To Have and to Hold (17 page)

“A sonnet,” Madison began, her voice shaking a little.

Steady
,
steady …

“Hold it!” Mrs. Wolfe shouted, jumping up from her chair.

Madison dropped the green leather book on the ground.

“Oh, Mother! What is it now?” Stephanie asked.

“Just a little something …” Mrs. Wolfe said.

Dad gritted his teeth. “I think we need to keep this rehearsal moving along….”

“Jeffrey,” Diane replied. “This is important! The position of the altar is all wrong. The view down to the lake isn’t quite right. Now you don’t want something like that to mess up the whole ceremony, do you?”

“Mess up what? I think the position is fine,” Dad barked.

“Mother, sit down,” Stephanie groaned.

“Yes, sit down, Diane,” Dad said.

“I think I can handle this, Jeff,” Stephanie said to Dad, holding him back with one hand. “Mother,
sit.
”

“Stephanie Mae, I only want the very best for you both,” Mrs. Wolfe said. “There is no need to get angry with me.”

Madison bent over to pick up her fallen book. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tiffany and the other girls giggling.

Were they laughing at Madison
?

Kirk leaned over to Madison. “What’s up with
them
?” he asked. At first Madison thought he was speaking about Tiffany and the girls, but then she realized he was referring to Stephanie, Dad, and Mrs. Wolfe.

Now
everyone
had to sense—and see—the tension.

“Look, Diane,” Dad said, pushing himself closer to Stephanie’s mother. “We’ve all had a wonderful time at these parties and events. You’ve outdone yourself, and I am forever in your debt. But right now, I’d like the ceremony to be what Stephanie and I want. I think the view is fine. Stephanie thinks it’s fine. Okay?”

Madison gulped. She imagined giant claws popping out of Mrs. Wolfe’s fingers.

Attack of the Mother-in-Law-to-Be.

“Mother, please understand….” Stephanie said, trying to soften the blow.

Mrs. Wolfe flared her nostrils like a caged animal and let out a little sigh. “I don’t understand. I was only trying to help. Is this the thanks I get?”

“Please, Diane,” Dad continued, easing his tone a little. “You
are
helpful, but can you let us do this one thing on our own?”

Stephanie looked ready to explode into screams or tears or both.

Madison raised her hand to ask a question, as if she were back in school. “Um … should I finish the reading?” she asked aloud.

Pastor John placed his hand on Madison’s shoulder. “Now doesn’t seem to be a good time. I’m sure you’ll do a lovely job tomorrow,” he whispered to her. “Let’s see if your parents can resolve these other issues first.”

Madison backed away, nearly toppling into Kirk.

“This is wiggy,” Kirk whispered.

“Wiggier than wiggy,” Madison said.

She wanted to run.

No.

She wanted to
grab Dad
and then run.

The other people present at the rehearsal seemed to get the hint, finally, that things were getting a little off track. People began to disperse, heading back in for more hors d’oeuvres or drinks, or heading to the driveway to retrieve their cars and make their way to the rehearsal dinner site.

Dad did his best to try calming Stephanie, but she only blubbered all the more, shooing his advances away with a frantic wave of her hand.

Then someone told the mariachi band to start playing again, which only added to the confusion.

“I think we all have the right idea,” Pastor John said gently. “We just need a little direction now.”

He pulled Stephanie and Dad off to the side to speak with them privately.

At the same time, Stephanie’s father tugged Mrs. Wolfe away in the opposite direction.

“This isn’t what weddings are supposed to be like,” Madison said to Kirk. “Where is everyone going?”

Kirk just shrugged. “Hey, at least the food is good.”

“The food?” Madison said.
Was he kidding
?

Tiffany came over. “What is up with your dad?” she asked Madison.

“What are you talking about? It isn’t
all
my dad’s fault,” Madison said with a hint of anger.

“Well, he isn’t being very nice to my grandmother,” Tiffany said.

Madison looked away, wishing Aimee and Fiona were nearby so she could have them on her side.

“Your grandmother isn’t being very nice, either,” Madison said.

“Whoa! Whoa!” Kirk interrupted. “What are we supposed to do now? Is everyone going to dinner or what? I’m hungry.”

“Hungry?” Madison asked.

“What?” Kirk asked.

Madison couldn’t help cracking a smile.

Tiffany made a pig noise, and Kirk’s eyes flashed.

