“I’m glad you’re here. I’m ready to go inside. Are you?” Rennie asked Graham. She would never take him away from his friends or brother and was more than willing to head in by herself.
“Yeah, I’m good. Grady?”
Grady looked over Graham’s shoulder and nodded. Rennie tried to see who he looked at, but no one stood out. The three of them walked up the wooden stairs to the inn. Once inside, Rennie insisted they take the stairs to the third floor because she still didn’t trust the elevator. More so with the twins inside.
When they reached the third floor, Grady stopped halfway down the hall and wished them good night. “I’m so happy I’m not anywhere near your room. The last thing I want to do is listen to you guys all night long.”
Rennie slapped Grady on his shoulder and rolled her eyes at him.
Graham, on the other hand, asked, “Are you jealous?”
Grady sighed. “Yeah, I am, actually. I’d like to fall in love someday.”
“You will, Grady. It just takes time.” Rennie hugged him and told him they’d see him tomorrow.
In their room, as soon as the door closed, Graham picked Rennie up and set her on the bed. He hovered over her and gazed into her eyes. “I love you, Ren.”
“I love you too, Graham Cracker. Now, show me how much.”
He did exactly as she demanded.
Rennie held her hand out for her niece, Brystol. Together, they twirled in front of Brooklyn and her mother, Bonnie, along with Bowie’s mother, Linda, and Simone. Everyone clapped for the little dance party going on in front of them.
“Those dresses are gorgeous,” Linda said to Brooklyn. Rennie wore a floor-length, modern, short-sleeved A-line gown with thick straps and a slit that she insisted Graham would appreciate and be very thankful for. Brystol wore a simple A-line, knee-length dress that flared when she spun in circles.
“All Brystol,” Brooklyn said, making sure to give her daughter credit for everything. When it came time to plan the wedding, the women in Brooklyn’s life sat around a table for a weekend, scouring bridal magazines for inspiration. It wasn’t until Brystol opened up one of Brooklyn’s paint swatch books that they finally found what they were looking for. An obscure but trending color of blue. Referred to as dusty blue, it was a light navy, which was one of Brooklyn’s favorite colors. From there, they decided the men would wear navy-blue suits, and all the decorations and flowers would be blush colored.
“Okay, ladies. Let’s get the bride into her dress.”
Everyone clapped and took their positions. Rennie stood on a chair and held Brooklyn’s long locks up while the two moms helped her step into her blush-colored boho sweetheart A-line dress. The day the wedding crew went shopping, Brooklyn had her mind set on something simple. No fuss, no lace. She wanted a plain dress. That was until she saw the strapless boho dress on the mannequin with all the embroidery and appliqués, everything she didn’t want, and asked to try it on. As soon as she stepped out of the dressing room, she had tears in her eyes, proclaiming that was the dress.
“I got the zipper,” Simone said. With the zipper up, Rennie let Brooklyn’s hair go. She had chosen to leave her hair down in soft waves and held the front back with a diamond headband. Brystol wore one to match.
“Oh, Mommy,” Brystol exclaimed. “You’re so beautiful. Can I hug you?” Brooklyn nodded and pulled her daughter into her arms.
“Don’t either of you start crying,” Bonnie warned.
“We won’t, Grandma.”
Linda stood off to the side, dabbing her tears. “My son is one lucky man.”
“We’re the lucky ones,” Brooklyn told her.
“Okay, let’s get this bride down to the beach to marry her groom.” Simone took charge. Someone had to, or the women would’ve stayed in the room and gushed over dresses all day.
One of the valets waited for the bridal party at the end of the staircase. When he saw them coming, he ran off to the back to signal for the music to start. The group walked toward the back and met Brooklyn’s father, David.
“You look . . . Bonnie, help me out.”
Bonnie put her hand on David’s arm and said, “She’s gorgeous, honey.”
“Yes. Yes, she is.”
Bonnie patted her husband’s arm and then followed Linda and Simi out back. As much as Rennie wanted to rush, to get a glimpse of Graham in his navy-blue suit, she waited until the moms were out of sight.
“Come on, Little B, let’s go do our thing.” Rennie took Brystol’s hand and started for the steps. They had practiced going up and down the stairs a few times because Brooklyn and Bowie decided to make their wedding fit their life. At the bottom of the steps, Bowie waited for his daughter, right along with Luke dressed in his own tux. Once she was down, he walked her down the aisle.