I Do

Chapter 21

Nathalie

I shift in the bed I'm currently sleeping in and pull the pillow closer to my body. I inhale deeply and when I expect to smell my scent or even Rose scent there is nothing but freshness. Something similar to a clean hotel bed. But, why would I be in a hotel bed and not my own? I immediately lift up and I groan when throbbing pain reaches my skull. I slowly lay my head back down on the soft pillow and keep my eyes shut.

"Oh no." I say to myself. I didn't like hangovers and my biggest fear is not remembering what happened the night before. I couldn't remember anything. However, my head is pounding and my body is sore. I inhale and exhale for a few minutes before trying my best to remember the events of last night.

I get as far as the beautiful dinner and the surprise bachelorette party. "Fuck." I lift up again my eyes widening in fear. "I'm getting married."

I throw the heavy comforter off my bed and move out of the bed. I trip onto my feet and fall onto my face. I groan in pain and continue to lay on my stomach because the room is spinning so fast that I can barely keep up.

Memories of boarding school flood my brain. I remember when this use to be nothing. My body could consume bottles of vodka and I could wake up the next morning and Ace a Physics final. All the friends that I thought were my friends would be jealous but they would give me pretend smiles and fake congratulations.

"This is not the same." I mutter to myself.

The door opens, I lift my head, and my eyes fall onto Viv. She is dressed in a beautiful gown and she hurries toward me before helping me to my feet. "Thank God." She mutters. "You're awake." Before I can question anything she is dragging me to the bathroom and helping me out of my clothes and pushing me into the shower. "Hurry up." She screams after me before shutting the door.

I shower as fast as I can and when I step out the shower Viv is dragging me into the main room. "Here." She hands me a crystal glass. I take a whiff and almost gag instantly. "It will help." She tells me. "A shot of vodka will cure the hangover." I groan and hold my nose before throwing the shot back.

Three women walk through the door and start to work on my face and hair. The blow dryer is loud and even through Viv is close I cannot come to ask her what happened last night. However, I squeal to myself and butterflies build in my stomach as I think about my wedding that is only a few hours away.

Finally, the blow dryer goes off and Viv hands me a bottle of water. She takes a seat across from me and I finally ask, "What happened last night?"

Viv laughs instantly and I turn a dark shade of red. I pray I didn't embarrass myself. "We bar hopped, you expressed your love for Rose, and then you defended your future wife honor by hitting a man with your expensive ass purse."

I cover my mouth in shock. Viv gives me the story in more detail as the girls make up my face and polish my nails. I lift up and laugh to myself as she finishes. "I can't believe I did that." I pause. "I can't believe I said all that."

"You did." Viv replies with a huge smile on her face. She shrugs. "He deserved it."

I approach my wedding dress that's hanging next to the huge window. It's almost time and my nerves are kicking in but the joyful butterflies cannot wipe the smile off my face. I squint my eyes when I see two bodies rushing out the estate. "Sam?" I question out loud and Viv steps closer me. "Rose?" I question also as I watch the two of them run toward a parked car. Rose trips on her feet and fall on her face. If I wasn't so confused at the moment I would laugh at how crazy she looks right now. Sam stops and turns around before smacking her forehead. She rushes toward Rose and helps her to her feet.

Rose shoves Sam away and she almost falls onto her butt. I couldn't make out what they were saying but both of them looked scared shitless and upset. "What is going on?" I question out loud.

Viv eyebrow arches and she look just as confused as me.

I hurry out the door, down the spiral steps, and out the front door. The sun blinds me and for a moment I think my headache will return. I approach the two idiots and I can hear Rose screaming, "This is your fault. This wedding is going to be a disaster because it's literally going to be impossible to make it across town to get Nathalie back and ready for the wedding. She's going to be distraught and hungover. Miranda is going to kill me then you.... Unless we get a fucking helicopter."

Sam eyes widen, "You think we could?"

"What the fuck, Sam." Rose replies. "No!"

"Guys." I say but they're so wrapped up in their argument that they don't notice me. I roll my eyes. "Rose." I scream. "Sam."

Both of them jump and turn around. Rose eyes light up like the sun and Sam exhale before falling to her knees dramatically and looking up to the clouds, "We shall live."

