Unleash Me: Wedding (The Unleash Me Series) Read online

  “Hello?” she said. “Mitchell, is this you?”

  “Hey, Mom.”

  “I knew it was you!” she exclaimed. “I saw your name come up on the new phone you bought for your father and me. And I have to tell you that the little screen that shows me who’s calling is a godsend!”

  “How so?”

  “For one thing, it protects me from that awful Beatrice Kaiser. You remember my telling you about her recent scandal. Her daughter had an affair on her husband!”

  “Mom, I need to tell you that Lisa is also on the phone with us—”

  “I mean, can you imagine?” Ethel interrupted, charging ahead as if she hadn’t heard him. “Prairie Home is only so big, Mitchell—you know that. Only three hundred or so people live here. And yet still she went ahead with her sordid affair with that awful Mark Dawson when she must have known that word would eventually get out.”

  “But that was her daughter,” Tank said. “How do her actions reflect upon Beatrice? You two have always been good friends.”

  “Not since her daughter’s cheating went public,” Ethel said. “The moment that hit, Prairie Home dropped her. Well, at least the right people did. And believe me, I’ve taken note of who has and who hasn’t.”

  At that moment, I reached for a piece of paper on Tank’s desk, grabbed a pen, and wrote, “How very Christian of her.”

  He just looked uncomfortably at me as Ethel carried on.

  “Anyway, enough about her. I have to tell you that I’m still trying to figure out all of this technology you’ve recently introduced me to. Like this phone—which was tricky to use at first, but which I’m getting used to—and also the Kindle you bought me last month. You will be proud to know that your mother has finally conquered it, and that’s probably because I love to read more than I like to talk on the phone. You know how much I love my cozy mysteries and Christian fiction. Those are my kinds of books—good, clean books—and not the smut so many people seem to be enjoying these days, that’s for sure. I mean, my goodness! This morning I saw a book on the Amazon Top 100 called Anaconda! And given its lewd cover, I don’t think that particular book refers to any kind of snake slithering through the Amazon!”

  “So, you’re liking the Kindle?” Tank asked.

  “I love it!” Ethel declared. “Since your father always goes to bed before I do, I sit in the living room and read for a bit before turning in. And I have to tell you that I enjoy reading in ways that I never have before. I mean, that device is just so easy. I have a whole list of favorite authors at this point, and I just keep plowing through everything they’ve written.”

  She paused for a moment after she’d said that and then cleared her throat as if something were caught in it.

  “I have to admit that I have seen your friend Lisa’s books in the Amazon Top 100, Mitchell.”

  “Lisa’s more than just my friend, Mom. She’s my fiancée.”

  “Yes, yes. Right, right.”

  “And as I tried to tell you earlier, Lisa is on the phone with us right now.”

  “I’m sorry, what?”

  “Before you interrupted me when you went off about Beatrice Kaiser, I tried to tell you that Lisa and I are on speakerphone. We’re calling you for a reason.”

  “Hi, Mrs. McCollister!” I said.

  “Who is that—is that Lisa?”

  “It is!” I said. “How are you?”

  “Well, I’m just fine, thank you. And how are you, Lisa?”

  “Looking forward to spring. This winter has been the devil.”

  “As only you would know…”

  When she said that, I just cocked my head at Tank in exasperation. “Really?” I mouthed.

  He just shook his head at me before he changed the subject.

  “How’s Dad?” he asked.

  “Is he the reason you’re calling?”

  “No, I just thought I’d ask about Dad. How is he?”

  “Funny you should ask. He’s been on such a tear today that I’ve been counting my rosary beads in thanks that he’s out of the house. I just don’t need that kind of negative energy around me, especially on the Lord’s day.”

  “What’s the issue?”

  “I don’t know—something to do with the plumbing at one of the barns. He barked about it for a few moments after we returned from church, but I didn’t pay much attention, because whenever he goes off on one of his barn rants, I have zero interest in them.”

