Indian Summer

by lanie love

  The sky outside is thick with dark gray clouds. Spring showers have been threatening to make an appearance all day, which would be great, if we hadn’t decided to have the wedding on the back lawn of Mom and Dads. If the weather doesn’t hold, we can easily move it to inside the tent where the reception is being held, but I know Jane has her heart set on getting married in the wisteria garden.

  Robin and Mom have both been instructed to keep her in her room on the other side of the house. I don't want her stressing about what everything looks like this close to us getting married, but I came over a bit early, just to make sure everything was in place. I’m very impressed. I know Jane is going to love it.

  The flowers I picked out for the wedding and the reception are being set up as we speak. I give Mom her corsage and the bridesmaids bouquets, but I ask her to give Jane her bouquet in private. I hope she likes it and I wasn’t off the mark in picking the type of flowers that I did. I just want everything to be perfect for her. She deserves nothing but the best.

  ****

  Jane

  Mom has given me my bridal bouquet with the strict instructions that I am to read the note Michael wrote me first. I don't know why I'm nervous about reading it, but I take a deep breath and open the letter.

  My Dearest Jane,

  Today you will make me the happiest man in the world when you become my wife. I know that above anything else, you wish your mother was here to share in this day with you. I wish with everything I am that I could give that to you. This morning, I visited her. I took a single flower from your bouquet and placed it on her grave. The rest I give to you to carry, so you will know that on your special day, she is sharing it with you.

  Yours, forever and always,

  Michael.

  I open up the box that contains my bouquet and dissolve into a heap of tears on my bed. Robin peeks in and sees me in all-out hysterics.

  "Oh no, Norma, come quickly." She yells out, as she enters the room and sees me upset.

  Not only does Mom appear, but Nate rushes into the room to see what the matter is as well. Unable to speak with all my blubbering, I point to the flowers and they all swing their heads to look in the box.

  "Sunflowers." Robin squeals at how gorgeous the bouquet is when she holds it up. "But they are so beautiful. Don't you like them?"

  "I love them." I tell her, trying to get myself under control.

  "They were our mother's favorite." Nate explains.

  "Ohhh." Mom and Robins say together, in understanding. They hug me and give me a moment alone with my brother.

  "Are you okay, Peanut?"

  "I am wonderful. They’re happy tears."

  "Well, keeping with the theme of things." He says. "I wanted to give you this."

  I take the small box from his hand and open it. It is a delicate silver locket inscribed with the words "I love you to the moon and back." I look at Nate with confusion on my face, I’m sure, because this is not his usual style. "It was in the box of Mom's things. I took it out before I mailed it." He says and I look at it again. "It was your birthday present from her."

  "I remember now. I begged her to buy me one. I wanted to be just like the girl’s in the book she’d read to me."

  "I was with her when she went to pick it out." He says. "She had them to inscribe it for you. She didn't put anything inside. She wanted the two of you to do it together."

  "Will you help me put it on?"

  "Of course.” Carefully, I had the necklace back to him and turn so he can place it around my neck. I watch in the mirror as he clasps it on. "Beautiful." He says and I smile at him. “You look so grown up. I’m so proud of you, Peanut.”

  Mom and Robin come in to help me get into my wedding dress. It is a simple white lace dress, with a short train and veil.

  "Oh, Jane." Mom begins to cry. "You are truly beautiful. I can't believe you’re marrying my son. I always knew that if I could ever get you two together you would hit it off, but I never thought it would happen. Oh, I am so happy he's found you. You have been so good for him."

  "He's been good for me too." I tell her. "I don't know what I would do without him. I am so grateful to you for accepting me the way that you have. Both of you." I say to her and to Robin.

  "Oh, my dear, you are so special to us." She says to me and Robin nods her head through her tears. “And you were part of the family from the beginning.”

  "Oh jeez, it looks like I got here just in time." Shelley my Best friend from up north says of the blubberfest.

  "Shelley! I didn't think you would make it." I say to her, wiping at my tears while she hugs me.

