A Most Graceful Life Ch. 08

"Thanks, Grandma," they replied lazily, as one, before the rest of us shuffled into the room.

"Grace, I see you are still sticking around," teased Grandpa, as soon as he caught sight of her.

"Haven't found any better options yet," joked Grace in return.

"'Atta girl," he laughed. "Just keep on looking, I'm sure you'll find someone!"

"Both of you, cool it," replied Stephen with a smirk, glad to have a little fun to take the edge off.

"Is that Stephen?" came another voice from inside the room. Stephen looked past his grandparents to see his Aunt Linda standing near the edge of her bed, having already greeted her sister. Aunt Linda was a near carbon copy of his mother, both sharing similar dark hair and brown eyes. That's where the similarities seemed to stop. Whereas his mother had always been rather on the thin slight, Aunt Linda could more accurately be described as plump, or full figured to be polite. Her personality was always a bit more reserved than Theresa, who was a bit more open and out-going.

Still, she had always treated him well, and like a second son to her considering how close he was to Danny. With how much time he had spent at her house, he had almost considered her a second mother.

"Hey Aunt Linda," he replied sheepishly, giving her a small wave of the hand.

"Well, don't just stand there. Come give your aunt a hug," she smiled warmly, extending her arms out.

Stephen smiled, and made his way over to her, wrapping her up in a hug. She held onto him tight, before letting go and looking down at his suit.

"You look so grown up now, Stephen," she said, giving him a small smile. "How have you been?"

"Getting better, Aunt Linda," replied Stephen, nodding his head.

"Good," she replied, before casting an eye over to Grace, who was still standing awkwardly next to the twins. "And who might this be?"

Stephen held out his arm, beckoning Grace to step forward. "This is my girlfriend, Grace Martin. Grace, this is my Aunt Linda."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," said Grace, sweetly.

"You as well, dear," replied Aunt Linda. "My sister told me all about you already, and I'm so glad that you could be here with our Stephen."

Grace's cheeks slightly reddened, "I'm glad to be here with him, too!"

"She's a keeper. I can tell," whispered Aunt Linda.

"I think so, too," agreed Stephen with a subtle chuckle.

"Everyone looks so nice in their suits and dresses," she said, looking around the room. "I just wish Danny could be here today as well," she finished, ending with a melancholy sigh.

"We all do, Linda. We all do," comforted Theresa, putting her arm around her sister.

"Sorry, I'm fine. I swear," coughed Aunt Linda, before wiping a tear out of her eye. "Moments like these just hit me extra hard now."

"Completely understandable, Aunt Linda," replied Stephen, putting his arm around her other shoulder. "I miss Danny, too."

Aunt Linda just gave him a look of appreciation, and for that moment, no words needed to be said. The rest of the family gave her some time to regain her composure before it was time to head over to the church for the ceremony.

Taking both cars, the entire family arrived together as one, pulling up beside a large Catholic church out in the suburbs of St. Louis, about ten minutes from their hotel. There weren't too many cars in the lot, and the church was still rather empty as most of the main guests had yet to arrive. At this point, the majority of those there were still close family.

As all the older members of his family rushed about to greet long lost cousins and reminisce about times past, Grace took a moment to pull Stephen to the side.

"Doing okay?" She asked, looking at him questioningly.

"I think so. I was worried about how my aunt would be, but she seems a lot better than the last time I saw her."

"She really seems to have missed you," Grace noted.

Stephen nodded, "She was practically my second mother. I spent so much time at their house growing up. Throughout all the pains of growing up, or every time Danny and I got in trouble, she was always there to be a mom. I think that's what still worries me the most about when I see her: that she might see, and feel, my guilt and blame me for the loss of her son."

"She doesn't, you know," answered Grace, quietly. "Blame you, at all. She knows it was an accident."

Stephen thought about that for a moment and then nodded, "I'm glad. I'd hate to have that on my conscience. I'm slowly starting to forgive myself for it, Grace. I just need time."

She smiled at him, and then enfolded him in a tight hug. "I love you, Stephen," she whispered into his ear. "Hopefully, you can point out all these other family members you have here."

Stephen chuckled lightly, "You're asking the wrong person. Most of these people I've only met once or twice. Our immediate family is pretty tiny. My mom and Aunt Linda were the only children of my grandparents. My cousin Shelly is actually the grandniece of Grandpa, making her my second cousin, so most of these people I don't know much beyond their names."

