June 12, 2022 (continued)
Stevie took his time delivering Mercedes' gift. Tina asked him to take Sawyer to Mike while she rounded up Quinn and Santana to go help Mercedes into her dress. With the bag and the baby cradled awkwardly his hands, Stevie wandered out back. He didn't take much time to admire the spectacle the backyard had become, but he did think it looked nice—different, if nothing else.
As he walked towards the corral where the other men were gathered, Sawyer woke up and sleepily blinked his tiny brown eyes up at the sailor. Stevie's brows arched, trying to gauge whether or not the chubby babe was going to burst into tears. Thankfully Stevie made it to Mike without having to fearfully deal with a crying baby. His talents with infants were non-existent, to say the least.
When the Navy sailor thought enough time had passed, he went back into the house to find his sister. To his fortune, Stacey had come through the front doors just as he passed the staircase.
"Stace, go upstairs and see if 'Cedes is decent."
His bubbly sister stopped mid-stride and raised her brows. "Ooookay, but why?"
Visibly uncomfortable, Stevie blushed hard, "I'm supposed to give this bag to her for Sam but…Tina and the others went up there a while ago and I dunno if it's safe…"
Grinning again, Stacey slowly nodded, "Ohhh. Geeze Stevie, you act like you've never seen a girl before!"
"That's not it!" he quickly defended and then muttered, "I just don't wanna walk in on something I shouldn't see."
Stacey rolled her eyes as if possibly walking in on your sister-in-law getting dressed was natural. "Alright ya baby, wait here. I'll go look."
Puckering his lips chagrinned, Stevie stood at the bottom of the staircase, holding the little pink bag with both hands while Stacey dashed up the curved staircase. The bag felt incredibly light—almost empty. Underwear's practically weightless, he thought. His eyes grew wide with horror. Oh God, he lied!
Moments later, Stacey's quick steps came trotting back down, bringing him out of his internal thoughts. "You can go up there, Stevie! She looks sooo good! Sammy's gonna die when he sees her!"
"Let's hope not," replied Stevie. When he started up the stairs, Stacey lightly pushed his back to give him some encouragement. Although he didn't say it aloud, delivering the gift to Mercedes was a big deal to him. He missed all of the things a Best Man might normally do for a groom—planning and attending the bachelor party (even though he was only 19), going to the tux fittings, and whatever else Sam might need help with. And while he was grateful to be at the wedding, part of him felt like Sam and Mercedes felt obligated to plan their big day around his limited time at home, and that clouded him with some guilt. So today, he wanted to do everything right—even if that meant possibly delivering lingerie to his future sister-in-law.
Before reaching the guest room door, he heard the girls giggling and chattering away over some music. He knocked three times, to which Santana asked, "Who is it?"
"It's me. Sam sent me with a gift for the bride."
He quietly chuckled once when he heard Mercedes urge, "Quick, let him in! Pause the music!"
The door cracked open and once Santana confirmed that Stevie was alone, she opened it wider. "Come in, Little T," she said with a cordial smile.
Oblivious as to why Santana called him 'Little T', Stevie stepped warily through the threshold but didn't make more than two steps. His lips curled into a sincere smile at the sight of his future sister-in-law.
Mercedes stood in front of the bed with her hands clenched anxiously at her side. Her dress was top-to-bottom ivory: a strapless gown, hosting a sweetheart neckline with glittering crystals and vertical lace ruching along the bust that tastefully flaunted her voluptuous chest. The bodice of the dress was smooth and form-fitting—complimenting her wide hour glass shape beautifully. It hugged her form until it reached the middle of her thighs, where the gown fanned smoothly to the floor. The same glittery lace pleated at the bust of the garment, also lined the three foot train. A photographer was snapping photos of Quinn pinning the long waterfall veil—also lined with lace—underneath Mercedes' hairdo. Like the bridesmaids, her hair sported braids; the stylist had given her weave an unusually long, thick extension, and promptly gathered it all in a high ponytail. From there, the ponytail was separated into several braids; the braids were then twisted and clustered into miniature black and brown-highlighted buns, forming one large, neat hive on the back of Mercedes' head.
"You're gonna knock my brother off his feet when he sees you, Mercedes."
The bride put her hands on her hips, grinning proudly, "Let's hope so. You're looking pretty sharp yourself, Stevie."
"Thanks," he said with a familiar lop-sided smile. "Sam sent me up here to give this to you." He handed her the pink bag and then stepped back to watch while she reached inside.