Rose rushes toward me, pull me into her arms, and lift me up off my feet before spinning me in a circle. She then instantly drop me and squeeze her forehead before rushing towards the garden and spilling her guts into the nearest bush.

Sam chuckles in laughter, "At least it wasn't her dress."

Rose lift up, "Fuck you asshole." And then she continues to puke.

Mom walks out with Austin trailing on her back. He looks exhausted and scared. I approach her with a smile on my face. She opens her mouth but I shake my head before she can curse Sam and threaten Rose. "This is my wedding, mom." I pause. "And it's imperfect but when has our family ever been perfect." I finish before walking away and helping Rose as she spills her guts all over the beautiful red roses.

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The beautiful doors open, music instantly hit my ears, and my father smiles my way. I squeeze his upper arm as the nerves kick it. Everyone stand together but I cannot make out the faces that are smiling my way. My eyes instantly land on Rose who is standing at the altar with a well-fitted Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo. She shifts nervously but her smile is wide and beautiful.

The officiant gives me a proud nod and his black tuxedo matches his mocha brown skin perfectly. "To all present, we are gathered here, not to witness the beginning of what will be, but rather what already is!" His deep, beautiful, and powerful voice reminds me of Morgan Freeman. "We do not create this marriage, because we cannot. We can and do, however, celebrate with Nathalie and Rose the wondrous and joyful occurrence that has already taken place in their lives, and the commitment they make today."

He glances toward me and then to Rose, "When you love someone, you do not love them all the time, in exactly the same way, from moment to moment. Such is an impossibility and even a lie to pretend to. And yet this is exactly what most of us demand. We have so little faith in the ebb and flow of life, of love, of relationships. We leap at the flow of the tide and resist in terror its ebb. We are afraid it will never return. We insist on permanency, on duration, on continuity; when the only continuity possible, in life as in love, is in growth, in fluidity, in freedom, in the sense that the dancers are free, barely touching as they pass, but partners in the same pattern."

The officiant gives me a supporting nod. I chew on my bottom lip before looking into Rose eyes, "I, Nathalie, take you, Rose, to be my partner, loving what I know of you, and trusting what I do not yet know. I eagerly anticipate the chance to grow together, getting to know the woman you will become, and falling in love a little more each day. I promise to love and cherish you through whatever life may bring us."

Rose swallows and she's beautiful at this moment. I can see the happy tears building in her eyes. She shifts awkwardly, "I pledge to you endless strength that you can count on when you are weak. I'll be your music when you can't hear, your sunshine when you can't see, or your perfume when you can't smell. You'll never need to look further than me. I'll be your days and nights when you need them filled." She winks my way. I cover my mouth to stop myself from laughing. "Your spark of life in the darkness, your hope when you're down and out. I'll be your forever, Nathalie if you will be mine."

Rose has better control than me because I can feel the tears running down my face. Ugh. Of course, I had to be the one to ruin my makeup before the photoshoot. The twins and Piper deliver the rings together and Rose grab my hand softly. The officiant speaks as we exchange rings, "You have for each other a golden ring. This most precious of metals symbolize that love is the most precious element in your life together. The ring has no beginning and no ending, which symbolizes that the love between you will never cease. You place these rings upon each other fingers as a visible sign of the vows which, this day, made you partners." He pauses. "You may now kiss."

We both lean in and everything around me doesn't matter. Sparks explodes behind my eyelids and as Rose pull away I cannot help but pull her back in for another kiss. This time I can hear the cheers and applauds around me. I take her bottom lip between my teeth and for a second I want to deepen the kiss but the twins and Piper big ew ruins the moment. I pull away with a joyous laugh.

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It doesn't take long before the wedding reception takes a turn. Everyone is in their best dress dancing around each other as the corny band performs on stage. The twins and Piper hold each other hand and spin in a circle in the front of the stage, Uncle Matt and Sam mom dance next to each other and it looks like they belong in Grease as they wiggle their body, my mom tries to control her laughs as Sam moves next to her.

She's drunk.

I continue to look around.

Everyone is drunk.

Rose pulls me closer as the music becomes slower and the lights around us dim down. She kisses me on my neck and then whispers, "I'm so happy." It's a simple statement but the way she says it makes me almost cry again. She pulls back to look me in the face and she kisses away the single tear that is trailing down my cheek. "No, take backs, babe. I hope these are happy tears and not regret tears."

