Author's Note: Here's chapter 48! Not much to say about this one. Thanks for all the reviews. You all make my day.
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"Abuela!" Calleigh waved happily. "Opa!" She was quickly smothered in their familiar embraces.
"Eric, mijo!" Abuela kissed his cheeks and squeezed him tighter than he would have thought possible, given her diminutive frame. "Now let me see this ring you put on my little girl's hand."
Calleigh held out her hand, and Abuela murmured appreciatively. "It looks good on you. Good choice, young man. I love what you did with it."
"Thank you, ma'am." Eric hugged her 'hello,' and shook Warrener's hand as well.
"I can't believe my little girl is getting married." Warrener clasped both of Calleigh's hands in his, beaming happily.
"Where is this sister I keep hearing so much about?" Maitea looked around for Coralee, but found no one resembling Calleigh.
"She's studying for an exam, but she's having dinner with us on Friday." Calleigh put her mind at ease. Today was Thursday, so there wouldn't be a long time to wait. Maitea couldn't wait to meet this new little one, although at twenty seven she wasn't really a little one anymore. Sadly, Maitea had missed those days, but she was looking forward to making up for lost time immediately.
They collected the luggage from the baggage carousel and headed to Bal Harbor to settle in for the evening.
"Mi estimada niña, your house is lovely." Abuela breathed, thrilled that Calleigh was doing so well for herself and had such a nice home.
"Thank you." She smiled demurely, embarrassed by the compliment.
She gave them a nickel tour, blushing furiously as they praised her abode. Eric busied himself in the kitchen heating up dinner and pouring the beverages. He, too, was excited that Calleigh's grandparents were visiting. They'd booked a flight almost as soon as Calleigh had shared the good news. Maitea and Calleigh chatted almost every evening, Abuela lovingly helped Calleigh muddle her way through wedding plans, although Coralee had been a big help as well, taking time from studying during the weekends to peruse linen patterns and watch Calleigh try on gowns. They had yet to settle on anything, but Calleigh had finalized a date for the ceremony.
She, and especially Eric, were not the kind of people to just sit around and wait for good things to happen. So, the wedding was planned for March. Less than a year away. Seven months now and counting. There was more to do than Calleigh had ever dreamed. Apparently weddings were rather complicated ordeals. Coralee had been married, but her wedding had more of a "clean shirt, random witness at the justice of the peace" vibe than the shingdig she was helping Calleigh plan. The guest list had been finalized, a small, rather intimate ceremony. Her closest friends, Coralee, The Walmond's, her mother (if she'd agree to come, you never know), Eric's family (which vastly outnumbered Calleigh's guest list, but hey, they're family), and some of his good friends. They figured they'd also invite the crew from the lab since they were all fairly close, so really the guest list numbered around sixty. Not too bad.
Eric had tentatively and hesitantly approached Calleigh about a venue for the ceremony.
"Calleigh, can we talk?" He had sisters, and he knew that offering up suggestions for a girl's wedding could end with him missing a few vital body parts, but this was very important to him. It was kind of a non-negotiable for him, and he prayed he could make her understand. She could have everything else the way she wanted, he just needed her concession on this one thing.
"Of course. What's going on?"
"It's about the wedding."
"Okay."
"Is it okay if we have it St. Patrick's at Miami Beach?"
"The wedding?" She'd never actually considered getting married in a church. She didn't belong to any particular religion, and she couldn't actually say that she believed in God. It wasn't that she DIDN'T think there was a God, but she was a sensible scientist, and she liked things she could quantify, experiment, replicate – and organized religions had a pesky tendency to not have any of those qualities (and so did the unorganized ones for that matter).
"Yeah." He hoped she wouldn't put up too much of a fight on this, but his mother would literally kill him if he held his wedding somewhere other than a church-sanctioned location – and that location was, indeed, the church itself. Now Eric knew how Calleigh felt about religion; they'd had several debates about the topic, although they had all been friendly debates. She respected his faith, encouraged it, and he respected her beliefs…in karma and all that cosmic stuff.