Mercedes picked past the bunches of tissue paper and found a long silver chain-linked anklet with an alternating pattern of pink tourmaline and sapphire gems glinting all around. Her friends marveled right along with her as she gingerly placed the jewelry in her palm.
"Here," said Quinn with her hand out. "I'll put it on you."
As she knelt back down to place the anklet on her friend, Mercedes' waved eagerly to Stevie in a come-hither manner. She was beaming a wide and obviously excited smile as the young sailor approached her; as soon as he was close enough, Mercedes pulled him in for a big hug, loving hug.
"Thank you so much Stevie."
"Of course, 'Cedes," he murmured back, smiling softly.
"You're the best little brother I could ask for." And after a quick, glossy peck on his cheek, she told him, "And that's for Sam."
Stevie leaned back from her embrace and looked her skeptically in the eye, "You know I'm not gonna pass that on to him."
She threw her head back, giggling, "Yes I know. I would've paid to see that!"
As she wiped the gloss and lipstick from her brother-in-law's cheek, her mother, Viola, and stepfather appeared at the open door. Her mother was clad in a matronly red-violet two-piece dress and an extravagant matching hat. She had her arm looped around the cinnamon brown sleeve of her husband—the burly, dark-skinned dentist, Dr. Jeremy Owens. Ever since Mercedes was seven, he had been more of a father to her and Marcus than their biological one; and both Jones kids treated and addressed him as such. He maintained a close relationship with their mother, and finally proposed to her, the year before Mercedes moved to California.
Viola gasped to withhold tears at the sight of her only daughter. With both hands, she blew a kiss at Mercedes while entering the room, and then wrapped her arms tightly around her daughter. "My baby…You look so gorgeous!" She happily cried.
The deep baritone of her smiling stepfather overcame all others, "You really do, Babygirl."
As he stepped into the room, Stevie, Tina, Santana and Quinn edged toward the door. "We'll go get the bouquets," Tina quietly announced before the group left the room.
"Your mother has one of those 'something' gifts for you," said Dr. Owens who gestured to his wife.
"Oh, that's right," jumped Viola as she reached inside her purse. "You don't have all four 'somethings' already, do you?"
"I don't have something old but," Mercedes gestured to each item as she spoke, "I have something new, from Sam." She lifted the skirt of her gown to reveal her bejeweled anklet and then let go of the gown to touch her veil, "Something borrowed—it's Tina's." Last but not least, her right hand lightly patted the area above her knee, indicating her garter, "And something blue."
Her dad pumped his hands down and nervously chuckled, "Well we don't need to see that one."
Smiling, Mercedes shook her head at him but her attention soon returned to her mother whose hand was outstretched to her. Sitting in her mom's hand was a folded beige handkerchief with lace fringe and a pale pink heart stitched into the exposed corner.
"Something old," said Viola. "It was your Great-Grandma Vi's. I figured you could keep it with you while you held your bouquet."
After accepting the handkerchief, Mercedes hugged her mother again—tighter than before—and whispered, "Thanks, Mom." Pulling away to look at her mom's face, she suddenly asked, "Where's Marcus?"
Her dad answered, "Last I saw, he was out back with the rest of the boys. Did you wanna see him?"
"In a little bit." One more inquiry soon popped in Mercedes' mind as she abruptly recalled the previous weekend. She cast a wary gaze to her mom as the question left her mouth. "Did Aunt Cassie come?"
Her mother broached her with a soft look of warning, "Yes, Mercedes. She and your Aunt Mel came with your cousins." She felt her daughter tense, and right away Viola squeezed the bride's arms. "Don't worry, Mercedes. I had a long talk with Cassandra—"
"For the hundredth time," Dr. Owens mumbled under his breath.
"—and she's been thoroughly warned that if she says one more despicable thing to or about you, Sam or the Evans family, that I'd be removing her from the celebration myself. I know you'd wanna do it, but this is your day, Baby. And I wouldn't want you to ruin your pretty self over her."
Mercedes' brows both raised high, but she couldn't help chuckling at her mother's sugary-sweet promising smile. The singer hugged and thanked her mom again, and then she moved to hug her dad.
