I’m swimming in its beauty. This ring is punch-me-in-the-gut pretty, but most of all, it looks like me. It’s not gaudy or massive. I won’t have to drag my hand on the ground as I walk. It’s a simple, beautiful, princess cut diamond. Exactly what I would have picked out myself.
Just as I slip the ring on, Jamal, Derek, Price, and Lawrence all crowd around us. It’s a commotion of congratulations and sweaty hugs. It doesn’t get to last long because the guys have to go shower then Nathan has to be available for a post-game interview. He has just enough time to kiss me once on the cheek, twice on the neck, and once more on the mouth before he grunts in aggravation and forces himself to back away.
He points at me like he’s getting ready to toss me the winning catch. “Bree Cheese. Still with me?”
Cupping my hands around my mouth, I yell, “Always!”
I find Lily back in the box ten minutes later. Mrs. Donelson has already left, thank goodness, so I don’t have to explain anything to her right now.
“HURRY!” I say, pulling her up out of her chair. “GET YOUR BOOTY MOVING—WE GOTTA GET ME READY FOR MY WEDDING!”
“I’m getting married, I’m getting married, I’m getting married.” I repeat this to myself fifteen more times in the hotel bathroom mirror. Lucky for me, I was already wearing a white dress at the game. I shed the jersey and voila, instant bride! That sort of makes me sound like a soup. I tilt my head at my reflection in the mirror. I hope I don’t look like soup.
Lily stands behind me and puts her hands on my upper arms. “Are you having second thoughts? I will have a car ready to whisk you out of here in five minutes if that’s what you want.”
“I will put you in that car and have you driven to the airport and shipped off to Australia if you try to talk me out of this! I’m so ready to marry Nathan it’s painful.”
Lily smiles. “I know you are. I’m so happy I get to be here for it.”
We’ve already called my mom and dad, and although they were not thrilled about missing their baby’s wedding, they are both completely addicted to Hallmark and can appreciate a romantic whirlwind when they see one. They’ll be at the wedding via FaceTime, as will Nathan’s parents, I’m assuming.
The next thirty minutes are spent primping, but since neither Lily nor I are very experienced with an eyeshadow palette and bobby pins, we FaceTime the master.
“Sweep the right side back like a gorgeous wave rolling onto the beach at sunset,” Dylan says from the screen of my phone.
Lily grimaces, and her clunky hand pulls my hair back too tight. My scalp burns. “What does that even mean, Dylan?”
“A GORGEOUS WAVE AT SUNSET, LILY! I did not say a tight-fisted old granny at Christmas.”
My sister deflates and whispers, “I don’t know what any of this means!”
“Neither do I. Do your best.”
Lily eventually pleases the master, and we move on to eyeshadow. The brush trembles in her fingers as it advances toward my lid, and she repeats Dylan’s instructions. “A bird flying over the canyon with gold dust on its wings…got it.” His eyeball is taking up most of the screen he’s sitting so close to it.
Once my makeover is complete, I look in the mirror. Both Dylan and Lily swoon at the sight of me, which brings tears to my eyes. “I can’t believe this is real. I get to marry my best friend tonight.”
Lily sniffles and lays her head on my shoulder.
Dylan swipes a misty tear from his cheek and nods. “Yes, girl, you do. Now, stick that hand in your bra and bob those little duckies toward the surface.”
Nice. A much needed tear eraser.
Nathan texts Lily his minute-by-minute agenda, saying it’s our wedding day so I shouldn’t be bothered with logistics. It’s 11:00 PM now, about an hour after the game, and Lily is ushering me through the hotel lobby and out into the night. The cold air sweeps over my arms, and like the most well-executed kidnapping, a blacked-out SUV pulls up to the curb. Lily opens the door and thrusts me into it. It slams shut behind me, and I’m worried for a minute that she didn’t make it in with me. Whew. She did. Everything is okay.