About That Kiss

by Jayne Addison

  “I don’t know.” Kevin pressed his hand to his eyes. “She wouldn’t tell me. She said she just didn’t want to get married.”

  “Let me take you out for a drink,” Nick said, trying to do something to help.

  “I need to get out,” Kevin told him, agonized. “But alone. I want to be alone.”

  Nick was scared; he’d never seen his brother this upset. “I don’t want you driving. Take a walk. Okay?”

  “Leave me be, Nick.” Kevin turned toward the stairs.

  Nick quickly moved in front of his brother. “You’re not going anywhere unless you give me your keys. Don’t make me knock you around.”

  “You want the keys…” Kevin yanked them out of his pocket. “Here’s the keys.” He threw them down.

  Nick moved aside and Kevin walked to the stairs.

  “Do you think you can talk now?” Joy asked gently, as Diana’s sobs turned to soundless spasms. She was rocking Diana in her arms, having taken Kevin’s place at Diana’s side.

  “How…how does anyone kn-know if they’re going t-to be in love for a li-lifetime?”

  Joy grabbed a handful of tissues from a box on the bed. She tenderly wiped Diana’s face.

  “You just know,” Joy said, her throat clogged with emotion.

  “I don’t know,” Diana babbled, mindlessly. “Sometimes I think it’s all just a bunch of words. He says he loves me. I say that I love him. How do I know he’s going to stay in love with me? How do I know he’s really in love with me now? He could just think he’s in love with me.”

  Joy’s voice quavered as she whispered, “When someone loves you, you just know it with your heart.” It was a truth that had eluded Joy until she’d said it. She hadn’t let herself listen to Nick with her heart. She’d thought she knew everything. She’d thought she had it all figured out.

  Diana dropped her head. “I can’t get married feeling like this. Maybe we don’t belong together. Maybe I’m not supposed to marry him. Maybe I’m supposed to marry someone else. If I’d married Nick, then Kevin and I wouldn’t be together now. Maybe I was supposed to marry Nick.”

  “You don’t mean that,” Joy said painfully. For all her thrilling heart’s conclusion, it was Diana’s last words that stuck in Joy’s head. “You love Kevin and Kevin loves you.”

  “I feel like I can’t breathe,” Diana rasped. “Like there’s not enough air…”

  “I’ll open a window.” Joy rushed to her feet.

  Diana flung herself up. “No…I think I want to go outside.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Joy said, her thoughts returning entirely to her sister and the misery she was experiencing.

  “Is Kevin still here?” Diana asked woodenly. “I don’t want to see Kevin. And I don’t want to talk to Mom. I don’t want to talk to anyone. I want to be by myself and think.”

  “I’ll go see where Kevin is,” Joy said, crossing the room to the door. When she opened it she saw Nick leaning against the hall wall.

  “Is Kevin still here?” Joy asked, her eyes stinging the minute she saw him.

  “No.” Nick shook his head.

  Joy swallowed hard. “Diana is coming out of her bedroom. She doesn’t want to see anyone. She wants to be alone.”

  “I’ll make myself scarce,” Nick said, turning to go into his bedroom. But as soon as Joy went back into Diana’s room, Nick changed his mind and went into Joy’s.

  Joy ran her hand softly down Diana’s arm. “Kevin left and Mom is downstairs in the kitchen. Are you sure you don’t want me to go outside with you?”

  “I’m sure.” Diana blew her nose into a fistful of tissues.

  Joy walked back out to the hall with Diana. She watched from the top of the stairs as her sister left the house, then Joy went into her own bedroom.

  Nick was waiting for Joy just inside the door. He put an arm around her waist, pulling her to him, wanting to comfort her, wanting her to comfort him so he could get through his worry about Kevin.

  Joy jerked away from him.

  “I need you, Joy,” Nick whispered.

  “Diana needs you,” Joy answered hoarsely, then left him to go back into Diana’s bedroom. She’d had intentions of closing the door, but he’d followed right on her heels.

  Nick closed the door—with a kick of his foot. “You’re going to hear me out, Joy. I’ve had enough of this,” he said loudly.

