CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
The next morning, Jen and Vince walked into Grace and Peter’s house just in time for breakfast. “Hey, Mom and Dad,” Jen called out as she and Vince walked towards the back deck, where Grace, Peter and her younger sister, Gina, were seated.
Standing to greet them, Grace said, “I’m so glad you called and said you wanted to join us for breakfast.”
Jen glanced at Vince, who put his arm around her. “We have some important news to share with all of you. Vince and I are engaged. We’re getting married.”
Gina jumped to her feet and joined Grace in hugging Jen, and Peter stood to shake Vince’s hand before kissing Jen on the cheek.
Gina asked, “Can we see your ring?”
Grace wiped away some happy tears as she and Gina admired the diamond engagement ring. “I want to hear all about the proposal over breakfast,” Grace said, as they sat down and began to pass the platters of bacon, scrambled eggs and toast.
Vince gave a recap of the prior evening, from the fireworks to the proposal over glasses of champagne in the back yard at Deer Run. “Jennifer has made me the happiest man in the world,” he said, as he leaned over to kiss her on the cheek.
When Gina asked about the wedding plans, Jen replied, “We haven’t had the time to discuss any plans yet.”
“Well, as soon as we’re done with breakfast I’m going to go to the store to pick up some bridal magazines so we can start to look at dresses,” Gina offered.
“Umm…okay, thanks Gina,” replied Jen, as she buttered a piece of toast.
Peter sat back and observed the happy chaos around the breakfast table, noting that Jen was quieter than he expected her to be, given her big news. He raised his eyebrows, but said nothing, when Gina asked if they had a date in mind, and Jen replied they were in no rush while, simultaneously, Vince said he hoped they would get married as soon as possible.
Gina and Grace were also puzzled by their contradictory answers, but Jen re-assured them. “We simply haven’t had the chance to talk about any wedding plans yet. This all just happened late last night,” Jen explained.
“And there is a lot to talk about,” Vince chimed in, adding that they should start to make plans as soon as possible. “Grace, maybe you, Jen and Gina can start working on the wedding details this week. You might want to see what dates St. Ignatius Loyola has available in the next few months.”
Jen’s head snapped up, “St. Ignatius Loyola? On Park Avenue?”
“It’s the Catholic church closest to our home, Jennifer,” Vince replied. “It makes sense.”
Jen said nothing, and instead stared off into space for a moment. “It was always my dream, since I was a little girl, to get married out here, at Our Lady of Poland,” she said, quietly, as Grace and Gina nodded their heads in agreement.
Indignant, Vince blurted out, “Seriously?” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realized that everyone around the table was staring at him, and he quickly added, “I think we probably need to compile a guest list to see how many people we’re expecting before we decide on a venue.” He raised Jen’s left hand to his lips, and gently kissed it before saying, “I know the LaBella women have planned many parties over the years. You are pros and don’t need my help, but I can contribute Marianne, my personal assistant, in case you want someone to help coordinate.”
Peter dabbed at his mouth with his napkin, and pushed his chair back from the table. “Vince, let’s let the girls have some time together. I was thinking about heading over to the club. Why don’t you join me for a round of golf?”
“I’d love to,” Vince said. “I’m just going to run back to Deer Run to pick up my clubs.”
“And I’m going to run into the village to get some bridal magazines,” Gina said. “I’ll be back in a little bit.”
Once Vince and Gina left the house, Peter joined his wife and daughter in the kitchen, where they were cleaning up the breakfast dishes. “Jen, Grace, can I talk to you both for a few minutes? Before Vince gets back.”
When they were all seated around the kitchen island, Peter said, “Jen, I don’t want to burst your bubble, but I want to make sure you understand and are aware of a few things about Vince.” He took a deep breath and continued, “First, you realize that Vince is going to want you to sign a pre-nuptial agreement, right?”
Unable to look at her parents, Jen simply nodded her head and whispered, “Yes, I guess he will.”
Grace and Peter exchanged concerned looks, before Peter attempted to re-assure his daughter. “I’ll help you find the best representation, and help you get the best possible deal in the event of a divorce.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Next, I don’t like how possessive of you Vince is. At first, when he wanted to protect you after the break-in at your apartment, I was grateful, and pleased that he cared about you so much. But now, I worry that he exerts too much control over you. How do you feel?”
Jen took a moment to think about her father’s concerns, before replying “I understand, Dad. You’re right, Vince can be possessive and jealous, but I think it comes from a good place. He has a good heart, and he loves me. I’ve managed to figure out ways to handle his possessiveness, and get him to ease up on me a bit. He just wants to keep me safe.”
Peter sighed, and nodded his head. “Finally, and most importantly, your mother and I just want you to be happy. Are you happy? Is this really what you want?”
