I knew that she wanted to design and the department store job was just to pay the rent. It wasn’t her passion. As I looked at the dress I was wearing, I vowed to do whatever I could to help her reach her dream. And I had a big surprise for her! Ha, I wanted to see her face, when I dropped the bomb!
Clara retrieved a pile of fabrics from her purse and pulled out the ones she thought were the best to make the real dress out of. The cream-colored satin fabric she showed me was simply amazing! It was soft to the touch, but had enough substance that the clean lines of the skirt would be attainable without a heavy underskirt.
She and Karen helped untie me from the draft dress and I visited the bathroom to put my own undergarments back on. As I re-entered the living area, I saw Clara zipping the draft dress back up into the garment bag and remembered seeing the shopkeepers on 5th Avenue doing the same for some of my purchases the week before. Now was the time to watch her drop her jaw. This would be fun!
“Clara, I told my future mother-in-law about you and showed her the pictures of the sketches you made and she is hoping to meet you at the wedding.”
“Yes? Why would she want to meet me? Does she need a special dress designed or something?”
I laughed, “No….she has more than enough designer clothes.”
“Ok then, … “ Clara was confused, and I enjoyed it so much. Karen off course knew, but with a wink of my eye I’d gestured her to keep her mouth shut.
“She works for a fashion magazine.” I said. Karen almost rolled over laughing, but Clara still didn’t suspect anything.
“Oh, how fun, I’m sure we’ll have lots of things to talk about. Do you know which magazine she works for?”
“Well yes….”
“And?”
“Clara, my future mother-in-law is none other than Sara Shaw, formerly known as Sara Newsom.”
Her face paled and her jaw dropped almost to the floor, while she tried not to stumble. This moment was worth a million dollars!
“Oh. My. God. Sara Newsom is you’re future mother-in-law!?! Rachel, she’s a goddess. She’s like the most important woman in fashion industry right now!”
“Yes! She is, and she wants to meet you. Your sketches of the dress impressed her – a lot.”
“Oh my!” Clara was stuck for additional words and I laughed at the dumbstruck look on her face.
“Clara, breathe,” I told her. “Make sure you bring some sketches of your best work to the wedding. I’m sure she’d be happy to take a few minutes to examine them. Who knows, maybe she’ll even invite you to New York.”
She nodded and hurried to grab her stuff from the front room, “I’ve got work to do. Rachel, I’ll call you when the dress is ready.”
Clara promised to have the dress ready to do the first fitting four weeks from now. Four weeks from now! Another four weeks after that and I would be able to call myself Mrs. Shaw!
Karen and I watched her hurry to the bedroom and slam the door. I looked at Karen with a raised eyebrow until we both burst out laughing. “That will keep her busy until the wedding.”
“Speaking of which, I had something I wanted to ask you,” I told her. “Would you be my maid of honor?”
“What?! Yes! Of course, Rachel I would love to be your maid of honor.”
“You know that means you’ll be placed at the head table with us and the best man.”
“That’s perfect. I mean, you know that Robert and I are together, but he’ll probably sit at another table, right?”
“No, Peter asked him to be his best man.”
“Wonderful!” She beamed. “On another note, tell me everything about your trip to New York.”
“It was fabulous. I spent so much time worrying about it, but everything was great. His parents are so nice.”
“I’m glad. I can’t imagine marrying someone whose parents don’t like you.” She shivered in revulsion and I agreed.
“Yeah. Can you imagine having to suffer through holidays and family get togethers with people you couldn’t stand to be around?”
“No.”
“Well, I don’t have to worry about that and I’m glad. I love Peter so much, he’s become the most important person in the world to me, and knowing that I like his parents is the icing on the cake.”
“I’m so happy for you, Rachel,” she said, a hint of sadness in her voice.
“So, what’s up with you and Robert?”
The sadness entered her eyes, “I wish I knew. We’ve been dating for a while now, exclusively, but there seems to be this wall between us. It’s like there’s this line drawn in the sand, and I can’t seem to cross it. Every time I speak of a future together, he becomes distant and changes the topic. If I push at all, he gets angry and goes home. You don’t know of any reason why he might be acting strange, do you?” she asked me.
I shook my head, “No. Not that I know of.” I made a mental note to ask Peter if he knows anything when I get home. But when I got home, he had dinner waiting for me with candles of soft music and all thoughts of Karen and Robert were forgotten.
As I fell asleep later that night, I let my mind drift back to the first time Peter and I met. Who would have thought that the grumpy Peter I met back at Yosemite Park would be “the one”. Sometimes fate sends you on a rollercoaster of twists and turns before you finally land where you’re supposed to be.
Chapter 17 - Peter
The next eight weeks flew by as Rachel and I finished the wedding arrangements and locking things down at the business in preparation for our three-week honeymoon.
Two days before the ceremony, everyone from out of town had arrived, and I arranged to have my parents meet Rachel’s mom and grandparents at a small family-only dinner at the hotel where everyone was staying.
It was a small affair and included Rachel and I, my parents, my brother Oliver, Rachel’s mom Jane, and Rachel’s grandparents Annie and Hugh.
