Rehearsal Night

Well yesterday was the day...Devon's wedding.

But before I tell you about the beautiful ceremony, the handsome groom and blushing bride let me tell you about Friday's rehearsal and the dinner that followed.

Now as everyone knows, I wasn't for this wedding, I have made my opinion known to anyone who listened and I tried to tell Reed again as we were getting ready at his house but he told me to drop it. "I don't want to hear it Amber, I know you don't like it. I know you think that he's making a mistake but darling, it's his choice and he wants to do this."

"But Reed -"

"No Amber, no buts!" Reed groaned. "Don't make me have to leave you at home!"

I gasped, "You wouldn't!"

He sighed, "I don't want to Amber but if you don't stop this, I will." So I stopped it, I didn't want to be left home while he was out for hours, I wanted to be by his side.

We got to the church and went in to find everyone already there. Reed led the way over to where Devon was standing with his parents, when he said us he actually looked relieved. "I was starting to think you weren't coming," he told us and then said we were just waiting for Annette and her father to show up.

Once everyone was there, the minister called Devon and Annette up front and spoke to them for a moment, then Annette turned to head down the aisle with her father to wait for the minister to finish with Devon and his groomsmen at the alter.

I sat in the pews kind of by myself watching Reed as he stood by Devon at the alter and my mind started to drift away from what was going on. I started to think about the day that he stood in the place Devon stood, I wondered if he would be nervous or excited. I wondered if I would be a nervous wreck. I started to think about our wedding, who would stand for us, who would do other things. I knew my father would give me away, that was a given just like it was a given that Alexis would be our flower girl; yes I was certain that she would be the right age for that when her dad and I got married.

I wouldn't want to get married in church though, I thought. I want to get married at our house and have a party right there on the beach. I know my mother won't like that and neither would Lucinda but it would be my day and I know that Reed would want me to be happy.

"Amber?" A hand came down on my arm and I jumped.

"Shirley," I smiled at Devon's mother as she sat down next to me. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you up there?"

"Oh Amber I'm not needed up there at the moment, I know what I'll be doing tomorrow and I don't need to 'rehearse' that!"

I smiled, "Yeah I guess there really isn't that much you get to do during the actually ceremony."

She told me 'no'. "So what were you thinking of?" She raised a brow. "Maybe you own trip down the aisle?"

"Was I that obvious?" I asked her.

"Well Amber you did have that look in your eye that all women get when they are with a good man." She glanced at Reed and then looked back at me. "Have you two talked about marriage?"

I shook my head, "No we are just working on 'us'." I sighed, "We lost so much time and there were so much hurt to deal with."

"But Reed loves you Amber, surly you know that!"

"Yes," I smiled. "I know he loves me and when the time is right, we'll talk about taking the next step in our relationship."

"Both your mothers are just jealous that my Devon is getting married before Reed, they always thought you two would be engaged by now and they would be planning your wedding."

At that moment, laughter from the front of the church got our attention. "Devon seems happy, doesn't he?" Shirley seemed a little doubtful, like she wanted reassurance that he was and when I didn't say anything, she looked at me. "Amber? Is Devon happy?"

I shrugged, "I really don't know Shirley, I'm not really that close to Devon." Ok, I totally lied to her but I didn't want to be the one to tell her that Devon was only marrying Annette to give her husband's mistress' baby the family name.

Shirley was quiet for a while as she watched Devon going through the motions of the wedding rehearsal. "There was a time when I thought that Devon would end up with your friend, Janie."

"What?" My eyes grew wide as I turned to her.

She gave me a smile, "I know they had their problems but Janie seemed so in love with Devon and he was acting a little different than he did with most of the girls he dated back then. I was waiting to hear that he asked her to marry him but instead he told me they broke up." She frowned, "Devon didn't seem the same after that but I guess it was all in my head."

I wanted to tell her it wasn't, that Devon did love Janie but he was being stupid but I bit my tongue, I didn't want Reed to be mad at me for not keeping my mouth shut like I promised I would when before we left the house. Of course Reed never actually used the words 'keep your mouth shut' but that was the idea behind what he did say.

Shirley left to go sit with her husband and I turned my attention back to the couple at the alter; Devon had this big smile on his face, he looked like he was trying to get Annette to laugh but she seemed to be preoccupied with something.

As the minister went though the alter stuff with Devon and Annette, I found myself looking at her belly to see if I could tell she was pregnant; there was one way that she stood where I could see a little 'belly' on her but I was sort of expecting a bigger one seeing I was huge at six months and she had to be at least that, didn't she? They were engaged before I came back here.

I was so happy when the rehearsal was over, my bum was starting to go to see from sitting in the pew; when I told Reed that he placed his hand on my bum and started to rub it gently. "If you want," he whispered in my ear. "I can 'wake' it up like I did you last night."

"Reed!" I blushed but I loved that he was thinking about us. "I love you," I told him as I cuddled into him.

We all went down to the church's basement where they were having the rehearsal dinner, the caterers were already down there with the tables and food already set up, they were waiting for us.

Great food, a few 'good luck' speeches, a 'thanks for everything' speech from Devon and Annette and dinner was over.

I was so happy that the night would soon be over, I wanted to go home and try out the bathtub at Reed's with him. I walked over to where he stood with Devon and a couple of their friends, "Hey honey?" I slipped my hand in his as I gazed adoringly up at him.

"Hey," he smiled at me as Devon said something that made my heart drop.

"So it's settled? I can spend the night at your place?"

"What? No!" I exclaimed before I could even think to stop myself.

"I can't?" Devon looked back and forth between Reed and me. "But you told me I could a while ago."

Reed asked Devon to give us a minute as he pulled me off into one corner. "Amber! What was that?"

"Nothing," I sighed. "I just hoped that we could do something tonight but with your mother and Devon there, I guess we can't."

"Darling I'm sorr - wait," he grabbed my arms and gazed down into my eyes. "What were you hoping we could do?"

I didn't want to tell him but he 'made' me. "I wanted to relax in the tub with you tonight," I told him. "I wanted to...ummm..." I could feel my cheeks as they turned red. I leaned closer to him and whispered. "I wanted to have my way with you tonight."

"You can still do that," he murmured against my ear. "Devon and mom won't be up in our room!"

I giggled at that, "I know but it'll be weird when they are just down stairs and know what we are up too."

"Darling I can't tell him he can't stay now, no matter how badly I really want too." Reed groaned, "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"I didn't know I would want too before otherwise I would've!"

In the end Devon did come home with us and Reed begged me to give him a rain check on the tub. "Berrylynn you can't tell me something like that and then not give me some hope that it will happen in the near future," he told me when we were in bed that night. "Please my love? Tomorrow after we get home? Sunday?"

I told him I would think about it.

I don't think he slept very well Friday night, I know I didn't because he was tossing and turning. At one point he pulled me on top of him and held me there, "You're killing me my love."