Chapter 8
1967
"Jon, do you have the ring? Have you seen Abbey? Did she come? How many people…."
"Jed, calm down. Everything is fine. Abbey is here. And you need a drink. Want some scotch?"
"You didn't bring any in here, did you? It's a church, Jon. You don't drink alcohol in church." Jed turned to see his brother smiling at him.
"Gotcha, didn't I Jed?"
"Yeah. Okay, I'll try to calm down. But I just want to be married to Abigail. I love her so much, Jon. I really do. I want her to be my wife and lie next to her and take care of her…"
"Jed, you're rambling again. Just sit down, will you? Father Thomas will be here for us any minute."
"Okay." Jed sat down and tried to remain calm. But now his hands were nervously moving in his lap.
He looked up to see his parents coming down the hall toward the dressing area.
He stood up quickly, his body tensing to do battle with his father yet again. It had not been a pleasant four months since the meeting in Manchester when he announced his engagement to Abbey. He had talked to his mother frequently and she had attended several bridal showers that Abbey's friends had thrown. But there had been no contact with his Dad.
He wondered if they had found out that Abbey was pregnant. They only had unprotected sex one time but that was enough. She was already two months along, but had been able to hide her growing abdomen to most people. Her mother had found out a few days ago, but promised to keep it a secret.
"Hi, Jed." His mother gave him a quick kiss.
"Hello, Josiah." Again, the flat, unemotional voice of Jed's father.
"Are you ready, Jed? The church looks beautiful and I'm sure Abbey will look gorgeous."
"Yes, Mom. I'm so ready. Can't wait."
"That's nice." Turning to Jon and John, she asked for a private moment with Jed.
"No," John answered.
"Please John. I want a private moment with our son before the ceremony." Both parents stared a moment at each other before John shrugged his shoulders.
"Come on Dad." Jon stood by the door, waiting for his father. Reluctantly, they both left the room closing the door behind them.
Looking into her oldest son's eyes, she focused on getting her message across.
"Jed, I know about the baby." Before Jed could respond, Catherine raised her hand to prevent any speaking. "Its okay, Jed. Your father doesn't know. And he won't. Not yet at least. But Abbey's mom kept hinting at something last night at the rehearsal dinner and she finally told me, but only after a lot of persuasion."
Catherine had a huge smile on her face.
"Jed, I'm so happy for you and Abbey. She's such a lovely girl and you both will make great parents. But remember something always, treat her with respect and with love and your marriage will last forever. Love and respect. Always remember those words and you'll do fine. There will be times that it will be hard to do so, but don't fall into the trap I did. I thought I could change your father, but that never happened. And divorce has never been an option, at least not to me.
"So take your new wife and your new child and enjoy your time in London. I'll miss you so much, but come home soon. Now, go get married."
Jed's eyes were full of tears, but he couldn't allow himself the luxury of crying. Instead, he hugged his mother and then gave her a long kiss. "Mom, I love you. And I'll miss you. I promise I'll write and I can call occasionally."
"Jed, you're a married man now and you'll be a father soon. Your family should always be your first priority. Take care of your family and they'll take care of you."
With those words, she turned and left the room.
Jon came back in, this time accompanied by Father Thomas. It was time to make his dream come true.
Present
With dawn breaking, Jed climbed back into bed. He gathered his sleeping wife in his arms. As Abbey snuggled closer to him, he closed his eyes and quickly dropped off to sleep. He would need her strength over the next few days.