The photographer snapped a few photos and then let the three enjoy a loving moment until Kurt arrived at the guest room door. In his hurry to keep things on schedule, he speedily said, "Oh good, you're all ready to go." But the moment the words left his mouth, he physically and verbally stopped himself for the first time that day. Feeling a bit modest for a moment, Kurt lowered his gaze to the floor as he entered the room. When he looked back to Mercedes, he was smiling genuinely and speaking calmly. "You look…"
"Hot? Fabulous?" Mercedes jokingly suggested with her hands propped on her hips.
"…Breath-taking, Mercedes. Truly." With a growing smile, Kurt shook his head at her and then took both her hands in his. He let out a relieving sigh and then added, "You've come a long way from rainbow zebra hoodies, let me tell you."
The bride coughed a laugh at that, "Not that long a way. Have you seen my luggage set before?" She grinned and then finished by saying, "Thanks Kurt. For everything; Sam and I really couldn't have done this without you."
Kurt gave her a long-lasting hug, the longest one she's received thus far today, and when he pulled away he re-claimed Mercedes' hands, "It has been an honor and such a treat, planning yours and Sam's wedding. I honestly can't think of two more deserving people for a day like this—even if it is hotter than a jalapeno's armpit today."
Right away, Mercedes' face contorted. Kurt's face froze.
"…Did that just come out of my mouth?"
The singer nodded, still fairly surprised herself yet trying hard not to laugh at him.
"Oh god do I need to get back to New York," he sighed, placing a hand to his shaking head. "Next thing you know, I'm gonna be chewing on wheat stalks and hooting notes out of a moonshine jug."
Still holding Mercedes hand, Kurt took a few seconds to reflect on at his own words before he finally said, "Okay come on! We need to get you downstairs for photos with your bridal party, and then with Sam and the groomsmen and all that fun stuff."
Kurt, Dr. Owens and Viola assisted Mercedes down the stairs. Viola guided her from the front and Dr. Owens held her hand while Kurt tended to her train. Once they triumphed over the staircase, Kurt went to get Lizzie and the bridesmaids while the photographer from the guest room escorted Mercedes to the sun-baked porch.
In between fanning themselves, they took a series of photos together and individually; the flower girl and each bridesmaid took one genuine and one silly photo with the bride. Eventually the photos taken were just of Mercedes. When she finished, she looked to her bridesmaids and asked, "Where's Sam at anyway?"
Quinn answered, "They're in the back taking pictures with another photographer."
For a moment, Mercedes pouted. She was dying to see Sam, and was particularly interested in seeing her brother in a tuxedo.
After utilizing the beautiful home front and its serene landscape, the bridesmaids were instructed to wait on the driveway. The photographer then turned to Mercedes and told her, "It's time for Mr. Evans to come here so he can see you." She then grabbed Mercedes' hand and walked her onto the wrap-around porch and to the side of the house—out of sight from the others.
Sam, Little Mikey and the groomsmen finished their series of photos in the warm backyard near the horse corral. The photographer that was with them then ushered the six inside the house. Guests were slowly beginning to arrive and the ceremony was set to start in less than an hour.
Sam and the boys walked through the large house and were met by the girls when they stepped out to the front porch. Sam had been instructed to stay there while the groomsmen and ring bearer were asked to join the girls. Mike and Finn carried Artie and his wheelchair down the steps to the stone-lain driveway where Quinn, Stacey, and Lizzie stood. The three girls, and the men began watching a small train of cars and limos appear on the distant road, and speculated who some of the other wedding guests were going to be. Of course most of them hoped—given Sam and Mercedes' careers—that they would meet a celebrity or two today.
Tina and Santana on the other hand went to talk to Sam. Tina gasped happily during her quick approach to the groom while pointing to his collar. "So that's what Mercedes had in there with the cufflinks? That's so sweet!"
Sam smirked, glancing down at the bolo slide. "Yeah. I love it—it's great."
"Alright enough flapping your jaw, Trouty," ordered Santana while making circles with one finger. "Turn around so Mercedes can come out of hiding already."
The groom's lips puckered in an attempt to fight a smile as he turned his back to his siblings and friends. From his peripheral vision, he saw his parents and future in-laws appear at the front doors with a sleeping Sawyer cradled in Mrs. Evans' arms. They were all watching with different-sized smiles on their faces; one of the photographers snapped a candid shot of the proud parents.
"Are you ready, Mr. Evans?" asked another photographer.
With one nod, Sam held his hands in front of him—one hand cupped over the opposing limb's wrist. He glanced at all four parents and let himself smile with them. Shortly after, he shut his eyes and simply listened as the soft yet solid steps of Mercedes' heels sounded against the porch wood. Along with the syncopated steps, he heard the light rustling of the fabric her dress. A short distance away, he the footsteps stopped and for a second, he purposely bit the inside of his cheek right after another photo was taken of him. He could feel his heart hammering blissfully inside his chest.
