Mia Like Crazy

by Cordoba, Nina

Chapter Eight

  I had a wonderful time with Meridith. Despite the daunting size of the house and grounds, Drew’s sister had managed to make it both lovely and homey. I was surprised at how comfortable I was with little Molly, and her six-year-old brother Ben, who was dropped off later from a play date. We all went walking on the grounds, followed closely by Charlie the dog, who was a mutt the family had rescued from “strayhood.”

  I had always believed money would make me feel instantly sophisticated, allow me to feel superior to other people, instead of vice versa, and erase all the poverty and shame of my past. However, Meridith had been born rich, and she seemed to desire as normal a life as possible. She used her money to make her family more comfortable and their lives more convenient, while remaining kind, personable, and real. I realized I really wanted to be Meridith’s sister-in-law.

  When Drew burst through Meridith’s door without knocking an hour-and-a-half after he’d left, he looked like he was in the midst of an emergency, but once he saw me sitting in the living room, sipping tea and girl-talking with his sister, he appeared relieved.

  “Is everything all right?” I asked.

  “I think he’d convinced himself you weren’t going to be here when he got back,” Meridith answered for him.

  He glared at her. “Can’t a guy be eager to get back to the people he…wants to be with?” he asked defensively.

  “Uncle Drew! Uncle Drew!” Ben ran in and grabbed Drew’s hands, and was somehow flipped up onto his shoulders in one quick motion. “I’m the tallest man in the world!” Ben shouted. After a few minutes of flying and spinning in Drew’s arms, Ben was satisfied and ran off to look for the dog.

  Drew checked his watch. “Let’s go. If we catch a late flight to Vegas, we can get married tonight.”

  “Tonight?” I repeated.

  “That’s ridiculous,” Meridith stepped in. “If Mia wants a small wedding, we can have it here this weekend or the next. There’s no need to rush her. She only met you a couple of days ago.”

  Drew grasped the back of a dainty antique chair so tightly his knuckles turned white. “What’s the problem with tonight? Did Meridith say something to make you change your mind?” He glanced accusingly at his sister.

  “I haven’t changed my mind, but I don’t think it legitimizes the marriage any to elope,” I answered logically, although I was getting cold feet at the thought of becoming Mrs. Anybody within a few hours. “It’s better if we have some pictures with your family.”

  He was outnumbered. “Okay.” The chair jerked backward as he released it with a little too much force. “This weekend then—Meri, do you know someone who can do it?”

  “Yes. Judge Hoskins will, I’m sure. I’ll call him at home.”

  “A judge?”

  “He’s a justice of the peace, and you’ve never been in front of him for anything,” Meridith reassured him. “He’s a friend of mine.”

  Drew seemed dejected that his original plans had been vetoed. “I’ll go tell the kids goodbye,” he grumped.

  I watched him leave. “It’s strange he’s in such a hurry to do this,” I said. “Since I’ve met him, he hasn’t even mentioned what he’ll do with all that money. It’s like it isn’t even important to him.”

  “It’s important to him, but not for the same reasons as it would be to other people. Maybe he feels the inheritance will give him closure or balance things out. However, in the past few days, I believe his priorities have shifted a bit. I’m not sure this rush is about the money at all.”

  Before I could question her any further, Drew reappeared with the children sitting on his feet, each clinging to one of his legs as he tried to walk. “I don’t know what the problem is,” he said. “But my legs are feeling really heavy.” This earned a round of giggles and screams.

  As we said our good-byes, Meridith promised to clear her calendar for the next two days to help prepare for the intimate wedding.

  I wondered why I wasn’t more anxious at the idea of marrying Drew in two days. Maybe because the last few days felt like one very long dream.

  On the way home, I was determined to have a heart-to-heart talk with the man I was going to marry.

  “Drew?” Even in the dark car, I could see him tense.

  “Yeah?”

  “Why were you in such a hurry to get married tonight?”

  His eyes didn’t leave the road. “You know why. The sooner we get married, the sooner we collect the money.”

