I got to Howie’s and got the key out of the flowerpot.  He always keeps one there.  I let myself in and call Stephen first.

Reece – “Hello?”

Me – “Hey how’s the rugrats?”

Reece – “They’re okay they are all actually sleeping.”

Me – “I’m sorry to dump them on you guys at the last minute like that.”

Reece – “Not a problem.  Did you talk to Brian?”

Me – “Yes and things went very well.”

Reece – “So you guys are going to like officially live together or what?”

Me – “Something like that.  We’re getting married.”

Reece – “You’re getting married!  Oh my god!  What happened?  How did he ask you?”

Me – “Actually I kind of asked him.”

Reece – “Oh my God.  Well when?”

Me – “Probably like Saturday.”

Reece – “This Saturday!”

Me – “Yeah we haven’t worked out any details so try to keep it open.  I’m going to get a hold of Connie and have her come and get the boys in a couple days and bring them out.”

Reece – “Oh don’t worry about them.  They are fine I’ll bring them.  This is so sudden, what did your mom say.”

Me – “I haven’t told her yet.  She’s probably going to freak.”

Reece – “No probably about it.  Just tell her before you do it, don’t wait until after cause then she gets really really mad.  Trust me I know.”

Me – “I remember she was mad at me too.  So is Stevie around.”

Reece – “No he ran to the store.”

Me – “Well have him give me a call I’m at Howie’s” I give her the phone number and then hang up. 

I call Mooney, she’s keeping Tristan for Loren and Kevin, and leave a message with her to have Loren call me.  And to make sure Mooney does, I tell her what I have to tell then.  She almost broke my eardrum screaming, but promised not to tell and to have Loren call.

I then got on the net and found out everything I needed to know about getting married in Florida.  Brian and Howie got home an exactly and hour after I did.  I was still in Howie’s office on the computer.

Brian – “Are you looking up porn?”

Me – “Yeap.  There are naked pictures of you on here.  But they are obvious fakes.”

Brian – “not big enough huh.”

Me – “Oh yeah that’s it.”

Brian – “So whatcha find out.”

Me – “We can go apply for a license this afternoon and get married two days later.”

Brian – “Cool.  So who are we calling first?”

Me – “I don’t know.”  I look at the phone.  “Should we conference call them together?”

Brian – “We could.  Just get it over and done with.”

Me – “I don’t know why I’m so scared.  It’s something both of them want.”

Brian – “You know why as well as I do.”

Me – “okay let’s do it.”

I’m able to reach my mom at Elizabeth Arden’s getting a facial and Brian’s mom is at home.  Once we have them on speaker phone, Brian takes my hand and starts talking.  “Well since we both have you on the phone there’s something we want to tell you.”

Goldie – “We’re listening.”

Me – “We’re getting married.”

Jackie – “You are!  Oh I’m so happy…”

Goldie – “There’s more to it then that.”

Me – “we’re going to do it here in Florida this weekend.”

Goldie sits up in her chair so fast the cucumber slices fall off her eyes.  Jackie stops pacing and sits down in a kitchen chair.

Brian – “Hello?”

Goldie – “No you’re not.”

Me – “Mom.  We decided that we wanted to do it soon and I’ve checked in to the marriage laws and stuff down here since that’s where we are and we can be married in two days.”

Goldie – “Well that’s all and good but you are not getting married in two days.”

Brian – “Goldie I understand…”

Goldie – “No Brian you don’t understand.  I’m not opposed to you and Jessica getting married but it is going to be a wedding in a church with a minister.  Not in a court room with a judge or worse yet a reception room with twenty other couples being married by an Elvis impersonator!  I think Jackie agrees with me.”

Jackie – “yes please let’s have a proper wedding.  Nothing too big.  I could talk to Pastor Jones and we could do it here in Lexington.”

Brian – “I don’t know mom.”  I look at him and I can tell he would like to do it there.

Me – “Okay you guys have two weeks.  If you help and we can get it planned in two weeks then we’ll do it there.  If not everyone’s just going to have to go with us to Vegas.”

Jackie – “Two weeks that’s what September 19.  We couldn’t possibly get everything together by then.”

Goldie – “Jackie I have a lot of money it can be done.  One of my kids is going to have a proper wedding.  Okay I’ll try to get the next flight down there.  I’ll give you a call when I get off the plane.  Okay Jackie?”

Jackie – “Oh I hope we can do this.”  She is definitely not use to the type of fast moving person my mom is.

Me – “Trust me Jackie.  If my mom says she can do it.  It’ll be done.”

Jackie – “Okay.  Oh I am so excited!  I love you both so much.”

Brian – “We love you too mom.”

Goldie – “Give those boys kisses for me.  Jess I’ll be in touch with you soon.”

Me – “Okay.”

Goldie – “Alright I’ve got to go get this stuff scrubbed off my face.  Love you all.”

Me – “Love you mom.”  She hangs up.

Jackie – “I guess I’ll go tell your father.”

Brian – “Thanks mom.”

Jackie – “I just want you two to be happy.”

Brian – “We will be.”

Jackie – “Bye now.”  She hangs up.  We sit there staring at the phone.

Me – “I should have known she has going to do that.”

Brian – “Your mom.”

Me – “yeah she really flipped when Stephen and Reece eloped and then even worse when she found out that I went to it.”

Brian – “Well atleast this way Loren and Kevin will be home for it.”

Me – “yeah.  I couldn’t get married with out her there.”

Brian – “I know.” He brushes a piece of hair behind my ear.  “I love you.”

Me – “I love you.  So are you done?”

Brian – “Yeap.”

Me – “Good I want to go home.  I miss our kids.”

Brian – “I do too.  I just want to say again how sorry I am.”

Me – “It’s in the past.  Let’s leave it there.”

Brian – “Okay.  I’ll call the airline.”

Me – “Don’t have to I got us a tickets.”

Brian – “When did you do that?”

Me – “before I got here.”

Brian – “You just knew I was going to come home with you.”

Me – “Well yeah.  I’m irresistible.”

Brian – “That you are.”  We start kissing again as Howie comes in.

Howie – “Come on guys not in my office.  I haven’t even had sex in here yet.”

I sit up.  “Sorry Howie.”

Howie – “So how did things go with the moms.”

Brian – “Good.  They talked us into waiting two weeks and getting married in Lexington.”

Howie – “well that’s good.  It’ll give me time to find something for a wedding present.”

Me – “Howie you don’t have to get us anything.”

Howie – “Sure I do.  Now you two get ready we are all going out to eat to celebrate.”