Anything For A Friend

Chapter 20 - Here Comes The Bride

I know you are all thinking, "Finally!  She updated."  I'm so so so sorry.  I had to work overtime last weekend, then I got sick.  When I wasn't working, I was sleeping.  You probably wouldn't have wanted to read what I would've written while in that state.  It would not have been any good.  So, for those of you who didn't give up on me, here it is.  Max and Rhia's wedding.  Unfortunately, there is no wedding night....yet.  I didn't want to make you wait any longer, and I'm done writing for tonight.  

One more thing.....I'll let you know when the book is finished.  There won't be a 'next:" blurb at the end of the last chapter.  I'm figuring at least one more chapter, maybe two, and possibly an epilogue.  Then, I have another idea for a book unrelated to Max and Rhia's world.  After that, I'll probably do a Dane/Cassie/Brent spin off.  Don't worry, I have a plan for making them more interesting than they are in this book.  And Max and Rhia would probably show up :-).  

Well, I'll leave you alone now to read about the wedding.  I hope you like it.  

Rhia

Today is the day I've been waiting for since that Friday night three years ago. The minute we touched, I was a goner. This was about so much more than sex. This was about the crazy love Max and I had for one another.

I couldn't wait to be Max's bride. I had awakened early this morning and run out of my house. I drove over to my parents' house to get ready. Max and I were hardly traditional, but I really didn't want him to see me until I walked down the aisle.

My Mom greeted me at the door. "Hey there, beautiful Bride, come to the backyard and check out your wedding venue," she gushed. I smiled. My parents had been working so hard to make my day perfect. I followed her back, and gasped when I saw it.

They had transformed their backyard into a fairytale wedding land. White padded folding chairs were set up on either side of a pale blue runner that ran through the center.

In the front, a white platform stood, covered with baby blue, lavendar, navy, and violet flowers. There were tables under canopies off to the right where the reception would take place. My dad had also managed to fashion a dance floor out of pine and place it between the canopies and the house.

My dad was currently putting the finishing touches on the dancefloor. "Thanks so much, guys!" I squealed. I was hardly a bridezilla. My biggest concern was marrying the man of my dreams without incident. I couldn't wait to start the rest of our lives together.

"You're welcome, sweetie," my mom said.

"You only get married once," my dad commented. "At least we hope so."

My mom smacked him on the back of the head. "Don't say that!" she scolded.

"Well, he's pretty young," my dad exclaimed.

"But I love him, Dad, and he loves me," I said, a little defensively.

"We know, honey. Now, let's go get the ball rolling on this wedding," she said, changing the subject. As we were walking away, I saw her shoot my dad a warning glance out of the corner of my eye.

Mom and I put the finishing touches on the cake she had made. Bria came over shortly afterward to do our hair. She pulled mine back in clips on both sides and curled what fell down beside my face.

My phone buzzed. It was Max, checking up on me for at least the third time today. He was adorable when he worried. Don't get me wrong, it made me want to kill him some days, but it was sweet at the same time. I texted him back quickly, then went back to working on the last minute wedding details with my mom and Bria.

I had decided to keep my wedding small. Bria was my maid of honor, and Joey was Max's best man. Jake and Brent were the ushers, and Kelsey and Katie were going to do quick readings, but that was all.

Max

I was freaking out.  I was marrying Rhia today.  I would love it if my thirteen year old self could be here to see this.  It worried me that I might actually cry in front of everyone.  I felt like I was going to explode from happiness.  Nothing could put me in a bad mood.

I had sent Rhee way too many texts already.  I just wanted to make sure our day would be perfect. Our parents were trying their best to be supportive, even if a few snide remarks were made now and then. Rhee's parents had gone out of their way to turn their back yard into a wedding masterpiece.  Rhia had sent me photos earlier.

