Royal Engagement

by Chance Carter

  “Saturday or Sunday, right?” Liana whispered as she waited for someone to answer her call. I nodded. Who was I to be picky about day of the week? I had a slight preference for Saturday weddings, just because that’s what I was familiar with, but Alexander and I had agreed that either day would work.

  The first venue I called, Café Madson, looked gorgeous online, so I was excited that they were in my half of the pile. When they said that they had an availability on that Sunday, I knew it was too good to be true. “Three weeks from this Sunday,” the man on the other end, whose thick French accent proved to be a distraction, said when I asked to verify the date.

  “That’s fantastic,” I said. I looked at the printouts Liana had kept in her binder. “And that’s for the Garden Room?”

  “Oui. That is correct,” he said. “The other two rooms are booked. For the Garden Room, you’ll need a minimum of one hundred guests. The price per guest includes…”

  I zoned out after he told me the minimum. There was no way we had one hundred people we wanted at our wedding. In fact, I could easily list all of my guests in under a minute. I thanked the man for his time and hung up, anxious to see if Liana’s search was going any better.

  “I’m on number three,” she said. “The first two had nothing open, and the third one put me on hold.”

  I called three of the five venues left on my list. Two of the people I spoked with apologized and told me they had nothing available, and the third didn’t even try to hide their laughter, saying they had been booked up for months.

  I took a bite from the bowl of chips that had been staring me down since I’d gotten there and started dialing the next number. “Four oh four,” I whispered as I pressed the buttons.

  “Yes, I’m still here!” Liana screeched into her phone. “That sounds wonderful. Can you give me just one second?” She turned toward me and held her hand over the mouthpiece. “Case, this one’s perfect. Marlton Ballroom.”

  I groaned. Hadn’t I made it clear to Liana that ballrooms were too big and over-the-top for our wedding? “Liana, I really don’t—”

  “I know what you’re going to say, Casey,” Liana interrupted. “It’s not a typical ballroom. It’s just called that. Their minimum is only thirty-five, and the room holds up to eighty. They just had a cancellation, and it’s yours if you want it.”

  Liana returned to the call and turned speakerphone on as we listened to the wedding coordinator go over the meal options, the venue amenities, and pricing. The more I listened, the more excited I became. As we listened to the woman explain everything, Liana pulled up the venue’s website on her laptop and scrolled through the pictures. The venue was stunning. As its name suggested, it looked like a ballroom, but not the kind that would have an absurd amount of empty space with my relatively small number of guests.

  The room itself, both from photos the venue provided and photos guests had shared, looked spacious yet intimate, which was exactly what I was going for. Liana and I nodded in agreement that this was the place. The prices were in line with area averages, and I was impressed with the vast amount of meal options. The ballroom was stunning, a venue I was sure would have been a contender even if I wasn’t on a tight schedule.

  “We’ll take it,” I blurted as soon as the coordinator stopped talking. I didn’t want to chance anyone else swooping in and taking the venue, and I knew I wouldn’t find anything better. “I can drop off the deposit later today.” We scheduled to meet with her during her next availability, later in the afternoon.

  Liana and I jumped out of our seats and leapt toward one another for a hug. I had a venue. Now that that was out of the way, we could focus on the next major hurdle: a dress. “You up for an adventure?” Liana asked.

  “Depends what it is,” I said coyly. Liana and I had very different definitions of the word “adventure.”

  “The shop I got my wedding dress at is about twenty miles away, but we have some time to kill before we have to head over to the venue,” Liana said. “Let’s go find you a dress!”

  Liana kissed Greg and the twins goodbye before I had a chance to change my mind. I decided the drive over would be the perfect time to discuss what I had in mind for the centerpieces. My goal was simple and elegant. At each red light we hit, I showed Liana some centerpiece ideas I’d printed out. “I love the colors of this one, but the style of the other one,” I said.

  “Purple and silver?” Liana asked.

