Chapter 115) The Wedding Crasher

“You only need one man to love you.
But him to love you free like a wildfire, crazy like the moon, always like tomorrow, sudden like an inhale and overcoming like the tides.
Only one man and all of this.”

Brindleton Bay
McKenzie-Sinclair Wedding

“Dearly beloved …” the preacher started the usual, monotonous spiel.

“Where the hell is our son!?” Maeve whispered angrily to her husband, after turning to look behind them once more, past the other wedding guests who were following the ceremony, only to find the same old empty gravel path she had seen the last dozen or so times.

“Damned if I know. We left the goddamn hotel together and he got out of the car behind me, so I am confident that I strapped him in right and he didn’t fall out of the car on the way over here. Maybe letting him go to the bathrooms alone was too much of a challenge for that sparrow-brain. Want me to go look for him?”

“No, he’s a grown man and the ceremony has already started. Maybe it’s just too rough on him watching his ex get hitched. I asked him if he wanted to stay at the hotel, but he was adamant that he was – and I quote – ‘fucking fantastic’. Oh well, look Rett, she is such a beautiful bride, isn’t she?”

“Sure. Dreamy. You know how much I am into bridal gowns. I totally want one now, just like hers!” Everett retorted, making both of them giggle, causing guests near them to shoot them angry glances.

“… and do you, Bristol Élegánce Sinclair, take thee here Lucas Chase McKenzie …” the minister eventually reached the famous lines everyone knew.

“Bristol’s middle name is ‘Élegánce’? Is that like French or something? Oh jeeze!” Maeve whispered to Rett, snorting a laugh.

“Lucas’s is Chase .. doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue either …more like making your mouth go on a steeplechase to say it with McKenzie.” Everett whispered back, smirking.

“That’s in honor of Claire’s late father, Chase Cunningham, duh. I totally get that. But naming my child ‘elegance’ or whatever, seriously?!” Maeve replied

“True. We both remember a time – when we were right about Blaine’s age – where we could barely afford food and rent. As wealthy as those Cunninghams are, if I had inherited mountains of cash for doing absolutely nothing for it, I’d have named babies, pets, cars and my underwear after whomever left me the stack of dough. I’d literally pet my Chase, after changing Chase’s diapers, then put on my Chase to get into my Chase to go to the store to probably buy some Chase.” Everett chuckled at his own joke.

“Silly man! But you are right, I remember those days all too well, I am never gonna take all we have now for granted. But I have to point out that YOU were about Blaine’s age. I am still three whole years younger than you, and I am flying that flag high, because each single year for a woman counts to the power of ten in our business, babe!”

Giggling, Maeve nudged her husband, when suddenly the ceremony was interrupted by someone somewhere behind them yelling

“I object!”

You could almost hear the screeching halt everything came to, when all turned around to face the speaker.

“What idiot yells that at a wedding? Not even the right spot for it. That fool watched too much Matlock and not enough chick flicks!” Everett growled towards Maeve, as both started craning their necks, then ducked, their faces close to each other.

“Oh my gawd, Rett, that idiot is Blaine! Our Blaine. OMG – I want to die right now! Now what?!” Maeve whisper-yelled at her equally shocked husband.

“Of course it is. Who else could that be? Are you as proud as I am? Just try to be invisible, that’s what I am doing.” Everett replied.

“Blaine!” Bristol exclaimed from the altar at the same time.

Like in a cheap romance movie, Blaine approached, while all else was frozen. Even the birds seemed to have stopped singing.

“Don’t do it! Don’t marry him!” Blaine said now, as he walked closer to the altar.

“What the …?!” muttered the groom, Lucas, otherwise too shocked to speak and visibly trying to sort out if this was a bad prank by Blaine, who was known for his ostentatious persona, or really real.

“Blaine … oh my god, Blaine. ” Bristol turned towards him.

“Bristol – no! Don’t!” Lucas protested when she pulled away from him, held on to her arm, while she looked back and forth between the young men, obviously torn.

“I am so sorry, Lucas, I have to! I can’t help it! So very sorry!” she said as she pulled free from his grip.

She turned, lowered her head and rushed towards Blaine.

“Blaine …” Bristol repeated yet again.

“Come away with me. I’ll make you happier than he ever could. I’ll give you the world, myself, the moon and the stars. I give you sunny beaches and snow-capped mountains. Anything you could ever want, beautiful.” Blaine pleaded.

“I am SO sorry! I have to go!” Bristol called back over her shoulder to Lucas.

“Oh Blaine …” Bristol ran into his arms, Blaine caught her, twirled with her, kissing.

When the first people of the wedding party finally unfroze from the utter state of shock everyone was in and started to get up, to interfere, Blaine took Bristol’s hand and they ran off together.

“That little bloody motherfucker! Did you see that shit just now, babe?! Are they filming a fucking low-budget romance flick or something?” Everett growled.

“Rett, for heaven’s sake – do something! We have to do something!” Maeve ranted, shocked.

“I AM doing something! I am desperately clenching my butthole tight so I don’t shit my breeches over all this! My family is going to lynch me for not firing what turned into that goddamn son of mine into a condom when I had the chance! And what else would you have me do? Go and marry Lucas in Bristol’s stead?! I know they are all country bumpkins around here, but still think they might notice! It’s the hair.”

