Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 59489 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 238(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59489 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 238(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
We were waiting in the tiny space between the doors to the outside and the doors leading into the reception hall of the old Masonic building downtown. It had been mostly used as a rec hall in recent years and had been available last-minute for our reception. Mom and the girls had spent what time they weren’t spending with me directly at the hall, decorating for the last two days.
Now we were standing outside the double doors that would introduce us as a married couple for the first time to several of the friends that couldn’t make the ceremony. It was our first arrival at a new venue as husband and wife, and I clenched his hand tight in anticipation. The buzz from beyond the door was audible, and I couldn’t wait to get in there and celebrate.
“Why this part?” I asked.
“The first dance,” he said. “What if I screw it up? I’m no dancer.”
“You’ll be fine,” I said, reaching up for a kiss.
“Well, I apologize in advance for your toes.”
“Baby, my toes in these heels are already squished,” I said. “You can’t do anything to them I am not already doing.”
He laughed, and the doors swept open.
The first face I saw was my mother’s, sitting at one of the tables near where Camden and I would sit, her smile so bright that I felt like it was its own light source. Sitting beside her was one of my uncles and his wife.
We were introduced, and Camden brought me to the center of the room. He pulled me tight to him and held my hand at my side. I could tell he was nervous, and I brushed the side of his face.
“It’s okay. No one is judging your dancing skills,” I said.
“I’ve just never had this many people watching me like this,” he said. “Especially not while dancing.”
“Hey, look at me,” I said. His eyes stopped roaming the room and focused on mine. I could see his face relax and the corner of his mouth tick up a bit.
“We’re married,” he said, a boyish laugh bubbling up from his chest.
“I know,” I said, giggling with him. “Now, you just stay focused on me, and we will get through this dance.”
“Okay,” he said.
The song, an old eighties pop ballad that made no sense to anyone else but us, began playing, and we danced. He shouldn’t have worried about anything. Camden was light on his feet and confident in his steps. It was like he had been playing a trick on me the entire time with his apparent fear.
Soon, we were being joined by other couples, and the floor filled with our friends and family. One song bled into another, and for a while, we lost ourselves in the music and the magic of our celebration.
“May I?” Ryan asked, tapping him on the shoulder.
“I suppose,” Camden said.
They both laughed, and Ryan stepped in to dance with me while Camden switched to dance with Allison.
“Congratulations, sis,” Ryan said, “you look beautiful.”
“Thank you, Ryan. I heard there was an incident today at the baseball field. I thought I told you to keep him safe today.”
He hung his head and laughed.
“Yeah, well,” he said. “I don’t know if you know this, but Camden is rather hard-headed.”
“I’ve seen a bit of that,” I said. “When he decides he wants something, he gets after it.”
“That includes a baseball diving toward the ground,” Ryan said.
“Excuse me,” a voice behind Ryan said. As he turned, I saw it was Victor. “May I?”
Ryan spun me around and Victor took his place as I laughed.
“Well, all right then,” I said.
“Congratulations,” Victor said. “You look lovely.”
“Thank you, Victor,” I said. “Is my husband now dancing with Melanie?”
“Umm, yes,” he said, turning to look. “He gave Allison back to Ryan.”
“How is Melanie at avoiding being stepped on?”
“Melanie does the stepping,” Victor laughed. “Either they will end up crushing each other’s toes, or we will hear them tumble to the ground soon enough.”
“Oh, good. I hope she doesn’t break my husband. I just got him,” I laughed.
“He’s fine. He’s a tough guy.”
“Speaking of,” I said. “Ryan was just telling me about what was going on with the game today.”
“Oh, that,” Victor said. “Well, your husband is essentially a giant teenager.”
“I gathered that,” I said. “Continue.”
“Well, first, he pulled off an inside the park home run and ran his body empty on energy,” he said.
“Uh huh, then what?” I asked.
“Well, he slid into home,” he said. “I think he tweaked his shoulder when he did that.”
“He slid into home?” I asked.
“Yeah, you know,” he said, then held his arms out like superman and did a motion that I guess was supposed to indicate sliding.
“And it hurt him?” I asked.
“Maybe,” he said. “But that wasn’t the worst part.”
“Excuse me, sir,” a voice said from behind Victor.
“Oh Lord,” I said, grinning and shaking my head.