The Preparation

“You’re getting married?” Chris asked incredulously on the phone.

“Yes, that’s what I said,” Kate answered blandly.

“Wow… I didn’t know you were into him that much,” Chris said with disappointment. “I mean I know you guys have been together for like a year now, but I never thought you’d actually marry him.”

“What are you talking about?” Kate asked him.

“I’m talking about Kevin,” Chris explained. “Come on, Kate. I’m trying to rain on his parade, but of all the these you could have chosen to spend the rest of your life with, you chose him?”

“Well, news flash, big brother. I’m not marrying Kevin,” Kate announced.

“You’re not? So who are you marrying?” Chris asked in confusion.

“Tony DaCosta. He’s a friend of the family,” Kate said vaguely.

“I don’t know any friend of the family named Tony DaCosta,” Chris complained. “When did you meet him? Were you dating him while you were with Kevin? Are Dad and Mom aware of this?”

Kate sighed. She knew this was why her parents told her to be the one to break the news to Chris. He was very good at asking questions and overanalyzing everything.

While that made him an excellent accountant, it also made him an exhausting person to talk with. Kate wondered how his wife coped with him.

“Why aren’t you answering my questions, Kate? What’s going on over there?” Chris demanded.

“Listen, the wedding is this Thursday and I called to check if you’d be available to attend,” Kate said wearily.

Chris paused and then asked, “This Thursday? As in the next three days?”

“Yes, Chris. I’m getting married in three days,” Kate confirmed.

“Kate, what’s going on?” Chris asked softly. “Please, talk to me. What’s the matter? Are you in trouble?”

She nearly caved in, but she knew how her brother would flip out and barrel his way down to the house if he knew the truth. Laura had warned her not to give him the details of what was happening. Let him come to the wedding and see for himself.

“Nothing is going on, Chris. I just really want to get married to Tony and start my life with him,” said Kate.

“Who on earth is this Tony guy?” Chris asked impatiently. “How come you’ve never mentioned him to me before? Where does he come from? Is he a new resident in Sommerville? You know what, send me his photo right now. Let me see what he looks like. I could even look him up on G****e. What did you say his last name was again?”

Oh, dear, Kate thought. This conversation was getting out of hand. Chris was about to ruin everything.

“What did you say? Ugh, the reception is so terrible in my room today,” Kate said as she cleverly tried to get off the call.

“I can hear you clearly, Kate,” Chris said in a bored tone. “What’s the guy’s last name?”

Kate hung up immediately. She would let her mom handle Chris. Her phone started to ring almost immediately. It was Chris calling her back.

Kate ignored the call and made her way to the wardrobe. She needed to start packing her bags in preparation for her relocation to Chicago, immediately after the wedding on Thursday.

They’d agreed to have a small ceremony in the living room which would be officiated by John. The only people invited to the wedding were Wendy, Chris and his wife, and Tony’s best friend and attorney, Charles Huckley.

John would announce the wedding in church the following Sunday at the end of the morning service. By then, Kate would already be in her new home in Chicago as Mrs DaCosta.

Kate still hadn’t fully processed her emotions about all that was happening to her. She felt like a spectator witnessing someone else’s life firsthand. All it took was an unexpected pregnancy for her life to turn completely upside down.

She also didn’t know how she felt about the baby. Is she happy to be a mother? Is she sad that the baby has altered her life? What?

Kate guessed she would figure that out in the coming days. For now, she needed to focus her mind on getting through the wedding.

In the meantime, Tony was still in Sundance, concluding his business with the mall. He’d already bought the place and renovations on the property would begin in two weeks.

As weird as it was that Kate was about to marry a man she’d only met three times, a part of her looked forward to the adventure that her life would become with him. The man was twice her age and far more experienced in life than her. She might learn a few useful things from him too.

Kate knew that aside from wanting another shot at having a real family again, Tony was marrying her to relive his youth. And then, there was the issue of intimacy. They hadn’t talked about that part, but surely, he would expect to consummate the marriage at some point.

Kate hadn’t been with many guys, but she’s only dated young men. Is intimacy different with older men or do they want the same things young men want?

“I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” Kate said to herself.

She pulled out a white bodycon dress she’d only worn twice and lay it on the bed. It was going to be her wedding dress. She would wear her hair in a low bun and accessorize with silver jewelry.

Kate knew her mother wouldn’t like the dress, but she didn’t care. It was her wedding and she got to choose how she would look on that day.

Chris finally stopped calling her after his four attempts to reach her went unanswered. Kate spent the rest of the day busying herself with packing.

In the evening, Wendy came to see her. She was dressed in a bright blue skater dress and her hair was tied in a high ponytail.

“Oh, my. You’re ready to get out of here, aren’t you?” Wendy laughed when she saw that Kate had packed her bags already.

“Yeah. I had nothing else to do, so…” Kate said.

“Is this what you’re wearing for the wedding?” Wendy said and held up Kate’s dress.

“Yep. What do you think?” Kate asked her.

Wendy grinned very wide and said, “Girl, I thought you weren’t into this guy, but now you want to knock his socks off with this? I love it!”

“Shut up, Wendy,” Kate laughed. “Is it nice?”

“Nice? Are you kidding me?” Wendy laughed excitedly. “Girl, this is you giving the man a preview of what he’s getting for life. This was what Beyonce was talking about when she sang that 'Freakum dress' song.”

Kate threw back her head and laughed. Wendy’s bubbly energy was infectious and she loved it.

“You need to pair it with some strappy high heels,” Wendy suggested. “You’d look like a runway model strutting down the aisle to marry her Prince Charming.”

“But he isn’t though. He’s an old guy,” said Kate.

“He has a young spirit, Kate. I’ve talked to the guy before. He’s cool,” Wendy assured her.

Kate sat heavily on the bed and asked Wendy, “What if I’m making a huge mistake by marrying Tony?”

“What if you’re not?” Wendy replied. “I mean, come on. What’s the worst that could happen? People would talk and say you married him because of his money. So, what? That’s nothing new. We see stuff like that on the internet every day. Big deal.”

“What if his kids don’t like me?” Kate asked.

“And that would be their problem, not yours,” Wendy answered.

“Look at it this way, if your dad married a girl your age, wouldn’t you hate her?” Kate pressed.

“First of all, my dad is dead,” said Wendy. “But if he wasn’t, and he got married to a young chic like me, I’d buddy up with her so that I can get lots of goodies from him through her. My dad wasn’t the most generous person in his lifetime. So, the babe will be my access to his pockets whenever I want. That’s a win for me!”

Kate simply smiled. She should probably stop worrying about being liked or not being liked by Tony’s kids. She would simply do her best to be nice to them and stay out of their way as much as possible.