Always A Bride

by Henderson, Darlene

  “What’s up?” Josh asked.

  “You don’t look happy,” Ben said.

  “Do we need to go have a talk with Harvey?” Ben was already on his way to the door.

  “Get back here. He just asked if I could get a ride home with one of you,” Alex explained.

  “Did Molly whine her way out this too?” Josh asked, leaning back in his chair.

  “I don’t know. She was crying. Harvey was acting weird about the whole thing. It was like he was mad at me for bringing him here. Then he kissed me and that’s when Molly walked out and found us.”

  “I bet she was ticked off,” Ben said, walking to the bar to pick up the next round.

  “Harvey got between us. I think if she could have gotten her hands on me, it could have been very ugly.”

  Ben set Alex’s beer down. “Girl fights are many things, but not ugly. I’d have paid to watch.”

  Alex punched Ben in the arm.

  “I don’t know who she’s here with,” Josh said. “Nobody has checked in since I started my shift and the register doesn’t show anybody we know.”

  “She’s not registered?” Ben asked.

  “Anybody list her license plate with their signature?” Alex asked.

  “No and no,” Josh replied..

  Alex said. “I need to get home. Can one of you drive me?”

  “Sure,” Ben said, moving to the window and scanning the parking lot. “Looks like they are gone. Let’s go.”

  Alex hugged Josh and thanked him. “I can always count on you Josh. You know you’re my favorite.” She kissed him quickly on the cheek.

  “Hey, what about me? I thought I was your favorite.” Ben put his hands on hips.

  Alex giggled. “You are, but don’t tell Josh,” she whispered.

  ***

  At home, Alex tossed and turned in bed. The day had been an emotional roller coaster. Harvey had raised her hopes and dashed them again. Now she just didn't know where she stood with him. Sobs wracked her body as she cried into her pillow until, exhausted, she finally fell asleep.

  When she woke up late the next morning, she had missed several of his calls.

  She listened to his messages, his voice calm and cool on the line. “Good morning, sunshine. I’ll see you tonight at the club. I can’t pick you up myself, but I’ll send a car for you.”

  Alex talked to the empty room. “Send a car for me? Can’t pick me up? What is he up to? Maybe I should have just stayed away.”

  Alex decided to go to the nursing home to visit her grandmother. Visiting was part of the reason she was in town and she'd let her drama with Harvey distract her from that purpose. Her grandmother's health was failing and she didn't know how many more visits she'd be able to have. She couldn't let another opportunity pass.

  As she drove the roads she’d known so well as a teenager, she was surprised at how much her little hometown had grown.

  Once in her grandmother’s room, she pulled a chair next to the bed. She held her grandmother's hand and they were talking and laughing when Harvey entered the room.

  Her grandmother’s face lit up. “Your boyfriend here is the best doctor on staff, Alex.”

  “Grandma, who told you Harvey was my boyfriend?” Alex raised an eyebrow at him.

  “Nobody had to tell me. He talks about you every time he comes in here. It's the way he looks at your picture and the way he says your name. Lawdy child, it’s the way he’s looking at you now. It’s just the way your grandpa looked at me for more than sixty years.” Her grandmother smiled. “Don’t leave him waiting any longer, Alex.”

  “But Grandma Dr. Harvey is engaged to someone else. He didn't wait on me.” Alex patted her grandmother's hand. She was still unsure where she stood with Harvey. He hadn't told her what he and Molly had discussed or what he planned…just to trust him. Alex hoped his reaction to being put on the spot would tell her what she wanted to know.

  “Harvey, is that so? You've been sweet on Alex since you were just a boy. What happened?"

  "You're right, I have been sweet on Alex pretty much as long as I can remember. She was gone and I was busy and well, everything went astray. I'm trying to make things right now and I sure hope Alex will give me a chance. I know what you mean about the way I say her name. That's because it tastes like honey. I hope she'll let me look at her for the next sixty years just so she can see how much I do love her." Harvey stood on the other side of the bed, but the entire time he talked to her grandmother he looked at Alex.

  "Well child, I don't know what more you can ask for. Dr. Harvey here may have missed his calling. He talks like a poet." Alex's grandmother glanced back and forth between them.

