by Mia Ford
Donna sat down across the table from her daughter and listened as Sherry lay the events of her life out in recent years out on the table. The Christian woman in Donna made her reach out and hug Sherry tightly when she teared up while revealing having a child then giving it up for adoption. Donna managed to look passed the part about having a child out of wedlock and saw the situation for what it was. Then, to hear her daughter faced cancer and she hadn’t known about it all this time broke the mother’s heart. Donne was truly shocked hearing that Sherry just so happened to get a job as a nanny for the child she’d given up for adoption.
“Wow, what an unreal coincidence, Sherry,” Donna said, shaking her head. “And now you’re engaged?” she then asked, looking down at Sherry’s ring.
“Yeah,” Sherry said, blushing. She held her hand out so her mother could see the ring.
Donna chuckled under her breath then smiled. “Well, congratulations, baby. This ring does look nice, I must say.”
Sherry laughed, sniffling a bit and pulling her hand back over to her side of the table. She then twisted her ring, in thought. “Yeah, a lot has changed, so I figured I would come back to town and fill you in. I’d been thinking about you, Mama. I don’t want you or Dad or anybody else to think that I wasn’t thinking about them all this time… It’s just...It’s just...”
“It’s okay, Sherry,” Donna said. “I understand. So, tell me about this guy who is supposed to be marrying my daughter and I haven’t even seen him yet.” She laughed, shaking her head. “Wait until your father hears about this. He’s probably gonna want to follow you back to Fort Wayne and sit the guy down. Ask him questions all day long. Your father hasn’t changed much.”
Sherry giggled, so very vividly recalling how her father would run certain boyfriends off. Even though he’d never been in the military, he tried to run his house as if he was a Sargent. Even his son’s girlfriends were put under scrutiny. Mr. Calhoun was notorious for wanting to make sure his son didn’t marry a skanky woman.
Donna listened as her estranged daughter talked about Darren and how their relationship bloomed. Sherry admitted to having met Darren one night when he’d originally visited Ft. Wayne. She couldn’t concern herself with what her mother thought. Rather, she knew she would just have to lay the facts out on the table and that would be that.
Donna glanced away when Sherry finished telling the story. Her own eyes then swelled up as she looked across at her baby girl. She processed her having gone off for all these years and now coming back, having had a child, beaten cancer, then now engaged to a guy who sounded pretty well off. If she were younger, Donna would be jumping down Sherry’s throat. However, over the years, she and her husband both reflected on some of the mistakes they made with their daughter. And it looked like now would certainly be the time to make amends.
Much to Sherry’s surprise, her mother stood up and motioned that she too do the same. Sherry did just that, coming around to the side of the table and stepping up to her mother. The mother and daughter looked into each others eyes then hugged. “I missed you, Sherry,” Donna said, breaking into tears. “Really, I mean that. I’m sorry about how we were toward you. Believe me, me and your father talk about you and think about you all the time and we really are truly sorry. I love you, Sherry… We love you and hope you knew that we always did, regardless.”
Sherry couldn’t let go of her mother. With everything she’d been through in recent months, she wondered for a moment how things would’ve turned out if she had her mother around. This guilt she lived with at this point could’ve very easily been avoided if Sherry had been opened to rebuilding the bridges she helped to burn when she was much younger. “I love you too, Mom. And I missed you guys too.”
***
The rest of the summer then well into the fall was hectic for the both of them, but especially Sherry. Her life seemed to be wind up like a fairy tale, but she was certainly going to enjoy the ride. She felt she deserved it and wasn’t afraid to accept whatever blessings fell into her hands.
By the time August rolled around, Darren went through the internet process again and an older woman to be nanny to Gabriel. This left Sherry with a lot more free time so she could plan their wedding with a wedding planner Darren contracted. Together, she and Jeanette – an older, perky woman who loved working with bright-eyed brides – rode around Ft. Wayne for a couple days looking at churches. Sherry hadn’t yet ever belonged to a church while living in town, so she basically had to start from scratch. She wanted a nice, quaint church. Her family was small and she still wasn’t officially back in “touch” with all of them, so she wasn’t expecting a big turn out. Plus, she didn’t want the all the hoopla and extra-ness.
After riding around for a week, they decided on a historic church downtown. As it was one of the city’s oldest churches, the architecture was by far something that would be hard to find in this day and age. Sherry fell in love with the inside. Not only was it laid out perfectly to have a kick-ass wedding, but also had a small building built on to the side that would be perfect for a reception.
Halfway through the planning, when Sherry was deciding her color scheme as well as what kinds of dresses she wanted for herself and her brides maids – Chrissy and her sister Leah – there was a knock at the door. Sherry excused herself from the meeting with Jeanette to go and answer the door. “It’s Darren’s mother,” she had said to herself.
Joan took a deep breath and held her head high, realizing that even though she didn’t prefer this particular situation when it came to her son getting married, she was just going to have to accept it. Sherry greeted the woman then welcomed her inside. After telling Jeanette to go ahead and continue brainstorming some of the things they already discussed, she walked with Joan to the kitchen then out to the terrace. Sherry picked up on Joan’s efforts to be a bit more warm toward her this time around.
