“Drisella and Anastasia?” Craig exclaims. “I LOVE it, and I can’t wait to meet these girls. I have a feeling this wedding is going to be very eventful.” He gives a mischievous grin. This is right up Craig’s alley; he lives for drama. I really hope that he is wrong or at least that he means eventful in a good way. Now I’m really wondering if I’ve made a huge mistake.
Chapter 2
A few days later I’m in the middle of baking madness. My kitchen is now filled wall-to-wall with cookies. The floor is covered in flour, and the counters and table are covered in cookie sheets, cutters, and fondant. I have spent all of my extra time trying to create new masterpieces for my bakery feature. I feel as if I have no creativity left. Why is it when I’m making cookies for fun I can do anything I want, but now that I need to be super creative I can’t come up with anything? I really think that I have hit a cookie block. Yes, I know there is no such thing as a cookie block, but it sounds good to me. I have called everyone I know to ask for advice and ideas.
At one point, I sit down in the middle of the floured floor almost in tears, praying for new ideas. While in the midst of my prayer, I have a creative breakthrough. My wedding venue is the Four Seasons, so that’s it, the perfect idea. My theme needs to be the four seasons—fall, winter, spring, and summer. I’m going to feature each season with a variety of designs. I pull out my sketchbook and start jotting down some ideas. I start with fall: I definitely need Halloween, fall leaves, and Thanksgiving. My excitement starts to build even more as ideas come to me. For winter, I have a million ideas for Christmas, snowflakes, and a lot of Tiffany blue. Next is spring with Easter, flowers, and more flowers. And finally, for summer I will do suns, flip-flops, and surfboards. I look up from all my ideas and feel rejuvenated. Somehow, I need to narrow it down because too many cookies will be overwhelming and busy. I get to work and somehow lose track of time. It’s not until I hear a knock at the door that I look up from my work. When I open the door, I’m happily surprised to see Abby and baby Ace.
“This is an awesome surprise. What are you two doing here?” I say, giving them a huge hug.
“We were out running errands and wanted to stop by.” She gives me a look. “You must be baking. I’m sorry to interrupt you.”
“No way!” I say, running to wash my hands. “I’m way overdue for a break, and I need to get my baby fix.” Abby sits down in the living room, and I join her, reaching for baby Ace.
“How are the wedding plans coming?” she asks, handing me the baby. I’m so preoccupied with baby talk that I don’t even respond right away.
“Things are good. You know Sienna has everything under control, of course,” I say with a grin. “Although I think she may be frustrated with me. Not just because I’m indecisive but because of my two new bridesmaids.” I realize that I’m not sure if Abby knows anything about my recent plans. “Has she told you yet?”
“Told me what?” Abby says nervously.
“I have asked my cousins to be in the wedding,” I say slowly. “I received a call from my grandmother, and she told me they had been asking about my wedding. So . . . after some thought, I asked them.” Abby is quiet for a few seconds, which is not surprising. She’s very supportive and fair, and you can always count on her to give everyone a chance. She also tends to be the voice of reason, and as I said, she was born to be a mother.
“Did your grandmother pressure you to ask them?” she asks curiously. “The reason I’m asking is because you have hardly ever mentioned them since I’ve known you, and when you have, it’s never been positive.”
“I know, and that’s totally true,” I reply. “But, it just finally hit me that maybe the time has come to get over it and move on. We are adults now.” Wow, I sound like my mother. Ugh, I can’t believe this day has come.
“I think you’re right,” she says finally. “You never know, maybe this is their way of trying to make it up to you. They may have realized how they treated you and this is the only way to fix it.” I guess she could be right because they would never actually apologize.
“Possibly,” I say doubtfully. “I’m sure it’s more the fact of being a part of a wedding at the Four Seasons. I’m not saying they don’t feel bad for how they acted, but I know Ellie well enough to know that I won’t be getting much of an apology.” Baby Ace starts to fuss a little, and Abby hands me his bottle. I start to feed him and keep talking.