  "I don't know Grandma. It's going to take more than some pretty words to make up for leaving me last night and causing my poor little heart to just about break." Alex held tight to the bedrail to keep from running to Harvey. Her grandmother was right. Everything she wanted to know was in his eyes. She gazed into his deep green eyes and knew, without a doubt, he loved her. There was a sparkle that hadn't been there when he looked at Molly at the bridal expo. This look was for her alone. “Maybe I can spend more time here at home and visit with you and Dr. Harvey, see if he can walk the walk as well as he talks the talk.”

  “I don’t know which one of us would like that better. It’s been way too long between visits. For both of us,” Harvey said.

  “I’ll be fixing that, Grandma. I’ll be visiting you more often for sure.” Alex kissed her grandmother’s forehead.

  “And what about Grandma’s handsome doctor?” Harvey asked.

  “We'll see.” Alex kissed Harvey’s forehead. “That is, if everything is squared away.”

  “Everything is good. I’ll see you tonight. Now, if I can spend a little time with your grandma?”

  “Sure. See you tomorrow, Grandma.” Alex turned to leave, her spirits lifted. “See you tonight, doctor.”

  When Alex got home, she paced around the house. She took a shower, fixed her hair, undid it and fixed it all over again. She wasted so much time killing time she was just putting on her lipstick when the car arrived.

  She had no idea what to expect when she got to the club. It was after seven when she arrived and there was already a small group in the room Molly had reserved. Mariah and Julie were chatting in one corner. Allison and Josh were at the bar. Ben was setting up his guitar on the stage. Seth and Brent were looking at the pictures on the wall. Several other people from high school sat scattered around the room in small groups.

  Even though she had been home over the years, she hadn't been to the club since high school. Nothing had changed. Of course, it was just like the other hundred country clubs she'd been to. There was the same dark paneling. The wood-framed furniture with leather upholstery was well maintained. She ran a hand along the back of a chair, surprised to find the leather still smooth and soft. Just it had been when she went into her bedroom at her mother's house, it was comforting to find some things hadn't changed.

  She was at the bar getting herself a drink, when Wesley and Greg came in to the room. She walked over to Allison. “Everyone is here except for Molly and Harvey.”

  “Yeah, what’s up with that?” Allison replied. “This is all pretty weird.”

  “It’s great to see everyone. Let’s see if anybody has any idea what's going on here. Josh, you go talk to some people.”

  “Should we synchronize our watches, too? You girls are as silly as you were in high school,” he said. “Let’s just ask. It’s a small group.”

  Before Alex or Allison could stop him, Josh was on the stage with the microphone. “Hey, everybody. It’s great to see you all. Does anyone have a clue why we’re here?”

  The room began to buzz as everyone talked at once. Across the room, Greg stood alone, shuffling from foot to foot. He looked at his cell phone at least three times while Alex crossed the floor to speak with him. “Any clue?” she asked.

  “I don’t know anything. I was surprised when Harvey call
ed me this morning,” he said.

  “Molly said she was going to call you last night. You didn’t hear from her?”

  “Ummm…no. Why would I talk to Molly?” Greg used his straw to stir his drink vigorously. Everyone said Molly had invited them. Just as the buzz was dying down, Molly and Harvey walked in to the room. They certainly still looked like a couple.

  Molly quickly worked the room and spoke to everyone—everyone except Greg—her huge diamond engagement ring sparkling on her hand.

  Harvey didn't stay close to Molly. In fact, he seemed to be making a concerted effort to stay away from her. Alex looked at Harvey questioningly. The glance Harvey shot her told her to stay away. Her stomach clenched. She didn’t like the way this little event was going.

  What happened last night?

  Alex was so focused on Harvey, it surprised her when Greg and Molly reentered the room. She turned to Allison. “Where have they been?”

  "Beats me. I can't wait to see how this whole drama plays out," Allison replied.

  Greg leaned against the wall as if he were trying to blend into the background. If he wasn't playing with his phone so much he might have succeeded. Harvey maintained a steady gaze in Molly's direction. She left Greg’s side and walked to Harvey, whispered in his ear and they embraced.

  Oh my goodness. They are going to go through with this farce of a marriage!

  Alex’s heart sank.

