Against All Odds

by Danielle Steel

  “I couldn’t live that far from all of you, and the store.” Julie looked instantly relieved. She stayed for a while to help her mother but left before Bernard came back. He complimented her on her daughter that night.

  “She liked you too,” Kate said, smiling at him. And unlike Liam, Julie hadn’t asked if he was married. It hadn’t even occurred to her. And Kate wouldn’t have admitted it to her, if she had. It was no one’s business but theirs, especially here where no one knew him. As he put it, his legal status was an “administrative detail.” She had told Liam and was sorry that she had. He had been so skeptical about Bernard after that.

  By the time Bernard left, things were heating up before Izzie’s wedding. Kate was organizing the final details. The invitations had gone out, and twenty-six people were going to be there. It was exactly what Izzie had wanted, and the perfect number for the house they’d rented. The first serious problem arose when Izzie asked Justin to give her away, and he refused.

  “Are you kidding? You’re my brother,” she said, sounding deeply hurt. “Why not?”

  “Because I think you’re making a mistake and I don’t want to help you do it.” She was livid the moment she heard what he had to say.

  “You’re gay, not married, and having a baby with a surrogate, which is an even bigger mistake, and you’re judging me?”

  “I’m not judging you. I don’t want to hand you over to a guy who has never had a job, and will probably never have one, and is completely out of place in your world. How can you think that’s going to work?” He was being honest with her about what he thought.

  “What business is it of yours who I decide to marry?” She didn’t even care about his walking her down the aisle anymore, but she was furious about everything he’d said. Justin was a purist and always had been. He was true to himself, and wouldn’t do something he believed was wrong, just to please her.

  “If it works, I’ll be happy for you, and I hope it does. But I don’t know any other way to tell you that I’m worried about you except to refuse to give you away.”

  “Who made you Lord of the World, and so righteous? You’re such an asshole. I think Mom is worried, and she’s paying for the wedding and gave me the dress.”

  “I’m not your mother. And she doesn’t want to lose you. I think anyone with a brain and eyes in their head would be worried about you and Zach.” She wanted to tell him not to come to her wedding, but the truth was she wanted him there, and she knew that if she caused a rift in the family, it would break their mother’s heart and she didn’t want to do that to her. “I’m sorry, Izzie,” he added, with regret.

  “Don’t give me that mealymouthed bullshit. And I think you’re crazy to have a baby with a woman who may never give it up. You can’t afford to spend ten years fighting her in court. And what if you and Richard break up?”

  “That could happen to anyone. We’ll deal with that if it happens. But we’ve been together for almost five years. You’ve been with Zach for six months. That’s foolish right there. I don’t care how hot and sexy he is, you don’t marry someone you hardly know.”

  “I know enough.” She had her own concerns about Zach, and she knew his history better than her brother did. But there had been no sign of drugs or bad behavior since his arrest in June, nine months before. And her family knew nothing about it. If they had, that would have been the last straw. It was hard enough selling them on the fact that he didn’t work. When she talked to Zach about it, he kept promising to do something, but he hadn’t yet.

  After her rejection from Justin, she hung up and called Willie. He sounded surprised that she had asked him, but his answer was immediate.

  “Sure, I’ll give you away, if that’s what you want. But why me? Why not Justin?” He didn’t want to piss off his brother.

  “We have a difference of opinion, about his baby and my future husband. You know what a prig he can be at times.”

  “Well, if you change your mind at the last minute, and you want him to do it, that’s fine.” Willie had no investment in who walked her down the aisle. He hated confrontation, but if Justin didn’t mind, he was perfectly happy to give his sister away. He thought she was making a mistake too, but he would never have said it, and he figured it was her life. She was eight years older than he was, and she was a grown woman with the right to marry whom she chose. He hoped no one would ask him to choose sides between his brother and sister if the battle continued.

  The next surprise happened a week before the wedding, when Julie called Izzie and asked if she could bring Peter as her date. They had been dating for six weeks by then, and were seeing a lot of each other. She was having a great time with him, and she was out with him almost every night.

