Just Beginning (13 page)

Gabe froze. Mouth open, he glanced at Jenny.

Jenny shook her head and shrugged. “Who?” she mouthed.

“Old neighbors,” he whispered.

He stared at the doorway his daughter went through. “Julie Denton’s pregnant?” He called out.

The pantry door creaked opened and then clicked shut.

“Not anymore,” Alex said. “But don’t spread it around, it’s not common knowledge.”

Gabe dropped onto the couch next to Jenny and blew out a deep breath. Jenny rubbed a comforting hand across his back as Alex foraged through the snack cupboard. Elbows on knees and chin resting on tented arms, Gabe frowned at the floor as if collecting himself. He raised his head, then called out tentatively, “Wanna talk about it?”

“Nope. Are we having dinner tonight?”

“Pizza’s on the way.”

The refrigerator door slammed shut and Alex poked her head around the doorway. “And before you go judging the Dentons, people in glass houses...” Alex trailed off as she disappeared back into the kitchen.

What did that mean?

Gabe stiffened. “Having a baby at twenty-three is
hardly
the same as sixteen.”

“You both were still in school.”

“Med school.”

“Whatever. Irresponsible,” Alex trilled. “Do you want a drink?”

“Beer, please.” He turned to her. “Jen?”

She shook her head. “No, thanks.”

Gabe heaved to his feet and headed for the kitchen. He took the beer Alex handed him, twisted the cap off, and pitched it in the trash. Crossing his arms, he leaned against the doorframe. “Heard from your brother lately?”

Jenny eased past him and took a seat at the kitchen table. What was Gabe up to? His tone was a little too casual to be making small talk.

Alex glanced at her father out of the corner of her eye, before going back to pouring her soda. “We talked a few days ago.”

“How’s he doing?”

“Fine,” Alex drew out.

The doorbell rang. Jenny got to her feet and waved Gabe away. “I’ll get it.”

Jenny paid for the pizza and brought it into the kitchen. Alex reached into the cabinets for plates, then spread forks and knives next to the pizza box.

“He’s not having any trouble adjusting?” Gabe asked.

Alex hesitated, then threw the pizza lid open. “Not that I know of.” She inhaled deeply and smiled. “This looks great. Mom and Dave hardly ever let us get pizza.”

“You sure?” Gabe asked.

Alex drew out a slice and assiduously avoided looking at her father. “Why don’t you ask him yourself?”

Gabe pushed off the door jam and moved over to the counter. “I have, but you’d know before I would if something’s going on.”

Judging by the tension in the room and Alex’s body language, there was
definitely
something going on, but she wasn’t about to rat her brother out, and it wasn’t fair for Gabe to put her in that position. But this was between Gabe and his daughter. Jenny should stay out of it.

“If you want to know something, ask him yourself,” Alex said.

“I have, but he claims everything’s great,” Gabe pressed.

Jenny ground her teeth together.
Stay out of it, Jenny. Not your business
.

Alex shrugged. “Then it must be.”

“You guys know you can tell me anything, right?”

“I know.”

Geeze, let her off the hook. It’s the sibling code. She’s not going to talk
. Jenny picked up a plate. “One or two pieces?”

“Two. Thanks.”

Jenny scooped up two slices of pizza and shoved them at Gabe. He took the plate and followed Alex to the table. “If either of you had a problem, I’d help.”

Alex crammed more pizza in her mouth, as she raised her eyebrows. “Mmm huh.”

Oh for God sake! Enough already
. Jenny turned to Alex. “I’m going dress shopping with my mom tomorrow and then out to lunch. Want to come? She’s all concerned about getting something that won’t clash with your dress.”

“Sure. Sounds fun.”

“Great.” Jenny and Alex chatted about wedding plans, never giving Gabe the opportunity to turn the conversation back around to Ted. After dinner, Alex excused herself to do homework while Jenny and Gabe cleaned up.

After he dried the pizza cutter and put it away, Jenny took Gabe’s hand and led him out onto the back deck, the farthest she could get from Alex’s bedroom. “
What’s
going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why were you so mean to Alex? The show. Pumping her for information on Ted. That’s not like you.”

