Always the Designer, Never the Bride (13 page)

Devon managed his vows and "I do" like a champ. In fact, the Marines took their place in the back of the room, forming an arch over the end of the aisle with their drawn swords, and J. R. figured they were home free when the minister pronounced them "Husband and Wife, Take Two."

But as they moved in for the kiss, Devon wobbled slightly.

"Dev?" Carly said.

Devon muttered, "Sorry, swee—" And he collapsed to the floor.

Activity swirled around them as J. R. knelt next to his unconscious brother. He gave his face a gentle tap, but Devon didn't flinch. He felt the heat at the same moment that Carly sensed it, and both of them pressed their hands to Devon's cheeks.

"He's burning up!" she cried. "Devon?"

J. R. craned to search the room for Sherilyn. When he found her, he asked, "Where's Andy?"

"He just arrived," she said as she moved into the swarm. "Could we just have everyone stand back and give Devon some air, please?"

As they complied, Devon opened his eyes slightly and the corner of his mouth twitched as he looked at J. R. "Am I married?"

"Yeah, bro. You're married."

"Oh. Good."

And with that, he rolled to his side and proceeded to vomit all over the skirt of his new wife's elaborate gown.

J. R. thought the blood-curdling scream that followed came from Carly . . . until Audrey threw herself to the floor beside her.

"Not on the dress! . . .
Noooooo!!"

Safe Cleaning and Preservation
of
Wedding Gowns

• Whether you're going to save your gown for posterity
or sell it so that someone else can benefit from its use,
your first action will be to have the dress
professionally cleaned.

• Dry cleaning, although it does address soil and stains,
does little to prevent discoloration over time.
Professional cleaning and preservation involves
more; preserving and protecting the fabric includes special
treatment under special lights where soil and stains are
cleaned by hand.

• It is recommended that a gown be preserved within
three months of the wedding. Until that time, the dress can
safely be stored in a clean, dry place
protected by a cotton sheet or bolt of fabric.

• Never store a preserved wedding dress
in a basement or attic.
Preferred locations for storage include a guest room or hall
closet so that the temperature is consistent and levels of
humidity are controlled.

• Inspect the gown every year or two in order
to assure its safety

6

J
. R. went with Devon to the hospital while Audrey helped

Carly out of her soiled wedding dress. Carly tossed on some jeans and an oversized chambray shirt, and Audrey quickly changed into a short cotton dress with triple spaghetti straps.

"Come on, come on," Carly whimpered as she waited at the door of the hotel room. "I have to get to him, Aud."

"I'm ready," she said, grabbing her denim jacket as she flew past the coat rack. "Let's go."

Kat and Emma waited in an SUV outside the front door, and Emma drove them to North Fulton Hospital. Squealing to a stop in front of the emergency room doors, she told them, "Go! I'll park and be right in."

Audrey didn't stand a chance of keeping up with Carly, so she let her fly ahead of her.

"Thank you so much," she said to Emma, leaning through the open back door.

"No problem," she said. "Go ahead."

Kat stayed in the front seat, and Emma pulled away from the curb the moment Audrey shut the door. Carly was nowhere in sight, but Russell nodded to her as he rose from a chair in the corner of the crowded waiting room.

"J. R. is with him, and now Carly."

"Should I go in?"

"Prolly not," he replied in his thick Australian accent. "Too crowded back there. J. R. will pop out and tell us when he knows something."

"You're probably right," she said, and Audrey dropped into a chair beside him.

"Kit-Kat with you?"

"Yes. She and Emma are parking."

"You be all right if I go find her?"

"Of course. Go ahead."

A little girl around four years old tottered up to her and smiled, batting long golden eyelashes. "I got pink boots," she said boldly. "You ever wear pink boots?"

Audrey glanced down at her own almost-to-the-knee taupe boots with a braided belt and buckle at the ankle. "Nope," she replied. "I'll bet they're pretty though."

"They are. They're prettier than yours." And with that, the miniature fashion police girl wobbled away to continue walking her beat around the waiting area.

Thanks for sharing.

The large glass door slid open and Emma walked in. "Kat found a place that will clean the dress, and she's on the phone with them now," she announced before taking the empty seat beside her. "Any news yet?"

"Not yet."

"Have you ever been to a wedding like that one?" Emma asked.

Audrey glanced over at her, and Emma's amused smile ignited a laugh from deep down inside. "No," she said between chuckles. "I never have."

"I've seen a lot of weddings," Emma told her. "And I can tell you I've never seen a groom puke on his bride before. That's a new one."

They both hopped to their feet as J. R. appeared and headed toward them. He carried the jacket of his tuxedo over his arm, his shirt sleeves rolled to the elbow, vest unbuttoned, and the bow tie hung loose around his collar. Just looking at him gave Audrey a little quiver.

"He's going to be okay," he told them as he approached. "It's his appendix."

"What?"

"Yeah. His appendix burst just as the ceremony concluded. They're taking him into surgery now."

"You're sure he's going to be all right?" Audrey asked him.

"The doctor seemed very confident. I guess they do this surgery all the time."

