Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm for this story. We're into July 2020 now, so the wedding will be the next chapter.
Alexis had been a studying machine for, literally, months. The bar exam was now three weeks away...and that was when she learned that while she would be taking the bar exam at the end of July, the earliest she could expect to get the results would be October.
And that was when she melted down. Javier was neck deep in a double murder with Kevin and Lanie, so she went to the loft, where Kate, Jim, Martha, and Earl were hanging out with Reece and Jake. Rick and Lily were at their Daddy and Me Picasso Kidz art class.
"October!" she exclaimed, slamming the loft door shut behind her.
Four confused adults, and two eagerly babbling baby brothers, looked at the severely stressed young woman standing in the foyer, messenger bag hanging haphazardly from her shoulder, her hair disheveled, breathing hard because she had just literally run from the subway station to the loft, and looking stressed and miserable.
"October," Kate repeated, getting up from the couch with Reece in her arms and approaching Alexis.
"October," Alexis repeated miserably, letting her messenger bag drop to the floor. "I just found out that that is when I'll be getting the results of my bar exam. Well, the earliest I can expect them, actually."
Kate winced sympathetically. "I knew a lot of people took the bar exam for the State of New York in New York City," she said.
"Some things never change," Jim remarked. He pulled a funny face, making Jake giggle, before turning his attention to Alexis. "More people take the July exam than the February exam, which is part of it. They need that much time to process all of the tests. Johanna and I went through the same thing when we took the bar exam."
Alexis raked her fingers through her hair. "October," she said as though it were a curse word.
"I know it's disappointing, darling, but it's not the end of the world," Martha said.
"And you'll still gain valuable experience as a paralegal," Kate pointed out.
Rick and Lily came in from their Daddy and Me art class then. "Alexis!" Lily exclaimed, rushing to her big sister and hugging her legs fiercely.
"Hey, Tiger Lily," Alexis said, concentrating on her little whirlwind of a sister and trying to push her frustration over the bar exam results aside. "Did you have fun with Dad?"
"Yeah!" Lily exclaimed. "We painted with watercolors today. But the pictures are still there 'cause they're not dry yet. I've been practicing being a flower girl! You wanna see me practice?"
Alexis managed a wan smile. "Sure," Alexis agreed.
"I'll get the broom and dustpan," Jim said good-naturedly as he headed for the kitchen while Lily sprinted upstairs with both of her parents calling after her not to run on the stairs.
Rick hugged Alexis. "Rough day, huh?" he said.
Alexis hugged her father back. "October, Dad," she fretted. "I'm not going get my bar exam results until October! I just found out today."
"I'm sorry, Pumpkin," he sympathized. "But I can't say I'm surprised. I can't even imagine how many people must take the bar exam, and having to process all of those exams…I can see where it would take that long."
"You're in good stead with the temp agency," Kate reminded her. "And you got the time off for your wedding and honeymoon."
"No 'H' word in front of the father of the bride!" Rick said, clapping his hands over his ears. Reece, still in Kate's arms, laughed at his father. "And no mocking your father until you can actually speak, Reece Alexander," Rick said, giving Reece a mock glare.
"Uh oh, the middle name, that's never a good thing, Reece," Alexis said, finally beginning to feel just the slightest bit better.
"You do have a lot to keep you busy between now and October," Jim reflected, standing at the ready with the broom and dustpan.
Lily returned then, triumphantly carrying a bag of flower petals, and proceeded to show Alexis, and everyone else, how she would walk slowly and scatter the petals for Alexis and Daddy to walk on.
Alexis stayed for dinner, as did all the grandparents, and spending time with her family, helping give her baby brothers their baths, and being the "featured guest reader" for Lily's bedtime story (they were working their way through the Elephant & Piggie series), and she was surprised when, after her sister and brothers were down for the night, Martha and Earl asked Alexis and Kate if they could talk to them for a moment.
"Not me?" Rick asked.
"Or me?" Jim asked.
"No, Richard, not you," Martha said. "And not you either, Jim. Sorry, boys."
"How come you get included?" Rick asked Earl. Earl's only reply was a Cheshire cat grin. Rick groaned. "Torture. Why do the women in my life enjoy torturing me?" he asked.
"Genetic privilege," Jim said, putting an arm around Rick's shoulders. "Now, Rick, what do you say we outcasts go into the kitchen and have some ice cream?"
While Rick and Jim raided the freezer, Martha and Earl had pulled Alexis and Kate into the office. "We have a proposition for you," Martha began. In the next few minutes, she and Earl explained their idea.
Kate looked to Alexis. "You're the bride. Whatever you say, goes, but if you want to do it, I'm on board, and I don't think Jenny or Lanie will be that hard to convince. We might even be able to get Victoria in on it."
