First, sorry this took a few months to post. Second, by the time you read this, most of you will be on the 17th, so Happy Belated Birthday to James. Third, thanks to everyone who continues to read.
Kylie sat down one morning in October with her computer and began searching for things to know for wedding planning. By the time Katie called her for lunch, she had a document so full of ideas and things not to forget that her head was spinning. "Hey, you ok?" Katie asked.
"I don't know. I thought I was after Hawaii but now I'm not so sure," Kylie answered, still staring at the document on her computer.
"Can I help?" Katie asked curiously.
"Know anything about planning a wedding?" Kylie looked up at her sister.
"No, but I'm sure you've got friends that do." Katie shrugged.
"I don't know anyone that's planned a wedding in the last 20 years."
Katie rolled her eyes. "I'm sure there are professionals for that," Katie said.
"Maybe," Kylie answered. She set her computer aside and took the plate Katie had brought over. After lunch, she googled recent marriages and didn't come up with a whole lot of people she knew. Logan passed by and took a peek.
"Didn't your bodyguard just get married?" Logan asked.
"Bodyguard? Honey Bear. Of course. Thanks, Logan." While she lived in a very safe building and wasn't really one of the top celebs out there, Griffin worried about her on the road so he had paid the man to be a bodyguard when she was out and about. She bolted out of the Palm Woods and drove over to Honey Bear's place. He and his wife Mickey lived a few streets over, not that far, and she was there in less than 15 minutes.
"Well, if it isn't our favorite country girl," Mickey said as she opened the door and saw Kylie.
"Hey. Can I talk to you … and Honey Bear, of course?" Kylie asked.
"Sure." She let the blonde in and they sat down in the living room where Honey Bear was watching TV. Mickey swatted Honey Bear's leg and he muted the TV. "So, what's going on?" Mickey asked.
"James proposed and I know that's supposed to be a good thing but I don't know that it is," Kylie said. She frowned looking down at the ring on her finger.
"Because of what your parents, and his, went through?" Honey Bear asked.
"Yeah. How'd you know you were ready?" Kylie asked. She looked back up at them earnestly.
"My parents weren't the best," Mickey started. "They didn't give a crap about me once I learned to feed and cook for myself at about eight. When I turned 16, my grandparents threw me a birthday party and brought me the papers and I legally emancipated myself. They took me in and things got better but I always worried that if I got in a serious relationship, it'd end the same way. Then I met Bear. Kev is the best thing in the world. It's why we were engaged for more than two years."
"You don't still worry about it? That you could end up like your parents and ruin any relationship you're in?"
"Not anymore," Mickey said.
"When I was a boy," Honey Bear said, "my parents were the ones that everyone in the neighborhood thought were perfect. When I started getting serious about Mickey, my mom sat me down and told me that the simplest way to make any relationship work is to think of it like the buddy system."
"The buddy system?" Kylie asked, confused.
"You remember when you were a kid and you had to have a buddy for everything?"
Kylie smiled. "It was always Carlos or Kendall. Going camping, lunch time, recess, and all that. Every time we left the classroom or at a camp."
"Right." Honey Bear smiled. "Well, a marriage is basically the same thing. If you treat your relationship the same way you treated your buddy, there's nothing to be afraid of. Check in on your buddy. Make sure they don't forget the important things. Hold hands so they don't get lost. If they want to see the monkeys, even if you hate monkeys, go with them, and you can bet that they'll help you feed the giraffes. Just be a good buddy. If he's not good to you, tell your teacher, or anyone, and get a new buddy. Sometimes, I like to talk about a TV show I'm watching and even if Mickey knows absolutely nothing about the show, she'll sit and listen."
"Why? Because she loves you that much?" Kylie asked.
"Yes, but also because I know when he's done, I get to talk all about this book I'm reading and he'll listen. That's the best way to live any relationship," Mickey added.
"So …?" Kylie trailed off.
"Trust that your buddy is going to be good to you. Has James ever been not good to you?" Mickey asked.
"There have been a few fights and we have broken up on some pretty bad terms in the last six years."
"But he's never hurt you?"
"Not physically," Kylie said.
"And in the last six months has pressured you once about tying the knot?" Honey Bear asked.
"No. He hasn't brought it up even," Kylie answered.
"And you guys have been back together for what? Three years?" Honey Bear said.