"How come?"
"It's really important to me." He wasn't certain he wanted to explain to her that in order for the marriage to be recognized, it had to take place in the church, with marriage counseling by the priest, and Calleigh agreeing to raise any and all children born into the marriage Catholic. Now, he knew she didn't want children, but forcing her to agree to raise hypothetical children in a religion she believe in might be a bit much for her.
"Okay."
Okay? That's it? "Okay?" He said it out loud after thinking it.
"Sure. I mean, if it's really important to you, then we'll do it. Why not?"
God, she really is the perfect woman. "It'll be cheaper than renting a place." He figured she was going to want something at a fancy hotel or something. "And it's really beautiful inside. And outside."
"You don't have to convince me." She kissed him, laughing. "I already agreed. It's fine."
"There's a little more."
"What else?" She genuinely wanted him to be happy with the ceremony.
"We have to do these pre-marital counseling sessions with the priest there."
"Okay."
"Really?"
"Of course." She stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Eric, I can tell this is important to you. The location isn't that big a deal to me. Now we have a place, and Coralee and I don't have to run all over town trying to find a good place. This is a good thing."
"Wow." He'd marry her right now if he could. "My mom might have already called Monsignor Vaughan and set up the first appointment." He admitted. She'd meant well, really his mother had. She'd just expected that Eric would get married in that church. All her girls had, and she wanted her son to as well. She'd been trying to help, and Eric prayed Calleigh wouldn't be upset about it.
"When is it?" She grabbed her planner so she could mark it down.
He exhaled gratefully and gave her the date, but she could tell he was holding something else back.
"Spill."
"Spill what?"
"What else, Eric?" She rubbed her hands up and down his biceps.
"I don't want full mass."
"That's good." She smiled at him. "It'd be kinda long anyway."
He looked at her questioningly, and she shrugged. "You do realize that my family is French Canadian, right?" Her fingers were tickling his arms now, and he was trying not to squirm. "I took communion and all that. I know about Catholicism."
"You did?" That took a load off his mind. Now he would just have to explain to Monsignor why she didn't want children…and maybe a few other things, but mass was on…just not the whole, four-hour ordeal. His attention span just wasn't long enough to warrant anything that long anyway.
"Lots of Catholics in Louisiana, Eric. We are the only state with parish's not counties."
"I thought it was just the Baptists in the south." He joked.
"Lots of them, too." She agreed. "The church is fine. Really."
"Okay." Phew. That was easier than he'd anticipated.
It had been a long day of travelling for Maitea and Warrener, so they turned in early, politely ignoring the fact that Eric was making no mention of going to his home for the night. Calleigh was an adult, and they were her guests, so they said nothing. Both Maitea and Warrener would have cut out their own tongues before saying anything harsh or unsettling to Calleigh.
"I've got it." Eric dragged his fingertips along Calleigh's back and heading to answer the doorbell.
"Why do you still ring that thing?" He hugged Coralee hello. "You know you can just come in."
"It's polite." She refused to let go of on smidge of her southern home training. "You don't just go barging into someone else's home. It's uncouth."
She sounded different, and it took Eric a few seconds to realize she was covering up her accent. "What's with the no accent?" He ushered her inside, but questioned her at the same time.
"I read an article about how a southern accent is looked down upon in academia. People hear it and automatically deduct, like, twenty points off your I.Q."
"That's crap." Eric could think of nothing he liked to listen to more than the sound and soft, gentle cadence of Calleigh's voice. Her accent was…sexy, and while he couldn't bring himself to categorize anything about Coralee as 'sexy' (hey, she'd practically become the younger sister he'd never had over the past few months), he was able to recognize something attractive when he heard it. "Don't pretend to be someone you're not." He advised her. "You're smart, let people think you're not if they want. Then surprise the hell out of 'em. Make 'em look like fools for judging you. Just don't try to be…someone else. You're pretty special just the way you are."
"Special as in the short bus?" She teased him, but his words touched her.
"Yeah, Shorty." He bumped her shoulder with his elbow. "As in the short bus."
