Page 7 of The Ties that Bind
“Fate, I think. But there were some other good choices. This was just the best one.”
“I could say the same about wedding gowns.”
Every time Maggie mentioned gowns, my imagination pulled itself away from whatever else I had on my mind to imagine her as my bride, walking down the aisle. “I can’t wait to see you in it.”
“Too bad you do have to wait to see me in it. We’ve got to find a place to actually have the wedding, too.”
“If I can find a place for the newest LaFleur Flowers, and you can find the perfect dress first try…do you really think we’ll have trouble finding the perfect venue?”
“Of course not.”
Chapter Four
Maggie
“Somewhere on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain?” I suggested, twisting a mouthful of pasta around my fork, grabbing my bowl as it tried to escape over the edge of the table. It had been a few days since Marty found a place for his new shop. Now, we were sitting together and trying to think of a place for the wedding over a home-cooked lunch in the apartment.
Normally, a Catholic wedding would be held in a church, but we had agreed a while ago not to have a traditional Catholic wedding for a number of reasons. Our guest list was small, just close family and friends, and the massive St. Louis Cathedral would feel so empty. And if we had it there, I would feel obligated to invite some of my close but not so close friends who attended Mass there. Together, Marty and I had decided we would have the chaplain from Tulane University, a well-known, well-respected man, marry us in a more personal setting.
“Hm… There’ll probably be a lot of bugs this time of year,” Marty mused.
“Big scary bugs?” I teased.
“No, small annoying ones.” Marty flicked a piece of lettuce at me. “The bugs don’t really bother me. I’ve worked outside a lot, remember? I’m just thinking of our guests.”
“We’ll find the perfect wedding venue,” I promised. “You found a new shop, and I found a wedding dress. Everything will work out.”
“I know.” We scooted closer and shared a kiss over the table. “Are we still going to Zoe and Aiden’s?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I’m still not sure what it’s about, though. All she said was to bring you and to come over to Aiden’s house when she gets home from her mom’s at 5:30.”
“Huh. She’s your maid-of-honor, right?”
“Right. Maybe it’s about that. Maybe something went wrong with her dress.” What if they couldn’t get the alterations done in time? Or somehow they ran out of that color dress in the right size?
“Definitely not.” Marty’s confidence restored my own. “If there was a problem, Zoe would tell you right away. This is something good. A surprise, probably.”
I hopped up and gathered our dishes, afire with curiosity. “I guess we’ll find out.”
Before we could do that, though, Marty and I had some errands to run. We needed to pick up groceries and one or two things we still needed around our apartment.
Our apartment. Keys in hand, I glanced around the place before following Marty out the door. This wasn’t really our apartment, and despite all my best efforts, it still didn’t quite feel like home.
I wouldn’t be sorry to leave this place behind, not at all. Marty and I hadn’t done any house-hunting yet. Well, maybe apartment hunting was more accurate now with all the wedding plans to handle. As soon as we found someplace, I would be able to really make it ours. And find a better spot to put the three black kittens.
“Oh my gosh!” I exclaimed loudly.
Marty actually jumped. “What is it?”
“Sorry,” I apologized. “I just realized…we’ll be moving into our own place soon.”
“Of course. Together. And?” He paused quizzically, a hand on the door handle of my car as he got in.
“We can get a cat!” My toes bounced me up and down in the seat.
Marty stared, then laughed a deeper, richer laugh than he had in a while. “Definitely. Maybe two cats? A brother and sister, from the same litter?”
“Yes!” I had to calm down a little to get the key in the ignition, and shared another kiss with Marty before pulling out of the parking lot.