  “Is it important to you?” Izzie asked her. “Zach and I have never met him.” Which felt a little odd to her, to have a stranger at their wedding in such a small group, but it was obvious Julie wanted him there.

  “I’d like to have him with me if you don’t mind too much.” Her sister was so nice about it that Izzie agreed quickly.

  “We’d love to meet him, and I guess my wedding is as good a place as any,” she said warmly. Julie was such a gentle soul and asked for so little, she didn’t want to disappoint her.

  “Is there anything I can do to help you? I’ve been crazy busy at work, and spending time with Peter. I’m sorry I haven’t asked before this.” Julie had poor organizational skills and time got away from her, except at work. In her personal life, she was very fey.

  “Don’t worry about it. Mom and I have taken care of everything. Just come and have a good time, with your friend.” Julie knew about Justin’s refusal from him, but she hadn’t said a word about it to Izzie. She didn’t want to get caught in the middle, especially over something as sensitive as this.

  —

  Kate spent the day before the wedding at the house on Washington Square Park with Jessica, making sure that every detail had been attended to. A calligrapher had done the place cards and menus. Izzie and Zach had gone there a month before for a tasting of the meal and cake. Zach had brought remarkable wines from his grandmother’s cellar, which he said were a gift from her. Zach’s father had confirmed that he wasn’t coming. He and his wife were in South Africa, going on safari and visiting friends. And Zach’s mother had never responded to his calls or emails. Kate felt sorry for Zach. His family truly wasn’t there for him, even for his wedding. It made her feel more sympathetic to him.

  Izzie’s dress was carefully put away in her mother’s closet. And they were having the rehearsal dinner at her apartment that night. Everything was organized. And they were spending their honeymoon in Aspen. Zach’s father had agreed to let them use his house, and Izzie had paid for the plane tickets, which her mother didn’t know. And she had paid for a new tux for Zach.

  The wedding wasn’t extravagant, but it was going to be very pretty. She was going to carry a bouquet of lilies of the valley. And Kate had bought a brand-new navy satin Oscar de la Renta tea-length dress, and a very nice-looking beige silk suit for Grandma Lou. Julie was planning to wear a dress she had made herself. The ceremony was going to be at seven o’clock, the dinner at eight-thirty, and there was going to be dancing after dinner, in the second parlor, and Zach had hired a DJ he knew.

  Kate would have loved to have Bernard with her, but Izzie had never met him, it was too soon in their relationship for him to meet her family, but she was planning to introduce him to them in the near future.

  Kate got home at six o’clock, in time to bathe and dress for the rehearsal dinner. Kate was wearing a colorful Mexican top with jeans, with big turquoise earrings and gold sandals. They were expecting twenty people, and everyone had been told they could wear jeans. It was going to be an easy, relaxed evening, which was what the bridal couple wanted, and Zach was going to stay with a friend that night, so he wouldn’t see the bride the next day before the wedding. Izzie was going to dress at her mother’s, not at the rented house. A hairdresser and makeup ar
tist had been arranged for Kate and both girls, and there were two cars to take them to the wedding. All the details were in place.

  At eight-thirty that night, they were all helping themselves to the Mexican buffet and drinking margaritas. Izzie looked lovely in a simple pale peach dress. Everyone had fun and Julie had invited Peter for that night too. He was incredibly polite, and had kept a watchful eye on Julie all night, anxious to meet her every need. It seemed unusual to Kate. She had liked him better at the Met and he had seemed more sincere. He was trying too hard. He made a point of meeting everyone in the family, and spent an hour talking to Grandma Lou. He was a big hit, but as Kate watched him, she had an odd feeling when she saw him talking to her mother. He seemed determined to do the right thing and make a good impression, maybe too much so. She said something about it to Izzie when they met at the buffet.

  “What do you think of Julie’s friend?” she asked her in a whisper.

  “He’s perfect,” Izzie said with unreserved approval.

  “Too perfect?” Kate asked with a look of concern, and Izzie rolled her eyes.

  “Oh, for God’s sake, Mom. No one is ever going to be good enough for any of us, according to you.” She wasn’t joking. If she could find fault with someone as exemplary as Peter White, it was hopeless. She thought that their mother was obsessed with their well-being to an absurd degree.