"Three years next month. On my birthday," Kylie said.
"The best relationships are all about collaboration. Coming at a problem together, to find the best solution for everyone, can turn most problems into a win-win situation. Everyone gets something they want. It doesn't always work but most of the time it settles things," Mickey explained. "Have you talked to him about these fears?"
"Yeah, and he just said that we could wait. I don't know how to get over this."
Honey Bear sighed. "I wish I could tell you," he said.
"I can. It's not about getting over it. Sometimes it's just about jumping in and getting through it and communication. James isn't here to hold you down or create problems or make you fear that you're not good enough. The James I know wants to help you through life and support you. Could you do the same for him?" Mickey told her.
Kylie opened her mouth to answer then snapped it shut. "How long did it take for you to plan your wedding?" Kylie asked, changing the subject.
Mickey looked at Honey Bear who shrugged. They went with the subject change. "Year and a half," Mickey said. "And Jess told me it took her six months before she married Sticks. She actually helped me plan mine. We can help you if you'd like."
"You'd do that?" Kylie asked.
"Of course. Do you have anyone else who's gotten married recently?" Mickey answered.
"Not in the last 20 years or so. What's the most important thing to remember?" Kylie asked.
Mickey and Honey Bear looked at each other. Mickey smiled. "The wedding's about the two of you. Don't let anyone else push you into something you don't want. When my mom heard I was getting married, she started blowing up my grandma's phone and trying to get me to talk to her. So I called her once and she tried to take over my entire wedding. Telling me all these things I needed to do and what not. The second most important thing, don't mention it's a wedding. The cake, the photographer, and the DJ, I think, were the only ones we actually told it was for a wedding. And we sent invitations to every rich person we could find an address for. Several of them sent us presents or checks and I doubt half of them even knew who we were. I learned that online."
"That last one's a good idea but I'm pretty sure most rich people have at least heard my name. Even if they don't know where from. And if that's not true, then they've at least heard of James," Kylie said.
"Ok, I understand that," Mickey answered.
"So, you'll help me out with planning, right?" Kylie pushed.
"Of course. Let me know when you're ready to start planning this and I'll call Jess and Cowboy's wife Sandy and we'll get together to get a head start on it."
She was enjoying the waffles Logan had made for breakfast when Carlos dropped into a seat next to her. He dropped a pack of papers next to her plate, nearly knocking over her orange juice. Her hand shot out and steadied the cup. Then she shot him a dirty look.
"Sorry," he said sheepishly.
"What's with the paper?" Kylie asked.
"You're my best friend, my sister, mi hermana, the jam to my peanut butter, the ketchup to my corndog, the—"
"Get to the point, Carlos, I know all that."
"I was thinking you and I could do something together to bond. I miss hanging out with you." Carlos pouted. At first, it went straight to her heart then she realized he was up to something.
"Leave the masterminding to Kendall, he's better at it," Kylie deadpanned.
"You're right," Carlos relented. "I want you to have this." He tapped the paper stack on the table.
Kylie set her fork down and licked her lips. She looked at the cover page and saw it was a script. "My Heart?" Kylie asked, reading the title. "'Los, I'm not an actor. I am a singer. I sing. The most acting I've done is a music video and most of those don't require memorization."
"You also had that guest spot on Seaside High."
"Again, most of that was riding a four-wheeler. Not a lot of scenes."
"And your commercials for Diamond Cosmetics. Those require lines."
"On cue cards by the camera." After Kylie had gotten her business degree, she had helped James's mom retool her cosmetics company to appeal to a wider audience, not just by dropping Brooke's first name from the company name, but also by modeling for her and helping appeal to teens and the makeup artists in TV and film. She had also taken a very long road to get Brooke to update her slogan to "When I want the Diamond Standard, I always choose Diamond Cosmetics." It had taken a lot of reassurance but the sales boost from Kylie's commercials and product campaigns changed Brooke's mind. Besides, the company wasn't just trying to reach those in the Midwest anymore. They wanted to go national then global and "Made for Midwest Skin" just didn't really apply anymore.
"Ok, hear me out," Carlos placated. Kylie turned and faced him expectantly, giving him her full attention. "It's only six scenes and shooting's only going to take three days."
