Love Me One More Time by Laura Burton

Chapter 13

The next morning, I find Carter in the breakfast hall by the coffee machine. The tables are full of adults far more subdued than last night. A few of the men wince at the sound of a chair scraping across the floor, or the clang of cutlery. The kids, meanwhile, are still running around on enviable amounts of energy. Most of the mothers are sitting still. A few are wearing dark sunglasses and holding cups of coffee.

“Hey,” I say to get Carter’s attention. He turns and his eyes light up at the sight of me. Without a word, he slinks an arm around my waist and pulls me in for a quick kiss. His warm greeting gives me butterflies and I smile against his lips.

He nuzzles my nose when we break apart again, but keeps his arm wrapped around me like he’s not willing to let me go. I have no complaints. He can hold me forever. Sure, being permanently attached to Carter might present some practical challenges, but I think we can make it work.

“Hey back at you,” he says, his voice soft and low.

I grin back at him, overcome by the urge to snuggle up to the man and forget all about the sea of faces directed at us.

A cough slices through the precious moment.

Carter’s mom looks at us with a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “Good morning,” she says, her voice uncharacteristically sweet. “I hope you slept well?”

All my senses are on edge. She’s studying me like she has X-ray eyes; able to see right through my polite smile and read my mind.

Carter gives his mom a kiss on the cheek. “Good morning, Mother, how is that headache?” She pats his shoulder and picks an invisible piece of fluff from his shirt collar. “All better, thank you. How about you? How are you two holding up with this…” Her eyes flicker to the family around us, too busy talking over breakfast to listen in on our conversation. “Ridiculous facade.”

“Well, actually, about that…” Carter begins, but he stops when his mom pinches her nose with a groan. Redford and my mom have just strolled up to us. I can’t tell if it’s the new relationship or the old causing her reaction.

“I told you this was a foolish idea,” Carter’s mom says, her eyes flashing. Ah. The old one then. “You can’t seriously want to get back together with this, this––” Her face twists as her eyes linger on me, like I’m a pile of dog poop on the carpet.

“Wait a second, what’s wrong with my daughter? It’s your son who’s the problem here!” My mom bursts in, looking daggers at Carter’s mom. Carter’s mom straightens her spine like a rooster. “My son?” She sets her hands firmly on her hips. “Your daughter would be lucky to be with someone half as good as my son!”

The words come out in a cold whisper. Carter and I glance at each other.

The two of us stand by helplessly with our cups of coffee as our mothers launch into the most dignified cat fight I’ve ever seen.

Instead of slapping and pulling each other’s hair, they’re throwing snide remarks and backhanded compliments.

Redford looks amused.

“Come on, ladies, Ivy will be here any minute,” he says. “Let’s shelve this conversation and have a nice breakfast,” he suggests. Our moms look at Redford, then, as if in some kind of mutual understanding, turn back to each other with fake smiles.

“Fine.”

“Great.”

Another voice makes us all jump.

“Take me to my grandson. I want to speak to him.”

Carter’s mom drops her fake smile as a nurse pushes Grandma’s wheelchair toward us. The old lady’s smile is as warm as a summer morning. Her eyes even twinkle at us.

She claps her small hands together. “I have a gift for you, Carter.”

Carter takes his grandma’s hand. “But it’s your birthday, Grandma. Not mine.”

“I’ve had more than my fair share of birthday presents over the years,” the old woman says dismissively. Then her expression turns devilish. “Now. Listen to me, lovebirds. It’s evident that I’m not getting any younger. If you really want to give me something for my birthday…” She raises a handkerchief to her lips for a moment, then she gives us both a steady look. “I want to see my favorite grandson marry his beautiful fiancée, right here at Sanctum. What do you say?”

The hall falls silent, and everyone turns to look at us. Carter’s mom’s face is pale. “Ivy, you’re not telling me…?” She stops, unable to finish the question.

Then one of Carter’s aunts claps from one of the tables. “A wedding! Yes. What a fantastic idea. We’re all here, aren’t we? And my Joey is a judge, he can officiate!” She nods to the silver haired man beside her.

A wave of whispers rolls through the hall. Before I know it, I’m surrounded by wedding chatter.

I’m still a little bit behind. “You don’t mean this weekend?” I ask.

Her beaming smile pierces my heart like a hot poker. “Come here.” She reaches for my hand and Carter’s, then looks at us both like we’re a pair of ten-year-olds. “I wish I could explain to you just how fast time flies. Life passes by like a dream. One minute you’re young with your whole life ahead of you and then...” She snaps her fingers. “Your youth is gone, just like that. And you’re suddenly a cranky old woman in a wheelchair who can’t even remember what day it is.”

“Grandma, you’re still beautiful! And you’re the most agreeable person I know!” Carter insists. Her waxy cheeks go red. “Oh,” she chuckles. “Always the charmer.”

Then her expression turns serious again. “I have everything we’ll need. Flowers, cake... Zoe, my dear, I’ve sent your gown to your room.”