"You must be Coralee." Maitea spotted the girl talking to Eric and identified her immediately. She looked so much like her precious Calleigh, it would have been impossible to mistake her for anyone else.
"I am." She extended her hand politely. "And you must be Mrs. Walmond."
"Oh, sweetie." Maitea enveloped her in a loving hug, surprising her a little. "It's Maitea, dear. You're practically family."
"Oh!" She was shocked at the reception she was receiving here. Not at all what she'd anticipated.
"We have a lot of catching up to do, mi estimada niña." She took Coralee by the hand and led her into the kitchen.
Calleigh grinned as she watched Maitea and Warrener fuss over Coralee. Eric came up beside her and she turned into him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "They're cute, huh?" She almost purred when he ran his fingers through her long hair.
"Yeah." He wasn't really paying attention to the scene she was watching. His attention was concentrated solely on Calleigh's fingers as they played absently up and down his spine and they way her silken hair slipped through his fingers as he played with it. "You're pretty." He said softly as he kissed the top of her head.
"Well, handsome, thank you." She teased him right back, turning her face toward his chest and pressing a kiss gently there (it was all she could reach barefoot). "You're pretty good looking yourself."
"I do what I can." He jested.
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"Calleigh says you're in medical school." Warrener patted her hand.
"Yes, sir."
He ignored the 'sir' part and continued. "That's a good career field, do you know what specialty you're going to choose?"
"I'm not one hundred percent decided, but I think I'm going to do forensic pathology."
"You'll always have a job." Maitea smiled.
"There's something to be said for job security." Coralee joked.
"Where did you grow up, child?" Maitea patted her hair.
"I lived in Louisiana for thirteen years, but then we moved to Savannah."
"Oh, Savannah is lovely."
"It's beautiful." She agreed. "I love it there. Very different from Miami, very…old world charm with all the parks and squares and Spanish moss draping everything."
"You miss it there." It wasn't a question, more of a statement, an observation.
"I do." She agreed. "It's unlike anywhere else I've ever been, and it was my home. I like it here, too, just…it's not Savannah."
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Calleigh and Eric excused themselves for a while to go take a walk while Maitea and Warrener got to know Coralee. Walking arm in arm along the quiet streets of Bal Harbor, Calleigh took the time to contemplate the upcoming nuptials, and all of the additional things that the ceremony would change.
"I've been looking at a job in Fort Lauderdale." She announced.
"Fort Lauderdale?" This was news to Eric. "Why?"
"Well, it just makes sense." She slid her hand down his arm and linked their fingers together. "I've pretty much gone as far as I can at Miami-Dade, at least until Horatio retires, and we both know that's not going to be any time soon." She paused before continuing. "They have an opening as supervisor, and I think I might take it. The pays not quite as good as it would be here, but…" She trailed off. "It would just simplify things a lot."
"Do you want to leave Miami?" He, too, had been giving the question of their respective employment status' a lot of thought.
"It's not that I want to leave, but we both know IA is going to have a hissy, and this makes professional sense."
Eric thought about it for a moment before offering up something he'd been pondering for a while. "We could both go somewhere else. Not even in Florida if you want. Somewhere totally new."
"Your family is here." She reminded him. Calleigh knew how important his family was to him, and she was loath to remove that comfort and security by dragging him across the country…or wherever.
"We could visit."
"Do you want to leave Florida?" Maybe he did. Perhaps that is the reason he was pushing this.
"It just seems more fair than you giving up a job you love."
"Eric," She squeezed his hand. "How does that solve anything, though?"
"I could go back to patrol." He blurted out. "Or underwater recovery. I've been thinking, too. I could go back to school and get my masters in chemistry. There's great jobs there, or I could…"
Calleigh cut him off before he could continue. "No. Absolutely not." She softened then, and started over. "I mean, unless it's what you really want to do. Eric…I don't want you going to work every day hating what you do. It's not fair to you."
"As long as I get to come home to you every night, I don't care if I'm the freaking president or the garbage man."
