Chapter 2 Side by side, down the aisle.
~Haven.
It really feels good being back home, does it?
Home? Home. I mean… it feels kinda good being back in the house I share with the “Sutherlands.”
Yes. I’d taken the first flight back to Manhattan.
My sister’s getting married.
A little visit wouldn’t hurt, right?
I mean, I should definitely congratulate her.
What kind of a sister would I be if I was back in LA when my own sister needed me the most?
My parents didn’t train me like that.
They trained me to love my sister, worship her, make sure she feels loved even when bleeding through my ears.
So now I’m here, to give Hannah all the love she can get.
Make sure she’s happy and emotionally ready for all the stress that comes with getting married to the man she loves.
Maybe even give her a gift. Something thoughtful.
Something she’ll remember.
She must be overwhelmed with all the wedding plans happening so suddenly.
So shocked.
So excited.
So undeserving.
So unplanned.
She must be so tired… so exhausted.
Dad wasn’t being fair with her at all. He could have at least given her some time to rest. To think about whether or not she was actually ready to dive into that marriage.
And me?
Well… I’m here to be a good sister.
To support her.
To stand by her side.
To hold her hand…
……and maybe squeeze just a little too tight. Tight enough to make sure those hands don’t wear a ring… Oops, just kidding. I wouldn’t want to hurt my sister.
Would I?
“Haven?” Hannah gasped behind me like she’d seen a ghost. “Aren’t you meant to be in LA?”
I chuckled. “Oh, me?”
I turned, staring back at the woman that looks just like me.
I laughed again. “My manners. I’m so sorry. I should have at least informed you when I arrived. I just got so carried away with how beautiful this white dress is. It makes me look like a bride,” I gave a little twirl.
Then I halted before looking into her eyes. Cold.
My voice dropped to a deadly tone. “But too bad, I’m not the bride. You are.”
I watched as she tried so hard to catch her breath for a second. She could barely speak.
Hannah’s face went pale.
And again, I laughed. So loud that she flinched.
“You look pale. Take it easy. I was only joking. I can’t believe you took me seriously, sweetheart. Don’t tell me you think I’m going to steal your groom.”
I tilted my head.
“Sweetheart… why would I want something that was never meant for you in the first place?”
“What?” she gasped, her eyes darting with a glare.
And again, I smiled. “I was only joking. You really don’t know how to take a joke, do you?”
“Haven, whatever this is, I do not want to hear it. Get yourself back to L.A!”
Pst. Took him long enough.
“Oh, hi, Dad,” I said with a high-pitched voice. My hands were spread apart as I walked toward him, requesting a hug.
But just before I could reach him, Dad sent a slap my way, and since we all decided to make use of our hands, I returned the slap to Hannah.
“Ahhh!” she cried.
Pathetic.
I caught my breath. “Don’t worry, Dad, I made sure it was just as hard as yours. Her painkillers should help. She always has them, doesn’t she?”
I stared closely as Dad tightened his fists.
Usually, he almost never raised his hands to hit me.
But for some reason, I wasn’t surprised. Each day came with a side of him I never thought existed.
His eyes drifted toward Hannah crying, and it fueled something inside him.
Dad charged toward me like he was going to take my life that moment.
He was only a step away when I looked into his eyes. “Whatever it is you’re planning to do to me, trust me, Dad, I’ll make it twice as worse for Hannah.”
“What do you want?” he growled.
I smiled softly. “That should have come first,” I answered as I made my way into the living room. “I only want a conversation, and that’s all. One where Hannah’s included.”
“There’s no way I’m having a conversation with you, Haven. You can’t walk in on her and make commands. Go back to LA before I do what’s on my mind!”
I paused, turned, and smirked. “You want Hannah’s ‘wedding’ with Walter to be held, don’t you? I guess you understand what that means, Mr. Sutherland.”
Dad, Mom, Hannah, and I sat across from each other in the living room. I watched as their eyes shifted from pity to disdain anytime their gaze switched between Hannah and myself.
Of course.
Hannah, the delicate flower.
Me, the storm cloud.
“What do you want?” Dad’s voice pierced through the silence.
And with one breath, I spoke. “A wedding,” I answered.
Dad’s lips curled with something that looked like a fine mix of anger and disgust. Before he could speak, Mom cut in. “Fine. You want a wedding? Get married. Just leave your sister alone! Please, Haven! Please!” she screamed.
A warm smile parted my lips.
“To who?” Dad asked.
“Walter,” I answered.
Mom’s face dropped, Hannah looked like she was going to rip me apart, and Dad—
“You’re joking, aren’t you?” he asked.
“If you could send me off to L.A just to let Hannah get married to the man I’d seen and wanted, it shouldn’t be a problem making Hannah and me walk side by side down the aisle, would it? Picture it, Dad.
A moment where Hannah and I are putting on the same dress, and Walter’s just there. Our perfect husband, loving us both equally. And you, Dad, will sit proudly amongst the congregation saying, ‘My daughters love each other so much, and they just cannot afford to get married into different families.’
It’s a good thing, isn’t it?”