Page 101 of It Should Have Been Me

26. Catalina

“Well, this was veryunexpected,” Isa says, walking into my old bedroom at my mother’s house. She’s already stripping off her clothes and pulling on her dress. She came straight from the station, but she assured me she could get ready in fifteen minutes.

“Are you still mad at me?” I ask.

She shrugs. “It’s overshadowed by the fact that I just got my sister back.”

My smile dies on my lips when I feel a sharp scrape on my scalp. “Ow! Mom, you’re hurting me.”

“Hold still.” My mother grips my head with more force than necessary to shove a pin into my hair. “I couldn’t be happier for them. I’ve been waiting for this for many years. And I’m even happier that you’re here to stay,Mija.”

By the change in her voice, I can tell she’s crying, and Isa walks over to hug the both of us. “I’m so happy you’re staying too, Cat.”

Not that I needed any, but that was confirmation that I made the right choice.

Keith appears in the doorway, pulling on his black suit jacket. “Well, I don’t know who decided to get married on aWednesday, but I’m ready.”

Isa gives a low whistle. “Looking so snazzy, Dad.”

“Hmmm...” my mother agrees with a naughty smile. “You better keep that suit on later because?”

“MOM!” Isa and I yell in unison.

“We did not need to hear that,” I say, still trying to suppress a gag.

Isa’s face contorts with disgust. “No one wants to hear about old sex.”

My mother curses in Spanish, giving Isa a light slap upside the head. “We’re not that old. Doesn’t mean you’re married, you can’t get slapped.”

Isa adds the final touches to my makeup and then I’m ready. Butterflies flutter manically in my stomach and my hands are clammy. I straighten my dress, a plain round-neck sheath wedding dress. The thin straps, plunging V at the back, and short train make it elegant while still being sexy. I breathe out a nervous breath and take one last look in the mirror. This is it. Today is the day I marry Scott Carter. It feels like an eternity has passed since the day he proposed, and I cannot contain my excitement. I can’t wait one more second.

I step outside and see the limo Peter arranged to take the four of us to the church. I’m not sure if it’s urgent anticipation that distracted me, but I only realize ten minutes into the trip that we’re headed in the wrong direction.

I look out the window, trying to figure out what route we’re taking. “Where are we going?”

“I don’t know,” Keith replies with a shrug. He leans forward to ask the driver. “Sorry, do you mind telling me where you’re taking us?”

“Not allowed to say, sir.” And with that, he closes the window between the front and the back.

“I hope Peter isn’t playing a prank on us,” I say, slightly irritated.

“I think that’s low even for Pete,” Isabella assures me.

A few minutes later, we finally stop and I see that we’re outside Scott’s apartment building. “What’s going on? Are we picking Scott up? It’s bad luck if he sees me before the wedding. That’s why I stayed over at your house last night, mom.”

The driver opens the door and holds out his hand to assist me. It’s only once I get outside that I see a temporary light wood deck that wasn’t there when I left yesterday morning to get my dress. It’s not too big, and the interlocking pieces make me think that he may have constructed it himself.

Chairs are neatly lined up on either side of the aisle that leads to a dome covered in sheer drapes. Flowers and fairy lights spiral up each pillar holding up the dome, and the late afternoon sun gives the entire scene just the right amount of romance. I’m awestruck for a moment, taking in the beauty of the sight before me. This is exactly what I wanted. A small, intimate wedding on the beach. I can’t believe he put this all together for me...and in a day, no less.

---