Chapter One

“There will be no running away to Las Vegas to get married.  I didn’t agree to it on New Year’s Eve and I am not doing so now!”

“Daddy,” Mary whined.  She felt as if she was seven years old again.  Not much had changed now that she was thirty-two. 

Retired veterinarian Joseph Christmas was well into his sixties standing at six feet four and two-hundred and sixty pounds.  He was still as imposing as he had been when she was his “bitty baby girl”.  She knew by the look on his dark and still attractive face that she was losing the battle.

“Don’t look at me that way Mare.  I’m not going to give you my blessings to run off and have a fly by wedding with this man.”  Joe reiterated.  The more annoyed he got the more prominent his Alabama accent became.

“It’s been two months since Alec and I announced our plans to get married.  I thought you had come to terms with the fact that the man I love is Caucasian.”

Joe cocked a thick eyebrow at her.  “This is not a race issue and you know it, Mare.   I can’t believe you’d even think such a thing.  If it wasn’t for how me and your mother raised you, you would never had been opened minded enough to fall in love with him in the first place.”

Mary turned beseeching eyes on her mother Miriam sitting quietly on the sofa her bare feet curled beneath her as she looked from her husband to her daughter.

“We are at a stalemate, Mommy.  Whatever you say goes.”

“Are you both sure you can’t compromise in some way?  I do hate choosing sides.  We are a family,” Miriam reasoned.  “You two adults should be able to discuss this without a mediator.”

  Mary turned her gaze on her father.  “Daddy, I’m in my thirties.  I don’t need a big wedding to be happy.  All I want is Alec and he loves me.  If we have a big wedding the media will come out in droves.”

“Not if we have it here in Alabama,” he countered.

“Unfortunately love doesn’t allow you to choose who you fall in love with.  I happened to fall in love with a well-recognized millionaire playboy business tycoon who has dated super models, actresses, and socialites very publically.  There is no way he is going to be able to give up his vowed bachelorhood quietly once you bring in the wedding planners, the caters, and send out invitations.”

“A newspaper announcement that our only daughter is engaged…” Miriam threw in, “It would be nice to brag a little bit.”

“Definitely not that,” Mary grimaced.  “Alec being the gossip rags “bachelor darling” has already made us more cautious.  We are trying to keep this a small private family affair.”

“Used goods, is what HE is,” Joe muttered.  “My daughter deserves better, than all those other women’s leftover.  You sure he wants to keep it quiet because he doesn’t want those women knowing he’s the marryin’ kind after all?”  His dark brown eyes narrowed.  “Or maybe he doesn’t want the world knowing he’s marryin’ a Black Woman and he wants to keep you his “dark” little secret.”

Mary rolled her eyes.  Who thought such things these days?  “Daddy, do you think that I would truly fall in love with a man who would be ashamed to be seen with me in public?  Do you think I wouldn’t be able to know if my man was ashamed of me? This was my suggestion because I didn’t want to be listed up there with all the women he’s dated in the past.”

“You think you going to keep the press down forever?  He is a public figure and are you going to stay home when he has to do all those public functions he’s seen at?  What you going to tell him gal?  Your momma has been supportive through my career and a man looks for his woman to be by his side!  Are you going to stress over how you look to the public?  You know your health won’t be able to take the strain,” Joe argued.

“Because I love Alec, I’m going to do whatever it takes to make things work for the both of us, Daddy.  I just want my wedding to not be some big show boat!” 

“A father gets this opportunity once, Mare.  To make a big whoop about his daughter’s wedding.  This man is already limiting your happiness.  Now if you would marry someone like…say…Cedric Thomas, he would make a fine husband for you.”

“Cedric?  Awe, come on.  Why you bring him up after all this time?”  Mary snorted and rolled her eyes heavenward; throwing up a tiny prayer to help her remain respectful to the man that gave her life.

“Yeah, bitty baby girl,” he threw in the childhood endearment to soften his protest to her current male choice.  “You grew up together and you have common Christian God fearin’ backgrounds.  He’s a big time doctor now and had a practice in Atlanta but he’s come back home.  Maybe you should pay him a visit while you’re here.”

Mary remembered Cedric very well.  They were childhood friends, and he was her first love; though she never felt that Cedric was interested in anymore then acting like her brother.  He watched over her and kept others from picking on her because she was fat.  That is until his girlfriend Monica came into the picture.

