Chapter 60

The rehearsal went off without a hitch.  It took all day to get all of the women ready to Miranda’s liking, especially Miranda herself.  She was being quite picky.  She couldn’t make up her mind.  Her hair seemed to change with her mood- which was swinging so violently it was scary.  It seemed no one could get her to calm down.  If she wasn’t yelling, she was sobbing and if not sobbing; laughing.  Finally her grandmother had enough.  She shooed everyone out of the room, including her mother.  “Miranda Jayde, look at me”, Brie said to her granddaughter.  “I understand you’re nervous and hormonal but there is no excuse for you treating everyone like shit.  You’re going to have to get ahold of your emotions and quickly.  We have a rehearsal to get through and the wedding is tomorrow afternoon.  As of tomorrow you are going to be Mrs. Callan Maguire.  Now, I know that you’re freaking out but you need to take a few deep breaths and dig deep.  You can break down the day after tomorrow on the way back home.”  All Miranda did was nod as she followed her grandmother’s admonition.  Brie poked her head out the door to let everyone know that everything was ok and finished getting ready so that she could meet David and Jacob in the lobby of the hotel to ride to the rehearsal.

From there, everything went off without a hitch.  The rehearsal was beautiful.  The preacher walked them through everything that they would say and do.  One of Callan’s nephews- Mikey was the 6 year old boy’s name- was the ring bearer and acted out the presenting of the rings.  He was simply adorable.

That night, Miranda seriously considered the things her grandmother said to her as she tried to sleep.  It wasn’t an easy task because she was so on edge.  The slightest sound woke her.  And Grace’s constant movement that night wasn’t helping.  At one point during the night she called her Aunt Kenna to have her come check and make sure that everything was ok.  There was nothing that Kenna could to.  All she could really do was recommend that Miranda try to sleep in one of the chairs or on the couch in her room.  So much for that visit.  It took a little time and a little tea made for her by Aunt Jona, but finally Miranda was able to get a little sleep after stretching out on the couch.

11 am came faster than she wanted it to.  She was still so tired, but she managed to get a little sleep after the tea helped to settle little Gracie down.  Still, she got up when her mother knocked on the door and let her know it was time to get up.  She ate a little breakfast even though her nerves were so erratic that she was scared that she wouldn’t be able to keep any food down.

As she ate, her bridesmaids all got their hair and makeup done so that they could start to get dressed.  They had all been up and getting ready since early in the morning.  Her mother was ready as was Callan’s mother.  They were wearing their dresses and ushering everyone to the section of the suite that they needed to be in.  Miranda was glad that everything was coming together.  She stopped her mother as she buzzed around the room.  “Where is Gramma?”

“She’s been in and out already.  She’s in her and Grampa’s room getting dressed.  Grampa is looking rather smashing himself.  He picked a very nice grey suit.  He looks dashing.”

“Should I have asked Grampa to walk me down the aisle instead of Dad?”

“No.  Grampa would have told you that he’d done all of the trips down the aisle that he was going to and that it was your father’s honor anyway.  You know how your grandfather is, Miranda dear.”

She nodded.  “Mama, I’m really nervous.  Were you this nervous when you and Dad got married?”

“Yeah.  My heart was all a twitter; there were moments when I couldn’t breathe.  I was so excited but terrified.”

“Do you think Gramma was this nervous when she and Grampa got married?”

“You’d have to ask her, dear.”

“Can you have her come down?  I want to talk to her.”

“Sweetheart, it’s almost time to start getting you ready.  You’ll have to try to wait until the reception to ask her.  I believe she was.”

Jordan, who was in the room getting Jasmine ready, responded.  “She was”, she said.  “Your Gramma was a nervous wreck when the younger girls weren’t in the room.  I was the only one that got to see the tears start to try to leak out of her eyes.  Then Uncle Matt knocked at the door and ran me off to go get in line.”

“Do you think she fell apart after you left?”

“No.  That’s not Gramma’s style.  Anyway, Uncle Matt probably talked sense into her.  I know she started crying when she came down the aisle on Uncle Matt’s arm.  Grampa just grinned like a goober.”  She spritzed Jasmine’s hair with a little hair spray and handed her a mirror.  “How’s it look, baby?”

Jasmine grinned brightly.  “I love it, Mom”, then looked at her cousin.  “What do you think, Miranda?”

“Looking good, Jazz.”

“Cool.  I’m going to get something to eat real fast before I get into my dress.”

Miranda cracked a smile.  “I’m glad that I decided to ask her to be in the wedding party.  She’s going to be such a joy.”

“Miranda, eat so that you can get ready.  You have to do your hair and makeup for the ceremony”, her mother said after setting a plate of fruit and cheese on the bar in front of her.

