Nobody's Fantasy

by Louise Hall

  While I’m waiting for the Uber to arrive, I call my parents. “Hi,” Mum says and I can tell straight away that she knows about Zev’s talk with my dad yesterday.

  “Is Dad there?” I ask because I want to talk to both of them at the same time.

  “He’s in his office. Hold on a sec.” I can hear her walking down the hallway.

  “Lo’s on the phone,” Mum explains. She puts me on speakerphone. “She wants to talk to both of us together.”

  “Zev asked me to marry him last night, which I guess you already know about. I said yes.”

  “Congratulations,” Mum yelps, “but how did you know…? Did Zev tell you about our talk yesterday?”

  “Nope.”

  “Sierra,” Dad growls and I grin because getting my baby sister in trouble is one of my favourite things. “Get your butt in here.”

  “Why?”

  “You have got to stop listening in to other people’s telephone conversations,” Mum scolds. “Supposing we were talking about buying you a car for your birthday, if you overheard that it would completely spoil the surprise.”

  “Meh, surprises are overrated. At least my way, I’d get to have an input on the make and model. I’d definitely get to choose the colour because nobody wants to drive around in an ugly-ass car, ew!”

  “It’s a good job then that we’re not planning on buying you a car for the foreseeable future. God forbid that you had to drive around in something ugly. I imagine public transport will make a much better fit for you.”

  “Ugh, you’re impossible,” Sierra grumbles. “Lola or Mats need to lose another limb so you can give them all of your attention again and I’ll settle for your credit card instead.”

  “Aw, are you feeling neglected, baby girl?” Mum laughs. “I think she needs a hug, Kian.”

  “This family is whack,” Sierra grumbles before she can be sucked into a hug from both our crazy parents.

  “I think you’re getting soft in your old age,” I tease my dad because unlike Sierra, he and Mum can’t group hug me all those miles away in Seattle. “I can’t believe you gave Zev permission to propose to me after everything we’ve been through.”

  “Would you have wanted us to say no?” Mum asks.

  “No, of course not.” The Uber has arrived so I climb into the backseat. “I’m just surprised, that’s all. Dad always used to say that I wasn’t going to be allowed to date until I was at least thirty-five and I’ve got over ten years before that.”

  “Zev and I had a good chat last night. He reminds me of me a little bit,” Dad says.

  “Ew,” I wince, “please don’t say something like that ever again.”

  “He’s made some mistakes but he’s a good man, Lo. Nobody will ever be good enough for my baby girl but I know that he makes you happy and that’s all I care about.”

  We’re nearly at Mats’ house. “I love you, Dad.”

  “I love you too, baby girl. Always have, always will.”

  “One last thing before I go. Did you know that Zev came to Seattle around the time I had my second accident? Mats told him I never wanted to see him again and threatened to call the cops.”

  “Oh my goodness,” Mum gasps and I can tell she’s telling the truth. “I didn’t know about that. Did you, Kian?”

  “I’m not going to lie and say I wouldn’t have done the exact same thing if I’d seen him but no, I didn’t know.”

  “I’ve got to go. I love you both way more than mushrooms.”

  When I look up at the house, Mats is waiting for me on the front porch.

  “I still think I did the right thing,” he says, giving me the Warner family pouty lip.

  “I disagree,” I say calmly, sitting down beside him on the steps. “I might have lost my leg but I was never weak, Mateo. You should have told me that Zev was in Seattle. It was my decision whether I wanted to see him or not, mine and mine alone.”

  “Lola.”

  “No,” I shake my head. “We know better than to keep secrets from each other in this family. You might not remember it but secrets and lies nearly broke our family apart once upon a time.”

  I look down at the silly red plastic ring on my finger. “Zev and I are engaged. Mum and Dad actually gave him their blessing before he proposed. If you can’t be happy for me…”

  I don’t know what I’m going to say next because Mats is my brother. I used to help Mum feed him and change his nappies when he was a baby. I can’t cut him out of my life completely but I also can’t be around somebody who doesn’t support me. It’s not about whether he likes Zev or not, it’s about him thinking that I’m weak and need to be protected. I’m a woman and I’ve lost my leg but neither of those things makes me inferior to Mats just because he’s a man and has two legs.

