Marker of Hope (14 page)

“Most welcome.” Alezzander reached for the
ketchup bottle. “So, Isis, David, what plans have you discussed for
your wedding?”

I’d avoided the subject on purpose. But now
even Alezzander seemed to be pressing it.

“Mmm…mmm.” Galilea raised her hand. She
swallowed her food. “Shotgun on being maid of honor.”

“I don’t think shotguns are allowed on that
one,” Eileen said. “It’s up to the bride.”

“Actually,” I set down my burger, “I
don’t—”

“A garden wedding would be beautiful.” Claire
sipped her lemonade.

“Unless it rains,” Nyx said. “We’d need a
backup plan.”

“I take it back.” Claire smacked her arm. “A
garden wedding isn’t a good idea.” She swatted away a mosquito
buzzing around her ear. “I hate these blood-sucking bugs.”

“I’d prefer a beach wedding,” Galilea said.
“At sunset. All the guests wear white. Imagine how stunning the
pictures would be, Isis.”

“I don’t know.” I scratched an itch on my
neck. “I was thinking along the lines of something more private.
You know, the family, a few friends.” I looked at David. “What do
you think?”

“If an intimate celebration is what’ll make
you happy, then I agree.”

“Honey,” Claire put her hand on mine, “if
you’re choosing a simple wedding to spare me the expense…”

“Oh no, Mrs. Martin.” David pushed away his
plate. “I know traditionally the bride’s family would take care of
many of the expenses, but I can’t let you pay for our wedding.”

“Well, I happen to like old-school
traditions,” Claire said. “And what if I want to pay?”

“Then I’ll have to put my foot down.”
Alezzander wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. “It’s the father of
the bride who used to pay for the wedding, if I remember correctly.
But since Isis’s father is…well…absent, then it’s not possible.
However, in our culture, the father of the groom is responsible for
the expenses.” He looked at Nyx. “Isn’t that right, dear?”

“Yes,” Nyx said. “But it doesn’t have to be
that way. We can always stray from tradition.”

“Thank you.” Claire raised her glass at
Nyx.

“I appreciate the offer from both of you, but
I can pay for my—our wedding,” David said.

“With what? Your allowance?” Claire frowned
at him. “David, please…”

Galilea snorted. I lowered my head and hid my
smile from my mom. She had no idea David had his own money.

“We’ll split the expense,” Nyx said. “Claire
will pay one part, and we’ll pay the rest.”

“Now that sounds like a plan.” Claire picked
up her plate and burger. “Is it okay if we move the party indoors?
If I donate any more blood to these insects, I’m going to pass
out.”

“I second that,” Eileen said, picking up her
drink and plate. “I thought Texas-sized mosquitos were a myth.”

Claire led the way to the back door, and we
followed after her.

I’d eaten a third of the burger without
incident, but I decided not to push my luck. I set my leftovers on
the kitchen counter and covered the plate with a napkin. I didn’t
want Claire fussing over how little I’d eaten. I headed to the
living room, David following behind me.

“Hey, where do you two think you’re going?”
Claire lowered her burger. “We’re not done discussing the
preparations.”

“Mom, there’s no need to discuss anything. I
just want us to go to the courthouse, get married, and have a
couple of pizzas at home.” Nyx and Claire glanced at each other,
and then back at me. “You don’t like the plan?”

“P-pizza?” Galilea scoffed. “You can’t eat
pizza on your wedding day.” She turned to Nyx and Claire. “Tell her
she can’t.”

“Galilea, they get to choose how to
celebrate, not us. I think you’re forgetting it’s
their
wedding,” Eileen said.

“Exactly.” Galilea waved a hand. “It’s a
wedding, not a six-year-old’s birthday party.”

“She has a point. I mean, pizza?” Claire
scrunched her nose at me. “Really?”

“So, okay, fine. No pizza.” I looked at
David. “Maybe we should talk about this later. Just you and
me?”

David nodded.

“We’ll get back to you,” I said to
Claire.

“Don’t take too long,” she said as I turned
to leave the kitchen.

In the living room, I plopped down on a bulky
seat. David sat on the arm of the chair. I should’ve felt happy
that everyone was so supportive of David and me. Instead, I was
irritated they were so focused on us. I didn’t have time to be
thinking about a wedding. Not now. And I didn’t want to add to the
plate piled high with the rest of the problems in my life.

“Why didn’t you finish your food?” he asked.
“Are you feeling ill?”

