"I know what you mean," he said with a grin.
"You told me to go and find that old Sherilyn. But I"ve found something even better. I"ve found a path where the old one and the new one come together into one whole Sherilyn. I"m at my absolute best with you, Andy. So will you?"
"Will I?"
"Marry me, silly!"
"Oh!" he chuckled. "If I don"t, will you kick my rear end?"
"Maybe," she cried, hopping to her feet and taking a kickboxer"s stance. "I got the skills now, buddy!"
"Well, yes then. I will marry you. Will you marry me?"
"As soon as possible."
Andy stood up and faced Sherilyn. Sliding his arms around her, he pulled her into an embrace. Just as he leaned in for a kiss, however, a sudden roar of engines startled them both.
"What is that?" Sherilyn asked him.
"You did turn off the Explorer, right?"
"Yes. That sounds," she said, tugging on his hand and leading him toward the front door, "like it"s right outside."
They opened the door and crossed the front porch, and Sherilyn squealed with glee at the two motorcycles revving in the driveway behind her SUV.
"Andy, it"s Russell! He"s back!"
"Oh, goodie," he groaned as she flew out the door and down the sidewalk.
Hot coffee had been brewed and served when Andy, Sherilyn, J.R., and Russell gathered around the dining table.
"Tell me everything," Sherilyn exclaimed. "Where did you go first?"
"Tampa," J.R. replied.
"They have a Hard Rock Hotel there," Russell told her. "No Seger memorabilia though, love. Sorry."
She chuckled. "I see you had your guitar with you on the trip," and she nodded toward the case Russell had strapped to his back when he pulled into the drive. "You"re all the rock star they needed in Tampa."
Russell and J.R. exchanged an interesting glance that she couldn"t quite decipher. "What? What was that look?" she asked him.
"Go on," J.R. said with a nod. "Tell them what you"ve really been doing."
"Does this have anything to do with the boxes you sent to my office?" she asked.
Russell groaned. "Nah. Those are just the booty from my roam. Couldn"t strap all of it onto the back of the bike, now, could I?"
"Well, tell us. What have you been doing?"
"He"s been playing in a few little places down the coast of Florida," J.R. told them. "And he"s pretty good too. Have you heard any of his music?"
"Russell!" Sherilyn exclaimed.
"It was just a test run," he said. "Popped in at a couple of clubs and coffee houses, just to see how people respond to my tunes."
"And?"
"And they loved him," J.R. answered.
"Oh, I don"t know," Russell corrected. "They seemed to like it."
"Is it your own music? Did you write it yourself?"
"Some. I did a combination of cla.s.sic rocker stuff and the tunes I"ve been writing for the last year or two."
"Very thoughtful music too," J.R. interjected. "Russell Walker, Soul Searcher."
"Play something for us, Russell!" she said, rushing over and grabbing the guitar where he"d left it against the pantry door.
"Ah, no, love. Another time. I"m beat, and we have to get over to the hotel." Russell turned to Andy and grinned. "Can you believe Jackson"s letting me back in as a paying customer?"
"You don"t say," Andy replied. "I"d take your best behavior with you so he doesn"t think better of that move."
"Righty-oh."
An idea crept up on Sherilyn like a warm, fuzzy caterpillar, and she approached it cautiously, with Andy"s reaction in mind. "Hey, Russell." She could hardly contain her excitement, and she hopped to her feet and plopped back down again.
"Could you give me a ride over to the hotel?"
"Yeah!" he sang.
"No, Sherilyn. No way," Andy objected. "On the back of a Harley in this weather? With him?"
"It"s less than fifteen minutes to the hotel," she said, biting her lip. Turning to Russell, she told him, "I haven"t been on the back of a motorcycle since college."
"You"ll freeze."
"You got a slicker?" Russell asked her.
"My coat is in the car in the driveway!"
"Sherilyn."
"Andy, it will be fine. I promise."
J.R. grinned at Andy. "I"ll spread a net to catch her."
"Great," he replied, leaning back in his chair. "Very comforting."
Sherilyn rounded the table and stood behind Andy. Placing her arms around his neck, she kissed his cheek. "Russell will be very careful," she promised.
"Sure he will."
"I"ll call you as soon as I arrive."
He sort of grunted, and Sherilyn giggled as she kissed his cheek again.
"Thanks for saying you"ll marry me," she whispered, grinning at J.R. over Andy"s shoulder.
"If you"re flat as a piece of paper, I can"t very well do that, can I?"