  "Are you kidding. It's not every day you get married."

  I look through the small patio door window out into the lawn. All I see is a sea of baby blue bridesmaid's dresses walking down the aisle, each one carrying a sunflower bouquet. Robin is last, before her are friends I've made through the years working on my charity projects.

  Once they have cleared the aisle, I spot Michael, waiting impatiently down front. He looks like he's about to pass out from anxiety. Good thing Jimmy Junior is beside him, keeping him somewhat calm. I would laugh if I wasn’t wearing my red lipstick. I don’t want anything to smudge it. Instead, I take a deep breath and hold on to Nate's arm a bit tighter.

  "Are you ready to give me away?" I turn to him before we step out on the lawn and walk down the aisle.

  "No, Peanut. I don't think I'll ever be ready for that."

  "I'll always be your baby sister." I say and he winks at me.”

  “Let’s do this, then.” He says with a smile.

  Michael is the first to spot me. He beams at me and I can see he’s trying hard to hold his emotions in check. If he had his way he would rush down the aisle and carry me down himself.

  The organist Mom swears every wedding needs, starts to play the wedding march and the whole crowd stands. I’m now the center of attention and I can’t help but feel the butterflies in my stomach. Michael chuckles and I know it must be because I have that look on my face he loves so much.

  “Oh Gosh.” I say, trying not to let the full force of panic hit me.

  “I’ve got you.” Nate whispers. He places his hand on top of mine and I hold his arm a little tighter.

  Taking a deep breath, I force myself to relax. I have my brother's arm, my mother's locket, Michael’s bouquet, and all of my family and friends here with me. I have never felt so loved. I have never been so happy. I nod to Nate and we begin our walk.

  "Oh my God, you are so pretty." I hear Donna whisper loudly before Bob shushes her. I laugh a little and I wink at them as I pass by. I count the steps I take, each one leading me closer to the man I love until finally I stand next to him. With a slow hand, Nathan takes mine and gives it to Michael, before leaving my side.

  “Hi, gorgeous.” He whispers to me. His eyes glisten with unushered tears and a million-dollar smile is on his face.

  “Hello, handsome.” I whisper right back, squeezing his open hand a little.

  We chose to write our own vows and neither one of us can listen to the other without silently crying. Michael nearly faints when the minister asks for the rings and he realizes he completely forgot where he put them.

  "My one job." He mutters to himself, frantically feeling his pockets.

  "I’ve got you covered, big brother." Jimmy Junior says, saving the day and handing him the rings.

  The clouds, which have been heavy and threatening rain all day, suddenly open to glorious sunshine when he slips the ring on my finger. A beautiful ray of light comes down and shines right on top of us.

  "Someone up there must approve." He says to me and all I can do is nod as I slip his ring on his finger.

  Attentively, he lifts my veil and the crowd erupts with applause as Mr. and Mrs. Michael Mason have their first kiss.

  ****

  The Reception

  We make our way over to the closed tent that holds our wedding reception.

  "Michael, the flowers
are beautiful." I tell him as I take a look at the huge arrangements of sunflowers, roses, and wildflowers for the first time.

  “Do you really like them?”

  "I love them almost as much as I love you, Husband."

  "I love you, so much, Wife."

  The band starts to play the song Michael chose for our first dance I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You by Elvis Presley and he leads me to the dance floor. Everyone else seems to disappear as he takes me in his arm and sways to the music. His eyes never leave mine and I relish in the love I see in them.

  "You have made me so happy." He says.

  "I'm the one that's happy." I tell him.

  "Say that again." He whispers to me and I smile wide.

  "I'm happy." I tell him with no hesitation. "I’m happy, Husband. I am so very, very happy."

  “Sweetheart.” He breathes lifting me up and spinning me around until I’m giggling from dizziness.

  ****

  Halfway through dinner, Jimmy Junior clinks his champagne flute to get everyone's attention for his best man speech.

