Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
Placing the last of the chocolate-dipped peanut butter balls onto her baking sheet to set, Lou said, “Darla, play the queen of pop.”
Alexis rolled her eyes. She loved her best friend but disagreed with her choice for the leader of the best music genre in existence.
“ You are beautiful, ” sang the voice Lou considered to be queen.
“Why do you call her Darla?” Alexis tried to take the chocolate-splattered bowl to the sink.
“Nope,” Lou said, swiping the bowl out of Alexis’s hands and doing the job herself.
Alexis had been trying to help in some way ever since she’d arrived fifteen minutes before but Lou had insisted that because it was Alexis’s party, she was not allowed to lift a single finger.
“I’m going to ignore your eyeroll because I’m guessing it has something to do with your criticizing my queen . . . ” Lou began.
Alexis tucked her long dark hair behind her ears. “I just don’t get it. How were you a teen in the late nineties and yet you somehow justify choosing Christina over Brittany?”
It was now Lou’s turn to roll her eyes. This was an argument they’d had many times before and they’d probably continue to have for the remainder of their friendship.
“Brittany has good music, but Christina’s voice.”
“Okay, then Beyonce or Mariah or Whitney. Whitney! How can you even compare any of the rest to I Will Always Love You ?”
Alexis had actually been fairly close to choosing that song as the one she walked down the aisle to. Only years of tradition and her mother’s pleas had her reverting to the traditional wedding march.
“I agree with you. Those voices are phenomenal. But Christina just gets me.”
And that’s where the argument would end. Because how could Alexis counter that?
“And as for my assistant, I use the name Darla because I couldn’t very well call my artificially intelligent bestie by your name.”
Alexis understood, considering she’d named her own AI assistant Toby. She’d always wanted a Toby to do her bidding. Weird, but true. The fact that Toby wasn’t a someone but a something doing as she asked didn’t keep Alexis from feeling like she was living her dream.
Lou blew a piece of hair that had gotten caught in her lip oil away from her mouth as she washed the chocolatey bowl. “We’ve talked about this, haven’t we?”
“Nope.” Alexis had known Lou called her AI Darla but hadn’t ever found a moment to ask why. And if there was a story behind the name choice, Alexis was sure she would have remembered.
“I loved Little Rascals as a kid and always wanted to be Darla. This felt like second best.”
Alexis laughed. That was only slightly more ridiculous than her reason for naming her AI, but because it was more ridiculous at all she felt the right to laugh.
“Who’s coming tonight?” Lou asked, ignoring Alexis’s teasing the way any best friend would.
“Our girls,” Alexis began, holding up two fingers to note that Lou’s daughter Emma as well as Alexis’s soon-to-be stepdaughter and Emma’s cousin, Brittany, would be joining them. “Bess, Deb, Seren, Piper, Lily, Olivia, Julia, Nora, and her girls. Gen said she’s officially too pregnant to do anything, poor thing. But said she’ll do her best to make it to the wedding tomorrow. Oh, and of course my mom.”
“Speaking of your mom,” Lou said loudly over the singing in the background. “Darla, stop.”
The music cut off and Lou continued, “Is she the one that’s stressing out, since you seem light and carefree? I thought for sure you’d be a nervous wreck.”
Alexis shrugged as she swiped a chocolate-covered strawberry from the fruit platter Lou had made. The entire spread was either covered in chocolate, Alexis’s favorite food, or cute little miniatures. There were mini steak kabobs, mini chicken salad croissant sandwiches, and even little mini cups of salad. Alexis felt incredibly spoiled.
Alexis chewed her strawberry thoughtfully, pondering. “I hope she’s not. At least she said she wasn’t when I last spoke to her. I think we both figure if it isn’t done now, it’s probably not needed. I have my dress, flowers, food, music, the venues, the photographer. Everything else is just kind of fluff, ya know?”
“I wish all brides thought like you.” Lou shook her head. “I was a bridesmaid for one of my college roommates and she invited all of us over the day before the wedding. We thought we’d arrive to something like this.”
Lou waved to the white bunting and streamers she’d displayed around the room as well as the giant white sign that read, “Alexis is Getting Wed!” Vases filled with white roses waited to adorn some of the tables later that evening at the rehearsal dinner. The effect was stunning.
“But instead,” Lou continued, “she took us to a field behind her house and in the hot, hot summer sunshine had us pick wildflowers for our bouquets for hours.”
