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“Okay. Let me walk you out.”
We tiptoe down the hall to the living room where he opens the door.
“Well, thank you for dinner and a lovely evening. I’ll text you to let you know I made it home.”
“Okay. Goodnight.”
“Good morning.” I reach up to give him a peck on his cheek, but he turns his head, and our lips meet instead. The kiss is a slow simmer. I drop my purse and rest my hands upon his shoulders. He finds my waist, and his hands apply gentle pressure when he pulls me into his space.
“Son, why are you outside?” his dad calls out.
I dart down the staircase to the first floor, exit the building, and enter my car to head home. I text Lucas when I walk through my front door.
“My, you were out late, missy,” my mom says as she wakes from the couch.
“Mom, why are you on the couch? You should be in your bed.”
“Oh, Charles and I watched a few movies till he went home, and I wanted to wait on my baby. Where were you?”
“I was out with my friends chatting over wine. I should’ve called.”
“No problem, baby. I knew you were okay. You’ve done a lot over the past week and you deserve to relax. Did you and Lucas get all the details worked out?”
“Yes, ma’am. We got the final details done, and the ceremony will be beautiful. No surprises on my watch.”
“I can’t believe you’ve worked with Lucas and never mentioned him during our calls.”
“We don’t exactly have a friendly work relationship. We’re sorta rivals.”
“That explains a lot. You two never spoke about work much or even to each other when we were all together, and you seemed cold to him.”
“True, however, we squashed all the beef between us and buried it for the sake of a new union. And if I don’t get any sleep, I will have circles under my eyes and the makeup artist will have a lot to work out tomorrow. Goodnight, Mother.”
She stands from her sitting position and embraces me in a tight, warm and loving manner. “Good morning, my little princess.”
I saunter off to my room to squeeze in as much sleep as possible.
The florist arrived on schedule as their company promises. Too bad I wasn’t up to greet them. In all my years, I’ve never slept through an alarm until today—the biggest day of my mother’s life, since I was born, of course. I stumble out of bed when my mom yells my name for the umpteenth time, using first, middle, and last name. I struggle to find my way to the bathroom so I can wash my face, brush my teeth, and join in the preparations. When I enter my living room, moms doing her best to direct traffic, but I can tell she’s frustrated.
“Mom, I got it. I’m sorry I overslept.”
“It’s okay, Monie. All that matters is you’re here now, so get busy.” She exits to her room to begin her preparations, and I am left to untangle this mess.
After a few redirects, the flowers are finally getting in place. I hand the florist a walkie-talkie to reach me in case they have questions as they finish the arrangements and setting up the arch for the inside. I borrow two of the florist staff, and we go meet the party rental team on the rooftop for the red-carpet setup we are using to announce the new Mr. and Mrs. and the installation of the makeshift dance floor. Once I have all those jobs going, I redirect my attention to the buffet area which was set up last night and make sure the extra refrigerator is still running. When I open it, the cool air from inside is a welcome change.
“Ahh,” I exhale aloud. I don’t care who hears me. It’s the opening of summer, and I swear we’ve been in it for about three weeks. At eleven AM, it should not be this hot.
“You could go back inside to cool off,” a voice says behind me.
I think it’s a worker being kind—and nosey, mind you—but my eyes widen when I turn to speak.
“Lucas. What are you doing here so early?”
His smile widens, and I realize I’m not dressed or even made up. Not even a little. I fumble with my headscarf and cross my arms in a self-conscious manner.
“Oh, I had to drop off a few things for the refreshments, remember?”
“Oh yeah, the liquor and beer. Thank you again. I totally spaced on that detail.”
