Chapter 33
Jake
Flowers. The overwhelming smell of flowers bombards me as Carmen and I walk through the Chapel doors. I can’t believe the rainbow of colors. There are blue, yellow, violet, red, white, pink roses and orange Tiger Lilies. Flowers hang from the ceiling being held by strings that resemble strings of pearls. The unity carpet is silk, and I try not to look at the carpet as photographers begin taking pictures of us. Jill has already walked down the aisle with Matt, so I’m positive that people aren’t thrown off by the fact that I’m escorting Carmen. The bridesmaid dresses are over the top. I feel like I’m escorting Cinderella to the ball. Seriously, what is this? I haven’t gotten a gander at my sister yet, but I’m afraid that her dress is going to be ridiculous. When we are half way down the aisle, Uncle James and my aunt spot me. They both seemed surprised. But neither of them look unhappy. Just as I thought, dating Jill isn’t going to be useful anymore. In fact, it was probably a miscalculation. Had they left me alone, everyone would have forgotten about me. Now that I’ve dated America’s Darling, Danny’s behavior will be plastered on all of the news stations. I feel bad for my sister. I hadn’t truly known how broken up she was about this, but there’s nothing I could say that would make her feel any better. Words are just that, words. They don’t hold a cure or change time. So why bother using them if they are inadequate? As the cannon continues to be played by the talented pianist that Shelly hired, I continue walking with Carmen. It’s weird to think about, but what would our wedding look like? No, that thought can’t go any further. I refuse to be the type of guy that fantasizes about Carmen in a beautiful white dress or the person that wonders what our children will look like. Children. I am not thinking about little things that drool and spit up on everything. I have to be making a disgusted expression because Carmen pokes me in the side.
“Smile,” she whispers, and I do, mainly because she smiles up at me. So we get to the front of the church and split up. I’m standing beside Max, who would rather be somewhere else. He’s seventeen and uninterested in anything social. I’m unsure of why Eli even bothered putting him in the wedding. He was one of the only ones who flat out refused to go to Nathan’s Bachelor party. Like I said, he likes video games, audio books, and anything else that keeps him away from people. He’s slouching, so I tap him on the shoulder. After scowling at me, he takes a deep breath and straightens up. I shift impatiently as the organ starts playing here comes the bride. Eli looks like a queen. That’s the only way that I can describe her gown. It’s white, poofy and has a train that’s two feet long. It’s tight around the torso and thank goodness, the sleeves aren’t five inches thick. Other than that, I really don’t have an opinion because this isn’t like Peter and Chelsea’s wedding. Nathan isn’t gazing at Eli like he can’t breathe without her. When Peter gave Chelsea that look, I wanted to vomit. But now that I see that my little sister isn’t getting what she deserves, I want to ring my future brother in law’s neck. Eli’s father looks as if he’s walking to the gallows. Ben is a bad boy who hasn’t quite figured out that he’s fifty. His dark hair reaches the tops of his shoulders, and he has a full beard and mustache. He looks funny in his tux. He wears it more like a Halloween costume. I want to wince when Max, who probably is thinking along the lines as I am, starts to chuckle. The dude is socially awkward, that’s for sure. After Ben put’s Eli’s hand in Nathan’s, he takes his seat beside his wife, who’s acting like this wedding is a social event. This is going to be the longest hour of my life, that’s for sure. Reverend Hambleton takes the podium and begins speaking.
“Daily beloved, we are all gathered here to witness the Union of Nathan William Jacobs and Eliza Jane Philips. If anyone has a reason for why these two should not wed speak now or forever hold your peace.” Okay, that’s just an invitation for every overzealous family member on either side of the family to stand. But the person who objects is the last person that I think would even be caught dead going to this wedding. Eliza’s ex-boyfriend Glen Paterson shouts, “I object.”
“Was he even invited?” Max stage whispers.