"How is it that you and Shelly got to be so close?"

"Shelly actually lived nearby for most of her teenaged years, and we went to the same school district, although she was four years older than me. I have some early memories of Shelly babysitting me even though we weren't that far off in age. She's always been great though. I know you'll like her. Hell, everyone does, who meets Shelly."

"Sounds like it runs in the family," she grinned.

"More so on that side," answered Stephen. "Now let's find a bathroom before we have to take our seats!"

They poked around near the back of the church, looking for the telltale figures that announced the location of the restrooms. They had to make their way towards an enclosed area right off the main chapel before finding the first sight of one.

"Wait here, I'll be right back," said Stephen, ducking into the men's room. Two minutes later, he was already returning.

"That was quick," smiled Grace.

Before Stephen had a chance to respond, he heard his name called out loudly from down the hallway.

"Stephen!"

Turning his head, he quickly identified the source of the noise.

"Jack! Long time, no see! How have you been? Oh, and congratulations!"

The bridegroom, Jack Truman, and Shelly's future husband, came strolling down the hallway wearing a big smile on his face. He was already dressed up in his dark gray tuxedo, looking every bit the part of a handsome newlywed. Stephen had first met Jack years ago, when he had started dating Shelly during their senior year of college. It wasn't much longer after that they were engaged and starting to plan their wedding.

Stephen had always liked Jack, as he was just as personable and outgoing as Shelly ever was, making them an excellent match. If there was one person in the world more friendly than Shelly, it was Jack Truman.

"Good to see you, Stephen! Thank you for coming today," grinned Jack, reaching out to clasp Stephen's hand tightly.

"We wouldn't miss this for the world. Great to see you two finally getting married," chuckled Stephen.

"I couldn't agree more," smiled Jack, before turning to look at Grace.

"Jack, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Grace Martin. Grace, this is Shelly's future husband, Jack Truman."

"Girlfriend? Well, you sure know how to pick them, Stephen," grinned Jack, before reaching out to take her hand. "Great to meet you, Grace."

"You too, Jack. Congratulations!" smiled Grace.

"We aren't disturbing anything back here, are we?" Stephen asked, looking back down the hallway. "I was just trying to find a bathroom."

"Nah, absolutely not. We were just getting ready a few rooms down," replied Jack, pointing to an open door down the hallway. It was then that Stephen noticed he had a card in his hand.

"So Jack, how do you feel about getting married today?" Grace asked, politely.

"It feels... great," grinned Jack. "I've always known Shelly was the one for me, so it makes it easy. I've got a little bit of wedding day jitters, but I suppose that's entirely normal, right?"

"From what I hear," agreed Stephen.

"But overall, I feel great. This was an easy decision," he ended, finally.

"I think so, too," remarked Stephen.

"I just have to get Shelly her card before the ceremony starts," said Jack, waiving the card in his hand up and down. "Pre-wedding tradition and all, but I'm not supposed to see Shelly until we get up there at the alter."

Stephen looked at Grace and then back to Jack, "Do you want us to take the card to her? I'm sure she can't be far away, right?"

Jack shook his head, "Not really, she's just on the other side of the church. That long hallway near the entrance? All the bridesmaids and her family is on that side."

"Don't worry, Jack, we'll find her and drop off the card. That way, you won't break tradition," grinned Stephen.

"You're the best. I owe you one," chuckled Jack, before deposited the card into his willing hands. "I'll see you later, at the reception, right?"

"Definitely. Good luck up there and we'll see you in a few hours," answered Stephen.

"Thanks!" shouted Jack, as he made his way back to his groomsmen.

"He seems nice," remarked Grace as they made their way to the front of the church.

"Wait until you meet Shelly. You'll realize why they were meant for each other," noted Stephen.

"You mean, like you and me?" answered Grace coyly, while battering her eyelashes.

Stephen just grinned at her, without bothering to answer the obvious question. Together they made their way towards the main hallway upfront, passing by several more arriving guests, on their way to find their designated seats.

"Let's see, it must be right around here somewhere," said Stephen, looking at all the doors off the hallway.

"It's this one," pointed Grace, looking at an obscure door that was one of the last options he would have picked.

"Are you sure?" He asked, squinting at it.

