Chapter Text
Waverly hummed distractedly as she cast an eye over the latest collection of gifts that had arrived that morning, all shiny wrapping and ostentatious bows. She’d been excited when the first parcels were delivered a week ago but as the pile grew daily, she found herself less enthused. How many cutlery sets, champagne flutes or gravy boats could one couple need? When Perry visited after work, they would open these latest gifts and note who had sent what for the thank you letters to be written after the wedding.
The wedding. Waverly couldn’t believe that after months of planning, there was less than a week to go until she was to marry Perry. Her initial tentative suggestion of a small, intimate ceremony had been quickly overruled; for the youngest daughter of one of Purgatory’s oldest and most prominent families, nothing less than a high-profile wedding with hundreds of guests would do. Perry, keen to stay on her father’s good side, immediately agreed to the idea, and Waverly hadn’t taken much persuasion when she saw how excited everyone else was.
Now, three days before the wedding, she was surrounded by gifts, flowers, outfits and above all, people. Everywhere she looked, strangers were hurrying through and around the house, beginning the process of turning the sprawling mansion and grounds into a spectacular wedding venue. Her father and her eldest sister were directing operations, leaving Waverly with little to do but trail through the house in their wake.
She stepped out into the garden and saw her father barking instructions at the men setting up the pole tent, while Willa pointed out where chairs should be placed for the ceremony. Seeing that everything was in hand, Waverly headed instead for the sunroom only to find it had already been claimed. Wynonna, her other sister, was sprawled on the rattan sofa, one boot-clad foot propped on the table and a mug clutched in her hand. She looked up when Waverly walked in and sat at the other end of the sofa, before returning her gaze to the garden.
“What are you doing in here?” Waverly asked.
“Keeping a safe distance from all of that,” she replied, gesturing to the scene in front of them, the liquid in her mug sloshing as she did so.
Waverly caught the unmistakable aroma of whiskey and raised an eyebrow. “Starting early?”
“Hair of the dog,” Wynonna shrugged, raising the mug in her direction, “how come you’re hiding in here anyway?”
“I’m not hiding,” Waverly protested, “just, everything is in hand so I’m leaving them to get on with it.”
“In other words, dad and Willa are terrorising everyone and there’s nothing left for you to do?”
Waverly smiled ruefully. “Yeah, that’s pretty much it.”
“As long as that’s what you want. It’s your wedding after all,” Wynonna said pointedly.
“Of course it’s what I want,” Waverly replied a little too quickly. Wynonna looked at her steadily until she added, “I’m happy with the plans. It’s going to be a beautiful wedding.”
Wynonna still looked sceptical but nodded anyway. Just then, a shrill voice from the garden called loudly, “Waverly! Out here!”
Waverly looked out to see Willa beckoning her, and Wynonna said, “Sounds like you’re needed.”
Before she left, Waverly swiped the mug and took a gulp before handing it back and heading into the garden, the alcohol burning her throat and Wynonna’s laughter following her. Willa was studying the clipboard she clutched in her hand, and only looked up when Waverly was right next to her.
“There you are. What do you think of the seating?” she asked, indicating the rows of white fabric-draped chairs, each adorned with a deep pink bow.
“I, uh, I thought we were going for the royal blue bows?” Waverly asked.
“No, we changed to pink, remember? It’s more appropriate for a summer wedding, and easier to match to the flowers.”
“Oh. But Perry was supposed to match his vest and tie to the royal blue.”
“He knows we changed to pink, everyone does. Apart from you, it seems,” Willa said pointedly.
“No, I knew. There’s just a lot to think about right now.”
Willa’s expression softened and she squeezed Waverly’s shoulder. “That’s what Daddy and I are here for, okay? Just let us deal with all of this and you can look forward to the wedding.”
She led Waverly between the chairs, pointing out where everyone would be sitting, but Waverly noticed one person that she had overlooked.
“What about Mama, where will she sit?” Waverly spoke up.
“Mama? She’s decided to come after all, has she?” Willa frowned.
“She was always coming, Willa. She’s our mother.”
“She’d do well to remember that. Six months since she walked out and we’ve heard nothing from her.”
Waverly bit back her response. She spoke to her mother every week and knew that Wynonna did too, but Willa, as always, had sided with their father. “She didn’t walk out, she just went to stay with Aunt Gus for a while,” she tried to reason.
“And forgot to come back?” Willa asked snidely, then shook her head. “Never mind. Actually, it’ll look better if the whole family is there anyway, presenting a united front.”
Waverly sighed quietly as Willa turned and walked away, expecting her to follow. With Willa, appearances were always the most important thing. As she trailed after her sister, their father appeared from the tent and intercepted them. “How is everything out here? All going to plan?” he asked, casting a critical eye over the garden.
“Once I made sure everyone knew what they were doing, yes. I think it looks good,” Willa told him.
“Just keep an eye on everyone, this has to be perfect.”
“It will be, when the flowers arrive everything will be beautiful,” Waverly spoke up, but her father carried on speaking over her. “Everything should be in place for the journalist and photographer arriving tomorrow.”
It took Waverly a moment to realise what her father had just said, and one glance at Willa’s face was enough to tell her that she had also been caught off guard.