“Quit it, Tiff!” he snapped.

Kirk grabbed his cousin and messed up her hair. Tiffany let out a shriek.

“You are such dead meat!” she wailed.

Madison was sure Tiffany would break into tears. Her perfect ’do was done for. She gave Kirk a push.

Tiffany’s mother, Wanda, came over toward the kids. “Hey y’all, let’s take it easy over here. I think the rehearsal is over now,” she said.

“
Over
? Like, totally over?” Madison asked.

She thought they would just take a break while Dad, Stephanie, and Mrs. Wolfe cooled off.

She looked around to see if Dad or Stephanie had wandered back from their chat with Pastor John. But they were nowhere to be seen.

“We’re going to head over to the restaurant now. Do you want to come in the minivan with us, Madison?” Wanda asked.

“I think I’ll go ride with Aunt Bethany instead,” Tiffany piped up.

“What are you talking ’bout?” Wanda clucked her tongue. “We’re riding together. Madison, are you with us?”

Tiffany rolled her eyes.

“Um … that’s really nice of you….” Madison started to say. “But … um …”

Madison didn’t want to go off in their car. She didn’t want to be squashed in the backseat with the Texas twin of her enemy. Madison wanted to ride with Dad, not them.

Where was Dad
?

“Well, hon,” Wanda said, looking around. “We may be your only ride. I think your dad and Stephanie are going in one of the limousines.”

“Oh,” Madison said. “Um … would you excuse me for a sec?”

Madison turned away from Wanda, Tiffany, and the others and dashed into a bathroom located in the small, blue cabin alongside the lake. She splashed a little water on her face and primped in front of the mirror, trying to get a strand of hair to stay in place that kept flying out of its clip. But the hard, fluorescent light inside the bathroom didn’t help Madison feel any better. It only shone a glow on her sweatier-than-sweaty forehead. A small blemish had just started to pop out along the side of her nose.

Madison reached for a tissue and blew her nose hard, hoping that somehow her pimple would magically disappear….

And that somehow Dad would magically reappear.

Instead, she heard a knock on the bathroom door.

“Are y’all coming or what?” Tiffany said.

Three different parties located in three different, huge ballrooms packed the Great Hall restaurant to overflowing. People lined the halls waiting for service at the bars. Madison, Tiffany, and Kirk walked into the room designated for the Wolfe and Finn wedding. The other cousins were already inside.

“I don’t see your dad or Aunt Stephanie anywhere,” Tiffany remarked.

Madison kept looking. “They have to be here,” she said, still desperate to make her getaway.

Wanda put her arm around Madison. “Are you feeling alrighty, hon?” Wanda asked. “I know this is a big day, and things are a little crazy right now….”

Madison looked up at Wanda. “Huh?” she said. She didn’t feel like having a heart-to-heart right now, especially with yet another person from Stephanie’s family. “Oh, I’m fine,” she said softly, trying hard to be nice.

Deep down, Madison felt a pang like the kind she had used to get when she slept over at someone’s house.

There was a word for that feeling.

Homesick.

She envisioned Phinnie, sniffing around his chair and pillows. What Madison wouldn’t give to have just one doggy kiss from him right now! She closed her eyes for a split second—as if doing that would somehow send a secret psychic message to Mom.

Where was Dad
?

“Hey, look at the food spread,” Kirk said, appearing with his arms outstretched.

He was a welcome sight, coming over and tugging on Madison’s sleeve.

“You have to see this. Grandma has, like, twenty ice sculptures here,” Kirk continued. “Roses, a spur, and a lasso …”

“
More
food?” Madison cried. She followed Kirk inside to see the ice figures.

Tiffany came up behind them. “Boo!” she said.

Madison was about to turn around and scare Tiffany right back, but then she saw Dad across the room. He was standing very close to Stephanie.

“Hey, look,” Tiffany said, as soon as she’d spotted them, too. “Aunt Steph and your dad are holding hands again. That’s a good thing.”

Madison nodded. “Yeah,” she said blankly.

Tiffany looked at Madison, crossing her eyes. “Well, duh!” she said in a bright, twangy voice. “’Course it’s good. They’re getting hitched tomorrow. At least, I think that’s why we’re all here. I knew they’d make up after fighting.”

Madison turned away to see Mrs. Wolfe on the other side of the room. She looked as chipper as ever.

