“You know how she hates to fly, so I didn’t bother asking her to come help me.”
“I do know how she feels about us getting married, about you marrying me. Is that what this is about?” I ask. Sophie shrugs.
“Look Marcus, I went through all this not too long ago and it’s just overwhelming me.”
“Do you have any regrets,” I dare ask and then hold my breath while I wait for her reply.
“No regrets, more like remorse and guilt for what I did.”
“I love you Sophie, and I want you to be my wife. Do you want to be my wife, do you want ME to be your husband?”
“Yes, of course I do. You know I do.”
“Well sometimes you don’t act like it,” I say with a scowl. Do you know how many women would love to snag me as a husband, I feel like saying, but I bite it back. What’s up with her? I know she loves me. She’s afraid of marriage.
“You’re afraid of marriage aren’t you?”
“I think so.”
“Usually it’s the guy that gets cold feet, my dear. But then again you aren’t the typical female, I knew that from our first night together,” I tease.
“I know, our relationship hasn’t been the typical courtship, now has it?” she says with the wicked smile I love.
“No, you made me chase you, I had to fight for you tooth and nail.”
“You weren’t used to that were you Golden Boy? You were used to getting what you wanted, when you wanted it,” she quips.
“You got that right, but in the end I won you over, didn’t I?”
“Yes you did. I love you Marcus, I do.”
“But you still have cold feet.”
“No, it’s the wedding planning that’s getting to me, that’s all.”
“Fine, then I will schedule the appointment with the wedding caterer at the Savoy and we will go together,” I say.
“That sounds perfect.”
“It’s settled then.” I can’t believe how much I have to push Sophie down the aisle, this girl who is the love of my life. It’s like she’s dragging her heels to the altar. Isn’t it usually the girl dragging the guy to the altar? What’s wrong with this picture, I think to myself. All I want is to make my Sophie happy.
Chapter 14
Sophie
I feel so much remorse for what I did to John. Sometimes it makes me feel like I don’t deserve happiness because of it. Shopping for a wedding dress again today brought all of these emotions to the surface again. As hard as I’ve tried to ignore them lately. I look at a picture of Marcus and I took together in Hawaii and then it makes me think of Krista.
“Hi Mom,” I say when my Mom picks of the phone.
“Hi honey, how are you?”
“A little overwhelmed.”
“Why?”
“I went wedding dress shopping today and I really wished you could have been there with me,” I admit and am met with silence on the other end.
“Sophie, you know how I feel about it all.”
“I know, that’s why I didn’t ask you to come." I know I’ll be lucky to get you over here for the wedding.”
“London is far for me.”
“But you will make it right?”
“Have you and Marcus set a date?”
“Not yet.” There’s a deafening silence on the other end of the phone.
“Mom, can’t you try and be happy for me?”
“I was happy for you…”
“Was as in you aren’t now?”
“You really think you can tame a man like Marcus?”
My mother goes right for the jugular, right to the heart of my insecurities. Now I’m the silent one. Is my mom right? Mothers usually are.
“Oh, by the way, I ran into Mrs. Devereaux when I was shopping down on Rodeo, near their jewelry store. She was barely cordial to me, especially after how you treated her poor son, who could blame the woman.”
“Mom, please. Not a day goes by that I don’t have remorse over what transpired between John and I. I’m sorry, but I had to follow my heart. Don’t you understand?”
“No, but I’m sorry I don’t. John was so perfect in every way for you. How you could pass him over for a man like Marcus is beyond me. The Hunter name, his money and the lifestyle you seem to think he can provide you lured you in. I just hope he’s home with you at night. You will have always keep a close eye on that one, mark my words.”
“Mom, I can’t listen to anymore of this. You will just have to get to know him better to see how much he cares about me. You should have seen how thrilled he was when I was expecting, I saw the love in his eyes.”
“Yes, because you were carrying the heir to the Hunter fortune, he was hoping for the splitting image of himself, I’m sure.”
“Mom, you’re cruel, do you know that?”
“Just stating the facts dear. How was your trip to Hawaii? I haven’t spoken to you since you got back to London?”
“It was nice,” is all I have to say as my memories of the beautiful Krista pops into my head. She would make a better trophy wife for Marcus.
“Did you have a good time?”
“Yes we did,” I don’t care to elaborate on the sordid details that I am sure my mother would love to hear, because they reinforce her theory about Marcus. She means nothing to me is his standard line about every one of his past dalliances.
“I need to get going Mom, I want to get started on dinner.”
“You’re cooking now?” Mom says in surprise.
“Yes, I actually bought a cookbook and try and cook for Marcus when he gets home from work.”
“Who would have thought my career minded daughter would ever be a little homemaker. Glad to hear it.”
“Yeah, ok Mom. I’ll call you again once we have a date set.”
“I will be waiting with baited breath.” I can hear the slight sarcasm in her voice. Parents, between my mother and Marcus’s mother we don’t have a very cohesive support system do we?
Needless to say, my mom steams me. The less I talk to her the better. All she does is make me feel bad about my decisions.
We should just elope, find a reclusive resort somewhere in Europe and just elope. I’m going to suggest it.
Chapter 15
Marcus
“We have our appointment on Friday with Denise Carter at the Savoy.”
“Marcus?”
“Yes, sweetheart,” I don’t like her tone of voice.
“Can we just elope?”
I look over at her, is she crazy?
“Why would you even suggest such a thing? I thought every girl wants a fairy tale wedding. I can provide that for you, money is no object.”
“It’s not about the money, or having some over the top wedding. I just feel like we aren’t getting much support, and I don’t mean monetarily, from our families.”
“What happened today?”
“I talked to my mom.”
Sophie’s mom makes me so angry. Every time she talks to her mother, I know the woman puts these seeds of doubt in my Sophie’s mind. Why doesn’t that woman like me?
“What does your mom have against me? She has only met me a handful of times and I have always behaved like a gentleman around her.”
“It’s just that…”
“I know, she was in love with that other guy. Well, then why doesn’t SHE go and marry him,” I huff out.
Sophie lets out a small awkward laugh at my non-joke.