My phone rang.  It was Joey.  He was telling me that he'd be at my apartment in about ten minutes. Jake and Brent would be here soon as well. Only a few more hours until the love of my life became Mrs. Rhia Malick. Like I said, I was beside myself with happiness, no matter how much Brent teased me.

Cassie

I was at a loss. Dane had been drinking since early this morning. Why had I ever thought hooking up with him was a good idea? I had a feeling this was all related to Max and Rhia's wedding.

I should have figured that I didn't mean much to him. We had gotten together out of self-pity. Where did that leave me? Pregnant and dating an overaged baby.  I couldn't believe I had screwed up my birth control.  Who knew that missing one day took five days to fix.  And, to top it off, I slept with my boyfriend and two other guys all during my 'risk' time.  At least Max had been smart enough to wear a condom.  

No wonder Rhia liked Max so much. Max was so much more mature than Dane. Hot sex meant nothing if the guy turned out to be a pig. I barely let him touch me anymore. I had been a real slut, and now I was paying for it.

"Cassie?" Dane yelled from the sofa. "Can you bring me in another beer?"

I rolled my eyes. "We're all out," I yelled back, as I quietly took the two beers left in the fridge and put them on the back porch. He didn't need any more alcohol right now.

I walked into the room to assess the damage he had done to himself. "Why do you think she left me for him?" he asked me.

I sighed. This question had come up at least once a day since he had found out they were getting married. "I think they have always loved each other. I'm pretty sure we couldn't have stopped it." This had become my usual response. I hoped it was true. Otherwise, my tryst with this doofus had cost me cute, lovable Max. I couldn't stand the thought.

Rhia

It was almost that time. I was in my parents' bedroom with Bree, Kelsey, and Katie. I hoped everything was going according to plan downstairs. According to Max's texts things were going just fine.

"You know," Kelsey started, "I thought you two had the hots for each other back at that pool party when Max was just a kid.  I just didn't want to call you out, since the age gap was a little creepy. Now that he's an adult, you two fit perfectly together. The creepiness has disappeared. I'm so excited for you."

I laughed. Katie added to Kelsey's comment with, "Wouldn't Jocelyn be upset if she could see you two today? She was totally after him that day.". We laughed as we filled Bree in on the event.

Bria put last minute touches on my hair and makeup before saying, "Okay. Is the future Mrs. Malick ready to get this party started?"

"You bet!" I said. As I stood up, happy, excited butterflies flew around inside my stomach.  Here goes nothing, I thought.

I walked down the stairs and out the back door. Whoa. Everyone was here. Bria went down the aisle first, as Max and Joey stood on the platform with the minister. Now, everyone was looking at me. Ugh. My dad linked his arm in mine and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. "Knock 'em dead, Sweetie," he said. Then, we began walking down the aisle.

I hated being the center of attention. I couldn't stand that everyone was staring, even if they were here to celebrate the first day of the rest of my life with me. I stared straight at Max. He smiled at me. I held onto his gaze as I made my way down the aisle closer to him.

Max

There she was!  I still had to convince myself I wasn't dreaming.  I could tell she was nervous as she began walking down the aisle. Her eyes swept over the crowd, looking frantic, before we locked gazes.  I tried to tell her with my eyes that everything was going to be okay.  I like to think she understood on some level.

My leg started to shake. The closer she got, the more excited I became. When the minister asked, "Who gives this woman to be married?" her dad replied with, "Her mother and I do." Afterward, Rhia placed her hand in mine and stood next to me, facing the minister. She looked at me out of the corner of her eye, a smile playing on the corners of her lips, and gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.

We went through the usual wedding formalities before it was time for our vows. Rhia went first. "Max Malick, I am so happy you came to me with that question three years ago. If I wouldn't have answered you the way I did, I might have never realized how great we are together. You give me self-confidence I never had before. You make everyday an adventure, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Oh, and by the way, I forgive you for touching my butt when you were ten."