  “That’s not true.” Kate’s antennae were up and she didn’t know why she had a strange feeling. “I’ve been watching him talk to my mother for the last hour. That’s a long time for a guy his age.” And he had come in a suit, although he’d been told he could wear jeans. What was he trying to prove?

  “We all love talking to Grandma Lou. She’s telling him about her trip to China this summer. Maybe he just can’t get away.” Kate nodded, hoping that was true. She glanced at her future son-in-law then, who was the opposite extreme. He had come in torn jeans and a sleeveless undershirt with his biker boots, and he had refused to get a haircut for the wedding. But even looking like he’d been shipwrecked, he was a handsome man, and Izzie was wrapped around him like a snake all night.

  The only tension all evening was between Izzie and Justin. She still hadn’t forgiven him for not giving her away, and maybe never would. Everyone had a lot to drink, and they stayed till after midnight, and then Kate sent them all away. She didn’t want them to be too hungover for the wedding. And Zach had had more margaritas than anyone at the party. Willie left with him in a cab, and dropped him off at the friend’s house where he was staying, and Izzie went home alone for her last night as a single woman. She thanked her mother for the lovely evening before she left.

  Kate tidied up after they had all gone home and the caterers had left, and she sat quietly in her living room, thinking about Izzie marrying Zach. She still didn’t feel comfortable about it, and she hoped that Izzie was right and knew what she was doing. All of Kate’s alarm bells sounded every time she saw him, and she thought her daughter was heading for disaster. The only thing Kate wanted as she headed to bed that night was not to be right about him. She prayed that she was wrong and Izzie would be happy.

  Chapter 13

  Izzie arrived at her mother’s apartment at two o’clock the day of the wedding, and Julie shortly after. The two girls chatted quietly in the living room, and Kate sat with them. The makeup and hair people arrived at three, and at five-thirty Kate got the dress out, and carefully lifted it over Izzie’s head with Julie’s help. It took ten minutes to do up the buttons, and Kate put her own string of pearls around her daughter’s neck as her “something borrowed,” and one of Izzie’s friends had given her a lace garter with a pale blue ribbon on it. So she was all set with the bridal traditions.

  Kate and Julie went to get dressed while Izzie waited, and twenty minutes later they put her cap and veil on, and Kate stood back breathlessly to look at her. She had never seen such a beautiful sight as her daughter in her wedding gown. With her hair and makeup done, the dress looked even more spectacular on her than it had when she tried it on in the store.

  Willie arrived at six-fifteen, and got into the first limousine with his sister to take her to the wedding. He looked very handsome in his dinner jacket and patent leather shoes, and Kate was proud of him. He seemed very grown up and manly as he helped his sister into the car. And then Kate and Julie got into the second car, and picked up Grandma Lou on the way. She was ready and waiting downstairs in her new beige suit, and had had her shimmering white hair done and cut for the occasion. Justin and Richard were meeting them at Washington Square Park, since Justin had no official function. And as previously planned, Izzie entered the house down a narrow alley through a back door, so Zach wouldn’t see her when he arrived.

  The guests arrived promptly, and were led into the living room on the second floor, where chairs had been placed for the ceremony. The judge was already waiting. Everyone was there by a quarter to seven, except the groom. Zach arrived looking harried and hungover at seven-thirty, half an hour late. Izzie was a nervous wreck by then and Kate was furious.

  “I couldn’t find my damn tie,” he muttered to Justin, making his excuse. His friend where he had stayed had come with him, wearing a tuxedo jacket and jeans, and a heavy beard. Zach introduced him as Justin tied Zach’s tie for him, since he didn’t know how. They were just inside the front door on the main floor, while the wedding guests waited upstairs.

  “At least he shaved,” Justin whispered to Richard about Zach, as Zach went to stand beside the judge. He had no best man and had said he didn’t need one. He had wanted to ask Willie, who was now giving the bride away, and Izzie had ordered him not to ask Justin, and didn’t explain why, but Zach could see that she meant it. She didn’t want Justin turning him down too. It was bad enough that he had refused her.