She kissed him a third time. "I love you."
The expression on Andy"s face nearly made her laugh right out loud as she headed out the front door with Russell and J.R.
"Love you," she called back to him, and J.R. strapped on Russell"s guitar while she grabbed her coat from the Explorer.
"Ready then?" Russell asked her, and a surge of adrenaline pulsed through her as she climbed aboard behind him. "Hang on tight."
"Don"t go too fast until Andy can"t see us anymore," she said into his ear as she waved at Andy"s silhouette on the front porch. "I don"t want to scare him."
The Wedding Planner"s Ultimate Bridal Checklist Part IV The Last Month Before the Wedding: Bride & Groom: ___ Pick up the wedding rings ___ Create a photo checklist for the photographer ___ Finalize a seating plan ___ Create a music checklist of song preferences Note: Be sure to highlight important music, such as first dance ___ Become VIGILANT about recording RSVPs Wedding Planner: ___ Review all details with bride for final approval ___ Create a wedding day schedule and final itinerary ___ Provide bride with a detailed wedding day "To Bring" list ___ Call and/or meet with every vendor to review responsibilities
22.
Her favorite flowers are tulips, but can you get those this time of year? If not, she also loves those tall lavender roses. Do you know the ones I mean?"
"Sterling roses," the florist acknowledged.
"I want something a little extravagant," he said.
"A special occasion?"
"Every day, with this woman."
"How sweet," the florist told him. "We have some beautiful winter tulips in white and deep purple. Maybe eight or ten of each, and I can mix in a dozen sterling roses to make something spectacular."
"That sounds perfect."
"How do you want the card to read?"
Andy thought it over, tapping on the telephone handset. "How about this," he said. "In the spirit of new beginnings, marry me at midnight on New Year"s Eve. Always, only you. Andy."
"I"m sorry," she teased. "I dropped my pen when you made me swoon."
Andy laughed. "She wants to set a date. I"m setting a date." "Good for you! Taking the bull by the horns."
"I won"t tell her you said that."
"Oh. Yes. Good idea."
Two hours after Joan the florist had compared his fiancee to a bull, Sherilyn called to thank him for the flowers. Apparently, Joan had been true to her word, and she"d put together a memorable and spectacular bouquet.
"I can"t get over how beautiful it is, Andy. And your idea about New Year"s Eve is inspired! It doesn"t give me long for planning, but-"
"You"re a wedding planner," he teased. "Tell me you haven"t been planning it every day since I gave you the ring."
"Well," she laughed. "Maybe."
"I"m having lunch with my mother today. Are we agreed then? Can I tell her we"re going to be married at the hotel on New Year"s Eve?"
"Absolutely. In a small ceremony of about fifty people."
"Won"t she be thrilled." Sherilyn tried to cover it up with her hand over the phone, but Andy heard her snicker. "Can you have dinner tonight?"
"It will have to be early. I have a wedding at eight. A special bride. I think I told you about her. The one whose mother-inlaw is railroading all of the details."
"Oh, right."
"She"s just really gotten to me," Sherilyn told him. "She"s such a sweet girl."
Andy smiled. Every one of Sherilyn"s brides seemed to take on a special place for her.
"I"ll come over to the hotel around five."
"Perfect. I"ll invite everyone, and we"ll have a sort of engagement celebration."
"Even though we"ve already been engaged a couple of months."
"Andy!" Sherilyn crooned. "We"ve set the date. That"s huge!"
He shook his head and chuckled. "Okay. We"ll make a big production out of it. I"ll order fireworks."
"Save those for the wedding," she said dryly. "Along with your witty retorts, Mister Smarty Pants."
"See you at five."
Sherilyn could hardly see over the huge crystal vase of flowers, but she wanted them on the table when she and Andy told their friends that their wedding date had been decided at last. She"d asked Pearl to put two bottles of sparkling cider on ice instead of champagne, and she"d invited Emma and Jackson, Fee and Sean, and Russell and J.R. to join them for a "spontaneous" early dinner. Every one of them had accepted.
After reserving the table and leaving the flowers with the restaurant hostess, she made a quick run up to the third floor to check in on Brittany. A make-up artist and hair stylist worked busily on her when Sherilyn arrived, so she sat down on the edge of the bed and spoke to Brittany through her reflection in the mirror.
"Are you all set?" she asked. "Ready to be a bride?" "I"m ready to be a wife," Brittany replied with a gentle smile. "The bride part isn"t exactly about me. Or hadn"t you noticed?"