Now it was my turn. "Rhia Spencer, Whitney Houston summed it up with her song, I have always loved you. I can't remember a time when your name was not synonymous with love and beauty in my mind. You are the driving force behind so many things that I do. I'm so thankful that you took a chance on me, and that it worked out so well. Never in a million years would I have guessed we'd end up so happy. Although, I'm not sorry for touching your butt when I was a kid."

We exchanged rings, and went through the ususal motions. When the minister asked, "If anyone feels that these two should not be joined in marriage, speak now, or forever hold your peace," I half expected something to go wrong. Thankfully, no one said a word.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." He leaned my way and whispered, "I'm pretty sure you can touch her butt now, if you want." Rhia and I both laughed. Our lips met, and I was on cloud nine. We had finally done it! We were married!

We separated, and walked down the aisle, hand in hand, toward the Spencer house. When Joey and Bria caught up to us, the look in Joey's eyes told me everything was not okay.

"What's wrong?" I whispered.

"It's Dane," he said, "he's here, he's drunk, and he's angry."

Brent

Right after Jake and I had seated the last wedding guest, I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. I tried to ignore it, but it kept vibrating. Whoever was texting me sure was persistent. I took a few steps back closer to the house and pulled it from my pocket to see what was going on. I had fifteen messages from Cassie. I opened the first one. It read, "If you're at Max's wedding, get ready. Dane's coming."

The next fourteen were the same message. I texted her back, "Thanks," and motioned Jake back toward me.

"We have a problem," I whispered to Jake.

"What?" he whispered.

I showed him Cassie's text. "Oh," he exclaimed, pulling me around the side yard.

"We have to stop him," I said. Jake nodded.

We walked to the front of the house, and looked up and down the street. We surveyed what we could see of the neighborhood, and there was no sign of Dane - yet. We stood there, looking at each other, wondering what we should do.

We were still deciding what to do a few minutes later, when Dane's car flew around the bend and parked across the street. We started toward the car immediately.

He stepped out, looking out of sorts. "Hey, Jerkwad, what do you think you're doing here?" Jake growled.

"I want to see Rhia.....she shouldn't marry that baby, Max. He's not even a man yet. I'm a real man."

Jake looked at me, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, real men crash weddings after they've cheated on the bride with the groom's ex-girlfriend," I seethed.

"What are you trying to say, Brant?" he mumbled.

"It's Brent, and I'm trying to say that you suck, and you need to leave. Our friend Max is marrying his girl today, and you are NOT interrupting it."

He just stood there for a minute, as if trying to comprehend what I'd just said. I couldn't believe this doofus was going to be a dad. I almost hoped that Cassie's baby was mine, if only for that reason.

"Whoa, dude, watch out!" I heard Jake scream as I felt something hard hit the side of my face. That jerk hit me! I thought.

I looked at him. He had a satisfied look on his face that I was about to make disappear. I swung at him, holding nothing back. My fist connected with his nose with a sickening sounding crack.

As my hand returned back to my side, I saw Dane holding his injured face, blood gushing from his nose.

"I'm not leaving until I see Rhia," he whined. I couldn't help but wonder why Cassie was still with this goon, baby or no baby.

"Fine," Jake said. I looked at him like he was nuts. "You stay right here, and I'll go get her. If you move, Brant here will hit you again." I looked at him, and he laughed. "I'll be right back," Jake said, walking toward the Spencer's back yard.

Dane stood there, holding his nose. He looked everywhere except at me.

"You know," I said, "you should have stayed home and taken care of your pregnant girlfriend."

That did it. He glared at me. "She can handle herself. it's her fault she's knocked up, anyway. She told me she was on the pill. Turns out she had screwed up and missed a few days. Stupid wench."

I wanted to kill him so badly, it was all I could do to keep my arms at my sides and not take a swing at him. I'm not sure what made me angrier, his insults against Cassie or his attempt to stop Max's wedding. Luckily, I didn't have to think about it for too long. A few minutes later, Jake showed up with Max, Rhia, and Joey in tow.