“Oh good, Carrie’s here,” her aunt said, ushering them past the appetizers, which she had set on the counter, and into the living area. Her aunt Julia’s condo was one of the nicer ones, and of course it was decorated beautifully in soft shades of gray with teal accents.
The four sat, and Julia looked expectantly toward her daughters. “Well, don’t keep me in suspense, what’s the good news?”
Marie looked to Hillary and then Hillary raised her left hand, splaying her fingers. A beautiful diamond engagement ring sparkled from her ring finger. “Blake asked me to marry him,” she announced, “and this time I said yes.”
Carrie knew that Blake had been after Hillary for some time to take the next big step in their relationship. He wanted to start a family and buy a house, and he wanted to do it with Hillary. Carrie never fully understood why her cousin kept putting him off. She kept insisting she wasn’t ready, and according to Marie, Hillary’s delays had become an issue with Blake. Carrie suspected Blake had given Hillary an ultimatum; either make a commitment or he was moving on.
Carrie had gotten to know Blake a bit over the last few years. He was a catch, and if Hillary didn’t want to commit to him, she knew plenty of other women would. He worked at the University of Washington in the IT department.
At her daughter’s news, Julia leaped to her feet, and with tears glistening in her eyes cried out, “Hillary, oh Hillary, that’s wonderful!”
“I knew it would make you happy.”
“I’m more than happy. I’m over-the-moon thrilled.” Mother and daughter embraced and swayed back and forth a few times, overcome with joy. Like Carrie’s own mother, her aunt Julia looked forward to spoiling grandchildren one day. It would happen, only not anytime soon.
Although she’d never tell her mother, Carrie knew how deeply Hillary’s parents’ divorce had wounded her cousin. Carrie had been afraid Hillary would never marry, for fear of what would happen in her own marriage. If her parents could divorce after being together for more than thirty years, what was to say any marriage would last? For reasons Carrie never fully understood, her cousins seemed to believe that in divorcing Julia, her uncle Eddie had divorced his daughters at the same time.
“Do you have a date for the wedding yet?” Julia asked, sitting down and pressing her hands between her knees, as if to hold herself back from hugging them all half to death.
“Not yet. Blake and I are looking at different venues, and it all depends on what dates are available. We were hoping for mid-November, sometime before the holidays.”
Julia nodded approvingly.
“Pastor Rick has agreed to perform the ceremony and will be counseling us. As soon as we know where we can have the wedding dinner and reception, we’ll coordinate the date with the church.”
The whole family attended the same church. Pastor Rick had been their pastor for as long as Carrie could remember. They’d all grown up with him. If she remembered correctly, Rick had been a youth pastor to her mom and aunt years earlier, when they’d been teenagers. Their history went a long way back.
“I’ve asked Marie to be my maid of honor and I’d like Carrie to be a bridesmaid,” she said, looking to Carrie.
“I’d love to. Hill, this is such great news.”
Her cousin glowed. “Now that I’ve accepted Blake’s proposal, I’m sorry I waited this long.”
Julia reached for Hillary’s hands and stared at her daughter. “Have you told your father?” she asked, her voice low and serious.
Hillary immediately stiffened. “No.”
“Honey, you need to let him know. This is wonderful news, and you should be the one to tell him. He’ll be happy for you.”
Carrie knew that Hillary’d had little contact with her dad since the divorce. Her uncle had made several attempts to break through, with no success.
“I’m not telling him, Mom.”
“It’s been six years. It’s time to let all this anger go. The only one it’s hurting is you. Your dad loves you and he’d—”
“Mom, please, don’t bring Dad into this. He made it clear who he loves. When he left you, he walked out on us, too.”
“He didn’t walk away from you. He never would; you’re his children, his precious daughters. You need your dad, and I know you might not think it, but this separation has been just as hard on him as it has been on you.”
“Not likely,” Hillary insisted, her back as stiff as a broom handle. “I don’t believe he cares about us the least bit.”