Page 29 of That Wedding (That Boy 2)
"I'm gonna starve, huh?"
"Naw, you're just living on love."
Phillip and I are meeting with Amy, our a
mazing wedding planner, for some serious wedding planning. Since we hired her, wedding planning has become really fun.
We're basically planning one big long party, and I love parties!!
We've both had numerous phone conversations with Amy about what we want at the wedding. And we know, food is high on Phillip's list. We both want the food to be like good, normal food. Sorry, but don't come to my wedding if you're looking for little appetizers with caviar and cream on top.
That is not us.
We meet her at the hotel, view the ballrooms, and sit down to start our food tasting. We taste all the appetizers for the cocktail party. We're having Kobe beef sliders, hot wing bites, twice-baked baby new potatoes, bacon-wrapped scallops, barbecued shrimp, a shot glass of tomato-basil soup served with a mini grilled cheese, fruit kabobs, and crab cakes. We also want to have a cool signature cocktail, we just need to choose one.
Amy says, "They made three drinks for you to try. I wasn't sure which way you would want to go, a wintery drink, or one that matches your wedding decor."
First, we try a chocolate peppermint martini. It's really good and reminds me of hot chocolate and peppermint schnapps. Then we taste a gingerbread martini. Phillip is in love with the gingerbread one, but he thinks they both taste too much like dessert. Once they bring out the third drink, I see why. I'm pretty sure this drink was Phillip's idea. It's called the Princess Martini.
Amy tells me, "It's a combination of Chambord flavored vodka, citron vodka, and lemonade."
Phillip takes a taste. "This drink is aptly named. It's just like you. The perfect combination of sweet and sass."
"And the glass is rimmed with purple sugar. How cute is that?"
"Like I said, just like you."
I take another drink then yell out, "Sold!"
Phillip grins at me. Sorry, I have to say it.
Isn't he just adorable??!!!
I just want to take him home with me.
Like now.
But we have to do this stuff, even though all I can think about is how I'd like to rip his clothes off.
We taste everything on our dinner menu. The wedge salad with balsamic vinaigrette, the Kansas City strip steaks with port wine reduction sauce, garlic mashed potatoes, and cheesy corn. It was all really good.
"Jadyn," Amy says to me, "Phillip told me you love desserts. I think it might be fun to do something a little different. While you're doing the toasts, your first dance, and cutting the cake, I thought we should serve a little something sweet to finish off dinner and to go with the champagne. And don't worry, people will still eat plenty of cake."
Danny, who is known for his impeccable timing, texts me.
Danny :) XXX desserts = chocolate body paint + whipped cream.
Gosh, he makes me laugh. I show Phillip the text. He whispers in my ear. "We'll stop at the store later. That sounds fun."
I bite my lip. I'm practically breathless imagining Phillip covered in whipped cream and chocolate. Two of my most favorite things.
I'm having a great little daydream when the chef brings out an array of dessert shooters. Little bites of wonder is what they should be called.
They're the perfect size, and we couldn't pick just one. So we're doing an assortment and letting the guests each try a few. We did narrow the options down to four, Phillip and I each picking our two favorites.
And I have to talk about these desserts because desserts are like my very favorite thing in the world. Phillip has always teased me because if I had my way, I would eat dessert first and see how hungry I was before ordering dinner.
If only our bodies would cooperate diet-wise with this.
I think God, the architect of our amazing universe, made incredible things. Sunsets, rainbows, the way the water ripples, how he created our bodies and minds, and everything. (He also created sex. Think about that.)
But I think the fact that dessert every day will make us fat is a serious design flaw.
Think how happy we'd all be.
Seriously, if everyone in the world could eat dessert first, AND not get fat in the process, I'm convinced there would be so much happiness and love in the world. It's kinda like the whole 70's thing.
PEACE, LOVE, AND WEED.
Now sure, weed makes you feel all happy, but you know, it's illegal and all and frowned upon by many.
However.
PEACE, LOVE, AND DESSERT.
I really think the world could wrap their head around this.
And I plan to fully support this movement at my wedding.
Dessert for everyone.
So don't laugh at the fact that we're having four kinds of dessert shooters and two kinds of cake.
Okay, now let me gush about these shooters.
My favorite is something called chocolate overload, which if I remember right from school would be considered an oxymoron because it's not possible in Jadyn's little world. There is no such possible thing as TOO MUCH chocolate; therefore, it's impossible to overload it. It starts out with gooey flourless chocolate cake pieces, and then it's topped with homemade chocolate fudge, chocolate ganache, and chocolate whipped cream.
Seriously.