“Maddie!” Dad called out across the room. “You’re here!”

Madison immediately ditched Tiffany and bounded across the room toward Dad. He gave her a hug.

“I’m sorry I didn’t see you before we left the run-through,” he said.

Madison sighed. “I forgive you, Dad. I’m just glad you’re here now….”

“How are you holding up?” Dad asked.

“Fine …” Madison said. “How are
you
holding up?”

“Um … Stephanie and I are fine, too,” Dad said calmly. “I think. For now.”

Madison hated how her dad was answering for both himself and Stephanie. That was how Dad would see things from now on, she thought.

“What happened back at the ranch?” Madison asked.

“You got me,” Dad said with a shrug. “Diane tries so hard sometimes, but, with the rush of plans and all that—I think she got a little carried away.”

“You sounded so angry,” Madison said. “I’ve never heard you talk like that.”

Dad laughed. “Nonsense!” he said. “Sure, you have. I get mad a lot.”

Madison giggled. “No, you do not.”

Dad threw his arms into the air. “No? Well … I’m going to have to start getting madder, aren’t I?”

“Please don’t,” Madison said, giving Dad another hug. She wished that holding him tight in a hug could keep Dad from changing altogether.

The rehearsal dinner got under way a lot faster than the run-through at Bobcat Lake had. After a round of “three cheers for the bride and groom” toasts, Dad and Stephanie made their own little speeches, thanking the guests for coming to their special party. Dad added a little piece to his toast that referred directly to Madison.

“As you can see, I’m a little outnumbered in the guest department,” Dad said, with his glass raised to the ceiling. “But my daughter, Maddie, makes up for all of it. She’s here watching over me.”

Stephanie was the first person to clap, and then the whole room broke into a wave of applause.

Tiffany leaned over and whispered in Madison’s ear. “You must be so embarrassed,” she said, not really clapping.

Madison made a face. Embarrassed? She wasn’t embarrassed at all.

Instead, Madison was feeling surprisingly choked up by the turn of events. Only a few hours earlier, she’d been feeling sick about the wedding.

What did Tiffany know?

After the rehearsal dinner there was a little more dancing, but the dance floor was small, and hardly anyone seemed interested. The most energetic people on the dance floor were Dad and Stephanie, who were back to being their lovey-dovey selves again.

It wasn’t until the end of the evening that Dad wandered over toward Madison with his arms wide open.

“Okay, honey bear! It’s your turn!” he said. “Will you dance with me?”

Madison looked over her shoulder, pretending that he was talking to someone else. “Um … no way, Dad!”

Dad grabbed her anyway. “One dance,” he said. “And then we’ll head back to the hotel, okay?”

Madison glanced around to see who was watching. She didn’t see Tiffany or Kirk anywhere. She could feel her knees buckling.

“Dad,” she said softly. “I really don’t want to….”

But Dad grabbed both of Madison’s wrists and pulled her along with him.

As they spun across the dance floor, Dad squeezed Madison close, hugging her and dancing with her at the same time. Surprisingly, all of Madison’s Texas anxiety fell away like a heavy cloak.

Now, Madison felt a little more like a princess, swirling around on the dance floor in her peasant skirt, hugging her dad tight. Madison closed her eyes and felt the music lift her up and down and around….

Her imagination took over.

What would it be like to dance with a boyfriend she loved—who maybe loved her, too?

Was this what it would be like if Hart Jones held her in
his
arms?

Did love always feel like floating?

Dad twirled Madison until she was really and truly dizzy. Ceiling and wall decorations blended together in a blur of stars and glitter. She grabbed Dad’s arm to steady her balance. Together they applauded the band when the song ended. That was when Stephanie came over. She was clapping, too.

“You two looked perfect out there!” Stephanie gushed. “What a pair.”

Madison felt that maybe Stephanie was saying nice things just to butter her up. After all, the moment of truth had arrived. The wedding was tomorrow. Stephanie needed to step quickly into the role of supportive, encouraging stepmother, didn’t she?

“I think everyone’s heading home,” Stephanie whispered to Dad. “Are you two heading back to the hotel?”

Dad nodded. He reached out for Madison’s hand, and she gave it to him.

“Well, I’m heading back to the ranch, then,” Stephanie said with a little gasp, as if she’d finally let it sink in that she was getting married the following day. “See you tomorrow….”