Double Wedding

There was a chance that Laura and Harry could have the wedding they deserved. What did she have to lose by trying?

"Actually, Laura, I was thinking... how about a double wedding?"

Laura looked at her, very surprised.

"Double?"

"Yes. Why not? You and Harry are planning to get married too, right? We could do it together."

Harry knew Deanna and understood what she was planning.

"Deanna's right, we can do it together. It would be wonderful!"

"No, no, no, there are too many things to prepare and it's impossible in two weeks. Besides, it's too soon for you to get married, Laura," Laura's mother protested.

"Between the two of us, the organization will be much quicker and easier," Deanna insisted.

Susan also realized what Deanna was trying to do and joined in.

"It's a brilliant idea! I volunteer to help you both."

"But sharing a wedding?" Laura's mother wouldn't budge.

"Our wedding will be simple, nothing spectacular. So Harry and Laura's could be the cherry on top..." Deanna turned to Daniel with bright eyes. "What do you think, 'darling'?"

"It can be done," he responded indifferently. "Wow, such enthusiasm," Deanna thought.

Laura squeezed her hand under the table, a gesture of appreciation, a wordless "thank you." Deanna returned it with a smile.

"What do you say, Laura?"

"But Harry hasn't even finished university and he's not even working," Camila interrupted, always Camila.

"I spoke with him a few days ago and he's agreed to work with me at the company, starting next month," Daniel clarified.

"How sudden..."

"Yes, Mom, your little Harry has finally decided to settle down."

Deanna was gesturing to Harry to intervene, to say something that would seal the conversation.

"Laura... will you marry me in two weeks?" he asked softly.

"Yes," she replied, holding back tears.

She'd done it!

"Well, looks like I'll have to prepare to dance with two brides," Charles declared. His words were few but decisive. When the patriarch made a statement, no one dared contradict him - not even Camila could say anything more.

The focus of the gathering shifted from Deanna to their friends' wedding. After dinner, since the weather was warm and pleasant, everyone went out to the terrace to drink and celebrate the imminent union of the two Crusher sons. Really, Deanna just wanted her friends to have a beautiful wedding; she didn't understand why they had to hide and run away when they hadn't done anything wrong. But the change also helped distract Camila from her cross-examination, at least for a while.

The future brides sat in a swing chair while the gentlemen talked. Laura thanked her once again for her help, asked her to be her maid of honor, and Deanna happily accepted. She felt proud of herself for suggesting and pushing the idea. Laura's mother came for her, and Laura excused herself.

Daniel, who had been watching them chat, started to approach as soon as Laura left. But Harry got there first.

"Thank you, Deanna."

"You're welcome, kid."

"You know you're the best, right?"

"Don't think you can win me over with sweet talk."

"Come on, Dean!"

"Forget it. I'm going to marry your brother, your mother will probably poison me at the reception, and these shoes are killing me. Do you have any idea what all this is going to cost you?"

"It's incredible we've made it this far unscathed... Dean... You don't know how much I want to meet my child."

"Or daughter. Can you imagine a little 'Harry'?"

For some reason, it bothered Daniel to see them chatting and being so close. They seemed to share a lot of trust, a lot of complicity. She laughed at things Harry said, and he was so relaxed. He wasn't even this animated with Laura. What kind of friendship did they share that made Deanna willing to do so much for his brother?

Harry finally left, and Daniel was able to approach. He sat next to her, saying nothing, with two glasses of champagne in his hands. Then he offered her one.

"Here."

"Thanks."

"What was that about a double wedding?"

"Just that, it occurred to me and I thought: why not?"

"You do a lot for my brother."

"They both deserve a proper wedding, don't you think?"

"Yes, but why are you doing all this?"

"Why not?"

"My brother and you..." Daniel let the sentence hang, unable to finish it.

"No, never," she replied firmly. Daniel felt relief hearing it.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"The situation we're putting you in."

"I got myself into this, nothing to be sorry about. I just hope it all works out."

They sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. They'd made good progress in just a few days. Still, something kept bothering Daniel, and he couldn't pinpoint what it was. In two weeks from today, the woman sitting beside him would be his fictitious wife, legitimate in everyone else's eyes, but behind closed doors, it would be a different story. He'd need to work hard to maintain a balance.

He'd been thinking about her since the day they met; in very little time she was all he thought about. He didn't want her to get hurt in any way or form, didn't want anyone to harm her. Maybe the circulating gossip was true and he was going through a "midlife crisis." But not the kind they assumed - perhaps he was just getting softer.

"So you told your father I'm pretty..."

"You told my mother I'm a considerate gentleman..."

"Yes. Because you are."

"You are too," he murmured before standing up and walking over to where his father was.

Deanna hadn't expected that response. Daniel had changed a bit since that first time. He was being less... distant. That was good; maybe they could live together peacefully for that year. His children had seemed lovely, especially the little one with those round, rosy cheeks. And if he cooperated a little, she was sure they'd survive intact.

Now they just had to organize one wedding: Harry and Laura's. Since theirs was just for show, they decided to keep it simple, with few people and quick. Daniel didn't want to turn it into a circus to avoid exposure. But in the end, it would be a grand event. Deanna was thinking about this, oblivious to what was happening around her, to how people were looking at her and whispering things about her. Everyone had been nice tonight, but they really couldn't understand what was going through Daniel's mind.

The age difference between them was quite noticeable, uncomfortable to see them together. And to top it off, Deanna came from a very different social sphere. Rumors had already begun to spread that the eldest Crusher son had been trapped by a woman eager to take all his money, and that, combined with Camila's assumptions, painted Deanna as a shameless gold digger who just wanted a free pass to improve her economic situation.

History had more than one tale about the opera singer who seduced the rich aristocrat to live off him and finally abandoned him for someone younger after taking part of his assets. That's how they saw her, what they wanted to think. There was no chance she was actually in love with Daniel. How could she be if she was younger and he was such a cold man? Right?