He said it with such sincerity and conviction that Calleigh felt her heart actually skip a few beats, then speed up as if to make up for lost blood flow. "I support you in whatever you want to do, but I think the job in Fort Lauderdale makes the most sense."
"I'll switch to the night shift." He remembered what he'd told her a few years ago. "I'll talk to H. in the morning. He'll understand. I know he'll approve it. And that'll give one of the night shift bubbas a chance to switch to days."
"And then I'd never get to see you." Calleigh countered. "No, the job in Fort Lauderdale is days. We could arrange it so we get the same days off, no IA review, no worries. It's just…simpler this way. We should stay around here. You have family here, sisters, nieces, nephews. Everybody would miss you if you left the area. Your roots are here."
"You're amazing." He stopped her on the sidewalk and kissed her like he meant it, pouring all the emotion he was feeling into the act. "The commute would be horrid from here, though." He whispered.
"I think I'll sell it." She shrugged. "That way we can get a place that's 'ours.'"
"I'd live in a cardboard box with you."
"Well," She laughed, although she didn't doubt his sincerity. "Let's both hope it never comes to that."
"Where do you want to move?"
"Halfway in between your job and mine." She kissed him chastely once on the lips. "Makes it more fair that way."
"You've put a lot of thought into this, haven't you?"
"I have." The truth was, she'd been looking at this job for a while; she just hated to leave Miami-Dade. She had so many memories, so many good friends here, and she hated to give all that up. But, a life with Eric was worth a little sacrifice on her part, and if that's what it took, she was more than willing. Besides, it came with a promotion. A lab of her own, a crew of her own. They guys at Fort Lauderdale PD had been thrilled when she'd inquired about openings. Calleigh Duquesne was a name they knew well, and they jumped at the chance to recruit her to their department.
"I don't really want to leave the area anyway." She admitted. "Coralee's going to be here for a few more years, and she said she might settle in this area after she finishes. We could both be close to our families that way."
Eric smiled at her words. She thought of Coralee as her family, and he loved that. It also meant that she wasn't just staying in Miami for him, so he could be near his family. He knew she'd do it, and he knew she would never hold it against him, but it was good to hear that she had an additional reason to stay.
"Do you really want to take this job?"
"I think I do. It's a great opportunity for me. I mean, I'll miss everybody. Even Ryan, but it may be time for me to move on. This just…speeds things up a little."
"Horatio will be sick to see you go." Eric pointed out. She really was the best ballistics expert in the greater tristate area. Probably the entire east coast. "He worked so hard to recruit you to Miami in the first place."
"We've already spoken about it." She admitted quietly, hoping he wouldn't be upset about being left out of the loop for so long. "He understands."
"So he knows." He meant about the engagement. Eric had given Calleigh a matching necklace to wear while she was at work, so she could slip the ring off her finger and not draw attention to it.
"He probably guessed as much, but I didn't tell him."
"He hasn't said anything else to me." Eric well remembered the last conversation Horatio had with him the previous winter. "I guess he's finally figured out that I'm not going to run off and break your heart or anything."
"You better not." Calleigh playfully pushed him.
"I won't." The playfulness was gone from his eyes and voice immediately. "I never will."
Calleigh believed him, too. She always did.
The conversation was getting a little heavy, so Eric decided to change the topic. "How did Coralee react when you asked her?" He knew she'd understand immediately what he was talking about.
"She cried a little." She smiled at the memory. "I might have, too."
Calleigh had taken Coralee out shopping the previous weekend looking for a wedding dress. This was a classic American bridal activity that Calleigh inexplicably found herself caught up in. It had never occurred to her that going to bridal shop after bridal shop and trying on dress after dress could be fun. She'd never really thought she could do this, but Coralee's excitement was contagious. The girl was a miracle, really, breezing through racks and finding dresses for Calleigh to try on, each one more beautiful than the first. She had a knack for locating the most elegant dresses, the most figure-flattering, and the most expensive, too. The girl had good taste.