Joan looked over at Sherry as they sat next to one another on a bench. She started the conversation off with a congratulation then a kiss on the cheek. “I remember when I was getting married,” the woman said, smiling as she wiped her pants. “I was about your age. Just graduated with my B.A., about to get my masters and Darren’s father proposed to me. My mother and father were pissed for months...and I loved every moment of it.”
Sherry laughed. Even when being humorous, Darren’s mother Joan still remained stern in a sense. She crossed her legs like a woman who had seen the world. “Sherry, I’m going to admit something to you. I’m still having a hard time processing this. And not because it’s you or anything like that, so please, please don’t think that. But, as you probably know, Darren explained to me the...the...um...sequence of events that led up to all this.” She nodded, signaling that she was coming to grips with it all. “And, okay...I get it.” She looked over at Sherry and smiled. “And I think it’s a good thing.”
Sherry looked at Darren’s mother with surprised eyes. “Yeah?”
Joan placed her hand on top of Sherry’s then smiled. “Sherry, I really do mean this. I’ve been dealing with my son and his, um, love interests for such a long time at this point, as you can imagine.” She chuckled then shook her head. “And I have to say, I wanted to say to your face I should say, that as his mother I feel like he actually made a good choice this time around.”
Sherry covered her mouth; her eyes swelled with tears. Since she started planning the wedding, she just wasn’t all that convinced that Darren’s mother Joan would be all that opening to a woman like her marrying her son. Now, however, hearing that Joan was happy about it truly made a difference. “Thank you, Misses McWaters. You don’t know how much that means to me.”
Joan smiled, looking into Sherry’s eyes. I can certainly see what he sees in this young woman. She’s beautiful inside and out...truly. “Well, I just thought I would share that with you before things got too far along. I know we haven’t exactly had a chance to really get to know one another….and that’s alright. We’ll certainly have plenty of time for that
now. That’s just the first thing I wanted to share with you.”
“Well, I appreciate it, Misses McWaters,” Sherry said. “And I must say I’m looking forward to having you as my mother-in-law. Maybe you could come and stay for a couple months.”
Joan scoffed then shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Yeah...right. If I came and stayed for a couple of months, my son Darren would probably pack up in the night and run for the hills… Well, I guess I should say cornfields. Aren’t many hills in this state like that.”
Sherry laughed. Flatness was certainly the middle name for Northern Indiana. “Well, maybe a couple week then.”
Joan giggled. “Yeah, well, we’ll see. But there’s just one more thing. I must say I kind of have a bone to pick with you, young lady.”
Sherry tensed up. What did I do? Would she judge me for having given my child up for adoption? Was she about to insist that she agree to a prenup, if Darren was even thinking of such? “Yeah?” she said, hesitantly.
“I hope you don’t think you were going to plan this wedding to my son without any input from me,” Joan said. “I really hope that’s not what you were trying to do, dear.” She looked over at Sherry, sternly but playfully. “Please say that isn’t so, Sherry.”
Sherry looked away, trying to not smile. Only a few seconds later, she jumped up off of the bench then headed for the door. “Actually, I was just about to get Darren to give me your number so I could call you and get you in on things.”
Joan smiled and playfully squinted at Sherry as she stood up, clutched her purse, then followed Sherry back into the house. She joined her future daughter-in-law and the wedding planner and got caught up on everything that had been done up to this point.
***
Light snow showers spanned across the Ft. Wayne metro. Nearly a week ago, children were let out of school for winter breaks. Christmas tree lights tangled around the branches of trees lining downtown streets. Malls had been packed with shoppers, snatching up gifts at a good prices. The jingling of Salvation Army bells and the clanking of coins landing in donation buckets could be heard in front of basically every grocery store. With the Christmas spirit seeping into everyone’s hearts for the end of the year, Sherry’s own heart had swelled in new ways. Her wedding day approached faster than she thought. And with the help of Joan, the wedding planner Jeanette, and mother nature, this day was shaping up to be something any woman would have dreamed of as a little girl...and would remember fondly for the rest of her life.
Make-up artists and hair stylists swarmed around Sherry in her dressing room shortly before the ceremony was due to start. Guests shuffled into the church, placing their gifts down on the table in the entrance way to making their way to the sanctuary. Sherry worked to block out the noise and focus on the woman in the mirror. She held back tears, as to not mess up her makeup. Periodically, she would have to fan her face to keep it dry.
Shortly after the stylist finished with Sherry’s hair, it now lying back with curly at the ends, the dressing room door opened. Chrissy jumped over to make sure it wasn’t Darren. The last thing they wanted was for the wedding to start off on a bad foot. When she saw it was Darren’s mother Joan, she smiled and graciously welcomed the woman into the room.
When Joan pushed the door closed, she stopped in her tracks and smiled. “Sherry,” she said, practically gasping from the sight. She looked at her future daughter-in-law in the mirror. “You are so beautiful, Sherry. Truly, just stunning.”