Alexis’s eyes went wide. She guessed home-made bouquets could have been cool, but it seemed like a lot of work and stress for the bridal party.
“That wasn’t even the worst of it. Though we were sunburned and already tired, the bride, for some reason, decided then was the right time for her bridal party to clean all of the bird poop off of the chairs they were going to use for the ceremony. Don’t ask me why the chairs were covered in bird poop. Needless to say, all of our cute tea dresses were ruined and we were totally exhausted by the time we made it to the ceremony the next day.”
Alexis swallowed. She could only imagine.
“I remember leaving her house and looking back to see rows and rows of drying off chairs. The poor girl was on such a tight budget but I still have nightmares of a really ugly bouquet—because of course mine was, as I have no flower-arranging skills whatsoever—and spraying poop off of dozens and dozens of chairs.”
Alexis eyes were wide with shock until she burst out laughing and Lou quickly joined her.
Their cackles of laughter died down. “Sorry if this luncheon is taking you back to that place,” Alexis said.
Lou shook her head. “This is the kind of party I love.”
Alexis grinned, grateful her friend wasn’t feeling stressed out either. She really wanted her big day to be one that everyone could enjoy, not just one that looked perfect in the pictures.
Lou went to the fridge to bring out a pitcher of iced tea. “And I think we’re officially ready,” she said, none too soon considering Alexis heard a car pulling into the driveway.
Alexis stood and the two women exchanged a look, one that spoke volumes. The kind that best friends shared on the very most special of days.
“Get out of my kitchen,” Lou said, trying to shoo the last of the celebraters out of the room. Not because she wanted the party to end but because Alexis, Bess, and Julia had begun to clean the kitchen. Bess was already elbow deep in dishes.
“You throw the party, we clean up,” Julia retorted with an oh-so-threatening wave of a washcloth she was about to use to wipe down the counters.
Alexis had already swept the floor and judging by the mop in her hand she was moving on.
“Besides, with the four of us we’ll be done in no time and if we left you here on your own, I’d have a maid of honor missing from my rehearsal that starts in less than an hour,” Alexis said, getting to work.
Lou took the mop and hip checked her friend. “I have never seen a woman mopping an hour before her wedding rehearsal and it’s a sight I don’t intend on seeing now.”
The women laughed because Alexis truly wasn’t a conventional bride. Not only was she cleaning up after her own bridal shower, but she’d forgone a bachelorette party and would have skipped the entire rehearsal dinner had her mom not insisted on it. So as a compromise they’d done it all in one weekend, from the bridal shower to the wedding reception. All of the events small and intimate, just the way Alexis had always dreamed. I just want to get married to Jared, was the mantra she proclaimed to anyone who would listen. She didn’t need the bells and whistles; she didn’t want people celebrating her more than necessary. She just wanted to say her vows and be with Jared for at least the rest of her life.
Julia finished wiping the counters and dropped the washcloth next to the sink before moving to package up leftovers and put them in Lou’s fridge. “Though I have to admit I have somewhat of an ulterior motive in sticking around. Because now that it’s just us I want the tea . . . ” Julia poked her head over the fridge to meet Alexis’s eyes.
Alexis took the washcloth Julia had dropped and rinsed it out when Bess wasn’t needing the water for the dishes.
“How has Marsha been behaving?”
Alexis bit her lip before she answered. Typically her response would have been quick and easy. Terribly.
Because Marsha, Jared’s ex-wife, was always behaving terribly. If she wasn’t trying to break them up, she was poisoning the kids Marsha and Jared shared against Alexis, or wreaking some kind of revenge, or at the very least being dramatic and difficult about everything. But lately, things had been pretty chill. Alexis didn’t want to jinx it but dare she say she and Marsha were almost getting along? Ever since Alexis had pushed Jared to approve of Marsha’s newest boyfriend, the two had reached some kind of unspoken truce. And it was nice.
Alexis was still waiting for the other shoe to drop but it was nice.
“Remarkably well,” Alexis finally said.
Julia’s eyebrows rose as Bess smiled. Lou didn’t respond. If anyone knew Marsha, it was Lou, considering the two were sisters. And although Lou loved her sister, she hated the way Marsha had treated Alexis and she seemed to be the most wary of Marsha’s new approach toward Lou’s best friend.
“That’s wonderful to hear. Sometimes these things just take time,” Bess, ever the optimist, chimed in with her sunny smile.