She waited a few moments but he stopped and didn't say anything else. "Carlos, I am planning a wedding. I'm not ready to take on a TV show—"
"TV movie," he corrected.
"Either way, I can't do both."
"Please? It would mean a lot to me," Carlos begged.
"Three days? How many hours a day?" she relented a little.
"Six, eight maybe. The whole thing is shot in two weeks."
She stared at him in disbelief. A commercial usually took a day to shoot but that was at 16 hours and when she had done Seaside High, they took an entire week to shoot an episode. A 90 minute TV movie only taking 14 days to shoot seemed unrealistic. She decided not to push him on that. "And which part do you want me to take? I mean audition for?"
Carlos flipped the first couple of pages. He tapped a line in the script where Kylie could see the character was squealing. "Cara, she's the main character's sister. Minor character. Pretty simple and most of your scenes are with me so we can rehearse all you need."
She knew he had already done three of these TV movies with Alexa and they were all feel good movies with nothing too strenuous about them.
"Did I mention that Alexa's going to be in it too? The director's really great too. I promise, I'll be right there."
"What makes you think I'll even get the part?"
"The director and producers asked if I could get you to consider taking it. It would mean a lot to me if you just read the script and get back to me today. Please, Kylie, how often do I ask you to do something like this?"
"Ok fine. I'll think about it."
"Thank you, sissy." Carlos reached over and hugged her. Kylie hugged him back trying not to get her sleeves in the syrup covered waffles. That afternoon she read through the script and found, sure enough, there were only six scenes and none were more than about 10 or so lines a piece. After talking to James, who also thought it was a great idea, she told Carlos she'd do it and sure enough, he was right there for every scene. Even the scene where it was a conversation between her and the female main character, played by Alexa, she should have figured, he was right there offset watching. It went a long way to making her feel better about her second ever acting role outside of music videos and commercials.
He had also been right about the shooting schedule. Once they had started filming, they had flown up to Canada and filmed all her scenes in two days, back to back, so it didn't interrupt her wedding planning that she continued to do with the help of the wives of her bodyguard, lead guitarist, and drummer. "So, the first thing one needs to know is location, location, location," Mickey said a few days later as she and Jess joined Kylie. Sandy, Kylie's lead guitarist's wife, unfortunately was feeling under the weather and couldn't join.
"Is it bad if I say I don't know?" Kylie asked. While originally, she had told Camille it would be in Tennessee, she wasn't sure if that was still a good idea.
"You're going to find there's a lot of decisions that come with planning a wedding," Jess told her. She was married to Kylie's drummer, Sticks.
"What do you know about planning a wedding? You eloped," Mickey chided.
"Why do you think we eloped? Planning it was just too stressful," Jess answered, laughing.
"Well, I guess the obvious choice is California," Kylie said, redirecting the conversation.
"It doesn't have to be," Mickey told her.
"No?" Kylie asked.
Jess shook her head. "No. You guys are from Minnesota, so you could do it there."
"His parents are still there so it would make it easier on them. Or perhaps somewhere that has meaning. When Lefty got married, Cowboy offered his family ranch just outside of Nashville," Mickey said.
"My granddad owns a ranch in Knoxville that could be an option," Kylie agreed.
"So you'll have to decide that. And whether you want it indoor versus outdoor. And, of course, the date is important too." It took six weeks of meeting nearly every chance they could before they could pin down 90% of the wedding details.
"So what do we have left?" Jess asked. She scanned the list in front of her. "The location, the wedding party, and all the location specific details."
"And the most important thing: the dress," Mickey said.
"I was hoping you'd forget that," Kylie muttered. Though Kylie was mostly a girly girl, more so than almost anyone else among their group, she really didn't want to shop for a dress. She was worried that she wouldn't ever be able to find the perfect one. This dress was one of the most important outfits she would ever wear and that was a lot of pressure to put on a dress.
"It was my favorite part," Jess admitted, "and with your budget, it shouldn't be too hard to find one. Unless you choose to go with a t-shirt and jeans route."
"Do you two want to go with me? You've helped me with everything else," Kylie said.
"If you want us to but your mom has to come with us too."
"My mom?" Kylie asked.
"Of course. We know you're not as close to her as Kendall is but you still love your mom and you'll look back and be disappointed if she wasn't there. It's an important moment and she should be there," Jess said.
