Page 36 of The Perfect Kiss
Just as Kenzi said, when we arrived at the restaurant, everyone she invited was waiting for us in the large banquet room. The restaurant had provided a buffet-style meal with roast beef, mashed garlic potatoes, various vegetable choices, and an assortment of salads and desserts to choose from. It was a regular smorgasbord. There was enough food to feed one hundred people.
The minute I took a seat after filling my plate, I got bombarded with questions from the caterer. Thankfully, Kenzi sat beside me to head them off. Pulling a piece of paper from her purse, she handed it to the caterer for him to review. “Here is everything that we would like you to take care of. Let me know if you have any questions.”
The caterer looked at the piece of paper and began rambling off the list. “Cornish game hens, roasted red potatoes, fresh beans with garlic and onion, Italian bread with garlic dipping sauce, Caesar salad, and garden salad. This is quite a list. How many people are you expecting?”
“Not many.” Kenzi thumped her finger against her chin. “Maybe three or four hundred.”
“Kenzi, are you crazy?” I chimed in. “How are we going to pull off a wedding for three to four hundred people?”
“You don’t need to worry about a thing. I’ve got this,” Kenzi replied confidently as she patted my shoulder.
The caterer, on the other hand, didn’t look too confident. “I might not be able to get my hands on four hundred game hens. Can’t you go with chicken cordon bleu or crab-stuffed chicken breasts instead?”
“If you can’t provide what is required for the wedding, I’m sure there are other caterers who can?” Kenzi said harshly.
“No need to do that. I’ll get everything you need, and it will be perfect.”
I wasn’t sure if the caterer was more afraid of losing the account or of Kenzi. She could be pretty persuasive when it came to what she wanted. The caterer pushed from his chair and took his plate of roast beef with him. When he was far enough away, I looked over to Kenzi and said, “Chicken cordon bleu would have been just fine.”
Kenzi took a bite of her garlic potatoes and, with a full mouth, said, “Only the best for you.”
My mom and I didn’t have much time to talk during lunch, thanks to Kenzi’s wedding plans coming first. I was glad that she was there to take care of the wedding arrangements, but I missed out on some one-on-one time with my mom.
With most of the wedding stuff planned, we were all headed to the bridal shop. Instead of sitting near the limo door, I sat next to my mom. I wanted to get her feelings on the wedding plans the Kenzi had arranged. My mom seemed to be miles away. No doubt she was overwhelmed from lunch, just like me.
Taking her hand, I waited until her eyes met mine. “Is everything okay, Mom?”
She squeezed my hand lightly and smiled. “It couldn’t be better. I’m so happy for you. You’re lucky to have Kenzi as a friend.”
The way she looked at me, I could tell she was hurt. Kenzi had taken care of everything, leaving nothing else to be done. As of right now, that was going to change. “I need your help.”
“Kenzi took care of everything. What could you possibly need help with?”
“I want you to help me pick out the colors for the wedding. I’m not sure what colors are appropriate for a wedding, especially for October.”
My mom’s face lit up with joy. Squeezing my hand tighter, she smiled. “Well, we can’t have a wedding without having a color theme, can we?”
~30~
October Sixteenth
Davian
Why was I so nervous?Reyna was the best thing that ever happened to me. I just couldn’t believe that Kenzi and the girls had pulled off a wedding in three weeks. The Regency was a perfect venue for the wedding. The ballroom was big enough to accommodate the three hundred and seventy-five people invited. So much for a small wedding.
With everything taken care of, my only job was to find the perfect wedding band to match the engagement ring I gave Reyna. Opening the little black box, I stared down at the platinum band with the infinity symbol layered in baguette diamonds with the letter ‘D’ on one end and the letter ‘R’ on the other. It was perfect.
Straightening my pale blue tie, I heard a knock at the door. “Come on in.”
As I looked at the door from the reflection of the full-length mirror, I saw Patton enter the room. Patton wasn’t one to wear a tuxedo, but damn if he didn’t look polished. “I thought I was the one who was supposed to look good,” I said jokingly.
“I can’t help it that you are an ugly fucker.”
We laughed together for a moment until I pulled the small black box from my front pocket and handed it to Patton. I could have sworn that he was getting all teary-eyed when he popped open the lid and looked down at the ring. “So, this is really happening?”
“It is.”
Pulling the ring from the velvet box, Patton slid it inside his front pocket. He placed his hand on my shoulder and said, “Reyna is a wonderful woman. You better take good care of her, or I’ll kick your ass.”
