Diary of an Engaged Wedding Planner (Tales Behind the Veils Book 3)

by Howe, Violet

  Nerves of steel, that man, I swear. We were more than a few minutes late by the time he’d sent me into spasms again and then received his own release, but his silly vow to save intercourse for marriage was still intact, and I really didn’t give a shit about my outfit at that point. I went back to the purple dress I know he likes and prayed it wasn’t too wrinkled from being beneath the amorous activity.

  When we pulled into Maggie’s driveway, Cabe reached for my hand and pressed his lips to it. “She loves you, baby. And I love you. She wants us to be happy. She never spoke against you or against us. She just wanted us to succeed, okay?”

  I nodded and stepped out of the car, squaring my shoulders against the unknown inside.

  In hindsight, I should have known what to expect. Maggie was Maggie. Just like she’s always been. She hugged me to her when she flung the door open and kept her arm around me as she walked me to the kitchen. I prayed we didn’t smell like sex.

  She spotted the ring within minutes of us arriving, almost like she’d been watching for it.

  “You said yes! Oh honey! Welcome to the family.” She nearly knocked me over with an exuberant hug, and then she hugged Cabe with tear-filled eyes. She dabbed at them with her knuckles before taking my hand to inspect the ring.

  “It’s beautiful. Brilliant. He did good, didn’t he?”

  I nodded, forcing myself to smile and enjoy the moment without concentrating too much on her reservations about him proposing. She was either putting on a really good act or she had changed her mind about not wanting him to marry me.

  “Come, come. We need to open a bottle of champagne and toast this wonderful news!”

  Cabe put his arm around me and kissed my hair, whispering just above my ear, “I told you.”

  Maggie toasted our engagement, toasted our future happiness, and any future grandbabies we’d like to provide her. In turn, we toasted her birthday.

  We talked and laughed through dinner, the conversation easy and unforced like no time had passed. I tried to set aside any thoughts of her disapproval, but I couldn’t forget it completely. It was eating at me, and I knew I had to say something. Get it off my chest and out in the open somehow.

  I took the opportunity as she and I cleared the dinner dishes while Cabe took out the trash.

  “So Cabe says you had some reservations about us getting married.” My heart pounded in my ears so loud I worried she may be able to hear it. The red wine and clam sauce churned in my guts.

  Maggie paused her hands in the dishwater and turned to me, her face unreadable.

  “Well, yes, I did. When he first showed me the ring, I worried that the timing was wrong.” She started scrubbing again and handed me a plate to put in the dishwasher. “You saw him when he came back from Seattle. He didn’t eat. Didn’t sleep. Drank all the time. I never want to see him that way again.” She looked at me then, her eyes holding pain and anguish. “I told you when we met for lunch that I was worried about him, didn’t I?”

  I nodded, unsure of what I wanted to say now that I’d brought it up and she’d acknowledged it. I wanted to defend our decision. I wanted to assure her that I had no intention of hurting her son. But none of that came spilling out in words.

  She grabbed a towel and dried her hands before turning to face me, her eyes glistening with tears again.

  “You have my full support, Tyler. I already view you as a part of this family. Any concerns I expressed were from a place of love and a vested interest in Cabe’s well-being. The relationship you have now is not the same one you had then. You seem different now, and I know my son has matured.” She reached to put her hand over mine. “I wish nothing but the best for you both, and I’m very happy if you’ve found that in each other.”

  I looked up and met her eyes. “I love Cabe. With everything in me.”

  Maggie nodded and smiled. “We have that in common. I just didn’t want either of you to make a mistake.”

  Cabe’s voice rang out across the kitchen before I had the chance to say anything else.

  “Marrying Tyler is not a mistake,” he said as he moved to my side.

  “I never said it was,” Maggie said. “I actually was just telling Tyler that I consider her a part of the family and that you have my blessing.”

  Cabe nodded. “I appreciate that.” He extended his arm to pull his mother into a hug with us. “I love you, Mom, and I know you’ve always looked out for me. You’ve worked hard and given up a lot for us.”

