The Devil You Know: Chapter 23

Jack and Sam came down the staircase together, both tugging on their ties.  “I don’t like wearing this,” Sam moaned.  “I feel like I can’t breath.”

“But you look so handsome,” Addie said, bringing her hands to her cheeks.  “May I ask if you can be my date for this evening?”

“Sure grandma,” Sam replied.

Jack wandered over to the mirror in the foyer and noticed his bowtie was crooked.  He went to straighten it and saw his mother step onto the landing in the reflection.  “My, my, my,” Blair “Look how well you clean up.  You look so much like your daddy right now.”

“Yeah, whatever.  Where is everyone and why are they taking so long?” he complained, getting impatient. 

“Beauty, my dear, takes time,” Dorian called as she came downstairs on David’s arm.

“Don’t I know it,” he husband grumbled.  “Took me forever to get my hair just right.  Want to make Viki jealous.”    

“Don’t think you have to worry about that,” Blair commented.

“Really?  You think she will be?”

Thankfully, his question was cut off by the doorbell.  Jack went to answer it and stepped aside for Michael, Sarah and Dillon to enter.  As the door closed, Starr made her entrance.

Michael let out a whistle.  “Wow, you look amazing!“ he said.

Starr offered him a smile and went to kiss him.  Unfortunately, David stepped in the way.  “Hey, now, I don’t think your father would approve.”  Then he thought about it.  “Or is that the point?”

Starr rolled her eyes and pulled Michael into the sitting room, with Sarah and Dillon following.

Jack went back to the mirror and straightened his tie again.  His mother came up behind him.  “Hey it looks fine,” she said, swatting his hand away.  Then another image caught their attention as Molly made her way down. 

Jack’s voice got caught in his throat as he turned to face her when she reached the bottom.  She was beaming, her smile brighter than the chandelier.  “Hi Jack,” she said.  “You look so dashing in your tuxedo.  Very James Bond.”

“Th-th-thanks.” he stuttered, almost unable to catch his breath.  “And you-you look nice-nice too.”

Her smile dimmed a bit, but Blair came to the rescue.  “Allow me to translate Manning menspeak, as I have plenty of practice with it.  ‘Nice’ actually means ‘drop dead gorgeous’, which I must say, you do look.”

“Yeah, what my mom said,” Jack finally vocalized.

Molly ducked her head, almost embarrassed.  Blair left the two to go back into the sitting room.  “I think we’re all ready to go,” she said.  Starr, Michael, Sarah and Dillon went in one car while Blair, Addie, Sam, Jack, Molly, Dorian and David went into the limo. 

They made their way to St. James’ and matched in together.  Cassie stood in the back and embraced her family, while David made his way over to Bo.  Blair smiled at Cord, who showed her to their seat at the front of the church, next to Tea and Danie.  The kids piled into the pew behind them

Dorian hung back and then advanced to Clint.  “I just wanted to say, I told you so,” she joked, a smile crossing her face.  When he offered her a confused look, she expounded, “The last time you were here to get married, remember what I said.”

Clint smirked at her as she returned to her husband and sauntered off. 

Back at Llanfair, Todd was putting the finishing touches on his tuxedo in the foyer mirror when he saw Jessica’s daughter Bree make her way downstairs.  She was dressed in white, with a sash that matched the bridesmaid’s dress.  He turned around and opened his arms, into which she ran.  He hoisted her up but sat back down on the bench by the stairs.  “I must say, you look like you make a great flower girl,” he complimented her.

“That you, Uncle Todd,” she said as he set her back down.  She twirled for him and he was taken back to when Starr was that age showing off a dress to him.

“You know what, I have a deal for you.  If you do a good enough job tonight, I’ll talk to Aunt Blair and see if we can hire you as the flower girl for when we get married.  In fact,” he pulled out his cell phone, snapped a shot of Bree and sent off a message to Blair, “I’ll let her know right now.”

At St. James’, Blair read the text and smiled as she sent her reply.  Todd read it and told Bree, “The answer is ‘Absolutely’.”

“Really?  Yess!  I have to go tell Mommy,” she exclaimed, dashing back up the stairs and nearly knocking into Victor on his way down.

“What’s got her so excited?” Victor asked as Todd stood up and moved into the library.  He went to pour himself a drink then decided to pour another glass for his brother.

