“No, I’m gonna tell her tonight, though. I’m taking her to the Cheesecake Factory.”
I held my little brother’s head and kissed him on the forehead. “Gerard, congratulations. I’m so happy for you. For us.”
“Well, it ain’t gonna be no big thing. We’ll probably just go to the courthouse.”
“And you can honeymoon in Dominica when you come to my wedding. You’re giving me away, right?”
“I am?”
“Yes, you are!”
“Do I gotta wear a tuxedo?”
“Probably.”
“I wish the old man was here to see us now,” Gerard said, and we looked at each other, each feeling a deep loss we never liked to think about, much less talk about.
“He’d be happy…”
Gerard reverted to teasing bravado. “When’s all this going to be? I gotta get in shape so I can hit the beach.”
“In December, but I’m going back before that.”
“I thought Ma said you were here till December.”
“Nah, I just changed my mind a second ago. I’m gonna get packing now, Gerard.”
“You’re crazy. All you women are crazy,” he said, getting back in the tow truck.
“I’ll call you, Gerard,” I yelled as he drove away.
I ran into the empty apartment. I had a lot to do: Type up my resignation letter; close my credit card and bank accounts. Wow. So many loose ends to tie up. I felt as if the old Amelia Wilson was dying and a new one was coming to life. I closed my eyes, saw his face, and wondered: Would he really be proud of me? What would my dad think of what I was doing? I remembered him saying once that not even the President of the United States was good enough for me. But even back then I’d known that I didn’t want the “president.” I didn’t even want a perfect man then. I just wanted someone who loved me just half as much as he did. And I’d found that in Drew. He wasn’t perfect and the road ahead was full of uncertainty and probably excitement. But that’s love. Right?
Epilogue
A majestic, golden sun dominated the horizon framed by a curtain of pink and gray clouds. Amelia watched the marvel of nature, feeling content that at least she now owned some of that beauty. This was her place, a sunset she could call her very own.
“I’m doing the right thing, right, Ma?” She turned to Grace, who looked stunning in her pink satin and tulle dress.
“Yes, Amelia.” She straightened her daughter’s veil. “I don’t have to tell you that.”
Grace looked at her daughter. Amelia knew she had never looked more beautiful. Her wedding dress was a chiffon, satin, and crystal beading creation that looked deceptively simple. The spaghetti straps were crystal beaded, the asymmetrically shirred bodice fit her newly trim body perfectly, and the curved dropped waistline that gracefully fell into an A-line skirt showed that despite her weight loss she hadn’t loss all of her curves. She’d opted for a chapel train and a simple veil. It had taken a lot of negotiation with Vanessa to achieve this look, but Amelia was happy with what she saw in the mirror.
The guests were waiting for the ceremony to begin on the deck of the Fort Young Hotel, overlooking the cobalt Caribbean Sea. Amelia caught occasional glimpses of the formally dressed crowd from the window of her suite. She didn’t know most of them but she felt comfortable here. Everyone had been so nice in the past few days; they’d welcomed her to Dominica as if she were family.
Vanessa and Grace had done a magnificent job of not tearing each other apart over the last week. Amelia herself had given up months before and let Vanessa plan all the wedding details, but she had to give it to the woman; everything looked perfect, down to the sunset.
The suite was noisy, mostly due to Whitney chatting loudly with her little sister; her newest friend whom she’d brought along for the ride. Even though they were half sisters, Amelia could see the resemblance in their features and their frenetic movements when they were excited. Whitney looked gorgeous in a light pink full-length dress with a white satin sash around her tiny waist. She was the maid of honor, but the way she wore that dress it could have been her day in the spotlight.
Amelia looked at herself again in the mirror and tugged at the beaded straps. The dress had been her choice—the first time in her life she’d ever owned anything so beautiful. Vanessa had chosen another dress, a huge, beaded nightmare with what seemed like every bell and whistle known to the bridal gown industry, but Amelia had put her foot down. It was something she was becoming more and more comfortable with around these parts.
“You look hot, chica,” Whitney said, tapping her on the shoulder. “You ready to walk down the aisle?”
“Yes, scared but I’m ready.”
“You’d better relax. Don’t ruin Vanessa’s day now.”
They all laughed, even Vanessa giggled as she smoothed the train of Amelia’s dress.
“It’s not my day, it’s hers. And my son’s,” Vanessa said between the laughter.
The three of them were quite a sight to behold. Grace and Vanessa fussing over Amelia. Whitney and her little sister shooting Amelia mock sympathetic glances. There was a knock on the door.
Gerard poked his head in. “Ya’ll ready or what? Dude’s been waiting a long time.”
“Come on in, Gerard,” Grace said.
Whitney whistled as Gerard strode into the room wearing his black tux. He looked like a taller, lighter version of Taye Diggs.
“Gerard, if you weren’t already married…” Whitney teased.
“Yeah? I look good, huh.” He looked at himself in the mirror and adjusted his bow tie.
Grace cleared her throat. “We need to get going, people.”
Gerard stepped up to Amelia and she hooked her arm in his. “You ready to go meet your man, little sister?”
Amelia took a deep breath as Grace, Whitney, and Vanessa took up their positions. The men would meet them outside the door, then they’d walk up the aisle; Amelia would be last in the procession.
“I just hope I don’t do anything stupid. Like fall or faint.”
“Stop it already,” Whitney said. “Let’s go, girl.”
Minutes later, Amelia heard her cue as the wedding song began to play by the quartet Vanessa had commissioned. She walked down the aisle, flanked by tables decorated in pink and silver ribbons. At the tables sat about three hundred of Vanessa’s closest friends and a handful of hers. Darkness was falling gently and she inhaled the smell of scented candles from the tables mixed with tropical flowers and the ocean. The sun was setting deeper and deeper. Cameras flashed as she reached the aisle. She stopped, looked up, and there he was.
He smiled at her knowingly. It had taken a lot of trust building and talking to get to this point. The important thing was that she believed in him. He wasn’t perfect. He’d done some things she would have never expected of him, but this was Drew. He’d promised her that he would never hurt her, had pledged his fidelity, his very life to her. Where he went that’s where she would go. This was how right this felt. She smiled back and walked to meet him.
Would she take the good with the bad, the bitter with the sweet, sickness, health, richer and poorer?
She did.
DAFINA BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10019
Copyright © 2007 by Joanne Skerrett
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
Dafina and the Dafina logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.
ISBN: 0-7582-5048-7
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Letting Loose Page 28
