A Rose in Bloom

“Peonies. Pee-uh-nees. The peonies are the only arrangements I haven’t put in the vases yet. I’ll find a picture and show you how to do it. It’s simple, really. But did you get what I told you about which arrangement goes by the guest book? And which one goes on the memory table?”

Jaxon flipped back through his notes. Nothing he’d written made any sense whatsoever. “What’s a memory table?”

“That’s the table with all the pictures.”

“I thought the pictures were going on easels?”

“No, the easels are for the bridal portrait and the engagement portrait. The memory table has all the pictures of the bride and groom growing up. The arrangement with the hydrangeas goes on the memory table.”

“Can’t you just tell me by color? Like, the blue flowers go here and the pink flowers go there?” Why had he volunteered to do this? He felt like an idiot.

“But almost all the flowers are white. You just have to look at the shape… Arghhh! This is never going to work!” Elyssa aimed her gaze at her sulking brother. “Okay Scotty, here’s your chance to redeem yourself for being overbearing, interfering, and unsupportive. Get the doctor to release me so I can at least go and give Jaxon directions. You can push me around in a wheelchair.”

He pushed his lower lip so far out it looked huge. “Why don’t you let your fiancé push you around?”

“Come on, Scotty. You’re not jealous are you? You know I want you to walk me down the aisle when we get married.”

“You do?” His expression softened.

“Of course I do. I love you. Even though you drive me crazy when you’re overprotective.”

“I’m only like that because I worry about you living up here where I can’t keep an eye on you.”

Her lower lip trembled as she smiled and crooked a finger at him. “Come here, you. Give me a hug.”

He moved to obey, embracing her with gentle care, as if trying not to crush the petals of a flower. “When are you getting married, anyway?”

Jaxon hurried to explain. “We’re not in a rush. Elyssa wants a long engagement.” Abruptly aware of his dry throat, he grabbed his water bottle for a drink.

“Oh, by the way… I’ve changed my mind about that long engagement.” Elyssa smiled at Jaxon, gazi

ng up with innocent eyes through thick, dark lashes.

Jaxon’s swallow went down the wrong pipe. He choked, coughing until his eyes watered and Scotty pounded him on the back.

“What do you mean?” he rasped.

“I mean I think we should get married right away. As soon as possible. Why wait? We love each other, right? That’s all that matters. Everything else will work itself out. I think I can arrange everything in two weeks. And I’ve got a break in my schedule with enough time for a short honeymoon.”

Jaxon covered his hand with his mouth, as his stomach threatened to empty itself.

Scotty bent to put his angry face between them. “What’s the matter, Jaxon? You suddenly don’t want to get married after all? Are you backing out on my sister? While she’s still in the hospital after being attacked and almost dying?”

“No… I mean… No, of course not.”

“Scotty, leave him alone. Jaxon told me he wants to marry me, and I know he would never lie. I trust him, totally.”

“Humph! We’ll see. I told you, you better not hurt my sister.”

“Don’t pay any attention to him, Jaxon. I know you’d never hurt me. Just help me get through the wedding today, and then we can talk about the marriage details. I’m thinking we should go ring shopping on Monday.”

Jaxon heard a voice coming from his throat. “Right. Good idea.”

Part 20: Turning the Tables

“I DON’T KNOW why we even got this wheelchair,” Scotty complained. “You haven’t sat in it for five minutes the whole day. I think it was just a trick to get me to help with the wedding.”

Elyssa stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “And I really appreciate your help, Brother.”