  Maggie looked up at him and smiled. “I’ve told you before. I didn’t give up anything. I gained you and your sister, and that’s everything.” She put her arm around him and then draped her other arm around my shoulders. “Now I’m blessed with a new daughter. My life grows richer.” She smiled through her tears.

  Maggie reached up to kiss Cabe on the cheek and then took a deep breath. “You asked what I wanted for my birthday, and I told you I’d think about it and let you know.”

  The tone of her voice suggested he wasn’t going to like it, and she was right.

  “Galen is coming home this weekend to celebrate, and I’d like to have both my children in the same room together without all this fighting.”

  The air in the room changed in an instant, suddenly charged and crackling.

  Cabe exhaled and released his hold on Maggie. “Not happening. You know how I feel about this. Galen crossed a line, and she needs to apologize.”

  Maggie sighed. “I’ve already said she had no business springing them on you without your knowledge. She needs to respect your wishes, and I’ve told her that. But you have to respect hers. Growing up without a father affected each of you very differently, Cabe. I understand your desire to be disconnected, but your sister needs to connect. She needs to know who they are and feel like she fits in the puzzle somehow. She wants to know her family.”

  Tension rolled off Cabe’s body and washed over me. I could feel him holding back emotion, and I increased the pressure of my arms around him to try and physically support him.

  “Those people are not her family!” Cabe’s voice raised in volume, and his jawline clenched hard.

  “But honey, they are,” Maggie said, her voice thick with emotion. “Whether you want them to be or not. Gerry Tucker is your father, and there’s nothing you or I can do about that. His other children are related to you.”

  Cabe scoffed, but he stayed. He didn’t walk away. I tried to telepathically send him calmness and strength along with a little love.

  Maggie leaned back against the counter and crossed her arms over her chest. “Do you really think I don’t understand your feelings? That I don’t see what he’s done to you? To both of you? I hate the pain he’s caused you and your sister, but I can’t wind back the hands of time and make it all turn out differently for you.”

  She glanced at me and turned away as tears filled her eyes. I could see her trembling as she struggled to maintain her composure.

  I stood there watching, feeling a little like a bright green alien standing naked in a crowd. Out of place and awkwardly obvious.

  Cabe groaned softly and released me to go to Maggie. “It’s not your fault, Mom.”

  He lifted his arms to embrace her, but she pushed back from him and wiped at her eyes. “But it is. Unfortunately, it is. I chose him, and I can’t regret that choice because it gave me you and Galen, but oh my God, how many times I’ve wished you’d had something different. I’m sorry.”

  Cabe dropped his arms and looked helpless for a moment, unsure of how to deal with the emotional woman in front of him. A woman who was normally the epitome of calm resolve.

  She turned to me then, her shoulders set as some semblance of grace and composure returned. She looked tired. Haggard. Older, somehow.

  “My daughter’s headstrong and outspoken. Which you already know. But she had no right to speak to you the way she did.”

  I hesitated, but Cabe spoke before I had time to say anything.

  “Galen needs to apologize, Mom, n
ot you.”

  Maggie lifted her chin to him. “I agree. But she’s not twelve, Cabe. I can’t force her to apologize. I’ve already told her she needs to and that her actions were wrong. What more can I do?”

  He sighed and his body relaxed as he chose to surrender.

  “I’ll go to dinner, for you, but she still needs to apologize.”

  Maggie nodded. “Thank you. It means a lot to me.”

  Cabe and Maggie shared a big, huge, mama bear-baby bear hug, and the mood shifted. We ate cheesecake with light conversation and sprinkled laughter and ended the evening on a good note.

  All things considered and tense moments aside, I guess the evening went well. One mom down, one to go. Oh boy.

  Friday, June 27th

  Well, I couldn’t put it off any longer.

  Cabe stuck to his guns about going back home to meet Mama so we could tell her our news together. We found a July weekend when we could both get away and made arrangements for Cabe’s buddy, Dean, to come and stay with Deacon.

  All that was left to do was call Mama and tell her I was bringing a boy home.

  It could have gone better. It could have gone worse.