"I made sure my grandmother was there a few times and she saw it before I made the final decision to purchase it," Mickey said.
"Yeah. You're right," Kylie agreed.
When they went dress shopping, Sandy and Mrs. Knight joined them.
"Kylie, that is the 15th dress you've decided against," Mrs. Knight said gently a few hours later. "Are you still worried about getting married? Is that why you can't decide?"
"No, it's not that. I mean sure, I'm worried but that's not why I can't decide on a dress," Kylie said.
"Then what do you think it is?" Mrs. Knight asked.
"I don't know. I just keep trying on dresses and none of them feel like … me. Or like something I can see myself walking down the aisle in. It's just supposed to be a dress but … I don't know."
"How about you go try on the next dress and tell us what you do like about it?" Sandy suggested. Kylie nodded and did as asked. However, she still couldn't find a dress she really liked.
She flew out to her grandfather's place in early January and as always fell in love with the views from both his front and back porches. Even in spite of the whole place being covered in snow. Maybe that just made it even better. An idea formed in her head as she stared out across the back pasture from the screened in porch and her grandpa was fully on board when she explained it to him. They were out in Knoxville, just enjoying the crisp, winter air, when a mannequin in a store window caught her attention. She stopped and stared.
"Thumper?" he asked when he noticed that she wasn't beside him anymore. "Thumper? What's …" he turned and spotted her. He walked back over to her and looked at the mannequin as well. "It's beautiful. Reminds me of the one your grandma wore." He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his photos, finally pulling one up. Kylie looked at it then back at the one in the vintage store window. Now she couldn't decide.
"Do you still have her dress?" Kylie asked, looking back at the phone.
"Not in its original form. We did our 20-year vow renewal just before you were born and then when she found out about you and Kendall, she made both of you baby blankets. Each of them had a square of her dress and my shirt. Then she made Katie a doll from another part of her dress. She also made a quilt before she died that contains a piece of it. Why don't you take a look at this one and see if you really like it and if not, we can see about getting more fabric to add to your grandma's dress," he told her.
Kylie nodded and went into the store. She spoke with the attendant who turned out to be the owner and she was more than happy to pull it out for Kylie to get an up-close look at it. It was even better up close and she really couldn't beat the price. She convinced the owner to let her try it on and realized the only part she didn't like about it was the sleeves and the bodice.
"What do you think?" Mr. Knight asked. She stepped out and spun around for him.
"It's pretty but …" she trailed off.
"The top isn't quite right?" he asked. Kylie nodded. Her grandfather may have been a rancher his entire life and only had a son, Kylie's father, but he was pretty decent when it came to fashion advice. He pulled out his phone and this time made a video of her slowly turning it then took a picture of her. She watched the video and still couldn't shake the feeling of it not being quite right. After profusely apologizing to the owner for what felt like wasting her time, they left the store and went home. She slept on the decision that night then the next morning she found her grandma's dress in the attic, preserved and delicate. Well, at least the top of it. The skirt was missing several patches. She texted a photo of that dress and of the one in the shop to Sylvia whose response was instantaneous.
"They are both beautiful, mi hija. If you're still having trouble deciding, you can always call." Was Sylvia's text. So, she did.
"You're up early," Sylvia said when she picked up.
Usually, Kylie was two hours behind Sylvia's time in Minnesota but now that she was in Knoxville, Tennessee, she was actually an hour ahead. "Actually, I'm in Tennessee. Eastern Tennessee. It's not that I can't decide, the first one doesn't exactly have a skirt." She explained what happened.
"Sounds like you could use an expert seamstress," Sylvia told her.
"So you'll be able to combine them?" The idea came to Kylie overnight. If she could take the top of her grandmother's dress and the bottom of the dress in the shop and put them together, it felt like it could be the perfect dress. Since Sylvia was the mother of the most destructive boy in the band, she no doubt had to have top-notch sewing skills.
"If it was a cotton t-shirt you needed repaired or a hockey jersey or something simple, I'm your girl, but you know another mom who is so much better at it than I am."
"I do?" Kylie didn't think Joanna or Brooke would be better at sewing. Brooke was your typical high-maintenance woman and would rather buy new than fix something and Joanna was often too busy selling houses to make time for household chores.
"Lived with her your whole life," Sylvia prodded.