Alexis smiled back at her. Yeah, maybe that was it. She had to admit that she’d probably stepped on Marsha’s toes. She hadn’t meant to—Alexis had only fallen in love with the man of her dreams while Alexis’s mom, Margie, had fallen in love with the man of hers—but when Alexis saw it from Marsha’s point of view she could see that it would have been difficult for her. Alexis dating the man Marsha had once been married to while Margie married Marsha’s dad. More than that, Alexis had become best friends with Lou so there was an overabundance of Alexis in Marsha’s life even though the two would have rather never had to speak to one another.
But Alexis had accepted that Marsha had to be in her life and it looked like Marsha was beginning to tolerate the same truth. Alexis was sure the two would have problems once more but she also had hope they’d continue to be able to resolve them.
“Marsha really isn’t an awful person.” Lou’s voice dropped to a whisper since Brittany and Emma were in the living room, their heads bent together over Brittany’s phone as they watched a video. “She just tends to have a hard time seeing beyond herself, which makes her kind of . . . ”
The women nodded. Lou didn’t need to finish.
“But even I have to admit, if it had been the other way around, I wouldn’t have loved Marsha from the get-go either.” Alexis was proud that she’d been able to say that out loud. There was a time she would have never admitted Marsha had had it rough. It looked like they were both growing.
Bess pointed to the giant white sign in the living room announcing that Alexis was getting married. “And she’s okay with all of this?”
Alexis drew in a deep breath as she contemplated her answer. “I think she now truly wants Jared and the kids to be happy, even if that means that I will be a part of their lives. I’m pretty sure she still wishes Jared would have chosen anyone but me, though.”
Alexis chuckled. The others watched to make sure she really was as okay as she seemed before joining.
Bess rinsed the last dish and grinned. “I think that’s it. Thank you for a beautiful afternoon. We’ll see you two tomorrow.”
Julia crossed the room to hug Alexis, followed by Bess. Alexis held on tight to her boss and mentor. She truly didn’t know where she would have been without Bess.
“You two are totally welcome to the rehearsal dinner tonight,” Alexis invited once more since the invitation had been declined the first time.
“Spend this time with your family.” Bess winked.
Alexis nodded. Bess was right. Because Alexis was keeping the wedding so small, each event had been truly whittled down to just the core people in Alexis’s life. At the bridal shower she’d been surrounded by her favorite women, and the rehearsal dinner was for Jared and Alexis’s families since the bridal party consisted of Lou and Jared’s brother. With Bill, Margie’s husband, marrying the two, the actual wedding rehearsal would only include the bride and groom, their two attendants, Bill, and Margie, who would be walking Alexis down the aisle. Lou’s kids, her boyfriend Jax, and Jared’s kids would be the only ones attending the dinner who weren’t part of the actual ceremony.
“I can’t wait to see you as a blushing bride.” Julia opened the door to let her and Bess out into the beautiful late spring air.
“Love you both,” Alexis called before the door closed and it was just Lou, Emma, Brittany, and Alexis.
Alexis glanced down at her watch. “Looks like we have about forty minutes before we need to drive to my mom’s.”
Since the ceremony was going to be held in Bill and Margie’s backyard the rehearsal was to be there as well. After they ran through the simple ceremony a time or two, Bill was planning to break out his grill and the family would sit down to a perfect backyard BBQ. Alexis couldn’t wait.
The two sank onto the couch of either side of their girls. “You are seriously the chillest bride there ever was,” Lou said over the teens’ heads.
“Seriously. When I get married there will be nothing chill about it. I want a week-long event somewhere tropical and the whole week will be all about me,” Brittany said, her eyes never leaving her phone.
Alexis didn’t doubt it. Brittany was a sweet girl but there was nothing she loved more than being the life of the party as well as the center of attention.
“What are you two watching?” Lou leaned over Emma’s shoulder to focus on the tiny screen.
“It’s this family where the mom and dad got divorced. And then the dad got remarried but now the new mom and the old mom are best friends. They like each other even better than either like the dad,” Emma explained as Brittany swiped her finger up the phone to go to the next video.
That simple explanation caused Alexis’s stomach to drop.
“So it’s like a TV show?” Lou asked. Her eyes drifted toward Alexis so Alexis tried to quickly school her features.
“No. It’s their Instagram, so it’s real life,” Emma replied matter-of-factly, completely oblivious to the fact that Alexis was kind of dying.