Calleigh had wandered over to the 'bridal party' section of the store and was fingering a lovely bronze-ish dress. Very sleek. Very stylish. And it would look fabulous on Coralee. With her coloring, her hair, her green eyes, it would be perfect.
"Try this on!" She grabbed it off the rack in what she figured would be close to the appropriate size.
"Why?" Coralee was confused – they were looking for dresses for Calleigh. She really didn't need a beautiful, expensive dress.
"Just try it on." She urged. "For me."
Of course she'd do it. For Calleigh. Coralee emerged from the dressing room wearing the gown, and Calleigh gasped. "Coralee, it's perfect!"
"For what?"
"You."
"I don't need it." She protested.
"Yeah, you do." Calleigh grinned, knowing where this was going. "You have to wear something to my wedding."
"Somehow, I think a nice, simple dress would probably make me stand out…less."
"My maid of honor can't just wear any old thing." Calleigh exclaimed, loving the shocked look her statement earned her. "You have to wear something spectacular, and this, my dear, looks great on you." It did, too. It was quite possibly, the least horrible bridesmaid dress on earth. It hugged all the right places, draped quite becomingly in all the others. It was stunning.
"Are you serious?"
"Why are you always asking me that?" Calleigh joked. "Of course I'm serious."
"Oh, my God!"
"Will you do it?" Calleigh laughed, realizing she hadn't said 'yes,' yet.
"Of course I will!" She flung her arms around her sister. "I'd be honored! Thank you!" Coralee had never had a proper wedding herself, having gotten married at the justice of the peace wearing a relatively clean pair of slacks and a new shirt. She had been so focused on finding Calleigh the perfect dress so she could have a perfect wedding to her perfect fiancé, that she'd completely forgotten about the attendants.
"No, thank you!" Calleigh hugged her back, struck, and not for the first time, how fortunate she was to finally have a sister in her life.
Coralee swiped at her cheeks, noting the dampness that was collecting there as tears streamed down her face.
"Why are you crying?" Calleigh asked, then sniffed as it got to her as well.
"This is what sisters do." More tears came. "I have a sister!"
It was too much for Calleigh, and she cried a little herself. So there they stood, Calleigh in a bridal gown held together with clothespins and Coralee in a too-big bridesmaids dress, hugging and crying in the middle of the shop. It had been a touching moment, and Calleigh figured neither of them would ever forget it.
"So she's pretty excited about it, huh?"
"I think so." Calleigh smiled at the memory. "She's taking the whole role pretty seriously, too." Eric laughed, knowing in advance that this would happen. "I think she's already planning the bridal shower and the bachelorette party."
"I warned you."
"I know." Calleigh chuckled. "I know. Speaking of which, have you chosen how many groomsmen you're going to have?"
"How many should I have?" Eric hated to guess at how many people she wanted him to chose.
"You have more friends than me, so you pick. I'll come up with the rest."
"We could both just have one." He pointed out. "Make things simple."
Calleigh contemplated this for a moment. That truly would simplify her life. One attendant, one dress. One person to please. "I like it." She didn't have that many girlfriends anyway.
"Did you talk to your sisters?"
"Zoe and Carmen are so excited they can barely stand it." He heard the excited squeals over the phone, and his ears were still ringing a little. They really would be the cutest flower girls ever.
"Do we have to just pick one of your nephews for ring-bearer?" She hated to play favorites. He had three nephews of approximately the correct age. Mikey was a little young at just three and a half, but Viktor and Vincent were six and eight. Calleigh hated to upset one of them, but she wasn't quite sure how to go about doing this. Thank goodness Gloria only had girls! Then she'd be disappointing more than one or two future nephews.
"We'll figure it out." Eric wasn't worried. "Come on." They'd reached the beach, and Eric wanted to go walk by the surf, hand in hand with Calleigh. It was such a simple thing, almost a nothing gesture, but it calmed him the way nothing else could. The repetitive, gentle lapping of the waves on the beach combined with the feel of Calleigh in his arms and the sound of her soft voice soothed him, washed away his fears and tension the way the ocean washed away traces of sandcastles. They both removed their shoes, and Eric rolled his pant legs up a little, knowing from experience that Calleigh would want to wade into the water a little. She loved the ocean. Having grown up in northern Louisiana, she felt a bit ocean-deprived as a child, and had been trying to make up for it ever since she moved to Miami. Eric loved the water, and he took advantage of her penchant for 'long walks on the beach' as often as possible, no matter how cliché it sounded.
