Chapter 113 Planning Wedding
CAITLYN'S POV
I was sitting at the kitchen table with a notebook and pen trying to plan our wedding. Jason was at work and I had the afternoon free so I figured I would start making a list of everything we needed to do. But I kept staring at the blank page not knowing where to start.
My first wedding had been huge. Over two hundred guests. A massive venue. An elaborate ceremony. Everything is expensive and showy and completely controlled by Collin. He had picked everything. The flowers. The music. My dress. The food. I had no say in any of it.
This time was going to be different. This time I was in charge. This time it was going to be what I wanted. What Jason and I wanted together.
My phone rang. It was Jason.
"Hey," I answered. "What is up?"
"Just checking in," Jason said. "How is the wedding planning going?"
"I have not gotten very far," I said. "I am staring at a blank page trying to figure out where to start."
"What do you want?" Jason asked. "Big or small? Fancy or simple?"
"Small," I said immediately. "Really small. Just the people we care about. No one else."
"Okay," Jason said. "How small are we talking?"
"Like twenty people maybe?" I said. "Just the crew. Maybe Detective Rourke. A few other people helped us. That is it."
"That sounds perfect," Jason said. "What about the venue? Do you want to rent somewhere or do something more casual?"
"I was thinking about the park," I said. "The one near the apartment we looked at. It has that nice pavilion. We could have the ceremony there and then have a small reception. Just food and music and people we love."
"I love that idea," Jason said. "Simple. Beautiful. Outside. Yeah, let us do that."
"Really?" I asked. "You do not want something fancier?"
"No," Jason said. "I want exactly what you just described. Something small and personal. Something that is about us. Not about impressing people or putting on a show."
"Good," I said. "Because that is what I want too. My first wedding was all about the show. All about Collin showing off. I hated every second of it."
"This wedding is going to be different," Jason said. "This wedding is going to be about love. About commitment. About choosing each other."
"I cannot wait," I said.
"Me neither," Jason said. "Listen I have to get back to work but call me if you need anything okay? This is our wedding. We are planning it together."
"Okay," I said. "Love you."
"Love you too," Jason said.
I hung up and looked at my notebook. Started writing down ideas. Small ceremony at the park. About twenty guests. Simple food. Maybe a food truck or something casual. Music. Maybe just a speaker with a playlist. Flowers but nothing too elaborate. Just simple and beautiful.
I was making good progress when there was a knock on the door. I got up and looked through the peephole. It was Tommy.
"Hey Tommy," I said opening the door. "What are you doing here?"
"Jason told me you were planning the wedding," Tommy said. "Thought you might want some help."
"You want to help plan a wedding?" I asked. "Really?"
"Why not?" Tommy said. "I have been to a lot of weddings. I know what works and what does not. Plus Jason is my best friend. I want to make sure this is perfect for you guys."
"Okay," I said. "Come in. I will take all the help I can get."
Tommy came in and sat at the table. I showed him what I had written down so far.
"This is good," Tommy said. "Simple. Personal. Jason is going to love this."
"You think so?" I asked.
"I know so," Tommy said. "Jason is not a fancy guy. He does not care about big weddings or expensive things. He just wants to marry you. Everything else is just details."
"What about the guest list?" I asked. "Who should we invite?"
"The crew for sure," Tommy said. "Marcus and the guys who helped with the raid. They are your family now. They should be there."
"Okay," I said. I wrote down their names.
"What about Detective Rourke?" Tommy asked. "Are you inviting him?"
"I was thinking about it," I said. "He saved our lives. He has been there for us through everything. I feel like he should be there."
"Then invite him," Tommy said. "He deserves to be there. To see the happy ending he helped make possible."
"You are right," I said. I wrote down Rourke's name. "Who else?"
"What about your therapist?" Tommy asked. "Linda right? She has been helping you. Maybe she would want to come."
"I do not know," I said. "Is that weird? Inviting your therapist to your wedding?"
"I do not think so," Tommy said. "She is part of your recovery. Part of your journey. If you want her there then invite her."
"Okay," I said. I wrote down Linda's name.
We spent the next hour going through details. Tommy helped me figure out what food to get. What kind of music to play? What decorations might we want? He was actually really helpful. Had good ideas. Made the whole thing feel less overwhelming.
"What about your dress?" Tommy asked. "Have you thought about that?"
"A little," I said. "I do not want anything like my first dress. That thing was huge. Had like a ten-foot train. Weighed a ton. I could barely move in it."
"So something simple?" Tommy asked.
"Something simple," I said. "Something I can actually walk in. Something that feels like me."
"My girlfriend Sarah might be able to help with that," Tommy said. "She loves shopping. Loves fashion. I bet she would be happy to go dress shopping with you."
"Really?" I asked. "She would do that?"
"Yeah," Tommy said. "She has been wanting to meet you anyway. She keeps asking me about you. About how you doing? I think she would love to help."
"Okay," I said. "That would be great. I do not really have any friends. Anyone to go shopping with. So having Sarah there would be nice."
"I will tell her," Tommy said. "She is going to be so excited."
We finished planning and Tommy left. I looked at my notebook. It was full now. Full of ideas and lists and plans. The wedding was starting to take shape. Starting to feel real.
I called Jason.
"Hey," he answered. "How is it going?"
"Good," I said. "Tommy came over and helped me plan. We have most of it figured out."
"Yeah?" Jason said. "What did you decide?"
I told him about the park. About the guest list. About the food and music and decorations. About everything we had planned.
"That sounds perfect," Jason said. "Absolutely perfect. When do you want to do it?"
"Soon," I said. "Before the baby comes. Maybe in like three weeks?"
"Three weeks?" Jason said. "That is really soon. Can we pull it off that fast?"
"I think so," I said. "It is a small wedding. Not much to plan. We just need to book the pavilion and get the food ordered and find me a dress. Everything else we can figure out."
"Okay," Jason said. "Three weeks it is. Let us get married in three weeks."
"I am going to be your wife in three weeks," I said. "That is crazy."
"Crazy in a good way," Jason said. "The best way."