Grace just gave him a sideways look, while raising an eyebrow.

"If you say so, babe," he chuckled, while knocking slowly on the door.

There was some shuffling inside, before the door finally opened.

"Cousin Stephen, how are you??" came a shout from the open door. Stephen recognized it immediately as Shelly's mother, Brenda. The mother of the bride was dressed up in a splendid red dress to mark the occasion. Inside, numerous other female members of Shelly's bridal party were inside, putting on the last touches to gowns and makeup. One person Stephen did not see right away was Shelly.

"Hey Brenda, I'm good, thank you! I ran into Jack just a bit ago, and he asked me to give this card here over to Shelly. Something about a pre-wedding tradition and all," smiled Stephen, waiving the card in the same matter as Jack had.

"Oh, that's no problem," answered Brenda, turning back to look over in the corner of the room. "Shelly's just over there, but I should warn you," she said, before dropping the volume of her voice. "She's really got the jitters right now."

Stephen looked over to where she had indicated and finally locked eyes on Shelly. It was near the first time in her life that she wasn't wearing a smile. She was fully dressed in her wedding dress, and sitting in a wooden chair, passing time by looking out the window. Stephen could tell that something was wrong.

"No worries, I'll go over and talk to her," he smiled, politely.

Brenda held open the door and let Stephen and Grace shuffle on in, walking past the rows of other girls before coming to a stop right next to Shelly.

"Hey Shelly, you look amazing in your dress," Stephen started, offering her a warm smile in hopes of turning around her dejected face. Shelly looked up at him, and only offered him the briefest of smiles.

"Hey Stephen," she answered, rather more sullenly than expected. "Thank you for coming to the wedding."

"Okay, I know you too well, Shells. And I know when something is up. What's on your mind?" Stephen asked, taking a seat beside her.

Shelly cast a sympathetic eye towards Stephen, before finally noticing Grace standing near him.

"Before we start, this is Grace, my girlfriend," said Stephen, making the necessary introduction.

"Thank you for coming, Grace. You have excellent taste in men. My cousin is one of the best," said Shelly, offering a smile, finally, towards her longtime relative.

"I think so, too, Shelly," smiled Grace.

"I should have known you'd end up with someone gorgeous like her," said Shelly, leaning into Stephen's side. "She's just about perfect!"

"As long as she's willing to tolerate me, Shells. Which is asking a lot," chuckled Stephen, earning him another smile from Shelly. Now that he had broken her initial defenses, it was time to find out the root of the problem.

"What's going on, Shelly? I can tell you're not yourself right now. Nerves?" He asked.

"I... I don't know," she answered, a bit too honestly. "I was fine last night. And even this morning I was doing good, too. Just being here, it's really starting to hit me right now, and I'm getting more panicked the closer we get to the ceremony. I mean, I'm getting married in less than hour! That's so crazy!"

"Why are you so panicked? About what?"

Shelly looked over at him with serious eyes, "About whether I'm about to make a mistake or not."

"A mistake? What on Earth makes you think that?"

Shelly looked away, her fingers fidgeting with a piece of her veil, "I don't know. I'm just nervous. I mean, Jack and I have been together for years. We have so many memories together. Most of them good ones. I'm just feeling really panicked about getting married. Something about it seems so.. final."

"Has Jack ever given you a reason to not marry him?" Stephen probed.

Shelly shook her head, "Jack is... well, Jack! He's perfect. Sometimes I wonder why he even wants to marry me. I'm far from it, but yet he still wants to marry me. What if he decides one day he doesn't want me anymore? And this day turns out to be the worst mistake of our lives? What would I do then, Stephen?"

Stephen gave her a sympathetic smile, "Whoa, whoa, whoa now. I think you are getting a little ahead of yourself. From what I've known of Jack, he's always been infatuated with you. Do you remember the first time you introduced him to us?"

Shelly's eyes met his own, breaking out into a smile, "How could I forget? He was so nervous that he spilled his coffee all over your mother's table. It was adorable."

"I'm pretty sure he ruined that tablecloth, too," chuckled Stephen. "When you went to the bathroom, he told me how nervous he was because you were unlike any girl he'd dated in the past. I could tell even then that he was all in for you, Shelly."

Shelly just smiled back, and then looked back at the ground.

