Chapter Twelve
Vaughn and I decided to wait until the next Friday before we informed everyone, other than Weiss of course, of our engagement, but I knew that there was one person I had to tell as soon as possible.
"Vaughn, I need to tell my Dad," I told him soon after we made plans for a dinner party at my house.
"Okay, we'll invite him," Vaughn said nodding as he sipped on his cola.
"Well, I want to invite him, but I also need to tell him beforehand," I explained.
"Oh, that's fine, hun. One condition, though."
"What?"
"Let me tell my mom before the party, too," he whispered.
"Okay, I figured that you were going to say that I needed to keep you away from my father."
Vaughn laughed. "That, too."
I grinned. Who could really blame him for not wanting to be around when I told my Dad of our engagement? I was even slightly nervous about it.
My father and I met at a nice little restaurant that Vaughn recommended that evening. I was a little dressed up in a light blue sweater and a long, black skirt. I wanted to look nice when my dad found out. That way maybe he could at least be happy about seeing me, and not feel like seeking vengance for my 'bad' news.
"Sydney, you look stunning," he said as he approached me. "What are you hiding from me?"
"Later, Daddy," I told him as we walked into the restaurant.
We sat at an elegant table and I had to admit that this was a good place to "break the bad news" to my Dad. I looked around for a minute or so before I saw Vaughn sitting with a woman, who I assumed was his mother.
"Sydney, why did you want to have dinner with me tonight?" my father asked as he took a sip of his champagne.
"Can't a daughter just have dinner with her father without any questions being asked?" I asked nervously.
"Not mine," he grinned back. "Whatever it is, I can handle it."
"I need to tell you something..."
"Well, I figured that."
"I'm...uh...I...I'm..."
"Yes, Sydney?"
I took a sip of champagne. No wait, it was more like a gulp. "Dad, Vaughn and I..."
My father cleared his throat. "Are you two dating?" he asked as though he wouldn't be shocked at the idea. He took another sip of his champagne.
"Sort of, Dad."
"What do you mean?"
"Vaughn and I are getting married," I blurted out.
"What?" my father spat out his champagne. "How the Hell did that happen?"
I glanced around and saw staring eyes peering at my father and I. Two pairs of those eyes came from Vaughn's table. I smiled nervously as he looked at me with his own concerned smile. "Dad, hush. People are looking at us."
"I don't care, Sydney. How did this happen?"
"We fell in love," I said with one of those giddy childlike attitudes.
"How?"
"We've just become close through our struggles. Somehow, we fell in love. I don't know how it happened exactly. But it did happen, and I'm glad it happened. Daddy, I love him very much. I want you to understand that. I want you to..."
"To what?"
"To be happy for me!"
"I am! I'm just shocked."
"Don't be, Dad. Vaughn is good and you know that!"
My father sighed with a look of contentness at my reassurance.
That Friday, I cooked all afternoon long and tried to get the house all set up. Francie didn't understand what could possibly be so important or such a big deal. Of course, she didn't know about the big announcement that was coming up.
Vaughn told me that he would be coming by a little earlier with his mother. I was so excited to meet her, but I was totally afraid that she could hate me. I couldn't believe how nervous I was.
The doorbell rang and Francie ran to the door before I could even move. Suddenly, my body, heart, and soul were filled with so much anxiety.
"Hello," Francie said as she opened the door. I saw Vaughn's beautiful face very clearly and next to him was the woman from the restaurant. I was right when I assumed that she was his mother.
"Hi," Vaughn said as he shook Francie's hand. "I'm Michael Vaughn, Sydney's boyfriend, and this is my mother..."
"Hi, I'm Francie," she said smiling, not realizing that he knew exactly who she was. "Michael, it is so nice to meet you. I've heard such wonderful things about you! And Mrs. Vaughn, it's an honor to meet you."
"It's an honor to meet you, too, Francie," Mrs. Vaughn said politely.
