The Game Changer The Final Score - By L.M. Trio Page 0,81

seems more intimate, something only meant for the two of us to hear. She liked the idea so we ran it passed the Pastor performing our ceremony. He said this was our day and whatever makes us feel comfortable is fine with him. He made the suggestion of saying the last line aloud when we place our rings on each other’s hand.

My thoughts of her are interrupted by a knock on the door. “Come in,” I call out.

“Hey, you okay?” Mikey asks, poking his head inside.

“Yeah, what? Did ya forget about me?”

“I thought they’d be back by now.” He laughs as his phone beeps. He reads his text. “Sorry. I’ll be right back, DeDe needs somethin’. I’ll send someone in,” he says before disappearing once again.

***

(Deanna)

As soon as I step out of the room, I do a quick Google search to find out how to get rid of puffy eyes in a hurry. I stick six spoons in the freezer, tell Mikey to put them in a bag of ice and in ten minutes bring them to us.

In the mean time, I grab three wash cloths and run them under cold water. The three of us sit here with the cold rags across our eyes, waiting for Mikey to return.

“It’s me,” he calls from the other side, lightly knocking.

“Come in!” I yell.

“What the hell are you doin’?” he asks, looking at all three of us sitting in chairs with our heads back, wash cloths covering our eyes.

“Getting rid of our puffy eyes. Did you get the spoons?” I ask, not removing the wash cloth from my face.

He walks over and lifts the rag from my face, smiling as he hands me the bag of chilled spoons. He stands there staring at us as I hastily pass them around and all three of us simultaneously replace the washcloths with the spoons.

“The scoop has to be over the eyelid,” I direct.

“You do know the ceremony starts in twenty minutes, right?” he asks as if we have lost our minds.

“Yes, don’t make me nervous,” JJ says from behind her spoons.

“Go tell Gina, our make-up girl to come back in here. We need her, and don’t go trying to pick her up, either. We don’t have time to be held up,” I command.

“Why? Is she hot?” he jokes.

“You’d probably think so,” I reply dryly.

“Well she can’t possibly look any hotter than you do right now with the spoons on your eyes. That’s a real turn on,” he says sarcastically. “I should get Luke in here to see what he’s getting himself into.”

“Good-bye, Mikey, honey,” my mom says, dismissing him from the room.

***

(Mikey)

I discreetly snap a picture of them with my phone before leaving and bump into David on the way out.

“How are they in there? Are they okay?” David asks with concern, relaying to me what happened earlier.

“Look,” I say, showing the picture. “They’re fine. A little nuts, but fine.”

To his relief, David laughs. “Good.”

That’s what I love so much about DeDe, her ability to make the people around her happy. She knows JJ is upset and she finds a silly way to distract her and make her laugh. I get pissed off knowing that the asshole she is with doesn’t appreciate her enough to see it and, even though I love her, I’m equally pissed that she invited him to the wedding. The last time he was here, I did as she asked and was friendly enough towards him, but this time, I don’t give a shit if she gets mad. I barely acknowledged him when I saw him earlier.

***

(Luke)

Luckily, my mom and Cheryl worked together to make the wedding perfect for us. JJ left the plans to them; however she was very specific in her wishes to keep it simple. She knew she was in good hands, though.

We wanted a wedding that was elegant and intimate with about thirty-five of our closest friends and family. We decided The Blue Martini was the perfect spot. Lori, Cathy and Billy flew in along with Zack and Rob from back home. David’s sister, Kathy, her husband and their new baby, a few former teammates and coaches, along with their wives, are amongst the guests. JJ invited Jazz, Frank and their dates, and of course, Mya and Dan.

When I see JJ step onto the candlelit veranda with her arm entwined with David’s, my heart begins to beat rapidly. I know it sounds trite, but she literally takes my breath away. Her bright emerald eyes meet mine