Chapter 4 The Wedding Falls Apart, A New Groom Appears
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Rose drove the Mercedes back to the Bloomingdale Residence, parked it in the garage, and took the elevator upstairs. She was hoping to sneak in quietly, but the moment she opened the door, she found her mother–Linda Smith–standing right there.
“Rose, you’re home!” Linda yanked her straight to the couch, then launched into a barrage of questions.
So? How did it go with Ethan? Did he finally agree to a New Year’s Day wedding?”
Rose looked at her mother’s hopeful face and didn’t know how to break it to her.
“Mom… there’s no wedding.”
Linda threw up her hands. “What do you mean there’s no wedding? You promised me before you left that you’d get Ethan to say yes this time. I already told everyone–friends, family–the whole New Year’s Day celebration is on the books! Do you have any idea how embarrassing this is for me?”
Rose kept her head down in silence.
a
Linda’s voice rose. “We’ve made every compromise. We didn’t ask for dowry, didn’t ask him to buy a house–we’re practically giving our daughter away for free. What more does that boy want? Rose, call him. Right now. I want to hear from him directly–when the hell does he plan to marry you?”
Rose squirmed with discomfort. She and Ethan had broken up. Contacting him again wasn’t even on her radar.
Seeing her hesitating only made Linda angrier. “That Ethan’s been stringing you along for years. If he really loved you, he could’ve married you before going off for his PhD!”
Rose’s face burned.
Her mom was right–Ethan never loved her the way she’d hoped. She’d been too stubborn, too proud, convinced that since she’d chosen him, he was the one. But love changes. He had already run away.
“Mom… maybe I should just break up with him…” Rose tested the waters carefully.
Linda’s fury exploded. She grabbed Rose by the ear and yelled, “Are you insane? You supported that man for ten years–fed him, paid his tuition, carried him through school–and now that he’s finally about to start making money, you dump him? What, you want all those years to be a total waste? And let’s be honest–you’re not exactly twenty anymore. Where do you think you’re going to find someone better than him?”
Just then, Rose’s father–Sam Marshall–walked through the door holding a wedding invitation. When he saw Linda’s sour face, he froze.
Linda spotted the invitation and exploded again. “What are you doing with that? We don’t need it anymore. Toss it.”
But Sam held it to his chest like it was gold. “Relax. It’s not ours. It’s from Aaron Brown, next door.”
Then he adjusted his gold–rimmed glasses and added excitedly, “Vivian–Rose’s best friend–snagged herself a golden goose.. Aaron was bragging nonstop about how his daughter might not have a degree, but she landed a man who does. And get this- she’s already pregnant. They’re getting engaged on New Year’s Day.”
It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over Rose’s head. Ethan and Vivian… were getting married on New Year’s Day?
She’d spent ten years with Ethan. Every time she brought up marriage, he had an excuse. But with Vivian, after one year, he was ready to settle down?
Did he ever love her at all?
Linda, already on edge, lost it. “Look at Vivian! She still ended up with a PhD husband and is getting married after one year. And you? I don’t care what you say. You and Ethan are getting married on New Year’s Day.”
Sam tried to play peacemaker. “That’s right. I already talked to Aaron–we’ll hold a joint wedding. Make it festive, big and
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Chapter 4 The Wedding Falls Apart, A New Groom Appears
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bold”
“Dad, Mom, I don’t want to get married on New Year’s Day” Rose’s voice was firm.
The second she said it, Linda practically had a meltdown. “If you’re not getting married on New Year’s Day, then don’t bother calling me your mother!”
The outburst triggered her heart condition. Her lips turned visibly blue. Rose was so frightened she couldn’t say another word.
Panicked, she gave in. “Okay, Mom. Don’t get worked up. I promise–I’ll get married on New Year’s Day?
The effect was instant. Linda’s condition stabilized almost immediately.
Later, once Linda had fallen asleep, Rose crept back to her room, weighed down with worry. She flopped onto the bed, her head spinning over the idea of a wedding on New Year’s Day,
Would Houston even want a ceremony?
She couldn’t help remembering all the times she had begged Ethan to marry her–each conversation painful and humiliating. She had absolutely no confidence this time,
Just then, as if summoned by her thoughts, her phone rang. It was Houston,
She picked up, and his deep, velvety voice came through, sounding cheerful. “Rose, I’m outside your place. I came to take you
home.”
She nearly dropped her phone. That’s right–he’d told her earlier he’d pick her up after work.
But she hadn’t told her parents about the marriage yet.
Rushing to the front door, she whispered to him, “My mom’s heart acted up earlier… Maybe don’t mention the wedding just yet.”
Houston paused. Was she asking him to hide their marriage?
Linda’s weak voice called out from the living room. “Rose, who’s here?”
“A patient,” Rose lied quickly.
D
Sam helped Linda out to the living room. Both of them froze when they saw Houston standing there with high–end gifts in
hand.
A luxury bottle of whiskey–Sam’s favorite. Expensive tonic supplements–Linda’s go–to.
This was supposed to be a patient bribing their daughter?
“Mr. Jefferson.” Linda said awkwardly, “We’re just regular folks. Rose finally got a good job, so please don’t bring gifts. If her company thinks she’s accepting bribes, it could cost her everything.”
Houston shot Rose a sharp look. Because of her lie, Linda now thought he was a pushy patient trying to butter them up.
He had never bribed anyone in his life—people usually tried to bribe him.
“Madam,” he said coldly, “yes, I’m Dr. Marshall’s patient. But we’re also friends. These are just small gifts–my way of being polite as a guest”
The tension in Linda’s chest cased. Smiling now, she said, “Well, if you’re Rose’s friend, then stay for dinner!”
“Gladly,” Houston replied.
inda was stunned.
She’d only said it to be polite–how did he actually agree?
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9.48 AM
Chapter 4 The Wedding Falls Apart, A New Groom Appears
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Turning to Rose, she sighed, “Since your friend’s staying, make something nice for dinner. There’s abalone, lobster, beef-
cook it all.”
Sam, meanwhile, pulled Houston toward the couch. “Come on, Houston. Sit, sit.”
Rose gave Houston a worried glance. Her parents had always been tough on any man who came near her. Who knew what kind of test they’d throw at him next?