Audrey noted the glimmer of doubt in his eyes, and she ran her hand along his arm. "Then I'm sure he'll be fine."

"I know."

"Listen, Sherilyn texted and said they went ahead with the reception for all the guests. She and Carly's dad are keeping it all together. I'm going back to see if they need help," Emma said. "Do you want a ride, or are you staying here?"

Audrey glanced at J. R. before answering. "I'm going to stay here in case Carly needs me."

"When her heart starts beating again, tell her I'll put the cake into the freezer and we'll figure it all out later, but they'll still have a celebration when he's up to it."

"Thank you."

"Sure." She grinned at J. R., and he nodded. "You take care. Call if you need anything at all."

Once Emma had gone, Audrey let out a heavy sigh and deflated into an uncomfortable upholstered chair. A few sec onds later, J. R. did the same thing, and the two of them sat there, wilted and glazed, staring straight ahead.

Finally, Audrey broke the silence. "So. Your brother's appendix bursts, and you blame it on fast food hamburgers."

"If you'd seen what he ate, you would have blamed that too."

"I've never really seen someone get that sick from a food binge."

J. R. turned sideways in his chair, but just before he spoke, the little blonde girl appeared between them.

"Yes?" J. R. prompted, but the girl just stood there staring at them. "Do you have something to say, young lady?"

"She probably wants to tell you that my boots aren't as pretty as her pink ones."

J. R. leaned forward, propping his elbow on his knee, and asked, "Is that it? You want to discuss high fashion with me?"

She giggled. "Nooo."

"Then what can we do for you?"

"I wanted to ask you something," she admitted.

"Yes. This, I figured out. What would you like to know?"

"Did you just get married?"

J. R. smiled and cast a glance at Audrey before replying, "You mean because of my tuxedo?"

"Yeah. Except for that on your arm—" She tapped a finger on J. R.'s tattoo. "—you look like Ken. 'Cept you need a haircut."

"Who's Ken?"

The little girl huffed and placed her hand on her hip.

"That's Barbie's boyfriend," Audrey informed him.

"You know Barbie?" the child asked.

"Oh, yeah. Barbie and I go way, way back. I've designed a lot of wedding dresses for her."

"You have?"

"Yep. And dozens of red carpet gowns."

"Wow."

"Wow indeed."

Finally. She'd surpassed the stigma of un-pink boots.

"What's your name?"

"Roslyn."

"Roslyn," she repeated with a nod. "That's a very pretty, grown-up name."

"What's yours?"

"Audrey."

She considered it. "Yeah, that's okay, I guess."

"And this is J. R."

"That's not a name," she told him. "Those are letters. They can only stand for something; they can't be a whole name."

He leaned closer to her and whispered, "They do stand for something. Do you want to know what?" She nodded. When he looked at Audrey, she nodded too. "John Robert."

"Those are good names. Why do you hide them?"

"I don't know," he answered with a chuckle. "I've been called J. R. since I was your age, and I guess it just stuck with me, Roslyn."

The little blonde looked up at Audrey with a serious expression. "You better call him John from now on so he doesn't forget."

"Maybe I'll do that."

Roslyn's mother called her over. "Don't bother the people."

"I'm not botherin' them," she said, rushing to her mother's side. "That lady makes wedding dresses for Barbie, Mommy."

Audrey's attention snapped in half as Carly came around the corner and stepped into view.

"Caroline. Over here."

She dropped into the chair next to Audrey and groaned. Audrey expected her to say something about a ruined wedding or never making it to the first dance. Instead, Carly rubbed her temples with her index fingers and said, "He nearly died, Aud."

"I know," she said, touching Carly's arm. "But he's going to be okay now."

Carly nodded, and she sighed as the realization set in. "Look," she suggested, "you two don't have to stick around."

"Of course we're staying."

"No, really. Go back to the hotel. I'm staying here with Devon tonight."

"Not exactly the ideal wedding night, is it?" J. R. asked her.

"Any night with Devon is a good night," she answered, and her eyes misted over with tears.

Audrey could almost read her friend's thoughts of Afghanistan and Devon's frequent absences. In that light, she supposed spending the night in the hospital together was a pretty good alternative.

"Why don't you go on back with Russell and Kat," J. R. suggested to Audrey. "I want to stick around until he's out of surgery."

"I'll stay too," she said, taking Carly's hand and clasping it between both of hers. "We can take off once he's all settled in his room."

Carly crumpled suddenly, tearful and trembling, and she leaned into Audrey's embrace. "Thank you," she whimpered. "Thank you both so much."

The taxi dropped her in front of The Tanglewood just after 12:30 the next morning. Devon's surgery had successfully relieved him of his appendix, but infection had threatened further complication, which came to fruition through a high fever spike. Carly hadn't left his side except for a quick run to the ladies room at midnight and, although the nurse had arranged for a cot to be placed in the hospital room, Carly remained planted in the vinyl chair she'd dragged alongside Devon's bed. J. R. had decided to sack out in the waiting room for the night, but he'd summoned a taxi and tucked Audrey into it before he did.