  Molly left Harvey’s side and headed for the stage. She lifted the microphone. “Thanks for coming out tonight. It’s been too long since we’ve all gotten together, and with Alex being back in town it only seemed appropriate.”

  Alex's cheeks burned as every head in the room turned toward her. Molly tilted a glass in Alex’s direction and Alex nodded in acknowledgement.

  “You all know Harvey and I are engaged.” More murmurs of approval. Alex gripped the back of the chair in front of her. “Well,” Molly went on. “We have more news.” Heads turned and the room soon buzzed with whispers.

  “It’s a small town and news travels fast. I would rather you all hear it from me than out on the street. I’m pregnant.” Alex stepped forward and sat down hard on the chair she'd been gripping. She couldn't catch her breath. Her knees were weak. She feared she would faint.

  People patted Harvey on the back, presumably congratulating him. She couldn’t hear what they were saying. There was only a dull roar in her head.

  “Wait. Ya’ll you need to hear the rest of the story. Harvey is not the one to congratulate.”

  Alex was still trying to understand what was happening, when the buzz increased and she was able to make out, “What?” and “Who?”

  “Greg, come here. You all know Greg. He and I are going to be parents and we will be getting married quietly next week.”

  The room erupted in applause.

  Alex was so relieved she began to cry. Rather than embarrass herself, she decided she need to leave the room. As she headed out the door, almost everyone crowded around Greg and Molly.

  She was leaning against the wall, wiping her eyes and trying to fight back her tears, when Harvey joined her.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I think I will be. Now, anyway.” Alex's chest tightened and she couldn't seem to get enough air into her lungs.

  “I’m sorry you had to go through all this. I had to let Molly do things her way.”

  “But last night you acted so mad at me. What was that all about?”

  “I had gotten used to the fact that I was going to be a dad and kind of liked it. When I saw Molly was at the hotel, I knew the baby wasn’t mine and it threw me a bit. I felt sad and, quite honestly, I felt betrayed. I didn’t mean to take it out on you.” Harvey wrapped his arms around her.

  Alex went limp with relief in Harvey’s arms. “So we’re good?”

  “Yes. Better than that, we’re great. I'm never going to let anything keep you away from me again. ”

  “What about the money Molly’s dad let you borrow?” Alex asked.

  “Taken care of. We talked to him today. Molly’s dad didn’t approve of Greg and she was afraid he was going to cut her off if he found out not only was she seeing Greg, but she was pregnant with his child.”

  “So she did trick you?” Alex asked. The joy and relief she was reveling in was replaced by anger. “I'm going to give her a piece of my mind.”

  “Don’t be too hard on Molly. She was scared and desperate.” Harvey stroked her hair as he spoke.

  “It was also hard on you and me. Everything all worked out okay, I guess. Everyone ended up with the right person.” Alex kissed Harvey.

  “We did indeed.”

  * * *

  Six Months Later…

  Alex looked around the dressing table in front of her, making sure she had picked up all her make-up and hair accessories. She stood to leave. This was her last show before taking a hiatus from her modeling career. Harvey would be arriving soon to take her home.

  She left the dressing room and waited outside for him, wishing she’d brought a jacket. It was cold for late March.

  Her heart skipped a beat when Harvey drove up. When he climbed out his car, he was carrying his old letterman’s jacket. The blue had faded and the white leather sleeves were cracked with age…even the "C" had yellowed a bit.

  “How did you know I was going to need that?” Alex asked, taking the jacket and pulling it around her. She smiled and kissed him.

  “You always seem to need a jacket. For such a smoking hot babe, you sure do get cold easy.” He laughed.

  “In this one jacket I have just about everything I need to be the perfect bride. It’s something old, something borrowed, and something blue. I just need something new.”

  “Check the pockets. Maybe there’s some change and you can find a shiny new penny.”

  Alex reached into the pockets. “No change. Just this…” She pulled out a tiny box. “Harvey Mitchell, is this…” She opened the box.

  Harvey went down on his knee in front of her. “Alex Dodson, I have loved you for as long as I can remember. My life is not complete without you. I never want to be separated from you again. Will you marry me?”

  Alex couldn’t speak. She nodded and threw herself into his arms. After all the years of being the bride, she finally had her groom.