Unwanted Fate (26 page)

I quickly hang up, I almost told him I loved him, and while I still have my phone in my hand, I send a text to Kenneth.

M
E:
Yes, we would love to join you in Montana and LA.

K
ENNETH:
I’m overjoyed. I’ll get the itinerary to you tonight.

M
E:
Thank you!

I put the phone down and open my email up, composing an email to my boss requesting time off. I hope she doesn’t have a problem with me taking seven days off, because it’s not like I take off a lot anyways. Then send a text to Addison to see if she wants to meet for lunch. I love that she goes to school so close to my work.

T
he past forty-eight hours have been a blur of packing and traveling, but once we arrived here at Kenneth’s ranch in Montana, it’s all worth it the stress. Unlike the privacy we experienced in his country house, Kenneth’s cattle ranch is a lot different. The ranch is located in western Montana’s Sula Basin and houses a full-time culinary team, maids, farm hands, and more job titles than I know about.

As I look out the window of the room Patrick and I are sharing, everyone seems busy, rushing around like they’re setting up for a party, but I’m not sure as it could be their normal routine. I return to unpacking the clothes I brought for the next six days here and leave the clothes I brought for LA in my bag. I don’t even know if those clothes are good enough for that scene. I’m so nervous about that. Patrick told me I’d fit right in, but I don’t know. He looks sexy in anything he wears.

I sit down on the oversize king bed and think about what it’s going to be like at the premiere. Patrick told me he has been to a few lower budget premieres and they weren’t as bad as he thought they would be, but they weren’t A list actors like Kenneth. I need to smile and look as natural as possible on the red carpet and pray that I don’t trip.

“Ems,” my mom’s voice comes through the door as she knocks and opens it slightly.

“Come in, Mom,” I say with a smile.

“I didn’t know if you were busy or not.” She looks like she has something on her mind.

“No, just getting everything organized. Patrick is off with Kenneth doing some male bonding or whatever guys do when they get together.” She laughs quietly as she sits down next to me on the bed. “What’s going on outside, looks like they are getting organized for a party.”

“I’m glad that you’ve not been one to follow celebrity gossip.”

“Um, why?”

“It would have ruined me telling you this.”

“What?”

“Kenneth asked me to marry him. I didn’t hesitate in telling him yes.” My hands cover my mouth in excitement, stopping the holler that wants to come out.

“Seriously? You’re getting married? When?” I bounce up and down on the bed like a child.

“Tomorrow.” I freeze.

“Mom. I have nothing to wear. Do you even have anything to wear? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” I start to hyperventilate. Nothing is in place. “What are we going to do, what are the plans?”

“Well, calm down. Everything is taken care of because it just happened and we planned the wedding. I picked out dresses for you to look at and I hope you like at least one of them. The seamstress will be here in a bit to make sure it fits, and she will be bringing you several dresses to try on for the premiere.”

“How are you so calm about all of this?”

“I’ve been talking to Mike a lot and that has helped me tremendously. And Ken and I…are whole when we are together. All these years of missing something, someone. As soon as we reconnected, we knew, and he wasn’t letting go this time.”

“I’m so happy for you, Mom.” I hug her, letting the tears of joy run down my face.

“I was worried that you would think we were rushing.”

“No, never. I see the way he looks at you. I know he loves you.”

“The same look I see in Patrick when he looks at you…”

“I don’t know about that… I mean, isn’t it too soon?”

“There’s no time on love, darling. Your heart knows when you meet someone if you’re going to love forever. Your mind might not realize it at that time, but your heart does. I guess what I’m saying is if you feel that way, he probably feels the same way about you.”

“Ugh. Why is love so difficult.”

“It’s only as difficult as you make it, Emily. Stop over analyzing it.”

“That’s easy for you to say, you’re getting married to a man who has professed his love to you.”

“But I had to wait almost twenty-five years for him to. There were so many years I wish I would have said ‘I love you,’ or had told him my feelings. Just don’t make the mistake I made. Go with it and be happy.” I should listen to her, because she’s seems so happy now, like she’s found where she exactly needs to be.

“I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too.” She hugs me tight. “Ready to pick your dress? Ferna should be here shortly.”

“Yes!” I say excitedly. We leave the room, holding hands like we did when I was a small child, and it brings me comfort. I take a cleansing breath and realize everything seems to be falling into place perfectly.

Fate…an unwanted fate…is slowly bringing everything together.