  “It’s not because you’re afraid I’ll change my mind?”

  “Well, why wouldn’t you?” he practically yelled at me. “I thought maybe the migraine medicine had some weird side effect that might wear off before we got married.”

  “You mean, like, I’d wake up from my drug induced stupor and run for the exit?”

  He glanced over at me. “I still can’t believe you agreed in the first place, and my luck’s never held out very long.”

  I decided to take advantage of his forthright mood. “You were really good with the kids.” There was no comment from the driver’s side of the car. “Why do you think you’re so open and affectionate with them, considering…?”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean.” He said nothing for several seconds, and I thought the conversation might be over. Finally, he continued. “Shrink says it’s because they don’t judge me and can’t hurt me. You know, like unconditional love or something.”

  “That makes sense. She sounds pretty smart.”

  Silence again.

  ~

  The next two days were a blur of activity. Meridith kept her promise and made herself available every second. Thursday morning she took Drew and me to get the marriage license. Then, we dropped Drew off at his apartment so we could shop. The thought of the two of us going off without him didn’t sit well with him, but in the end, the public exposure with his “bride to be” was too much for him, so he opted to stay home. Before we left, he made a joke about me being the equivalent to the “Bride of Frankenstein.”

  Meridith whisked me efficiently from shop to shop, as we chose a dress, bouquet, photographer, and even a wedding cake. She was so enthusiastic, I didn’t have the heart to remind her this wasn’t supposed to be a real wedding. At one point, she even asked if there was someone I wanted to fly in from New York for the occasion. I thought about my mother, and how long it had been since I’d seen her.

  When my mom finally hit bottom, I’d checked her into a drug rehab clinic. I gave her all my contact information. Then, I told her never to use any of it unless she’d turned her life around. When I left money for her to collect upon completing the program, I hoped, for once, she would do the right thing with it. But two years had gone by without hearing from her and I knew what that meant.

  It was like a physical blow to me when I realized, even if this were a normal wedding, there was no one who would care enough to be there. The relatives had fallen away years ago, tired of supporting my mother’s habit, and I didn’t have one real friend who would travel to another city to witness my “nuptials.” The pretenses I’d kept up about my past had prevented me from being close to anyone in college or at the law firm.

  At least Drew had his sister and her children who loved him. I had no one.

  We somehow managed to get everything accomplished to Meridith’s satisfaction in two days, a feat she couldn’t help but congratulate herself on repeatedly.

  I’d hardly seen Drew during that time. I’d actually started to miss him.

  ~

  Early Saturday morning, Meridith knocked on my bedroom door. “Mia, may I come in?” I was awake, but not out of bed yet, and was surprised by Meridith’s early arrival. “I’ve come to take you to the house. They’ll be there soon to get you ready.”

  “Who?”

  “The people from the salon. Did I not mention that?” Meridith babbled on excitedly. “We’re going to have some great wedding pictures!”

  “Is Drew up?” I was getting a strange feeling in the pit of
my stomach. Was I making a mistake by going through with this wedding? We hadn’t even known each other a week.

  I wanted to see him. I felt that might, somehow, alleviate or legitimize the feeling, I wasn’t sure which.

  “I haven’t seen him,” Meridith whispered. “I used the spare key I keep at my house to sneak in. You don’t want him to see you before the wedding, do you?”

  “Under the circumstances, do you think all this is really necessary?” I asked as I dragged myself out of bed.

  “Mia, you’ve been such a good sport. You’re not going to ruin my fun now, are you?” Meridith teased. “You can shower at my house.”

  A few minutes later, I was sitting across from her, in the back of a limousine, feeling very out of place in my exercise pants and tank top. “Is this your car?” I asked after she finished a phone call with someone from the salon.

  Meridith chuckled, “Oh, no. I don’t have much use for a limousine. I hire it for very special occasions.” She got back on the car phone to reconfirm the delivery time with the florist.