“Quit joking, this isn’t funny! Go after them! GO! I am not very fast in my ten inch Manolos. Go, quickly, before they do anything stupid!” Maeve told her husband.

“Babe, I think we topped out on that already. How am I supposed to know where they are going?!”

“Oh for Christ’s sake, I’LL GO!” Maeve got up and hurried away, Everett right behind her in an instant.

“Hey, I am not staying here to be slaughtered by the angry mob once they get their pitchforks out!”

Everett wrapped his arm around Maeve’s waist to stabilize her as she teetered as fast as she could on her high heels through the white gravel lining the path, while around them chaos ensued, angry complaints, women sobbing, a dull roar of discord.

Meanwhile, the runaway bride and Blaine had reached a little shed nearby, where he pulled her close and kissed her hard, she instantly responded to the kiss in kind.

When they separated, slightly out of breath, she looked at him, shaking her head.

“Blaine, what is all this about?! What are you doing? What am I doing? Oh boy, what did I just do?”

“The right thing, Bristol. You did the right thing, as did I. I just couldn’t let you do this. It was almost too late, but I woke up in time. It was all wrong. We belong together. I didn’t realize it until recently. This is exactly where we need to be, both of us. Ahem, together I mean, not this shed.”

“Do we? We’ve tried it before … nothing has changed, Blaine. I still want the same things. Stability, a husband who is there with me, always, not one who travels the world, with women throwing themselves at him everywhere, eventually a baby … I don’t see how you could … or would. I want to, believe you me, I do. So very much. I never stopped loving you. I can’t seem to. But I am so afraid we are going on a wild goose chase again.”

“No, this is real. I love you too, always have, just had my head up my ass about how much I love you. I can do that, all you want. I can. I may not have known I want all that, but I do … I want you! I want you with me, always. And we can have a baby, eventually. I can do that too. And love that. All of it. You can travel with me. You can do that YouTube thing from the road. All the hotels I stay at are upscale and have high speed internet. That way, we both get what we want. Especially each other!”

Before Bristol could overcome her surprise enough to respond, Rett entered.

“Goddamn it, boy! What the fuzzy fuckcakes is this shit now?! When we get home, you are going up for adoption!” he ranted, out of breath.

“Dad, stop it. I love Bristol. I will marry her … she doesn’t need Lucas. He can marry some small town sleeping pill like himself. Come with me, Bristol … say you will give me a real chance and I will do right by you, propose to you, in style, as you deserve it. You pick out the ring – the biggest and best money can buy, anything you want – and I’ll come up with a proposal you will never forget. I can give you the world, anything you want. Just need one last chance!” Blaine begged.

“What?” Bristol echoed surprised.

“WHAT!?” Maeve repeated louder who had finally caught up to them on her high heels, just in time to catch the gist of Blaine’s plea, while Rett already ranted on.

“Oh, gimme a million breaks now! YOU are going to get married?! YOU?! To her?! You are a dumbass, Blaine! You get dumped by Scarlett and now you run after the ex and want to get married?! There are no words for this, kid!” Everett roared.

“Oh, so that’s why! I was wondering myself … oh my god, for a moment you had me going there. I honestly believed it. I am not a rebound chick, Blaine! This is insane! I am insane!” Bristol’s hopeful smile had turned into a hurt expression.

“Bristol! No, I mean it! I know this looks shitty, but I mean it, every word. Her treating me like crap was what it took for me to realize the truth. I am woke now! I want you. I love you. I loved you all along. Only you. I want to marry you. Have a family with you. You are not a rebound, never were. You were always the one, I was just dumb and blind! I love you. Fully and wholly, body, mind and soul.” Blaine held on to her, his eyes begging her.

“Yeah, especially the body part you love, did so plenty at Kai’s wedding when you plowed her all night on every surface of your bungalow, because every child knows that’s how you figure out how much you love someone, right? Let’s just hope they sanitize those sheds after each use or if that place is ever a crime scene, you’re toast, cos, son, your DNA is all over that place. Sorry, Bristol.” Everett’s words oozed sarcasm.

“Oh god, your parents know about that?!” Bristol looked horrified.

“Dad, I love Bristol! I realized that when I saw her again at Kai’s wedding and …” Blaine argued.

“Seriously?! Get a fucking brain and learn to use it, boy. You have contributed enough to make sure none of us will ever forget Kai’s wedding or now this one! Are you EVER gonna be done with the dumbassery?! This is getting ridiculous with you! I am THIS close to having you fitted for a muzzle and one of those toddler leash things!” Everett growled, when Maeve finally spoke up.

“I cannot believe ANY of this! I don’t know if a wedding is even still going to happen now or not, but either way, I won’t be attending, I will go back to the hotel right now! I’ll get the car and bring it around here! Any of you are welcome to join me, but I sure as heck am not going back THERE! I won’t step foot into Brindleton Bay for a long time after this nugget, maybe never again! Good grief!” Maeve declared, then turned and walked off, leaving Everett to watch Blaine and Bristol stare at each other.

Forgotten Hollow
Castello Vatore
The following day

TO BE CONTINUED ...