  I gulped. I couldn’t tell if her tone was that of approval or distaste. “Yup.”

  “It’s a gorgeous color scheme,” Liana said. She put her SUV in park and gave me a look that told me she meant it. “It’s perfect for you guys. Let’s head over to one of the craft stores if we have time before the appointment.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  The look the greeter at the bridal shop gave me when she saw my round belly and swollen ankles was enough to send me running in the opposite direction, but Liana nudged me forward and motioned for me to stand my ground.

  “I’m looking for a wedding dress,” I said hesitantly.

  The woman raised her eyebrows and looked down over the rims of her cat-eye glasses “And when is the wedding?” she asked

  “Three weeks from this coming Saturday,” I replied.

  “Three weeks?” the woman laughed. When’s she saw I wasn’t joking, she straightened up in her seat. “You’ll have to buy off the rack.”

  Liana muttered a quick “thank you” and pulled me with her past the table.

  “Li, maybe this isn’t such a good idea,” I said. “I should either wait until after the baby to get married, or I should go find some cheap, white dress from Walmart and be done with it.”

  “Don’t be silly,” Liana said. She ran her hand along a row of gorgeous bridal gowns. “I’m sure the perfect dress is here somewhere, just waiting for you.”

  Another, much more helpful employee directed us to the back corner, where most of their off-the-rack gowns were located. Liana and I decided our best bet was to pull anything two or three sizes above my normal size. This accounted for one size up because formalwear always ran small, and another size or two so I didn’t crush my poor baby. “What do you think of this one?” I asked Liana, holding up a plain A-line gown.

  “Do you like it?” she replied. “Or did you just pick it up because it’s the right size?”

  Liana knew me too well. I hung the gown back on the rack and sifted through the dresses, hoping to find a diamond in the rough. After twenty minutes of searching, and searching again for anything we might have missed, we headed to the dressing room area with five gowns. I was most looking forward to trying on a mermaid gown Liana had found. It had a beaded bodice and sweetheart neckline, but I was hesitant to get too excited about it until I saw if it fit. Buying off the rack meant everything had to fit perfectly. There was no time for orders or alterations.

  With all of the bridal consultants busy helping size two brides who had months or years before their big day, Liana and I helped ourselves to a vacant stall. “Let’s try the mermaid first,” I said, drawing in a deep breath.

  I took off my clothes and watched in the mirror with anticipation as Liana slid the dress up my body. It fit— if I was fine with having my bottom hang out and not having the zipper shut. I didn’t even try to hide the disappointment on my face. “It’s ok, Case,” Liana assured me. “We have four more.”

  Liana opted for her pick next. With its lace detailing and fit-and-flare silhouette, it wasn’t something I would’ve picked out for myself. However, I was in no position to be picky, and, if years of watching wedding shows on TLC had taught me anything, it’s that sometimes dresses could surprise you.

  I stepped into the dress and pulled the front over my bump, slipping my arms into the cap sleeves. I surprised myself with how much I loved it. I held my breath until I finally heard the zipper reach the end of its course and Liana hook the top shut.

  It was stunning. The cap sleeves added a unique elegance,
and the shape of the dress actually embraced my bump instead of drawing unnecessary attention to it. There was a beaded belt that I felt really tied the whole dress together. Beyond the beauty of the dress, it fit incredibly well. I moved from side to side and bent over without feeling like the dress was going to pop off. I stood and waited for Liana’s reaction.

  Her review of the dress came in the form of the teardrops that rolled down her cheeks “It’s perfect, Case,” she said. She pulled me in for a hug. “You look stunning, and it fits you like a glove.”

  I nodded. “I love it,” I started. “It’s everything I didn’t know I wanted in a dress, but, somehow, it just works. I feel like a princess, and there’s still a bit of room incase this baby of mine grows any bigger.”

  We smiled and celebrated like giddy children opening presents on Christmas. As if it was a sign from the heavens that this was my dress, my baby girl kicked hard against my belly. I decided that she was agreeing that this was the dress I should wear the day I married her daddy.