Kylie shook her head. Her own mom. Of course. Jen had done more than any other mom when it came to typical housewife and mom chores. Kylie wasn't sure why she didn't think of her in the first place. Being a single mom of three kids, she knew all about making a budget and, in some cases, clothes stretch through all three kids. That typically meant altering or adjusting some of Kylie and Kendall's clothes to fit Katie and look brand new. "Right."
"And when she's finished, I want pictures because it's going to be amazing. Now, if you need anything computer-y for your wedding, you call me. I'll have it done in a flash."
"I know, thanks, Mami." They talked a bit longer then Kylie video called her own mother. She told her what was going on.
"From the looks of these photos it shouldn't be too hard. You bring them with you when you come home and I'll do my best to make it work for you."
"Mom, you are a lifesaver." Kylie could not express how much that meant to her.
"That's what they tell me. Have you decided on anything else?"
"Well, I did get an idea while I was here but I want to talk it over with James before I tell anyone else."
"Understood. You know, you've always had an old soul, I think it's why you love old school country music so much and why this vintage dress would be perfect."
"Never heard it put quite that way before but it makes sense."
"Anything else you need from me, honey, you just let me know but Logan's asking for help so I have to go."
"Ok." She talked over her idea with James that afternoon and he was fully on board.
"I know this wedding is about both of us and you want me to love it just as much as you do but I get to call you mine at the end of the day and I get to be yours. That's all I really need. I'm going to remember it for that reason for the rest of my life so I don't really need anything super special. If you want it then ok, but I don't need it," James said.
"Oh …" Kylie said. She understood where James was coming from and really got his point but she wanted the start of their life together to be special. She really didn't plan on getting married more than once and she wanted it to be memorable.
"Kylie, that's not what I meant. When I talked to my dad, he couldn't remember the color of the tablecloths or what kind of centerpieces they had or even what was for dinner. He told me that he was so wrapped up in his love for my mom, and then for Paige, that all the little things didn't really matter as much. Don't get me wrong, the little things make the wedding that much better but we shouldn't be stressing over it."
"I understand, I just didn't want to make you suffer through something when I could just ask. That's not how Honey Bear says a marriage should work."
"I would suffer a thousand lifetimes to make you happy."
"Alexa's right. You are perfect."
"Far from it, just in love. Look, I get where you're coming from and I do want this to be perfect for you so that sounds like a really good idea. I mean that. We can talk more when you get home."
That afternoon she returned to the vintage store and bought the dress before flying home the next day, both dresses carefully packaged to keep them from getting any damage to them on the flight. Back at the Palm Woods, she and Jen sequestered themselves in her room and she showed her mom the two dresses. Jen helped her daughter into her grandmother's dress then folded the top of the other dress down so she could see how the two dresses would look together. Once both were sized correctly and pinned up, Jen took out her needle and thread and scissors and put them together. She left the room to give Kylie time to try the finished product in privacy so there would be a better reveal.
"Kylie?" Jen asked 15 minutes after leaving her daughter alone in the bedroom. "Ky, honey, are you alright?" Jen asked again. "Please let me in?" Jen tried the door but the handle was locked.
"Mama Knight?" Logan asked, peeking out of his room.
"Everything's—" Jen looked at him. "See if you can get Kylie to open the door."
"Hey, Ky?" Logan called, walking over to the door. "Ky, it's Logan, can you open the door for me?"
"No. You'll ruin it."
"Then will you let your mom in?"
"Go away, Logan."
"Only if you promise to let your mom in."
"Yeah, yeah, ok, fine, just don't peek."
"I won't, I'm going."
Once Logan was gone, Jen turned back to the door. "He's gone, sweetheart, can I come in?"
Kylie took a deep breath and unlocked the door before moving back to the full-length mirror and staring at the dress. "Yeah. It's open."
Jen opened the door and entered the bedroom. Her eyes landed on her daughter and she smiled softly. "You're beautiful. If your Gram could see you now. James is going to love it too." Jen paused and stepped up behind her daughter in the mirror. "But most importantly, how do you feel?"
"I love it, Mama. I've never felt like this in a dress before." She smoothed her hands down the bodice of the dress.
"That's always a good feeling to have at such an important moment in your life."
"Can we show the other moms?" Her eyes caught her mother's in the mirror.
"Sure, sweetie, whatever you want."