"Grace and I just ran into him right before we came over here. He asked us to give you this." Stephen handed the card over to his cousin, who began to pull it out of the envelope.

"When I asked him how he was doing today, do you know what he told me? He said he was great. And that this was the easiest decision he ever made," said Stephen. "I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was being honest."

"He's probably the most honest person I've ever met," giggled Shelly. "He can't even tell a lie. His body language gives it away immediately."

"The most honest person ever, and he's head over heels for you. Sounds like an easy decision to me," agreed Stephen.

Shelly took a moment to open up Stephen's envelope, her eyes scanning from side to side as she read his words. The small smile on her face gradually widened, accompanied by equal measures of happy tears as she came to the end. Taking a tissue to rub at her eyes, she finally mentioned, "That's just beautiful."

"I take it he knew just the right thing to say?" Stephen asked, watching his cousin.

Shelly nodded, before pressing it against her chest.

"Seems like you really are making the right decision then, Shells."

Shelly pressed forward and gave her cousin a long hug. "I'm sorry to have you see me like this. You must think I'm pretty foolish right now to be acting this way."

"Not at all. Sounds like the wedding jitters to me," chuckled Stephen.

"You're right, though. Jack is the man I'm supposed to be with forever," grinned Shelly, before turning to look him directly in the eye. "Thank you, cousin! Thank you for helping me get out of my head just now. It's so much appreciated."

"What else are cousins for?" laughed Stephen.

Upon hearing her daughter laugh, Brenda came over to see what was going on. Seeing Shelly's smile, she asked, "Everything better now, Shelly?"

"Much better now, Mom. Sorry for what just happened a little bit ago," answered the bride. "The ceremony should be starting soon! You two should go and grab your seats!"

"We'll see you out there. Good luck!" smiled Stephen as Grace mimicked something similar. Together, they made their way out of the room, and back into the main hallway of the church, finding their seats next to Theresa and the twins.

"Hopefully we've done our good deed of the day," said Stephen, as he and Grace took their seats in the pews.

"She seemed a lot better when we were leaving as opposed to when we came in," whispered Grace.

"I just hope it stays that way. Those two are really good for each other," he noted, while thinking about their relationship in his mind. It gave him an idea.

"Grace? I have an idea for another wish. I'm sure this will mostly be redundant, but I wish that Jack and Shelly's marriage is fully of happiness and joy. I wish for them both to be each others ideal partner and give them the rest of their lives in total happiness, fidelity, trust, and love. Can you make that happen?"

"Can I make that happen?" Grace scoffed, before flipping her curls behind her head. "It's done!"

"Perfect. They deserve it," smiled Stephen in a satisfactory matter, as the church organ began to play, announcing the start of the ceremony.

It was a beautiful ceremony. The church itself was packed full of family and friends, all gathered to watch the start of a new life for Jack and Shelly. When Shelly walked down the aisle, she looked radiant, with the sullen expression firmly gone, replaced by an excited and confident grin. When the couple recited their own vows, there wasn't a dry set of eyes in the entire church, a fact that Grace took a heavy delight in pointing out.

"I took the liberty of spicing up their vows a bit," she whispered, leaning into Stephen. "Don't get me wrong, the original ones were good, but these will be a little more memorable."

"Have any other tricks up your sleeve?" Stephen smirked, casting his eyes at his crafty girlfriend.

"You'll just have to wait and see until tonight," she giggled.

The rest of the ceremony passed by relatively quickly. When they were finally proclaimed husband and wife, Jack gave Shelly the most showstopping of kisses, firmly sweeping her up into his arms, and earning the croons of women throughout the venue.

"They are so adorable together," gushed Grace, her hand tightly squeezing Stephen's. "I love weddings!"

As the newlywed couple and bridal party rushed off to take pictures, the rest of the guests returned to the hotel and took a small break before the reception started. It was over an hour later when the Willow family walked into the hotel reception venue, and found their assigned table.

The reception was an amazing time, with a fair share of dancing, eating, games, and merriment. Stephen had the chance to reconnect with family members he hadn't seen in quite a long time, such as his other cousins, Jeff and Nate, as well as crazy great Uncle Rob, who couldn't control his flatulence during the eating of the cake. Soon enough, the dancing was well underway, with the newlyweds taking the floor first, and then after several songs, most of the group joining them for dances as well.