“Yes, this is what I want,” Jen said, unable to look her parents in the eyes, as she stood to hug them. “I know that Vince loves me, and that he will always take care of me, and keep me safe.”
Once her father and Vince left for the golf club, Jen turned to Grace and said, “I need a few minutes alone so I can make some phone calls, Mom. Is it okay if I go up to my old room?”
“Of course,” Grace said. “It will always be your room, honey.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Jen said, as she turned and climbed the stairs. She opened the door to her old bedroom, lay down on the bed, and started to punch in some numbers on her cell phone, before changing her mind and reaching for the land line handset instead. I wonder if Vince checks my phone records. Better to be safe than sorry, she thought, as she put the receiver to her ear.
When a sleepy voice answered the phone at the other end of the line, she asked, “How’s my best friend?”
“Hey, Jen…I’m good, how are you? And why are you calling so early on a Sunday morning?” Drew whispered as he slipped out of bed and walked down the hallway, out of earshot of Collette. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine. I’m sorry if I woke you up.”
“It’s okay, no problem. I’m just walking into the next room so I don’t wake up Collette.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m at her apartment.”
Of course you are, Jen thought, as she looked at the clock on the nightstand. It’s 7:30 in the morning in California. “I’m so sorry, Drew. I had a little time alone and wanted to talk to you, and totally forgot about the time difference.”
“I’m always happy to hear your voice, Jen, no matter what time it is.” He sat down on the sofa in Collette’s living room, putting his feet up on the coffee table, and asked, “So, what’s up with you?”
“I have some news, Drew.” She took a deep breath, before continuing, “Vince and I are getting married.”
Drew bolted upright. “What?”
“Vince asked me to marry him last night. We’re engaged.”
Drew’s voice had a distinct chill to it when he spoke. “This is a big surprise, Jen.”
“Yes, it is. I wanted to call you as soon as I had a moment alone, because I didn’t want you to hear about it from someone else.”
Drew took a deep breath. “All I want is for you to be happy. Are you, Jen?”
“Vince is a good ma
n, and he has taken good care of me. He has protected me, and he loves me.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“That’s the best answer I can give you, Drew.”
They were silent for a few moments, before Drew finally spoke. “Can I ask you something? If I told you that I was going to move back to New York tomorrow, would you still marry Vince?”
“Are you moving back to New York?”
He sighed. “No, I wish I were, but I’m not, Jen.”
“Then I’m not going to answer that question. It doesn’t do either of us any good to speculate about something that isn’t going to happen.”
“But would you be marrying him if I was there?”
Aggravated by his question, Jen snapped at Drew. “Would you have woken up in Collette’s bed this morning if you were moving back to New York?” When Drew didn’t answer her, Jen said, “Oh God, Drew, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“No, I deserved it. I’m sorry too.” Oh my God, I love you, Jen, he thought. “Assuming I’m invited, I’ll definitely make the trip to New York for the wedding.”
“Of course you’ll be invited.”
“I wouldn’t miss it,” Drew said, glad that Jen couldn’t see the tears that had welled up in his eyes.
They chatted a few more minutes, before Drew heard Collette stirring in the bedroom, and he wrapped up the conversation with Jen. He placed his cell phone on the coffee table and stared at it, shaking his head. You said you didn’t want to get involved in a rebound relationship, and now you’re marrying your rebound guy. Why? Why?
Drew was lost in his thoughts about Jen, and was startled when Collette sat down next to him, asking, “Who was that on the phone?”
Instead of answering her question, he replied “I’ve got to run, Collette.” He jogged into the bedroom, pulled on his clothes, and returned to the living room. He picked up his phone, leaned over, and kissed Collette on the cheek. “I’ll call you later,” he said, as he ran out the door.
Drew pulled his car into the driveway and ran inside the house, where he found his parents having breakfast in the kitchen. It took a few minutes before he worked up the courage to ask his father when he thought he would be able to manage the business on his own again, but even before his father spoke, he knew the answer to his question: his father needed him, and would need him for the foreseeable future.
“I’m sorry, son,” Jude Crawford aid. “I’m just not 100% yet.”
Drew said nothing in response, and resignedly nodded his head before walking down the hall to his bedroom.
After a few minutes, Drew’s mother, Laura, gently knocked on his bedroom door. When there was no reply, she knocked again before slowly turning the door knob and opening the door. She peered inside, where she found Drew lying face down on his bed.
Laura sat down on the edge of the bed, and reached out to her son. “You may be 25, and a grown man, but you’ll always be my baby,” she said. “Talk to me, Drew.”
He rolled over onto his back, revealing his bloodshot eyes and tear-streaked face. “It’s nothing mom, really,” he said, as he clutched an old 49ers t-shirt.
“It must be something, honey. It looks like you’ve been crying.” When Drew didn’t answer and instead just stared up at the ceiling, she asked, “Is it Collette? Did you two have a fight?”
