Page 40 of Zane

“How did Zane propose to you?” Rori asked.

Kelsey tensed, but then focused on her plate. “Over a meal he cooked for me for our six-month dating anniversary. He’d prepared my favorite meal, which included a chocolate souffle. As we were eating our dessert, he presented me with a ring.”

She looked down at her fingers and the rings that Zane had placed there. They were looser on her than they had been before, but they were as beautiful as the day Zane had slid them onto her finger.

It felt a bit weird to be talking about Zane like he wasn’t there, but unfortunately, in a sense, he wasn’t. At least not the Zane who had chosen the engagement and wedding rings, then pledged his love to her.

“You were a very pretty bride.”

Kelsey almost fell off her stool at Mrs. Halverson’s words. Out of habit, she glanced at Zane, but there was no expression on his face. Looking back at the older woman, she said, “Thank you.”

“Did you not want a larger wedding?” Cathy asked. “Rather than eloping?”

Kelsey wasn’t sure where the conversation was headed, but all she could do was be honest about what had gone into that decision. “When we got engaged, Zane said he didn’t want a long engagement. At that point, we were still thinking of just having a small wedding. But then, a few days later, he got the job offer in Tampa. He wanted me to go with him, so we decided to just elope.”

“And you don’t regret it?”

“No. We both agreed it was more important to move on to the marriage part of our relationship, rather than spend a lot of time and money on a fancy wedding. It seemed a waste of money when we needed to finance the move and setting up our new life in Tampa.”

“And your family didn’t mind that you eloped?” she asked.

Kelsey felt like the answers to these questions held weight, but she had no idea what the woman wanted her to say. “No. I’m not super close with my family, so it didn’t really matter to them when we eloped.”

“And did Zane say what his family might think?”

She glanced at Zane. But once again, he was no help. He was clearly listening to the conversation, but he didn’t seem to have any comments himself.

“He didn’t think you’d be happy to miss out on his wedding, but he said that there had been so many other family weddings that it wouldn’t be a big deal if he didn’t have an elaborate one himself.”

“He really didn’t want a big wedding,” Lee added. “I spoke to him following their engagement, and the one thing he said was that he didn’t want anything big.”

Kelsey hoped that even if they didn’t want to hear it from her, they’d accept it from Lee. She’d known that they weren’t happy, but it seemed that Mrs. Halverson had taken offense at the fact they’d chosen to elope rather than have a wedding.

“Our weddings have all been a reflection of what we, as couples, wanted,” Lee said. “It’s not fair to hold it against Kelsey and Zane that they preferred to have something for just the two of them. If that’s what they wanted, we need to respect that.”

“What’s done is done,” Zane said, finally wading into the conversation. “It’s not like we can go back and redo it. I might not remember the wedding, but I do know that in the past, I expressed a preference for a smaller wedding versus a larger one.”

“I know you said that,” Cathy said. “But I didn’t realize that meant we wouldn’t be there at all.”

“I’m sorry that I can’t tell you for certain why Zane made that decision,” Kelsey told her. He had mentioned that getting his mom involved would most likely lead to a more complicated event than they wanted. However, she didn’t say that out loud.

If this was going to be something Mrs. Halverson couldn’t let go of, they’d never have a chance to develop any sort of relationship. Not that she felt like there was much of a chance to begin with.

“Let’s just let the wedding go,” Zane said. “Of all the issues facing me at the moment, the motivation behind why we eloped is not even on the list.”

“You’re right, of course, darling.” Cathy rested her hand on Zane’s arm. “It’s not important.”

“The fact they’remarriedis important,” Lee said. “Just not how they ended up that way.”

Kelsey liked the reminder from Lee that he and Rori were there for her. So far, they were the only members of the family who had really warmed up to her. Not that the others had been rude or anything, they just hadn’t shown much interest in getting to know her.

Which, if she was honest, wasn’t a big deal. Especially considering the circumstances of Zane’s accident.

It seemed like Mrs. Halverson was most upset at not being able to be a part of a special event in her son’s life. But there was also still a feeling that she didn’t think Kelsey was good enough for Zane.

Since she’d never had one, Kelsey didn’t understand a protective parent. Her parents wouldn’t have cared that she was getting married, with even less interest in who she was marrying. But she thought that having over-protective parents would be better than ones who were focused on things other than the children they’d birthed.

“We should probably head home,” Mr. Halverson said, getting to his feet. “I think there’s still time for a nap.”

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