“Kendall isn’t that much different from a lot of girls our age,” she told Kim and everyone listening, “except that unlike some people, Kendall does seem to be learning from her mistakes.”
Kendall beamed at Megan. “Why, thank you!”
“And isn’t that how life is supposed to be?” Megan continued. “You do what you think is best, you make some mistakes, you get up and shake yourself off, and hopefully you do better the next time.”
“Hopefully,” Kim said in a flat tone.
“Come on now, everyone,” Mrs. Weis was calling. “Time for the toilet-paper wedding-gown contest. You’re the bride for our team, Kendall.”
“I better give you some extra rolls of TP,” Kate said teasingly, “because that’s going to be one super-sized wedding gown.” Fortunately Kendall either didn’t get this or simply had the good sense to take it in stride. But Megan was starting to piece together some of the reasons why Kendall was the way Kendall was—rather, the way she had been. Megan really did believe that Kendall was changing and growing. But she was surprised that Kendall’s own family wasn’t a little more understanding. Megan had grown up as an only child and often felt she’d missed out on a lot by not having siblings. Now she wasn’t so sure.
“Why should you have to go out to meet him?” Anna asked Lelani. They were back at Bloomberg Place, and Lelani was trying to decide how to handle this meeting with her ex.
“Good point,” Megan agreed in relief. Really, the last thing she wanted to do tonight was to borrow Kendall’s car and drive into the city for Lelani to meet Ben. “It seems unfair that you should be the one going to the trouble of driving over to his hotel and—”
“That’s right,” Kendall chimed in. “You should definitely not go to his hotel. That’s like a setup, Lelani.”
“Good grief, I wasn’t going to his room,” Lelani said defensively. “It’s nothing like that!”
“We know,” Megan assured her. “But Anna brought up a good point. If Ben wants to see you, make him come here. And then you’ll have all of us to back you up.”
“That way Gil wouldn’t have to get off work,” Anna pointed out. “Not that he isn’t perfectly willing.”
“And you can put Emma to bed.” Megan rubbed her hand over Emma’s sleek hair as Kendall held the baby and swayed.
“You guys are right,” Lelani said. “I’ll call him and tell him that’s the only way I’ll meet with him. If he doesn’t like it, he can take a hike.”
“Yeah!” Megan reached up and gave her a high five.
“I’m going to get Emma ready for bed,” announced Kendall. “You can call Ben and set this thing up.”
“If you want, we’ll stay out of the way,” offered Anna. “I have some work I need to do anyway.”
“And I have a phone appointment,” called Kendall as she carried Emma away.
Lelani tossed Megan a hopeful glance. “But you’ll stick around, won’t you?”
Megan just nodded. At least it should be easier doing this confrontation on their own turf. If things got out of hand, she could always signal Anna and Kendall to come out and help. Surely the four of them could take down this jerk if they needed to. Not that she really expected anything that dramatic, but who knew?
By quarter after eight, Emma was asleep, Kendall and Anna were in their rooms, and only Lelani and Megan were sitting in the living room. Megan had made them a pot of green tea, decaf, because she didn’t think they needed any additional stimulants. Lelani was already on pins and needles and, although Megan was trying to keep a calm demeanor, she was feeling edgy too.
“Can we pray?” Lelani said.
Megan blinked in surprise. “Yes, of course. That’s an excellent idea.” So they grasped hands, bowed heads, and they both prayed and asked God to take control and bring some kind of good out of this meeting. “Amen,” Megan said as they heard someone at the door.
“I’ll get it.” Lelani slowly stood and walked in a determined way to the door.
Megan just nodded nervously, then watched as Lelani opened the door. “Hello, Ben,” she said in a chilly but polite tone.
“Lelani,” he said warmly. Megan saw his hand extend from behind the door and take Lelani’s, but she pulled it away.
“Come in,” she said coolly. “My best friend, Megan, is here. I asked her to join us.”