Brittany tucked her hair behind her ear, glancing at Alexis before looking back at her phone. “It’s just cool, you know. That this family can still be a family, even though their parents got divorced.”
Alexis’s mouth went dry. What was she supposed to say to that?
In the beginning, Marsha had made a dream like this one impossible. It would have been much simpler to talk to Brittany about this back then. Marsha had been easy to blame. But Brittany had undoubtedly seen the strides toward . . . not quite friendliness, but at least a lack of hostility her mom was making. Did Brittany expect Alexis to do more? Did she want Alexis to do more?
“I mean, I get not every family can be like that. It’s just a vibe.” Brittany closed the video and tapped on another one of a goat chasing a car.
The cousins began laughing but Alexis was frozen in place, mind whirling.
She felt more than saw Lou’s eyes on her and she knew she had to say something. Do something.
But that was impossible, right? Marsha and Alexis were hardly cordial—they could never be friends. Hopefully they wouldn’t be forever enemies but Marsha had put Alexis through so much.
And yet . . .
Alexis knew an olive branch she could extend. One that offered the hand of friendship even after all they’d been through. But Alexis didn’t want to be Marsha’s friend. Alexis had friends. Really good ones.
Then again, cute Brittany had also been through so much. If Alexis could . . .
She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Lou’s eyes were still on her as she turned to Brittany.
“Do you think your mom would be interested in coming to our wedding?” Alexis asked.
Lou’s gasp was quiet but unmistakable.
Brittany’s eyes went wide.
Emma opened her mouth but Lou covered it with her hand before Alexis could hear what the girl had been about to say.
“Um,” Brittany stammered.
“I don’t know that your mom and I could ever be best friends. And I will always love your dad more than your mom.” Alexis tried to keep her voice light and thankfully Brittany laughed.
“But I knew from the beginning that loving you, your brother, and your dad meant accepting your mom. And I love you three so much. So incredibly much.” Alexis whispered the last words because she knew it was only that love that could drive her to do what she was doing.
She should probably talk to Jared before extending an invite but she knew he’d understand. Right now this was about Brittany and Peter. The kids who’d been in the middle of all of this with no say . . . until she chose to give them a voice.
“And if you want your mom to be there and you think she’d come, I want you to be able to invite her.”
Alexis had known that Marsha would always be one of the two most important people to the kids Alexis loved the most. So by extension . . . this felt right.
Even if she was scared to death that she was making the biggest mistake of her life.
How she could feel both of those things at once she would never know.
“Really?” Brittany asked, her big jade eyes so much like her father’s welling with unshed tears.
Alexis nodded, feeling good about her decision. Even if Marsha managed to ruin tomorrow, this moment was perfect and Alexis would have her perfect moments with Jared whether at the wedding or not. Alexis really hoped one would happen at her wedding, but she knew deep down, this moment with Brittany was worth whatever may come.
“I have to call her. I’m pretty sure she’ll want to know what I’m wearing. The family is wearing cream and olive, right?” Brittany asked, her words practically racing over each other. “So I’ll tell her she can’t wear cream, olive . . . or white. Of course.”
Brittany paused to lean her head on Alexis’s shoulder. “I may be a selfish teen most of the time but even I can see what you’ve done for me. I’ll never forget this, Alexis.” She got to her knees and wrapped her arms around Alexis’s neck. “I love you.”
Before Alexis could even react to this gesture, Brittany jumped up to call her mom, Emma on her heels.
“Tell her to wear the baby blue midi dress with white flowers!” Lou called after the girls before turning to her best friend.
Alexis raised a brow in question.
“I can see her wearing black and sorrowfully telling everyone that it’s the day where her marriage died.”
Alexis cringed. Marsha did have a way of making things about her. She let out a sigh.
“That was maybe the sweetest thing I’ve ever witnessed,” Lou said, pulling Alexis out of her thoughts. “Brittany will remember this forever.”
Alexis nodded. She’d hoped that would be the case. She had no doubt that she would remember this forever, though hopefully Marsha’s attendance wouldn’t be too memorable. But either way, she knew she was doing the right thing. Marrying a man with kids would mean lots of sacrifices. But she already loved all of them so much, she knew they’d be worth every one. Even the ones she really didn’t want to make.
“And I promise to keep a close eye on my sister,” Lou added.
“Oh thank goodness. I was hoping you would say that.” Alexis sank into the couch and her friend laughed.
Now Alexis just had to tell Jared that she’d invited his ex-wife to their wedding.