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My mom, however, doesn’t let up.
“I don’t want to pressure you of course,” she tells us, and the atmosphere suddenly grows serious. “But if a wedding is in the cards, it’d be nice if I could be a part of it.”
It’s her unspoken words that hang in the air though. What she means is,it’d be nice if I could be a part of it while I’m still alive.
She looks between us again, and I can see a potent mixture of sadness and hope in her eyes. It’s heartbreaking, and it’s almost enough to make me agree to a wedding just out of compassion.
The last thing I want to do is scare Jada off though and for a moment, neither of us say anything. As far as I know, she’s still not sure where she stands on the whole fake wedding idea. I completely understand that – a fake relationship is one thing, a fake marriage is something else entirely.
I sneak a look at her, trying to gauge her reaction to my mom’s words, and to my surprise, I see she’s smiling warmly.
“Of course, Honey,” she says kindly. “And if we do get married, I think NSYNC would be a wonderful addition to the playlist.”
Her humor is so dry sometimes that I don’t know if she’s messing with us again or if she’s genuinely trying to make my mom feel better, but the more the conversation goes on, the more it seems she’s humoring Mom’s suggestion.
I’m grateful for it. I know there’s no guarantee we’ll go through with the marriage, but as long as my mom feels like there’s a chance it might happen, I can feel like I’m living up to her dream for me. And seeing the way she looks now, talking to Jada about the possibility, that’s all I want for her.
“You know, you’d make such a beautiful bride,” my mom tells Jada. “You could pull off any dress, I’m sure of it.”
I can’t help but smile at this, even though a fake wedding still might not be in the cards at all. I have to admit, my mom’s right though. I know Jada would be stunning, no matter what she wore.
“And I’m sure Carter would make a very handsome groom,” Jada adds, looking at me with a twinkle in her eye.
I assume this is part of the ruse, and I have to hand it to her, she’s convincing. My mom seems to buy it too, and she grins with delight at the thought of it.
“You two already make such a beautiful couple,” she says. “And seeing you two get married would just make me so happy.”
So much for not putting on any pressure, I think, but there’s no malice in the thought.
I’m going to have to talk to Jada about going through with the wedding after all. It’s obvious my mom would be able to go in peace if she thought I’d settled down with a woman, especially one she’s so fond of.
16
JADA
“Temperature okay?” Carter asks. “You can adjust your side,” he says, pointing. “The seats heat or cool, too.”
“I’m good, thanks,” I say and relax in my seat. The leather feels super luxurious. “Who would need a heated seat in Malibu?” I ask.
“Ha,” he says. “My mom says it feels good on her back.”
“Oh,” I say.
His mom is so sweet and she…it’s just so sad. Would it be so wrong to marry Carter just to give that woman the one thing she wants more than anything in the world? Plus, I could do a lot worse than him. Of all the guys my parents have set me up with, none of them have been as fun to hang out with as Carter.
It seems like her dearest wish is to get to see Carter married. It’s so sad. She’s been so nice to me. She would make a lovely mother-in-law. How could it be wrong to give a dying woman her heart’s desire? She doesn’t even want it for herself. She just wants to know her son will be okay.
Then there are my parents. It grates on me a little that they think they need a man to take care of me. Haven’t I proven I can take care of myself?
Still, if that’s what they want, Carter is kind of perfect. He’s well established in his career, super rich, and most of all, caring. Honestly I can’t imagine a set of parents who wouldn’t be over the moon if Carter proposed to their daughter.
“Still nuts,” I mutter.
“What?” Carter says.
“Nothing,” I say.
“Well, here we are,” he says, parking. “Thanks for…”
