Before You Say I Do

Finn and Dakota were watching Katie while I met with Jacqueline at their house. Before I came I dyed my hair back to its natural color and changed back to my normal attire. A butler answered the door when I knocked.

“name?” he asks formally.

“Juliana Richards.” I answer.

He nods and opens the door wider. “the miss will be right with you.” I nod an acknowledgment and he leaves me there in the entryway. I look around in amazement. I knew Adams family was rich, but my god, this was so elegant and vintage looking. Nothing like Finns parents house which was modern. No, this was more of an old vineyard than a new mansion.

“I don’t know, maybe he wants to break-up with me.” I hear a very familiar voice coming from upstairs. “but he called me last night and cancelled on me with out an explanation. Do you think he’s found some other girl?” she turns the corner to the stairs and starts to make her way down, “you’re right. This was the first time, I shouldn’t worry too much.” Being the clumsy Katelyn we all knew, she tripped over her feet and grabbed the railing, looking up. Her eyes caught mine, widening. “uh-I’ve got to go.” She shuts her phone, drops it, and runs down to me jumping into my arms.

I smile and hug her tightly. After about a minute of screaming she pulls back, “what are you doing here?! Is everyone here? Katie? I want to see my niece! Oh my god, I can’t believe it’s actually you!! ack!” she hugs me again and I laugh.

“I have a meeting with your mother Katelyn, we can talk after. But just so you know, Nick was with us last night and we didn’t want you to know yet. I wanted this to be a surprise. That’s why he didn’t give you a reason. Um, yes, Finn, Dakota, and Katie are here. We’re all going out tonight so you’ll see them then.”

She nods, “meeting with my mom?”

“I-” but I was interrupted with another voice.

“Juliana, it’s a pleasure to have you here.” Jacqueline DiGerlando walks into the room. “I see you’ve met my daughter, Katelyn. She’ll be helping us with the cake plans since she’s closest with her brother.”

I smile sweetly, “The pleasure is mine Mrs. DiGerlando.”

“please, call me Jacqueline.”

I nod, “well Jacqueline, shall we get down to business, after all there’s only a month until the wedding.”

Katelyn was standing there with her mouth agape. Her mother notices, “Katelyn honey, close you mouth, it’s not appropriate to keep it open like that.”

She quickly shuts it and follows us to the sitting room.

I pull out my booklet and start with the reason we’re here. “so, tell me about Adam and Stephanie. I like knowing a little background, it makes the cake feel more personal.”

“that’s a great way to think.” Jacqueline comments, “but where to start?”

“how did they meet?” I ask.

“They met about a year and half ago at a club downtown. Despitas or something. He saw her, and as he says, fell instantly for her.”

“love at first sight, how sweet. What about the proposal, how did that go?”

Jacqueline looks over to Katelyn, “Katelyn dear, you know the story so well, why don’t you tell it?”

Katelyn looks disgusted for a moment but smiles and nods. “They were at the club where they met and during one of the songs Adam just slipped the ring onto her finger. She teared up, said yes, and then the whole place started clapping.”

I gulp and put on my fake smile, “that sounds very romantic.”

I could tell her smile was fake too, “it was.”

“Okay, so now that I have a little bit about them as a couple, how about some about the wedding, what are the plans so far?”

“It’s going to be classic.” Jacqueline says.

“Red and white are the colors.” Katelyn adds.

“with roses for the flowers and yeah, that’s pretty much it. The wedding will be indoors, along with the reception. But in two different parts of the building. So you’ll be able to set the cake up before anyone sees you.” I nod and write down the information.

“okay, so classic. Five-tier white cake classic? Or adding a little twist to it like a red design?”

“white cake classic.” Jacqueline answers as Katelyn says “red-design.”

“mom, Adam wants some color at the wedding, it’s bad enough that he didn’t get to choose the color scheme, at least let him have some color on the cake.”

“whoever said it was Adams wedding? Katelyn, it’s just that the wedding is a brides thing to take care of.”

“o-kay. How about I come up with a mix of designs and show them to you later.” I reason, “lets move onto the kind of cake.”

“Chocolate,” Jacqueline says quickly.

“Italian Cream.” Katelyn argues.

“nobody wants Italian Cream sweetie, it’s to bland.”

“nobody wants chocolate, think about if the cake got on Stephanies dress? She’d freak.”

“and how would that happen?”

“oh I don’t know, if I had had enough of her and decided to throw it at her.”

“never mind, we can work that out later.” Wow, these women do not agree on one thing. I really hope it's not like that between Katie and I in ten years. “would you like a figurine on top or-“

“of course, classic right?”

“a plastic figurine is not classic mom.”

“obviously you’ve never been to a wedding Katelyn.”

“I have-“

I stand up and close up my book, “okay, you two need to fix whatever is going on here before I’ll work with you.” I make my way out of the room when I hear the front door close.

