idea. And then there was the love in his eyes and the fact that the fourteen people seated around the table had already made up their minds that this was a great idea.
Of course she’ll say yes, his paternal grandmother had whispered to her sister, who had been in full agreement.
Who wouldn’t want to marry our Dan?
It had seemed a reasonable question to Rosie.
Who wouldn’t?
Their delight at the proposal simply endorsed her conviction that this was the right thing. And why wouldn’t it be? Everyone thought Dan was wonderful. She thought Dan was wonderful. He was the best listener, and there were times when she felt closer to him than she did to her own family. She’d said things to him that she’d never said to them, including how hard it was to push herself to take risks when people were constantly telling her to be careful. And he’d talked to her about the loss of his father, and how deeply it had affected him. True, they didn’t know the small details about each other’s lives, but the small details were less important than the big things. She’d assumed they’d have plenty of time to learn more about each other, but then his mother had suggested a Christmas wedding and excitement levels had escalated.
Rosie felt as if she’d been picked up by an avalanche and swept down the mountain.
She’d wondered herself if Christmas might be a little soon, but only because the logistics of arranging something at such short notice blew her brain. Organization wasn’t her strong point. She had nine thousand, four hundred and twenty emails sitting in her inbox because she never liked deleting anything and filing didn’t come naturally to her. Her essays were often finished at the last minute, and doctor, dentist and hair appointments always ended up being an emergency.
She’d opened her mouth to tactfully confess that there was no way she could organize a wedding in such a short time frame, but Dan’s family was already in deep planning mode. She’d half expected Catherine to leave the room and start whipping together a bouquet.
Rosie was already in love with Dan’s family, particularly his great-aunt Eunice whose hearing was now challenged but who filled in gaps in sentences with her own active imagination.
Did she say she’s feeling horny?
No, Great-Aunt Eunice, she said the table decoration was thorny.
And then Dan had kissed her and said how much he adored her and how this wedding was going to be magical and perfect and suddenly it was agreed that they were getting married in a month.
It had all seemed delightful, and then she’d called home and felt the waves of anxiety traveling across the Atlantic with the speed of light. Their doubt had penetrated the champagne cloud cushioning Rosie’s brain.
And it wasn’t only Katie. Her mother was worried, and Rosie hated worrying her mother.
She’d caused her family more than enough anxiety over the years, and she was uncomfortable with the idea that they all thought she was making a mistake. It made her question her own judgment. Gone was the confident woman she’d become over the past few months.
She was sure she loved Dan, but how did you actually know? It wasn’t as if there was a blood test you could take. No one was going to sit across from her in a white coat and say yes, you have high levels of love, so I can assure you you’re going to be fine.
Love was a feeling, and if Rosie had learned one thing during her time on the planet it was that feelings were unreliable. Hers certainly were. The fact that her life was filled with clothes she never wore, shoes too uncomfortable to walk in, and old boyfriends that she never called was proof of that.
What if her love for Dan turned out to be as transient as her love for Rollerblading?
Trying to pull herself together, she wriggled her way into the dress Catherine had chosen.
Ivory silk and beautifully cut, it fell in a simple sheath and pooled on the floor.
Rosie turned sideways and smoothed the fabric over her hips.
The woman had taste, there was no doubt about that. The dress looked incredible. So incredible that her doubts retreated. It was a good omen.
Nerves were natural, weren’t they?
She tried to imagine her and Dan growing old together and Katie apologizing as she turned up to celebrate their golden wedding.