"Okay Mr. Evans…turn around."
With one deep breath in and out, Sam opened his eyes again and slowly turned on his heels. His anxious green eyes instantly stilled at the sight of his future wife. He broke the hold on his wrist so his hands could hang at his sides at the same time that his lop-sided smile returned; the rise of his cheeks brought tiny crinkles to the corners of his eyes. For the first time that day, he didn't hear the clicking of the cameras and he didn't see anyone but her. His awe had less to do with her dress and more to do with the fact that Mercedes was glowing. Sure, he'd heard people compliment others, saying that they look radiant but it was obviously the kind of sentiment you reserved for moments like this; for someone who meant as much to him as Mercedes did. She was dazzling him with her smile while gazing right back in his eyes.
Sam gave one hard tug on the end of his tan suit jacket and then pantomimed adjusting his bolo tie while clearing his throat, making Mercedes giggle at him. He grinned back and then softly said, "Look at you."
He took the steps necessary to close the space between them and spread his arms to hug her.
Mercedes placed her bouquet in one hand so that she could return the gesture around his neck. "You look so handsome, Sam."
"I can't wait to marry you," he whispered back for only her to hear. When he pulled away from her, she was blushing deeper than the minerals on her cheeks.
The photographers took a few more candid photos of the two and then hurried them inside along with the rest of the bridal party. One of the three explained, "Mr. Hummel-Anderson said your guests aren't supposed to see you yet, and more have arrived."
The bridal party followed the photographers back into the house, just as the queue of cars and limos reached the driveway. With a good half-hour to spare, the photographers played around with different arrangements for more photos of the group at the foot of the staircase.
Ten minutes 'til 4pm approached in no time.
"Okay! Is everyone ready?" asked a lively Kurt, who seemed to appear out of nowhere.
Mercedes jumped slightly and looked to her friend as she quickly recovered. "I think we are."
"I know we are," amended Sam, causing his bride to smile again.
"Fantastic. Now, I don't want either of you to panic," Kurt said, "but we had to make one last minute change for the officiator of the ceremony."
"What?" balked Mercedes.
"What happened?" Sam asked at the same time.
Kurt put his hands up to silence them both, "Mercedes, the minister of your church back in Lima came down with something—I don't remember what, but he's not coming. It doesn't matter though." He assured while waving off whatever forgotten reason was given to him earlier.
"Why not?" Mercedes asked sharply—the panic already rising in her voice.
"Because I found someone better…well, you might think he's better at least. But he's here and can preside over your marriage."
The bride and groom both looked completely puzzled as Kurt looked to the open doors behind them and said, "Hey, Pastor Hart—get in here and introduce yourself to the happy couple!"
Stepping through the front doors was the tranquil-minded, angel-faced Joe Hart. Not much about him had changed since Mercedes and Sam last saw him. He was still tall, wiry and sporting subtly shorter dreads. Over the years however, he seemed to have abandoned his nose ring and grown fond of facial hair, giving him even more of a Jesus-like appearance.
Sam grinned as Mercedes met Joe halfway with a hug. "Oh my God, Joe!"
Joe chuckled and hugged her back, "Mercedes! Sam—man, it's so good to see you guys again! And congratulations by the way!"
After letting go of the bride, Joe went over to shake Sam's hand, which morphed into a one-armed hug.
"Aaaaalright, I hate to cut the reunion short," Kurt said with a very professional tone, "but there will be plenty of time for this at the reception. Time is of the essence." He tapped the face of his watch as though to emphasize his point and then briskly walked to Joe's side to seize his arm. "Come on Joe, I need to walk you through your part in the procession, fast."
"Um…righteous," Joe innocently fumbled as he was carted away. He waved back at Sam and Mercedes, "See you both soon, I guess!"
Mercedes waved to Joe while Sam shook an amused face at Kurt; he was nothing, if not a punctual planner.
With their attention returning to their approaching nuptials, Sam and Mercedes both began feeling anxious yet euphoric. Everything was going smoothly; their most important family and friends were all there and had arrived safely, and very soon they would be a Mr. and Mrs.
Please leave reviews! I apologize for any spelling/grammar/punctuation errors. The ceremony is coming VERY soon, of course!