by Sadie Grubor
"Who is Henrietta?" Collin looked back and for the between Victoria and me.
"The class room pet," Victoria stated.
"Let me guess," Collin chuckled, "it's a hamster?"
"No, a guinea pig, but it still looks the same." Victoria crossed her arms over her chest.
"The baby still has to grow."
"You looked the same way, you know." Collin knelt down to her size. Victoria's eyes widened.
"I did?" It was almost a whisper. He nodded, kissed her cheek, and stood back up.
"Yep and look how beautiful you turned out." She smiled at that.
"So, it's a girl right?" Victoria changed the topic.
"Its bit too soon to tell," the nurse removed the wand and began to clean off my stomach.
Victoria huffed and scowled at the nurse. "I know it's a girl." She mumbled.
With the ultrasound complete we were shown to an exam room. The doctor discussed the scans, inquired about how I was feeling, and then told us the baby was due in early August. Soon we were on our way back to the house, to get our things and drive to Whidbey Island for the wedding.
Ilene, her new man, Connor, and Juliette were already at the Whidbey house preparing for tomorrow's event. There were about sixty guests confirmed to join us for the small wedding and reception. Ilene was overseeing the catering from a local restaurant while Juliette was handling decorations. I only hoped Felicity would survive until I got there to help her out.
When we pulled up to the house memories of my previous stay swept through me. It had been one heck of a stay, but it had led me to the most important people in my life. Victoria shoving the rear door open broke me from my thoughts. She darted out of the car and into Connor's arms. Carrying her, he walked to the car.
"Hello Sophia," he gave me a one armed hug and a kiss to my temple.
"How are you feeling?" I looked up to him from under his arm. He looked better than the last time I saw him.
"I'm feeling much stronger," he smiled proudly, "Strong enough to hold my princess." Victoria beamed. "Do you need help?" Connor called out as Collin walked by with his arms full of luggage.
I slipped out from under Connor's arm, walking to the rear of the car. Reaching in, I pulled out two bags.
"What do you think you're doing?" Connor took the bags out of my hands. My eyes widened in surprise from his actions.
"I don't want him to carry everything."
"You shouldn't be carrying bags." His eyes dropped to my stomach and then back to my face with a knowing expression. My faced heated up.
"I can carry a bag."
Victoria reached around me and grabbed one of her small bags. I reached in and pulled out another bag. He shook his head. I got as far as the door to the house.
"Why are you carrying things?" Max's boisterous voice carried across the room. He was out of his seat and taking the bags from me. Connor chuckled. I sighed and gave up.
"Get used to it." Larissa put her arm around my shoulders. "The moment they even think a baby might be in there you are considered disabled," she laughed. "They mean well."
Larissa led me up the familiar stairs and down the long hallway. Just as I walked past Collin's room an arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me inside. I could smell his cologne and nuzzled his chest.
"Where do you think you are going?" His mouth pressed to the top of my head.
"I guess I was following the same path I used to take." I tried to hold him tighter, but he pulled back and looked down at me with a half grin.
"There is no way I'm suffering through that again."
"Again?" I furrowed my brow, but his lips formed into a full large grin.
"You have no idea."
With that he kissed me chastely and walked from the room. My mind was reeling. What could he have meant?
"I'm going to miss you." Victoria's pouting pulled me out of me out of my own head.
"I'll be right down here. It's not too far." I knelt before her and cupped her face. "I love you."
"I love you too," she smiled and hugged me.
Once all the luggage was in and we were settled, Ilene and Juliette led me around the house. Juliette pointed out the candles, told me where the flowers would go tomorrow morning, and gave me her vision of the ceremony. Ilene discussed the menu as well as the set up for the ceremony and the reception.
Felicity appeared from the office and began to go over some of the details she planned. Collin, Victoria, and I had to go over the procession of the ceremony. Felicity plotted out that I would dress upstairs and come down the staircase. Chairs would be set up for the guests in the main entranceway and sitting room. At the bottom of the stairs Collin would take my arm and walk us to the middle of the sitting room, where I would become Mrs. Collin Bishop.
