A lump formed it Kimberly’s throat. “True, but what if the local gossips turn against me?”
Corrine grabbed Kimberly’s hand and pulled her toward the patio doors. “Look,” she pointed out the door and toward Lake Huron. The waves lapped the beach slowly and the sun shone. “It’s a beautiful day and tomorrow you’ll be married to Jeremy.”
Kimberly smiled and winked. “I’m not so sure how the wedding night is gonna go, but I’m happy that I’m marrying the man of my dreams.” She hated to admit to herself that she really loved Jeremy with all of her heart, because it scared her. She owed herself and her baby a happy home. Jeremy would be a great dad. That much she knew.
An insistent knock at the door dragged her from her thoughts. She moved about and crossed the room. When she opened the door, she squealed in delight. “Mom!” she cried, tears cascading down her flushed cheeks. “I didn’t think you’d make it here.”
“What am I, chopped liver?” Kimberly’s dad exclaimed as he walked inside followed by her mom. As he spotted Corrine he asked, “Who’s the looker?”
“Corrine, meet my parents Hal and Bethany Steele,” Kimberly said. “Corrine is the woman that hired me as a spokes model for the Pretty and Pregnant lotion line.”
Bethany clasped her hands together and hugged Corrine. “You’re so pretty.”
Corrine ran one hand through her blond hair. “Thanks. If Kimberly hadn’t told me you’re her mother, I’d have thought you were her sister.”
Bethany flipped her dark hair behind her ears, exposing apple cheeks that were sun kissed. Her tan cropped pants revealed shapely calves and her painted toenails peeked out from the sandals she wore. Bethany rubbed her hand over her sunburned skin that was uncovered from the white button up top she wore. “It feels so good to be off the road.”
Hal was dressed in blue jean shorts held up with red suspenders. His wife beater tee displayed the words, Harley Davidson. He took off his sneakers and they moved to the kitchen. He whipped open cupboards and frowned. “What are you living on, love?” he asked.
Kimberly sighed. “I’m getting married tomorrow so I saw no sense in buying groceries.”
Bethany eyed Kimberly’s bulging belly. “May I?” When Kimberly nodded, she placed her hands on Kimberly’s belly. “Hello baby. I’m your grandma,” she said. Her face lit up when the baby moved. “Wow, do you know what you’re having yet?”
“Nope, it’s gonna be a surprise, but let’s talk about the wedding.” She moved into the living room. “It’s gonna be a small ceremony at St. Mathew’s with a modest reception at the beach.”
Bethany clapped her hands. “Sounds great. Who’s paying?”
“Jeremy is paying for everything. I won’t have any money flow until the modeling gig starts.”
“I see,” Hal said smiling. “I love him already. He better take good care of you and my grandchild. I’m not too impressed with men with money. I hope he’s no snob.”
“He’s not. He’s wonderful,” gushed Kimberly.
***
St. Mathew’s was a small Lutheran church in Redwater, its plain white painted sides and lonely steeple were not much to look at, but inside, the multicolored stain glass windows were a sight to see. With only two rows of twelve pews it was considered the smallest church in town. Redwater was a small town with many churches, boasting three: one Catholic, one Baptist and one Lutheran.
Kimberly nervously stood as both her mom and Corrine were squeezing her into a pink wedding dress.
“It’s not gonna fit,” Kimberly whined.
“Sure it will,” Mrs. Barry said. “The bird girls made it for you, and they are the b-best seamstresses in all of Michigan,” she belched.
Ignoring Mrs. Barry, Kimberly relaxed as the soft satin fabric was adjusted and pulled into place. “I want to see,” Kimberly said.
“Not yet,” came the response.
Finally after what seemed like an eternity, Kimberly was led to the full-length mirror. She sucked in her breath as she gazed at her reflection. The satin gown was folded at the top and rested on her shoulders and was pressed close to her growing abdomen, then flowed to the ground. Her pink sky high heels were the only thing stopping the dress from dragging on the floor. Tiny birds where affixed to the hemline with a larger one attached to the veil. Kimberly’s mother had pulled her hair upward and secured it with a blue barrette, thus the something blue.
“I-I need something borrowed,” Kimberly called out.
She searched the room until Mrs. Barry stumbled forward. “Here,” she held out her antique bracelet. It was silver with tiny flowers encrusted on it. “Thanks, b-but—”
“Don’t ‘but’ me, Missy. You can just give it to me later. It’s not like I’m giving it to you,” Mrs. Barry rasped. “Since your wedding gown was sewn by those two old bird sisters, you’ll have your something old,” she belly laughed.
