Page 51 of Dreaming of You

"I was in the fifth grade."

"That must have been hard on you."

"Frankly, they were fighting so much, I was happy enough when they finally ended it. My mother is much happier with her second husband, and my dad—well, who knows how long this latest marriage will last? His brides get younger and younger, and he is only getting older and older. I don't know why he bothers to keep walking down the aisle. I can't imagine how complicated his alimony payments must be."

"Does he have other children?"

"He has a daughter with his third wife. She's about twelve now. Her name is Daphne, and, no, I haven't spent much time with her. She and her mom moved to Florida after my dad divorced her mother. I believe my father got a vasectomy after Daphne was born, although, I've heard from Matt that his latest wife really wants a child and he's thinking about getting it reversed. That seems crazy, considering he's sixty-seven years old now, but who knows? I've never been able to predict what my father will do."

"Do your parents live in the city?"

"My mother lives in Sausalito—around the corner from the Hunts, in fact. My father lives in a luxury condo downtown. I see my mother about once a month, when she tries to set me up with someone—my dad, every couple of months, usually for a drink or a steak dinner."

His family sounded like they lived a very comfortable, luxurious life, but it didn't seem warm or loving. No wonder Barrett didn't envision a happily ever after for himself.

"Why on earth did you ever pick Vanessa?" she asked. "It sounds like she was a younger version of your mother—a woman you didn't get along with."

"That's a good question. When I first started in law, working at her father's firm, I got caught up in that life, in the social circle we both moved in. We were thrown together at every turn, and there was a lot of pressure from the partners for the young lawyers to have significant others at events. Vanessa fit right in. It wasn't until we started planning the wedding that I began to see the real differences between us. And that year was also a year of changes for me career-wise. I was beginning to realize I didn't want to kill myself working for a big corporate law firm, but I didn't see how I could get out of it. I felt like I was on a runaway train."

"I can see getting swept up in everything. Wedding planning can take on a life of its own," she said.

"That's a generous comment," he said, glancing at her.

"It's true. I've seen a lot of couples lose sight of their priorities. I do try to keep them on track."

"I believe you." He paused as he changed lanes and took the first exit off the bridge. "I thought once we were married and we were back to normal life, things would feel right again, but they never did. We couldn't get along at all. Every day was a new battle. We would look right at each other, but we couldn't really see each other. I wanted out of my career. I wanted out of my marriage. It was a bad situation, and it had to end. My parents and her parents thought we should have tried harder and for a longer time. But we were both done."

"It didn't sound like Vanessa was done the other night. She wanted you to come to her father's party. And she's not engaged anymore."

"Maybe she just had a moment of fond regret. I've seen that with my divorce clients. But it doesn't last. It's really just a wish that things could have been the way you wanted them to be. But they weren't then, and they wouldn't be now."

"I can see that. Even with mothers of the brides, I hear a lot of stories about their love affairs and their weddings. They often want their daughters to recreate their day. They want to be reminded of the moment they said I Do, the feelings they had, the hope in their hearts. Not that they're all unhappy now, but I think they just want the reminder. And who am I to judge? I've never made that walk down the aisle, except as a bridesmaid. That I've done five times already."

He smiled as he pulled up in front of her building. "Fortunately, I have not been put in the position of having to do that since my own wedding."

"One day you'll have to stand up for your brother."

"That might be the next time I'm at a wedding."

She smiled back at him. "Well, thanks again for the ride and for everything you've done for me in the last twenty-four hours. If there's anything I can do to repay you, just name it."

"I'll keep that in mind. I think I might like having you in my debt."

She pointed a finger at him. "Don't get any crazy ideas. The swan picture stays."

"Now that I've met your grandparents, I'm a little more appreciative of what the swans mean to you."

"Good." She opened the car door. "I'll see you around."

"I'm sure you will."

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