Kylie picked up her phone and opened the messaging app then video called the other three moms. She kept it on the front facing camera and handed her phone to her mom. Jen shook her head but took the phone nonetheless. Jen stepped back from her daughter to wait for all the moms to pick up. Kylie turned and looked at her mom. The girl tried to look calm and if she was any other person, Jen probably would have believed this was just another phone call with four of the most important people in the girl's life. However, Jen wasn't any other person. This was her little girl. The one who had been through so much and still based a lot of her self worth on other people's judgment of her.
"Hola, mi hija," she heard Syliva say from the other end of the phone line. "Jen? Is everything alright?" Sylvia sounded really concerned, though it made sense since Jen never would call from Kylie's phone unless something was really up. Jen held up a finger.
"Ky-bear—wait, Jen? What's wrong?" Joanna asked. Kylie had to admit that Logan's mom was the one she was the least close with but it had gotten better over the last couple of years.
"Ky, sweetie, I'm a little busy. Can I—Jen? What's going on? Where's Kylie?" Brooke asked. She knew James's mom would be the most suspicious.
Jen finally spoke. "My dear little girl has made a decision and wants to see what you think," Jen told them.
"Ok?" Sylvia said slowly.
"Ready? One, two, three." Jen flipped the camera to the rear-facing one and Kylie swished her skirt around before looking up at the phone and her mom.
"Oh, mi hija. Wow. I can't wait to see it in person. You look amazing, hon," Sylvia said.
"It's beautiful. I can't believe you're getting married already," Joanna added.
Brooke held her silence. Kylie looked down at her dress then back up at her mom trying to hide the worry she felt. If Brooke didn't like the dress, she wondered how James would feel about it. Brooke had the most fashion sense of all of them. Kylie looked back down at her dress and smoothed her hands down the top. Jen wrapped her hand around the top of Kylie's phone and looked at her daughter. When Kylie saw the camera was blocked meaning Brooke couldn't see her face, Kylie bit down on her lip. Her hands grabbed at the skirt and tears pricked at her eyes. She didn't want to cry in the most perfect wedding dress ever but the longer Brooke took to say something the more Kylie felt like she had just gotten caught playing in her grandma's dresses when she knew she wasn't allowed to. Though Brooke scared her more than almost anyone else Jen had ever met, the longer the woman held her silence, the angrier it made Jen and the more she was ready to say something.
Logan's mom beat her to it. "Brooke, now would be a really great time to say something," Joanna warned.
Kylie took a few deep breaths to calm down and fight down the tears then stepped over to her mom who flipped the camera around again. Kylie took one last deep breath then looked at the screen to see Joanna looking worried and Sylvia scrutinizing the screen.
"Kylie, look at her," Sylvia said.
Kylie's eyes finally landed on Brooke. The woman was still sitting in silence staring at her camera. She didn't look like she was trying to find the words to break bad news to Kylie but with some of the products the more senior lines of Diamond Cosmetics offered, it was hard to tell if it was the product or if Brooke really liked the dress and couldn't say anything.
"Say … you … I think …" Brooke stumbled over her words. This could go either way but it was rare to see Brooke so lost for words. Kylie slid her hand over her mom's and held it.
"Brooke," Jen said with finality.
"I think it makes you look more beautiful than you normally do. James is going to love it. I love it. You look so comfortable in it and I'm going to cry," Brooke said finally, waving a hand in front of her face to ward off tears.
"You really think so?" Kylie asked, biting her lip.
"Yeah, babe, I really do."
"You're gonna make me cry. Please don't make me cry in the most perfect dress ever." All three moms on the other end of the phone realized how important this was to her. Kylie went on. "I was kinda worried it wasn't going to work but Mama's amazing and it feels right." Kylie squeezed Jen's hand and the woman smiled.
"So when's the wedding?" Sylvia asked.
"Two months. At my grandpa's farm in Knoxville. Official invites will be in the mail later this week. We're getting married out back but will be having the reception out front." She had worked all the details with James shortly after she had gotten back.
"That sounds perfect," Joanna said.
"James thought so too," Kylie said. The moms agreed. They talked a little more about the wedding before Kylie let them get back to work.
Thank you to everyone for reading. If you have any questions or comments about any of the characters, please let me know in the reviews below. I appreciate it.