"Well, come on in, you two," Francie said as she ushered them in.
That's when I was really able to take in his handsome features. I knew that this was the night when we'd finally be able to state to all of our friends just how much we loved each other. He looked at me with those eyes. Those two emeralds that pierced through my skin and burned a part of my soul. I felt like I was going to faint just from his gaze. He began to approach me, guiding his mother along with him. I just stood with a nervous, dazed grin on my face.
"Mom, this is my...Sydney Bristow," he grinned as he realized what he had just said. I withheld a giggle from surfacing. "Syd, this is my mother."
"It is wonderful to meet you, Sydney," she said as we reached out to shake each other's hands. Her face was glowing with such happiness. "Sydney, I've heard so many wonderful thinks about you. I'm so happy that my son has found you because you seem like such a delightful girl."
"Thank you!" I blushed. Mrs. Vaughn nodded and walked over to help Francie finish things. I watched the two of them for a second.
"You look wonderful," Vaughn whispered into my ear as he placed a hand on my bare lower back. I turned around to face him.
"So do you."
"I'm so glad that we get to do this."
"Me, too."
I gazed deeply into his eyes and then we kissed.
An hour later, our closest friends had finished arriving -- as did my dad. We were in the middle of eating dinner when Vaughn whispered, "Is it time?" I just nodded.
The two of us stood up in unison. "We have an announcement to make."
All eyes turned to the two of us. I suddenly felt very nervous again.
"We're..." I began, but I couldn't finish. I looked at Vaughn.
He winked, "I asked Sydney to marry me and she said she would."
Silence briefly filled the room before Francie started squealing with delight. Will looked like he was ready to kill Vaughn, but I could tell that he was trying to smile through his frustration. We were suddenly bombarded by a ton of questions. Francie decided that she was going to go out and buy bridal magazines in the morning so that she and I could sit down and plan my wedding. I began to not care what everyone thought or said. I just knew that I wanted to be with Vaughn forever.
Vaughn and I decided to wait until the next Friday before we informed everyone, other than Weiss of course, of our engagement, but I knew that there was one person I had to tell as soon as possible.
"Vaughn, I need to tell my Dad," I told him soon after we made plans for a dinner party at my house.
"Okay, we'll invite him," Vaughn said nodding as he sipped on his cola.
"Well, I want to invite him, but I also need to tell him beforehand," I explained.
"Oh, that's fine, hun. One condition, though."
"What?"
"Let me tell my mom before the party, too," he whispered.
"Okay, I figured that you were going to say that I needed to keep you away from my father."
Vaughn laughed. "That, too."
I grinned. Who could really blame him for not wanting to be around when I told my Dad of our engagement? I was even slightly nervous about it.
My father and I met at a nice little restaurant that Vaughn recommended that evening. I was a little dressed up in a light blue sweater and a long, black skirt. I wanted to look nice when my dad found out. That way maybe he could at least be happy about seeing me, and not feel like seeking vengance for my 'bad' news.
"Sydney, you look stunning," he said as he approached me. "What are you hiding from me?"
"Later, Daddy," I told him as we walked into the restaurant.
We sat at an elegant table and I had to admit that this was a good place to "break the bad news" to my Dad. I looked around for a minute or so before I saw Vaughn sitting with a woman, who I assumed was his mother.
"Sydney, why did you want to have dinner with me tonight?" my father asked as he took a sip of his champagne.
"Can't a daughter just have dinner with her father without any questions being asked?" I asked nervously.
"Not mine," he grinned back. "Whatever it is, I can handle it."
"I need to tell you something..."
"Well, I figured that."
"I'm...uh...I...I'm..."
"Yes, Sydney?"
I took a sip of champagne. No wait, it was more like a gulp. "Dad, Vaughn and I..."
My father cleared his throat. "Are you two dating?" he asked as though he wouldn't be shocked at the idea. He took another sip of his champagne.
