“Don’t you do it,” I warned Sandy.
Sandy and Corey snickered. “So,” Sandy said, “they’ll do Brohan Sebastian Bach?”
“How are you thinking of all these things?” I demanded, unable to sound completely unimpressed.
“Dude,” Corey said. “We’re awesome. Like Broseidon, god of the brocean.”
“We’ll halve the room,” I said tightly to Sophia.
“Good choice,” she said. “You would be surprised how quickly it can go from grand elegance to warm and close. It’ll be perfect for the size of your wedding.”
“Size does matter to Paul,” Sandy said.
“A lot,” Corey said.
“So much,” Sandy said.
“And this opens up to the large sun terrace,” Sophia said. “As you can see, these doors fold out and open, creating an indoor/outdoor space, which only adds to the ambience. And since it’s the beginning of spring, it will be comfortable enough when the sun is up, and cool enough at night to allow the stone fireplaces out here to be lit without anyone getting over warm.”
“Exactly,” Corey said. “Wouldn’t want anyone feeling like they’re in a broaster oven.”
God help me, I almost laughed at that one.
And they saw it.
Which meant only one thing.
They were going to try and get me to break.
“Looks perfect,” I said, voice slightly strangled. “I do like ambience.”
“And I know you said you won’t necessarily need the space for a rehearsal,” Sophia continued, glancing down at her clipboard. “And I made a note here that said you had a photographer?”
“Our friend Charlie wants to do the photographs of before and after the wedding,” I said. “But he’s in the wedding party, so we’ll need yours too, just for that part.”
“I can swing that,” she said, making an addendum. “We’ve already discussed the catering and the bar via e-mail, so we’re set there. The tables will be set up inside and out here, barring any inclement weather. You and Vince already decided on the place settings and the tablecloths, so I think that about wraps it up for the ballroom. Did you want to see the garden again where the wedding takes place?”
I nodded, and she led us down a set of stone stairs, talking at us over her shoulder. “You’ll have to excuse the setup,” she said. “There’s a wedding here this afternoon, and it’s not going to be how yours will be, but it’ll give you a better idea of what the space could look like aside from just seeing the photos. This wedding has a different color scheme than yours. Theirs is heavier on reds and blacks. You and Vince decided on greens and golds, correct?”
“Yeah.” Vince had decided that, and I’d just smiled and gone along with it, unable to do anything but agree with the shy look he’d given me. He’d told me that green and gold were his favorite colors, and he thought how nice everything would look. I couldn’t have agreed fast enough.
The garden was wide open, with palm trees rising high all around. Flowers were blooming, brightly colored and full. A man-made waterfall spilled down into a creek that flowed around the entirety of the garden. We crossed over a small wooden bridge into the garden. There was a gazebo set at one end, white lights wrapped around the wooden beams. Chairs had been set up on the grass, decorated in red and black. It looked slightly ominous, and I was glad we didn’t go with a look so dark.
“That’s the way you’ll come down if you plan on walking into the ceremony after everyone is seated,” Sophia said. She pointed down a divide between the chairs. “And you’ll walk up to the gazebo where the ceremony will be performed. We have the gazebo fitted with speakers should you need to use a microphone so those in the back can hear. Will either of you be walking down the aisle?”
“We both will,” I said faintly, still staring at the gazebo. “Him first with my mom. Then me with my dad.”
“Sounds lovely,” she said, squeezing my arm. “And I know that you may think it’s my job to say this, but I can assure you I mean every word when I say that I don’t know if I’ve ever seen someone look at another like Vince looks at you. You’re very lucky.”
I was so going to lose this goddamn bet, because even now, I felt my chest hitch at the thought of us standing in front of everyone, binding ourselves together for the rest of our lives. Maybe I was naïve in thinking it was going to be forever, but isn’t that what the promises made in a wedding are supposed to be about? I couldn’t see myself with anyone else. I couldn’t see myself loving anyone but him.
And it sort of fried my brain.
“Uh, Paul?” Sandy asked. “You okay?”
“Fine,” I breathed.
“And… Sophia, was it?” Corey asked, putting his arm through hers. “Can we give Paul a moment? You can tell me all about the flowers here. I think I see broses and daffodudes.”