Mid-afternoon Tuesday, JD and I sat down to lunch; taking a break from all the wedding stuff. It was still hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that my first born, my baby girl was getting married soon. Just the thought of there being a second ring on my daughter's hand was enough to send me into a tail spin. It was as if Cinderella was being stolen away in the dead of night.
"What is it like being married, mom?" JD asked after our drinks were brought to us.
"Um, well being married is like. Being married is just being married." I said completely not knowing what to say.
"Come on, give me something tangible. You and Dad make it look so easy."
"Your father and I have been married for almost twenty years, Jennifer; being husband and wife is just second nature for us."
"That was helpful."
"What do you want me to say, your father and I just fit together; we balance each other. We know each other and each other's quirks. Your father and I love each other."
"So what you're saying is that you and dad mirror each other. When he moves, you move and vice versa." JD said.
"Basically."
"What about the honeymoon?"
"You want to talk about your wedding night with me?" I questioned.
"Yes mom I do and you can drop the federal agent side, and revert over to being my mom for a bit."
"This is just all together weird. I never thought I'd be discussing this with you." I said.
"Please mom, all I want to know is what your honeymoon was like."
At that moment I flashed back to my honeymoon that was almost twenty years ago, but with the intervening time between then and now; my wedding night with Nick is still quite vivid in my mind. Of course I had to choose what out of mine and Nick's activities from our honeymoon were suitable to share.
"Well mom?"
"My wedding night was one for the record books." I said with a smile on my face and look in my eyes that would give me away in a heartbeat if I wasn't careful.
"Wasn't that the night that you and dad conceived me?"
"Yes it was that night at some point."
"At one point?" JD questioned.
"Don't pry any further. All I am going to say on this subject was that your father and I were in love, just as we still are in love to this day; we were young. That night with your father was one the happiest times in my life."
"When were the other times?"
"When I gave birth to you, Jay, Joce and Athena. You girls are my world, my everything; besides your dad of course."
"I can't believe that in two months I'll be married. It's insane that in the two months I have to figure out my bridal party. Then I have to worry about that whole something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue thing."
"Jennifer, don't worry about anything but getting married and your bridal party. The bridal party and I will worry about the other stuff."
"I'll try, but its not easy being a bride."
At that moment I was thinking "Being the bride is a hell of a lot easier then being the mother of the bride.", but I had thought otherwise."
"I know what its like, I've been there." I said as I held up my hand.
"I think I know that by now, mom."
"You're luckier than I was."
"I know the story mom; I know that both your and Aunt Jen were shanghaied because Grandpa wasn't around. And before you go any further I know how fortunate I am to have both you and dad."
As lunch was wrapping up, I was already planning what JD and I were going to do next. And as usual I just chalked it up to my mind operating in Special Agent/mother of four mode.
"How about we go pick up the twins from home and you can call Hannah and Leah to tell them to meet us at the at the bridal shop so we can get their bridesmaids dresses as you choose yours." I had said to my daughter as we paid the bill and left.
"Sounds good to me."
With that we were on our way to pick up Jayden and Jocelyn. Nick had been called into the office for his mandatory psych eval, so the twins had Jayla in her car seat with then as they came out to the car. After we had picked the girls up it didn't take us long to get to the bridal shop.
"Some things never change, mom. You still drive like Uncle Jethro and Aunt Ziva." Jayden said as we parked in the bridal shop parking lot.
"Well it comes with knowing them for so long. You can thank your Aunt Jen for that when you guys see her again."
"Oh we will." Jayden and Jocelyn said in unison as Hannah and Leah came up behind us.
When we had walked into the bridal shop we were instantly greeted by one of the consultants.
"Hello; I'm Amanda, how can I help you today?"
"We're looking for a gown for her." I said as I pointed out JD.
"Congratulations, when is the big day?" Amanda asked.
"Two months." JD answered.
"Is there anything else you guys are looking for?"
"Yes, we need to get bridesmaids dresses for my sisters and my friends. I'd also like to see if you have any flower girl dresses."
"Okay, I am sure this little cutie will look adorable in anything. How old is she?"
"She's a month and a half." JD answered.
"If you don't mind me saying, but you look good for having a baby a month and a half ago." Amanda said.
"She's not my daughter."
"She's my daughter." I said.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know." Amanda said completely blushing.
Once we got past that incident we went dress shopping. JD found a wedding gown that she absolutely loved. Then I was able to pick out of three little flower girl dresses that would be absolutely adorable on Jayla, Addie and Liza. As I was driving back to the house multiple things came rushing through my mind at once. I began to reminisce, one minute I was a carefree twenty-five year old to being a forty - four year old mother of four. The other thing was my own daughter, who was half me just as her three younger sisters were; was getting married. I wondered where the past nineteen years had gone. I had also longed for the days where JD was a kid again.
But that wasn't the choice for this situation, my little girl was an adult now and she was getting married.