The makeup artist backed away from Sherry for a moment so she could hug her guest. Sherry then sat back down in the chair and looked straight ahead, at the mirror. Joan, having shed her cold business persona, pulled up a chair and plopped down next to Sherry. “Okay, so I was thinking,” she began. “You’re going to be marrying my son, Darren. So, I figured it would be best if I give you a little guide on how to deal with McWaters men.” She chuckled. “And I only say that because I had to figure it out… Nobody ever told me a thing, even though I think my mother-in-law, may God rest her soul, was clearly holding back.”
Sherry laughed and looked ahead into the mirror as the stylists and makeup artists worked their magic. She listened to her mother-in-law-to-be spill as much marriage advice as she could. They laughed together in ways Sherry would’ve never imagined when meeting this woman. There were moments Sherry would look down at her hand and twist her engagement ring. She thought about Gabriel as well, who was supposed to be out in the sanctuary, cradled in his other grandmother’s – Donna – arms. She had come into the dressing room early when Sherry first started getting ready for the day of her life.
Jeanette buzzed around at the last minute trying to make sure everything was done and that everyone was ready to fulfill their roles. She even went as far as putting Darren up at the alter and telling him he had better not go walking off. By the time she got back to the dressing room, Darren’s mother had been finishing up her lesson on marrying a McWaters man. The woman kissed her son’s choice for a bride on the forehead then told her that she would see her out in the sanctuary.
When the door opened for Sherry to walk out then head to the alter, her heart pumped in her chest. She clenched her flowers in her hand so nervously that Jeanette had to rub her shoulders then tell her there was nothing to be nervous about. Everyone around remind her of just how beautiful she was.
The music started; the crowd stood up and looked on anxiously. With the train of her dress dragging against the red carpet, Sherry felt as if she were floating down the aisle. The sun, seeming extra bright from the snow-covered buildings and houses up and down the street, illuminated the sanctuary. People smiled and nodded; cameras flashed from every direction. No matter how many times she practiced this aisle walk during the rehearsal, she was still overcome with fear that she would be that bride who would trip and fall flat on her face just seconds before stepping up to the groom.
Sherry nearly sobbed from seeing her sister Leah up at the alter, waiting next to Chrissy. Seeing her family sitting out in the pews to her left was just unreal. The seats were packed. So much more of her family turned out than she would’ve ever imagined. Sherry then looked ahead and into Darren’s eyes. She smiled; he smiled. It wasn’t long before he extended his arm to help her up a couple of steps then into the alter. Sherry handed her flowers to her sister Leah then turned toward Darren. The groom pulled the vale from over Sherry’s face and smiled. It took every bit of his strength to keep from leaning forward and kissing the bride prematurely.
Time slowed as the minister expressed his happiness in seeing this couple wed. Joan had arranged of his childhood priest to come to Ft. Wayne and perform the vows, so there was also some sentimental value to the situation as well. For Sherry, responding to each vow was nothing like seemed on television or in the movies. She felt the eyes watching her, but she only had eyes for Darren. Even though they hadn’t kissed yet, she could feel their souls already floating out of their chests and embracing one another in the foot of space between the two of them.
Darren was the first to repeat after the priest. “I, Darren McWaters, take you, Sherry Calhoun, for my lawful wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part.”
Sherry’s turn then came about. She wanted to jump up and down with excitement, but knew she would probably fall over because of her heels. “I, Sherry Calhoun, take you, Darren McWaters, for my lawful husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part.”
The priest finished the vows and officiated the ceremony then watched as Darren slid the official wedding ring onto Sherry’s ring finger, pressing it up against the engagement ring. “...And you may now kiss the bride.”
Darren leaned down and kissed Sherry as if he’d been waiting years to do so. Sherry threw her arms up around his shoulders as she practically fell into their embrace. The crowd roared with applause
. Finally parting lips, the new husband and bride turned toward their guests and smiled. People rushed up for congratulations, hugs, and pictures. Donna walked up with Gabriel. Both with new leafs in life, Darren and Sherry looked into their smiling sons eyes.
“Come on, I got a idea,” Sherry said, pulling Darren’s hand toward the aisle.
Before Darren could say anything, he found himself being dragged down the aisle by the bride. The guests looked onward, wondering what was happening and where they were going. They crowded into the aisle and watched as Sherry pulled her husband into the church’s foyer. She then pushed the door open and people followed, pulling their phones out.
“What are we doing out here?” Darren asked. His cheeks stung from the cold air.
Sherry laughed and, holding her train, walked over into the snow. She had never looked or felt so beautiful in her life. She picked up a handful of snow, formed a snowball, then threw it at Darren. He barely ducked in time, but knew he could give Sherry a taste of her own medicine. The groom jumped into the snow himself and partook in a snowball fight with his wife. Baby Gabriel laughed from the entrance, in his grandmother’s arms and anxious to get down on the ground and run over to his mother and father. Darren and Sherry played out in the snow until they eventually toppled over, kissing one another in the snow while cameras flashed.
More Steamy Romance by Mia Ford
Mia is a contemporary romance writer who loves to write about strong, gorgeous, Greek God like alpha men who love protecting their sassy and sexy women.
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