  We listen intently as he mostly pokes fun at Michael and me, telling everyone the peach pie story and our first go around on the Ferris wheel. But then he goes and does something so un-Jimmy Junior like that it brings his brother to tears.

  "Michael." He turns to him. "I don't remember a time when I didn't love you, but I remember a time when you didn't love yourself very much. I know you've been hurt badly, I could never understand the reason for it. But now I do. It was to show you what real love looks like, so you wouldn't miss it when it came your way. Jane, thank you for loving my brother. Believe me, I know it's not easy." He pauses because everyone laughs. "But I have never seen a man more in love and more dedicated to a woman the way my brother is to you, the way you are to each other. I give you this gift for whenever you feel like you need an escape from all of us in this crazy ol’ world."

  He hands an envelope to Michael and he opens it up to find Jimmy Junior has given us the house in Laguna Hills.

  “You’re my brother.” I throw my arms around him and give him a big kiss on the cheek when it dawns on me that he’s now my brother too.

  “What about me?” Jim Sr. asks.

  “Dad.” I say, hugging him. Everyone at the table is getting a kick out of it, especially Norma who had her own revelation a few months ago.

  Michael reclaims me from his dad and we head over to our wedding cake. He takes my hand, holding it tight and I know he’s thinking about my breakdown the last time I came face to face with a celebration cake. He needn't worry. Nothing can ruin this day for us.

  The cake is a beautiful design of flowers with the largest tier being chocolate because I know how much Michael loves it. It's also the flavor of the top tier that we’ll save for our one-year anniversary.

  The MC of the evening calls for me to toss my wedding bouquet and I am dead set against it. There is no way I'm letting anyone else have it. But my ever-thoughtful husband has made another bouquet for me to toss.

  Among the single women, I see, Donna, Shelley, Karen, and even Robin since she's not married to my brother yet, line up to catch the bouquet. I turn my back to them, close my eyes and toss it behind me.

  I quickly turn back to see them all scrambling around. Finally, Shelley holds it high in her hands and I laugh because I know how competitive she is. I'm sure she's elbowed a few of the other girls out of the way just to get it, even though she swears she is never getting married.

  ****

  “HO-LEE TOLEDO! I THINK I'M IN LOVE.” Jimmy Junior says, coming to stand next to me and Michael. “I have to meet her. Love at first sight just hit me hard.”

  We watch as he beelines over to Shelley. She’s looking at the bouquet she just so rudely knocked an old woman out of the way to get.

  "Sorry about that." He says, accidentally bumping into her on purpose. "I really should watch where I'm going."

  "No harm done." She says and the look on his face is like he just heard an angel sing.

  “He’s in big trouble now.” Michael says, taking note of it too. He drapes his arm over my shoulder to enjoy the show.

  "I'm Jimmy Junior Mason, Michael's brother." He holds out his hand for her to shake.

  "I'm Shelley, Jane's friend."

  "I haven't seen you around before, Shelley, Jane's Friend." He says, now refusing to let go of her hand.

  “Oh, real smooth, little brother.” Michael says just out of their earshot and I laugh.

  "I just moved here from San Francisco." She says. Jimmy ignores her struggling to get her hand back and tips his chin to point at the bouquet.

  "That's a sign."

  "What is?"

  "That you are meant to be my wife. Marry me?" He bends down to kiss her hand and she snatches it away before it touches his lips.

  "In your dreams, Blondie." She says, then walks away in a huff.

  "Oooooo, shot you down hard." Michael and I come up to him and he pats him on the back. "I can still see the flames."

  "Shows me how little you know, big brother." He points to Shelley, now standing with Robin and shooting daggers back at him. "That right there is the future Mrs. Jimmy Junior Mason."

  "Dream on." I say. “I know Shelley and there is no way she’s ever going to let that happen. She’s just as bad as I am when it comes to this love thing, but then again, I found the best guy in the world so I suppose she could fall in love with the second best.”

  “Doggone right.” Michael kisses me.

  “Give me a break.” Jimmy says. “And save some for the honeymoon.”

