She pulls the hand not entwined with mine back, and taps her chin. “I don’t know,” she answers. “Does this include you also cooking breakfast and pretty much most other meals? Because we both know I can’t even boil water without burning the pan.”
“That’s because you forget about it.” A grin spreads across my face. She’s going to say yes, I just know it. “And, yes I’ll cook anytime you ask. Or, you know, order take out if I don’t feel like it.”
“Then YES,” she shouts, throwing her arms around my neck, nearly knocking me over. She kisses my cheeks, chin, lips. Anywhere she can reach. Whispering in my ear, she says, “The promise of cooking won me over.” She pulls back and winks. “Now, can I see the ring?”
I almost forgot about it. I grab her hand, and slowly slide the ring on her finger. Tears well up in my eyes and almost spill over. She’s just made me the happiest guy on the planet. Our moms are clapping and yelling their congratulations while people look at us curiously. When they see what’s happening, another roar of applause is heard. I lean Tonya back, and kiss her long and deep. They need to see just how in love with this woman I am.
“I’m getting married,” Tonya yells into the hot summer air.
I can’t help but be amazed at her beauty. Not just in her looks, but her love of her child and how much she cares about others in general. “I love you,” I murmur into her ear.
“I love you, too. You make me happier than anyone in this world.” She glances at Layla. “Except for maybe her.”
I place a chaste kiss on her lips. “I plan on making you happy for the rest of our lives.”
One
Tonya
What wasI thinking when I decided to plan a wedding while working and still going to school? At any point someone could have said, “Maybe you should wait until the summer when you have more time.” But they didn’t. Not one person in my family, or group of friends, told me to hold off.
I’m not entirely sure I would have listened anyway. The only reason I’ve been so adamant to have it in the Spring is because I don’t want my great-grandmother to endure any sort of heat if she doesn’t have to. I know she would have done it because she loves me, but why make her suffer. Hell, why make anyone suffer. It gets hot in Texas, and while the ceremony will be inside, the afterparty won’t be.
To be honest, I’m freaking out. The wedding is in two weeks, and there is still so much left to do. The dresses need to be fitted for everyone, and there are so many decorations that need to be made. There aren’t enough hours in the day to get it all done unless I take off from work.
Everything would be so much easier if Cami and Darcy were here. But no…They are hundreds of miles away studying for their midterms, which I also need to do. They will be here in a week, and they better be ready to work. There will be a lot of last-minute crafting and everything else.
“What are you doing, sweetie?” I’ve been so absorbed in my thoughts that I don’t hear my mom walk up behind me.
“Contemplating running off to Vegas, and eloping.” I deadpan. There’s a piece of paper with a massive checklist sitting in front of me, what else would I be doing?
“You don’t mean that.” She pulls out the chair next to me and sits down. “You would break Lala’s heart if you did.”
I saw that guilt trip coming from a mile away. “I know. There’s just so much to do, and I’m running out of time.” I pull the blanket draped over my legs a little tighter. Even though it’s the beginning of March, we are having a weird cold snap. I blame it on the freak ice storm we had back at Christmas. It threw everything off, and the weather has been from one extreme to the other. “What if it doesn’t warm up by the time the wedding gets here? We don’t have a backup plan for the reception.”
“Don’t worry about the weather.” Mom soothes. I know she’s trying to get me to calm down, but it feels like she’s pushing my concerns aside. “You can’t control what Mother Nature does. We’ll come up with a plan in case it’s cold.” She grabs the list from in front of me, scanning the hastily scribbled mess. I wanted to get an idea of everything that needs to get done, and it turned into a brain dump. I wouldn’t be surprised if random points from studying ended up on it. At this point, anything is possible. “Why don’t you delegate some of this to the girls? I mean, I can help. But I also know they want to help. They don’t want you so stressed out.”
“I can’t ask for their help. They are busy with studying.” Sighing, I rest my head on top of the kitchen table. “I don’t want to be the reason they do badly on their exams.”
Mom’s chair scoots back from the counter and a few seconds later I hear the hum of the microwave. What is she doing? I close my eyes, debating whether I should try to get stuff done, or take a nap right where I am. Normally the thought wouldn’t even cross my mind, but Layla is with Jake and Charleigh for a few hours, and I could definitely use the rest. I have a feeling I will be depending on him more and more until the wedding.
A minute after the microwave dings, Mom is back at the kitchen table sliding a plate across the mostly smooth surface. Peeking through the strands of my hair, I see the plate with a large brownie that looks delicious. “I can’t eat that.” I sit up and shake my head. “If I eat everything you keep shoving my way, I’ll never fit into my dress.”
“One little brownie isn’t going to kill you,” she snaps.
“That,” I point to the brownie in question. “Is not little. It’s almost as big as the plate.”
“It’s a small plate. There’s no need for exaggeration.”
“Fine, I’ll eat the brownie.” I grumble.
“Good.” She nods, victorious. “Why don’t you ask Caroline to help? She’s one of your bridesmaids, too, you know?”
“I don’t know.” I shove a forkful of the gooey chocolate goodness into my mouth. “I’ll feel bad pulling her away from David. She works so much and rarely gets to see him as it is.”
“She’s going to be your sister-in-law, and I know for a fact she’d be happy to help.” She sticks her own fork into the brownie. I almost pull the plate closer to me so I don’t have to share, but decide against it. I think she’s just as stressed as I am. Work has been crazy busy, and she’s gotten home late every night for the past couple of weeks. “And, you wouldn’t be taking her away from David. He could come over with her. If anything, he’ll be able to chase Layla around the house and keep her out of trouble.”
I snort. “More like destroy everything. For such a cute kid, he can destroy a play area in two seconds flat.” I would know. I’ve seen him do it many times.