Monica was the typical popular girl that seemed to have it all.  She was a beauty queen and head cheerleader.  Her family wealthy and her body perfect.

She was healthy and everything Mary could never be.  She could join Cedric in the many outdoor activities that she could only enjoy from the wayside. No one was surprised, not even her when Cedric proposed to Monica their senior year of high school. 

Everything she and Cedric had discussed like going to the same college and opening a medical practice together changed.  Without her best friend, she decided to go into business management, while he stuck to the plan only with a different girl.  She hadn’t been bitter by his change of loyalties because he fell in love.  But she had been disappointed to find out he was just like every other guy in school after all.

“Cedric never asked me out like that.   Now we just talk on holidays and birthdays.” She lightly shrugged off the thought.  “Isn’t he and Monica still married?”

“They divorced three years ago.”  Her mother was the one to answer.

“He never said a thing.”  Mary voice was full of surprise.  “But why would he to me?  We stopped discussing Monica years ago.” 

“Why? Were you jealous?”  Joe asked.

“Give me a break, Dad.”  She rolled her eyes. “Monica didn’t want his female sidekick intruding on her perfect relationship.  Good thing I stayed out of it, or she probably be blaming me for her failed marriage.”

Joe and Miriam changed looks that wasn’t lost on her.

“Okay, what’s with the look?”

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t huh me, what’s going on.”

“Err…Cedric asks about you every time he comes by the house.  He stops in on us and has dinner with us at least one Sunday a month.  He talks about you all the time, Mare.  He’s really missed you since you moved to Seattle.  I suppose he made it known to Monica that casting aside your close friendship was the worse decision he ever made.”

“Oh great,” she snorted.  “So what you’re saying is even though I didn’t interfere she is blaming me for her failed marriage?  Even if that was the case,   I admit Cedric was my first crush.  But I’ve been available all my life waiting for Cedric or any other man to get beyond the not so pretty packaging and see that I had a lot of love to give; but it never happen.  So I don’t need to hear this now.”

“Honey, I’m just tellin’ you this because if you have feelings for him, this would be the time to do something now.  Don’t regret it years from now and break Alec’s heart years from now.”  Joe argued.

“Daddy, I have always been the “fat girl” or the “girl with the weird disease”.  I was the one who was always last to be asked to a dance.  I was always the “friend” and never the “girlfriend.”  Mary’s eyes burned with unshed tears.  She pushed up her glasses.

Cedric stood by you when others picked on you and he took you to your first dance.”  Joe reminded.

 “He still didn’t make me his girlfriend,” Mary countered.  “Alec has been the first man to look at me with eyes that make me feel as if I’m beautiful and healthy.  To him my weight and surgical scars and skin grafts don’t matter.  He has everything he could possibly want and he could have any woman; but he chose me.”

“Mare, no one is denying Alec is a likable guy.  It’s just he’s your first relationship.  Don’t you think you should give yourself some time to make sure that you aren’t marrying him just because you believe you can’t get anyone else?”

“Dad--”

“Baby Girl, I’m not tryin’ to hurt you.  I just don’t want you to sale yourself short.  Your mother and I know you’ve always dreamed that when you got married you would have a big glorious wedding,” Joe stated.  “We know this because we still have your wedding dream scrapbook of your dreams.  We saw the clippings of dresses--”

“With my head cut out and pasted on the bodies that I wish were mine,” she abruptly interrupted.  “That dream never came true either dad but I learned a long time ago life isn’t perfect for everyone.  So I’ve learned to be happy with the small things in life.

“You mean, you stopped dreaming,” Joe countered.  “You are living your dream now right?  I guess I’m saying that if you are about to marry the man that you want to spend the rest of your life with, why do this drive-by wedding in Vegas that you’re talking about?”

“Because you declared that Alec and I need to stay apart until we marry or you wouldn’t approve of the marriage!”

“I didn’t say stay a part.  I said no more sleeping together until you are married, baby girl.” Joe fussed.   “I’m also not beyond locking you in your room, if I have to.  There is no reason for a woman to be giving the milk up for free.  You know the saying.”

“Joe, you’re being a hypocrite.”  Miriam injected.  “I’m sure my father would appreciate the irony of this moment if he were still alive.”

