“You’re going to be grandparents soon,” Max announced.
Silence.
Matthew squeezed my hand so tightly, I thought he was going to break it. Or was I holding his hand tightly? He looked at me, letting me know everything was going to be okay.
Dead silence.
Ellen burst into tears. Rob stood up, looking baffled.
Oh shit! I swore if they said anything negative, I would have lost all respect for them. My fear vanished when Ellen dashed toward Jenna and embraced her. “I’m going to be a grandmother!” Ellen squealed. Tears escaped her eyes, falling over her cheeks.
Jenna got out of her chair, looking surprised and happy. With tears flowing down her face, she gave Ellen a proper hug.
“Congratulations, Max,” Rob said, with a hug. “Finally, we’ll have grandchildren before we get too old.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
After the tears were wiped, everyone settled back down. Ellen looked at Matthew and me. “I’m going to assume we’re the last ones to know.”
I smiled and kept my mouth shut.
Matthew shrugged his shoulders. “I’m his brother and you’re our parents. You said parents before friends.”
“That’s right. No matter how old you are, we are your parents first, then friends.” Ellen turned to Jenna. “My dear, soon to be mother of our grandchild, you have nothing to worry about. I understand your dilemma and what you must have been thinking. I assure you, we will embrace our grandchild with loving arms.” Ellen slipped her hands into Rob’s. “We were so busy as working parents that we missed too much of Max and Matthew’s childhood. It’s going to be different for our grandchildren. I promise.” Ellen started tearing again.
“Let’s toast,” Matthew said, raising his glass. “To Max and Jenna’s wedding and their child.”
With a clink of glasses, everyone took a sip.
“When’s the wedding? We have to hurry and plan. Many vendors get booked up so fast. Sometimes you have to wait for a couple of years,” Ellen informed.
“Jenna and I already discussed having a small wedding with our family and close friends. Becky is going to be her maid of honor and Matthew will be my best man. That is all,” Max said. “I’ve already spoken to Pastor Sam. He agreed to marry us. We would plan this wedding sooner, but one of Jenna’s closet friends is getting married in three weeks. We also need to get ready for the fashion show in Australia.”
“There’s so much to do,” Ellen said. “I can make some phone calls. We can...oh my...we can...can we? ” I could tell Ellen was running with thoughts in her mind from her smile and her sparkling eyes.
“Mom,” Max chuckled. “Slow down. I think I read your mind. And yes, Jenna and I were thinking that it might be a wonderful idea to have the wedding at our favorite getaway. The Grand Del Mar in San Diego.”
“San Diego, here we come.” Ellen nodded her head in delight and slipped her hand around Rob’s arm. When she snuggled closer to him, he kissed her forehead. It was the sweetest sight. “I’ll make some phone calls for you, Max.” She turned to Jenna. “Please, let me help you. With my connections, they will treat you like a queen and cater to your needs.”
“I can use all of the help I can get,” Jenna said with a smile. “We don’t have much time.”
“Perfect. I’ll make an appointment for your wedding dress. We need to contact the florist. Decide on the flavor of the cake. Oh, the invitations. We need to get those out. There’s so much to do. The list goes on. I’ll contact you as soon as I talk to the manager at Del Mar.”
I wasn’t sure how long the list would be, but it had taken Nicole at least half a year to prepare everything for the wedding and the reception. With Ellen’s connections, I was sure Jenna was in good hands.
Chapter 13
Jenna
“Hi, Jenna,” Mom greeted from her phone.
The sound of her voice got my heart thumping so fast, I could hear it beating as Mom waited for me to answer. “Hi, Mom.”
“How are you? Is everything fine?”
There was a little pause before I spit out what I needed to say...before I could change my mind. “I’m pregnant.”
“I’m not sure if I’d heard you correctly. Did you say you were pregnant?” I knew it. Her tone was very concerned and I could just imagine her disapproving expression.
I inhaled a deep breath and swallowed before I spoke. “Yes.” There was a stretch of silence. I thought I heard a soft cry, but I wasn’t sure. “Mom? Are you there? Before you get mad, Max and I are in love. We’re going to get married. And—”