Carter and I look at each other. I catch Carter’s mom in my peripheral, and then my own mom. Their faces are identical; pale skin and gaping mouths.

A part of me wishes I could take a quick picture to look back on later and laugh at.

“Why is everyone looking at me like I’m crazy?” Carter’s Grandma snaps. “It’s my eightieth birthday, after all. Can’t I do something special to celebrate it?”

“Yes, Ivy,” one of Carter’s aunties shouts. “But most people throw a party––not a wedding––for their eightieth birthday.” Several people break into a light laugh and the kids return to their game of running around the hall.

“Zoe.”

I look at my mom as she steps forward. There’s alarm written all over her face. “Please don’t feel pressured into doing something you don’t want to do.”

“Why wouldn’t she want to marry my grandson?” Carter’s grandma asks. Her memory might be suffering, but there is certainly nothing wrong with her hearing. My mom’s eyes widen, and she plants a fake smile on her face.

“It’s just sudden, is all,” she says in an unnaturally high voice. I know she’s freaking out. I can almost see the cogs spinning behind her eyes.

After Carter left the room last night, I confessed everything to my mom. But that one conversation is probably not enough to erase the years of lies I told about him. The thought of us getting hitched is not on the top of her list of activities to do this weekend.

Carter’s grandma throws her hands in the air. “Sudden? These two have been engaged for ten years! And I fear I do not have another ten in me to wait!”

“Please, Carter. Zoe…” She clears her throat. “Carpe diem.”

“Seize the day… You know, Ivy’s not wrong,” Redford says. I smirk at the unimpressed look on my mom and Carter’s faces.

Carter takes my hand. “It’s a lovely idea, Grandma, but we need a little more time…”

“Why?” she asks. Then she raises a trembling hand to her mouth. “You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”

The look of devastation on her face is too much to bear. Carter looks like a deer caught in headlights. Our moms are immobile but visibly furious.

“You do love Zoe, don’t you?” Carter’s Grandma asks. The hall falls totally silent. Even the kids stop running, probably wondering why everything keeps going so quiet. Carter blushes, but he turns to me and squeezes my hands. “Yes. I love Zoe very much.”

The words prompt oohs and awws from the family. Even my mom’s expression softens. Then Carter’s grandma turns to me and I can feel all eyes move with her. “And you do love Carter, don’t you, Zoe?”

My heart aches at the question. With all eyes on me, I bite my lip and steal a breath, looking back at Carter until all I can see are his beautiful, shining eyes. “Oh, of course I love him,” I say through a defeated sigh.

“It’s settled then. Tonight, for my birthday celebration, everyone will join us on the beach for Carter and Zoe’s wedding!”

The announcement is followed by a rising cheer from everyone in the hall, except our moms. The kids start to zoom around again like human fireworks and Carter’s Grandma hands out wedding assignments. Meanwhile, Carter and I edge out of the hall, eager to get out of the limelight.

We head back to my room, where Carter pushes me back against the door, and rests his palms on either side of my face. “Are you sure about this?” he asks, almost breathless.

I’m taken aback by the intensity of the moment, but I hold my breath and give him a nod.

Carter’s face breaks into a huge smile. “So, you’ll have me?” he asks, his mouth hovering barely an inch from mine. I glance at his lips and try to calculate the hours since I last kissed him.

Before I can go in for a cheeky peck, he moves back and disappears from view. “Are you all right?” I ask, looking down. “Did you fall over?”

He’s kneeling. He thrusts a simple diamond ring in my face. “What the heck?” I blurt. “Have you just been casually carrying around an engagement ring in case you needed to propose to someone?”

Carter grins at me. “Something like that.”

“What have you got in your other pocket? Divorce papers?”

Carter frowns. “Absolutely not.”

Trust me to ruin a cute moment with a stupid joke. I wish I had a clicker to rewind and try again.

But if I had one of those, I’d probably rewind ten years and do everything differently.

“Sorry, sorry,” I blurt, shaking the thoughts out of my head. “You… had something to say…?”

Carter searches my eyes with his. I can barely look at him. “Zoe Walsh,” he begins. “Will you marry me tonight?”

I kneel down to join him and put my hand over the ring. “Only if you’ll keep me. No refunds. And no exchanging me for a younger model.”

Carter slides the ring onto my finger. “Same goes for you too. No running off with a Norwegian prince.”

I roll my eyes. “Oh great. Now I need to cancel my plans for 2024.”

But Carter’s expression grows serious again. “Listen, if you get cold feet, or my mom freaks you out, you just come talk to me about it. Right away.”

I nod. “I will, I promise.”

“Good,” Carter pecks me on the lips. “Because I don’t want a repeat of last time.”

I shake my head. No, nobody wants to repeat that.

We both chuckle, and then stare into each other’s eyes. A bubble of emotion fills my chest until it pops and comes out in the form of a squeal.

“Carter! This is happening. We’re getting married today!”

I throw my arms around his neck and he laughs out loud. A loud and happy laugh.

“Come here,” he says softly. He pulls me close and I collapse into his embrace. We kiss until our lungs scream for air.