Calleigh predictably waded into the ocean, gathering the hem of her dress tightly around her knees to prevent it from getting soaked. Eric stood back and watched in awe as her face lit up with happiness.
"Come here." He held out a hand to her, pulling her into him when she grasped it with her own.
They walked along the beach for a while in silence just enjoying the view and the company.
Calleigh was excited on Saturday morning. She'd taken the weekend off so she could be with her grandparents, and she had a big question to ask them. She got up early, hoping to fix them breakfast, but Abuela was already awake and sipping coffee in the kitchen.
"I'm so sorry." Calleigh exclaimed. "I should have gotten up earlier and done that for you."
"Don't be silly, child." Maitea exclaimed, saddened that she'd upset her. "Sit and talk with me for a while."
Calleigh poured and sweetened her coffee, then took a seat at the kitchen table.
"Your Eric," Maitea started. "He's really quite handsome, isn't he?" She winked at Calleigh.
"That he is." Calleigh agreed with a nod. "He really is."
"And Coralee!" Maitea exclaimed. "What a doll."
"She's sweet." Calleigh nodded. "She's going to be my maid of honor."
"She mentioned that."
"Is Opa up yet?" Calleigh hadn't seen him, but she knew he was an early riser.
"He's out taking his morning walk, why?"
"No reason." She was about to crack and tell her Abuela the real reason when Eric walked into the kitchen. He was fresh out of the shower and smelling all manly and delicious, and looking incredibly sexy in his suit pants and button-down shirt, open at the top few buttons, jacket missing. She rose and kissed him good morning, sad that he had to work today.
"I wish you could hang out with us today." She murmured into his mouth, ignoring the fact that her grandmother was sitting at the table trying not to notice the exchange.
"I'll be home tonight." He promised.
"Good morning, Liebchen." Opa cleared his throat, having finished his walk and returned.
"Opa!" She gave him a hug and kissed his cheek affectionately. "How was your walk?"
"Good." He nodded a few times. "Humid here."
"I know." She smiled. "It's so thick you could cut it with a butter knife."
"That it is." He agreed.
Calleigh grabbed the cereal, milk, and a gallon of milk and got Eric's breakfast ready while he poured his cup of coffee.
"Opa." Calleigh started, grateful Eric was there with her for the conversation. "I have a question for you."
"Anything you need, Liebchen." He smiled, patting her cheeks just like he did when she was a small child.
"The thing is," Calleigh started. "It's tradition at a wedding for the bride's father to walk her down the aisle." She paused, and Eric placed an encouraging hand on the small of her back. "Well," She took a deep breath in. "Would you do it?"
"Liebchen!" He enveloped her in a bear hug. "Of course I will. I'd be honored." Warrener had been waiting for that moment since the stormy day so many years ago when he'd scooped her up out of the mud and into his arms. That little girl, with her blonde hair and big, inquisitive green eyes had stolen his heart. Now someone had stolen hers, and he was thrilled to be included in the ceremony. Eric, the man who had captured his baby girl's heart, was a fine young man. He was everything Warrener had always wanted for his Liebchen: good-looking, compassionate, gentle, he obviously adored Calleigh. Warrener was ecstatic.
"Sit down for a moment." Abuela motioned to Calleigh to join the three of them at the table. "We have something to tell the two of you."
Calleigh did as she was told, handing Opa a cup of coffee just the way he liked it.
"Alright." He began once his Liebchen was seated. "Calleigh," He began. "You're like a daughter to us, you know this." She nodded, smiling softly. "Well, we've been preparing for this for a while, and we'd like to help with the finances."
Calleigh gasped, and Eric grasped her hand across the table.
