CHAPTER 103 - THE WEDDING MORNING
Three months later…
Lace.
It’s my wedding day. I still cannot believe that in a few hours, I will be Lace Higgins St James.
I wake up from sleep at five a.m. as usual and reach for my phone. I have been staying at my parent’s house for the last three months. They refused to let me find a new place to rent after finding out just how perverted Jason was. So Dean and I were reduced to sneaking around like a couple of teenagers in love for the last three months. I have to admit that it has been fun. It definitely added more adventure and more romance to our relationship. I guess living apart from each other made us appreciate each other even more. I guess everything happens for a reason. The universe definitely knows best.
“Lace?” my mother calls.
“Come in, Mom,” I tell her just as Dean replies to my good morning text with a series of heart emojis.
My mother enters my bedroom and I can tell her puffy eyes that she has been crying. “Lace,” she murmurs.
“Mom.” I throw off my blanket and hug her. “Why are you crying?”
“I cannot believe you are getting married.” She sniffs. “I always knew this day would come but I never thought it would come so soon.” She holds me tight and sobs a little before letting go and wiping her tears. “Now that I have gotten that out of the way, why don’t the two of us have breakfast together before the rest of the house awakens and it gets really crazy.”
I smile at my mother. “Sure, I’ll join you in a few minutes.” I hold back my own tears and take a few deep breaths. I never knew how much I missed my mother until I moved back home. I had no idea that I would grow closer to my mother. What started out as a temporary visit turned into a much longer stay than I initially anticipated. I have had the most fun times cooking with my mother and learning more from her.
I join my mother for breakfast in the kitchen a few minutes later. She has already made my favorite – scrambled eggs, bacon and toast with a steaming mug of coffee. “Yummy,” I exclaim and immediately take my seat opposite her in the small, cozy corner where my childhood table is place. This is the table I learned to mix batter for cakes on, the table I sat on while my mother wrote her cookbooks, the table I did my homework on. It’s pretty difficult not to burst into tears again.
“I have to give you your wedding present a little early,” Mom says, her eyes twinkling.
“What is it?” I gasp. I have never been patient when it comes to gifts.
My mother takes a few deep breaths before speaking. “I pitched the idea of a mother-daughter cooking and lifestyle show and my producers loved it!”
“Mom!” I had no idea I wanted to be a part of my mother’s life until now. “Thank you. I love it. When do we start shooting?”
“After you return from honeymoon,” mom replies.
I leave my breakfast and hug my mother. “Thank you. I am so grateful and I am so lucky. I have a book deal and now a television show.” I blink back tears of joy.
“I know that you will be great at this. And I want you to be happy and to work on your own terms so that you can raise your kids the way I raised you and your brother and sister. Your writing and this show will allow to work at your own pace and to still have time for your family,” my mother says.
“Thank you, Mom.” I am so grateful that my mother is thinking about me in the long term.
My mother glances at the clock. “Time is flying,” she says and starts eating faster.
I laugh and also eat a little faster. There is no chance of me eating once I start getting ready for my wedding.
***
Dean.
Today is my wedding day. I reply to Lace’s text and jump out of bed. After the ceremony, I will leave for the Caribbean for my honeymoon with my wife. I am still smiling after I shower. I bought a house not far from both our parents’ homes three months ago. I have been secretly renovating and redecorating the house since then. I received the title deed yesterday. This is my gift to Lace. I hope she loves the house as much as I do. Her mother helped me redesign the kitchen so that Lace can cook if she wishes to. My mother helped me design a ‘den’ much like hers for Lace. My father helped me design the backyard so that it is the perfect space for summer barbeques and pool parties – I only plan on having our close families over, and Alison and Zane. Of course, I did a ton of research on security so that my wife and our future family are safe at all times.
“Dean? Are you awake yet?” my father knocks loudly on the door and calls my name even louder.
“Yes, Dad. You can come in.” I laugh when he opens the door and I notice that he is carrying a wine basket. Why on earth is my father giving me wine on the morning of my wedding? He places the basket on my bed and holds up one of the bottles.
“This wine was made in the year you were born,” he says, pointing at the label. “I tasted a sample from one of the other bottles and I have to admit that this is as close to perfect as they get.” He grins, and pours me a tot-sized glass of wine to taste.
I take a sip. “Wow, this is amazing, dad.”
“I told you so.” He leaves two sealed bottles on my bed. “I promised your mother I would give you two bottles of wine on the day of your wedding. This is our first wedding gift to you.”
I look at my father. “Dad, you and Mom are all I need. This wine is also enough. Please tell me you haven’t done more.”
“Oh, but we have.” He smiles at me and turns away before I can ask him any more questions. “You should join us for breakfast. Time flies on your wedding day.”
I glance at the clock on my bedside table. “Yeah, it does.” I finish dressing and join my parents for breakfast. Our house staff presents me with personalized cuff links. I am so touched by their gesture that tears escape before I can blink them back. “Thank you,” I barely manage to say. Breakfast is my all-time favorite – hash browns served with a slice of cheese, a grilled burger patty, toast, salad, and beans.
The rest of the morning passes in a blur. I make sure I have Lace’s wedding band and the ring I designed especially for her before I start dressing. I double-check that our flights are booked, the honeymoon suite at our hotel is booked, and that our rented car is also booked. I want the next three weeks to be the most stress-free weeks of our lives.
I’ve just changed into my suit when my father enters my bedroom with his tie pin with a vintage gold watch which has been handed down from one generation to the next in our family. This particular watch is four generations old.
“Your mother and I want you to have this,” he says. He places a matching lady's watch, still in the box on the bed next to my ring.
My eyes fill with tears for the second time that morning. “Thank you, Dad.”
He reaches inside his jacket and pulls out an official-looking envelope. “This is my official offer for you to join my consultancy,” he says, “I would love for you to take over the reins one day. In the interim, you will serve as one of my managers handling a few of my accounts.
Unable to contain my emotions much longer, I hug my father tight. “Thank you, dad. I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes. Promise me that you will take over my firm and never look for another job again. Create a legacy of your own. You are going to be a husband, and I am sure you will be a father in a few years. You need to provide for your family. I know that Lace is an enterprising woman but it wouldn’t hurt for you to ease her financial commitments while she focuses on her own career and births your children,” my father explains.
My father is right. “Thank you, dad. I don’t know how to thank you.”
“You can thank me by being a good husband to Lace. Marriage is not always going to be smooth sailing. Some days will test your patience. But promise me that you will not run at the first sign of trouble. Promise me that you will work through whatever issues you may have instead of just walking away. Even if you and Lace decide to part ways someday, it should be on amicable terms.”
“I promise.” I am too emotional to say anything else.
“I’ll see you in a few minutes,” my father says, “I have a rather important wedding to attend.”
I laugh lightly despite the butterflies in my stomach and follow my father. I catch a glimpse of the limo parked in the driveway. Then it hits me with the force of a tsunami. Today is my wedding day. I pray to God I don’t do anything to mess it up.