"I can't believe it's only two more weeks until the wedding, Kel," Donna said. It'd been a month since Valerie arrived back in Beverly Hills, and the expanded group had easily fallen back into old patterns. Dinners at Casa Walsh and nights at the After Dark were the norm for the friends. There were also afternoons spent at the beach house so that Hannah and Maddy could play in the surf and sand.
"I know, it seems like time has flown by. Jim and Cindy will be here next week. Brandon is so excited to see his parents that I don't know that it's quite set in that we're getting married only seven days later," she replied.
"Oh, you know Brandon. He'll be ready by then. The Boy Scout in him will kick in; he takes his "always be prepared" oath very seriously," Brenda laughed.
Andrea smiled and nodded knowingly. "I don't know that I've ever seen him do anything half way. I highly doubt that he'll start slacking on the wedding."
"I guess I just wish he seemed more excited," Kelly explained. "I mean, he's helped me with everything, just like he promised."
"He is a man," Donna reminded her. "Wouldn't you be a little freaked out of it he was totally in to it? David was perfectly happy to let me plan our entire wedding. I think his exact words were, 'Just tell me when to be there and I'll show up.' If we hadn't been in such a rush to get it done, I probably would have been more upset."
Brenda narrowed her eyes at Valerie, who shifted uncomfortably next to her. Although Val had been present at the wedding, she wasn't exactly fond of discussing David's marriage to Donna. The divorce wasn't even final yet. "Well, I know my brother, and he'll come around," Brenda stated reassuringly. "Just let him get over the initial excitement of seeing our parents, and then he'll settle down. I have to admit, even I am thrilled about seeing them."
"Yeah, I can't wait to see Jim and Cindy either," Valerie added. "When Cindy called me last week, she kept gushing about seeing all three of her kids again. She never changes."
"No, and that's why we love her," Brenda giggled, wrapping her arm around the other brunette's shoulder. Kelly watched in jealousy as the two old friends bonded. The friendship between Valerie and Brenda was deeper than anything she had ever shared with Brenda. They were like sisters and had a history together that was undeniable. No matter how hard she tried, Kelly felt like she would never quite fit into the Walsh family the way that Valerie did.
"What do you think of this color for my dress?" Donna asked, holding up a dark crimson fabric swatch. With her dark blonde hair and tanned skin, it would be the perfect contrast to really set off her best features.
"Oh, Don, that's beautiful," Kelly gasped. She fingered the satin material carefully, enjoying the feeling of it slipping between her fingertips. "This is it, exactly what I had in mind. Do you really think you can finish your dress in two weeks?"
"Sure, with yours already finished, mine should be simple. This color will be a great contrast to Steve's black suit, a great accent hue."
Brenda listened to the conversation with a slight feeling of jealousy. Brandon was her twin brother, her best friend. No one knew him better than she did. And yet, despite their bond, Donna was going to be in his wedding. They'd elected to only have Steve and Donna stand up with them. Her eyes met Valerie's and she tried to fake a smile. However, her old friend knew her too well.
I know, Valerie mouthed to her, understanding her friend's pain. She'd always been jealous of the friendship between Donna and Kelly, and now, she was watching Kelly throw it in Brenda's face. At least she had Brenda now; between her, Brandon and David, she now had three people in Beverly Hills who would always be in her corner.
Andrea watched the interaction between the four girls and noticed the air of separation between all of them. She was somewhere in the middle, close to each of them in her own way but not particularly with the specification of best friend. Out of everyone, she had always been closest to Brandon and Donna. She had developed a decent friendship with Kelly when she went through her pregnancy, but she'd always struggled to build a strong bond with Brenda. That was almost ironic, Andrea thought, because it was Brenda that brought her into the fold in the first place. Still, after the first year Brandon and Brenda were in California, she'd soon drifted further away from Brenda and they'd never been able to quite get back what they'd lost.
"Um, Kel, can I talk to you for a minute?" Andrea asked, nodding toward the deck of the beach house.
"Sure, I'll be right back," she said to Donna before following her friend outside. "What's up?"
"Did you explain to Brenda why you're not having her in the wedding?"
Kelly shook her head. "No, I just figured she understood that we wanted to keep it small.'"
"Well, I think there might be some hard feelings on her end. Every time you and Donna start to talk about her dress, she looks devastated all over again."
"She shouldn't be, she has Valerie now," Kelly nearly spat.
"Are you jealous of Valerie's friendship with Brenda?"
"No," she lied. "Well, maybe."
"Kel, did it ever occur to you that maybe Brenda was envious of the bond you have with Donna?"
"Well, Donna was here, and she wasn't."
"Exactly. She grew up with Val, just like Brandon did. They knew her before they'd even ever heard of us. It only makes sense that their friendship is the way it is. Don't keep Bren at a distance because of that."
"Shouldn't someone tell her that, too?"
"Yes, but you know Brenda. She doesn't listen to anyone. You need to be the bigger person for once, Kel, and try to be there for her. Explain everything you just told me to her and maybe we could all finally put the past behind us. We're 30-years-old, it's time to put the competition behind us."
"You're right," Kelly agreed. She hugged her friend. "Thanks, Andrea."
"It's what friends do," she replied. As Kelly headed into the house ahead of her, Andrea could only hope that she would listen to her advice and finally bring peace to the group.
