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“Anyway, her new boyfriend, Todd, asked her to marry her today, and she said yes.”
“Well, that’s so nice! Oliver met him and said he was a nice man. I’m happy she’s finding happiness. But do me a favor, Candy. Please don’t tell him until later. In case there are any ill feelings, I don’t want him to be upset in front of everyone.”
“Okay, but trust me, he won’t care in the least. He’ll be relieved.”
“We can’t know that for sure,” Wendy said, looking over at him lying along the pile of Legos, looking so handsome.
“God, look at those two,” Candy said.
“I know,” Wendy replied, giggling. “What a gene pool.”
“There’s not an ugly one in the bunch, either. You’ll meet Charlie and Mike’s brothers John and Steven tonight. They are both older but, oh my god, hot, silver foxes.”
Nodding her head, Wendy could imagine. Her head was already spinning.
“Okay, everyone, time to open gifts!”
Screams of delight by the children ensured chaos until everyone found their seats.
“We always start with the youngest first,” Roberta said. “Candy and Bridget, you two have the most kids, so come over and start distributing. Joey and Tony, help your kids open their gifts.”
For the next hour, Roberta and Big Mike distributed gifts to their sons and their son’s girlfriends and wives. It was evident that they had the process down to a science because it was orderly once the initial chaos calmed down. Excitement and shouts of pleasure rang out when someone opened a gift they really wanted. All the gifts Oliver and Wendy bought people went over well.
“Let’s take a break,” Roberta said. “If you want anything else to eat, grab it because we’re going to put this stuff away so we can build up an appetite for dinner in just an hour!”
While calm settled over the huge room, Wendy kept her eye on Oliver and on Candy, whom she didn’t trust at all. Sticking to him, she was pretty sure nothing was said about Joanne’s engagement.
“Let’s get back to gift time!” Roberta cried, and the family members returned to the living room.
Silence traded for the previous craziness. Wendy looked around the room, trying to understand what was happening. Then they were all looking at her and Oliver. He slipped off the couch, onto one knee, and reached under his sweater into his shirt pocket, pulling out a ring.
This was a defining moment. Her heart banged in her chest, the rate so fast she felt faint. What did this really mean?
He held the ring up for everyone to see.
“Ahhh,” chorused around the room.
“Wendy, will you marry me?”
She just nodded her head, deciding that nothing in her life was going to be private after this.
“Yes, Oliver, in front of all these people, I’ll marry you.”
The cheers and clapping for the next minute were deafening while Oliver slid the ring, much too big, on her finger.
“My dad told my mom that I wanted to propose tonight, and she gave me her ring. It was the one my dad gave her, so if you think it’s bad luck—”
Charlie was standing behind Oliver, smiling.
“Charlie, do you think it’s bad luck? I’ve been told you’re clairvoyant.”
“Oh my, no. I think you two are a marriage made in heaven.”
Wendy stood up, offering her hand to Oliver so he could stand.
“I’m so happy,” he said, a stray tear finding its way down his cheek.
They embraced and kissed in front of everyone, cheers erupting again until Roberta came out with a pan of lasagna.
