“I’m so ready.” She flashes me a bright smile and disappears up the stairs.
Julie
The backyard is full of people. Kids splash in the pool, Asher is chatting with the guys, my parents and Asher’s parents are sitting around a table laughing together, and I’m crowded around the buffet table with Hallie, Emma, Molly, and Allie. Tonight is the Kids Play gala, and Asher is giving a big speech detailing all the progress they have made on the sports camps since the foundation kicked off the capital campaign at lastyear’s gala. His whole family is in town, so we invited everyone over for a pre-gala brunch.
“Jules, this taco bar fucking rocks,” Molly says, a plate of tacos in one hand and her second margarita in the other.
“Seriously. You guys really outdid yourself on the food.” Allie studies the platters laid out on the buffet and grabs a chicken taco, taking a huge bite. “This is amazing.”
“I’m more impressed by the cookie table. There must be like, eight dozen cookies,” Hallie says, peering over at the impressively decorated cookie buffet with Asher’s meticulously labeled signs.
“Twelve,” I mumble, my mouth full.
“And he made them all?” Emma looks incredulous.
I swallow my last bite, taking a sip of my drink before answering. “He needed to make everyone’s favorite. It’s a whole Hansley thing.”
“Well, it’s a thing I can get behind,” Hallie says. “Can steal some to take home later?”
“Ask Asher. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled.”
“Ask Asher what?” The man in question comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and leaning down to kiss my neck.
“Hallie wants a doggie bag of cookies for the road.”
“It would be my greatest pleasure.”
“Asher Hansley, I’ve always liked you.”
He winks at her. “Everyone likes me, Hal. It’s a gift. Okay if I steal my girl away for a few minutes?”
I thought I would be nervous when it was time, but nerves are the last thing I feel. Instead, I feel a shimmer of excitement, knowing what’s about to happen.
“Go for it,” Molly says. “We were finished with her anyway.”
I stick my tongue out at her as Asher leads me towards thecenter of the yard. On the way, I catch Ben’s eye and nod to him. He breaks away from Jeremy and Jordan and makes his way towards Asher and me.
“Hey, can I have everyone’s attention for a minute?” The backyard quiets as everyone turns at the sound of Asher’s voice.
“Thanks so much for coming. We really appreciate you all being here.” Asher takes my hand and smiles down at me and my heart speeds up, electricity sparking in my veins. “Okay, so we kept the real reason behind this little get together a secret mainly because I love a surprise. And even though my girl here doesnotlove a surprise, she loves me, so she went with it. The reason you’re all here is that we’re getting married. Today.”
The backyard is completely silent for a minute before everyone starts talking at once, shouting out questions so fast I can’t grab hold of any of them. I glance over at Asher, and he’s grinning at me. He wraps an arm around me and pulls me into his side, pressing a kiss to my temple.
“Told you this would be fun.”
The truth is, it is a little fun. After we got engaged, I started thinking about wedding planning, and it took about ten minutes for my anxiety to spike at the thought of the perfect dress and the perfect food and hair and makeup and having everyone’s eyes on me. When Asher saw what was going on, he sat me down and asked me what I really wanted. Not what I thought everyone expected, but what I really, truly wanted. One of the things I’ve been talking to my therapist a lot about over the last few months is making sure that when I do something, it’s because I want to do it, and not because I think it will look good, or because it’s what I think people will expect of me. And when I thought about it, I realized all I wanted was to be married to Asher. I didn’t care about the wedding at all. In fact, all it did was stress me out and suck the joy right out of being engaged and starting this life together.
So, we concocted this plan to get married in our backyard, surrounded by our family and closest friends, wearing absolutely nothing special, and not to tell anyone about it until the day of. And we picked the day of the gala because it’s the one-year anniversary of the day we first met, and we both liked that symbolism of getting married on this day and then going to dance at the gala. The Julie of a year ago would never have imagined getting married this way, but I like the person I am now. The person I found when I opened myself up to Asher and let him see all of me.
“I guess you were kind of right.”
“Juliette, you are so sexy when you tell me I’m right.”
I laugh a little, leaning further into Asher, feeling his arm wrap more tightly around me. I watch as his sisters grab their kids from the pool and bundle them into towels, and laugh again at the visual of us getting married surrounded by kids in bathing suits and my best friends half drunk on margaritas.
“You okay?” Asher asks me quietly.
I kiss his cheek and lean my head on his shoulder. “I’m perfect.”
