Page 10 of I Always Will

Clearly frustrated with her, their mother turned back to Daniel. “I cannot believe you’re doing this. When do you think you’regetting married?”

Daniel and Esme beamed at each other. “Next month.”

Alexandria looked at her parents. She thought they both looked like they might be having heart attacks. Briefly, she wondered whether she should intervene, escort them out to give them some fresh air, or space, or something.

“You cannot be serious,” their dad barked.

“Deadly,” Daniel said, something about his expression, especially around the eyes, becoming more serious, determined. He wasn’t backing down and this was the line being drawn in the sand. Their parents could get on board or get out, there was no room for compromise.

Alexandria knew which side she was on.

“Do you have any idea how long it takes to organise a proper wedding?” their mother asked, horrified. “The venue, the catering, the photographer…”

“We’re on top of it,” Daniel said. “And it’s quicker and easier if you’re looking to have a fun, relaxed wedding. Which we are. We want a day that matches and suits us. We’re not really concerned with all of the pomp and circumstance.”

It had always been interesting to Alexandria that their parents, who had had a relatively low-cost celebration for their own wedding, had been so invested in the idea that their children would have massive, society-type events for their weddings. She knew the wedding industry in general had kind of run away with itself in recent years, but she wouldn’t have expected her parents to be so committed to it if she hadn’t heard them talk about it multiple times. She supposedkeeping up with the Joneseswent further than weeding the front lawn.

“At least tell us you’re using your contacts to get good catering,” their mother said, clearly mortified by this whole thing.

“Oh, yes, it’s my boss,” Esme said, smiling as if the booth wasn’t thick with tension. Alexandria wasn’t quite sure how she was doing it, but she kind of admired it.

Susan took a deep, shuddering breath. “We know, dear. That’s what started this whole conversation, thank you very much.”

Esme looked at Daniel as if ready to point out that it didn't sound like a sincere round of thanks. He scowled at their mother, clearly thinking the same thing.

Alexandria was already cringing. She knew her parents were going to hate it.It makes Daniel happy, it’s what they both want,she repeated to herself over and over in her head, begging for her parents to understand that.

“So,” Richard said before Esme or Daniel could say anything, “where do you work? What is this food you’re having for your impulsive, apparent wedding?”

“Mashed potatoes,” Esme said, clearly absolutely delighted. There was something so endearing about her. Alexandria did not think her parents would be endeared.

“Mashed… potatoes…” they both repeated, stunned.

“Yes. Well, we both absolutely love mashed potatoes, and I work at Mash-N-Go in town. It’s the mashed potato bar, you know? Where you choose your potatoes, your toppings, your sides… It’s reallysoyummy. And my boss is awesome. It just seemed like the perfect choice.”

Their parents stared from Esme to Daniel, the atmosphere heavy, thick, scary.

“You’re a food photographer,” their mother seethed eventually. “You’ve spent all this time going on about how it’s a great job that gets you connections. What was the point of not getting arealjob like Alexandria has if, at the first chance to use those connections, you’re passing them over for amashed potato bar?”

“It’s a real job, Mum,” Alexandria muttered. “He makes more than I do.”

It was a low blow, really. She knew how it rankled her parents that Daniel made so much doing photography. It stood as an annoying counterpoint to their instance that he needed to be more like Alexandria. But they needed to hear it. It was a nonsense argument. Daniel no more wanted to do statistics than she wanted to photograph food, and they both deserved to be happy and fulfilled.

“I don’t care,” her mum snapped at her. “This is ridiculous and isn’t happening. You cannot get married in a month and you absolutely cannot have mashed potato as your wedding breakfast.”

“Oh, no, we can,” Esme said. She was so earnest. It was a little jarring next to Alexandria’s family. Daniel really had gone for someone a million miles from them. Alexandria didn’t blame him. “Hailey already said she’s happy to do it.”

“Hailey?” Alexandria asked, her blood running cold.

It couldn’t be. There was no way. Not a chance.

She knew Hailey had stayed in the area, but she had no idea what she did. There was no way she ran a mashed potato bar. And, even if she did, there was no chance it was the one Alexandria’s brother’s fiancée worked at. With someone who talked about an Alexandria she might have been in love with… Impossible. Absolutely impossible.

Esme looked at her, smiling. “Yeah, Hailey Davis. She runs the place, owns it, whatever. She’s amazing. And she’s giving us a discount and everything. I told her she didn’t have to but she’s just so nice.”

Alexandria was certain the others were talking but she couldn’t hear them.

Her parents were too busy being angry to recognise the name, she was sure, and Daniel was too busy fighting them off to think it through. Perhaps he didn’t even remember or couldn’t make the connection. He’d been young and his memory was not the best.

---