"Man, I can't believe Kelly roped us into doing this," Steve grumbled as he spread out the tulle circle in front of him. Carefully, he scooped the birdseed into a small heap in the middle of the delicate material. Gathering it in his fingertips, he quickly tied the red satin ribbon around the mound into a perfect bow.
"If you'd quit complaining, Steve, we would probably be a lot further than we are," David replied as he repeated the process his friend had just completed. Setting the finished product into the box, he estimated that they only had 100 left to finish.
"What exactly are the girls up to anyway?" Dylan asked as he tossed his into the box next to David's. He had never been one for arts and crafts, and this was definitely crossing the lines of friendship.
Jesse laughed. "Andrea said they were going to work on Donna's dress and do the flower arrangements. If I know them, they're probably gossiping as well."
"That sounds about right. They're probably comparing and contrasting our various attributes. The incest factor of our little group has placed us in several combinations over the years," Brandon noted.
"Yeah, I mean, I think I've kissed every one of the girls except Brenda," Steve said. "I dated Kelly and Val, Andrea and I kissed in high school when she was tutoring me, and obviously I've kissed Donna."
"Same here," Dylan reiterated. "I've kissed every one of them except Donna. Although I did make out with her in a dream, and let me say, wow!"
Steve and David shot him a look at the same time. "I've kissed Donna, Val and Bren. What about you, Brandon?"
Brandon grinned. "Well, I think I've kissed everyone but my lovely sister. I don't think Kelly needs any explanation. Val and I had our little rendezvous in college, as you all know, and Andrea and I kissed a few times in high school. I even made out with Donna once for a telethon."
"You did? I don't remember that," Steve said.
"Yeah, it was when Kel was wrapped up in Finley. She was supposed to help me open the show, but she was MIA so Donna stepped in. I have to support what Dylan said earlier, the woman can kiss."
"Enough," Steve laughed.
"Well, you all outrank me. I've only kissed Andrea."
"She's not so shabby either," Steve replied as Dylan and Brandon nodded in agreement.
"I have to say, I don't think any of our women are," Dylan added. "They're all beautiful and unique in their own ways. Each of them brings something different to the table. I just think it's amazing that after all these different relationships, we're still friends. A lot of groups have folded because of a lot less."
Brandon tied the ribbon into a small bow and placed it gently into the box. He had something on his mind, and he'd been trying to find the right way to bring it up all day. Looking over at Steve, he watched his best friend contently work on the task at hand, not a care in the world weighing on his shoulders. Since he and Donna had decided to give their relationship a shot, his days had been more good than bad. Donna had even told him that they took Maddy to visit Janet's grave for the first time last week. He was moving on with his life, just like his wife would have wanted. Still, a ghost from the past was about to come back to haunt him, and he wasn't sure how it would affect Steve.
"Steve, buddy, can I talk to you in the other room for a minute?" Brandon asked as he dropped the scissors on the table.
"Sure."
David, Dylan and Jesse exchanged looks as the two friends left the room. "What do you think that was all about?" Dylan asked.
David shrugged. "Maybe it was about the wedding."
"Maybe," Dylan muttered skeptically.
Inside the kitchen, Brandon leaned against the counter and looked at his friend. "So, I was talking to Kelly last night and we were just confirming the guest list. I didn't know she invited her, but apparently she is going to come to the wedding."
"Who are you talking about?" Steve asked as he retrieved a frothy bottle of beer from the fridge. Effortlessly, he twisted off the cap and tossed it into the recycling bin. Handing it to Brandon, Steve opened another for himself.
"Clare Arnold."
The two words hit Steve in the pit of his stomach, blowing up over and over again in his mind. He hadn't seen his ex-girlfriend for many years now, not since that day on the beach when she told him that she had chosen Paris. It had hurt him more than anything in his life other than losing Janet, and he had never really let himself think about her. Getting over Clare had taken a long time; in fact, he hadn't truly moved past her until he fell in love with Janet. Even after dating Carly, his love for Clare remained. In a way, Steve admitted to himself, the love would always be there, just like it was for Kelly.
"Cl-Clare is coming?" Steve stuttered.
Brandon nodded in response. "We just got her RSVP yesterday. She's not bringing a guest."
"When did Kelly talk to her?"
"She hasn't," Brandon replied. "She exchanges emails with her from time to time, so I guess it was a natural thing for her to invite Clare. They were best friends and roommates in college."
"Does she know about me and Donna?"
"I don't know. Does it matter?"
Steve shook his head firmly. "No, I'm with Donna. I think I'm even starting to fall in love with her."
"Then it shouldn't bother you that Clare is coming back."
"You're right," Steve replied, hoping that he could fool himself as well as Brandon.
"It's okay to be nervous. I know I'd feel that way if you invited Emily Valentine to your wedding," Brandon reassured him.
"It's just that it's Clare."
"That's what I always said about Emily. I had a lot of girlfriends over the years – Nikki and Susan and Tracy. But other than Kel, I've never loved anyone like I loved her."
"Man, look at my track record. Kelly, Celeste, Valerie, Clare, Carly, Janet, Donna… I have loved and lost more than any of us."
"It only takes one to stick, Steve. I figured that out with Kel this time. All the things that came before, they just don't matter anymore. Once you get that feeling in your heart, everything else just works itself out. I really think this thing with Donna could be it."
"I do, too, Brandon," Steve confided. "I do, too."e He