I have decided that I'm really ready to be done with this story, so I plan to update this as much as I can. I'm still hoping to get it done by the end of the year (only two weeks away!), so we'll see how that goes. Thanks for reading!
Chapter 11
The next day passed in a busy blur. Karen and Bill went over to visit the Bradleys, who were the family of Ryan's fiancée, Caroline, and Bill was introduced to the bride and groom. Ryan seemed much more willing to accept Bill than Stephanie had been, and they immediately started chatting about baseball, a sport that both were fans of.
"I'm sorry, Ryan, but I have to say that the New York Yankees are the best team that ever played," Bill said. Ryan made a face. He and Caroline lived in Boston, home of the Yankees' arch-rivals, the Boston Red Sox.
"Yes, but when was the last time that the Yankees won the World Series? 2000?" Ryan asked. The Red Sox had won several World Series titles since then. At this point, Karen came up next to them.
"What are you two arguing about?" she asked lightly, although Bill noticed a hint of anxiety in her voice. Ryan only rolled his eyes in an exaggerated fashion.
"Mom, you're dating a Yankees fan," he informed her as if this were a capital sin. Understanding dawned across Karen's face, quickly followed by a wave of relief.
"Well, I'm sure Bill is annoyed that I raised a Red Sox fan, too," she told her son, giving a sideways glance at Bill, who grinned. "Fortunately for me, I don't follow baseball, so I can overlook this particular…" she paused, searching for the right word. "Issue," she finished delicately. "Besides, your father used to be a Yankees fan, too," Karen observed. Ryan shrugged.
"Yeah, well, I don't always see eye-to-eye with him either," he said jokingly. He turned to Bill. "I won't hold this against you, though," he said seriously to the older man. "You seem like a nice enough guy. Just don't mess with my mother and you're okay in my book," he said, placing a protective arm around Karen's shoulders. Karen just rolled her eyes.
"Can I go nowhere without someone threatening my date?" she asked. "First Jim, now you, Ryan…" Ryan smiled and placed a kiss on Karen's cheek.
"We only do it because we love you, Mom," he said happily before rushing off to find his bride-to-be. Karen sighed as she watched him go.
"Sorry, he's so protective of me," she muttered to Bill, who just smiled.
"Don't worry about it," he told her firmly. "He just loves you. Besides, I don't plan on messing with you, so I shouldn't have anything to worry about." Karen smiled up at Bill and briefly grasped his hand. Bill squeezed it reassuringly before they were called back to deal with more wedding business for the rest of the day.
That evening, they went to the rehearsal dinner. It was a lovely dinner, and it was only marred by Bill's introduction to Michael, Karen's ex-husband. However, it was very brief, as both men knew that they didn't want to spend more time than necessary with the other. Bill wasn't about to waste any extra energy trying to get along with Karen's ex if he didn't have to.
The next day was the big day. Bill and Karen awoke at what seemed to be the crack of dawn to dress and head over to the church. Here, the scene was that of hectic members of the wedding party running all over, trying to ensure that everyone would be in the right place at the right time. Karen first visited Caroline, her soon-to-be daughter-in-law, wishing her the best. Then, she made her way to find Ryan. Karen found him in one of the back rooms of the church. She somewhat timidly knocked and entered to be greeted by a slightly paler Ryan surrounded by his groomsmen.
"How are you doing?" Karen asked Ryan as she hugged him in greeting.
"Fine. Nervous, but excited," he answered. Karen smiled at him.
"That's the way it should be," she answered, smirking. "You'll be fine," she said, her tone turning more serious. Ryan looked as if he couldn't speak, and Karen only adjusted his tie a little, smiling somewhat sadly. "My son, getting married," she said quietly, more to herself than anyone else. Ryan frowned.
"You're not going to cry on me here, are you Mom?" he asked concernedly.
"Oh no, I'm saving that for during the ceremony," Karen said lightly, a twinkle in her eye. At this, the best man entered the room, and Karen said a quick goodbye to her son before leaving to find Bill and take their seats in the sanctuary.
The service was a beautiful one. Karen did, indeed, have tears in her eyes much of the time, but Bill took her hand and held it reassuringly, which soothed her. Before she knew it, the ceremony was over and they were whisked away to the reception at the local country club, of which the Bradleys were members. The dinner was excellent, and the evening passed in a blur until the music began. Ryan pulled Caroline out onto the dance floor, and everyone gathered to watch. After the first dance, other couples started filtering out onto the dance floor. Bill finally pulled a reluctant Karen out onto the floor.
"You're the mother of the groom," he told her pointedly. "Now I'm no expert at wedding etiquette, but I think you're supposed to at least put in an appearance on the dance floor."
"I hate dancing," Karen muttered.
"Well," Bill started, "maybe you've just been dancing with the wrong people." He took one of her hands in his and placed his other hand on her waist, pulling her close to him. Karen sighed, breathing in the intoxicating scent of his aftershave.
"Maybe," she mumbled. They spent a while dancing and socializing with others, both hardly leaving the other's side. It wasn't until a little while later that her mood was disturbed when Michael approached the couple, separating them before they knew it.
"You don't mind if I have a dance with the mother of my son, do you?" he asked Bill in a tone of voice that said that he wasn't going to care if Bill said "Yes" to that question. Bill looked at Karen, whose look assured him that she would handle this on her own.
"Of course not," Bill said forcibly. Exchanging a final look with Karen, who nodded to him, Bill left to sit down at their table. Once Bill was out of view, Karen rounded on Michael, who was leading her onto the dance floor.
