“I won’t drink to that,” Grey’s eldest brother Bishop said putting down his glass.
“Neither will I,” Mattock said glad that there was more than one voice of reason in the car.
“Well, I will,” Grey said turning his glass upwards.
There was a long silence as the men road uncomfortable. It had been evident the entire celebration that Grey was troubled by something, and now it was painfully clear. He was only marrying Ivy for the seat. Bishop knocked on the glass and had the chauffer pull the limo over.
“Grey, can we step out of the car and talk for a minute?” Bishop asked.
“Why?” Grey said looking around at his friends. “Whatever you have to say can be said in front of these men.”
“Alright then,” Bishop said looking at Mattock, whom he was sure agreed with him. “You don’t need to marry this woman today. You don’t have to marry her today,” he said assuring Grey. He looked around for support on the matter and his other brothers chimed in.
“He’s right, Grey.” Emerson, one of his older brothers, said shaking his head. “No one thinks that it’s worth it. When you marry, you marry for love not for office, especially to be a Congressman. No one really wants you to do this anyway. It’s a bad move. Mom thinks so. We think so. Tell him, Bishop.”
“It is wrong,” Bishop said piggybacking. “I wouldn’t say anything before because I felt you may really love her, but this confession proves that you don’t.”
“Are you hearing what you are saying?” Grey asked appalled. “It’s one hour,” he looked down at his watch. “It’s one hour before my fucking wedding. And you’re telling me not to marry Ivy, because I don’t love her.”
“You may love her, but you’re not in love with her,” Mattock quickly interjected wanting Grey to hear their reasoning.
“Oh, now you’re going to take their side,” Grey said snapping at Mattock. He looked around feeling betrayed. “How many other people in the car feel as though I’m making a mistake?” A few other hands raised but no one said anything. “And when were you going to say something?” Grey said snarling. As the limo pulled over, Grey pushed his way out of the car and stood in a daze at the Exxon gas station.
Bishop got out with his brothers and Madison. This was a cold shower for a hot mess. They circled Grey, trying to get him to listen to reason. This was the final hour. If they didn’t say something now, they never could. The adrenaline pumped through the small crowd of family and friends.
“No one’s trying to put you down, Grey. You were doing an honorable thing. You stayed with her, even after she had twin boys by another man. You’ve been good to her. But you don’t owe her this,” Bishop said putting his hand on Grey’s back.
“It’s one hour before my wedding,” Grey said again wanting to give in to his brother’s pleas. “Do you realize how this makes me look?”
“You look like a smart man to most people,” Emerson said sympathetically. “Be honest with yourself, man. Do you really want this? Do you think that this is the only way that you can win the seat? Why is she such a guarantee to you?” The questions were infinite.
“It’s not her.” Grey said finally. “It’s the principle of it. I made a promise to her, not to leave her alone again. Plus, I didn’t want to loose her. She’s a wonderful person, but now that I’ve got her…” he looked up at his eldest brother who stood by him supportively.
“You don’t want her,” Bishop said finishing Grey’s sentence. “It’s evident to all of us, and eventually it will be just as evident to her and the rest of the world.”
“An hour is an awfully long time to apologize,” Mattock said realizing they had to stop this wedding for Ivy’s sake. “In time, she’ll appreciate you for it.”
“Shit!” Grey said upset that he had put himself in this situation. “There is no way to remedy this.”
“It’ll be okay,” Bishop said hugging his brother. “You just have to do the right thing for Ivy’s sake.”
***
Nicola looked at his watch. It was four o’clock with only an hour before the wedding and the sun began to weaken under the clear blue skies. Helping his mother out of his truck, he gazed up at the large church and awed at its beauty. Today was a supposed to be a day of celebration, but for him it was a funeral. Still there was something pushing him to see it through.
Tending to his children, Nicola walked with his entire family to the beautiful sanctuary was met at the door by Sadie who looked on anxiously for their arrival. She had made arrangements for the Agosto family to sit on the Winters’ pew. She and Madison had discussed it the night before and decided that although this entire fiasco was Grey’s design, he would have no control over their side of the family.
Sadie met Liz with a great hug, holding her in her bosom. Liz was equally glad to see her new friend, and embraced her happily. “You look absolutely breathtaking,” Liz said admiring Sadie’s champagne satin spaghetti strapped floor length gown with matching bolero jacket. Her hair was pinned ever so carefully with small delicate tendrils around her face. She wore a perfect strand of baroque Tahitian pearls that were given to her by Madison on their tenth anniversary and matching pearl earrings. Nicola smiled softly
