The rest of the week was kind of a blur. My office gave me some time off, which I appreciated. Braden also took a couple of personal days and he enlisted his mom to organize the wedding, a project she performed with great talent and skill. She managed to secure the musical talent of Stanford Benson, (also known around Philly train stations as Stan the Bluesman) to play a special dedication for our first dance. She not only invited Ahmet and Damla, she put in a huge order for their special Turkish pastries. Their desserts would be sampled by senators, congressmen, judges and various other notables. Since they would all be joining us at the engagement party turned wedding reception later, Claire even made sure that they all had formal clothes to wear. She thought of everything.
Senator Pierce and my dad quickly assembled more security than the Pentagon had and arranged for us to have access to a private plane and a room at a lovely resort for a long weekend on St. Thomas the following week. My mom dedicated her energy to trying to get her relatives to behave themselves. She had the toughest job of them all. She also came into Philly several times that week, and took me shopping for my dress, veil, and shoes, out for mani/pedi, to have my hair trimmed and styled, all the good girlie stuff. She and I talked a lot about marriage, the ups and downs, the give and take. In case I haven’t mentioned it, my mom is an incredible woman.
Braden and I spent our time mostly talking and planning. We took the first steps toward forming The Justice Project and found some nice Center City office space. The week flew by. Before I knew it, it was Friday evening. My parents, along with my aunt, uncle and cousin would be arriving any moment along with …Bubbe.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The Pierces had planned their house party carefully. Beth had conveyed my anxiety to Claire, who, in turn, had felt guilty. She didn’t want me to be embarrassed, so she had purposely invited the most questionable relatives of theirs who she could find as well, which was how Derek came to be there. Braden and I went to Bryn Mawr together that evening. He was planning to stay overnight there with his family and I would return to the Ritz with my parents and stay with them in their suite there until the next day. He squeezed my hand as we saw the two limos pull into the drive.
“I love you, Gabrielle,” he said solemnly.
“I love you too Braden,” I replied, trying not to sound overly fearful.
The doors of the lead car opened and my parents stepped out looking fabulous. They came over and hugged Braden and I warmly. Then doors opened on the second car and my stomach dropped into my shoes.
“Oy vey! A cab to a train to a car! What are you going to put me in a rowboat next? I’m an elderly woman!” It was Bubbe.
“What are you complaining about?” My cousin, Rachel, exclaimed in her heavy New York accent. “You rode in luxury on the Acela and you were driven in style in a limo! It’s not like your son-in-law tossed you in the trunk of a Chevy Nova!”
“Enough already!” My Aunt Ruth said, looking like she was on her last nerve. “The two of you have been arguing since we left Penn Station. You’re giving me a headache!”
“Braden, you remember my relatives I’m sure,” my mother said with a smile.
“I do, Judy.” He laughed. “Hello everyone! Welcome to my family’s home. Let me get you inside and introduce you to my parents, Tyler and Claire.”
“This is a nice place!” My Uncle Ira said, looking the house over. “So your father’s a senator, Braden!” As he passed by me he said, “Good job, Gabrielle!” in a whisper loud enough for half the house to hear. I rolled my eyes heavenward.
“You see this, Rachel?” Bubbe asked. “This is what you get when you keep a man happy! You make sure that when you’re married you keep giving him whatever he asks for in bed, Gabrielle!”
“Oh, my God,” I whimpered. Braden put his arm around me reassuringly.
“We’ll have to introduce her to Derek,” he suggested with a smile. We all went inside and we introduced my relatives to Braden’s relatives. Claire had amazing hostess skills! She had found a second cousin who owned a string of tuxedo rental places in New York. He and Ira were talking some serious dry cleaning before long. My Aunt Ruth found a common interest in daytime television with a rather loud cousin with a heavy Boston accent. Rachel and Derek hit it off immediately. That was interesting. I would have imagined that she would have been more interested in Drew. Speaking of Drew, he and Bubbe and a couple of frat boy cousins were having a great time drinking, playing poker, telling dirty jokes and smoking cigars out on the patio. Which meant that Braden and I were able to relax and enjoy some time with our parents together.
“So Tyler, I understand that you popped the question after six weeks too,” my dad said.
“I knew right away that young lady was right for me,” he said, smiling at Claire lovingly. “I guess that Braden inherited my decisiveness and my impatience.”
“Well, Gabrielle must have inherited my courage and adventurous spirit because I accepted his proposal after eight weeks of dating,” my mom added, gesturing at my dad.
“You’re courageous? Have you met her mother?” my dad joked. “Never question how much I love your mom, Gabrielle,” he said looking at her adoringly.
“When Braden asked me I said he was the bravest man I knew besides you.”
“I can’t believe that at this time tomorrow you’ll be my wife,” he said looking at me in much the same way that Tyler had looked at Claire and my dad had looked at my mom. Seeing that look I knew that it would be okay.
We stayed until nine and then Braden and I hugged each other tightly and went to spend some private time with our parents. We knew that while they were thrilled, it also wasn’t easy for them to see their babies grown up. After a lovely night full of laughter and tears with my parents I found myself getting ready for my wedding the following day in their suite, accompanied by Jess, Lily and Beth. They were acting as my bridesmaids and they had all bought very pretty matching dresses in a deep sapphire blue that looked great on all of them. I had bought a simple white (yeah, whatever!) bias-cut silk sheath wedding gown and I wore my diamond necklace and long sheer veil attached to the back of my head with a beautiful diamond clip that had belonged to Braden’s great-grandmother.
My parents had reserved the entire floor for close friends and family. Braden’s family had taken over the floor above. It was still only four when I was finished getting dressed and made up and I wanted to go walk to work off some nerves, so we set out to see who was around.