  The first fifteen minutes of the conversation revolved around Floyd White’s arrest for tax fraud and his wife Jackie having to give up her position as president of the Junior League. Big time scandal in a small town.

  Mama was all but foaming at the mouth to tell me, what with her and Jackie being lifelong sworn enemies since Jackie and my daddy supposedly dated in the eighth grade before he and Mama became an item. Everyone in town knew that Mama and Ms. Jackie couldn’t walk on the same side of the street without one of them having to cross. People had been known to plan seating arrangements and holiday guest lists around Patsy Warren and Jackie White’s feud. They didn’t even pay their respects at the funeral home on the same nights unless there was only one night of visitation, and even then Mama always went late and Ms. Jackie went early.

  When Mama finally slowed down to take a breath and a swig of coffee, I jumped at the chance.

  “Mama, I was thinking I’d come home for a visit in July.”

  “Awww, well, I suwannee, that would be just lovely! That makes me happier than a tick on a hound dog. Everything alright? Did something happen? Did you get fired?”

  “No, Mama. Why does something have to be wrong for me to come visit?”

  “That’s what I’d like to know.”

  “Everything’s fine.”

  “You’re not messing around with Dwayne Davis, are you? I heard him and Ellain split up again. Is that it? You coming to see him?”

  I groaned and moved a bit farther from Cabe, hoping he didn’t hear her. Dwayne Davis was not his favorite topic of conversation by any stretch.

  “No, Mama. Nothing like that.”

  “Oh, Lord, did you and Gabe break up? Are y’all having problems?”

  I started to correct her pronunciation but decided it was wasted effort. “Actually, I thought I’d bring Cabe home with me. He wanted to meet you, and I thought you might like to meet him.”

  Cabe leaned closer to me, listening intently, and I hoped Mama didn’t say anything insulting.

  “Oh. Well, that would be nice! I don’t know why you ain’t brung him home sooner. So it’s going good, then? Y’all getting along good?”

  I smiled in relief. “Yes, ma’am. We’re getting along just fine.” Her enthusiasm emboldened me, and I almost blurted out that we were engaged, but I knew how much it meant to Cabe to tell her together in person. Which will probably tickle her to no end and go a long way in scoring brownie points for him.

  “Well, good. I’m glad to hear it. You still using protection? You’re not pregnant, are you?”

  Cabe covered his face to stifle a laugh, and I pushed him away so she wouldn’t hear him.

  “Mama, good grief! Please!”

  “I’m just saying I’d rather know now and have some time to prepare. Don’t you spring something like that on me, you hear me?”

  “No, ma’am. I won’t.”

  “Wait a minute! Are you getting married? No, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know. I want to be surprised. That’s why you’re coming home, isn’t it? You’re getting married. I can’t believe this. I can’t wait to tell Marjorie. Oh my Lord! You and Marlena can have a double wedding! Lordy-be. Do your sisters know? You told me first, right? You didn’t tell anyone else, did you? I won’t say a word. My lips are sealed. I am so excited. I’ll act surprised, though. Do you want me to invite everybody over?”

  “No, just calm down. Can’t I bring a boy home to meet you without you immediately thinking I’m either pregnant or getting married?”

  “You never have before! You’ve been gone off down there six years and I ain’t seen hide nor hair of anyone you’ve dated. You’ve been doing God knows what with this Gabe fella for years now, and I ain’t never even met him. Didn’t he already get married? Is his divorce final?”

  I closed my eyes and pictured how easy it would be to elope.

  “It’s Cabe, Mama. His name is Cabe, but you already know that. And yes, his divorce is final.”

  Cabe raised both hands and both eyebrows in a clear “what the hell?” expression but I turned away and ignored him.

  “Alright. Well, don’t be thinking y’all are gonna be shacking up in the same bedroom while you’re here. You may be living a heathen life down there in Orlando, missy, but when you’re in this house, you will follow the rules of the Lord. Do you hear me?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” How on earth she could justify telling me to use protection and admonishing me for being a heathen in the same breath, I don’t know.