Out of everything that has happened in the past, this felt so right. Marrying Collin, raising Victoria as my daughter, being pregnant, and joining this family of snotty, blunt, socialite crazies was just right.
Allison arrived with her small pudgy belly, along with Will and the twins. She immediately went into bitch mode, pointing out how the décor and food were not of proper standards for a Bishop wedding. I learned to ignore most of Allison's comments. After our 'moment' together, it was much easier to brush her off and carry on. However she wasn't done making her opinions heard.
"You aren't sleeping in the same room are you?" She looked between Collin and me.
"Why wouldn't we?" Collin questioned in confusion.
"You aren't supposed to see the bride before the wedding that's why." Her snotty tone was in full force. The hormones hadn't softened her at all.
"It's just a superstitious tradition." I shrugged. "We don't have to follow –"
"Of course you do," she gasped. "It's part of the experience of a wedding." She stood from the chair she sat down in. "You will sleep with…wait…all of us," she pointed to each woman in the room, "will sleep on the third floor. Sort of a girl's only night."
"We don't have to do that." I sat up straight and looked at everyone.
"You didn't get a bachelorette party or a shower," Larissa added. "I'm in."
"Me too," Ilene waved her hand around.
Allison turned a bitchy brow at Juliette.
"Yes, of course," she spoke with wide eyes and flushed cheeks.
"It's settled." Allison smiled proudly. "Collin," she turned on her brother, "I will be down in the morning to make sure you are nowhere in sight when I bring Sophia down to mom's room to get ready."
He raised his hands up in defeat and chuckled, "As you wish."
Girl's night was turning out to be informative and fun. There was plenty to eat and the conversation flowed freely without too much disagreement. Larissa convinced Amber to join us, which I was happy about. Max would have to take care of the boys, though they did have Will to help them out.
When it got really late, everyone relaxed on a bed and continued to talk. Victoria curled up next to me and began to drift off to sleep when Larissa started talking about public relations.
"You used to be in PR?"
Larissa looked toward me and nodded with a proud smile.
"I graduated top in my class and was a Junior Vice President." Her smile grew.
"Why did you quit?"
"Oh you'll soon see why," she chuckled. "Between the social obligations of being a prominent doctor's wife, Max's schedule keeping us apart, and when Ryan was born," she shook her head remembering it all, "it was just too much."
"Have you thought of going back now?"
She shook her head. "Not with the boys so young and my social obligations."
"I remember too clearly all of those events, fundraisers, and so forth," Ilene added from the comfort of the daybed at the side of the room. "Being Mrs. Bishop, you will soon find out."
"What do you mean?" The feeling of being overwhelmed started to resurface.
"Everyone will want you on in their social group; the doctor's wives, fellow mothers of Victoria's friend
s, oh the list goes on." She took note of my wrinkled forehead. "Sophia, you do realize that becoming the wife of Doctor Collin Bishop, leading pioneer in neurology," her air quotes around the added title made my stomach turn, "is a much sought after position."
"Position?" I blurted, disgust thickening my question.
"Yes, many women have attempted to win Collin just for social stature alone. It's pretty common in our circles."
"Gold digging tramps are what they are," Allison sneered and rolled her eyes.
"What about you?" Larissa teased. "You barely spoke to Jonathan, until you discovered who his family was."
"I was raised that way," Allison scowled.
The room fell silent, but Juliette quickly started talking about Allison's pregnancy. The change in subject was quickly picked up, Allison's comment forgotten.
"It's a girl?" Larissa squealed after Allison's admission.
"Mm-hmm," she nodded.
"I'm so jealous," Larissa smiled with a tilt to her head. "Max seems to only give me boys. Not that I would trade my little men for anything."
"I'm sure you'll get a girl next time." Allison patted Larissa's knee.
