The Hockey Life

PARTY SIXTY-ONE: ENGAGEMENT PARTY
I don’t always give Tess enough credit. I noticed that rather quickly once I started doing some hardcore wedding planning. She found awesome little books and websites for me and she helped me with some decisions I couldn’t seem to make by myself. And that was just in a few days. A couple weeks after Patrick and I officially chose the date for our big day, she threw me an engagement party.
I was completely amazed at how quickly she had pulled it off. She spent a week planning it and sent out invitations about a week in advance so that it could be on the following weekend. I told her who I wanted there along with my other wants for it, and she made it happen.
The party was supposed to take place at my parents’ house, so that morning Patrick and I picked his parents and sisters up from the airport and headed there. It was a casual party, so I wore a cozy sweater, a scarf, jeans, and boots. Outfits like this one were my favorites to wear. That was just part of the reason why I liked winter so much. That and the snow and ice for hockey.
We got to my parents’ house a few minutes early, but it didn’t take long for me and Patrick’s closest friends and family friends, including Tess’ family and some of the Blackhawks (those who could make it) to arrive. When they did, Tess and my parents poured a glass of champagne for everyone and Tess called for a toast.
“Can I get everyone’s attention, please?” she boomed so everyone would cease their talking and listen up. Once everyone, including my dog Puck, was silent, she spoke again. “I’d like to make a toast to Lena and Patrick and congratulate them on their engagement. You two are perfect for each other, and I’m so happy for you guys. Here’s to Lena and Patrick!” she chimed.
“To Lena and Patrick!” everyone cheered, and glasses clinked together before the guests took first sips of their champagne.
“Don’t worry, I’m saving the big speech for later on. That is, if I’m in the wedding party,” Tess joked when everyone began talking and mingling again.
“I wouldn’t count on it,” I smiled.
The pressure was on after that, because friends and family bombarded me with not only congratulations, but also questions. Lots and lots of questions. Fortunately, they were mostly questions that had answers. I told them that Patrick and I were registered at Crate and Barrel, our date was January 24 of the next year, and that we had, in fact, selected a venue and secured it. The wedding ceremony would take place outside, depending on how low the temperature got, at Chicago Botanic Gardens. The reception would be at the Trump International Hotel and Tower, in the Skyline room. Of course, if it was just too cold to be outside for even the very short ceremony that we planned on having, the ceremony would be inside at the hotel as well. I knew that as the day got closer, I would be praying for good weather. My dream was to get married outside, with snow on the ground, so we could have beautiful wedding pictures. I would wear a warm shawl or jacket over my dress if I absolutely had to, and the bridesmaids could do the same. I knew that for a late January afternoon in Chicago, an outdoor ceremony was nearly impossible, but the little girl in me told me that it could happen, even if that meant sacrificing a little bit of warmth.
After I had given these facts to plenty of people, my mom announced that the food was ready. There was no formal, sit-down dinner, just appetizers and hors d'oeuvres, but I definitely wasn’t complaining. I loved the cute little finger foods my mom made, and everyone else seemed to enjoy them as well. When I went into the kitchen to fill a plate, I ran into Dylan. It almost felt strange to invite him to me and Patrick’s engagement party, knowing that he had been so upset when he first found out we were together. However, at the same time, it wouldn’t be right to not invite him. He was a close friend, after all, and he knew both of us. The situation was bittersweet, but whether Dylan was over this or not, he took it like a champ.
“Did your mom make all of this?” he asked as he grabbed a plate.
“Mostly. Tess helped with a lot of things, though. I tried to contribute, but I was told that I couldn’t since the party was for me,” I answered.
“Well, it looks great. Smells good, too,” Dylan decided. He looked a few things over before he began to actually put things on his plate. By then, mine was already almost full.
“Ooo, you definitely need to try the bruschetta,” I hinted, pointing to it. It was one of my favorite appetizer-type items.
“Will do,” Dylan said as he took a piece of bread and scooped the topping onto it. “Hey, congratulations, by the way. I never really got a chance to say it. I was going to wait until Patrick was around too, but I don’t know where he went…”
“I’m sure he’s already eating,” I laughed. “But thank you.”
Once my plate was filled, I ate, drank, and talked to more people. There wasn’t much else to do. I wasn’t sure what to expect, since I had never had or been to an engagement party before, but it was pretty simple. No ridiculous games or gifts, nothing too formal unless I had wanted it to be that way. Because of this, it didn’t last for very long. I was thankful for that, mostly because I didn’t know how everyone would get along, and I could only deal with playing twenty questions so many times in one night. Things went surprisingly well, though. I couldn’t have asked for a much better party.
“Thanks for this, Tess,” I said after everyone else had left, including Patrick, who would come back after dropping his family off at the airport.
“Hey, it wasn’t all me. Your mom co-hosted!” she reminded me.
“I know, but you’re the one who planned it and took charge. I’ll thank my mom, too,” I told her.
“It wasn’t that big of a deal, Lean. I wanted to do it. But you know what this means, right?”
“What?”
“When I get engaged, you have to throw me an engagement party, and it needs to be even better than this one,” she explained. I laughed.
“Alright, I guess I owe you that.”
I made sure to thank my parents and I hung out with Tess and Brian while I waited for Patrick to get back. When he did, it was late, so Tess left for her parent’s place just a few minutes away and Brian went to his bedroom where I knew he was playing video games. He might have been older than me, but he wasn’t necessarily more mature in every aspect. Oh well. Boys will be boys, and I loved my brother just the same.
After about a half hour, my parents went to bed too, and Patrick and I were left alone in the living room.
“You tired yet?” he asked me, glancing at the clock. It was a little after eleven.
“Not really. Are you?” He shook his head. I turned on the TV and we watched a few Friends re-runs. I probably could have stayed up all night watching them, but once it was twelve-thirty, I decided we should probably head up to bed.
“You know, I’m still not very tired,” Patrick admitted once we were in my bedroom.
“Not even a little bit?” I asked as I stripped out of my jeans and stepped into a pair of pajama shorts.
“Not anymore,” Pat answered as he wrapped his arms around me from behind. He kissed my neck and I rolled my eyes. I had only been in my underwear for three seconds and he was making moves on me.
“Parent’s house. Brian’s in the room next door. You better watch yourself, mister,” I warned him.
“Hey, you’re the one that’s taking your clothes off. You’re provoking me,” he smirked.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Next time I’ll wear jeans and a sweater to bed,” I answered sarcastically as I pulled off my sweater to reveal a spaghetti strap tank top. A tank and shorts were good enough pajamas for me. I turned around to see my boyfriend in only his boxer-briefs. And yet he was yelling at me for taking my clothes off…
“What? Do you like what you see?” he asked once he noticed that I was looking at him.
“Definitely not,” I lied. Fortunately, I was able to control myself a lot more than him, so I threw my clothes in my duffel bag and got into bed.
“So, are we actually going to sleep now?” Patrick asked when he joined me in bed a minute later, once he had pajama pants on.
“Yes, we have to get up early tomorrow. It’s a bit of a drive to Chicago and you have practice, remember?”
“Fine. Goodnight,” he pouted as he began to turn his back to me.
“Hey, wait a second!” I scolded him. He turned back towards me and I pressed my lips against his, resting my hands on his strong shoulders. “I love you,” I breathed when I pulled away.
“I love you too,” he grinned. I reached for the lamp next to my bed and once I had switched it off and the room was dark, I turned to my side and got comfortable. I felt Patrick’s arms wrap around me and we fell asleep that way, without another word.

Notes