall.
Roger grinned at her and whispered. "I thought he'd never leave." He opened the door, kicked his bag threw and carried Cass in, setting her on the bed. He sat down next to her and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"God I love you." She told him, her lips finding his mouth.
"I love you too. You look incredible. You even taste incredible." His hand went up her back, resting against her neck.
"So you want to help me out of this dress?"
"You better believe it, but I've got no idea how to get you out of it." He grinned at her.
"Well first we need to get this thing out of my hair." She told him as she reached up and gently tugged at the veil. She helped him and it came out. She shook her head back and forth, making her hair fall to her shoulders.
His hands traveled to her head, playing with her hair. "Now what?"
"Now you need to unbutton it. In the back."
He undid a few of the buttons. "Like this?" He grinned.
"Exactly." She stood up, letting the dress slide to the floor.
"Your amazing. Absolutely amazing." He stood up and pulled her close. "I've been waiting all night to do this."
"Me too." She kissed him. "Me too."
*****************
Cass felt the sunlight pouring into the room without opening her eyes. Then she realized why she woke up, hearing the phone ring again. "Roger the phone's ringing."
"Uh huh."
"Get it, it's on your side." She heard him groan as he reached for the phone. She heard him pick it up then hand it to her. Cass had a feeling he wasn't awake. "Hello?" She listened for a second. "Thank you." She crawled over Roger and hung up the phone.
"Who was that?" He asked, half asleep.
"Our wake up call. Come on, we need to get up."
"Why? It's too early."
"No it's not. We need to get up, pack all our stuff up, have breakfast and get to the airport."
"Oh yeah," he grinned, rolling onto his elbow, "airport. You know what that means?"
"What?" She asked with a big grin on her face as she sat up, pulling the sheets up over them. "It means we actually got married yesterday."
"We did, didn't we?"
"Yeah, we actually did." He leaned up and kissed her. "That makes you Cassiopeia Isabella DuBartas Sullivan Davis."
"And that make you all mine." She grinned. "But I'm dropping all that other crap. I'll keep Isabella, but DuBartas and Sullivan are history."
"Cassiopeia Isabella Davis. I kinda like that. But if you change your name isn't your dad going to notice? Like when you tell him to make your paycheck out to Cass Davis?"
"I'll tell him. Eventually." She got up, putting on a robe and throwing Roger his boxers. "Come on get up."
She got him moving and into the shower while she hung her dress up in the bag. When he came out she opened up the suitcase they were taking with them. "Find something to wear out of there. And when your done, make sure you put your toothbrush and your pills in the carry on."
"Yes dear." He teased her, getting dressed.
By the time Cass was out of the shower and dressed, Mark had called and was on his way up.
"Hey sweetie." She called to him, brushing her hair back into a ponytail.
"You guys ready? Everybody is heading down to breakfast."
"Yeah we're ready." Roger told him. Mark helped him take the bags downstairs and they met everyone for breakfast. By the time the check came it was getting late.
"You guys better get going. Who knows how long it'll take you to get to the airport."
Roger looked at his watch. "Yeah he's right. You know what your taking home Mark?"
"Um, I think."
"Here's the bag of stuff. My tux is in there, don't forget to take them back."
"And my dress. Don't forget that." Cass pulled on her jacket.
"Okay, I got it." Mark told him, grabbing the suitcase with all their Bahama clothes in it. Cass and Roger said goodbye to everyone. Roger picked up the carry on and told the doorman they needed a cab to the airport. "You guys got everything your gonna need? Suntan lotion, sunglasses, stuff like that?" Mark asked him when he came back.
"Yes Marky." Roger grinned.
"You got your pills? And vitamins? And her vitamins?"
"Yes Marky."
"And she packed the camera. I'll get the pictures from last night developed."
"Thanks Mark. I mean it, for everything."
"Yeah, I know. Just be careful. And take care of her."
"You got it. And you too, be careful, I mean."
"Always." Mark grinned, looking over his glasses.
Roger looked over at Cass and everyone. Jen was hugging her and everyone else was laughing. "No I mean it. Whatever is going on with Maureen, just be careful. Okay? Please?"
Mark looked down at the suitcase for a second before looking up at him. "I don't know what's going on with Mo. But yeah, I'll be careful."
"Good." Roger told him as the doorman told him the cab was there. "Cass we gotta go. The cab's here." He called to her before turning back to Mark. "I love ya Mark, you know that right?"
"Yeah I know. I love you too. Now you guys need to get going or your going to miss your plane."
"I know." He picked up the carry on. "Cass we gotta go."
"Okay. I'm ready." She hugged Mark, kissing him on the cheek. "Bye Marky, be careful. We'll miss you." She kissed him again. "We'll see you in a week." She waved at them all as Roger lead her out the door to the cab.