"Next time?" Ilene inquired with a raised brow.
Larissa blushed. "With all the fertility in the air, Max and I have been talking about having a third."
"Oh, that would be so lovely." Juliette cooed.
"It wouldn't be until MJ has turned one, but we may start around then."
My eyes moved to Ilene who was smiling warmly at Larissa. In that moment everything she said came back to the forefront of my mind. Would my life be so assigned to Collin's schedule I would have to put my life on hold? Collin seemed to believe I could still write and travel. And what about this 'position' she referred to as being his wife? Would it feel more like a job? I fell asleep with those overwhelming thoughts.
The next morning I woke with a rush to the toilette. I wasn't sure if it was the restless sleep, my nervousness about the wedding, or the baby causing my stomach troubles. All I did know was today was the big day. Rinsing out my mouth, I stepped back into the bedroom to a room of chaos and crazy woman.
"Come on, we only have four hours to prep and dress you." Allison grabbed my arm and pulled me into the hallway. We stood stealthily at the top of the stairs. Felicity appeared, a little out of breath.
"It's all clear," she huffed and headed back down the steps.
Allison pulled and Ilene pushed me toward her room both of them forming a protective shield around me. Once inside I was shoved into the bathroom and instructed to shower.
The steamy hot water felt wonderful against my tensed muscles. Standing with my head directly under the spray, I let the hot water stream over my head and my face. Calmness began to settle in and my nerves subsided; however, the rumble of my stomach brought my attention to my lack of breakfast. Knowing it was a necessity to eat, I climbed out of the shower and into the fluffy purple robe. Wrapping my hair into a white towel I exited the bathroom.
My eyes immediately settled on the tray of food sitting on the dresser on the far side of the room. I began my trail toward it and felt bad for anyone who got in my way.
"Collin is much smoother than I have ever given him credit for," Allison smirked at me.
Having just stuffed a croissant into my mouth, I couldn't answer. I furrowed my brow in confusion.
"He sent up the food so you didn't get sick." Her smirk melted into a smile, though the moment was over in the blink of an eye.
"Well make a plate and sit down. We have things to get started on." With a roll of her eyes she walked to the other side of the room.
I took a seat and nibbled on bagel with about an inch of cream cheese and strawberry jelly on top. It was like a party in my mouth with every bite. The tugging of the towel from my head alerted me to a person standing next to me.
"So, what are you looking for, swept up, pulled back tightly, loose curls?" The bleached blond tilted her head at me waiting for my response.
"Um…curls don't really hold in my hair. They just fall out." I took another bite.
"Do you want curls?" It seemed she felt challenged by my statement.
"Just have a backup plan when they fall out," I snorted.
She got down to business, brushing, teasing, wrapping and rolling my hair up. With it all piled on top of my head she wrapped a plastic cap over my head, stuck a hair dryer in a long tube looking piece and turned it on. While my head began to heat up a small woman appeared with an apron full of brushes. If it weren't for the makeup boxes set up behind her you could mistake her for a painter.
"I think we should go with a neutral smoky look, how about you?"
"You should go more glamorous on your wedding day." Larissa chimed in as the hair stylist worked on her head.
"No, she should stick with the smoky look," Allison added, but closely watching the woman painting her toenails.
"I'll stick with neutral," I rolled my eyes and went on with my food.
"Look," Victoria jumped in front of me and spun.
Her hair was half pulled up and in even bigger ringlets. They flowed over her shoulders and down her back. When she spun back to face me, her green eyes were lit with excitement.
"You look beautiful." I fought not to tear up.
"Can I go show daddy?"
"No," Allison called out. "He'll see you when you come down the stairs." Victoria pouted.
"Why don't you go grab something to snack on, okay? It won't be too much longer." My look of sympathy wasn't doing anything for her, but she went to the food tray regardless.
It would be another two hours before everything was finished and Felicity was organizing everyone for the start of the wedding. Ilene and Juliette had already gone down to take their assigned seats, while Allison nitpicked at me making last minute adjustments. Larissa finally pulled her away just as my father appeared in the doorway.