  Liana and I agreed that there was no need to try on any other dresses. Everything else would just pale in comparison to this one, and I didn’t want to run the risk of confusing my thoughts about which dress to wear. In the front of the store, I tried on ten different veils before Liana and I agreed on one we both loved. I was glad to have such an honest best friend. It was the only way I knew that I’d never go anywhere looking bad. We threw a pearl necklace into the purchase for good measure, and we were finally done.

  This shopping trip had gone the opposite way of most of my shopping trips. Usually, they started off well and became increasingly frustrating. The trip to the bridal salon had started off on a rocky note, but I was leaving feeling like I was on top of the world. I couldn’t wait for Alexander to see my dress.

  Chapter 28

  Alexander

  Meet me outside the clinic. 9 tonight. I have a surprise for you. I sent the message to my lovely bride-to-be and hoped that she was crazy enough to go out— to her former place of work, no less—after a long day of work, and the wedding just over a week away.

  I knew this was the perfect final date for us to have before the wedding—and probably before the baby. After all, as strange as it was, it was the place that had brought us together. I never liked to use my money and means to my advantage, but this was an exception. It had to be. It turned out, you could rent out just about any place in the world for the right price. In exchange for a generous donation to their charity organization, the doctors at 6th Street Fertility Clinic had granted me access to their waiting area after business hours. They had evening appointments running until eight o’clock, and then I could go set up.

  I looked down at my phone. 6:43 PM. I had plenty of time to kill, so I decided some extra decorations wouldn’t hurt. I had already called Lotus twice in the past two days to make sure they would have our meals dropped off by 8:45. Ok, that may have been another case of flashing my wallet. They normally didn’t deliver, but I’d given them enough business between dates and work lunches that they’d made an exception.

  Everything was set. I found myself parked in front of the clinic, as if it was something that needed to be scoped out. I just wanted everything to be perfect. Nothing about my relationship with Casey had been normal or conventional, so I wanted us to have at least one normal, wonderful night.

  My phone buzzed in the center console on my way to the nearest party store, and I anxiously awaited the next red light so I could check it. Color me curious. Baby and I will see you then. Xoxo. Excellent.

  I scoured the aisles of the party store looking for anything that could add to the picnic dinner I had planned for the two of us. It had been years since I’d been in this store, and I couldn’t believe what it had become. There were aisles of luau décor and Star Wars party favors and fiesta-themed paper goods. I just wanted something simple. I stumbled across the bridal shower and bachelorette party sections and decided it might be fun to include some element of them into the surprise dinner.

  “Getting married?” a voice behind me asked. I turned to see an elderly lady who had probably half a dozen rolls of streamers in the basket she was firmly gripping.

  “Next week,” I said, smiling. It was weird to say the words aloud.

  “Good for you, sweetheart,” the woman said. “I wish you many years of happiness.” She looked at the two packages of confetti I had been debating between. “Go with the rings. Much more fun!”

  I nodded as a gesture of thanks and put a package of the confetti in my basket. I thought it would add a nice element of glamour to our picnic blanket. The tiny, metallic pieces of paper were cut into the shape of engagement rings, all different sizes. It was very possible that they were much more suitable for a bridal shower and engagement party, but oh well. This is why Casey was in charge of the décor for the actual wedding.

  A “bride-to-be” sash and pack of white fabric rose petals made their way into my basket, and I concluded that I had enough. Even though I was bound to have plenty of time to set up at the clinic, I was still always the type to worry about being late.

  The moment the last patient and doctor headed out the clinic doors, I ran inside with my bags of supplies and began setting everything up just as I’d envisioned it. Setting up an 80” x 90” picnic blanket solo proved more difficult than I had anticipated, and I was just thankful that I’d allotted myself some extra time in case something took longer than I’d planned. The manager of Lotus hand-delivered my order, which he had put together in catering trays that were much nicer-looking than the typical takeout containers Chinese restaurants used.

