“Will you and Mom come visit us?” I asked.
“As often as you want,” he said. “So long as you guys make it back for the holidays. His mother is welcome to come, too. She’s a spunky woman. Reminds me of someone else I know.”
I watched my father wink at me as a blush crept across my cheeks.
“I’m not like his mother, you weirdo. I’m not nearly as strong as she is,” I said.
“Funny. Only strong people say that.”
I turned around at the sound of Colin’s voice. He was smiling at me as he handed my mother off to my father.
“Mind if I cut in?” Colin asked.
He wrapped his arms around me as mine ventured around his neck. We swayed on the dance floor, losing ourselves in one another. I stared up into his soft blue eyes. They seemed to emanate a warmth I hadn’t experienced before. He seemed settled. Relaxed. Content with where things were. He wasn’t rushing around trying to make things better, or frantically placing calls trying to get me the best there was. His attention was on nothing but me, and I laid my head against his chest and took it all in.
“Your mother gave us a wedding gift,” I said.
“Doesn’t shock me. Your mother said they had something for us, too.”
“Ugh. When will parents ever learn?” I asked.
“I have no idea, but I suppose we shouldn’t have expected any less. What did my mother get us?”
“It’s an envelope with something inside. I told her I would open it later with you. What did my parents get us?” I asked.
“No clue. They said they wanted to talk with us before we left for the hotel.”
“Which brings me to my next question. When are we heading to the hotel?”
I looked into his eyes and he smiled at me. He took my hand within his before he reached over and tapped my father on the shoulder. Colin nodded his head towards the exit before he led me towards the door, and I could hear my mother and father following in our footsteps.
“You two already turning in for the evening?” my father asked.
“I’m ready to enjoy some time alone with Abby, yes. But, I know the two of you wanted to talk with us before we left,” Colin said.
“Oh, we just wanted to give you your wedding gift,” my mother said.
“Mom, you know we told everyone not to get us gifts.”
“But we’re not everyone,” my mother said. “Now, take it. Open it up before you leave.”
My mother handed me a manila envelope. I looked at it curiously before I handed it over to Colin. He worked it open and slid the papers out, his eyes scanning the documents before he shook his head.
“This is gonna require another road trip, you know,” he said.
“What? What do you mean? Let me see.” I took the documents from his hand and began to scan them. I saw gift certificates for two luxury hotels, both dotted between here and Colorado. I continued flipping through the paperwork and saw all sorts of things. Tickets to certain events and a coupon book for the greater Colorado area. Courtesy of my father, who was getting cheaper as he got older.
“What is all this?” I asked.
“Flip to the last page,” my father said.
I flipped everything over and gasped at the sight. It was a week-long stay at a beautiful cabin in Colorado. It had a hot tub on the porch as well as a beautiful view that poured over the Colorado landscape. It was a retreat that boasted of room service and a fireplace and all of the add-ons that any newly-married couple could have wanted.
“Mom. Dad. This must’ve cost a fortune. We can’t take this. I won’t,” I said.
“Everything’s already been paid for. You just have to get it on your calendars and book your hotel rooms. We didn’t get to pay for anything for this wedding, so the least we could do was give you your honeymoon.”
“This is too much,” I said breathlessly.
“Then wait until you open my present.”
I whipped my head around and saw Elvira coming around the corner.
“You still got it in that dress of yours?” she asked, grinning.
I reached into my bosom as Colin’s eyes widened. My mother shook her head as my father chuckled, and Elvira waited with a glimmer in her eye. I pulled out the folded envelope and began to open it, my hands shaking as I took deep breaths. I pulled out the small card in the envelope, but a check that tumbled to the floor caught my eye.
Colin bent over to pick it up and came back up with his eyes bulging.
“No,” he said. “We are not taking this.”
“You are and you will,” El said.
“What is it?” I asked.
“It doesn’t matter. We’re not taking it,” Colin said.
“If you can take their gift, you can take mine,” El said.
“No, mother.”
“Colin, give me the damn check,” I said.
I took it from between his fingers before I swallowed my tongue. I was holding a check made out to the both of us for sixty thousand dollars. Just—a plain old check. Written out by hand and signed by no one other than Colin’s mother.
“Like I said, if the two of you don’t want it, then you can use it for your kids or whatever,” El said.
“We won’t cash it,” Colin said.
“Then I’ll continue sending you checks until you do.”
“We still won’t cash them,” Colin said.
“Then I’ll open an account and put it in Abby’s name so you don’t have a say in it. Either way, it’s your money to do with as you please.”
“Thank you,” I said breathlessly. “All of you. All three of you. Thank you so much.”
I wrapped my arms around their necks as I held them close. I was so overwhelmed with their generosity. I was excited about where my life was headed and I was excited with the man I was spending my life with. I tried to hold back my tears as I gathered
