Down Under With Dad’s Best Friend by Flora Ferrari
Chapter Thirty
Candace
I sink onto the familiar couch, happy to be home at last – even if I don’t intend on staying here for a very long time. Melbourne was amazing, and whatever comes next will be amazing too. It’s just nice to get a chance to say goodbye to my old home before it all changes.
Mom sets out a mug of coffee in front of me, with another in front of Sean, before retreating to the other couch to sit with Dad. It feels strange, this gathering of the four of us. Like the power balance has completely shifted and changed since the last time I sat here, which was only just over a week ago.
Everything really is different now. My parents are almost like the enemy in this, though I hope they’ll come around. And I’m part of a new team. The team of me and Sean. The team I know I’m going to be on for the rest of my life, no matter what happens here today.
“Alright,” Mom says, folding her hands across her lap. She has a reasonable and steady tone like she’s here to mediate things and make sure that we don’t all start yelling again. “It seems like you two might have some plans you’d like to share with us.”
I glance nervously at Sean. He nods, encouraging me to take the lead. He’s right. I have to show them that we’ve thought this through. That it’s not just a flash in the pan. That we’re serious, both of us, about our future together.
“We’re going to come and live here in upstate New York,” I say, trying to keep my tone level and calm in response. I keep telling myself to slow down, to pace myself. To remember that I’m an adult here, too, and not just the child anymore. “Sean has already picked out a number of houses that could work, in neighboring towns and a little further afield based on what was available on the market. We’ve decided to spend the week here, and view as many of them as we can so that we can make a decision on a property.”
“Here?” Dad says, his brows thundering down.
“I’ll stay in a local hotel, of course,” Sean speaks up. Our hands are interlaced between us, and I feel strength coming from that bond. “I’ve already made the reservation. All I need to do is head over there later when we’ve finished talking for the day, to check in.”
“That sounds reasonable,” Mom says, nodding. I can’t help but notice that her hand is resting on top of Dad’s arm as if to caution him with patience and restraint. “So, you’ll stay local.”
“As local as possible, given our requirements,” I nod. There aren’t a lot of properties around here big enough for our budget, and with proximity to an area where Sean would be able to set up an office. The other option is to build something, but that would take so long. I know that we both feel like we want to get this done and move in together as soon as possible.
“Well, that’s a positive thing,” Mom says. She glances at Dad. “I don’t want to wish you badly, but we must be practical. If it doesn’t work out between the two of you, you’ll be able to come home easily. And Candace, if you stay local, you’ll be able to come and visit us regularly. We’ll always be here if you need to talk something over.”
I nod. I don’t believe I’ll need it – not in the sense of the relationship breaking up. But I do love my family, and I don’t want to lose that connection and support. It’s good that she’s already seeing that we can make this work, just by making small compromises such as staying close.
“After we’ve moved in, we’d like to start planning the wedding,” I say, lifting my hand and making my ring catch the glittering light. We already did the whole cooing-over-the-ring thing as soon as I arrived, and Mom clearly approves of the diamond Sean picked out. “We don’t want to have a long engagement. I know you have your reservations, Dad, but we’re both sure about this. We want to get married as soon as we can make all of the necessary arrangements.”
My Mom hesitates slightly. “It’s not that I’m trying to put you off, but it can take a long time to plan a wedding. Especially a big one. You’ll need to make sure everything is perfect, and when there are a lot of moving parts to think about, that can take months – or even longer.”
“It won’t be a big wedding,” Sean says. “I know that it could be, with all of my connections. But we’ve both agreed that we would rather spend a lot of money on a house, where we can live together for the rest of our lives, than on a one-day event. It’s not about showing off or impressing my business contacts. Not this. We’ve agreed that getting married in front of Candace’s friends and family in a small and modest ceremony is enough.”
“None of your family and friends?” Mom questions, sharp as ever.
Sean looks away for a moment, and I squeeze his hand. “I’m afraid I don’t have any family,” he says. “Not anymore. As for friends, well, my best friend is already going to be there.”
At this, Dad looks suitably abashed. As he should. He’s forgotten, clearly, how close they’ve been in the past. He should know that Sean is the best possible person for the job of looking after his little girl for the rest of her life. They’ve trusted each other so much before.
“And you’re alright with a small wedding, Candace?” Mom asks.
“What? Of course,” I say, laughing a little. “Honestly, the idea of a big wedding freaks me out a little. There would be so much to take care of. This way, we get to celebrate with the people who really matter, without stressing too much. And if we ever get the urge to have a big party in the future, well, I don’t think we’ll need much of an excuse.”
“That’s a mature approach,” Mom nods. “Don’t you think so, Bill?”
“Yes,” Dad says reluctantly. “But don’t you think this is all far too fast?”
“Probably,” Sean says, taking over for me.
I look around and stare at him. “No, I don’t think it is,” I say. “I’m sure. What’s the point in waiting when we’re sure?”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Sean says. “But I know other people will think it’s too fast. From the outside, I can see how it looks. In fact, if someone I knew was planning to get married this quickly after meeting someone, I would advise them against it.”
“Then how are you so confident about doing it yourself?” Dad asks. “If you already know that it isn’t the smart way to go…”
“I didn’t say that,” Sean says, holding up a finger in caution. “I said I know that it looks like it isn’t smart from the outside. But I know this is right. Just like Candace does. It’s something we can feel deep inside ourselves, completely unexplainable to anyone on the outside. But it’s more than real.”
“What about the risks?” Mom asks, sipping delicately from her mug.
I fight the urge to get defensive. It’s a simple question, after all, I need to show her that I’ve thought about the answer – not that I’m still a stubborn teenager kicking back at every objection.
“As far as I’m concerned, the risks are very small,” I say, taking a breath. I don’t even want to think about the possibility that Sean and I might not be together for the rest of our lives, because I feel it deep in my soul that this is for life, but she’s right, and I want to appease my parents. I have to show that I’ve thought about it. That’s real maturity. “If it doesn’t work out, then like you said, I just move home and start over. I’ll have some experience working with Sean, so it’s not like there will be a huge gap in my resume to try to explain later if I need another job. And the risk of a broken heart – well, isn’t that something we all risk when in love.”
“And the other thing to think about is that Candace should actually gain something from this if things go wrong,” Sean says. I turn to see him wearing a self-effacing smile. “The thing is, I’m not going to insist on a prenup. So, if we were to get divorced… I’d lose half of the proceeds of my life’s work. And Candace would gain it.”
I see my Dad’s eyes light up. That obviously appeals to the businessman in him.
“No prenup,” Dad says. “Wow. You really have lost it.”
Sean chuckles, and my dawning horror at his words changes to relief when I realize they’re joking with each other.
Like friends do.
When the interrogation is over, Sean squeezes my hand, our last moments together before he gets up to leave. Mom and Dad have left to do various chores around the house, and it’s just the two of us.
“Looks like they might be convinced,” he says quietly, rubbing his thumb over my ring.
“I think so,” I say, and then break out into a smile so wide it hurts my face. “And it looks like we’re clear to spend the rest of our lives together.”
Sean leans in to kiss me. “I’m going to savor every moment,” he says, stroking his hand down the side of my face. “I only wish you’d been born twenty years earlier, so we might have had more time together.”
“Don’t think about the last twenty years,” I tell him. “Think about the next twenty, and how we’ll be spending them side by side.”
And instead of a kiss, he draws me in for a long embrace, the kind of embrace that pours out every kind of emotion into you, that tells of longing finally fulfilled, of love that will never die.
And I hug him back, knowing that I’m finally home.
