Nick was already downstairs by the time Jen got out of the shower. She put on her face creams and did a quick blowdry of her hair. Then, after a glance in the bedroom to see that Nick wasn't around, she put on the lingerie set that she'd gotten to wear under her bridesmaid dress. That would be a fun surprise for him when they got home after the wedding tonight. She wasn't usually the sort of person to wear this sort of pink, but the color certainly wasn't her choice. So she'd make the best of it and have a little fun with her husband. She hadn't anticipated starting the day with a shag in the shower, but they'd rally when they got home. Thinking about it now, Jen realized she couldn't quite recall the last time she gave him a blowjob, so surely he'd be interested in receiving one while she wore neon fuchsia lingerie.
She pulled on a pair of soft leggings and an old jumper for the time being. Her shoes and dress and jewelry were already packed in a bag for her to take to the house to get ready. Jen went barefoot in her comfy clothes down the hall. She heard the television on downstairs, but that did not give her a full picture of what was going on.
Just to check, she went into the old nursery that had been converted into the children's room. And sure enough, Ella was wrapped up in her bed, clutching her stuffed rabbit. Gently, Jen sat on the edge of the bed and pulled back the duvet to reveal her daughter's scrunched up little face. She stroked her bright blonde hair softly. "Time to get up, Ell," she murmured.
Ella just grumbled and pressed her face into the pillow.
Jen knew from experience that she needed to treat her daughter very kindly for any hope of getting her up when she didn't want to. If pressed too far, Ella would erupt into hysterics. Cody was more the one to throw a tantrum and shout, but Ella would dig her heels in and cry quietly and become quite inconsolable. With all the excitement of the day, Jen knew to avoid that as much as possible. "Come on, sweet girl. You have to get up so we can have breakfast and then get you all ready in your pretty dress. Remember the dress you get to wear today? You'll get to spin around and look like a princess. Won't that be fun?"
That at least got Ella to roll over and open her eyes. Oh how Jen loved those eyes. Nick said that she and Ella had the same color eyes, but Jen always thought Ella's were bluer. Bright and sparkling and intelligent. Her daughter was quiet, like Nick, but she possessed a depth that Jen was ever so proud of.
"There's my girl," Jen greeted with a smile. She leaned in and kissed Ella's forehead. And Ella wrapped her arms around her mother's neck and hugged her close.
"Mummy, can SamBun come to the wedding?" she asked upon letting go.
"He can come with you to get ready, but he'll have to stay in my bag during the ceremony. But you can bring him to the party if you want," Jen conceded.
Ella seemed satisfied enough with that and hugged her rabbit close. He'd been a birthday gift from Uncle Stanley. Wolfie doted on the children. He knew that they had no grandfather—Jen's father had left when she was just about Ella's age, never to be seen again, and Nick's father had died when he was a teenager—but Stanley Wolfe was a better grandfather than any blood relation ever could be. He'd retired from the State Police two years ago, now. He traveled with his wife and spent time with his own children, but he never missed a school play or footie game for Ella and Cody. And for their last birthday, he'd brought the most marvelous stuffed animals back from his last trip to South Africa. A calico rabbit for Ella, who she had named SamBun, and an elephant for Cody, who he had named Lionel. But while Lionel lived in the toy chest, SamBun went with Ella everywhere she could manage to take him.
At last, Jen had Ella out of bed and they went downstairs together. Nick already had breakfast nearly ready.
"Cody, turn that off now, please," Jen called to her son.
He whipped his head around to complain, but he saw the look on his mum's face and wisely kept his mouth shut. He switched the telly off and shuffled over to the table.
Nick had that wry, affectionate smile on his face as he put plates of scrambled eggs and toast in front of each twin and a larger portion down for himself and another for Jen. She went to the fridge to find the jam she and Cody both liked with their toast.
As she turned back, however, Nick had snuck right behind her. "Oh, hello," she said in surprise.
He put his hands on her hips and leaned in for a soft kiss. "Hi," he whispered.
Jen just smiled. Nick unhanded her and they went to sit down for breakfast. Neither of their children were at all fazed by the affectionate moment between their parents, something that Jen was quite pleased about. She and Nick had fought so hard to have this life together, and she wanted her children to grow up knowing what true love looked like, and to know that their parents loved each other and loved them both more than anything. Jennifer's own upbringing had not included any of that, and she had vowed to do better for her children.
As they ate, Nick reminded everyone of what the day had in store. "Everyone ready for the big day?" he asked.
Cody piped up at once. "Why's it such a big day? It's just a wedding, right?"
"It's just a wedding, yes," Nick agreed, "But your Auntie Hope likes to make a big deal out of things. And it's her wedding day and everything is going to go exactly how she wants it, alright?" Nick had spent his whole life catering to his baby sister's whims. But now, at least, she had another man to count on for her happiness. Nick, who had been the only male figure in her life after their father died when she was an infant, was finally handing off the reins. Poor devil.
Ella turned to Jen. "Mummy, I think it's going to be exciting."
"It is exciting. Weddings are a lot of fun. It's about two people who love each other starting their life together and sharing their happiness with all their friends and family. And it's extra special because we all get to be a part of it," Jen replied.
"Is that why we have to be there early?" Cody asked.
"Yes," Nick answered. "I'm the Best Man, which means I have to help the groom. But men usually don't need as much time as women to get things ready, so you and I will go over and get ready later. You'll need to practice carrying the rings and then we can get our fancy suits on." Nick was proud to be Best Man, and very pleased for his son to be Ring Bearer. He was less pleased to be wearing an uncomfortable gray suit and obnoxiously bright pink tie. But Hope wanted her wedding to be pink, so all the accents were going to be pink. No one could ever really say no to Hope, and in this case, the groom actually quite liked all of her ideas. He had quite the affinity for color.
"And I'm a bridesmaid," Jen added. "So I'll go over to Gram's house to help Hope and get ready with Auntie Danielle and Auntie Kim. And then Auntie Bernice is going to bring you over later so you can wear your pretty dress and get the flowers, alright?" she said to Ella.
Ella nodded in understanding. She'd been quite excited to be asked to be Flower Girl. Particularly when she saw the pink dress she was going to wear. It was just like Mummy's dress, only just right for a little girl.
"Dad, do we get to do anything fun with Uncle Dunny?" Cody asked.
Nick chuckled at that. "Knowing him, there will be something fun to do."
It was still hard to believe that Duncan Freeman was marrying Nick's sister. But they were perfect for each other. Hope, after all, was not as vapid as she seemed to the untrained eye. And Duncan had been absolutely blown away by her. She was very pretty, which suited Dunny just fine, and they both shared a love of the finer things in life. They fit together extremely well. Nick had never seen either of them so happy. And now Duncan was going to be his brother. They'd been brothers in arms for years now, best friends since before they'd even made detective. Now it was going to be official. Everyone Nick loved in the whole world was going to be at this wedding, and he couldn't be happier.