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"Hush," Patty says softly "The Plaza Hotel is not too fancy for you It isn’t fancy enough for you You should be getting arden in this dress" She takes a step back and looks at me "Seriously, this dress is perfect on you You look like a inal Marilyn Monroe You know, if President Kennedy had inal wasn’t exactly the look I was going for," I say, turning to look at myself in themy veil, which is really a confection of net, flowers, and a couple of feathers sticking out of the loose bun th is perfect on you Now go out there and knock Cooper dead"
"Please," I say queasily "Don’t use that phrase"
"Ooo" Patty winces "Sorry I forgot about his near brush with death last o out there and not cause Cooper any bodily harain why he fell in love with youyour wit, beauty, and charlance in thelikewith last-minute minicrises, such as Cooper’s lost cummerbund, and a bomb scare at the Plaza that threatened to shut down the entire wedding (until we learned it was a "prank" by Cooper’s younger brother, Jordan, who’d now been deuest-book attendant Frank, Patty’s husband, was now best man, with Sammy the Schnozz and Hal as ushers)
Then I’d had to rush off to have my hair professionally styled andbutterflies in my stomach I’oing to end up as husband and wife, even though we’ve got the license
Patty’s right I do look sohtly at the waist, then cascading outward to the knee like a bell of silk and tulle But a virgin with a hty twist to her red lips How had the makeup artist done that? And why can’t I acco from the outer roo, and we need to get to our places"
Perry I so wish I could fire her for being so snooty Well, I’ll never see her again after today You only get et married once
I turn around and hurry toward my father
"Oh my," he says "Don’t you look pretty"
Dad’s never been that liberal with the coushy when they see el A real angel from the top of a Christ me "Seriously You could kick someone’s ass in that dress, and not rip it, that skirt is so full I’o for a mermaid, mermaid skirts suck You can’t kick ass in the, as usual "I still think you should have gone for a long dress," she says "When else are you going to get to wear a long dress but on your wedding day?"
"Don’t be stupid, Huey How’s she going to run fro dress?" Jessica asks "She’d trip"
"There won’t be any bad guys here today," I say, trying to believe it "Not with all the cops we’ve got out there" And the fact that Ricardo is still sitting in Rikers, awaiting extradition back to Argentina, having turned out to have a few outstanding warrants there "And you guys look a"
They do I let the as it was a dress eda chose, as one would expect, a shi pink Patty is looking as cool and collected as a heavily pregnant woman can in rust Jessica is seductive in a slinky lipstick-red nus to her sliuidance froown that is, as she so dearly wished foron her
"Ladies" Perry, the scarily busy wedding planner who refused to return our calls for so , appears at the one moment we actually need her least She taps her headset imperiously "It’s time"
She propels Nicole out the door Jessica turns to me
"Are you sure you don’t want an antianxietyher purse "I have a ton Half will take the edge right off, trustto be okay" I’ to throw up, to be honest
"Okay," Jessica says dubiously "Well, you knohere they are if you change your mind" She sets down her purse and starts toward the door "If any arePerry the stink eye "I counted thely and points at me and my dad "You two," she snaps "You’re on"
My dad looks down attheir way throughthe man I love
In front of four hundred--no, more--people, in the Grand Ballrooree to do this? We were happy as ere Marriage is going to ruin it I’ to--
"Heather," my father says to le performance But everyone always loved you So wipe that terrified look off your face and s for you and Cooper There’s nothing but love for you out there"
I blink up atabout--he was barely even around when I was perforht No one is here to see me fail They’re here because they support the love Cooper and I have for each other