She nibbled at the food, but really wasn’t all that hungry.  Her nerves were getting in the way of her enjoying her breakfast.  “Mom, I can’t eat.  Can you just have the hairdresser and the makeup artist come in and let’s get this done?  The sooner I’m ready the better.”

“If you’re sure that’s what you want, honey”, Mandy said.

“It is Mama.  I know it’s going to take forever to get my hair done anyway.  Then we’ve got to get me into the dress.  It’s going to take the rest of the time we have before we have to get in the limo and head to the beach.  The sooner we get this done the sooner we can get out of here.”

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Brie stood in front of the mirror and fussed with her hair.  She couldn’t stand the way the hairdresser had treated her silver curls.  Her hands were giving her fits, but she was making it work.  David just sat on the bed and watched, shaking his head.  “What’s wrong with it?” he finally asked.

“I just don’t like it.  I’m 81 years old and I have the right not to like it, by God”, she snapped as she shook her hand out and went back to fighting with the pile of hair on her head.

He stood carefully and wrapped his arms around her.  “Calm down”, he whispered.  The moment he touched her, she immediately relaxed.  “Now, what seems to be the matter?”

“The way she did my hair just looks trashy I think.  I’m trying to pick all of these damn pin out of my hair so that I can do something simple with it.”

“Here, let me help”, he said and busied his hands helping her find and remove the pins.  Between the two of them it took five minutes.  “Is that better?” he asked, kissing her cheek.

She smiled and brushed fingertips along his jaw.  “Much.  Now, I’m going to call Delilah and have her and Samantha take a flat iron to this mess and I’ll be happy.”  She grabbed her phone and did exactly what she said she was going to do while she plugged in the two flat irons she’d brought with her in case they were needed.

Delilah and Samantha arrived at the room and came straight in.  Jake had insisted on having a key to their room in case they needed him.  It was just easier for him to unlock the door and come in rather than wait for one of them to open the door.  “Mom, what’s the matter?”

“I need you two to fix this mess.  The hairdresser is a moron that I wouldn’t let do my dog’s hair”, Brie said rather bluntly.

Samantha laughed.  “Wow Gramma.  I love how opinionated you and Grampa are.  You two don’t bite your tongues anymore, do you?”

“Not really, no”, Brie said with a smile.  “Now please, straighten this mess and let’s get this sideshow on the road.”

They didn’t ask any further questions.  They just grabbed the flat irons and started putting the heat to the family matriarch’s hair like she’d asked.  It didn’t take long.  Brie’s hair held heat rather well and always had.  Once they were done, Brie stood from the chair she had been sitting in and looked in the mirror.  “You like it, Mom?” Delilah asked.

“Much better.  There are no pins poking me and it doesn’t look a mess.”  She turned and hugged and kissed both of them.  “Thank you.  Now I can sit through this wedding and not think my hair is an atrocity.”

“You’re welcome Mom.  Now, I’ve got to go help Miri finish getting into her dress for the wedding.  She’s freaking out this dress.  She’s been scared to eat anything for fear of not being able to fit in it.”

“Go.  We’ll see you at the venue.”  Once Delilah and Samantha had left, Brie slipped on the sandals that she was wearing for the ceremony.  “So, what are you doing for the reception?” she asked.  “Are we going to stick around or are we going to come back here?” she asked David.

“We can stick around for a little while.  We’ll take our pictures if they want us and go to the presentation of the bride and groom; maybe stick around for dinner and the first dance.”

She nodded and sat down next to him.  “When my back starts telling me to lie down, I’m going to want to leave.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do.  For now, why don’t we just play it by ear?”

“I like the sound of that.”

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After she was ready and knew that everyone else had gone on to the beach where she and Callan were to get married, Miranda and her father took a limo from the hotel to the beach venue.  She felt like she was going to puke and the last time that had happened was right before she learned that she was pregnant.  “Daddy, I’m so nervous”, she said, wringing her hands over and over again.

“I bet you are, but baby you have nothing to be nervous about.  He’s going to be standing there in full uniform waiting for you.  His Dad has called me a million times and said that he’s just anxious to get this done so that he can begin his leave and wait with you for Gracie to arrive.  He’s not going to stand you up at the altar.  Just breathe sweetheart.  It’s going to be ok.”

She nodded and took several deep breaths; as deep as her swollen abdomen would allow her lungs to take.  “You know breathing deeply is a challenge on its own, right?” she laughed.

“I’m sorry honey.  I’ve heard your mother give me the same lecture, as well as all of your aunts to your uncles.  I even think I heard Gramma say it to Grampa when we were all growing up.  Something about the growth of the baby pushes up the internal organs and compresses the ribs.  I don’t know how it all works or anything, but I think that’s what happens.”