When we walk into the den, I see it’s now a dress studio with a changing curtain, and several dresses lying about. The scene before me is rather overwhelming. I hope she didn’t pick out anything with pink. Mom walks over to the dresses and picks them up one by one, inspecting them. She holds up a baby blue dress, turns around, and hands it to me to try on.

“Please try this one on.”

“In here?”

“Yes, no one will disturb us.”

“Okay.” I step behind the curtain and strip my clothes off, thankful I wore granny undies and a cotton bra. I put the satin material on my body and I instantly don’t like the dress. The color doesn’t look good on my skin, and I step out from behind the curtain.

“No, don’t even zip it up,” Mom says before I could even ask to get the dress zipped. She looks through more dresses and holds up an indigo blue dress and I fall in love with it. “Let’s try this one.”

I take the dress and put it on, the material feels fantastic on my skin, and I zip it up, it’s almost a perfect fit.

“That’s it. You look stunning. Ferna? I think it needs taken in a little bit.”

“Yes, ma’am. I agree.”

“Will it be a problem?”

“No, ma’am. I can have it finished in less than an hour.” She walks over to me. “Miss, can you hold your arms up so I can mark it, please?”

“Yes, of course.” I stand in the middle of the den with my arms up in the air while the little dark haired woman, marks on the dress.

“Thank you, miss. You may take it off now.” She smiles big. “Ma’am, are you ready to try on your dress?”

“Yes,” Mom says with a smile.

Ferna pulls the dress out of the bag and brings it over to my mom. Mom quickly walks behind another curtain to put the dress on, and I take the dress I had on off carefully and put my clothes back on. As I hang the dress back up, Mom comes around the curtain, and I stop in my tracks.

“Oh, Mom. You look stunning,” I say as tears well in my eyes.

“Thank you, darling. Ferna said it was me, and I have to agree.”

“Most definitely,” I say as she turns in the ivory lace column gown. She looks amazing and even though it has long sleeves, they are lace and she’ll be cool in outside. The front and back both have V’s but she doesn’t look like she’s trying to act younger than her age. I’m in awe of my mother’s beauty at her age.

“It is you,” I say as I wipe the tears from my eyes.

“I’m glad you approve.” She walks to me and hugs me. “I think we are ready for tomorrow.”

“Patrick! What’s he going to wear? He didn’t bring a tux!”

“No worries, dear. I made sure that he was taken care of too.”

“Oh, you have
everything
planned out.”

“That I do.”

“I’m so happy for you, Mom.”

“Thank you.” She hugs me again and goes to get out of the dress. The next time I see her in it, she will be marrying my dad. My dad. Sounds so weird and wonderful at the same time.

“Emily, there are a few of Kenneth’s friends coming tonight for the wedding tomorrow. I’m sure they will want to meet and talk with you. So don’t you and Patrick go into hiding after dinner.

“Yes, Mom…” I say sarcastically with a huge smile so she knows I’m teasing when she sticks her head around the curtain. “Do you know who is coming?

“I think Charlize Theron and a few of his band members.”

“What? Band? He has a band?”

She laughs. “Yes, and he travels around and plays gigs too.”

“Is there anything the man doesn’t do?”

“He doesn’t do negativity. Between then and now, Kenneth has had a lot tragedy,” she says as she sits on the edge of the couch, wringing her hands. “A friend of ours, more a friend of his, died of a drug overdose. It happened around the time you and Nate were born. Then he had a girlfriend, which broke my heart even more when I found out, and they were expecting a baby together. However, a freak accident killed her and the baby. ”

“That is horrible.”

“I know. It’s enough to change a person, but Kenneth is still the same person he was twenty-six years ago even after learning about you and Nate.”

“Maybe being back with you will change his path?”

“Perhaps. We are both happy and being together is helping me heal from Nate’s death. I tell him stories about Nate and he beams like a proud papa. I hope you give will him a chance…”

“I’m working on it, Mom. It’s still new and I’m trying to wrap my head around everything.”

“I know, darling. Are you ready to go find the handsome boyfriend of yours? I’m sure the guys are wondering what’s holding us up.”

“Yes, I’m kind of hungry.” She hugs me and we walk out of the den in search of the guys.

T
he sun shining in the window awakens me, and I instantly regret drinking too many glasses of Moscato last night. I roll over and see Patrick is still out, and I wonder what time he ended up coming to bed? The guys were in a heated game of poker when I crawled into bed at two.