  “Did he sound stressed?” Tank asked in concern.

  “Yes, he sounded stressed—and he even swore! In front of me! I haven’t seen him since we got back. Let’s just hope he finds Christ before he returns to the house. Otherwise, I’ll have to have Father Harvey take him aside next Sunday and strongly suggest that your father go to confession.”

  Oh, my God, I thought as I continued to listen to her. I’m so dead when it comes to this woman, it’s not funny. She judges everything and everyone. There is no way in hell that she and I are going to come together and have a relationship with one another.

  “About our news…” Tank began.

  And here we go, I thought in despair.

  “What news is that?” Ethel said. “And why is there an ‘our’ attached to it?”

  “Lisa and I have set a date.”

  “A date for what?”

  “A date to get married.”

  “Oh!” she said after a moment. “Oh, my—oh, my word! Really? Well, my goodness. Well, my God. Why is the room spinning right now? Why do I feel as if I’m about to faint? Why are the walls suddenly turning black? After hearing that, I think I need to sit down.”

  “I hope that means it’s because you’re happy for us.”

  “Well, of course I am,” she said after a long moment. “I mean, my only son is about to get married! I’ve been waiting for this day for years!”

  “We’re really excited about it,” Tank said.

  “I’m sure you are,” she replied. “I’m sure that both of you are crippled with happiness! Especially Lisa. When is the wedding?”

  “June tenth—it falls on a Saturday.”

  “But June is only a few months away. This is happening so soon!”

  “I’m afraid that’s on me,” he said. “On Christmas Eve, I surprised Lisa by setting the date in a card I gave to her. I’ve always seen her as a June bride.”

  “And you’re just telling me about this now? You’ve known for almost two months about this? How can it be that I’m just finding out now?”

  “Because of logistics,” he said. “We’ll get to that in a moment.”

  “Well,” she said, “Christmas Eve. Oh, Mitchell, with the lights and the festivities alone, it must have been so romantic!”

  “I tried to make it romantic.”

  “And he succeeded,” I said as I reached for his hand. “It was beyond romantic, Ethel.”

  “I’m sure it was wonderful, Lisa. You must have been thrilled.”

  “I was over the moon,” I said. “I’m so happy.”

  “I can only imagine,” she said. “Mitchell is quite a catch.”

  “I agree.”

  “So, this is finally happening,” Tank said. “We’re getting married. And we’re excited. But we need help from you and Dad.”

  “What kind of help?”

  “We can’t get married in Manhattan. All of the churches and reception halls are booked. And because Lisa’s parents are so busy with their motel—especially during the summer months—we were wondering if we could get married in Prairie Home at the farm. Will you and Dad host our wedding for us? Because we’d love to get married there.”

  “In one of the barns?”

  “No, not in one of the barns. Mom, what are you thinking?”

  “It was a joke, Mitchell. Your mother does have a sense of humor, you know? She’s slyer than you think. And if you and Lisa would like to get married here, your father and I are all in.”

  “Well, thanks, Mom.”

  “Anything for you, Mit
chell.”

  “If it’s OK with you and Dad, I’d like to build a gazebo next to the pond. Lisa and I will get married there, with the pond and the swans as a backdrop. What do you think?”

  “Actually, I think that sounds divine,” she said. “Go ahead and draw up the plans. I mean, my goodness! Lisa and you getting married at your family home! Your father is going to be beyond surprised—as I am right now! Now listen, Lisa…are you there?”

  “I’m here!” I said.

  “Good, because I expect to be involved in absolutely everything! I want to help you pick out your dress and the flowers. We need to go over the dinner menu for the reception dinner. And all sorts of other things…because I want to be involved! What do you think?”

  How much do you want to be involved? I thought. Fuck my life!

  “I would love your input, Mrs. McCollister,” I said. “Thank you.”

  “Best to call me Ethel now that you’re about to marry my only child. Or you can call me Mother if you want. How about that?”