“She even had the nerve to say that I’m like a sister to them, a stepsister maybe,” I say with a giggle.
“So, what does Cole say?” she asks.
“Oh, you know Cole. He’s fine with anything. Sienna, on the other hand, thinks it’s a horrible idea. I just keep reminding myself that she has plenty of experience with weddings, so she should be able to handle whatever comes along.”
“I think that’s safe to say,” she says with a smile. “So, speaking of Sienna, has she mentioned anything about how things are going with Ace?”
“Not really, but we haven’t had much time to talk about it,” I reply.
Ace is a guy that Sienna has been dating on and off. He is a-mazing, but she’s being overly cautious since her last dating nightmare. He’s had to travel back to Europe quite a lot for work. He absolutely adores her, and she definitely likes him but won’t completely admit her feelings. I can understand why considering how her last relationship ended. We also set her up on a date with Cole’s best friend, Jeff. She liked him too, but he lives in San Francisco, so things haven’t really progressed much. Abby and her husband, Matt, have actually become pretty good friends with Ace. They even named their baby Ace, which has been a topic of many discussions (and many jokes) for all of us.
“I wish she would just stop holding back,” Abby says.
“I know, but I think a lot of it has to do with their work schedules. She has been extremely busy, and I know he has been back and forth to the UK a lot. But, do you know something I don’t?” I ask finally. Abby gives me a look that tells me she has some gossip.
“OK, I wasn’t supposed to say anything, but Ace called me before he left town this last time,” she says excitedly. “He basically asked what he has to do to convince Sienna that he’s serious about her. It was really sweet and my heart just went out to him. What do you think?”
I sigh. “I have no idea what the answer is. She really has her guard up since everything went down with Luke.” Luke is Sienna’s ex-boyfriend. She was madly in love with him, and he completely broke her heart. He even had an affair with her former boss, the most horrible being on the planet. Long story, but now she’s so hesitant to get serious again. Of course, if you ask her, she will tell you that she’s concentrating on her career right now. I’ve known her long enough to know she’s completely full of crap, and that truthfully she is terrified of getting her heart broken and understandably so.
“We have to think of something,” Abby demands.
“I agree,” I say thoughtfully.
“It may be time to recruit Craig into this, and we can call it the Sienna Love Project,” she says eagerly.
I make a face. Um, no, we can’t.
That’s typical Abby though, always looking out for everyone else. She’s much more subtle than I am when it comes to sticking her nose in other people’s lives. Truthfully, we all worry about Sienna; she deserves happiness more than anyone else. We talk for a little while longer, and then she leaves to get Ace home for a nap. I make my way back to the kitchen and the cookies that are waiting for me. After talking about Sienna and Ace, I’m reminded how grateful I am to have Cole. It’s as if Cole was reading my mind because when I check my phone there is a text from him waiting for me.
Want to get married in Vegas and forget this big wedding? (Wink) Or maybe the beach in Hawaii?
He asks me this question all the time, and he knows how much it irritates me. I text him back.
What do you think?
I know how much he really enjoys tormenting me, but I think that deep down (really deep down)
he’s just as excited about our wedding as I am. Men always pretend they don’t care but they really do.
I think I better quit while I’m ahead.
I smile as I read his text. I’m about to write him back when he calls.
“Hellooo?”
“You aren’t going to dump me are you?” he asks immediately.
“Well, if you mention canceling my wedding one more time, I might have to,” I say, laughing.
“OK, I promise I won’t. But you still could dump me. Everyone tells me you are way too hot for me anyway.”
“This is true,” I reply.
“So, what are you doing?” he asks.
“Baking as usual. Abby and baby Ace stopped by. I’m working on new ideas for Bev’s.” I look around at my disastrous kitchen and let out a huge sigh.
“I can’t wait to see them; I’ll be home tomorrow afternoon, and my mom wants us to come for dinner this weekend. Are we free on Friday night?” Cole always checks with me about our schedule. Other than his shows, he leaves all other plans to me.