"Sort of, Dad."
"What do you mean?"
"Vaughn and I are getting married," I blurted out.
"What?" my father spat out his champagne. "How the Hell did that happen?"
I glanced around and saw staring eyes peering at my father and I. Two pairs of those eyes came from Vaughn's table. I smiled nervously as he looked at me with his own concerned smile. "Dad, hush. People are looking at us."
"I don't care, Sydney. How did this happen?"
"We fell in love," I said with one of those giddy childlike attitudes.
"How?"
"We've just become close through our struggles. Somehow, we fell in love. I don't know how it happened exactly. But it did happen, and I'm glad it happened. Daddy, I love him very much. I want you to understand that. I want you to..."
"To what?"
"To be happy for me!"
"I am! I'm just shocked."
"Don't be, Dad. Vaughn is good and you know that!"
My father sighed with a look of contentness at my reassurance.
That Friday, I cooked all afternoon long and tried to get the house all set up. Francie didn't understand what could possibly be so important or such a big deal. Of course, she didn't know about the big announcement that was coming up.
Vaughn told me that he would be coming by a little earlier with his mother. I was so excited to meet her, but I was totally afraid that she could hate me. I couldn't believe how nervous I was.
The doorbell rang and Francie ran to the door before I could even move. Suddenly, my body, heart, and soul were filled with so much anxiety.
"Hello," Francie said as she opened the door. I saw Vaughn's beautiful face very clearly and next to him was the woman from the restaurant. I was right when I assumed that she was his mother.
"Hi," Vaughn said as he shook Francie's hand. "I'm Michael Vaughn, Sydney's boyfriend, and this is my mother..."
"Hi, I'm Francie," she said smiling, not realizing that he knew exactly who she was. "Michael, it is so nice to meet you. I've heard such wonderful things about you! And Mrs. Vaughn, it's an honor to meet you."
"It's an honor to meet you, too, Francie," Mrs. Vaughn said politely.
"Well, come on in, you two," Francie said as she ushered them in.
That's when I was really able to take in his handsome features. I knew that this was the night when we'd finally be able to state to all of our friends just how much we loved each other. He looked at me with those eyes. Those two emeralds that pierced through my skin and burned a part of my soul. I felt like I was going to faint just from his gaze. He began to approach me, guiding his mother along with him. I just stood with a nervous, dazed grin on my face.
"Mom, this is my...Sydney Bristow," he grinned as he realized what he had just said. I withheld a giggle from surfacing. "Syd, this is my mother."
"It is wonderful to meet you, Sydney," she said as we reached out to shake each other's hands. Her face was glowing with such happiness. "Sydney, I've heard so many wonderful thinks about you. I'm so happy that my son has found you because you seem like such a delightful girl."
"Thank you!" I blushed. Mrs. Vaughn nodded and walked over to help Francie finish things. I watched the two of them for a second.
"You look wonderful," Vaughn whispered into my ear as he placed a hand on my bare lower back. I turned around to face him.
"So do you."
"I'm so glad that we get to do this."
"Me, too."
I gazed deeply into his eyes and then we kissed.
An hour later, our closest friends had finished arriving -- as did my dad. We were in the middle of eating dinner when Vaughn whispered, "Is it time?" I just nodded.
The two of us stood up in unison. "We have an announcement to make."
All eyes turned to the two of us. I suddenly felt very nervous again.
"We're..." I began, but I couldn't finish. I looked at Vaughn.
He winked, "I asked Sydney to marry me and she said she would."
Silence briefly filled the room before Francie started squealing with delight. Will looked like he was ready to kill Vaughn, but I could tell that he was trying to smile through his frustration. We were suddenly bombarded by a ton of questions. Francie decided that she was going to go out and buy bridal magazines in the morning so that she and I could sit down and plan my wedding. I began to not care what everyone thought or said. I just knew that I wanted to be with Vaughn forever.