“hey mom?” Adam calls out.

Oh shit.

Jacqueline is up out of her seat and pushing me toward the door, “quick, get behind it.”

“wha-“ before I could say more I was being shoved behind the door and that’s where I stayed.

“in the sitting room dear!” Jacqueline shouts back. Moments later I heard his footsteps enter the room.

“hey.” He says.

“what brings you here dear?”

“I-uh, was actually here for Katelyn, but it seems as though you two are busy with wedding stuff, correct?”

“oh no worry. Katelyn isn’t doing much anyways.” Whoa. This lady sure doesn’t know her daughter because if she did, she wouldn’t have said that.

“not doing much? Actually Adam, I’ve been trying to make your wedding not suck as much as the bride does. And yes, I did mean to give that as a double meaning. I am actually busy right now, and tonight. So unless this is about breaking up with that bitch who is forcing me to do this, than I can’t talk to you until tomorrow morning.” Somebody was not in a good mood.

“great, then you can talk. Mom, could you give us a second?” Jacqueline huffs and stomps out of the room.

what about me?! argh, I did not want to be stuck behind a door for that long!

“what do you mean I can talk? I just said-”

Adam sighs, “you obviously don’t like Stephanie.”

“and you don’t either. Adam, I know when you’re happy and you aren’t happy with her.”

“I know.”

“so then why do this? Why are you lying to everyone and yourself?”

“because for some reason it seems easier than going back and being told that I messed up.”

“but you would be happy then. And you aren’t happy now.”

There was a pause before Adam said anything. “I ran into her last night.”

“her?”

“Skye.”

“Skye?” Katelyn was by all means confused.

“I, yeah. She had blonde hair and pale skin. Her smile was the same along with her voice, both italian and English…”

“you ran into Juliana last night?”

“no, I ran into Skye.”

“Adam, they’re the sam-“

“I know they are the same person. But they aren’t. It’s like the hair changes her identity.”

“so who do you love more.”

“neither.” That hurt a lot. “they both lied to me.”

“I don’t recall Skye lying to you.”

“she didn’t tell me she was pregnant.”

“okay, lets think about this for a second, in reality. You saw Skye last night, which means Juliana is in town. Juliana wouldn’t come here by herself, so Finn and Dakota are probably here too. Which means Katie is here because I doubt she’d leave her daughter in Maine with Jon.”

Thank you miss blabber-mouth.

“Jon?”

“Jonathan. You remember him, Dakotas brother.”

“Juliana is with Jonathan?”

“um, no. did I say that? I don’t think I said that.”

“so the paparazzi weren’t just twisting things out of proportion, they really are together.” Crap, crap, crap.

“the point is that they are here. The people you have been ignoring for two years are here a month before your wedding. Don’t you see this as a sign Adam?”

“I should call Finn, huh?”

“that would be a start. Yes.”

I’m guessing Adam pulled out his phone because the next thing I heard was “hello Finn.” And then the faint sounds of Finn screaming. “look, I didn’t call to get yelled at, though I deserve it. I’m sorry for ignoring this whole time, but I thought you should know that I’m getting married.”

I didn’t hear Finn screaming anything in reply and moments later Adam shuts his phone, “he hung up on me.”

“Adam, you said that this was to talk about breaking up with your girlfriend.”

“right. Just wanted to talk. What were you guys fighting about anyways?”

“the wedding cake. Anything you’d like me to tell the baker?”

“remember that cake Juliana used to make, the Italian Cream one with the chocolate chunks in it. That tasted amazing.”

“got it. Topper or no topper?”

“no topper, those are so tacky.”

“and lastly, plain and white, or cool and designed.”

“oh god, definitely designed. I guess red is the only color huh?”

“afraid so.”

They hug, “thanks Katelyn, for standing behind me through this whole thing.”

I hear Adam start to walk toward the doorway, “hey Adam?”

“yeah.”

“She turned six on June fourth.”

“why should I care?”

“because I know that leaving Katie behind was one of the hardest things you’ve done in your life. I sent her a card and present with your name added to the from list. Just thought you should know that.”

“of course you thought I should know.” With that he left the room and I waited until I heard the front door close before coming out.

I laugh, “I thought you had signed that for your brother. Jon said that Adam forgave me though.”

“as if. You think that guy is going to make the first move?”

“well thank you for getting the cake information. I’ll make him the best wedding cake ever.”

“hey, did kids hate you in high school?”

“how do you mean?”

“well, obviously they weren’t mean to you. but just in general hate how nice you are.”

“I guess. That would be a question for Dakota, not me. why do you ask?”

“it’s just, you’re totally cool about this. Almost happy. Most girls would be furious.”

“I hate myself for being happy. But if he wants to do this than I’m not going to stand in his way.”

“you’re crazy.”

“yes I am.”

She laughs and walks me to the door, “I’ll see you tonight then.”

I hug her bye and climb into my car.