“She’s going to be the flower girl when Blair and I get married again,” Todd told him as he handed over the glass.  “Everything going okay up there?”

“Yeah, it seems to be.  Viki’s up there with Tina, Jess and Nat.  Doing all the usual wedding stuff,” Victor said as he downed it in one shot.

The brothers stood there in silence, unsure of what to say to one another.  Mercifully, that was broken up by the entrance of the ringer bearers, Ryder and Liam, followed by their mothers.  “Is everyone here ready?” Jessica asked.

“Yeah, let’s get this over with,” Victor said, a bemused smile on his face. 

“Fine, but let me warn you two again,” Natalie began, “Do not screw this up in any way for Mom and Dad?  Are we making ourselves clear?”

Todd and Victor just looked at each other without saying a word.  They walked out into the hall as Bree and Tina came downstairs.  When they reached the bottom,  Tina announced, “May I present to you the soon-to-be Mrs. Clint Buchanan.”

Standing at the top of the landing was Viki.  She had on a lovely, off the shoulder cream dress with a full skirt.  Her jewelry, a double-strand pearl necklace, sat in her collarbone elegantly and went with a pair of matching pearl drop earrings.

Natalie and Jessica were grinning from ear to ear as their mother came down the rest of the way, while Bree let out a gasp.  “Grandma, you look beautiful!”

Todd had to agree with the little girl.  “She’s right, sis.  You really look good.”

“Yeah, Viki, he’s right…for a change,” Victor agreed, as he came over and gave her a peck on the cheek.  Todd did likewise as Viki beamed at them.

“The car is here, so lets head over to the church,” Tina said as her nieces gathered up their children and headed out.  Tina followed next while Todd and Victor held open the doors of Llanfair for Viki’s exit.  They all got in and  headed over. 

When they arrived, Cassie was waiting for them to give Andrew the signal to start.  Cord and Rex stood at the doors to the nave of the church waiting to open it up for the bridal party.  Natalie was the first to go down the aisle.  She turned to her mother.  “This is it.  Are you ready?” she asked.  Viki nodded, hugged her daughter and off Natalie went.

Next, Jessica stood in front of her mother.  “I never thought I get to see this day.  I love you so much,” she said, a tear falling down her cheek.  Viki wiped it away, kissed her and Jessica then followed her sister down to the altar. 

Tina bent down to Bree’s eye level.  “You make sure Liam and your brother behave as they go down, alright?”  Bree nodded solemnly, then took the little boys’ hands and walked down towards their grandfather.

“Well, I guess it’s my turn,” Tina said with a sigh.  “If I haven’t said it already, thank you for including me in this day.  I know I haven’t always been the best sister.”

“Oh, Tina!” Viki smiled at her sister.  “It would only have ever been you beside me today.”  After they embraced, the doors opened and Tina marched in a wink and a smile coming from Cord.

With the rest of Llanview on the other side of the door, Todd and Victor stood in front of their sister.  She smiled at them as she said, “Thank you for doing this for me.  It means the most to me.”  Then she paused and her face morphed into something all to familiar to them.  “Now I want you to hand over your cell phones to Cassie.  I do not want a repeat of the last wedding.”  She gave a sidelong glare to Victor.

They both grumbled at they handed over the devices to Cassie.  “This is your fault, you know that?” Todd moaned.

“Blame your wife.  She was the one who called me in the first place,” Victor retorted.

“Yeah, but you didn’t have to have the damn thing on in the church, did you?”

For as much as they were going in the back and forth, Viki could tell it was all in jest.  “Thank you,” she said.

“For turning over our phones?” Todd asked sarcastically. 

“No, not that,” she replied, a smile forming on her lips.  “You know what for.”  Then she gave him a kiss on the cheek.  For once, Todd did rub it off immediately. 

“You know, we can still make a break for it,” Victor informed her, pointing to the door.  Then he saw her expression.  “Thought not.”

“Thank you for being here for me,” she said to him, kissing him as well.  He returned it then moved to her left side.  His brother stood on Viki’s right and they both took her arms.  Todd nodded and the doors were opened as the wedding march began.  The three made their way down the aisle and she became Mrs. Clint Buchanan for the third time.    


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