‘This is not a normal wedding.’ She smiled and walked over to me.
‘What do you mean?’
Zeus and Athena were panting at my heels, staring at the ball in my hand. I threw it for them and they raced off.
‘Where’s the limo?’ Jennifer asked, clearly as confused as I was.
‘It’s not coming,’ my mom replied.
‘Well, how are we all getting to the wedding then?’ I looked at my watch. ‘We’re going to be late soon, and then all the guest will have to wait and it will all be doubly embarrassing when I arrive.’
‘We’re at the wedding.’ My mom gestured with her arm to the wooded section at the highest part of the property.
I looked at Andrew. He was smiling at me. Best bloody smile in the world.
‘Dad?’ I said, looking for someone logical who could explain what was going on.
‘This is your wedding.’ My mom looped her arm through mine and started walking with me. ‘Come on. Let’s go.’
‘Where? Nothing is making sense right now!’ I swivelled my head around, trying to extract clues from this moment that I could piece together to create the full picture. But I was stumped.
My dad took me by my free hand. ‘Consider this your mother’s wedding gift to you. That there is no wedding.’
‘Wait.’ I stopped walking when it clicked.
‘No wedding?’
My mom nodded.
‘No wedding?’ I asked again. It was met with another nod.
‘No Tuscan ice sculptures and two-storey chocolate-fondant cakes?’
She nodded again.
‘No crystal chandeliers and orchids and meters of draped lace and calligraphy name places and an orchestra?’
Another nod.
‘So I’m getting married here? At home? With the dogs and you guys andnotone thousand guests?’
‘Well, I did need to get hold of a priest, or it wouldn’t be legal, so he’s here too.’
‘Are you serious, Mom?’ I gasped, overcome with so many emotions.
‘Totally serious,’ she said, tearing up.
I threw my arms around her, drawing her into maybe the biggest hug I’d ever given her. ‘This is literally the best wedding present you could ever have given me.’ I pulled away and found that my face was wet from tears I hadn’t known I was crying. My mom reached up and wiped the tears away. I turned to my dad. ‘This isn’t a joke, right? We’re not going to walk around the corner and she’s created the Venetian canals and has a gondola ready and waiting for us?’
‘No, no gondolas, no one thousand guests. Just us and the dogs and, well’ – he swung his arm out over the view – ‘this view.’
‘I always intended it to be a wedding venue one day, so here we are,’ my mom said.
‘Oh, thank God!’ Jennifer exclaimed from behind me, sounding as happy as I was feeling. ‘I can’t tell you how much I’ve been dreading the walk down the aisle, Mrs E. And, knowing you, I was expecting a landing-strip-length aisle.’ My mom smiled over at Jennifer, who’d called her Mrs E for ever.
I craned my neck around and looked at Andrew.
‘Did you know about this?’ I asked.