A tall man stepped into the room, then glanced in Megan’s direction. His tanned face broke into a charming smile as he walked toward her and Lelani made a quick introduction.
“A pleasure to meet you, Megan.” His chocolate-brown eyes glowed as he reached for her hand, giving it a solid, warm shake.
“And you too,” Megan said woodenly. She tried not to stare, but this guy was handsome, head-turning handsome.
“Please, sit down,” Lelani gestured to a chair. Then she went around and sat next to Megan, just as they had choreographed it.
Ben sat down, leaning back into the chair and crossing his legs at his ankles, the picture of comfort and ease. “This is a nice place you have, ladies.”
“Thank you,” Lelani said. “We’re renting rooms here.”
He nodded. “And the baby, Lelani? Is she here too?”
Megan felt Lelani stiffen. “Yes, Emma lives with me.”
“And she is well?”
“Very.”
He nodded again. “Good.” Now he smiled directly at Lelani. “And you’re looking well too. Much better than the last time I saw you.”
“You mean when I was pregnant?”
He sat up straighter and looked slightly uneasy. “That’s not what I meant, Lelani. I meant that the last time I saw you, you were … unhappy. Not yourself.”
“You’re right,” she said. “I was unhappy. I was pregnant, I was dropping out of med school, and I had just found out that my boyfriend was married and that he wanted me to get an abortion.”
“Who wouldn’t be unhappy?” asked Megan.
Ben leaned forward now, nodding with what seemed like empathy. “I understand that completely now.” He looked directly at Lelani. “That’s why I wanted to tell you how sorry I am.”
“Apology accepted,” Lelani said.
Megan saw the hurt register in his eyes as he pressed his lips together.
“I’m sorry if I seem a bit abrupt,” Lelani said, “but this has taken me by surprise, Ben. I honestly never expected to see you again.”
“Never?”
She shook her head. “In my mind, you were gone. Dead.”
He frowned. “That’s a bit harsh.”
Lelani took a slow breath.
“I think it’s a bit harsh that you treated Lelani the way you did,” Megan said, “and I’m surprised that she was even willing to speak to you today.”
“But you haven’t heard my side of this story, Megan.” He looked at her appealingly. “You seem like a sensible woman. I’m sure you would want both sides of the story.”
Megan glanced uncomfortably at Lelani, who was saying nothing.
“Or maybe I’m wrong. Maybe there’s nothing I can say.”
“I can’t imagine there’s anything you could possibly say that would change my opinion of what you did to Lelani,” Megan told him. “I’ve shared a home with her since last September, and I’ve never seen a more tortured person. Not only was she devastated over how you treated her, but she was coerced to leave her baby with her parents. She came over here sad and alone and broken, trying to piece a life together, struggling to get by. But now she’s finally happy and has so much to look forward to and—”
“I’m fully aware that Lelani plans to get married,” he said this more to Lelani than Megan. “But I question whether that’s what she really wants.”
“Don’t speak as if I’m not here,” she told him.
; “I’m sorry.” His brows arched slightly. “But I assumed that Megan was doing your talking.”
“I’m only trying to support her.”
He gave Megan a half smile. “Is that because she was afraid to be alone with me?”
Megan frowned. “I don’t think she was afraid. More like uncomfortable.”
“And why do you think that is, Megan?”
Megan was at a loss for words.
“Do you think it’s possible that Lelani still loves me? That she was afraid that seeing me again could come between her and … what’s his name again?”
“Gil.” Lelani said sharply. “And, no, I am not afraid you could come between Gil and me.”
He leaned toward Lelani, looking directly into her eyes, almost as if he thought he could hypnotize her. Megan couldn’t take her eyes off of him. “I didn’t only come to tell you how sorry I am, Lelani,” he said gently, “but I came to tell you that I love you. I have always loved you. And I am finally free of my marriage.”
“You ended your marriage for me?” Lelani’s voice was skeptical.