  One Year Later

  Michael

  "I’m bored." Jane’s voice comes on my phone line. "Why can't I just pop into the bakery for a minute. I promise I won't work too much."

  "Absolutely not, Mrs. Mason. You are officially on maternity leave."

  "Maternity leave sucks. I'm only five months along."

  "I don't care. Now, has Karen finished helping you pack?"

  "She has. I am all set to go and I can’t wait to get out of here. I bet she and that husband of hers is going to love having this place all to themselves."

  "Yeah, well, I told her to keep him and all of his body parts out of the main areas."

  "Ewww." She says. I laugh, wondering why she doesn’t feel that way when we do it before hanging up the phone.

  I sit at my desk at Estabrook and smile when I think about my life the last three years. I swear the marriage bug has infected everyone close to us. First Nathan and Robin got married two months after Jane and I did. They now have a little two-year-old boy, Nathan Jr. He has big blue eyes like Nathan and Jane, red hair like his mother.

  A year ago, Kyle and Karen got married after she had a cancer scare. It was caught early and she is doing just fine, but it scared the hell out of Kyle. I've never seen the man so broken. I didn’t even realize until that point that they had started dating. Apparently, they spent a lot of time together working on the newsletter.

  The big shocker is Shelley and Jimmy. I swear that girl is the female version of my brother and she has completely tamed him. The night of our wedding, they got together and they have been inseparable ever since. Shelley had a real fear of marriage. Her parent's marriage was a disaster, filled with infidelity and physical abuse. She promised herself she would forever stay single. But damn if my brother didn't go and make her his wife. It took him a year and a half to do it, but he finally got her past her fear and made her realize he wasn't ever going to hurt her. They just called us with the news this morning. She’s two months pregnant.

  ****

  My beautiful wife has brought so much joy in my life. Three months after we got back from our European honeymoon, she had a grand opening for her bakery, The Gingerbread House. It is extremely successful and most importantly, she did it on her own without the Estabrook’s name or umbrella. Jimmy Junior is now working on its expansion project.

  Soon after we were married, Jane decided to
never let her past rule her again. She worked her ass off in therapy, having breakthrough after breakthrough. She learned new coping mechanisms. Her favorite is writing in her diary every night. I asked her once when I noticed it, why she put Mary Jane Winters on the cover instead of Mason. She said it’s because she started with writing the day we meet. She won’t let me read it, but I am sure interested to know exactly what she said about that day. I’d bet the farm that she put her own spin on how she has no sense of safety when driving.

  She and Nathan took a drive to their old house and went to her mother's old bakery. That was extremely hard for both of them, but it helped Jane find the closure that she so desperately needed.

  Now, we are going out to Laguna Hills for three months. She has been working herself ragged and her doctor gave her strict orders to rest. She’s five months pregnant with our son, Daniel Nathan Mason. We had only been trying for a month when she surprised me with the news. I couldn't believe it. She blames it on my 'super sperm.

  …..

  "How is my baby boy doing?" I ask Jane.

  "He's hungry." She says to me.

  "Dinner will be here soon, son." I bend down and talk to her protruding belly. God, she is the most breathtaking pregnant woman I have ever seen. She thought I would turn away from her as her body changed, but I marvel at the changes, watching our son as he grows healthy and strong inside of her.

  "I could get used to this." Jane says, as I hand her another watered-down virgin martini.

  I lay back on the lounge chair next to her and nurse my gin and tonic and Marlboro. I can't thank Jimmy enough for giving us this place. I remember how I sung its praises the day Jane and I got back from her birthday trip. I had no idea he was going to give it to us for our wedding present. When he got married to Shelley, Jane and I wondered if he would want it back, considering it's a good place for a couple’s retreat. I broached the subject, but he wanted nothing to do with it. Little did I know that little sneak not only had this property, but the two on either side of us, covering the whole damn city block.

  "Hey, when I say privacy I mean privacy." That was his only explanation. He kept the house on the right of us for him and Shelley and gifted the one on our left to Nathan and Robin.