“I know.” Gabe sighed. “I don’t know. The thing with Uncle George, then I had a message from a friend who said he saw Ted in court today.” He turned his head sideways to look at her. “Apparently he got written up for trying to buy booze from an undercover cop.” He frowned. “Alex knew about Ted—I could see it in her eyes, but she
just
wouldn’t admit it...”

“So you took it out on her? It’s called loyalty, Gabe. She was protecting her brother. You should be proud.”

“What about her loyalty to me?”

Jenny rolled her eyes at him and gave him a look that let him know how childish he’d sounded. “You’re the parent. He’s her brother. Siblings bond together. That’s a good thing. It means you raised them right.”

“I wasn’t
that
mean.” He scowled. “It just makes me so mad that my kids would lie to me. Am I that unapproachable?”

“You’re a parent. Yes.”

“It’s not like I expect them not to screw up. They’re kids. Was I shocked that Ted had a fake ID? No. I had one at his age. I did dumb things in college. I don’t expect my kids to be perfect, but I
do
expect them not to lie to me.”

“He didn’t lie.”

Gabe frowned at her. “By omission. We talk every week, and he said everything was fine. We talked about his classes, his roommates, the food—”

“And you
really
expected him to tell you about an alcohol ticket and court appearance?”

“Hoped.”

“Why? He’s protecting you. Apparently he manned up and dealt with it on his own. He didn’t want you to be disappointed in him. I get it.”

“It’s dishonest. That’s not how I raised my son.”

“People have a right to their privacy—even your son. You don’t need to know everything.”

“Everything important, I do. And it’s not a matter of privacy, it’s a matter of honesty and trust. I want to be able to trust my kids, is that so bad?”

“No. No it’s not.” Jenny could sympathize, but with her recent growing pains with her own parents still fresh, she identified with Ted’s decisions, too. “But you have to balance that with letting them make their own mistakes, deal with the consequences, and become their own person. You need to sit back and relax, and trust that you raised them right and that they’ll come to you if they get in over their heads.”

“They can do all that and still be honest with me. You’ve never had children so you don’t understand the...” He frowned as he searched for the right word. “...incredible weight of responsibility for another person that comes as soon as that baby’s born—even before. It’s up to you to protect that child with your life and teach and guide him to be a loving, good person and productive member of society.” He sighed. “No matter how old they get, that feeling doesn’t seem to lessen.”

“You don’t have to be a parent to understand that.”

“Yeah, you really do.”

Jenny wasn’t about to argue with him but thought back about the evening’s conversations. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Anything.”

“You didn’t
choose
to have kids in med school. Ted was an accident, wasn’t he?”

He shook his head. “We learned in med school that sperm and eggs are at optimal health around age twenty-five. After that, a man’s sperm quality and the woman’s eggs begin to degrade.

“Since we were in a financial position to hire a nanny, we decided to optimize our chances of having healthy, intelligent children.” He pursed his lips. “Just so happens, Judith was twenty-five.”

“So you
lied
to your children?”

Gabe frowned, and looked thoughtful. “I’m not sure it’s ever come up, actually. But they’re smart kids. I’m sure they’ve figured it out.”

Jenny raised her eyebrows.

“Fine. Point taken. One could make an argument that we lied by omission.” He put an arm around her waist. “Well, now that you’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. Still want to marry me?”

“Aw don’t be so hard on yourself. That wasn’t your best effort earlier. We barely got started,” she teased.

He frowned at her attempt at humor. “Interfering uncle and delinquent son. You’re really willing to take us on?”

More than ever, now that she’d seen the man actually had a few flaws. Thank God. It’d be hard living with a saint—even a sexy one. So they disagreed on a few fundamental issues? She could respect his need for complete honesty, but he also had to respect loyalty. Hmm, if push came to shove she wondered which he’d put above the other. She’d choose loyalty.

“You’ve met my mother, yet you still proposed.”

Gabe tipped his head and winced. “Still say I’m getting the better end of this deal.”