  “You’d better listen to what I have to say first,” she replied just as firmly.

  They stood angrily facing each other in a clash of wills.

  “Listen?” Nick roared, not caring how high she’d raised her obstinate chin. “I’m through listening.”

  “Well, you’re going to want to hear this,” Joy stormed. “Diana thinks that maybe she should be marrying you.”

  “Yeah, well…I don’t give a damn what Diana thinks. I’m not in love with Diana. I’m in love with you. And I’m going to marry you…if I have to drag you kicking and screaming down the aisle. In fact, the hell with any aisle. Vegas is faster. And we’re going on the first plane I can get us on. Now you can pack a bag or not…”

  Nick stopped short then, but only because she hadn’t said anything to refute him.

  “What if I want a wedding?” Joy asked, winding her arms around his neck. It was exactly the way she’d explained it to Diana. When it was love, you just knew it—with your heart. And when he picked you above anyone else…

  It was a second before Nick regained the power of speech. “Baby, if you just said yes to me, you can have anything you want.”

  Joy put a teasing mouth almost against his. “What took you so long?”

  “I was busy running around in circles,” Nick countered, then he put that smart, sassy mouth of hers to much better use.

  “I love you, Nick,” Joy uttered, breaking away from the kiss, basking in the most wonderful moment of her life, her heart all-knowing and settled.

  “I love you,” Nick murmured, kissing her neck, then gazing playfully into her eyes. “I should be mad at you for putting me through the wringer.”

  “Are you mad?” She was at her impish best while she asked it.

  “No, but I am mad about you.” Nick grinned. “Are you going to trust everything I say to you from now on?”

  “Yes,” Joy answered, raining kisses of apology on his chin, on his nose, on his mouth.

  “I’ll keep proving it to you, anyway,” Nick told her. “I’m glad Diana gave me the chance to prove it to you now.”

  “Oh, God! Diana,” Joy moaned.

  “Kevin…” Nick issued his own troubled sigh. “He’s outside walking around.”

  Joy’s fingers dug into Nick’s shoulder. “Diana’s outside walking around. Do you think they might have run into each other?”

  “I think we should go out and see.” Nick took Joy’s hand.

  “How far could they have gone?” Joy asked anxiously, after they’d spent more than a half hour walking all the way to Main Street, looking into a nearby bar, a coffee shop, a luncheonette, then going back to the house.

  “I don’t think either of them would walk all that far,” Nick said, leading her up the driveway.

  Joy squeezed Nick’s hand. “I’m getting very worried. Should we walk through the woods behind the house?”

  “You can stop worrying,” Nick said with a chuckle as he glanced inside Kevin’s car. Using a hand, Nick turned Joy’s head in the direction his eyes had gone.

  Joy saw for herself what had brought on Nick’s chuckle.

  Diana and Kevin were locked in each other’s arms as they sat in the back seat, kissing hungrily.

  Nick knocked on the window. He had to knock more than once before Diana and Kevin drew apart.

  Kevin opened the car door with a grin on his face. “We’re okay.”

  “We’re getting married,” Diana said, her smile as wide as Kevin’s as they both got out of the car.

  “I’ll put on more hamburgers,” Emily Mackey said a while later, as she happily bounc
ed to her feet. “And more potatoes.”

  “Mom,” Diana said with a contented smile, “I couldn’t eat another mouthful.”

  “I’m stuffed.” Joy put a hand to her stomach.

  “Nothing more for me,” Kevin said, one arm around Diana’s shoulders, which was the way he’d eaten his meal.

  “I couldn’t get another thing down,” Nick agreed.

  Emily sniffled. “My little girl is getting married,” she said, as if she was just realizing it.

  Nick winked at Joy. Neither had said anything yet about their relationship, leaving the limelight to Diana and Kevin.

  “Your other little girl is getting married, too,” Nick said casually.

  Emily Mackey looked baffled.

  “Me, Mom.” Joy laughingly pointed to herself. “I’m marrying him.” She pointed to Nick.

  In a flurry of commotion, everyone spoke at once.

  “My baby!” Emily Mackey exclaimed over and over again.

  “I had my money on you,” Kevin said, slapping Nick’s back.