  “Now when are you coming? Because I’ve got bingo duty at the VFW, and I’ve got choir practice, you know, and on the eighteenth I’m taking some of the older ladies from church up to Callaway. Although why they want to go in the middle of July beats me. Hotter than Hades, and half them needing walkers as it is. But I don’t ask the questions. I just go where the Lord says I’m needed.”

  “We wanted to come on the eleventh and stay for the weekend. Is that okay?” (Is it a horrible thing that I silently prayed it wouldn’t work?)

  “Let me just look at the calendar. Well, shoot. I’d planned to go shopping with Jan that Saturday, but I can see if we can go another day. You know how hard it is to schedule anything with her and her always busy with the theater. You’d think she was on Broadway instead of our little community playhouse. If she’s not in rehearsals, she’s in auditions, and if she’s not in auditions, she’s reviewing plays. I swear I don’t know how she remembers if she’s coming or going with her schedule as busy as it is.”

  “Don’t cancel your plans. We’ll find something to do while you shop with Mrs. Jan. I want to show Cabe around anyway.”

  “Tyler Lorraine! You bring home a boyfriend for the first time in six years and you think I’m going to traipse off to Target with Jan? Are you crazy? I will be sitting right here between the two of you getting to know Gabe.”

  Fear gripped my heart at the thought.

  “You don’t have to do that. Gabe and I—,” I gritted my teeth in disbelief, ”—Cabe and I will be just fine on our own. Don’t change your plans.”

  “Nonsense. Let me off here so I can call your sisters and your Aunt Clementine. I’m sure she will want to have you over for dinner.”

  “Please don’t do that. I don’t want Aunt Clem going to any trouble. Let’s just keep this low-key, okay? Don’t make a big deal out of it.”

  “I gotta beep. Lemme see who it is. Oh! Oh! I gotta go. It’s Samantha, the vice-president of the Junior League. Bless her heart. All this has taken such a toll on her. I saw her in the Piggly Wiggly yesterday, and she’d nearly chewed her nails off. Poor thing was in desperate need of a manicure. Call me later.”

  She hung up, and I sat back against the couch exhausted.

  “You have an Aunt Clementine? Really? That’s her real name?” Cabe asked as he rub
bed the tension in my neck.

  “Yeah. Are you sure you don’t want to elope?” I leaned my head back into his hand and turned to face him. “It’s not too late.”

  He smiled and touched his lips to mine. “I’d still have to meet your mom eventually, Ty. Might as well get it over with it.” He kissed me again and then pulled back to look at me inquisitively.

  “Your mom asked if you were using protection. Does she think we’re…? I mean, have you told her we…?”

  I shook my head and sat up. “No. I haven’t discussed our sex life with my mom, nor do I intend to. She’s just on this protection kick for some reason. My sister Carrie said she thinks it stems from my brother Brad and how much time he and Kelly are spending together. Mom’s paranoid about me or Brad getting pregnant before we’re married.”

  “Ah. So should I tell her we’re waiting until we’re married to fully engage? Would that score me more brownie points with her?”

  My stomach blanched at the thought of Cabe discussing our sex life with my mother. “No. Absolutely not. Do not even mention sex to her.”

  “Why not? I’d think she’d be happy to hear we’re waiting.”

  “Maybe so, but I don’t think your definition of waiting for marriage and hers are the same. All the naked games we play might disqualify you.”

  I got up and plugged my phone in the charger and grabbed a Diet Coke from the fridge. “Want something to drink while I’m up?”

  “No thanks.” He stood and walked to the kitchen, stopping just in front of me and stroking my arms with his hands. “You know I want you, right? You know I question the sanity of waiting every single day. You drive me wild with every touch. Every kiss. That look in your eyes. Yep, that one.”

  He pressed his lips to my neck and sent shivers down my spine.

  I tilted my head back and bit my lip as he pulled my collar aside to kiss my shoulder.

  “So maybe we should engage in some wedding night planning? You know. Just to get an idea of how this is all going to work. When we do finally go there.” My voice was barely a whisper but he heard me loud and clear.