A Match Made in Heaven

“You could have asked,” he said pointedly. “Besides, what the hell do you have against kids anyway?”

Janelle sighed. “I don’t really have anything against them, per se. It’s more that I don’t want to sacrifice my career to have babies.”

“Who said that you did?”

Janelle shrugged. “I don’t know. I just don’t want to take the chance.”

“Janelle,” Clark said slowly, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Your future husband is rich. I’m pretty sure you can hire a good nanny.”

“What if I’m not good at it?” Janelle asked quietly.

“What do you mean?”

“What if I’m not a good mom? I mean, my mom was perfect. There’s no way that I can be like her.”

“It’s not a competition,” Clark said, laying a hand on hers. “You would make a great mom. What you need to be doing right now, is calling your fiance and having this discussion with him.”

Janelle sighed. “Fine. I’ll call him.”

“Good. I’m going to leave so you can call him over. See you in the morning?”

“Yeah,” she said walking him to the door. “Good night.”

“Night,” he called.

Janelle took a deep breath before she called Reece. He picked up quickly. For a moment, she was at a lost for what to say to say before she cleared her throat.

“Can you come over? I think we need to talk.”

“You’re breaking off the engagement?” Reece asked, his tone flat.

“No! What’s the matter with you? Do you want me to?”

“Hell no! When you said we need to talk I just thought you were going to say that.”

Janelle shook her head as she rested her head on the bar. “Can you please just come over instead of giving me heart attacks?”

“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

“You live twenty minutes away.”

“See you in fifteen.”

“Reece-”

Janelle sighed. That man was going to be the death of her. She couldn’t stop the smile that crept onto her lips. Janelle was almost sure that after she’d talked to him, things would go back to normal. That was what she couldn’t wait for. Not talking to him had been torture.

Reece showed up in exactly fifteen minutes. He still looked nervous as he took off his coat and boots, leaving them by the door. Janelle was sitting on the couch. She patted the seat beside her.

“I want to call a truce,” she said pushing him a glass of white wine.

“A truce?” He asked raising an eyebrow and picking up the glass of wine.

“Yes. A compromise,” Janelle said. She explained to Reece what she’d told Clark. When she was done, she could see that Reece was looking more relieved. “So, I wanted to propose a deal. We can talk kids after we’re married for three years and my career is stable. Then and only then will I consider kids.”

“Four?” Reece asked.

“Two.”

“Three,” he said quickly.

Janelle narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re pushing it.”

Reece laughed. As he did, Janelle smiled. She’d missed that sound more than anything, his deep laugh. He leaned over, placed a kiss on her lips.

“Deal,” he whispered. “Now, can we please get back to planning our wedding?”

*****

February 14^th came a lot sooner than either of them were prepared for. Thanks to Clark, everything was going off smoothly. For that, Janelle was grateful. She and Reece hadn’t seen each other for the past week. Her mom insisted it would make the day more special if they had a little space. It still didn’t stop them from constantly texting each other.

More than anything, she wished that Reece could be by her side as she packed her bags to head to the church. She was nervous. Whenever she felt like this, he was the one who could whisper into her ear and make her forget what she was so concerned about in the first place.

Clark snapped his fingers. “Janelle! Wake up girl. It’s time to go.”

“I’m coming!” She yelled down the stairs.

The last of her bags were packed. Downstairs, she could hear everyone in her party getting ready. Her mom came upstairs to help her into her dress. Her hair was already done as well as her makeup and she was afraid she’d mess it up.

“You’re going to be fine,” Jacklyn said as she zipped her up into the dress.

“How do you know? We haven’t even known each other for that long. What if we’re moving too fast?”

Jacklyn cradled her cheek in her hand. “You’re a smart girl. It’s up to you. Do you want to marry him or not?”

“I love him,” Janelle said as she turned back to the mirror, she smiled softly. “I can’t imagine life without him now.”

“See? You answered it yourself.”

Janelle hugged her mom. They made their way downstairs to the bustling living and dining rooms. Everyone stopped when their eyes landed on Janelle. She couldn’t help but to feel embarrassed from all of the attention directed at her.

“You look amazing,” Clark said, filling the silence. He walked over to her, hugging her tightly. “Now, get your gorgeous self into the limo. We’re already running late.”

It took a few more minutes to get everyone ready before they were ready to head out of the door. The snow was still thick on the ground. Janelle slipped into a pair of boots and lifted her dress high with the bridesmaids help. When they were all tucked inside, Janelle sighed.

“Nervous?” Daphne asked.

“Very,” Janelle replied. “I’ll be okay though. I’m happy.”

Daphne patted her hand. As they drove to the church, Janelle began to smile. Pretty soon, she’d be Mrs. James and she could spend the rest of her life with her best friend. How many people got to say that? Butterflies were in her stomach as she stepped out of the limo at the church. The photographer took a few shots of them all before they were ready to go inside.

Their first stop was a room reserved for them to finished getting ready. Janelle traded the boots for her red shoes. Her mom helped her put on her veil. Her dad was waiting for her in the hallway, already looking teary eyed. The closer it was getting to seeing Reece, the more excited she became.

Finally, the music was starting up. She clutched her bouquet to her chest tightly as in pairs, the bridesmaids and groomsmen began their walk. She wrapped an arm around her dad’s, tears threatening to spill.

“Ready?” Her dad asked in a choked voice.

Janelle nodded. “Let’s do it.”