“Yeah. I mean, no, I’m fine,” I told him.
“The burgers were good. Great, actually. I didn’t want to press my
luck, is all.”

“If you get sick, you can always blame it on
morning sickness.”

“I know, but if I can avoid it…”

“True. I’d rather you keep in what little you
eat, than nothing at all.” He traced the lines on the palm of my
hand with a finger. “So, about this wedding, why don’t you want to
celebrate it?”

“I never said I didn’t want to celebrate. I
don’t want to make it into a big deal, which is different.”

“Well, it’s a big deal to our parents. And
it’s an even bigger deal to me.”

I noted the change in tone in David’s voice
and looked up at him. I didn’t know how to decipher the look on his
face. Was he upset or hurt? Maybe both.

“That came out wrong. I didn’t mean it wasn’t
a big deal. It’s a big deal to me too. I meant I don’t want a big,
fancy event—a formal ceremony, a huge reception. People I don’t
know…”

“So you don’t want to wear the white dress,
dance our first dance, eat wedding cake?”

“I do. I want those things. But I…it’s…” I
sighed. “It’s hard.”

“What is?” he asked. I looked down at our
clasped hands. He lifted my face. “Tell me what’s upsetting you.
Otherwise, I can’t fix it.”

The hard truth was he couldn’t fix this. No
one could.

“David, I don’t have a…” A ball formed in my
throat. “My dad died, so he can’t walk me down the aisle. I won’t
have,” I sniffed, “a father-daughter dance.” I wiped the tears away
from my eyes. “You know, I used to practice dancing with him when I
was a kid? And he used to tell me he would dread the day he’d have
to walk me down the aisle. But he’s no longer here to do it. And I
need him, now. Not just for this, but for so many things.”

“Isis.” David wiped the moisture on my cheek
with his thumb. “It’s all right, love.” He put his arms around me.
“I can only imagine how hard it must be for you. We don’t have to
have a formal ceremony. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want
to do. If you don’t want a fancy celebration, then we’ll keep it
simple. All I want is to see you happy.”

“What about our parents?” I mumbled into his
chest. “They won’t like it.”

“They’ll have to deal with it.” He took my
face in both his hands. “If on our wedding day all you want to do
is eat pizza, we’ll eat pizza. Okay? I happen to like pizza.”

“I don’t actually want to eat that on our
wedding day.” I half cried, half laughed. “I only said it because I
panicked, and it was the first thing I thought of.”

“I’m glad to hear it because the idea of
pizza pies at a wedding feast,” he made a face, “wasn’t appealing
to me, either.”

“Why didn’t you say something?”

“I told you; I just want you to be happy.” He
rose from the side of the chair and leaned into me, a hand on
either of the chair’s arms. He whispered, “We could always
elope.”

I thought about it for a moment. I shook my
head. “There’s a matter of demons hunting me. We’re safer
here.”

“Well, so much for romance.” He sighed. “So
what can I do to make you happy?”

“There’s one thing I can think of,” I said.
“I don’t want to organize this wedding.”

“Consider it done.” He crouched, sitting back
on his heels in front of me. “We’ll hire an events planner and tell
them to keep it as simple as you want it to be.”

“Really? And you’d be okay with that—with
letting someone else do the planning?”

He nodded. “It’ll be like a surprise for us
both.”

“Sometimes I think you love me too much.”

“Well, you’re wrong,” he said. He lifted my
hand and kissed it. “I love you more than too much. And my
objective is to convince you of it.”

My heart.

“You already have,” I said.

CHAPTER 17

Claire was less than thrilled about David’s
and my decision to hire an events planner. It was Nyx and Galilea
who convinced her it was a good idea since David and I set the
wedding date for a month later—September 17th— and it would be
utter chaos putting it together so quickly.

“I want to pay for the wedding-planner fees.
My gift to the bride and groom,” Galilea said, sitting on the
oversized sofa in her living room. “I
can
do that, can’t I?”
She looked at Eileen.

“Of course,” Eileen said. “If the bride and
groom say it’s okay.”

“Ugh! I can’t win with you.” Galilea threw
her hands up. She looked at David and me. “So can I—pay for the
planner?”

“Yes,” I said. “It’s really nice of you to
offer. Thank you.”

“No problem,” Galilea said.