  You seriously want me to call you Mother? I thought. And what the hell am I to say to that? If I say no, I’ll only offend her. And since she’s stepping up to the plate when it comes to this, she’s pretty much cornered me!

  Tank was scribbling on a piece of paper. “You don’t have to,” he wrote. “Don’t do it if you don’t want to.”

  I didn’t want to, but I nevertheless took one for the team.

  “I’d be delighted to call you Mother,” I said to Ethel. “It would be an honor. Thank you!”

  “Thank you…who?”

  “Thank you…Mother?”

  “That has such a nice ring to it!” she said. “Oh, Lisa, I do hope we can come to know one another and be good friends. I’d really like that. I really would.”

  “I’d like the same,” I said. “Tank means the world to me. I’d like to be close to both you and Mr. McCollister.”

  “Think of him as Daddy from now on. As Tank can tell you, his father always wanted a little girl to spoil. And if I didn’t have a lazy ovary, he probably would have had one.”

  A lazy ovary? Daddy? Jesus Christ! This is going straight into some kind of bizzaro world.

  Still, I knew that I had no choice but to cave.

  “Daddy it is!” I said as Tank squeezed my knee in a show of support.

  “Perfect—he’ll love it. Now, I’m assuming this is going to be a big Catholic wedding? Because we are a Catholic family, Lisa…”

  I was a lapsed Catholic and really wanted just a simple ceremony, which Tank knew.

  “We have something simpler in mind, Mom,” Tank said. “Nothing too long or too grand, especially given how hot it’s going to be there in June. But it would be nice if Father Harvey officiated.”

  “Are you saying this won’t be a full Catholic wedding?” she asked. “You know, with all the classic rituals? The praying? The service? The whole lot of it?”

  “I am saying that.”

  “But I always dreamed of you having a proper wedding,” she said.

  “And Lisa and I plan to have that wedding—on our terms.”

  “I see,” she said. “Well, I won’t mask my disappointment, but at least a confirmed priest will be there, so there’s that, I guess.”

  “There is that,” Tank said in a firm voice.

  “When am I going to get more details?” she asked. “Because I cannot wait to tell your father, Mitchell. He’s especially going to want to know about that gazebo of yours.”

  “I’m going to have an architect draw up plans, and I’ll submit them to Dad and to you as soon as I have them. I want you to love the structure as much as we do.”

  “As you should,” she said. “I’ll let your father know about that. But as for coordinating things, I assume that Lisa and I will have weekly chats to brainstorm about all of it. Is that right, Lisa?”

  “I’ll call you every Saturday,” I said. “Because I’d hate to interrupt your Sundays, especially with church and all.”

  “How very sensitive of you. I’ll expect a call from you at noon my time on every Saturday going forward.”

  “Done.”

  For a moment, there was a long silence. I looked at Tank, wondering if the line had gone dead, but then Ethel said, “All of this is just so sudden.”

  “I’m sorry about that, Mom,” Tank said. “I should have planned better.”

  “No, no—it’s fine because I’m limber. But as I’m trying to wrap my head around all of this, I think both of you should come down a week before the wedding. I mean, since there are going to be so many details to nail down in person, both of you need to be here sooner rather than later. Can I count on that?”

  Jennifer and Alex will give you another week off, I wrote down on a piece of paper.

  “We can do that, Mom,” Tank said. “We’ll fly out a week before the wedding.”

  “Then I guess that’s it,” she said. “And congratulations to both of you! When Harold returns from the barn, I’ll tell him everything. Lisa, as you search for dresses, please send photos so we can discuss what’s best. Sound good?”

  “It sounds perfect,” I lied.

  “Then we’ll talk soon. Kisses to you both! I now have news that will triumph over Beatrice Kaiser’s daughter’s affair with that horrible Mark Dawson person—and I plan to run with it. All of Prairie Home is going to want to come—but only a select few will be invited, because I already know this is going to be an exclusive affair, and I can’t wait to be part of all of it. I want to roll up my sleeves, get my hands dirty, and tinker into everything as the months pass before the big day. And Lisa?” she said.

