All's Fair in Love and Las Vegas

Chapter One Hundred And Four

        "Will not! It's a twig!" he argued. "You look really nice by the way!"

        "Thanks! Are you guys leaving?"

        He looked towards the front door. "Hopefully? Grayson isn't answering his phone, so either he's puked or fainted in his adoration for you."

        "I'll find him, my love," Kylie sighed from behind me.

        He craned his head, leaning back. "Kylie? Gorgeous? Do I get to see you in your bridesmaid dress?"

        "Later!" Kylie was already down the hall.

        Clay drooped, clearly disappointed. I gave him an encouraging smile as the front door banged open and Grayson skittered into the front yard, looking like he'd just endured a speech from Kylie. I lit up, calling, "Hi!"

        He whirled around and smiled so bright I thought I would melt. "Jacks, you look so beautiful."

        "You look really, really good," I said, blushing. For a man that worked in a suit and tie, he could pull off a tux like no one else. Especially when his hair was combed neatly and his tie was dark green just like the bridesmaid dresses and oh, that smile.

        "No, no, scoot, you're not supposed to be ogling each other at this early in the morning," Kylie scolded, pulling me back from the window. "Especially before your wedding!"

        "Love you, Jacks!" Grayson called at my disappearance.

        "Love you too! See you in a bit!" I yelled back before my best friend shut the window.

        She handed me my locket and reached for her own earrings. I quickly put on the necklace before I was handed the set of diamond earrings I'd chosen last week. Yes, I'd left the room in chaos, but Kylie had promised she'd take care of it sometime this week. I only half believed her.

        "Ready to go?" she asked, grabbing her purse and keys. 

        "I think so," I said, a slight flutter in my stomach. For some reason, I felt more nervous now than I'd felt before Laura's circus of a wedding she'd thrown for me. Maybe because this time it actually mattered. I wanted this to go well, because it was something nice for myself. Something nice for Grayson.

        I followed Kylie out to her car, carefully crawling into the front seat before she took off. I watched as we got on the freeway, heading towards the city. I was never up at this hour, never awake to see the quiet hour of the morning. Never awake to see the dark time of the day. It was nice to not be fighting traffic and to see the open roads. The sky to my right was tinged smokey blue, signaling the sunrise ahead.

        "Kylie?"

        "Hmm?" she said.

        "What's the hardest part of being married to Clay?" I asked through a thick voice.

        She looked surprised, but said, "I'd have to say the fame. He's got so much money, so many women interested in him, and all at eighteen. I mean, when I was eighteen I got my nose pierced and I lived in Italy for the summer. He's so young, yet he's so far ahead in life. I know he'll love me forever, but sometimes I wonder what he'll be like in five years. Or ten. Or thirty. Everyone changes, but most of us aren't anywhere close to being in his shoes. I can never know what it's like to grow up as Clay."

        "Do you wish you'd waited?" I asked.

        She shook her head firmly. "We could've. We talked about it. But then after a long gap apart, I think it was a month, we talked again. Separate, we felt lonely. Calls were worth a million dollars. It took longer to fall asleep. He tried staying in Arlington as long as possible, but between gigs and business meetings, he was always gone. Finally we just decided that getting married would be best."