  As if he can read my mind, Mats sighs, “you know that there’s no freaking way that I think you’re better or worse than me just because you’re a girl and I’m a boy. You might have lost a leg but look at you, you’re a freaking warrior on your prosthetic and I’m sure you could kick my behind six ways until Sunday. But you’ve got to remember that I’m your brother, Lola. It’s my job to protect you. When I saw Zev in Seattle, I’d just come back from visiting you in the hospital. The last time I’d seen him, he was kissing another woman. I was jet-lagged and angry.”

  He’s so smart I forget sometimes that he’s still a teenager. He’s not that much older than Sierra and we all know how immature she can be.

  “I love you, Mats,” I surprise him by giving him a hug. “Be happy for me, OK?”

  “I’ll try,” he gulps.

  “Nope,” I shake my head, “it’s like Remy always says; don’t say you’ll try because that implies that there’s a chance you’ll fail, say you will.”

  Mats smiles, “I can’t believe you actually just quoted Remy.”

  ZEV

  “Will you stop fussing, woman! Just because they’ve got money doesn’t make the Warners any better than us.” Mom rolls her eyes behind Dad’s back. She’s trying without success to get him to wear a tie.

  “Sheesh, it’s you that’s hung up on the money thing, Eric. I don’t care if they’re princes or paupers as long as they’re good people. Besides Cate and Kian Warner and the rest of Lola’s family are going to be part of our family after the wedding this weekend.”

  Yeah, now would be a really good time to announce that we’re all stood by the open front door and by we, I mean Lola, her parents, Sierra and me. When I look across at Cate, her lips are twitching with amusement and I’m glad that she doesn’t seem offended by my parents’ bickering.

  Mom spots us first and quickly whacks my arm, “yikes, Zev, you almost gave me a heart attack. Why didn’t you say something?”

  “I was having way too much fun,” I chuckle.

  “Mrs Montgomery,” Cate steps forward. “It’s so lovely to finally meet you, I’m Cate, this is my husband, Kian and our youngest daughter, Sierra. I apologise in advance for anything she says.”

  At first Lola was torn between whether we should get married here in Oahu which would be easier for my family who are notoriously bad travellers or in Seattle. I knew she really wanted to get married on the beach where it all started for us but didn’t want to upset anybody. Fortunately her family must have been able to tell that too because they insisted that they could do with a bit of Hawaiian sunshine after all the rain in Seattle.

  My dad and Lola’s dad just kind of nod at each other across our small living room. The rest of the Klein-Warners are arriving later in the week but her parents wanted to have a few days with us before the festivities start.

  Mom and Cate quickly become fast friends and the silence between Dad and Mr Warner doesn’t seem uncomfortable so I suggest Lola, Sierra and I go outside to the back garden.

  “This sucks,” Sierra flops down in one of the lawn chairs. “I haven’t seen a single hunky surfer yet.”

  “You’ve only been here five minutes. You’re such a drama queen,” Lola gives her
a kick.

  Maggie and Louis join us and Sierra actually surprises me by being really good with my young nephew. Jason was supposed to make it back for the wedding but his leave got cancelled at the last-minute so I know my sister is disappointed.

  “Do you know what we both need?” Sierra says, studying my sister. “A makeover.”

  Lola gives her another kick. “What did I tell you before we got here?”

  “Engage sphincter then drive?” Sierra pouts, “which I still think is a really convoluted way of just telling me to keep schtum but I wasn’t being rude. Maggie’s pretty but I’m bored and I know I could make her look even more gorgeous.”

  “Um, thanks? I think,” Maggie raises her eyebrows.

  “Hey,” I frown when I see Emmy has tagged along with Mats and Vada. “What are you doing here?”

  “Ha,” she chuckles, “did you really think I’d miss the epic first meeting of the Montgomerys and Warners?”

