Chapter 133
June slipped away so fast for Jesse but it was a magical time for her. Richie showed her off to the fans, the press, and all of his friends and showered her with attention and love. He took her all over Great Britain sight-seeing and they even managed a get-away to Keswick in the Lake District.
Wedding plans also occupied the couple's plans. Dorothea and Alejandra had arrived right after the Paris date to help with finalizing all of the details.
Now, it was the day before the wedding and time for rehearsal. Because of the show that night, the rehearsal was set for mid-morning with lunch and a tour to follow.
Jesse wandered through the cathedral alone taking in everything. She and Richie had arrived early to talk to the priest about the ceremony and were now waiting for the rest of the group. She felt like she was floating on air as she thought about the fact that in just over 24 hours, she would be Mrs. Richie Sambora. It had to be a dream but she definitely did not want to wake up from it. The only thought that upset her in the slightest was the fact that Stevie was not there.
Richie sat in a pew in the middle of the cathedral watching Jesse, giving her space and time to think. He was worried that because Stevie wasn't there that she was going to back out of the wedding. Kevin hadn't called back after his call earlier in the month and now Richie had no clue what to do to fix it. He'd never been faced with a situation that he couldn't fix for Jesse.
Jon had arrived and moved to sit with Richie. "Everything okay?"
"I don't know. She's upset about Stevie."
"Didn't you call Kevin?"
"And I haven't heard from him since. Jon, I feel like she's going to bail."
"Have you talked to her?"
"No."
"Go talk to her then. We've got a few more minutes."
Richie didn't hesitate. He moved to where Jesse was staring at a stained glass window and wrapped his arms around her from behind. She leaned against him putting her hands on his arms.
"Want to talk?"
"About what?"
"Why you're upset?"
"I'm okay, Richie."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm just disappointed that Stevie isn't here."
Richie hesitated before asking, "Do you want to call off the wedding?"
Jesse heard the fear in his voice and turned to face him. "It NEVER crossed my mind, Richie," she reassured as she reached up to caress his cheek. "Sure, I miss Stevie and I really want him to be here but I know that you and Jack and Jon and Tico and Dave have done everything in your powers to fix this. I'll be patient and wait for the judge to decide that Stevie is better off with us."
Richie put his hand on hers and turned to place a kiss in her palm. "I called Kevin....back when I was in the studio...that morning I was late and you met me there. I asked him if there was anything I could do to convince him to bring Stevie. I even told him the risk you took to have Stevie."
"Really?"
"Really. Jess, I love making you happy and I love seeing your eyes light up when you smile."
Jesse took his hands in hers and placed kisses on each one. "Richard Stephen Sambora, YOU make me happy every morning when I wake in your arms. You're my superman and I can't wait to be your wife, your Queen of Swing. I know that one day very soon, we're all going to be together as a family - you, me, Ava, Stevie, and our baby."
Richie leaned to her to kiss her and she let go of his hands to put hers behind his head to play with his hair. It made it possible for him to take her in his arms and pull her tight against his body. One hand slid up to the back of her head and he deepened the kiss as he held her.
From behind them, someone called, "Hey! That doesn't come until the END of the rehearsal."
Richie and Jesse broke apart laughing and Richie smirked, "Practice makes perfect."
"Come on!" called Dorothea, the mistress of ceremonies. "The priest is ready and everyone is here."
Everyone moved to the front of the cathedral where the priest was waiting.
"Jess, do you want to put everyone in place first and then run through it?"
"I guess," shrugged Jesse. Looking up at Richie, she asked, "Is that okay with you?"
"That's fine, baby. Dorothea, you aren't going to have someone stand in for us, are you?"
"Not unless you want to do it that way."
"No, we don't."
"Okay, places everyone. We'll start with Richie and Jess...." and Dorothea directed everyone according to height.
For the next hour, the group ran through the very traditional Catholic wedding. They had fun and the two fans, Becky and Kryss, were made to feel like they'd always been a part of the family.
With rehearsal over, Jon said, "Dorothea and I have planned a very special afternoon to celebrate Richie and Jesse's love. The cars should be waiting to take us to lunch in SoHo at Andrew Edmunds. Afterwards, we're taking a bus tour of London and we'll end at the O2 for dinner and the show."
"And while the guys are working tonight, ladies, we're taking Jesse out for her bachelorette party," smiled Dorothea.
Jesse frowned, "I didn't know you were planning something during the show."
"You know, you CAN miss a show or two from time to time," teased Ashley. "It's not like you haven't seen the show. AND...you can't see him after midnight anyway. Lately, they've been close to midnight coming off the stage."
"Not to mention, we're taking him for his bachelor party after the show," said Jon.
Jesse looked up at Richie and he saw the doubt in her eyes. Whispering, he said, "We'll talk later. Let's just enjoy the afternoon."
The group moved out to the waiting cars and they were off to lunch.
