Perfectly Ever After (Pieces) (9 page)

Snorts of laughter sounded around us as I glared at him. "Frank
?" I waited until he looked at me, ensuring that I had his attention. "One more word and I'll tell Claire you got a stripper's phone number last weekend."

He looked at me confused for a second. "I didn't get a stripper's number."

"Who do you think Claire is more likely to believe?"

Frank stood and walked toward me until we were inches apart. He looked into my eyes for a few awkwardly long seconds before he said, "E
tu, Brute?"

I didn't point out that his words made absolutely no sense in
that situation as I watched him sigh heavily and shuffle off across the room where the rest of the bridal party stood. Doug and Troy both put an arm around him when he reached them, allowing him to keep up his charade of petulance. I rolled my eyes at the morons I'd appointed as my groomsmen before turning my attention back to Carly.

Once our eyes met, we couldn't hold back the laughter anymore. I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to me. Her face nuzzled into my neck and I had absolutely no desire to ever move from
that position.

"Your friends are idiots," she laughed into my neck.

"I know. But they make me seem so much more appealing in comparison."

"Isn't
that
the truth." She placed a soft kiss on my neck before withdrawing slightly to look up at my face. "Thank you," she finally said.

"For what?"

"For being you. For making today the happiest day of my life. For everything."

I didn't know how to respond. Words would never be able to convey how much I loved her
—how much I needed her. So I cupped her cheek in my hand and kissed her instead, hoping that would tell her everything I wanted her to know.

***

We stood outside of the ballroom listening to the emcee announce the wedding party. They walked into the room while the band played an instrumental that I couldn't identify. But, once Frank and Katie made their way out, I heard the emcee tell everyone to "Get on your feet."

I looked at Carly. "You ready for this?"

"I was born ready for you, Adam."

I gave
her hand a squeeze as the emcee introduced us as Mr. And Mrs. Adam Carter. The doors burst open and the band erupted into Imagine Dragon's "I'm on Top of the World." Carly and I raised our hands over our heads in that "just married," clichéd way and bopped toward the dance floor.

Carly leaned into me. "Is it bad that I'm glad they introduced me as
Mrs. Adam Carter and not Carly Carter?" she laughed. "I had to fall in love with a man whose last name sounds ridiculous with my first." She laughed and I joined her.

The bridal party enveloped us as we all danced to the upbeat song, celebrating
the moment with the joy and exuberance it deserved. Once the song ended, our family and friends left the dance floor and found their seats. Carly and I stayed where we were, waiting for our first dance. And as the band strummed the familiar beat of Edwin McCain's "And I Could Not Ask For More," I wrapped my arms around Carly and pulled her flush against me. Her arms pushed a path over the lapels of my jacket and around my neck.

Everyone in the room faded away as I stared at my wife. And I suddenly knew that
that was one of the moments the song was talking about. I'd always remember how I felt as I held Carly in my arms: the complete happiness and all-encompassing peace that filled me was nearly too much for me to contain. I felt my eyes moisten with tears I hoped didn't fall. After all, Frank would never let me hear the end of it if I cried at my wedding.

Carly
didn't share these same worries and let her tears flow down her cheeks without embarrassment or concern.

God
, I love this woman.

The song ended and our guests applauded gently. A server led us to our sweetheart table and we sat do
wn. I surveyed the room briefly and saw Eva. I hadn't given her much of my time that day, and I felt a pang of guilt for it. I watched the serving staff bustle around delivering salads, I had an overwhelming need to make it right.

I leaned into Carly and whispered in her ear before beckoning the emcee over to me. I gave him instructions, then stood and made my way to Eva. And as the band began playing "Just the Way You Are" by Bruno Mars, I leaned down to her. "May I have this dance?"

Eva startled and then quickly scanned the room. I knew this might embarrass her, but I didn't really care. She was my Eva and I needed her to know that that would never change.

She sighed deeply, more to quell the bubbling emotion than out of annoyance, put her hand in mine, and let me lead her to the dance floor.

She placed one hand on my shoulder as I kept hold of her other one. We began to sway to the music, a little stiffly at first, but then finding a rhythm and moving more fluidly.

"You look beautiful," I told her. And it was the absolute truth. The deep red dress complimented her porcelain skin. Her hair gathered in loose curls atop her head drew all the attention to her gorgeous face. I had a hard time imagining that I'd had a part in creating something so perfect.

She smiled shyly. "You look pretty great yourself."

"I know I didn't warn you about this dance, but it occurred to me that I
hadn't gotten much time with you the past few days. It's been just the two of us for so long, I wanted us to have a moment today that was all ours—just yours and mine. Because no matter how my life changes, the one constant will always be my love for you. And I just . . ." I took my hand from her waist and used it to tilt her chin up so she was looking at me. "I just want you to know that all of my most special moments are only special because you're a part of them. I love you, Eva."

Tears brimmed over her eyes as she threw herself into me, wrapping her arms around me. "I love you too, Daddy."

I spent the rest of the song hugging my daughter on the dance floor, wondering how the hell I’d gotten so lucky.

***

Once the song ended and the salads had been eaten and cleared, the emcee invited Katie up to give her speech. It was short and sweet, recounting how much Katie looked up to Carly when they were young, and how she continued to look up to her as an adult. Carly dabbed her eyes throughout the speech and hugged Katie tightly when she finished.

I watched them, knowing that while Frank's speech may make me cry, it certainly wouldn't be because of how endearing it was. The emcee retrieved the
mic from Katie and introduced Frank, who sauntered toward our table like he owned the place.
Fuckin' Frank.

"Testing, testing . . . one, two
," Frank boomed into the microphone.