  “I hate to disappoint you but it’s not actually been that bad.”

  “Apart from your dad accusing us of being stuck-up snobs,” Sierra interrupts.

  “That wasn’t exactly what he said,” Lola gives her sister another kick to the shin.

  “Quit it,” Sierra yelps, rubbing her leg, “I don’t want to have bruises all over my legs on your wedding day.”

  Mats rolls his eyes, “it’s Sierra’s world, we just live in it.”

  “I like her,” Emmy jerks her head towards Sierra and we all look shocked. “What? She’s honest and I respect that.”

  LOLA

  I can’t believe I’m getting married tomorrow. I’m going to have yet another new name. I’ve been Lola Warner, future women’s footballer, Jane Warner, blank space and now I’m going to be Lola Montgomery. I try it out for the gazillionth time, “Mrs Lola Montgomery.” Ugh, it still feels beyond weird.

  I look at my beautiful wedding dress which is hanging on the back of my bedroom door.

  Zev slept over last night (I kept the dress hidden in a garment bag) but he left really early. He said he had errands to run and I wasn’t exactly awake enough to interrogate him. I was kind of annoyed though because we’re going to be forced apart tonight because of tradition so I’d wanted us to have a lazy morning together.

  I want to be Zev’s wife but I’m not exactly sold on the whole wedding thing. We’re so overrun with family members right now that it’s hard to get any time together just the two of us. At least that’ll change when we fly to Manchester the day after the wedding. I know it seems an odd choice for a honeymoon but I’ve wanted to go back to my hometown for so long and taking Zev with me will make it extra-special. Besides, we live in one of the world’s most popular honeymoon destinations so it’ll make a nice change to feel the wind and rain on my skin.

  The last few members of my family: my aunt Sinead, uncle Fabrizio, cousin Amelie, Granny Jean and my step-grandfather, Bernard arrived last night and Mum’s planned a big girly lunch at the hotel they’re all staying at.

  I catch an Uber and as we’re driving through the business district, I spot my dad coming out of one of the office buildings followed by Zev. Dad’s supposed to be playing golf with the rest of the guys so I’m immediately suspicious.

  We’re only a couple of blocks away from the hotel so I ask the driver to pull over.

  “So this is a surprise,” I announce as I catch up to them.

  “I thought you were having lunch with your mum?” Dad says.

  I narrow my eyes at him, “I thought you were supposed to be on the golf course.”

  Zev tries to hide the bundle of papers behind his back but he’s not quick enough.

  “What the heck is this?” I demand after I’ve read the first couple of sentences. I don’t care that we’re in the middle of the street.

  “It’s a pre-nuptial agreement,” Dad says, “you’re a very wealthy young woman, Lola.”

  I’m so angry I’m sure I can feel literal steam coming out of my ears.

  “We talked about this, Dad and I distinctly remember telling you that I wasn’t going to ask Zev to sign one.”

  Zev squeezes my hand, “I really don’t mind, hot stuff.”

  I spin around to face him, “don’t call me that, not right now. I’m plenty angry with you for lying to me about having errands to run.”

  “Lola.”

  “No, Dad,” I take a deep breath, trying to get myself back under control. They might be treating me like I’m a little girl but that doesn’t mean I have to act like one. “Did you make Mum sign a pre-nup when you got married? You were a millionaire footballer and she was just a college student.”

  “They aren’t legally binding in England,” Dad reminds me.

  “That doesn’t answer my question,” I growl, “if they had been, would you have asked Mum to sign one?”

  He actually looks sheepish, “your mum offered to sign something after we got married. She was adamant that if we ever split up, she wouldn’t take any money from me.”

  “What did you say?”

  “I told her that it was a moot point because it was never going to happen.”

  I reach for Zev’s hand, “I feel the same about Zev. You might think that I’m naïve but I don’t want Zev to sign a pre-nuptial agreement. It’s like what aunt Remy always says, I’m not going to say I’ll try because that implies that there’s a chance I’ll fail. If I ask Zev to sign an agreement about what’ll happen to our finances if we split up, I’m acknowledging that there’s a chance that our marriage won’t last. I don’t acknowledge that. If I thought for even a single second that I wouldn’t be with Zev for the rest of my life, I wouldn’t be marrying him tomorrow. I’m all in, Dad. I don’t need an escape route.”