“I hate to eat and run, but it’s getting
late, and I have an early start tomorrow,” Claire said, fishing her
car keys out of her purse. “Galilea, your house is gorgeous.
Alezzander, the burgers were delicious. And thanks to everyone for
a great evening.” She turned to David and me. “We’re doing the same
sleeping arrangement as last night, I’m guessing?”

“If it’s not too much trouble,” David said.
“Our furniture is being moved back into the house from storage. But
it could take two or three days, so I may have to inconvenience you
a few more nights.”

“It’s no inconvenience,” Claire said, and
then gave me a one-armed hug. “You’ll give me more days to accept
it’s time for my baby bird to fly away from the nest.”

“There’s a whole month left until that
happens,” I said. “I’m not going anywhere. Not now, anyway.”

“Oh?” Claire said, raising her brows. “I
assumed you’d want to move in together.”

“You did?” I asked, puzzled.

“Actually, I contemplated the idea, but I
didn’t think you’d agree, Mrs. Martin,” David said. “We aren’t
married, so…”

“I’ll admit I’m not ready to let Isis go, but
I don’t have a problem with her moving in with you. Unless your
parents,” Claire looked at Alezzander and Nyx, “object.”

Who is this woman and what has she done with
my mother?

“No objections here,” Alezzander said.
“Dear?”

“It’s fine,” Nyx agreed.

“Mom,” I said. “There’s no rush. I don’t have
to move out yet.”

“Yes, you do,” Galilea said. “I mean…uh…if I
were you, I would. You know, because you’re pregnant, and Claire
can’t look after you if she’s at work all day. Plus, it puts less
pressure on me…um…I mean, on her.”

“I am worried about you.” Claire nodded.
“Isis, you ate maybe three bites of your burger. Don’t think I
didn’t notice. But it doesn’t mean you have to leave, honey. I’m
not kicking you out,” Claire said. “Talk it over with David. You
need to get used to making decisions together.” She stood. “Anyway,
I’ll be going now. I’m dying for a bubble bath.”

“We’ll be home later,” I said. “You don’t
have to wait up.”

“Oh, I didn’t plan to,” she said. Eileen and
Nyx saw her out the door. “Say goodbye to your husband for me,” she
told Eileen as she stepped out of the door. “It was nice to meet
you both.”

“Likewise. Drive safe,” Eileen said.

“Night, everyone,” Claire said as she stepped
out the door.

Eileen had just shut the door and headed out
to the lab to join her husband when the doorbell rang.

“It’s probably my mom,” I said. “She must’ve
forgotten something.”

Galilea stood and opened the front door. She
stared at whoever was standing on the other side. She put a hand on
her hip and slammed the door shut.

“Who was it?” I asked.

“No one,” she said, walking toward the
kitchen. “I’m going to clean up.”

Hard knocks shook the door. David was the one
who answered this time. He stepped aside, and Galen and Eryx walked
in.

“Evening,” Eryx said to no one in particular.
He gave me a curt nod. “Isis.”

“Hi, Eryx,” I said.

“I’m glad you’re here. Late, but here,”
Alezzander said. “Gunn needs that scalpel.”

“Thank you for coming on such short notice,”
David said to the twins.

“Have you been to the estate yet?” Nyx asked.
“If you’re planning to stay, it’ll have to be at a hotel. There’s
no furniture, and the electricity was suspended this morning.
David’s put in a request to have it reconnected.”

“Father mentioned it when he called,” Galen
said. He stuck his hand in his pants pocket and produced a small
cylinder. He handed it to David. “But he forgot to mention Isis is
pregnant. I’m not sure if I should congratulate you or buy you a
funeral casket, David.”

I gritted my teeth at Galen’s comment.

“
Galen
,” Nyx said. “That’s a horrible
thing to say to your brother.”

“Congratulations,” Eryx said to me. He kissed
my cheeks. “Welcome to our family.”

Does this mean he doesn’t hate me?
I
could barely dare to hope it was true.

“Thank you,” I said.

“Galen, don’t you have anything to say to
Isis?” Alezzander asked.

Galen studied me. “You’re too thin, and you
wear too much mascara.”

“Try again,” Alezzander said.

“Again? Okay,” Galen said. “Let’s see… You
looked better with long hair.” Galen cocked his head. “Although, I
don’t hate the new look.”

“Galen,” Alezzander said, his nostrils
flaring, his tone an octave lower. “Try. Again.”

“He doesn’t have to say anything,” I said.
“He’s never liked me anyway. I don’t see why anything should be
different now.”