"You can just take a dozen or so of those up to the honeymoon suite and leave them by the bathtub for me on our wedding night," I half joke to Amy and Phillip.
Actually, I wasn't really joking.
My other favorite was lighter and fluffy, but it was equally wonderful. It was similar to a cake my grandma used to make when I was little. It has poundcake, warm caramel sauce, whipped cream, and toffee pieces.
Phillip chose a mini tiramisu because that's his mom's favorite dessert, and then he went crazy over pumpkin cake with caramel liquor and cinnamon spiced whipped cream.
"You can put some of these by the tub for me," he jokes.
"I'm a wedding planner, not the dessert fairy," Amy says. "Although, when we're finished up here, we do get to taste cake. I'm gonna go tell them we're ready for the after party food."
"This is like the best day ever," Phillip says to me.
I'm still picturing Phillip covered in chocolate, so I whisper to him. "If you buy chocolate and whipped cream on the way home, it might just be your best night ever too."
He gives me the sexiest grin. "I think that can be arranged."
He gazes at my mouth. I'm pretty sure he's going to kiss me, but he says, "You have some whipped cream on your mouth. Here, let me get it." He licks the corner of my mouth then kisses me. I'm pretty sure he was lying, but I don't mind.
Amy waltzes back in with a different chef. "Since both of you have fond memories of late night breakfasts with your friends, that seemed like the perfect food for your after party."
We taste the cutest stack of mini pancakes that are held together by a purple skewer and drizzled with warm maple syrup. There are paper cones full of mini hash browns, sausage and cheese biscuit sliders, mini French toast points made with cinnamon bread, warm mini cinnamon rolls with thick white frosting, and a little ramekin filled with a mushroom and pepper jack cheese omelet.
The exact type I used to make for the Phillip and Danny.
"What do you think?" she asks.
Phillip and I both have our mouthes full of something. He gives her two thumbs up. I chew quick then say, "I think you just pitched a shutout."
And she's like, "What?"
"It's like you had the perfect game," Phillip tells her. "You did good."
After a long drive home, Phillip makes good on his promise. He stops at the grocery store by my house and comes out with hot fudge and a can of whipped cream.
Let's just say, Phillip is by far the best dessert of the day.
I'm starting to hate these blue and white checkerboard chairs. They're like mini torture devices. I look down at them and study them a little closer, half expecting shackles to be hidden under the rolled arms and on the wooden legs.
If it's not bad enough that I'm sitting here, Phillip told me on the way in that if I wasn't good I didn't g
et margaritas after.
Does he think he's my dad?
I don't need his permission to get margaritas!
Maybe today we need to talk to him about the whole smothering thing. I'm pretty sure margarita blocking equals smothering.
Can you technically die from lack of alcohol?
Pastor says, "So today, we want to talk about the past."
Phillip butts in. "We're not going to discuss JJ's parents."
I smile at him. My hero.
Maybe he's not so bad after all.
Pastor replies. "Well, you can pretend all you want that it doesn't affect you, but JJ went through something traumatic. You both did, but that's not all we need to discuss. Everyone comes to a relationship with a past. Past loves, secrets, sometimes children. They've had relationships that were successful, and relationships that were failures. We want to make sure you're both on the same page. How much do you know about each other's past?"
"We know everything! I've known him my whole life!" I say.
Phillip smirks at me. "Not everything. I learned a few things I didn't know about your past the other weekend."
Oh, please. He's not going to bring up that I slept with the bartender, is he? He hasn't said one single word to me about it, and he's gonna choose NOW to talk about it?
Pastor says, "What did you learn, Phillip?"
I give Phillip my evilest glare, but he doesn't look at me. He continues. "I just learned that I don't know everything about her, like I thought I did."
Duh? Like I was gonna tell Phillip about every boy I slept with? Sleeping around was fine for Danny, but I wasn't really allowed. Like Phillip and Danny would've gotten mad at me. Part of the reason I never brought a guy home with me. Danny and Phillip would've crucified him.
"I don't know everything about your past either," I tell Phillip. "We were close, but like the dreams we talked about, we didn't share everything with each other. I'm learning new things about you too."
"True," he says. His eyes get sparkly, and I can tell he's moved from thinking about my past to thinking about naughty dream week and probably about last night. Phillip doesn't mind being treated like a dessert. He says I can lick whipped cream off anything I want, anytime I want. Which I wanna do again very soon. Like maybe tonight.
When that's what you have to look forward to in your future, why would you care about the past?
Phillip turns to Pastor and says, "I don't think we should be dwelling on the past. I think we should be focusing on our future."