"What do you want, Michael?" she asked exasperatedly.
"I just wanted to talk," he stated calmly. "And it didn't seem like you were ever going to give me a chance by breaking yourself away from your date, so I figured I'd have to break you two apart myself if I was going to be able to talk to you."
"How thoughtful," Karen muttered sarcastically.
"I'm serious, Karen," he said. "We haven't talked since-"
"Since you signed the divorce papers," Karen finished quickly.
"Yes." There was a heavy pause in the air.
"So, is there something in particular that you want to talk about?"
"I'm not sure I've been completely satisfied with how things turned out between us," Michael said. Karen sighed. She had been afraid that this was what he was going to say.
"Well, I have been happy," she told him firmly. "Very happy." Michael frowned, looking over at Bill before looking back to Karen.
"Happy with what's-his-name over there? Mr. Government Agent?" At this, Karen could feel her temper start to flare.
"Don't you dare bring Bill into this," she hissed quietly. Michael rolled his eyes.
"You know, I hate to say this," he said in a voice that seemed to suggest that he really enjoyed saying what he was, "but he's the reason there is a 'this.'" At this point, Karen knew this conversation needed to be held off of the dance floor. She stepped away from Michael and motioned for him to follow her.
"We need to talk somewhere else," she whispered angrily as he followed her outside. She noticed Bill talking to her brothers, and his eyes quickly connected with hers. She gave him an I'll-explain-later look to which he nodded and returned to his conversation. Once Karen and Michael had made it outside, they looked around, ensuring that they would not be overheard. Immediately, Karen rounded on Michael.
"Let's get a few things straight here," she hissed at him. "We are no longer married and I'm happy with it that way."
"Because of Bill," Michael interrupted. Karen's anger flared again.
"This has nothing to do with Bill," she snapped. "In case you've forgotten, we have been happily separated for over four years, divorced for one. Just because I've decided to move on doesn't mean that he's the reason it never worked between us." Michael decided to change his tactics.
"Please, Karen, it's obvious that you've having some trouble getting over our divorce," he said softly. Karen looked so livid that she couldn't speak, allowing Michael to continue. "I understand. After we signed the papers, you needed someone to be with. I'm sure Bill was good to you. But now I can be there if you just give me one more chance."
"One more chance?" Karen cried. "I don't want to give you one more chance! I really don't want anything to do with you. We've been separated for four years, and at the first sight of me with another man, you immediately want to work things out? I'm sorry, but you're four years too late."
"Karen-" Michael started only to be interrupted.
"No," Karen cut in firmly. "And I'm not going to change my mind." There was a thick silence in the air as Michael seemed to realize this defeat. This realization seemed to float through the air, at which point, all animosity between the two seemed to dissipate.
"So it's really over," he stated, more to himself than Karen, but she nodded.
"Yes," she said quietly. "It's over." Michael took a deep breath, as if trying to clear it all from his system.
"I'm sorry it had to be like this," he muttered.
"Me too," Karen said sincerely. She might love Bill more than she had ever loved Michael, but she had never wanted to hurt her ex-husband. Michael nodded and, without another word, left to return to the reception. Karen stood outside alone for a second, contemplating what had just happened. That was it; her marriage was over.
For the first couple of years of their separation, Karen had harbored a secret hope that Michael would call her one day and ask for another chance. That he would say he had been wrong and that they could work it out and be together if she would have him. Even as they were going through their divorce, Karen had hoped beyond hope that they might get back to the way their relationship was when they were first married. However, meeting Bill had changed everything. Now, she didn't want any part of her failed marriage. Now, she harbored the secret hope that, instead of fixing her old marriage, she would be able to move forward into a new one.
Karen took a steadying breath before returning inside to the reception. Bill soon appeared in front of her, looking concerned.
"Hey, you all right?" he asked quietly. Karen nodded.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said dismissively. When Bill still looked concerned, Karen shook her head. "I just had to… clear a few things up with Michael. I think he understands where we are now." Bill nodded and dropped a quick kiss on her forehead, taking her hand in his.
"Come on, let's dance," he said, nodding his head towards the dancing couples. Karen smiled gratefully up at him before following him out to the dance floor. They spent much of the rest of the evening this way, happily enjoying each others' company. Michael seemed to make a point of avoiding both of them, which suited them perfectly.
Before they knew it, Ryan and Caroline were getting ready to leave. The music stopped, and Caroline stood on a table near the front of the room, getting ready to toss her bouquet. Even though she was single, Karen didn't feel like she needed to be a part of this tradition. She casually hung around the back of the crowd, letting the younger women near the front scramble for the best positions.
Caroline turned around so that her back was facing the crowd. She was so small that no one expected her to be able to throw the flowers very far. However, as if to prove them wrong, she threw them as hard as she could backwards. The bouquet was quickly launched at an unsuspecting Karen, who threw her arms up to protect herself from the flowered-projectile. Before she could register what had happened, Karen saw the bouquet of flowers in her hand and realized that the people around her were clapping.
"You know what that means, Mom!" Ryan called from the front of the room. A murmur of laughter coursed through the crowd at the slightly embarrassed look on Karen's face. As the other women dispersed, Karen retreated back to Bill, who was grinning. He wrapped an arm around her waist and placed a brief kiss on her lips.
"Nice job, sweetheart," he said. Karen only shook her head.
"I might deserve some congratulations if it hadn't been an act of pure self-defense," she explained, looking down at the flowers. "Still," she said looking back up at Bill. "No pressure or anything." Bill smiled and kissed her again, slightly longer this time.
"No pressure at all," he whispered.
TBC