  Izzie was waiting in a bedroom upstairs with Willie, and when the three-piece orchestra began to play classical music, she came down the stairs on her brother’s arm, and Kate felt tears fill her eyes as she watched her. She knew she was crying as much for her fears for her, as for her beauty, and for the first time in a long time, she wished that Tom was at her side to see his daughter. Zach looked speechless as he watched her come down the stairs. His hair was in a long ponytail with his tuxedo, and his tie was crooked, but he had a look of innocence and wonder as he watched his future wife come down the stairs toward him, and there were tears in his eyes too. Willie handed her off to him with a solemn expression and Julie took her bouquet, and then they all took their seats for the brief ceremony. The judge made a very short wedding speech, and very rapidly pronounced them husband and wife, since there was nothing religious in the ceremony. And Zach looked like he was going to tear her clothes off when he kissed her.

  “That’s what this is all about,” Grandma Lou whispered to her daughter, and Kate nodded, and had the feeling her mother was right, that it was all about sex between Izzie and Zach, although it was ironic to hear a woman her age say it. It was clear to both women that Izzie and Zach had a passionate physical relationship that had brought them to this point, but it didn’t seem like a foundation for marriage.

  When the judge introduced them to the assembled company as Mr. and Mrs. Holbrook, a cheer went up in the room, and champagne was poured and handed out, and the reception began.

  It all went off impeccably, as Kate stood off to one side, chatting with Liam while observing everything that was going on. Maureen was there in an elegant navy silk suit. And a few minutes later Izzie came to thank her mother for the generous wedding. It was small, but every part of it was perfect, and Kate was pleased about that, and that her daughter was happy. But the evening was not without its concerns. Zach was visibly drunk before dinner, made an incoherent speech after they cut the cake, and was rowdy on the dance floor. He was the wild man on the floor, glued to his wife, and fortunately didn’t know that he was supposed to dance with his mother-in-law. No formalities were observed since it was so unusual for the groom to have no family there to suppor
t him. Justin danced with his mother instead, and growled in her ear the entire time about how foolish Izzie was.

  “She loves him,” Kate said calmly, hoping for the best since Izzie had gone through with it.

  “That’s no excuse to marry someone like him,” Justin said sternly. He looked somber and strained throughout the evening, but after a few glasses of champagne, Izzie came over and kissed him, which softened him a little.

  “I’m pissed at you, but you’re still my brother,” she said, wanting to forgive him, and he set his glass down and danced with her.

  “I just want you to be happy,” he said to her and meant it.

  “Then be nice to Zach. We’re the only family he has here,” she said sadly and Justin nodded. It was a depressing thought. And before they sat down to dinner, Kate had a text from Bernard, hoping that all was going well. It was two in the morning for him, and he said he had stayed up to text her, and didn’t want to interrupt her during the ceremony or at dinner. She texted him back gratefully that everything was fine and she missed him.

  The food was delicious, and after dinner, once the dancing started, Zach had taken off his coat and tie and unbuttoned his shirt, and then he did a lewd dance with Izzie. And when they cut the wedding cake, he planted his face in it. Everyone laughed, but they were a little shocked as well. And his speech was mostly slurred allusions to their sex life, which Izzie cut short. He was like a big exuberant boy going wild, not a man taking on the responsibilities of marriage, but Izzie didn’t seem to mind. She was willing to forgive him everything, as Justin looked green, and Kate’s heart ached for her.

  The festivities ended at two A.M. as the contract required, and Izzie and Zach went back to her apartment in the limousine, after she kissed all of her family goodbye. Zach was almost too drunk to walk by then, and had to be helped into the car. And after they left, Kate found his jacket, tie, and one shoe that he had left behind. It made her sad as she folded the jacket and put it and the shoe next to her bag, with the tie. It was not the marriage she would have wanted for Izzie, or the man. His friend had left hours earlier, drunk in a cab. And the rest of the family climbed into the remaining limousine to go back to Kate’s apartment for more champagne. At Grandma Lou’s request, they dropped her off on the way. She said she’d had enough celebration and was tired.