  “Yes, Ethel?”

  “Yes, Mother,” she corrected.

  I rolled my eyes and decided to just go with it. “Yes, Mother?”

  “Wait until you see just how well I tinker…”

  FOUR MONTHS LATER

  CHAPTER FIVE

  New York City

  June

  On the morning of June 3, just seven days before I was to marry Tank, I put my makeup bag inside one of my suitcases, looked over everything before I closed it shut and locked it, and then stood next to Tank as he lifted it off the bed and placed it alongside the other two suitcases that were already packed and ready to go.

  “Are you OK?” he asked me.

  “I’m fine,” I said, reaching up to kiss him. “I promise.”

  “I’m sorry I’m not able to come. I’m sorry you have to spend five days alone with my parents before I arrive.”

  “One of your best friends just died, Tank—a man you once served next to in war. And Brian died from a blood clot, of all things, and at so young an age. We’ve already talked about this. As far as I’m concerned, this is settled. Because it would make no sense for you to fly with me to Prairie Home when you’d have to turn around three days later and fly to San Diego to spend a day with his wife, children, and family before you went to his funeral the next day. I will handle the final details of our wedding with your mother before you fly to Nebraska on the eighth. It’s not going to be an issue, especially since your mother and I appear to be getting along lately.”

  “That’s not entirely true,” he said, “and you know it. She’s asked a lot of you. She hasn’t exactly been easy.”

  “It’s only because she wants our wedding to be as perfect as it can be. Now, look—you’ll arrive on the eighth, your mother and I will pick you up at the airport that day, and then we’ll return to Prairie Home together. It’s all planned. The next day, our friends will arrive for the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner. On Saturday, everything will be in order, and we’ll get married. I want to make this as easy on you as possible. You deserve that from me, especially given the weight of your loss. I only wish that I’d met Brian—that’s my regret. It sounds like he was a wonderful man, Tank. I’m so sorry that you lost your friend.”

  “So am I.” He took me into his arms and held me for a long moment. “You’re an amazing woman, Lisa Ward.”r />
  “Soon to be Lisa McCollister,” I said in his ear. And when I said that, with my cheek pressed against his, I felt him smile—which was all I needed to know that I was doing the right thing despite the uncertainty I felt.

  Was I nervous about the prospect of spending five days alone with Tank’s mother? Hell, yes. But during my talks with his father on the phone over the past several months, Harold had been nothing but genuinely kind to me, so I knew in my gut that I had nothing to worry about when it came to him. But Ethel and me? We had a checkered past. As good as she’d been to me over these past several months—literally going out of her way in many cases to make certain our wedding would go off without a hitch—we’d also had our share of issues, from the dress I’d chosen (too revealing, according to her) to what the caterer would be serving (“Here in Prairie Home, I guess we’re not as fancy as you are in Manhattan”).

  But for the most part—and if I were being honest—this wedding meant a lot to her. Tank was her only child, and as God was my witness, this would be his only wedding. So, on those days when she was difficult, I got it. She wanted to have her say, and that came with its share of bumps.

  As for my parents? They were a breeze. Unlike Jennifer’s parents, who were risible people I’d like to smother in their sleep, my parents were phenomenal. My mother loved the dress I chose with the help of Jennifer and Blackwell, and both my parents were fully onboard when it came to my marrying Tank, whom they’d adored when we visited them for the first time as a couple in March. They had offered to pay for the wedding, and they’d been gracious enough to do so even though I wasn’t getting married in my home state. But since I knew that the financial strain was just too much for them to bear at this point in their lives, I’d gently let them off the hook.

  My parents were just chill, cool people who typically rolled with whatever was tossed their way. There was no drama when it came to my mama, and since I’d included her in everything along the way, I knew she also felt vested in this and that my father felt the same.