photos, Kristine steeled herself for the conversation.
As Kevin walked out of the bathroom in a cloud of steam, straightening his tie, she said, “Hello, handsome.” He was wearing a simple navy suit that fit him perfectly and smelled like lemongrass and musk. “You look nice.”
“Yeah?” Kevin grinned. “Hot and sexy?”
Kristine wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders. “Very.” She stood up on her tiptoes to kiss his ear. Seeing their reflection in the mirror, she made a face. “Do I look like a bridesmaid?”
Kristine was wearing a fitted navy dress with a cowl neck, courtesy of June. The dress alone was a perfect lead-in for the conversation.
“You look gorgeous,” he said. Looking down at the tie, he shook his head. “But I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I will be dressed exactly like two other grown men.”
“That’s June,” Kristine said. “There’s nothing she likes more than controlling a wedding.”
On Friday morning, both the navy dress and the navy-and-silver-striped tie had been delivered in a neatly wrapped package from Ferragamo. The note inside the box explained that June had been hit with inspiration and that they should all plan to dress alike for the photograph. Since we’re not having bridesmaids, the note said, this will be the big “dress-alike” moment in our wedding. LOL!
“Oh, she means well.” He smiled. “Isn’t that what you always say to me?”
“Yes, but . . .” Kristine applied some coral lipstick, then set it down on the dresser with a clunk. “Kevin, I’m worried. She’s running the show, just like she did back with our wedding. Chloe doesn’t seem to mind, but . . .” Kristine smoothed down a damp strand of her husband’s hair, hating that the next words out of her mouth might hurt him. She hesitated. “There’s something I haven’t told you. Something big.”
Kevin cocked an eyebrow. “June wants me to ride down the aisle on a pony?”
“She wants to pay for the whole wedding,” Kristine told him. “Her part, our vow renewal and Chloe. She wants to pay for Chloe.”
Kevin’s blue eyes widened and his cheeks flushed. It was the same look he used to get before running down the field and tackling someone. Great. This was just the response she’d expected.
Quickly, she said, “Look, it’s only because she wants to make the wedding some big extravaganza. I told her that you would say absolutely not, that we’ll pay for our daughter, but she’s insisting. I really don’t know what to do. She’s not taking no for an answer.”
Kevin swallowed hard, the muscle in his jaw pulsing. “I—”
“Honey, I know.” Gently, she touched his cheek. “You’ve worked so hard to be able to do things like this. June’s not trying to take it away from you. But she has the money, she wants to be in charge and with everything happening at the last minute, it’s going to be incredibly expen—”
“Kristine, it’s okay.” He shook his head. “It’s fine. Let’s just let her do it.”
Kristine dropped her hand in surprise. “Really?”
“Why not?” He let out a sharp puff of air. Reaching for her hand, he said, “If it will make her happy, then let her go right ahead. We can use Chloe’s wedding money for something else. Something special for us.”
Kristine didn’t know what to say. To be honest, she was shocked. Where was the bulging vein in his forehead? The angry proclamation that he was the provider for his family, no matter what? She waited for some type of tell. A rude remark, a frown, something. But the only thing he did was reach down and smooth his tie.
Huh. Maybe he didn’t want to ruin the careful balance they’d recaptured, either.
“June’s got money.” Flipping over the tie, he indicated the designer label. “Let her use it.”
Kristine felt slightly suspicious. The easygoing response wasn’t like him. “What are you not telling me?”
Kevin seemed to jump. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know.” She studied his blue eyes. They seemed guarded. “I feel like you’re taking this too calmly. Did you already put the deposit down on the church or something? You beat June to it?”
“Kris, no.” Glancing at his watch, he said, “You about ready? There might be traffic.” She was still eyeing him and he said, “Look, it’s not a big deal. We’re a family. If it’s important to you and it’s important to her . . . I really don’t mind.”
“Thank you,” Kristine emphasized. “I really appreciate that.”
“What am I supposed to say to you?” Kevin