“Wait, what? What journalist?” Waverly asked at the same time as Willa said, “I wasn’t told about that.”
He waved his hand dismissively at them as he turned away. “Oh, some magazine wanted to cover the wedding, and I accepted the offer. You won’t even know they’re here.”
“But Daddy,” Waverly protested, “I don’t want my wedding in a magazine. I wanted it to be private.”
“It’s hardly private when you have hundreds of guests,” he pointed out, and Willa was quick to agree with him. “Exactly. It won’t make any difference to you.”
“But it will. The day is supposed to be for me and Perry, not for the whole world to see.”
“Don’t exaggerate Waverly. The journalist and the photographer are just another two guests,” her father told her.
“But-“ she started.
“No more buts. Look, the magazine is going to publish a story about your mother leaving us if we don’t let them cover the wedding. I’m doing this to avoid a scandal.”
Waverly came to an abrupt stop as she tried to process what her father was telling her. “But there’s no scandal, Mama hasn’t left us. She’s coming for the wedding,” she tried to explain.
“I know. We’ll all be together as a family, the magazine will get their photos and this will all go away.”
“Why does it matter what some magazine prints? I don’t care what they say,” Waverly said defiantly.
Her father rounded on her, “I care, and so does your mother. We’re doing this for the sake of the whole family. It’s not up for debate, Waverly.”
Waverly recognised the tone of his voice and knew that she could argue no more. For her father, determined to uphold the prestigious family name, there would be no backing down. She sighed heavily, “Fine. For the family.”
“Good girl,” he smiled, patting her on the shoulder before walking off, Willa a step behind him, leaving Waverly to wonder what had just happened.
She made her way back to the sunroom but Wynonna had gone, taking her mug of whiskey with her. She threw herself down on the sofa and watched, frowning, as her father and Willa made their way around the garden, checking on the arrangements. Her small, intimate wedding seemed like a distant dream. Still, she tried to convince herself, she was about to marry Perry with all of her family in attendance, and that was what really mattered.
By the time Perry arrived for dinner, the tent was up and the chairs arranged to Willa’s satisfaction, and everyone had been warned not to touch anything until the day of the wedding. Perry joined the family in the garden, giving Waverly a chaste kiss on the cheek when he sat next to her.
“What do you think so far, Perry?” Willa asked, her question accompanied by a sweeping gesture that encompassed the garden.
“It looks beautiful. You’ve done a wonderful job,” he enthused. From the corner of her eye, Waverly caught Wynonna’s eye roll and let out a small giggle which she covered up with a cough.
Perry turned to her and asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. How was work today?”
“Oh, it was great. I signed two new contracts today, clients I’ve been working on for months,” he told her animatedly, his eyes lighting up the way they did only when he talked about work. He launched into a story about his company’s latest triumph and although Waverly tried to listen attentively, she couldn’t help but let her mind wander a little. Glancing around, she saw that Wynonna had given up on any pretence of listening, while Willa’s eyes had taken on a slightly glazed expression.
Her father, on the other hand, was nodding along approvingly. “That’s what I like to hear, that drive and ambition. Being a self-made man is very admirable,” he said, and Perry beamed.
“Thank you sir, it’s very important to me.”
The irony of such words from her father, whose wealth and businesses were inherited, wasn’t lost on Waverly, and from her barely disguised scoff, on Wynonna either.
After dinner, Waverly and Perry opened all of the gifts that had arrived that day, Perry fastidiously matching names and addresses to gifts as they went along. He exclaimed over each one, making careful notes for thank you cards, and Waverly found herself getting caught up in his enthusiasm.
When she broached the subject of the magazine story, he replied, “That’s great, I think it’s a really good idea.”
“You do?” Waverly was still doubtful.
“Sure. Why not share our day with everyone?
“Because it’s our day?”
“And it’ll be nice for other people to see it. It could even be a good promotional opportunity,” he said thoughtfully.
“For what? Your company? You want to use our wedding to advertise?”
“No, I didn’t mean that. Although, it never hurts to get your name out there...” Perry trailed off as he saw Waverly’s incredulous look.
“I only agreed to this for the sake of my family. I’m still not happy about it,” she told him.
“I’m sorry. We can pretend they’re not even there. The most important thing is us.” Perry pulled her into an embrace, and Waverly relaxed against him. After a moment, she felt him shift slightly, and he spoke up, “I didn’t realise how late it was. I have to go.”
Waverly looked at her watch. “It’s only 9.30.”
“I’ve got an early meeting tomorrow, an important one too. I need to be rested.”
“Okay, I wouldn’t want to get in the way of your beauty sleep,” Waverly teased, moving away so he could stand up.
When she’d seen him off, she went in search of Wynonna, wandering through dark rooms until she heard faint voices drifting in from the garden. As she got closer, she heard Wynonna’s raised voice, and another, quieter, that was all too familiar. Holding her breath, she stepped onto the patio and saw her sister talking to another woman, with even more familiar red hair.
Wynonna stopped abruptly when she caught sight of Waverly, and the other woman turned to see what she was looking at. For the first time in two years, Waverly came face to face with her ex.
Nicole’s face lit up with a wide dimpled grin, and she greeted her, “Hey Waves.”