"Look at you," tears glistened in his eyes. "You look beautiful."
"Dad, don't make me cry," I warned him lovingly as we embraced.
"Paw paw," Victoria squeezed between us and hugged him.
"Oh my, stand back, let me see how beautiful you are." She backed away and spun around. "You look like a princess." He knelt down and kissed her forehead.
"Thank you." She beamed with pride and curtsied.
"It's time," Felicity whispered from out in the hall.
"You ready?" His eyes searched me for an answer.
"Yes, I am."
With my arm through my fathers and Victoria leading the way, we walked down the hall to the top of the stairs. Just before I could step out and look for Collin, Felicity stopped us. She ushered Victoria to go ahead. She was halfway down the stairs when Felicity motioned for us to go.
It only took one step for me to start thinking over everything that had happened since coming into the Bishop's home. When I first entered the home I wasn't fully sure I would be able to handle it. By the time I was given the chance to think about it, I had fallen in love with Victoria. Now my eyes fell upon the green orbs that had once caused such mixed emotions. His eyes held awe and adoration. Taking the hand my father offered to him he pulled me closely to his chest.
"You look beautiful." His whispered words wafted over my face in a minty breath.
Pulling me to his side we faced our guests and walked toward the priest. Most of the faces were unfamiliar to me, but I was sure I knew their nannies. Then a brief moment passed when Ilene's words from the night before filled my mind. The wives in his social group were so different from me and held different expectations. Insecurity swept through me.
Our steps came to a stop and I looked into the smiling face of the priest. The ceremony began. Words of love, respect, and support were spoken from his lips, as Collin and I stole glances at one another. The moment we turned to face one another I felt my resolve breaking down and the misty cloud in his eyes was not helping.
A lone tear formed at the rim of my eye as he vowed to love me
till death. When it was my turn to make my vow to him, the tear fell and my lips quivered. I finished before any sobbing could start.
The time had come to seal our vows, our union, with a kiss. A smile spread over Collin's lips as his arms circled my waist. Pulling me to him, he kissed me gently before parting his lips and sucking my bottom lip into his mouth. I pulled back laughing, but he only dipped me back and kissed me again. Righting us again, the priest announced us as Mr. and Mrs. Bishop. Guests stood and cheered politely as they enveloped us.
Bodies of strangers surrounded us and it was almost too much. When Max pulled me into his arms and spun me, I welcomed the familiarity. Larissa was wiping at tears as she kissed my cheek.
Stepping aside she allowed my father and Carla to approach. My father hugged me tighter than he ever had before moving on to shake hands with Collin. It was then that Carla's entire body engulfed me, almost knocking me over. Her tears wet the side of my face and only helped unleash the flood of tears I'd been holding back.
Next up to be received were Juliette and Connor. Connor kissed my forehead.
"I knew you were special." He smiled down at me and moved on to hug his son proudly.
"It was beautiful; you are beautiful, thank you for allowing me to be here." Juliette held my newly ringed hand with both of hers.
"Of course," I wiped away the tears still dampening my cheeks.
Ilene and Drake Pentworth, her new man, stepped forward with proper hugs and kisses. I wouldn't have expected anything less from her. After a kiss to Collin's cheek she pulled Drake into a group of socialites to mingle, and to show off I'm sure.
When my eyes fell on Jonathan I stiffened at Collin's side. He wrapped his arm around me tightly and kissed my head.
"John," Collin's formal tone was different from how he had greeted the other guests.
"Congratulations," he shook Collin's hand. "To both of you," he reached for my hand, but I only looked at it before glancing back up to his face. "Allow me to introduce my date, Helena Griffith." He motioned to a tall light brown haired woman with large chocolate eyes and pencil thin eyebrows. She was almost model worthy, but the conservative nature of her attire placed her more professional.
"It's nice to meet you," I forced a quick smile.