“No,” Dom says in a normal voice. “He wasn’t. Why is he here?” I glance over at Carmen, who rolls her eyes.
“Okay, young man, please tell us why the two shall not be wed,” Reverend Hamilton says. Glen, dressed in a white tux rushes down the aisle. I can tell by the confused look on Nathan’s face that he has no idea what’s going on. To my surprise, both Ben and Shelly are both furious. I guess they only hate Nathan behind the scenes. In public, they won’t go against their daughter’s choice. Glen walks up to the podium and clears his throat, more for the dramatics’.
“Eliza, I don’t think that you should Marry Nathan because I’m still in love with you. We had a good three-year run together. I made a mistake going off to Oxford. I would have gotten to you sooner, but I only found out about the wedding because Bridget told me.” So Bridget had a backup plan to sabotage this wedding. Who knew that she would be so desperate to ensure that Nathan and Eli wouldn’t get married? I clench and unclench my fists. I wish that Danny would deck the preppy monster for what she’s done. “Aside for the fact that I’m still in love with Eli, she’s getting married for the wrong reasons.”
“I object,” Peter shouts, which confuses all of us because he never speaks. When he says it, he’s running down the aisle like a mad man. Glen is so surprised that he forgets his speech. When Peter gets to the podium, he shoves glen away from the microphone. The guy looks like he’s going to deck Peter but Malcolm, being the overprotective brother jumps on to the stage and holds him back.
“Will the security team, please remove this man,” Peter asks. Men dressed in all black start walking to the stage.
“No. You guys don’t understand,” Glen begins to plead, but Peter is having none of it. He actually covers the idiot’s mouth. I look at Eli, who is pale and shaky. And then I finally get it. The tool is going to spill the beans about Eli’s true intentions for getting married. Something about this doesn’t feel right. Why is Bridget going through such lengths? What is really going on here?
“What is your cousin doing, Nate?” Ben asks his future son in law. It’s clear that the brooding idiot doesn’t understand what his cousins are trying to do. Max seems entertained by the spectacle. When Peter realizes that holding his hand over a struggling man’s mouth is too annoying, he looks around as if searching for a better option. The security team swarms around Peter and Glen. One of the men removes Peter’s hand and Peter, out of options punches Glen in the jaw, hard. The audience gasps in shock. But the five men doing security, don’t seem perturbed. In fact, they might be penalized for not doing their jobs. After they carry glen out, Peter begins speaking.
“I apologize. I’m afraid that Glen wanted to disprove Eli’s love for Nathan so she wouldn’t inherit her estate. That’s after all, one of the many clauses. A member of the Philips family can’t get married for the sake of inheriting. I can assure all of you today that this union is between two people that love one another. In fact, I can honestly tell you all that my cousin Nathan is a very honorable guy. He also takes marriage seriously. So I couldn’t let someone like Glen Paterson cast doubt on their union. I’m sure that some of you are wondering how I know such a thing. Well, as you may know, Jill Mace, one of the sweetest people I know, is filling in for Bridget Gold because she attempted to cause a rift between the couple. Unfortunately for Bridget, she didn’t log out of one of the house computers, and I came across an e-mail between Bridget and Glen. Shall I read it?” There is a resounding yes from the gossips in the audience. But everyone that cares about the couple are too shocked to say anything.
“Don’t read it, Peter,” Reverend Hambleton shouts. “You’ve proven your point.” But Peter doesn’t listen to the God fearing man. He pulls a piece of paper from his suit Jacket.
“June 25 at 9:30
Glen,
Bridget, you need to stop the ceremony. Do the best that you can. If Eli marries t
hat guy, my father will lose the land in Texas. If I marry her, the property will stay in my family. If you succeed, I will give you thirty thousand dollars and a new car of your choosing.”
“We get the point, Peter,” the Matriarch of the Philips Family shouts. Peter nods, takes a bow, frowns at the flowers that he knocked over during his struggle with Glen Paterson and calmly walks back to his seat.