“My marriage had been over for years, Lelani. But we both finally agreed to put it to rest. We divorced about six months ago.”
“Six months ago?” Megan asked. “Why did it take you so long to—”
“I needed time to think things through. And I wasn’t even sure how to reach Lelani.”
“You found me easily enough when you were ready to.”
“So I did,” Ben told her. “And I came to you.”
“You came to a medical conference,” she said in flat tone.
“I came to see you.”
“So you’ve seen me,” she told him, “and you’ve apologized. I honestly don’t think there’s anything more to be said.”
“Except that I love you, Lelani. I said it already, and I’m saying it again.”
Lelani stood now. “Yes, I heard you, Ben. And I’m sorry, but I do not return these feelings.”
Ben stood too, his eyes locked with Lelani’s. “So you’re throwing me out?”
“I’m not throwing you out.” Lelani shrugged. “But I don’t think there’s anything more to say.”
Megan stood too.
“What about the baby? Emma?” he asked.
“What about her?” Lelani just looked at him.
“She’s my child too, Lelani.”
Lelani bit her lip and looked at Megan.
“She’s your child biologically, Ben,” Megan said evenly. “But you haven’t had anything to do with her during Lelani’s pregnancy or the first year of Emma’s life. You haven’t been much of a father, have you?”
He didn’t answer.
“Did you pay child support?”
“No, but Lelani didn’t ask.”
“So a mother must beg for a father to support his own child?” Megan frowned at him. “Is that how it works?”
Ben turned his attention back to Lelani. “Do you want me to send support for Emma?”
“All I want”—Lelani spoke slowly, deliberately—“is for you to walk out of my life, once and for all, and leave me alone.”
“That’s what you really want?” He still seemed unconvinced.
She looked straight into his eyes. “I’m sorry if I’m hurting you, Ben. But I have a feeling you’ll get over it. The truth is, any love I had for you is dead now. Completely and totally dead. Can you understand that?”
He just nodded with sad, dark eyes.
“But I do have something to thank you for,” Lelani’s countenance softened. “Thanks to what I went through with you, I learned how to recognize what I wanted in a man. And I found that in Gil. My love for him is alive and thriving and real.”
He sighed. “I understand.”
“And I am also grateful to have Emma. She is the single most important person in my life and I never would’ve had her without you. So thank you.”
“I think this is my cue to exit.” He gave Megan another half smile, then turned to leave.
“Do you want to see Emma before you go, Ben?” Lelani offered gently.
He paused, then shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
“Okay.” Lelani seemed relieved.
“I’ll just let myself out.”
After Ben was gone, Lelani collapsed into tears. Megan hugged her and assured her that she’d handled everything just fine, just fine. Then they said good night and went to their rooms. Megan tried not to listen as she got ready for bed, but Lelani’s stressed voice carried right through the thin wall as she replayed the whole story to Gil on the phone. Then there was a long silence. As Megan got into bed, she assumed the call had ended. But then she heard Lelani’s voice again. This time she sounded more like herself, calm and peaceful, and Megan suspected that Gil had said just the right things to smooth everything over.
Once again, Megan felt like Lelani and Gil really were a match made in heaven. At least she hoped so.
Twenty-two
Kendall
Monday morning, Kendall woke to the sound of her phone ringing. Naturally, it was her mother. “Hi, Mom,” she said groggily.
“Sorry to wake you,” her mom said cheerfully. “But they’re having a big sale at Macy’s and I thought you and I could—”
“Sorry, but I already have plans.”
“You’re babysitting Emma again?”
“No, not today.”
“What then?”
“I have a date with Nana.”
“Oh, well, that can wait.”
“No, it can’t, Mom.” Kendall stood up and began pacing in her room. “I called her yesterday and promised that I was coming.”
“But, Kendall, it’s less than two weeks until—”
“Trust me, Mom, I know exactly how many days, hours, and minutes there are until the wedding. I also know that you and Kate deliberately didn’t invite Nana to my shower last weekend.”