Miranda laughed.  “Wow Dad, for the first time in my life, you actually know nothing about what I’m talking about.  I bet Uncle Jake doesn’t have to play stupid when he’s asked about something about anatomy.”

Malachai laughed as well.  “Because he has the initials MD behind his name, baby.”  He took his daughter’s hand and brushed his thumb over her knuckles.  “Are you calm enough to go through with this now?”

She nodded.  “Yeah, I think so.  Thanks Daddy.”  She leaned over and gave him a hug right as Grace decided to kick.  She let out a soft exhale from pain and released her hold on her father.  “I still can’t get used to that.”

He chuckled.  “Yeah, your Mom couldn’t either.  Some women can do it.  Others can’t.”

“How did Gramma do it with two sets of twins and a set of quads?”

“Your grandmother only carried a total of 3 pregnancies to term: me, Uncle Jake and Aunt Jordan, and Aunt Maddie.  The quads and Marc and Jessi were born through surrogates.”

“Oh yeah.  Weird how that works.”

The limo pulled to a stop and the door opened.  “Are you ready to go get married now, Miranda?”

She nodded.  “Let’s get this done.”

Malachai stepped out and tool his daughter’s hand, helping her out of the car.  “You have everything, because we’re going straight from here to the altar.”

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“By the power vested in me by God, the United States Marine Corps, and the states of California, Utah, Colorado, and Nevada- I now pronounce you husband and wife”, the Captain said.  “Gunny Maguire, kiss your bribe.”

Callan smiled brightly as he leaned into Miranda and kissed her softly.  He’d been waiting nearly a year for that moment.  When her hand grabbed her back of his neck he chuckled to himself.  He could tell that she had been just as eager as she was.

Even though the ceremony started off a little rocky, it was finally over.  They were husband and wife.  David and Brie new that Malachai was going to have trouble letting go but he managed.  Brie happened to glance over at her oldest child and elbowed her husband.  “David, get a load of Malachai”, she whispered in his ear.

David looked over to see Malachai crying.  “Boy, can I relate.  Maddie, Makayla, Jessi.  Need I say more?”

She laughed softly.  “I remember very vividly.  You had trouble letting our girls go.  Now he’s having trouble letting one of his go.  Like father, like son.”

“He’s still my mini- me.  He’s been my mini- me since he was 8.  Of course he’s going to take after me and shed a few tears when his oldest girl gets married”, he chuckled softly in response.  “Hell, I’m even a little misty eyed because she’s my first granddaughter.”

She hugged the arm she was hanging on to a little tighter.  “You big softy.  I know it’s hard.  We’re lucky he’s such a good man and not that joker she was seeing.  He actually had audacity…”

Before she could finish the thought, Miranda had come over to them.  “Gramma, Grampa, are you going to take pictures with us?”

“It’s your day Miranda.  What do you want us to do?” Brie asked her newly married granddaughter.

“I’d like you to come take pictures with us if you’re feeling up to it.”

The elderly couple stood carefully and made their way over to where the camera was positioned so that they could have pictures taken with the new couple.  Brie smiled when she saw Callan.  “You look devilishly handsome in that uniform, Callan”, she said as they waited to be told where to stand/sit for the picture.

“Thank you, Mrs. Draiman”, he said with a smile.

“You’re family now, son.  You can call us ‘Gramma’ and ‘Grampa’.”

He nodded.  “That will take a little getting used to, but I’ll give it a shot, Gramma.”

She cupped a hand against his cheek and smiled.  “Such a handsome young man.”

The pictures were taken and everyone made their way to the hotel where they were having the reception.  Malachai had gotten Kelly Demarco to come out for the event because she had done such a marvelous job with the pictures of the family as a whole.

Once the family photos were done, Malachai was sure to get everyone’s attention.  “If everyone would go on ahead and make their way back to the hotel ballroom for the reception it will be greatly appreciated.  The wedding party will be along shortly.”

Jake found his parents.  “You wanna ride over with us, Mom and Dad?” he asked.

“Do you have room in your vehicle?” Brie asked.  “You have Miri’s new boyfriend riding with you as well as Ira and the twins.  I don’t know if you have the room for us.”

His eyes searched for Jeremiah.  When he found him, he flagged him over.  “Hey ‘Miah, do you have room for Mom and Dad in your vehicle?”

“Yeah.  I rented a van when we landed.  Why wouldn’t I have the room for Mom and Dad?”

“We’ll ride with ‘Miah.  You just worry about getting your family to the reception”, David said.  “We will be fine.  There are ten of you and more grandkids than we can count some days.  You don’t need to worry so much, Jake.  We will see you there.”