  For the next few hours, I was in a daze. This was too much like a dream to be real. Meridith’s “people” kept commenting on how I was the calmest bride they’d ever worked on. The preparations went on and on. It crossed my mind again that this was a lot of trouble to go through when no one was going to see it, but the fog I’d been in since I arrived at Meridith’s house prevented me from saying anything.

  Finally, it was time to put on the dress. It was the one thing I had chosen by myself—a simple, white, fitted wedding gown with a low—but not too low—cut neckline. When I’d tried it on at the dress shop, Meridith had pronounced it the loveliest thing she’d ever seen.

  My “entourage” helped me into the gown with practiced precision, so as not to damage any of their handiwork. It took a few minutes for the back to be done up. When it was, a full-length mirror was brought into the room and Meridith proudly positioned me in front of it.

  For a brief second, I didn’t know the woman staring back at me in the mirror, but then I recognized my own brown eyes.

  Meridith had transformed me into the woman I’d always dreamed of being. My hair was piled loosely on my head with ringlets hanging down here and there. The makeup complemented the hair and gown perfectly, and the dress itself really was the loveliest thing I’d ever seen. I’d never felt so beautiful and so sophisticated…and so terrified.

  Seeing myself in the wedding gown had made everything come into focus. My mind reeled. Drew was right. I’d been in some kind of stupor. What was I thinking?

  I was supposed to become legally married in a few minutes to an ex-con, not to mention the most hated man in town. I’d lost it, just like my mother did. I couldn’t keep it together in a real job. I couldn’t make a real life for myself with real friends and real relationships. So, now I was going to be a fake wife with a fake husband and a fake sister-in-law living a fake life.

  “Mia, it’s time!” Meridith’s excited voice penetrated my dark thoughts. I considered escaping through the window, but remembered I was on the second floor. Meridith and her elves were in the room, oohing and ahhing, and saying this was their best work yet, blah, blah, blah…

  I was still thinking in circles and it always came back to the fact that this was all I had. It might be fake, but there was nothing real to go back to. There was no reason not to go through with it.

  The wedding was to take place in the garden. As Meridith directed, I walked out, slowly, on cue while the wedding march played. I was surprised and confused when I saw the sea of people, standing as I walked by. Who were they? Did Meridith pay seat-fillers to make the pictures look more authentic? Whoever they were, they were strangers because the only people I knew here were Meridith and…where was Drew?

  A few yards in front of me was a man in a black robe and on his left stood my groom, staring at me with veiled, unreadable eyes. His gaze never left mine. I felt as though he was willing me to walk down the aisle toward him. But the closer I got to him, the more difficult it was to meet his stare. His face held the same expression the young boy wore in all those pictures I’d saved—his public face—betraying no emotion. I wondered if he knew all these people would be here. Surely, it was a surprise to him, too, or he wouldn’t have come.

  As I stepped closer, and my eyes left his, I noticed he was wearing a bow tie, for once, with a crisp tuxedo. I doubted Meridith had any trouble getting him to wear the suit, since it was in his favorite color. When I reached him, I stole one more glimpse of his face. In his formal clothing, he looked even more handsome than before.

  Though we were the same age, he sometimes acted like a jaded, middle-aged man, and other times, like an undisciplined child. At this moment, he was exactly right for the occasion, good-looking, well-dressed, and acting normal.

  As the judge began speaking, I tried to will myself to lift my head and look at my groom, but I couldn’t do it. I was afraid. Afraid he’d know this meant so much more than the money to me. Afraid I wouldn’t see the same sentiment reflected in his gaze.

  After an eternity, came the time for us to recite our vows. I wasn’t sure if I could speak. The judge directed us to join hands, and when I felt Drew’s warm touch, I looked up into his face. I knew my hands were icy cold and trembling in his, but he managed to appear completely calm.

  However, as he began repeating his vows, his expression changed. He seemed to forget about everyone else who’d congregated in Meridith’s garden, and he looked at me with such intensity and sincerity as he spoke, my heart squeezed in my chest. “I, Jonathan Drew Larson take you, Mia Loren Medina to be my lawfully wedded wife…” His hold on my fingers tightened, “to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others ‘til death do us part.”

