Page 52 of Marry Me, Right Now

Everything had been going beautifully, but it was a lot to take in. Jacob’s elderly relatives fawned and gushed over me, and my own friends were almost afraid to touch me. My normally rowdy artsy buddies were using quieter, calmer voices around me. Their polite little embraces had a tenth of the strength of their usual bear hugs that rattled my teeth.

I’m sure that most of it was because I was in a lavish dress, and they were afraid to mess me up, but I sincerely hoped that this new version of me wouldn’t cause any sort of rift. I was the same person, maybe a little glossier. Just because I lived in a penthouse in the sky didn’t mean that I didn’t have my feet on the ground the rest of the time.

Once all of this hoopla was over, I’d be sure to go out with them and spend some time in our usual hangouts, to get back in touch. I’d been out of commission for a while since I was saving every penny for a new apartment. But now I could be the one to buy a round of drinks.

There was a little voice in my head warning me about changing too much too fast, but this was not the day for self-reflection. Today I just had to get through everything with a smile.

Jacob came over and stole a piece of cheese. “Special snacks? Aren’t you a spoiled little princess.”

“One of Zachary’s missions is to keep me hydrated, fed, and functional,” I laughed. “I have to say, he’s incredibly handy to have around. He even picked my nail polish color this morning.” I waggled my fingers at him.

“Pink.”

I poked him in the chest with one finger. “Pale earthy dusty rose.”

“That’s what I said. Pink.”

I laughed while he ate a cracker. “I guess we’ll let you take care of money and math, and I’ll take care of color choices and art. Fair enough?”

“Done,” he said. “Are you up for another round of socializing?”

I stood up, and he followed, taking my hand. “You’ve been doing an amazing job,” he whispered in my ear. “Everyone adores you, and my mother is basking in all of the attention.”

“I did spread the word to her gossipy best friend that the wedding planner was her suggestion, and she chose the venue. So really, everything is all thanks to her.”

Jacob grinned. “Brilliant. Well done.”

“Zachary won’t know, and she’s happy.”

“Also,” he said, leading me to the back of the room to a table full of his aunts and uncles, “I don’t know anything about decorations, but everyone has been raving, and saying this is the loveliest wedding they’ve ever been to. Your indie folks have done a stellar job.”

“That was part of the beauty of them telling me what was best. They know what’s in season, what blends well. I let them drive the bus and just hung on for the ride. But remember,” I laughed, “Everything good is your mother’s doing.”

“Well done, Mia. Really.”

I didn’t have time to explain how crucial it was to have Rosalind like me. I could tell from our first meeting that she obviously adored Jacob. But I didn’t realize how differently she treated her two sons. She seemed far less relaxed and loving around George, and actually snipped at him a few times as if he were an idiot.

Trying to imagine what it would be like to grow up in such a tense environment almost made me pity him. Jacob appeared oblivious, but he was busy constantly circling among his family and guests.

Although we had spread the word that it was a casual affair, his people showed up in the most expensive yet understated attire I’d ever seen. Simple dresses that would likely cost me a month’s rent, adorned with a single string of diamonds or pearls. Hair freshly coiffed, yet in a low key elegant style. It was easy for the men to just wear their perfectly tailored dark suits, each of which may have cost as much as a car to one of my musician buddies.

The pride I felt for my own friends was unfathomable. Each of them had begged, borrowed, dug up something simple yet fancy, and looked like the most polished versions of themselves. Lauren and Rayanne looked stunning, and tried to mingle a bit with Jacob’s family, but mostly stuck to our friends.

Our usually drunk guitarist buddy Cricket stayed sober for the entire evening, and looked impossibly stylish in his jet black suit and slicked back bright blue hair. He was so charming when he greeted Rosalind that she actually giggled.

I was extremely relieved that my seating arrangements had obviously worked. Everyone remembered a few conversations from our cocktail party, and once the wine was flowing freely, were actually having fun learning about each other's worlds. The artists were making jokes about corporate life, and the rich people were asking endless questions about the real life of musicians and theatre people.

The atmosphere was much more relaxed than I had anticipated, and I almost couldn’t believe that we had pulled it off.

Zachary was in the corner, and I went over to check in. “Hey,” I said, “Everything is going brilliantly. You can finally chill out.”

“Are you kidding? We still have dinner, toasts, dancing, the cake…”

“But at this point none of that matters. We could order pizza and I could play songs from my phone.”

He stared at me, then suddenly grinned from ear to ear. “My sweet little do-it-yourselfer. Zero drama, going with the flow. Oh, how I wish all brides could be just like you.”

“If you like, I could g

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