  “Now that I am a father myself, I would apologize for what I put him through.  I will send a prayer up to him tonight instead.  But Miriam, you have to be wonderin’ what I’m wonderin’ about?

“Daddy, what are you wonderin’?” Mary asked.  “Just ask me.  You ain’t held your tongue about anything else.”

“Mary, watch your tone,” her mother chided softly.

“Yes, ma’am,” she murmured contritely.

Mary’s southern accent was becoming more pronounced and her jeans a little tighter with each passing day she spent in the southern comfort of her big family and their weekly gatherings. 

“I’m a wonderin’ what the big hurry is?”  His eyes narrowed on her face before going over her short two hundred pound frame.  “Is there something you aren’t tellin’ us?”

She shook her head and released an agitated sigh.  “I’m not pregnant if that is what you’re asking.  I’m not careless dad. ”

“Considering we caught you two on the floor of his family holiday home fornicating like nobody’s business.  It looked like a lot of carelessness was going on,” Joe exclaimed.

Mary groaned and covered her face reddening from the memory.  “It was supposed to go that far.  Alec was in the middle of proposing and I suppose we got carried away…”

“You…you suppose?” he sputtered.  “I know you got carried away.”

“I’m sorry daddy.”

“Sorry?  Well, you should be.”  Joe cleared his throat.  “The horror of the flashbacks I experience is enough.  No father should be a witness to such horror.”  He suppressed an exaggerated shiver.

Mary grimaced.  

“Nor a mother,” Miriam chuckled.  “Children think that walking in on their parents is awful they should see the roles reversed.”

 “Okay…okay, you two, I get the picture and you’ve made your opinions clear.  You aren’t happy with me and Alec having sex before marriage.  We are trying to respect your wishes and be together at the same time.  Getting married quickly is the only way Alec and I know how to do this. What other options are you giving us?” 

“This doesn’t sound like you, Mare.  Why are you readily to give up your dream…our dream…of having a proper wedding?  Is he pressuring you?  He can’t do long enough for us to do it right for our only child?”  He shook his balding head muttering, “For all we know this man could be one of those sex addicts we hear about.  Every year the magazines do a collage of his past conquests.”

“Joseph, you should change your argument because lord knows how you get when you don’t get sex in a timely manner.  Also what man doesn’t have a dating past?  The man is in his thirties, for God sakes.”

“Miriam!”

“Mom!”

Joe and Mary cried out in unison.

Recovering quickly he changed his argument.  “I personally think the boy is frightened that you may wake up and see you are getting the short end of the stick.  He fears that other men are going to see in you what he sees and you will pursue your options.”

“Daddy, Alec is a good man.  He has accomplished a lot in his life and I’m honored that he proposed to me.  He didn’t have to.  I was a willing participant.”

Joe groaned.  “You sure you’re not marrying him for the wrong reasons.  He’s a very wealthy man.  Money that his making you blind to his faults?”

“I can’t believe you,” Mary balked.  “Daddy, you do you think you and mom raised an opportunist?  Yeah, he is wealthy.  However he wasn’t born into a wealthy family.  He’s not some spoiled and pampered trust fund baby.  Nor is he only what the media plays him out to be.”

“Hmm,” Joe grunted.

“Do you think I would fall in love with him, otherwise?”  Mary pushed up her glasses on the bridge of her nose.  “Dad, you met and spent Christmas and New years with him and his family and you know that his parents Dr. and Mrs. Mercer are amazing hard working class people like you and mom.”  Mary reasoned.  “Are you both saying I made a mistake in falling in love with Alec?”

“No we are not!” Miriam interjected firmly.  “Joe, enough is enough.  You make it sound as if Alec being able to financially care for our daughter is a bad thing.   The evident love that young man has for our Mary was written all over his face; in ever stare and touch.”  She reached out and took her husband’s hand, her brown eyes softening.  “Darlin’, look at how sincere he was when he formally asked, no begged—because you didn’t make it easy on him—for our Mary’s hand in marriage.”

“Miriam--”

“Besides, look at the size of that ring on her finger.  There is nothing wrong with marrying a man for his money.”

“Mommy, not you too,” Mary rested her head against her fist as she leaned back against the kitchen counter.  She shook her head.