Two weeks flew by and before Jenny knew it, they were immersed in the wondrous magic of Maui. Upon arrival, they’d been welcomed with the traditional Hawaiian greeting of fragrant, colorful fresh flower leis, and from that minute on, their cares dissolved.

With Gabe and her whole family here, as well as her best friend Alex and Ted, Jenny had everything she needed to make her wedding perfect.

The clean ocean air, perfumed with hints of salt, sunshine, and sweet exotic flowers, enchanted Jenny. The gentle, warm sun and rhythmic breaking waves soothed her soul and swept her worries away. After only a few days, Jenny felt refreshed and ready for her new life. Even George couldn’t spoil her good mood.

Jenny was relieved to note that Maui worked its magic on her mother, too—well Maui and the kids. Ted, Alex, and Michael never seemed far from Mom and Dad, whether at the pool, on the beach, shopping, or playing cards in the lobby. It was sweet to see how the generations enjoyed each other’s company.

Days later, Jenny stood before the non-denominational officiant and her new husband feeling beautiful and chic in her strapless sweetheart gown. Beaded lace appliques covered the fitted bodice, then spread through a dropped waist in an ever-dispersing flow that gave way to the delicate tulle pleats beneath, reminding her of dozens of little mini waterfalls.

Between the puffy skirt that brushed against her legs with every move, the way her train ever so slightly tugged at her butt and hips with each step, and the feel of her gauzy veil flowing from the crown of her head around her shoulders, Jenny felt like a princess going to a ball.

She’d parted her hair slightly to the side and a light French braid framed her face. The rest cascaded down her back in long ringlets. Jenny had tried to coax Gabe into more comfortable island wedding attire, but he’d insisted upon wearing a suit.

Freshly shaved, slightly sunburned, with the wind rustling his hair, wearing a suit that emphasized his broad shoulders, Gabe made her heart swell with happiness. A slow smile of awe spread across his face, and he nodded in approval when their gazes met as Dad walked her down the aisle. Jenny’s world was complete.

Then Jenny, Gabe, and the minister stood cocooned beneath a gauzy arch accented with white chiffon, pink roses, and hydrangea. A gentle late afternoon breeze skimmed her bare arms and shoulders in a cooling caress while the surf serenaded them, and the rest of the world dropped away until it was just Jenny and Gabe taking their vows and declaring their love. Rings exchanged and first kiss bestowed, they turned to the officiant.

“The butterfly symbolizes new beginnings, freedom, and happiness. In a few minutes, we’re going to celebrate Jenny’s and Gabe’s love and new beginning with the release of these butterflies.” He waved a hand at the white organza display that held a dozen sleepy Monarchs. Some of them clung to the side of the enclosure still while others slowly batted their wings as if fanning themselves.

“When Jenny was a little girl, she was enchanted with the American Indian legend that claimed that if one captured a butterfly, made a wish, and then freed it, in gratitude, the Great Spirit would always grant the wish. So in a minute I'm going to invite you to close your eyes and make a wish bestowing upon this couple our very best blessings to carry to God. But first, I’d like to read this poem Jenny and Gabe selected.
Learn to Fly
by Larry James.”

Jenny faced Gabe and held his hands between hers, wishing she’d written the beautiful lines because it so spoke to her heart. When she looked into Gabe’s dear face and saw his eyes glossy with unshed tears, she had to furiously blink back tears of her own. This poem was their truth and most fervent hope for their life together.

What happened before this day didn’t matter. It was what they made of themselves and their marriage from this day forward that counted, how they learned to soar together.

Like a butterfly emerges

And unfolds its graceful wings,

A marriage grows and it develops

With the love each partner brings.

Your flight through life together

Is what you make it, so reach high

Spread your wings and learn to soar

As if with wings of a butterfly

Share together life's great adventure

Now the two of you are one

Shower your lover with butterfly kisses

Your infinite journey has just begun

Be a lover, friend, and playmate

Learn to listen, laugh, and cry

God has given you your wings,

But, you teach each other how to fly.

“Please close your eyes and make your wishes,” the officiant instructed as he handed them the cage.