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“Are you sure about this Piper Jane?” Dad asks. I only seem capable of nodding.
“Honey, it’s so quick.” Yeah, understatement of the year, Mom.
“I know but we just can’t wait.” I say close to choking on the words. Johanna who is sitting next to me grabs my hand under the table to squeeze reassuringly. She knows our parents are stabile, loving people who just happen to have really rigid roles about marriage.
“Feenie…” my dad uses my mother’s nickname for Josephine stopping her protests. “They’re young. In love.”
“I know. When did this all happen?”
“A week ago.”
“Six months ago.” Clearly our simultaneous answers don’t match making them frown.
“Silly me. I meant six months ago.” Mom narrows her eyes and Milo saves me filling in the details.
“I met her at the hospital over Christmas. Things only now escalated and when a man knows what he wants… well I can’t wait. I’m sorry.” Milo is appropriately apologetic. My dad seems fine, my mother does not.
“Don’t worry Scott family. I’m watching him like a hawk.” Jax chimes in with a smile walloping Milo on the back for show and Johanna winks.
“This is so rushed.” My mother bemoans. This is the same woman who tried setting me up on blind dates and has bought a trunk full of baby clothes with little Native American moccasins from their travels. My mother is weird like that.
“I feel better already Jax.” My dad says knowing my childhood and completely plutonic best friend would have to approve of Milo to stick up for him. He just doesn’t know how fresh this is or that they just met tonight. Thank god for Jax.
My mother is tapping dad on the shoulder and he waves her away like a buzzing bee. “Honey don’t you think we should go home?”
“Nonsense dear.”
“You don’t think…” I hear my mother whispering through the phone. Of course she would jump to the obvious conclusion.
“No mom, I’m not pregnant.” My face burns with embarrassment.
“Well of course not sweetheart. We’re saving babies for when the gym stabilizes and you can take more time off.” Milo smiles hugging me under his arm. I swear his accent thickened and he grins through the kick I give him under the table. Amazing man that he is. He would probably pat my stomach in some romantic gesture if I let him. I don’t.
Jax and Johanna ignore us drinking their wine.
Deserters.
The whole thing seems quickly forgotten. Mom and Dad plan to stay in Arizona and promise to bring back plenty of Navaho and Pueblo artifacts for our home as honeymoon presents.
Awesome.
“Well as soon as we get back we are having a family dinner. And another wedding ceremony. We can meet Milo’s parents.” Insistent my mother is chatting away and mentions teal dresses which is close enough to turquoise making us laugh except me. I’m wondering how the heck we’re going to get through two family ceremonies on opposite sides of the Atlantic. Milo seems nonplused about the whole thing which makes me freak out even more.
“I agree Mr. and Mrs. Scott.” Milo is charming, perfect, and without a doubt winning my parents over. I hate lying to them and wonder how they’ll feel a year or two from now when this all falls apart.
Milo drives us home leaving me on the doorstep with a kiss that leaves me breathless and Johanna my nosy sister staring from the porch window like she’s watching a video on tumblr. Jax texts me to say we’ll talk at work. I feel like a train ran me over and it’s only going to intensify from here on out.
6
Milo
I adjust the cuffs of my sleeves and straighten my suit jacket inside the parish office. I’m early. I can’t help but wonder if Piper, my wife to be will be late. I have no idea if she’s an early riser or a girl who sleeps in. I do know she can organize the hell out of my desk papers. Our impromptu date the other night consisted of Visa documents… she found them and after I filled them out she made triplicate copies and sent them off with a notarized letter. The marriage certificate would be next.
“You sure about this?” Turning I glance at my friend Beck Nichols. He’s been nothing but upfront and honest with me about this whole marriage thing. He doesn’t like it because I’m not signing a prenup, but he doesn’t know Piper. She’s not after my money. At least I don’t think she is considering she’s never seen my bank statement. If she wanted my house in return for this I’d happily give it to her. She wants me to save her goddaughter and that’s a different kind of incentive.
“Are we really ever sure?” I brush lint off my sleeve. Besides, the who’s who of doctors hasn’t come out yet and I don’t think she subscribes to their publication to know I’ve won an award from them each year for my research. It would feel weird and boastful to tell her because I keep my award
s in the closet and not on the mantle in my house.