“Who told you that?”
“Kristen. She said you were worried that Nana would make some kind of an embarrassing scene. Well, you know what, Mom? I would’ve liked it if Nana had made a scene. It would’ve been fun.”
“Oh, Kendall!”
“I’m sorry I can’t go shopping—” Kendall suddenly remembered something. “Hey, I’m not supposed to go shopping anyway!”
“Fine, fine. Do as you like.”
“Thank you.” Kendall said good-bye, hung up, and then got dressed. When she got downstairs, all three of her housemates were in the kitchen, and Megan was telling Anna about the visit from Ben.
“I want to hear the details too,” Kendall said eagerly.
Lelani quietly sipped her coffee as Megan recapped how Ben had come and proclaimed his love for Lelani, and how Lelani had turned him down flat.
“You guys would’ve been proud of her,” Megan said as she filled her to-go coffee cup. She nudged Lelani. “I mean, Ben is one smooth dude, and he was trying to say all the right stuff, and he actually kind of looks like Orlando Bloom—”
“Seriously?” Kendall was intrigued. “Orlando Bloom?”
Lelani just shrugged. “He’s good-looking.”
“So is Gil,” Anna said.
Lelani laughed. “Yes! Absolutely! Gil is way better looking than Ben. And Gil’s beauty is more than skin deep.”
“Have you told Gil all about this yet?” Anna asked Lelani.
“Of course. I filled him in on every single detail.” Lelani poured some cream in her coffee.
“Do you wish he’d been here last night?” Kendall asked curiously.
Lelani frowned. “I sort of did, but I think maybe it was better he wasn’t.” She grinned at Megan now. “And you should’ve heard Megan raking him over the coals.”<
br />
“Good for you!” Anna patted Megan on the back.
“If I don’t hurry, I’ll miss the bus,” Megan said as she grabbed up her bag.
“And I think I hear Emma now,” Lelani said. “She slept in this morning, and Abuela will be here to pick her up soon.”
“And I need to get ready for work,” Anna added.
Then Kendall was alone in the kitchen. As usual, she took her prenatal vitamins, poured a glass of orange juice, popped some toast in the toaster, and opened up a container of yogurt. Before her pregnancy, she’d never been much for breakfast. But her OB doctor made it clear that babies get hungry before noon. As Kendall sat in the kitchen, she wondered what it would be like eating breakfast with Killiki in Maui. She’d only been to his house once, and while it was a bit on the small side and definitely in need of a woman’s touch, the location was superb, and a spacious lanai looked out over the beach. Perfect for breakfast … or lunch … or a dinner at sunset. In just two weeks, she would be there with him.
As Kendall buttered her toast, she tried to wrap her head around how Lelani must’ve felt to suddenly have her baby’s father standing in front of her and saying he loved her, and yet she had stood up to him and turned him away. Kendall wasn’t sure if she could be that strong. That worried her.
“Here comes little Miss Sunshine,” Lelani said as she lifted Emma into her high chair and buckled her in. “She woke up singing away.”
“I hope my baby is as happy and good as Emma.”
“Just think, Kendall,” Lelani opened the fridge and took out the milk. “Your baby will be born in Maui. That alone should make her or him happy.”
Kendall nodded eagerly. “I was just thinking about that. I mean, about living in Maui with Killiki. In two weeks we’ll be there. Can you believe it?”
“Lucky girl.” Lelani grinned as she filled Emma’s pink sippy cup with milk, then placed it on her high-chair tray.
“So, you really told Ben off last night? And you aren’t having any second thoughts?”
Lelani was opening a jar of applesauce, but her back was to Kendall.
“I’m not trying to be nosy,” Kendall said. “But I am curious. I mean I was just imagining that it was me, and that Matthew suddenly showed up and said those things.”
Three Weddings and a Bar Mitzvah Page 19