  I turn to look at Zev. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

  He reaches up and gently brushes my fringe out of my eyes. “I love an infinite number of things about you, Lola but whatever money you have or don’t have isn’t one of them. I’ll sign anything you or your family want me to sign not because I think there’s even the slightest chance that our marriage will fail but because I want to prove beyond any doubt that my love for you is the purest thing there is.”

  I don’t care that my dad’s standing just a few feet from us. I lean forward and brush my lips against Zev’s. He tastes like everything I’ve always wanted: my best friend, my partner in crime, my sanctuary and my home.

  “Are we OK?” Zev asks.

  “Yeah,” I sigh, “just don’t keep secrets from me, OK?”

  “I’m sorry,” he says softly, brushing his lips against my forehead. “Have fun with your family. I’ll see you at the beach tomorrow.”

  “Zev,” I call as he turns to walk away. “I love you.”

  “Love you too, hot stuff.”

  After he’s gone, I turn back to my dad. “You know how I feel about secrets.”

  “I know,” Dad sighs. “I might have to symbolically give you away tomorrow but you’re always going to be my baby girl, Lola. When I found out that your mum was pregnant with you, it changed me. I was reckless and stupid before but I became a man. I had to because I was going to be somebody’s father. I love you and your brother and sister equally but when I held you in my arms for the first time, I just knew that I would do anything and everything in my power to keep you safe. That’s not going to change just because you get older or you’ve got a new last name.”

  I give him a hug because I know how lucky I am to have such an amazing dad. “I love you, Dad but you don’t need to protect me from Zev.”

  “Can we keep this between you and me?” Dad asks as he walks me to the hotel.

  I bust out laughing, “you totally didn’t tell Mum that you were going to try and get Zev to sign a pre-nup, did you?”

  “Of course not,” Dad splutters, “are you crazy?”

  I smile, “I thought you and Mum didn’t have any secrets from each other?”

  “We don’t,” Dad says gruffly, “I’ll tell her event
ually but maybe not until after the wedding. I really don’t think you want your parents not talking to each other on your big day.”

  ZEV

  I’m at a loss without Lola so I head over to my parents’ house after I’ve finished at the Ink. Lola’s mum, Cate invited all of the Montgomery women to the pre-wedding girly lunch at the hotel so Mom and Maggie aren’t home. Dad was invited to play golf with the guys but as I’ve said before he’s not exactly the most sociable person in the world so he volunteered to stay home and watch Louis instead.

  “You’re not having second thoughts, are you?” Dad asks, not looking up from the TV screen. He’s in his happy place with a cold beer in his hand, a 1970s cop show on the TV and nobody to make excruciating small talk with.

  “Not a one,” I say, watching Louis play with his toy cars on the carpet. If I was looking for a soothing pep talk the night before my wedding, I’d have definitely come to the wrong place. “When did you become such a grouch, Dad?”

  “I’m not a grouch,” he grumbles, still not looking at me, “I’m honest, that’s all.”

  “I don’t buy that.”

  “You don’t have to,” Dad says. He raises the bottle of beer to his mouth. “You’re not a parent yet. When you are, you’ll understand.”

  “Why don’t you like Lola?” I demand. “She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

  “I didn’t say I didn’t like her. I just want to be sure you’ve thought this through, that’s all. Don’t want you to make the same mistake as your sister.”

  “What does that mean?” I look over at Louis but he’s still concentrating on his cars.

  “It means I think that good-for-nothing husband of hers could easily get leave to come home and be with his family if he wanted but he doesn’t.”

  “Dad!”

  “Despite what you might think, I like Lola. Her family might be rich but like your mom says, they’re good people. Her sister’s got a mouth on her but then so has our Emmy. I just want to be sure that you aren’t having any doubts because marriage isn’t a game.”