I rubbed my face with my hand, leaving it resting over my mouth to refrain from yelling at him in front of my guests.

"Hi, everyone. I'm Frank, Adam's best man."

No shit, Sherlock.

"I've known Adam a long time. Since third grade actually. I know everything there is to know about him." Frank shifted his feet and looked down briefly before bringing his eyes back up to look at the guests. "I'm not always the easiest guy to be friends with. And throughout the years, I rubbed more than my fair share of people the wrong way. But no matter what I did, or what I said, there was always one person who stayed in my corner and who stood up for me when I probably didn't deserve it. And he did that because he's loyal. Because he will protect those dearest to him until his dying breath. Because he's the kind of guy so many of us wish we were. No one deserves happiness like Adam does. And I'm so glad he finally found it with that beautiful woman beside him. You two are perfect for one another. And together, I know you'll live perfectly ever after, because you deserve nothing less. I love you guys. To Adam and Carly," he said as he lifted his glass, prompting everyone else to do the same.

He walked toward me and I rose to meet him. I hugged my best friend as I said, "Thanks, man."

He pulled back slightly and smirked. "No problem, pussy."

And just like that, the Frank I knew and loved was back.

***

The next course was a Minestrone soup, followed by that weird sorbet that was supposed to cleanse your palate before the main course. The server had just placed the impromptu dessert in front of us when the emcee announced that it was time for Carly and her father to have their dance. He came to our table to collect her and held her close, much like I had done to Eva earlier, while the band played "Butterfly Kisses" by Bob Carlisle. It was a sweet moment, and I knew that I'd have this moment with my mom right after.

I'd tried to talk her into dancing to Tupac's "Dear Mama," but she didn't think that was very funny. We had ultimately agreed on Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man." When Carly’s dad’s song ended and my mom’s song began, I thought for the hundredth time that day how lucky I was. And as I slow-danced with the woman who had lost one child and selflessly supported her other when he struggled to finish school and be a single father, I was blown away by how strong she was.

Then she spoke, her voice interrupting my thoughts. "I'm so proud of you, Adam. You've always been such a wonderful father, and I know you'll be an equally wonderful husband."

I looked down at her, and I could see the love in her eyes. "Everything I am is because of you and Dad. If I'm wonderful, it's because you guys taught me to be that way. Thank you, Mom, for always being there. I'd be a very different man if it weren't for you."

She didn't respond, but hugged me tighter until our song ended. I walked her back to her seat before returning to my table.

The rest of dinner passed quickly and the real party finally got started. The band was awesome, performing covers of popular songs from multiple decades. My eyes stayed on Carly, my hands needing to be on her in some way every second of the night—though it may have been more accurate to say I kept
one
eye on Carly. The other followed Eva and Cage as they cavorted on the dance floor.

I didn't think it was possible for me to hate Eva's boyfriend more than I already did, but I was wrong. As I eyed him in his stylish
gray suit with his blond spiky hair, his hands roving all over my teenage daughter, I wished aliens would appear and take him to their home planet. It didn't help that the kid looked like he was in his twenties.
What the hell are they feeding kids nowadays?

Carly did her best to keep me calm, but when
Cage turned Eva around and ground his dick into her ass, I'd had enough. I flew toward them, grabbed Cage by the bicep, and pulled him out into the lobby. I never turned around, though I could pretty much imagine the horrified look Eva was probably wearing. Once we were far enough away that I could be heard clearly over the music, I rounded on that little fucker.

"I'm going to say this one time, and you're damn well going to listen. I didn't invite you to my wedding so that you could disrespect me by grinding all over my daughter. So you either keep it in your fucking pants, or you can get the hell outta here. What's it
gonna be?"

Cage was wide-eyed, fear etched on his face.

Good.

"
Mr. Carter . . . uh, sir, I . . . I didn't mean to be disrespectful. I apologize for my behavior. I'll, um, I'll . . . I'll keep it in my pants, sir."

I gave him a curt nod before turning
around and going back into the ballroom. I walked past Eva, choosing to ignore the glare she shot my way.

"What is your problem?" she asked through a clenched jaw, clearly not content to let my interference go.

I stopped dead in my tracks, turning around slowly in the way fathers do when they want to make it clear their children are in deep shit. "Excuse me?" I took a step back toward her, infiltrating her personal space.

"You heard me. Why are you always giving Cage such a hard time?"

"Are you serious right now? The only people who've been giving anyone a hard time are you and Cage. We've been nothing but accommodating to the two of you."

"Accommodating, my ass. You've been a jerk ever since you met him. I'm sick of it."
There was a determined gleam in her eyes, a challenge almost. She wasn't going to back down.

But if she thought I was going to give into a temper tantrum, then she'd clearly forgotten her toddler years. I hadn't given in then, and I damn sure wasn't giving in now. "Goddamn it, Eva, the world doesn't revolve around you. Today is my
wedding.
So if I want to be a jerk, as you so disrespectfully called me, then I will be. What I
won't
be is tolerant of this princess behavior. You don't like the way I treat your boyfriend? Tough. Time to grow up, Eva. We don't always get what we want in the real world."

My words were harsh, but I didn't regret saying them. They were the truth and she needed to hear them.
I started to turn back toward Carly, but Eva's voice stopped me again.

"That's funny, because it sure seems like
you
always get what you want."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I snapped at her.

"You never even asked me, Dad . . . if I was okay with any of this," she said, gesturing with her arms. "If I
wanted
any of this. Because what
I
want doesn't matter to you. It's all about what
you
want." Tears began streaming down her cheeks, and I took a step toward her. But just as quickly, she stepped back, turned and ran.