“Yes, we are free,” I say after checking my calendar.
“Oh yeah, and mom asked if you wanted to invite your grandmother. I told her I wasn’t sure. Are you in the mood for a night of emotional torture?” Cole starts to laugh hysterically. He knows how sensitive I am when it comes to my family, so he really thinks it’s funny to tease me.
“Hmmm . . . I think your mom is enough to handle at one time.”
“Word. I will see you tomorrow.”
After we hang up, I start to feel a tiny bit guilty. Maybe I should invite my grandmother to dinner. A few minutes later, after thinking about it, my feelings of guilt are gone.
When Friday arrives, I have a very busy day at the salon, and I’m tired, very tired. I received a call from Susan (Cole’s mom) yesterday morning requesting a few dozen cookies for a brunch she is attending on Saturday. So I was up until the early morning hours working on those in addition to setting up cookie displays and sending pictures to Bev with all my ideas for the bakery feature. I managed to finish all of Susan’s cookies and took my time wrapping each of them to bring to her tonight. In addition to her last minute request for cookies, she informed me that she took it upon herself to invite Grandmother to dinner and she accepted. I considered calling in sick to dinner, but I decided to just suck it up and take what comes.
After nine hours straight on my feet, I arrive at my soon-to-be in-laws’ home. I absolutely adore their house. It’s something you would see out of a Pottery Barn catalog, probably because almost everything in it is from a Pottery Barn catalog. Everything is bright, cheerful, and perfectly decorated, not even one throw pillow is out of place. When Cole’s parents bought the house, it was in shambles. They completely gutted it and remodeled from ceilings to floors.
As I said, Susan is your typical matriarch hosting parties, cooking fabulous dinners, and organizing family gatherings. She threw us a beautiful engagement party a few months back. Sienna and Craig nicknamed her June Cleaver and that’s not far from the truth. Don’t get me wrong, I really love her and she’s always been so nice to me. I, however, have never seen her without makeup or in anything other than designer clothing. Before I go inside, I check myself in the mirror. I always feel that I need to look my best when I come over here, and with my grandmother attending tonight, that need is magnified.
Cole is already there when I arrive. He’s sitting in his mother’s massive kitchen devouring some of her delicious cooking. Have I mentioned that Susan is an amazing cook? I feel like I gain at least five pounds every time I come here. Of course, that’s an exaggeration, but it’s probably not too far off. My grandmother has not arrived yet, so that gives me a few minutes to gather my thoughts.
“Madison, you look wonderful as always.” Susan greets me with kisses on both cheeks and a warm hug. Cole gets up from his chair, grabs me, and swings me around in the air.
“She always looks perfect!” he exclaims. “Way too good for me.” He kisses me passionately and sets me back down on the ground.
“Oh, honey, these cookies are perfect!” Susan says happily as she looks in the box. “You’re so talented.” I can feel the relief wash over me because she is happy with them. Even though I’ve made countless cookies for her, I still get a little nervous every time. After all, no woman wants to disappoint her soon-to-be mother-in-law. I thank her and sit down with Cole at the table.
“I’m so glad your grandmother was able to make it tonight, and it will be so nice to finally meet your cousins,” Susan says as she is stirring something on the stove. I’m about to say something…um, what did she just say?
“Wait! What do you mean meet my cousins?” I yell louder than I intended.
“Your grandmother is bringing your cousins along. It’s so wonderful that we will get to meet more of your family members, and I was so happy to hear that they’ve joined the wedding party.”
“They’re coming tonight? Here? I, um, I didn’t know that.” I hesitate and try to lower my voice. I think I might pass out. I’m just so tired that I don’t know if I’m mentally prepared to deal with the three of them. I excuse myself and run to the bathroom with Cole following me.
“Mads, are you OK?” he asks worriedly.
“I think so; I just wasn’t expecting to see them tonight,” I reply. “You haven’t met them yet and they can be . . . well, they can be completely evil,” I explain. “I promise I’m not exaggerating. I just hope that they’re on their best behavior and that they don’t make a scene at my expense.”