Drew responded with a shake of his head. “No, we didn’t have a fight. I just got some upsetting news, unexpected news, that’s all.”
“What happened?”
“Jen called this morning to tell me she is engaged. She’s getting married.” Drew covered his eyes with the 49ers t-shirt that he wore to bed his last night in New York, which still held the faint vanilla-sugar scent of Jen’s perfumed moisturizer, trying to hide from his mother the tears that once again began to stream down his face.
Laura’s heart broke for her youngest child. “I’m so sorry, honey. I know how much Jen means to you, and how much you had wanted to stay in New York to be with her, before your father became ill.” When Drew nodded in agreement, she continued, “I wish things were different.”
“Me too, mom. I wish I could turn back the clock, maybe do a few things differently. That photo,” he said, pointing towards his desk, “and this t-shirt, are all I have left of her.”
Laura looked towards the desk, and at the framed photo of Drew and Jen taken the night of the charity auction. He doesn’t have a framed photo of him with his girlfriend, but he has one of him with Jen, she silently observed. It’s clear who he truly loves. “If you think going back to New York now will change things, then you should go and try to fight for her. It isn’t over until she says ‘I do’.”
“I can’t go back now. I’m committed to helping dad, and trying to grow the business here. Dad needs me. If I went back there I’d be unemployed. How can I compete with a billionaire?” He took a deep breath, and said, “Besides, it’s all my fault. I should have fought for her when I had the chance, and not let the distance keep us apart. Instead, I pushed her away.”
“What do you mean?”
“I told Jen we had no future together, not as long as I was living here. I told her to get on with her life, to forget about me, and to forget about us. And she did.”
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
“The weather isn’t cooperating with your pool plans,” Vince said, as he looked out the French doors to Jennifer’s Southampton back yard and observed the gray, overcast sky. “What do you want to do today?”
Looking up from her knitting, Jen replied, “I don’t know. Want to go to the movies?”
“On a gloomy Saturday in late August? The movie theaters will be packed, with all the tourists having nothing to do. Want to just go for a drive instead?”
“Okay. Where do you want to go?”
Vince glanced at the screen of his cell phone, and replied to a text message before answering, “Let’s just get in the car and see where we end up.”
“Sounds good,” Jen said, as she put down her knitting needles and followed Vince out the door.
Vince maneuvered the Lamborghini down the driveway and onto Edge of Woods Road, before turning onto Long Springs Road, then Mecox Road, and finally onto North Main Street before crossing Route 27.
“Why are we heading into the village? We’re going to hit a ton of traffic.”
Vince grinned, as he glanced towards Jen. “I have a little surprise for you.”
A few minutes later, when Vince maneuvered the Lamborghini through the open gates of Fair Fields, a majestic home on Ox Pasture Road in the heart of Southampton’s estate section, Jen was momentarily confused. “Vince, what is going on?”
“Let’s take a look,” he replied, gesturing towards Alan Piersall, who was standing in the open front doorway.
Jen listened intently as Alan described Fair Fields while they ambled through the magnificent 18,000 square foot, 12-bedroom, 14-bath home. On more than one occasion, Jen’s breath was taken away, as she admired the coffered ceilings in some of the rooms, and the ornate woodwork in other rooms, the indoor kitchen with a large wood-burning hearth, the two outdoor kitchens, indoor and outdoor pools, pool house, fully-equipped gym, tennis court, greenhouse, arbors, fountain, and separate staff quarters.
After spending nearly an hour inspecting every inch of the 15-acre property, Vince pulled her aside for a private word, out of earshot of Alan, and asked, “What do you think, Jennifer?”
“I’m actually a little stunned, Vince.”
“Well, if you like the house, if you want it, just say the word, and I’ll buy it.”
“Just like that?” she asked, somewhat bewildered, having not yet fully wrapped her head around the concept of just walking into an estate of the size, significance and enormous price tag that was Fair Fields, and making a snap decision to buy it.
“Just like that,” V
ince replied.
“Do you like it?” Jen asked.
“I’ve been looking at houses out here for a few weeks, but never mentioned it to you because I wanted to narrow down the choices before bringing you to look at them. There are two others that I also like, but this is my favorite, and wanted you to see it first.”
“I can’t believe you would do that. I thought you liked my house,” she said, hurt and confused, as she defensively crossed her arms in front of her.
“Jennifer, I do like your house,” Vince said, as he put his arms around her in an attempt to placate her. “It’s a nice house. But I’ve also made it clear to you that I want to buy a more appropriate house for us out here, one more commensurate with my position and status. Like I said, I narrowed down some choices, and wanted you to see my three favorites before I make an offer on one of them. After all, the house I buy will ultimately be our house. So, if you like this house, I’ll buy it. It’s as simple as that.”
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