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The rest of the as 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 reat talent and skill She ed 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 Ahe order for their special Turkish pastries Their desserts would be saes and various other notables Since they would all be joining us at the engage reception later, Claire even ht of everything

Senator Pierce and on had and arranged for us to have access to a private plane and a roo weekend on St Tho to get her relatives to behave thehest job of them all She also ca for my dress, veil, and shoes, out for irlie stuff She and I talked a lot about ive and take In case I haven’t mentioned it, my mom is an incredible wo We took the first steps toward for 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 withwith …Bubbe

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

The Pierces had planned their house party carefully Beth had conveyed uilty 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 caether 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 asthe two limos pull into the drive

"I love you, Gabrielle," he said sole not to sound overly fearful

The doors of the lead car opened andfabulous They caed 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’ 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’hed "Hello everyone! Welcoet 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 h 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 iving him whatever he asks for in bed, Gabrielle!"

"Oh, ly

"We’ll have to introduce her to Derek," he suggested with a smile We all went inside and we introducedhostess skills! She had found a second cousin ned a string of tuxedo rental places in New York He and Ira were talking so 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 iined that she would have beenof Drew, he and Bubbe and a couple of frat boy cousins were having a great ti cigars out on the patio Which meant that Braden and I were able to relax and enjoy soether

"So Tyler, I understand that you popped the question after six weeks too," ht for uess that Braden inherited my decisiveness and my ie and adventurous spirit because I accepted his proposal after eight weeks of dating," eous? Have you met her mother?" my dad joked "Never question howat her adoringly

"When Braden asked me I said he was the bravest man I knew besides you"

"I can’t believe that at this ti at me in much the same way that Tyler had looked at Claire andthat 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 theht full of laughter and tears withthe following day in their suite, acco asdresses in a deep sapphire blue that looked great on all of theht a siown and I woresheer veil attached to the back of ed 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 o walk to work off some nerves, so we set out to see as around