“They better not; you know that I always have your back,” he insists as he cradles my face in his hands. At that moment, I feel my nerves calm a little.
“Thank you.” I give him a warm kiss and wrap my arms around his neck.
“Although, I have to tell you that I’m really excited to finally meet the wicked stepsisters. You aren’t wearing any of their clothes are you? Are there any singing mice running around?” he asks as he looks around on the floor.
“Haha! Although, you are my prince charming, so I guess that would make me Cinderella,” I say with a big smile.
“I suppose I am rather dashing,” he replies with a horrible fake British accent. Just then, Susan interrupts our private moment.
“There you are. Why did you run off so abruptly?” She sounds very concerned. I contemplate explaining everything to her, but I’m not sure I want to share the skeletons in my closet just yet.
“I’m sorry. I’m just a little nervous about seeing my cousins. I haven’t seen them in a while,” I explain.
“Don’t you worry! When it comes to family, it doesn’t matter how much time goes by,” she says as she pats my arm.
This woman has no clue what is about to take place. My grandmother alone is a piece of work; thankfully, they have met and really got along well. I’m secretly hoping that the Ellie I spoke with on the phone is the Ellie that shows up tonight. Susan and Cole leave as I take a few more minutes to myself. As I stand, there in Susan’s perfect guest bathroom it occurs to me that maybe I’m completely over-reacting. Ellie and I did have a good conversation, and ultimately they have gotten their way by being asked to be in the wedding. That should be enough for them to be on their best behavior and not make themselves look bad in front of my new family.
Just then, I hear the doorbell ring and hear several female voices. Cole knocks on the door.
“All hell is about to break loose, are you ready?” he says, raising his eyebrows. He grabs my hand.
“I’m ready, but the question is, are you?” I lean up on my tippy toes to give him another kiss, and we head to the living room as if we are walking into a lion’s den.
Chapter 3
You can’t pick your family. I don’t think there has ever been a more profound saying. I’m really hoping this dinner party goes well. I’m sure Ellie will have plenty of snide comments, but it’s not like I haven’t dealt with that before.
After Cole drags me out
of the bathroom, I was greeted warmly by my grandmother, not surprising because she knows how much Susan and I get along. Grandmother will do anything to make others think we are a perfect family. She’s always been very concerned with how others perceive us.
“Madie, you look great as always,” Stephy says. She wraps her arms around me with a big hug.
“Yes, she does!” Ellie chimes in. “Although, you still can’t decide what to do with your hair. Aren’t you worried that all of those chemicals will eventually make your hair fall out?” She puts her arm around my shoulder and gives a small squeeze.
“Ellie, you know I’m a stylist. It’s part of my job description to change my hair, and no, I’m not worried about it falling out.” I glance at Cole and I can see the excitement in his face. He probably thinks we are about to throw down or have a catfight—which would be a more appropriate saying in the presence of my grandmother? I’m not saying that I’m a fighter by any means; however, I’ve had my moments that I’ve had to defend myself.
“Well, I love that she changes it up,” he says. “I feel like I have a different girl every month.”
“And you must be Cole; I’m Ellie,” she says, giving him a once over. “Finally we meet, and I can’t tell you how happy we all are for you and our Madie.” Ellie looks over at me and gives me a big smile. I know I’m being extremely paranoid, but I can’t shake the feeling that something just doesn’t seem right.
“It’s nice to meet you, Cole. I’m Stephanie, but everyone calls me Stephy.” She reaches out to shake Cole’s hand.
“This is all so wonderful!” Susan exclaims. “I love when two families come together like this, and it will be even better when Karen and Bill are able to be with us.” Karen and Bill are my parents. Everyone starts talking at once as we make our way to the living room. I remain quiet as I take it all in. Cole’s father has joined everyone, and my grandmother is busy praising the girls.
Wedding Haters (Event to Remember Series-Book 2) Page 3