  When it was my turn to repeat the judge’s words, I was delayed a few seconds by the lump forming in my throat. I saw Drew’s eyes widen in alarm, so I cleared my throat and repeated the same vows he had said a few seconds before.

  “By the power vested in me…”

  For the first time, it hit me that Drew and I would be expected to kiss at the end of the ceremony. If we didn’t, it would certainly raise suspicion. If he couldn’t, it would surely break my heart.

  “You may kiss the bride.”

  As I watched, Drew took on a determined expression as if he were going into battle. His hands moved to the sides of my face as he lowered his head and placed his slightly open lips on mine.

  I had the feeling this was all he’d intended to do, but he lingered and the kiss grew softer, then more intense. When his hand cupped the back of my head and his tongue pressed into my mouth, I felt his hunger so deep inside me, my legs actually grew weak.

  He must have sensed it because his other hand moved to my back and pulled my body tightly against his. I was sure his groan wasn’t audible to anyone else, but I felt its vibration in my chest, as if it were my own. And, as my hands traveled up his arms and weaved their way through his hair, there was no doubt in my mind that this was only the beginning of what I needed from Drew Larson.

  The music began playing for our exit, and we were forced back to reality. He loosened his hold on me and helped me turn around to face the sea of strangers who had just witnessed the most intimate moment we’d ever shared. I felt his hand on my back as we walked down the aisle and into Meridith’s living room.

  The photographer immediately took possession of us and annoyed Drew for several minutes by insisting on all the usual pictures. The biggest challenge came when it was time to take the family photo with Drew, Meridith, Molly, and me—“the three M’s,” as the photographer kept calling us—and Ben. Ben wanted Charlie in the picture, but neither of them could stand still long enough to have it taken.

  With the task finally completed, Meridith began introducing me to a series of old friends, board members, and business acquaintances, all of whom were obviously there out of respect for Meridith, in spite of her brother. Everyone was polite, as they to
ld me I looked beautiful, and complimented Meridith on the lovely wedding she had created.

  Drew had retreated to a corner to entertain the kids, but glanced up periodically to determine whether or not we had stayed long enough. Finally, Meridith gave the signal, and his ordeal was over. We escaped into the waiting limousine.

  “Well, I didn’t think it was possible, but your sister managed to give us quite a wedding.” I adjusted the bottom of my skirt to make sure it wouldn’t get caught in the door as the driver shut it.

  “Yeah, it would have been better if she could’ve left the stiffs out of it.”

  “It was a shock walking out into all those strangers, but I guess you’re supposed to have a crowd at a wedding. I kept wondering why Meridith was bothering with all the fancy hair and makeup just for us.”

  “You look like three million bucks.”

  He sounded as if he was offering a sincere compliment, but I didn’t like being reminded of the practical reason for our wedding. I wanted to feel like a bona fide bride for a while longer.

  We arrived at the apartment as the sun was setting.

  “Have you seen the sunset from the balcony?” Drew asked so casually I wasn’t sure if it was a romantic gesture, or in the interest of science. He did win the science fair, after all.

  “We have a balcony?”

  It turned out there were two balconies. He said one was off his bedroom, but the one best suited for sunset viewing was off the room he’d proposed as my office. He brought out two glasses of wine as I marveled at the brilliant colors streaking the sky. I noticed he was even more handsome in this setting than he had been in Meridith’s garden.

  “Have I told you, you look extraordinarily handsome today?”

  “That’s just the wine talking,” Drew answered without a smile.

  He can’t accept a compliment. “So what do we do for the next six months?” I asked, hoping for some tantalizing suggestions.

  “Whatever you want. You didn’t bring a lot of clothes. You could shop. We can set up your office. Whatever you want.”

  “Or maybe we’ll think of other things to do,” I hinted obviously, as I moved closer to him.