Miriam chuckled.  “Just teasing you darling; still you have to admit something that big, sparkly, and pretty makes it hard to say “no” even if you need time to think about it..”

“I love him and he loves me.  Is there anything more important than that?  We want to get married in a small private ceremony--”

“Daughter of mine, I’m sayin’ once again that it is not possible with a family our size,” Joe barked.  “We do this right or I can’t give you my blessing.  We have been saving up to give you the wedding you dreamed about since you were a child and I will not have my good Christian daughter sneaking off to Vegas as if she has something to be ashamed of.  We are going to do it up right or not at all.”

“I need to know what we are going to do before I talk to Alec tonight and obviously Dad isn’t going to compromise.  Mommy, you decide.  Do we have a small wedding in Vegas or a big traditional southern affair here?”

“For once I agree with Mary.”  Joe looked from his daughter to his wife with a nod of his head he grumbled, “Honey, whatever you decide we will agree to.”

“Are you sure what I say will go for the both of you?”  She asked.   

They both nodded.

Miriam gave them a wide smile and clapped her hands together.  “I better get the engagement announcement together along with a photo.   You think Alec can come here and do a photo sitting.”

“I think a single photo or our girl will do fine for the engagement, Miriam.”

“Great,” Mary shook her head.  “Daddy you’re getting your way yet you still want to keep me and Alec apart until the wedding.”

“Mare--”

“Come now, you two there will be much to do if we are going to get a formal wedding planned in six months time--”

“Six months!”  Mary repeated.  “No way, unless you can get dad to agree that Alec and I can be together.”

“You mean have sex?”  Joe shouted.  “No way would any decent God fearing father agree to such a thing for his little girl.”

“The both of you stop!”  Miriam yelled.  “We are going to have a big wedding and we will do so in three months time.  Joe you will get use to the idea your baby girl is not a “little girl” any more and yes, she has sex.  Mary, you will respect your father’s feeling and refrain from anymore public sex on the floor of other folk’s houses.”  Mary noticed her mother’s lip tremble as she fought to keep from laughing.   “Joe, you keep me sexually happy and you won’t have time to worry about nobody else’s business.”

Joe grinned and winked at his wife.  “You know I do you right, woman.”

Mary groaned.  She had been a virgin when she met Alec and now that they had crossed over that obstacle they could barely keep their hands off of one another.  She wouldn’t be away from him now if she hadn’t wanted to convince her father on the idea of a quick jaunt to Vegas with her and Alec to wed.

These days she seemed to be incapable of making anyone completely happy.  Alec wasn’t happy when she left him, but he tried to be understanding and for that she was grateful.  Her dad wasn’t happy that she had given up her virginity before marriage and her mother wasn’t happy at the idea of a small wedding. 

She was an only child to elderly parents and their blessings and happiness was important to her.  Making sure that they and Alec, along with his family got along well would determine how their future as an interracial family would proceed.  She didn’t want to bring children into an intense situation. 

It was true what her father had said.  She did have big dreams of how her wedding would be.  What girl doesn’t at one time or another?  This was supposed to be one of those joyful moments and here she was riddled with worry.

It worried her that she wouldn’t be able to commence her new position as Alec’s assistant at work, but they hadn’t had the chance through Christmas and New Year’s to discuss if she was to continue working by his side now that their relationship was no longer a professional one.  Alec probably had to go through the temp service once again. Would he hire an executive assistant who skill was more important than her looks” Or would he return to hiring deceptive educated bimbos who goal in life was to snag one of Seattle’s most eligible millionaire from his best friend Allison James’s employment service?  Well, he wasn’t eligible anymore; but he wasn’t married yet either.

You’re wearing his ring dummy, stop worrying.  She chided herself.  She needed to trust in his love for her or she shouldn’t be marrying him.  Hopefully it would be enough to keep him faithful and if it wasn’t, then it was best to find out before she married him.

In the end Mary had convinced herself that the time apart would give them the chance to make sure they were doing the right thing.  More than the fear of Alec finding someone else to love, Mary feared being another failed marriage statistic and losing everything after they had built a home and had children.

How was she going to break it to Alec that she would be remaining in Alabama at her parent’s and they would be having a big wedding and most likely wouldn’t have a moment alone for the next three months?