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Andrea was sure the venue didn’t matter to him. As long as Rory walked down the aisle and said, “I do,” that would suffice him.
James took the women’s discussion of the bridal plans as a way to excuse himself from the conversation to prepare for his client’s deposition.
Half an hour later, Rory and Andrea said their goodbyes.
After a few minutes of sitting up in bed and reflecting on the things that had transpired in the week, she finally swung her legs over the edge of the bed, grabbed her toiletries, and walked to the bathroom across the hall from her room.
She allowed the warm water gushing from the showerhead to beat against her back and shoulders, reveling in the heat it generated all throughout her body.
Andrea made her way down the stairs after her shower. She found her mother and sister in the kitchen having breakfast at the island.
“Good morning,” she greeted cheerily as she stepped toward the cupboard to get herself a plate.
“Good morning, sweetie. Did you sleep well?” her mother asked.
“I did,” Andrea replied, turning to face them once more.
After taking a seat, she scooped a generous serving of the scrambled eggs and bacon sitting in the middle of the island before adding a stack of pancakes on the side.
“I spoke with Rory this morning. She said that she’ll think about having her wedding here, but she and her fiancé will have to come here first before they decide.”
“Drea, that’s wonderful news. I’m sure when they get here, it will be a no-brainer that they have to have it here,” Cora said excitedly.
Andrea gave her sister a hopeful smile.
“Before I forget, Tessa called. She’s inviting us out for drinks this weekend,” Cora told her.
“Okay, I’m game. Sure,” she agreed.
She was happy to know that the feeling of togetherness witnessed at the barbecue hadn’t just been an act of politeness but that her cousins sincerely were making an effort to reconnect with them. Last night Kerry and her daughter Nikki had stopped by to drop off a fruit cake and had stayed for dinner. They had spent the time reminiscing over their childhood and regaling Nikki with stories of the adventures they had been on.
“Did she say who else was going?” she asked after some thought.
“Yeah,” Cora replied. “She said Sharon, Kerry, Rhonda, and Brian’s wife Kirsten will be there.”
Andrea couldn’t help but wonder if it was such a good idea for her to be in a setting with so many female members of her family. Although she’d opened up to Cora about her time in New York and with Rory’s father, she wasn’t so sure she would be willing to share that information with the others. These girls’ nights usually meant personal questions would be asked that she wasn’t ready to answer.
“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” she heard her sister say.
Judging by the look of concern on Cora’s face, she could determine that Cora was aware that she felt uncomfortable with the situation.
“We can stay in and watch an‘I Love Lucymarathon,” Cora offered as an alternative.
“No, that’s fine, Sis. I want to,” she spoke up. “It’ll be great to see and catch up with the whole gang again,” she reasoned.
“I’m happy you girls are reconnecting with your cousins. Family is important.”
At her mother’s statement, Andrea turned to give her a smile. “I’m glad, too, Mom. I thought it would have been more difficult than this, but it’s not, and I’m grateful for that,” she admitted.
Andrea noticed her mother’s eyes were glistening. “Mom,” she started to say in concern.
“I just wish Samuel was here to witness this,” Becky said softly as a tear ran down her cheek.
Andrea’s chest tightened at her mother’s vulnerability. She reached over to rest her hand on top of the one her mother had on the table. She didn’t have the words to comfort her but instead gave the hand she held a gentle squeeze.
“I know you miss him, Mom. We miss him, too, but somehow I believe he knew that we would find each other again and that we would be here. With everything that he did leading up to his death, he knew,” Cora reached over and took her mother’s other hand in hers.
“I don’t know what I would have done if-if… I’m happy that you girls are here. My sweet angels,” their mother expressed through the tears now steadily flowing down her face.