"We've been saving money for your wedding." Maitea interjected. "And we would love to help make this a special day for you."
"Abuela!" Calleigh was close to tears again.
"Now, let me see this ring."
Calleigh extended her hand for closer inspection.
"I love what you did with it, mijo." She nodded approval. "Very elegant."
"Thank you." He murmured, slightly embarrassed. "Coralee helped me." He admitted.
"What do you think of this?" He set a small package on the table and slid it sideways, next to her.
"What is this?" Coralee's eyes widened.
"Just look at it." He grinned impatiently.
She opened the box and gasped. "Eric, are you proposing?"
"Eventually." He gestured to the ring she was turning over and over in her hand. "Her grandma gave it to me when we went for Christmas this year, but I need to know if the setting is good, or if I should change it. I don't know if it's the right size, either."
"Well," Coralee thought about it for a minute, but the thought process was interrupted by a cheerful waitress.
"Oh!" A high-pitched voice squealed. "How exciting! Did you say 'yes?' Are you going to say 'yes'?"
They were drawing a crowd now, other diners crowding around the table, waiting with baited breath to hear Coralee's reply.
Coralee met Eric's gaze and winked devilishly, hoping he'd understand her meaning.
"Do you think this is good enough for me?" She asked loudly enough for the crowd to hear. "Do you think you can just buy me a cheap, piece of crap and expect me to marry you?"
Eric was confused for a second, but the glint in her eyes helped bring him up to speed. "Come on, sugar." He cooed, trying hard not to laugh. "Just marry me. I can't afford a bigger rock."
"Not good enough." She dropped it unceremoniously back into the box and shoved it back at him. "I deserve better than this." There was a collective gasp of shock from the crowd when she did this, and the corners of her mouth started to twitch up in response. She tried unsuccessfully to frown, but the mirth bubbled right out of her causing Eric to chuckle as well.
"He's not proposing, y'all." Her accent was thick as summer humidity. "He just wants my opinion. He's dating my SISTER! Gosh, y'all are nosy!" She was doubled over in laughter at this point, and her sides were starting to hurt from lack of oxygen.
Eric was turning red, but he patted Coralee on the back. "Breathe." He commanded, figuring that taking Calleigh's sister to lunch and ending up at the hospital because she passed out would NOT score him points in the bedroom. "Take a breath." She was beet red, but she calmed herself enough to inhale a little.
The crowd dispersed by the time Coralee and Eric stopped laughing, but the waitress was still standing there, looking very upset. "That wasn't very funny." She reprimanded.
"Actually," Coralee grinned at her. "It really was. You should have seen it from our end."
The waitress huffed a little, and Eric took this opportunity to order.
"It really is stunning." Calleigh agreed.
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Calleigh and Coralee were at the printers picking out wedding invitations one weekend morning. Calleigh was finalizing the program when Coralee walked up behind her.
"Are you sure you want to word it that way?" She pointed to the part that listed her as Calleigh's sister.
"Yeah, why?" It made sense. She was her sister, after all.
"Isn't your mom coming?"
"Yeah." It dawned on Calleigh what the problem was.
"Does she know about me?"
"No."
"This probably isn't a good way for her to find out."
"I'm not ashamed of you, Cor." Calleigh stood and faced her.
"I'm not saying you are, just...I know I'm your sister, you know, Eric knows, hell, half of Miami-Dade PD knows. It's not that important to me that it be in print. Your mom probably doesn't need that slap in the face on your wedding day. I'm really okay with it if you put "friend of the bride" as the caption. Really."
The implication of printing "sister of the bride" on the program had never actually occurred to Calleigh until just now. Coralee was right, of course. That would be a major slap in the face to her mother, given she was actually sober enough to comprehend the meaning. Still, it wouldn't do to hurt the woman on purpose. And if Coralee really didn't mind...
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure." She nodded. "She doesn't need to know. Not that way, anyway."
"You're the best." Calleigh squeezed her tightly. "Thank you."
"Any time."
Perhaps this could all go off without a hitch after all. Who knows? It could happen.
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A/N: Almost done.
