Madeline

Chapter 28

Before I knew it, Reed was almost finished with the house and we were planning to marry in a week. Honestly, I thought it could have been sooner. Reed was just so determined to make everything perfect, it had taken about two months for him to be satisfied with his work.

Sometimes I was tempted to tell him it didn't matter. He'd built a beautiful home with several rooms, including a very nice kitchen and sitting room. I didn't care that it could be a little more polished. But his determination was sweet, and I couldn't try to take his accomplishment away from him.

Besides, I really had needed that time to prepare. I still had a ways to go on improving my homemaker skills actually, but Anne said she wasn't worried about me being able to handle it. I knew she wouldn't lie just to make me feel better either.

Another thing the time allowed for was preparation for the actual wedding. Since I'd never even been to a wedding before, I hadn't realized how much went into one. All that mattered to me was that Reed and I would finally be married, but apparently there was a lot to think about - clothes, flowers, food, guests, the priest. My first thought about where to marry had been the little meadow at the house, but since the only way to actually get there was on foot or horseback, it wouldn't be too practical. Instead we decided on a beautiful spot near Anne's home. Still, we had to consider what to do if it rained.

There was more, but every time I started to think about it all, I felt overwhelmed and didn't want to deal with any of it. Which suited Anne just fine. Keira apparently didn't want much fuss for her wedding, and they hadn't even been at her sister's wedding. Anne was able to help with some of her sons' weddings, but she said it wasn't the same as with a daughter. She was making my dress and I could tell she was really enjoying the rest of the planning. Considering the fact that it was my wedding, I felt I should be involved, but I was pretty happy to sit back and let her decide everything. She had very nice taste and I loved that it felt as if she truly were my mother.

"We could do roses, of course," Anne said mostly to herself. "But that's so common." She directed that statement to me. As if I'd been the one to suggested roses for my bouquet.

"How do you feel about lilacs? Oh, or dahlias?"

"Uh..." I'd heard the names, but I had no idea what those particular flowers looked like. I thought lilacs were purple, but that's all I knew, and I wasn't even sure about that.

"Oh!" She looked excited. "There's jasmine behind the house. That would be lovely..." She seemed to deflate a little. "But that would blend in with the dress." She chewed her lip, thinking.

Feeling overwhelmed just watching her do this, I looked helplessly at Keira who seemed entertained.

It was getting very close to the time when she would have her baby, so we'd been spending more time at her home to help with the children and housework, and to ensure that someone was with her in case she went into labor. I suspected that Anne would have made an excuse to do the planning with her around anyway though.

"Mother?" Keira said, stopping the newest monologue about oleander and morning glories.

As she was always on alert any time Keira said anything now, she focused all her attention on her daughter. Thoughts of flowers were instantly replaced by thoughts of the new baby.

"Would you mind making a sandwich or something? Maybe some tea? This one's being a bit demanding." Keira patted her considerable bump.

I bit my lip, holding in a laugh at how easily Anne complied. She must be feeling a bit off due to the baby's impending arrival. Even I knew how strange it was for Keira to ask someone to do anything for her. Even in her condition. She grumbled whenever Anne made her sit down or refused to let her do some simple task around the house.