My dad took over the job of host and after everyone had placed their orders, he stood up with his wine glass in hand and made a little speech, “I can’t tell you how proud I am of these two young people. Individually, they are bright young adults of character with great potential, but together, they form the perfect couple.”
He toasted everyone with his glass and everyone around the table echoed his sentiments.
Small talk ensued around the table with laughter and teasing remarks filling the private dining room with joy. Everyone was getting along so well, and even Rachel’s mom seemed to be relaxing and enjoying herself.
The restaurant had prepared a special dessert tray for us, and as the waiter and waitress left to retrieve it, a slightly drunken man came into the dining room, shouting and pushing anyone who was in his way.
All heads turned to see what was causing the commotion. I cringed when I recognized the intruder. Ed! A partly drunk Ed!
“Haven’t you forgotten to invite me to this cozy family-get-together?” he shouted to the room as a whole.
Everyone in the room was shocked speechless, and as I glanced at Rachel and her mom I saw both of them trembling. I made a move to intercept the man before he could cause any further damage to our celebration. If he’d come looking for a fight, I was more than willing to oblige him.
But my dad had already taken the situation under control. He stood and placed himself between Ed and the rest of our party. My dad had worked in the construction industry for most of his adult life, and even though he’s not worked “in the field” for a long time now, because he owns the company, he still knows how to deal with conflicts and physical threats.
“Peter, go calm Rachel and her mother down.” I looked at him and then nodded. He wanted to deal with Ed himself and I was thankful for that. I was so furious I could easily explode. When Rachel’s wellbeing was in danger, I didn’t have much self-control.
Gordon approached Ed and verbally stopped him, “I don’t believe you were invited.”
“She’s my daughter and I’ve every right to be here. Who are yo
u?” he sneered.
“I’m Gordon Shaw, Peter’s father. And you are?”
“Ed Baker. Rachel’s father.”
“I don’t believe Rachel wants you here. Why don’t you leave and sober up a bit?”
“And if I don’t feel like it?” he threw out there, stumbling a bit as he tried to see around Gordon’s broad shoulders.
“Well then, I guess we have a problem.” Gordon crossed his arms over his chest and waited.
“I’ll tell you what, Mr. Snobby. If you want me gone, why don’t you give me the money I asked for and I’ll disappear for good?”
I watched my dad shake his head and noticed the slight tremble of his eyes. Never a good sign – this tremble had me and my brother running fast when we were kids. It usually showed when we’d misbehaved badly, and meant we were in real trouble.
While I wrapped my arms around Rachel to shield her from what was going on across the room, Sara had come to my rescue with Rachel’s mom and grandma. She engaged them in conversation designed to keep them from overhearing what might be said across the room.
“I don’t think so.”
“I already told that kid of yours that if I don’t get my money, I’m going to ruin their wedding. You gonna stand there and let that happen, Daddy Warbucks?”
Ed was attempting to intimidate and threaten my dad, but he evidently had underestimated who he was dealing with. My dad just stood there with his arms crossed over his chest and stared at him like he was a bug under a glass.
“Nothing to say to that? So, what’s it gonna be? You gonna pay me to go away and leave your spoilt kid alone?”
“I think not. In fact, let me tell you how this is going to go. See, I did some checking up on you, and some of the things I found out could cause a lot of trouble for you if the information made it into the right hands. In fact, you could doing twenty years if certain pieces of information were to be leaked to the right investigators.”
I watched as Ed blanched and flapped his mouth while he tried to think of a retort. It was obvious my dad had shocked him and Ed wasn’t prepared to meet such a strong opponent. “You’re bluffing!” he threw out.
My dad shook his head; “Want to put it to the test? Let me make a few phone calls and wait if you’re still enjoying the ability to roam free by tomorrow morning.”
Ed shook his head, the look on his face saying that he believed my dad’s threats and didn’t want anything to do with them. “No. No. That’s okay. Maybe…I guess…I shouldn’t be here. Look I’m already leaving. Didn’t want to disturb anyone.”
He backed himself from the dining room, almost colliding with the waiter as he came in with the dessert cart. My father returned to the table and gave everyone and apologetic look, “Sorry about that folks. I don’t believe we’ll be hearing from him again.”
I gave Rachel one last hug and asked her, “Are you okay?”
She nodded and glanced to her mother who also nodded and gave a small smile. “We’re fine. Thank you,” she said to my father.
“Not a problem. Now, anyone for dessert?”
The uninvited guest had spoiled the good mood, and no one was feeling hungry for the sugary treats anymore. After several more minutes, my parents excused themselves along with my brother. Rachel stood and said a quick “Good night” to her mother and grandparents.
As I escorted her to the car, I could tell she was still upset over her father’s reappearance. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah. I can’t believe he showed up tonight.”
“Well, I don’t think we’ll be hearing from him again. Whatever my dad said to him seems to have worked.”
She nodded, and I reached over and took her hand, keeping her from twisting her fingers together. “Stop worrying. Let’s be glad he showed his card tonight and not at the wedding. Dealing with him while a few hundred guests looked on would not have been as easy.”
