Still fully clothed and lying on their bed, Jed and Abbey gave a sigh of relief.
It was three am and they were finally in their bedroom, after a very long evening.
First, the wedding and the delay caused by the China situation.
Then the reception that went on for over five hours before the newly married couple left in a limousine, headed for the Caribbean resort that Jed paid for. He understood how low their funds were and with a child on the way, Vic needed to save his money.
"Jed, what are you thinking?"
"How tired I am."
Abbey propped herself on her elbows and leaned over to look her husband in the face. "Jed, that's not an answer."
"Yes it is when every bone in my body is screaming for rest."
"Aren't you thinking about how nice the wedding and reception was? And how beautiful your daughter looked? And how she glowed whenever she looked at Vic?"
"Abbey, I can talk about all that tomorrow. Right now, all I want to do is get some sleep."
She punched him.
"Hey! What was that for?"
"Jed, she was beautiful, don't you think? The dress hid the baby quite well. Hopefully, not too many guests noticed."
Turning to look at his wife, Jed smiled. "Did our guests know you were pregnant with Liz when we got married?"
Abbey returned his smile and started to cuddle into his shoulder. "I don't think so. Mom and Dad knew of course, and my sister, but I don't think anybody else knew until we sent word from London that Liz had been born. But this is a different world now. It's okay for a girl to be pregnant at her wedding."
Jed sat up when he heard those words. "No, Abbey, it's not. Our faith says that children are a gift from God and should be conceived within the sanctity of marriage. I'll support Ellie, but it's still wrong."
Abbey sat up beside him. "Why are you bringing this up now? Why haven't we talked about it before? I thought you were okay with this."
"Well, I am. All I'm saying is that Ellie knew better. She has been brought up to follow her faith."
"Jed, I can't believe you're saying this now. We were in the same category. I was pregnant at the time of our wedding and you never said a word about this to me. Now, it's been thirty-five years and you're just now telling me how you felt back then."
Jed stood up and started pacing the floor. "It's not how I felt back then. I loved the fact that you were carrying our child. But it's our daughter I'm talking about. I felt the same way about Liz being pregnant without being married. Don't you see a pattern developing here? Zoey is next, if that pattern continues. God knows what she and Charlie have been doing in her bedroom at night."
Abbey stood up and came face to face with her husband. "Jed, it's none of our business what's going on. Zoey's an adult and can make her own decisions. All of our girls need only our support and love. God Jed, Ellie is thirty years old. She certainly makes her own decisions. And Liz has become a wonderful mother to Annie and Gus. So these things work out."
"I know Abbey. And you certainly have done a wonderful job as a mother to our three girls. But I just care about what they do."
Abbey raised her hands and softly stoked Jed's face. "Hon, you can't prevent your girls from growing up. These things have a way of working out for the best. Come back to bed and get some sleep."
Reluctantly, Jed crossed over to their bed and sat down as Abbey sat beside him. Looking into her hazel eyes, he knew that everything would be okay. It has always been that way. "One more thing."
"Yes, what is it?"
"I love you. All during the wedding I kept remembering our wedding day and how much more I love you now than I did then. Do you think Ellie and Fruit Fly Guy will feel the same way thirty-five years from now?"
Smiling, Abbey leaned over and kissed him. As she wiped the lipstick off his face with her thumb, she replied, "I can only hope so."
THE END