CONVICTION (INTERFERENCE) (19 page)

Shane stopped me. “I think I should do this, Rebecca.”

My heart was beating so fast, and my hands were shaking, and suddenly my mouth was so dry I couldn’t speak anyway, so I nodded, grateful that he was willing to tell him.

“This should be good,” my sister said, leaning forward with her head resting on her folded hands, eagerly awaiting the fireworks to begin.

“Sam,” my mom said, wagging her finger at her youngest child.

She rolled her eyes and patiently waited for Shane to tell my dad that we were engaged. I knew she was thrilled that the focus of the conversation was turned from the heated topic of her boyfriend. So she smiled with satisfaction at what she thought was going to let her
off the hook for dating ‘Chad.’”

Shane took a deep breath and faced my father. “I um,” he let out a gush of air, “I just wanted to say that I love your daughter, and um, I asked her…well,” he looked back at me and said, “we sort of asked each other…”

“Spit it out, Son,” my father said, which I thought was a funny choice of words, especially at that moment. 

He took another deep breath and said, “I know you said that I’ve earned your trust…and I hope that’s still the case. Because, um, I’ve asked Rebecca to um, marry me…and I really hope you’ll give us your blessing.”

My father sat back in his chair, and refused to say anything for a few minutes.  The table was silent and I could see my sister waiting for the fireworks with eager anticipation. 

“You have earned my trust. You’re a good kid, but I’m afraid I can’t give you my blessing…”

He was calm, and that really worried me. I knew how to handle it when he was angry, but this was different.

“Daddy…”

He turned toward me, “Rebecca, I can’t give you my blessing…”

“Dad! You’re being unreasonable! I love Shane!”

“May I finish now, please?” he asked.

But as usual, I let my emotions take the lead. I stood up and said, “No! I don’t want to hear it. Can’t you for once, just be happy for me? Why do you have to ruin everything?” I was angry and yelling.

He leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head waiting for me to finish. He didn’t interrupt my ranting.

“Rebecca, why don’t you let him finish?” Shane said, pulling me back into my seat.

“Because he doesn’t listen! He’s so stubborn!” I yelled, standing right back up.

“Rebecca!
Let him finish,” my mother said.

My father just sat there watching me, not saying a word.

I sat back down and leaned into Shane. I knew Shane needed him to give us his blessing and I wished, just once, that my father would see things my way.

“Are you done?” my father asked.

I was too angry to speak, so I just nodded.

He leaned forward, “Shane,” he started, obviously focusing on the reasonable person at the table. “…I can’t give you my blessing…”

I sighed and started to stand up again. Shane pulled me back down.

My father continued, “You have proven yourself. You’re a good man and I know you love my daughter. So, while I know this is upsetting to Rebecca, I still can’t give my blessing…not until she’s 18, and then I’d be proud to call you my son.”

“Daddy, you’re being completely unreason…what?” I asked.

Thank you,” Shane smiled.

“What just happened?” I asked, still completely confused

“I said you can’t get married until you’re 18. But, then I’d love to walk you down the aisle.”

I was stunned, and I think Shane was too. I glanced around the table: My sister was pissed off! But, as I looked at my mom and saw that she was smiling, I knew she had done…something, but I didn’t know what.

“I guess we have a wedding to plan,” she smiled and hugged first me and then Shane. We were both speechless. Both of us were so ready for a fight, it was almost anti-climactic. But, as soon as I looked over at Shane and saw him smile at me, I realized…
I was officially engaged!
Shane was so relieved, I could see it, feel it. He finally felt accepted by my family, especially when my father hugged him and told him how happy he was that there’d finally be another man around the house.

“I can’t believe this. You're letting her get married and I can’t even date?” my sister snapped.

“You’re not old enough to date, and when you are, well, when you find someone like Shane, then we’ll talk. But, that guy…that Chad…is bad news,” my father said to my sister.

“Great, so now anyone I date has to compare to Shane? I liked it better when you thought he was a creep!”

“Sam!” I yelled.

“What? What do you want, Rebecca! You don’t need me…you have him!” she said and started to storm up the stairs.

“I want you to be my Maid of Honor. Please, Sam?” I said, knowing that all would be forgotten given that she’d have a chance to shine at my wedding.

“What?”

“Well, who else would I want to stand up for me?”

“What about Jillian?”

“You’re my sister. I want you to be my Maid of Honor. Please, Sam?”

“You mean it?”

“Of course, I do. I’m going to need a lot of help planning. Mom and I can’t do everything.”

“Oh, really? I get to help plan it
, too? I can’t believe it! Can I wear lavender? Please, can the dresses be lavender?”

I laughed, “Well, I was thinking more on the lines of steel blue…but…”

“No, that’s fine. I like that, too. But, I still get some say in the design, right?”

“Absolutely.”

This appeased her and soon my mom, sister and I we were all talking about dates and dresses.

Shane and my dad watched us and listened, but didn’t interrupt. 

My father laughed and said to Shane, “You do realize you have completely lost control now. Sure you’re ready for this?” my father grinned, knowing all too well just how much work a wedding, not to mention marriage, was.

I stopped talking and looked over at Shane. 

He was staring right at me, “She’s worth it. Whatever she wants is fine with me,” he smiled.

“Well, that’s the right attitude,” my dad chuckled. “That’s worked for me for the last twenty-two years.”

We finally came to the subject of ‘where’ to get married.

I looked at Shane, knowing he wasn’t Catholic. “It doesn’t matter where,” I said, sitting down next to him.