I shove her away slightly and she chuckles before pulling me in and kissing me again. "I love you Nathalie." She kisses me again and again. "I love you so damn much."

Soon, Sam's voice interrupts our moment. I turn and look at her standing awkwardly on stage. She nudges the lead singer away, taps the spoon against her champagne, and pull the mic against her lips. "Um." She clears her throat, getting in a fight with the mic stand, before just yanking it off. Everyone in the room laughs at her struggles but mom only shakes her head before elegantly helping her off the stage and toward a table.

"Sam will like to give a toast." Mom speaks with authority behind her tone. "Be respectful and listen to her."

Sam waves nervously now that all eyes are on her and the room is silent. "When I first met Nathalie I thought the worse. You know, I thought her biggest problem of the day would be figuring out if she wanted to go with the yellow Hermes vintage bag with the stripe Dolce & Gabbana pants or keep it simple with the Saint Laurent clutch."

"The Saint Laurent of course." Mom interrupts. All eyes fall on her amused and she rolls her own. "I mean where is she going?"

"Mom." I say. "Be respectful. Remember."

She rolls her eyes and Sam continues, "But, with each day she surprised me, she would bring happiness to my sad days, pasta to my hungry days, and love every day. Nathalie is a very rare find. I can't possibly explain the horrors we went through before finally finding forgiveness and finally happiness. I'm so proud of you Nathalie and I love you." Sam pause and god she's drunk and I think she's about to cry but her speech makes my smile brighter than the sun. Sam clears her throat, "So, um... I'll like to congratulate the two of you and may the both of you grow old together just remember Rose that pasta night will never end."

Everyone claps and I wipe the tear from my face before laughing. I give up on protecting my make-up. Soon, everyone is giving toasts and some are simple, some hilarious ( Sam mother -- Piper screaming babies on us before making it about Sam and her future babies ), some are long and dreadful, and some are beautiful.

Finally, it's my mother turn and she stands in the center of the room and speaks with elegance.

"What is love anyway? It's looking at your new-born baby resting in your arms and saying this is mine. Only mine. Watching her grow into a beautiful little girl who cries during her first fishing trip because "fishes are people too", who cries in your shoulder because her high school crush broke her heart, who leaves for college and continues to grow into a beautiful and intelligent woman, and you look and say she is mine. That is my daughter. But, love is unpredictable." She pauses and smiles toward Sam. "Sometimes it makes very little sense. I will never understand Rose but I am proud to say that Nathalie is yours now. She's yours to protect, to love, and cherish until the end of your day." She pauses and her face becomes deadly serious. "I am confident that Rose Grayson will protect, love, and cherish Nathalie until death."

"Mom." I groan. However, she ignores me and focuses on Rose shocked eyes. We haven't decided what we wanted to do with our last names. I look up at my mother annoyed. However, she only places up her champagne glass elegantly.

"Cheers everyone." My mom concludes her toast. "Cheers to Nathalie and Rose Grayson."

"Cheers." Everyone says.

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The party soon dies down. Uber and taxi services come and take people away. I can't count on my hands how many hugs and kisses I receive in the last thirty minutes of the party. I choose this opportunity to step out and breathe in the fresh air. I stand and look out at the moon and stars.

Sam comes not too long afterward and she is carrying a few blankets and tripping on her feet. "Hey." She smiles in a drunken manner. "I feel like I haven't seen you all night." She says. She places the blanket down on the grass and we take a seat before she is throwing the extra blanket over our bodies.

"You're married." She grumbles.

I nudge her, "Sam. Are you upset?"

"Yeah." She replies sadly. "No matter how optimistic we're trying to be things are changing and I hate change. You're going to move away and... there won't be any more Pasta/Game night, no more hanging out, no more black and white movies that we watch just to put me to sleep because I'm having nightmares... and."

"Shush," I tell her while placing my finger on her lip. "Change is hard, Sam. I know you hate it but change can also be good. We will grow and we will work things out. I'll always be here for you Sam even if we have to watch black and white movies on video chat. We always get through the hard parts."

I pull Sam closer and she lays her head on my shoulder. "You're right." She says but she still sounds scared.

I know her.

I love her.

She's my best friend.