  “When?” Diana asked.

  “Soon,” Joy answered.

  “We could get married together,” Diana said, bursting with enthusiasm.

  “I like that idea,” Nick offered.

  “Diana, it’s your wedding,” Joy said, shaking her head. “It’s your special day.”

  Diana smiled. “You’ve had as much to do with putting this wedding together as I have. And we’d never forget each other’s anniversary. And there’s an extra wedding gown upstairs. And we’re sisters. And Kevin and Nick are brothers. And the same people that are coming to my wedding would come to yours. Just think how thrilled Uncle Paul will be to walk both his favorite nieces down the aisle.”

  “The staff from the paper will show up,” Nick said, taking up where Diana left off. “I’ll make it an order. And we’ll call anyone else we want here. I’ll want my friend Teddy for my best man. I happen to know he has a tux in his closet. I borrowed it once.”

  “I wouldn’t have to buy a second mother-of-the-bride dress,” Emily Mackey added, smiling with tears of happiness in her eyes.

  Kevin said, “There’s no reason you won’t be able to get your blood test quickly. The license won’t be a problem, I have connections.” He paused a moment. “We might need more food.”

  “We’ll get pizzas if we have to,” Nick kidded. “Some with anchovies.”

  “My two babies…” Emily Mackey blew her nose into a napkin.

  “What can I say?” Joy put her hands up in the air.

  “It better be yes,” Nick said eloquently, his eyes smiling into Joy’s eyes.

  “Yes,” Joy said loudly. “Yes, yes, yes.”

  “Oh, Diana,” Joy breathed. “You’ve never looked more beautiful.”

  “Look at you,” Diana said admiringly, as the two stood in front of the full-length mirror in Joy’s bedroom—both clad in their wedding gowns.

  Joy smiled. “I thought I was going to have to put some socks in the top, but Mom took it in.”

  “And the length is just right,” Diana said, laughing. “I wouldn’t be surprised now if Nick had designs all along of getting you into this gown. Kevin told me how hard Nick had been working to get you to believe he loved you.”

  Joy grinned. “I can tell you for sure he has designs about getting me out of this gown.”

  “I know that I was a naysayer, but I didn’t understand what was going on. Why didn’t you believe that he loved you?” Diana asked.

  Joy sighed wistfully. “I kept comparing myself to you. Diana, you are gorgeous, sophisticated and brilliant.”

  Her sister looked shocked. “You’ve got so much more going for you than I have. Do you know how many times I’ve wanted to clobber you because I’ve never been able to be as cute as you are?”

  “You’ve wanted to clobber me!” Joy’s eyes grew bigger. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to clobber you. Do you know how many guys I lost after they took a look at you?”

  “What guys?” Diana asked, furrowing her brow. “I never dated any guy you went out with.”

  “You didn’t have to date them. Do you remember Danny Mitchell?” Joy pointed a finger. “The only reason he kept coming around was to stare at you.”

  Diana’s eyebrows came together in a frown. “I don’t remember any Danny Mitchell. When was he around?”

  “When I was fourteen.”

  “You had braces on your teeth when you were fourteen.”

  “Exactly.” Joy nodded her head. “Did you ever have to wear braces?” Joy shook her head. “No.”

  “I wished I had. You had Mom and Dad fussing all over you when you first got them on.”

  Emily Mackey appeared in the doorway along with Rachel Harmon, who was now Joy’s maid of honor, and Tracie Cooper, who was now Diana’s maid of honor.

  “Are the two of you ready?” the mother of the brides asked, gazing lovingly and teary-eyed at both her daughters. “The limousine is here with your uncle Paul.”

  “I just have to get my bouquet from my room,” Diana answered. “Mom, you look beautiful.”

  “You do, Mom,” Joy echoed emotionally.

  “Hurry up,” Emily Mackey ordered self-consciously, then led Rachel and Tracie away from the door.

  “I’m glad now that I committed to red and white flowers,” Diana smiled. “You were right that it should look like Christmas.”

  Joy hugged Diana.

  “Don’t let the bedbugs bite,” Joy whispered.

  “Don’t let them bite you, either,” Diana whispered back.