An expression of horror appeared on her face while she probably imagined her father showing up, drunk and shouting, at the church just when we’re about to say our vows. “Oh, I hope we’ve seen the last of him!”
“I’m sure we have. I’ll talk with my dad and make sure we have a few extra ushers standing by to intercept him just in case he tries to disturb us again. Everything’s going to be fine. You just worry about being the most stunning bride in history, ok?”
Rachel laid her head on my shoulder as we exited the car and headed for the elevator. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, so full of love, and with the overwhelming need to protect her, still racing through my veins. No one was going to hurt her! Not on my watch!
Chapter 18 - Rachel
I looked once more into the mirror and then took a deep breath to steady my nerves. It’s finally here! My wedding day! I was so excited; Karen and Clara had been trying to calm me down without much success for the last hour.
They had escorted me to the church two hours earlier where they had applied my makeup and done my hair in big curls. They had drawn the hair around the crown of my head up in a haphazard mass of curls, leaving the rest of it to drape in big rings down my back. The small veil and tiara combination Clara had made was awesome and the perfect finishing touch to the most beautiful bridal gown ever made.
“Are you ready?” Karen asked me.
I nodded and grabbed my flowers. Sara had escorted my mom and grandma from the bride’s dressing room fifteen minutes earlier and only Karen and Clara remained.
“Remember, pause at the door so that I can straighten out the back of the skirt and the train. Count to six and then start walking,” Clara reminded me.
We had practiced all of this several times earlier, but I appreciated her reminder anyway. “Thanks. Did you see Sara’s look when she saw the dress?”
Clara nodded her head enthusiastically, “Yes. She wants to sit down and talk to me later at the reception.”
“Good for you.” I took another deep breath and headed towards the door. It was time to go become Mrs. Shaw!
As I paced down the hallway that led to the double doors and the sanctuary of the church, I thought back to the fights we had as Peter and I began to make plans for our wedding. We had finally found a compromise that not only made us happy, but also everyone else.
We had rented out one of the larger churches in the valley and after the ceremony, all the guests had been invited to join us for coffee and pastries in the adjoining fellowship hall. This not only served to appease the media and business associates of both Peter and his parents, but gave everyone an opportunity to socialize with one another afterwards.
Later in the evening, we would be adjourning to one of the private clubhouses at the country club for an intimate dinner party with about sixty of our closest friends and family members.
As I paused at the entrance to the church, counting dutifully to six as Clara had requested, I heard the music change. The guests all rose and turned to watch me walk down the aisle. Little Me, walking down the aisle!
While Karen finished her walk down the aisle, I hadn’t eyes for anyone or anything but Peter. He was waiting for me at the front of the church, absolutely gorgeous in his black tux and tails.
He held my gaze as I slowly made my way down the aisle, having decided that I didn’t need anyone to give me away. I was my own person and I had fought long and hard to see this particular dream come to fruition.
As I reached Peter, he leaned down and kissed my cheek. “Hey, gorgeous. Ready to become Mrs. Shaw?”
“Yes, please,” I replied, wanting the ceremony to be over so I could have some alone time with him. We had decided to not see each other before the ceremony, and to make sure that happened; I had spent the night at Karen’s and Clara’s apartment. It was the first time in months I had woken up without Peter beside me or in the next room. I didn’t like it!
Peter’s eyes twinkled at me and he turned and led me to where the minister was waiting for us. We exchanged our vows, promising to love each other, and to always put
each other first in our marriage. When it came time to exchange rings, I was so nervous that I barely remembered which was the correct finger to place it. And I just prayed I wouldn’t drop the ring while handling it with my trembling hands.
After completing the ceremony, the minister announced it was time for our first kiss. Peter did his best to keep it simple and chaste, but failed miserably. Mere seconds after our lips made contact, he swept me into his arms and proceeded to kiss me until we were both breathless and the minister was tactfully clearing his throat to remind us we had an audience.
We both laughed and Peter made a small bow to the audience while I curtsied and blushed. God, we are finally married! I want to scream out my joy to the stars!
The coffee reception went off without a hitch. Peter and I mingled and did our best to hide the fact that we’d rather be alone than with hundreds of people. When the reception ended a few ours later everyone was called back into the church where a photographer proceeded to take many pictures to commemorate this special day.
As the pictures finished, the wedding party began to disperse and our friends and family went to their places to freshen up and meet us later at the country club for the private dinner party.
Karen and Robert rode with Peter and me in the limousine to the country club, and it was obvious they were clearly in love. I was so happy for them and couldn’t wait to see them take the next step towards a future together.
Dinner at the country club was exceptional, as was the beautiful wedding cake they had prepared for us. To appease my mom and grandma, Peter and I had consented to partake of the traditional cutting of the wedding cake with one caveat – there would be no smashing of said cake into each other’s faces. Peter had leered at me a moment before offering me a small bite of cake, but the love shining in his eyes had assured me it was only for show.
Falling for Him 5 (Rachel and Peter in Love) Page 7