  It was show time. I sat in Casey’s old chair and spun around and around, anxiously waiting her arrival. When 9:08 hit and she still hadn’t arrived, I began to get concerned. As she’d gotten further along in her pregnancy, she’d been going to sleep earlier and earlier. Maybe she’d simply fallen asleep for the night.

  Finally, before I had the chance to overthink things any further, the shadow of Casey’s silhouette appeared on the sidewalk in front of the clinic.

  “Sorry I’m late,” Casey said, greeting me with a sweet kiss. “I wasn’t exactly sure what to wear to some sort of surprise at my old job after business hours.” I could sense the mockery in her voice, but I opted to ignore it.

  I eyed her up and down and admired the form-fitting red dress she had decided on. “What you’re wearing is absolutely perfect,” I said. Casey smiled. “But I have one more thing to add to your outfit.” I pulled my left hand from behind my back to reveal the sash I’d purchased earlier. Casey giggled as I placed it on her.

  “What’s this for?” she asked.

  “It’s your night, babe,” I said. With that, I led her into the vestibule of the clinic and locked the door behind us. “Right this way.” We emerged into the waiting area, and everything looked just as I wanted it to. In front of the desk Casey had sat behind for so long was a large picnic blanket spread out across the carpet. Atop the picnic table, I had set up our meals from Lotus and the confetti and rose petals from the party store. The lights were dimmed, and our primary source of light was the two candlesticks in the center of the blanket.

  “What is all this?” Casey asked, visibly choked up. She wrapped me in a tight hug and rested her head on my shoulder.

  “I thought we’d take it back to where it all started for us,” I said. “You know, one last big date before the wedding.”

  Casey looked up at me and smiled. “Everything looks beautiful.”

  “Including you.” I directed her to the side of the blanket on which I’d put her chicken dish, and I sat across from her with the fish entrée I’d decided on for myself. The look of pure surprise and bliss that appeared upon Casey’s face when she realized the food was from Lotus was one I wished I’d captured on camera.

  “How’d you know I’ve been craving Chinese food?” Casey asked.

  “Because you’ve mentioned it, oh, I don’t know, twice a day for the past week,”
I said. I chuckled, and she joined in with me. God, I loved to see her smile.

  We ate our dinners in sweet silence as we scraped up every morsel in the containers. Our normal dinner time was closer to 6:30 or 7, so, by now, we were starving. Casey and I took turns picking out bites from the other’s container and sharing the dumplings and spring rolls I’d placed between us. “Babe, this is amazing,” Casey said, when her container was nearly empty. “Thank you for all of this.”

  “Anything for my soon-to-be wife,” I said. I got chills saying the words, and Casey’s face brightened. When we were done eating, we cleaned up our mess and laid on the picnic blanket like we were looking at the stars. Instead, our view was that of the clinic ceiling’s white textured paint, but neither of us seemed to mind. With confetti in her hair, Casey told me stories about the picnics she had gone on with her mother when she was young.

  “My favorite picnic was to a local park when I was six or seven,” Casey said, looking over at me. “My mom picked me up early from school and told me it was the perfect day for a picnic. She had packed us little egg salad and peanut butter finger sandwiches, like the kind you see at tea parties, and pudding cups, and juice boxes. That’s one of my favorite memories of my whole childhood.”

  I nodded gently. “It sounds like it was a great day,” I said quietly.

  She smiled. “It was. Just like today.”

  Casey knew exactly how to reassure me that things were going to be ok. Whenever I worried about her, she said the exact thing I needed to hear to know that she was going to be alright. She bared her soul to me, counting down—or was it up? – her favorite childhood memories. She counted her top two as the picnic and a beach trip with her mother. The third was one that caught me by surprise. Casey had briefly mentioned to me before that one of her foster families had thrown her a birthday party, but that was the extent of my knowledge.