  Reverend Easton smiled brightly at the two brides. “I’ve known Diana and Joy since they were born, so it feels quite appropriate that I should be the one conducting this double ceremony today.”

  Reverend Easton’s gaze went to the mother of the brides in the front pew along with the uncle who had given them away and the rest of the immediate family before encompassing the entire assembly. “I welcome you all on behalf of Diana and Kevin and Joy and Nick to witness this day the taking of vows of marriage and family, one woman to one man and one man to one woman in fidelity and love.”

  Reverend Easton’s eyes returned to the nuptial couples. “I ask you now to bow your heads in prayer.”

  When Joy raised her head she looked into Nick’s sparkling blue eyes. He looked back into her glittering gray-green eyes and took her hand.

  Joy heard little of Kevin’s and Diana’s vows, but she was all ears when, in his turn, Nick spoke clearly for all to hear.

  “I, Nick, take thee, Joy, for my wife. To love. To honor. To cherish in sickness and in health, forsaking all others until death do us part. I promise you love.”

  Joy tightly squeezed Nick’s hand. “I, Joy, take thee, Nick, for my husband. To love. To honor. To cherish in sickness and in health, forsaking all others until death do us part. I give you my heart.”

  “The rings?” Reverend Easton asked.

  Teddy Falco brought forth a gold wedding band as did Kevin’s best man.

  Nick placed the gold band on Joy’s finger. “With this ring, I thee wed.”

  Reverend Easton looked first to Diana and Kevin, then to Joy and Nick. “With the power vested in me, I now pronounce you each husband and wife. You may kiss your brides.”

  “How much longer do we have to stay?” Nick whispered in Joy’s ear as they danced at the reception. The party was still in full swing, though it was now hours since it had begun.

  “Anxious?” Joy teased.

  “Yes, wife. I’m anxious.”

  “Good.” Joy kissed the corner of Nick’s mouth. “Me, too.”

  “Baby, I’m sorry we can’t have a real honeymoon now,” Nick said. “I’ll make it up to you as soon as we can get away.”

  Joy smiled. “I have a feeling you’re going to make it as much a honeymoon as I can handle.”

  “You’ve got my word on that.” Nick winked.

  Diana and Kevin danced up alongside Joy and Nick. />
  “I’m going to be changing in a minute,” Diana said. “We have a plane to catch. Do you want to throw your bouquet with me?”

  “Yes, she does,” Nick answered, while Joy grinned.

  “Nick…” Joy giggled. “You can put me down now. We’re over the threshold.” They were in a hotel room on Shelter Island—a short ferry ride away from Greenport and the newsroom where they were going to have to appear sometime the next day.

  He bent his head closer to hers, a suggestive glint in his eyes. “You can ask sweeter than that. Ask me sweet.”

  Her lips made the request, but Joy didn’t use words.

  “Anything else?” Nick quipped.

  “Nothing comes to mind,” Joy answered flippantly.

  “Nothing?”

  “Do you want me to say I love you?” Joy parried.

  “Not if I have to pull it out of you, I don’t.”

  “I love you,” Joy whispered. “I love you, I love you, I love you.”

  “Better.” Nick smiled, letting Joy down to her feet.

  She unbuttoned her coat with unsteady fingers in anticipation of what lay in store. Her head was already spinning, and the honeymoon hadn’t officially started.

  Nick took his leather jacket off and flung it on a chair. He put his hand into the pocket of his slacks and came out with a small jeweler’s box.

  “We didn’t have a chance to be engaged, and the jeweler didn’t have this ready until yesterday.”

  In one motion Nick opened the lid. “It’s as close as I could come to giving you the moon and the stars.” He took her left hand and fitted the ring next to her wedding band. “I remember you once said something about being responsive to the moon, the stars and the sun.”

  Joy’s eyes were blurry as she gazed at a moonstone surrounded by small diamonds, glistening as brightly as any sun.

  She wildly kissed the side of his neck and then his mouth while he slipped her coat down her arms. He tossed her coat over his on the chair, then stood back just far enough to see all of her.

  She was wearing a crimson red suit without a blouse.