Turning to Mrs. Peacock and Mrs. Canary who just entered the room Kimberly said, “The dress is so beautiful. Thank you all so much.”
“You are a vision in pink for sure,” Mrs. Peacock said.
“I don’t think we have ever seen you wear anything but pink before,” Mrs. Canary added, dabbing at a tear with a tissue.
“Hey now, no crying or I’m gonna cry and the bride isn’t supposed to cry at her own wedding.” Kimberly stomped a foot. “Where is Weenie?”
Kimberly looked out the window where she spotted Weenie on the lawn, and in that moment, was doing what dogs do best. Poop on the lawn. Kimberly’s jaw jacked open. “Oh, will someone go get him before anyone sees what he’s doing out there?” she pointed toward the window.
Mrs. Peacock ambled out the door with Mrs. Canary hot on her heels. Weenie was supposed to be the ring bearer for the wedding and Jeremy’s niece Katie, who was five, was the flower girl. She skipped into the room just then dressed in a white floor length satin dress. Her dark hair was pulled up into a ponytail atop her head and her curls cascaded downward resting on her shoulders.
Katie slapped her round cheeks with both hands. “You’re so beautiful.”
“Thanks, Katie.”
Katie skipped back out of the room and Jeremy’s sister Betsy, entered with an older couple she hadn’t met yet. Betsy was also dressed in a white satin gown as she agreed to be the maid of honor. The truth was, most of Kimberly’s friends had all gone off to college last fall and they had lost touch. When Kimberly found out she was pregnant, she kept herself closer to home when she wasn’t working.
The man in a grey tweed suit introduced himself. “I’m Martin Preston, Jeremy’s father.” He rubbed a hand over his grey receding hairline and motioned toward the stunning older female who accompanied him. “This is my wife and Jeremy’s mother, Frances.”
She clasped her hands with Kimberly’s and gazed down at her abdomen in wonder, and then met Kimberly’s eyes. “Jeremy told us, well, about everything and I think it’s great.”
“Jeremy has always been a stand up guy,” Martin added. “He’d take in every lost puppy in town if he could when he was a kid.”
Kimberly’s cheeks reddened.
“Ignore him. He’s an old fool,” Frances began. “Jeremy loves you and that’s all that matters.”
Martin’s words, although unintended to be harsh, felt that way to Kimberly. Why had he told them? Then again, how could he not since they might presume that her baby was his.
“I love him too, but I did try to tell him we could wait until after the baby is born to wed.”
Frances waved a hand in the air. “Nonsense, you’ll be way too busy then, honey. I remember the moment when Betsy was born, she was so beautiful that I cried.”
“I thought Jeremy was adopted?”
“He was, but then I got pregnant with Betsy a few years later. I was shocked.”
Martin cut in with, “We never treated Jeremy any different from Betsy. He’s just as much our son as Betsy is our daughter.”
Kimberly swallowed a lump that formed.How sw
eet was that? If Jeremy had been treated that way as a child, surly he’d treat her baby like his own, thought Kimberly.
“Jeremy is going to be thunderstruck when he sees you at the alter.” Francis added. They excused themselves and Kimberly strolled back to the mirror. She gazed at her image and wished she wasn’t pregnant for a minute, but then the baby moved and tears dotted her eyes. She was happy that she was having a baby and couldn’t wait until she met him or her.
A male voice broke into her thoughts and as she turned, she saw Clive who snapped a picture. He went to her side and pressed a bottle of lotion into her hands. “Pretty and Pregnant” it said in curvy bold lettering with a picture of a cartoon girl with long flowing blond hair and pregnant looking abdomen leaning against a deck. And the image looked just like her. “How?” Kimberly gasped.
“I used one of the test shots and I know an artist that did it up in a hurry.” He took a breath in. “I hope you like it.”
“I do, oh, thank you so much.” She hugged Clive and wrinkled her nose at the fragrance he wore. “Did you use some of the lotion on the way over or do you usually wear vanilla cologne?”
“He’s so metro sexual,” Corrine laughed, but when Clive’s eyes darkened she said, “I’m just kidding.”
“What does that even mean?” Mrs. Barry asked, “That he likes men?”
“No, it means he’s one hip guy with a great fashion taste and sense,” Kimberly added before Mrs. Barry got the wheels of her gossip train moving along.
“I’m definitely heterosexual,” he said with his hands on his hips with one thrown out a bit.