“I thought you’d want to get married in your church?” he said, as if there was any other option.

“Well, you’re not Catholic…so, I just assumed…”

“Do I have to be?”

“No, but...”

“Well, then I can’t think of a better place.”

I smiled and hugged him.

“So, how about May 17
th
, or May 24
th
?” my mom said, pulling out her planner.

“The 17
th
!” I said, not wanting to wait one more day far less another week past my birthday to marry Shane.

“Well, we’ll talk to Father O’Brien Sunday after church and see if the date’s available. You’re both going to have to take classes, and meet with Father O’Brien before you can get married, you know that, right?”

I nodded and looked over at Shane. “That’s fine…whatever it takes.”

My father actually laughed and patted Shane on the shoulder, “You’re in for the ride of your life. I’m going to bed. I have to go back to work tomorrow. Goodnight.”

“Daddy?”

He turned to face me, “Yes, Pumpkin?”

“Thank you. I know mom talked to you, but…still, you were great…and you didn’t have to be.”

“I am great, aren’t I? Oh, but for the record, your mother never said a word.”

“But…I mean, you didn’t even seem surprised?”

“I saw the ring, Rebecca. You know, the one you were
so desperately trying to hide from me…” he laughed.

I ran to him and hugged him. “Thank you, Daddy.  I love you.” I whispered in his ear, “And thank you for making him feel a part of the family. He needs that…you know?”

“Yeah, well, I thought I had made my feelings known when I called him son. He’s a good man, Honey. He’s a welcome addition to the family.” He let me go and turned to Shane, “Just so we’re clear, even though you’re engaged to my daughter…these stairs…still off limits!”

Shane laughed and said, “Yes, Sir.”

“I guess in a few months, that’ll be yes…dad.  Goodnight.”

I ran to Shane and kissed him. He started to pull away, not accustomed to showing affection in front of anyone, but either he didn’t want to ruin my high or he realized it was okay now that we were engaged, but either way, he kissed me back until my mother cleared her throat.

“Sorry,” Shane said, immediately pulling away from me.

“I’m not,” I smiled.

He looked down embarrassed, but then I felt him relax when my mother started laughing. “I’m going to bed, too. Goodnight. Shane, you will join us for church on Sunday so we can meet with Father O’Brien about the dates?”

“I wouldn’t miss it.”

Finally we were alone…well, almost. My sister had taken up residency on the chair in the corner where she had been secretly texting her ‘boyfriend’ whenever my parents weren’t looking. 

“Um, Sam, don’t you think you should go to bed?” I asked.

“Why?  I’m not tired.”

“Well, I kind of want to be alone with…my fiancé,” I said, still thrilled with how the word sounded.

“Tough!”

“Sam, I can’t go upstairs, but maybe you’d be more comfortable texting Chad in your room?” Shane said, in a completely non-threatening tone.

“If you tell them, I’ll let them in on a little secret of my own…and it’s way worse than me texting my boyfriend…”

“Sam!  Shane wasn’t threatening you. Now please, go to bed. We don’t care if you’re talking to Chad.”

“Good thing, because I’d hate to tell Mom…and especially Dad, that you haven’t been home even one night…all week.”

“Sam, you might want to re-think that threat. Your sister loves you and she’s not out to get you…and neither am I. But, if push comes to shove, then I’m sure they’d be interested in what you were doing Tuesday afternoon…”

“You wouldn’t!”

“Only if provoked,” Shane said, once again without a threatening tone.

“Wow, I thought you were above blackmail!” she smiled at Shane. “You know, Becc…I like him more and more. Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.”

“Sam?” Shane said.

“Yeah?” she said from the bottom step.

“I know you like this guy…um, and I’m the first one to say everyone deserves a chance…but, be careful…okay?”

“Yes, DAD!”

“What were they doing Tuesday afternoon?” I asked once my sister was upstairs.

They were um, kissing, in the park across from the jewelry store when I picked up your ring.”

“They were making out in the park and you didn’t tell me?”

“They weren’t making out…well, yeah, I guess they were. I was going to tell you, but I had other things on my mind…you know, like proposing…” he smiled.

“You’re excused,” I laughed. “But, please, the next time you see something like that, you need to let me know.”

“That’s a promise. Now, how about making out with your fiancé?”

“I thought you’d never ask…”

The next few weeks were filled with wedding plans and appointments here and there. I didn’t realize just how much planning one wedding took…and how much time.  My mother kept telling me that six months wasn’t really enough time to plan a proper wedding, but I refused to change the date. The church wasn’t available on the 17
th
, so we had to settle for the 24
th
.  My father wouldn’t allow us to be married on the 10
th
…which was open, but it was two days
before
my birthday, so he wouldn’t even discuss it.

I was having so much fun planning my wedding. And we were so busy between school, homework and wedding plans that the weeks seemed to fly by. There was one thing I missed, however, being alone with Shane. We’d hardly had a moment together since my parents got home, and I was beginning to need some alone time.

“Shane, I um, I was hoping to meet you…before class tonight…or better yet, skipping class…”

“We can’t skip…” he stopped. “I was thinking the same exact thing. God, I’ve missed you. My bed is so cold without you.”

“Well, since mine is ‘upstairs,’ in the forbidden zone, I’ll meet you at 5:15. I’ll tell my mom we need to catch up on biology…although, I was thinking more about…your anatomy,” I smiled, and blew a kiss into the phone.

“Oh, I’ve missed you so much. I love you, Rebecca,” Shane said after we finally had a little time to ourselves.

“Me, too.  I um, I guess we should go to class now.”