DeeDee and Kyla laughed. “She is so excited. She’s been in her room all day arranging Winnie and Simon’s things. You just made her day telling her you’re taking her to Alice’s Tea Cup. Second to Serendipity, it’s her favorite.”
“That’s what Sean said.”
“I’ll talk to Mike about the sleep over, but it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“She’s adorable and I love spending time with her.”
“Kinda makes you want one of your own.”
Kyla smiled. “We’ve talked about it and decided on having one, maybe two.”
“Good for you.”
“Oh, before I forget, my mother said she’ll call once they leave the airport. Thank you. We have so much to get done in the next few days, that we wouldn’t be able to take care of Simon and Winnie.”
“It’s not a problem. Besides this is the perfect way for us to see if Michelle can handle the responsibility of a dog. And if the apartment can handle a dog.” She laughed but Kyla didn’t respond. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
DeeDee looked at her friend, not confident of her response. “Are you all set for your trip?”
Kyla exhaled. “Our trip was the number one topic at every family gathering.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s just—”
DeeDee looked at her and saw a familiar look. “Are you having second thoughts?”
“No. Uhm, I’ve been thinking maybe, we should…”
“What?”
She stood up and walked further into the kitchen so Sean couldn’t see her. “I’ve been thinking maybe we should get married before we leave.”
“What!” DeeDee shouted.
“Is everything okay, baby,” Mike called out.
“Yeah…just a little girl talk. I’ll let you know when dinner’s ready.”
“Okay.”
She grabbed Kyla by the hand and lowered her voice.
“Explain.”
“It’s just..I’ve been…”
She looked at her and asked. “Is it the voice again?”
“I haven’t slept well since I gave Sean his Christmas gift.”
“What did you give him?”
“A few things, but he really liked the uhm…I gave him a copy of my medical report. You know…he’s never questioned my past, but with our getting married, I thought it would be good to reassure him that I’m in good health. You know what I’m mean? I put a little note on it saying I was healthy and ready to marry him.”
“Okay.” She let go of her hands.