Laughter filled the room as Kimberly opened the bottle and the fragrance of vanilla burst into the air. “Wow, what a great fragrance,” she said.
“Vanilla is very soothing,” Corrine agreed. “One of my favorites.”
“And it compliments the fragrance of coco butter so well,” Kimberly added.
Weenie was ushered into the room and two rings were tied to his pink collar. “Sorry Weenie,” Kimberly apologized to him. “I know it’s pink, but I swear I’ll never make you wear the color again.” She bit her finger as she glanced at the clock and the minister poked his head in the room calling out the five minute warning.
The room cleared out as her dad entered and he hugged her close. “Don’t be nervous,” her dad said. “You got this. I gave Jeremy my blessings earlier.”
Okay, no more time to rethink the whole marriage deal now. She would soon marry the man she loved with all her heart. Was she ready?
Chapter Eleven
Jeremy stood near the pulpit dressed in a black tux. He hoped Kimberly wouldn’t back out at the last moment. She’d been dragging her feet all week, and he wondered how committed she really was. He had to trust in his heart that she’d show. He knew she loved him and that’s all that mattered. Sure they could wait to wed, but he couldn’t wait. Somehow she’d find an excuse later too. He wanted to make her his in the worse way, if in name alone. He loved her more than anything in this world.
He swallowed hard when the wedding march began and stifled a chuckle as Weenie ran down the aisle, a pink streamer attached to his collar. The minister caught him and held the squirming dog as Jeremy’s sister Betsy, glided down the aisle followed by his niece Katie. The young girl’s cheeks were rosy and her smile displayed two missing front teeth. She was a future heartbreaker for sure.
He gasped when Kimberly and her dad made their way down the aisle. He rolled his eyes and took in the sight of a sky high heel clad foot under the flowing gown her neighbors had put together. He had to find a way to get her to wear sensible footwear, but knowing her the way he did, she would fight him tooth and nail.
Jeremy was never more proud a man, or did all grooms think that way on their wedding day? He’d be proud to call Kimberly his wife, no matter what the future held.
Kimberly stopped next to Jeremy as her dad lifted her veil and motioned for her to take Jeremy’s hand in hers. He then took Weenie from the minister and filed to his seat.
They exchanged vows and rings thanks to the hand off by Kimberly’s mom. When the minister pronounced them a man and wife, and introduced them as Mr. and Mrs. Preston, Kimberly’s brow shot up. He already knew they’d have a battle of words over the name change, although he’d let her win.
***
Jeremy took Kimberly into his arms and kissed her softly, but Kimberly had other plans. She yanked his head down lower and open mouth kissed him, slipping him the tongue. The minister cleared his throat and the crown applauded and when they separated, Kimberly’s cheeks were flushed. She loved to make the minister uncomfortable. After all, he had told them repetitively that they were not to kiss in the church. How many people really obeyed rules like that? It was just dumb. The sight of Jeremy in a tux pulled at her heart strings in the worse way. She was happy at last to be his and his alone.
Kimberly and Jeremy made their way to the back of the church and outside where they welcomed their guests with hugs here and there. Clare walked up wearing a low-necked yellow dress and kissed Jeremy on the lips, even though he tried to deflect her by putting a hand up.What in the hell was wrong with her, thought Kimberly, but she wasn’t about to let it bug her.
“I doubt Kimberly will be able to keep you happy,” Clare winked. She then motioned with her hand like it was a phone and mouthed, “Call me.”
Kimberly smiled. “No need to be a sore loser.”
Jeremy wiped his mouth with the back of his arm. “I love you Kimberly and that’s all that matters. I don’t care about the past or anyone else but you.”
Kimberly began to cry and hugged him close. “Thanks, I love you too and soon we’ll have a bundle of joy to cuddle and love, further bonding us together.
Flashes went off and iPhone videos were shot as they parted, but by then Kimberly and Jeremy never looked at anything other than in each other’s eyes. Kimberly didn’t know for certain what the future held, but she knew one thing for sure; they’d be together forever.
About the Author
Author Madison Johns early days weren't spent writing — they were spent dreaming. Her vivid imagination ran wild and took her places only dreams could.
She began writing at the age of 44 and has since written four books.
In late April of 2012 she released her first novel, Armed and Outrageous. In September while doing a free run on Amazon, Armed and Outrageous, went to #1 for free! The following month her book co-existed alongside the Stephanie Plum series for paid in the humor category!
Armed and Outrageous, introducing amateur detective Agnes Barton. The book depicts two elderly ladies digging up clues with enough laugh out loud antics to make James Bond blush.
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