"It's been a long time since I've really let loose and had fun," Alexis reflected. "The bar exam's in three weeks. If we can do it in two weeks..."
"We can," Martha assured her after she and Earl had exchanged a look.
"Okay. Let's do it!" Alexis declared.
Martha actually applauded, she was so excited. Earl beamed. "Thank you for letting me be a part of this," he said.
"You're part of the family, Earl," Alexis replied. "You make Gram happier than I've ever seen her. I'll never be able to thank you enough for that."
Kate texted Lanie, whose initial response was, "Really? Me, who's getting fatter every day?" but Lanie was coaxed into being a part of the routine. Jenny's response was an immediate yes, and Victoria Gates responded that it sounded "intriguing" and to count her in.
"Are you going to take part, Gram?" Alexis asked.
"I'll be busy doing the choreographer, while Earl handles the wardrobe and emcee duties," Martha said. "Although I am very tempted."
"You should," Alexis said.
"We'd love to have you," Kate said. Her phone chirped with an incoming text then. When she read it, she smiled and said, "Lanie wants to know if you're going to be involved, Martha. She may have some questions about camouflaging her baby bump."
"Well, I don't need my arm twisted," Martha said. "I'll be happy to participate."
"I think Dad's going to be traumatized," Alexis said.
"I can take his mind off the traumatic parts afterward," Kate said confidently.
"And now I'm traumatized," Alexis said.
"I'm thinking that your dad, Javi, and Kevin will all be traumatized by Victoria's participation," Kate replied, picturing the looks on their faces at their former Captain taking part in this little surprise that had been Martha's brainchild.
"You're our undercover officer, Earl," Martha told her significant other. "It'll be up to you to get Richard and Javier and the others to The Old Haunt two weeks from Saturday night."
"You just leave everything to me," Earl promised with a confident smile and a wink.
The night before the ladies' surprise, after their final rehearsal at Martha and Earl's place, when the ladies had left, Earl disappeared into the bedroom and returned holding a small black velvet box tied with a gold ribbon.
When he held it out to Martha, she looked at it uncertainly. "Earl?" she asked.
"It's not what you're thinking," he assured her. "We agreed we're fine the way we are. No need for marriage. And I would never do that to Alexis and Javier. Besides, it's worked for Goldie and Kurt all these years. But I've been working my way around to finding a way to give this to you, and I finally figured that there doesn't need to be any fanfare, since it's not a wedding ring or an engagement ring, but I would like to explain the symbolism." He put the box in Martha's hand.
She sank down on the couch, and Earl sat down next to her. With slightly trembling fingers, she untied the ribbon and opened the box to reveal a silver ring with a heart where the gemstone would be. The heart was framed by two hands, as if the hands were holding the heart, and the heart was topped by a crown. "It's beautiful," Martha said, looking from the ring in its bed of black velvet to Earl.
"It's Irish," he replied. "It's a Claddagh ring. My maternal grandparents were Irish. That's how I know about Claddagh rings. A Claddagh ring symbolizes love, loyalty, and friendship. He reached out and removed the ring from its box. Holding it up, he and Martha both gazed upon the ring as Earl explained its meaning.
"The heart symbolizes love, of course," he said. "The two hands holding the heart are a representation of friendship, and the crown is a representation of loyalty and fidelity." He looked from the ring to Martha. "I love you. I am and will be loyal and faithful to you for the rest of our lives. And you're the best friend I've ever had." He reached for her right hand, holding the band of the ring over her ring finger. "Tradition dictates that if you're in a relationship, you wear the claddagh on the ring finger of your right hand with the heart pointed inward." Holding her gaze, he asked, "May I?"
"Yes," Martha said, the word coming out in a breath of a whisper.
Earl slipped the Claddagh ring on her finger. They both looked at it, gleaming on Martha's finger, and then Martha leaned in and kissed Earl soundly.
"I love you," she whispered when they broke the kiss, resting her forehead against his. "I know I don't say it very often, but I do. I've never loved anyone the way that I love you. And you're my best friend too, and I will love you and be loyal and faithful to you for the rest of our lives."
He pulled her gently into his arms, and they just held each other for several silent moments, marveling all over again at having found each other at this stage in their lives.
In order to maintain the subterfuge, a few more people had to be involved. Madison and Mark agreed to watch Lily, Reece and Jake at the loft, while Earl told Jim to bring his video camera along when the guys went to The Old Haunt for a few drinks. That tipped Jim off that something was up, and he had a pretty good idea that the women were involved somehow, but he wasn't entirely certain what the girls were up to, although whatever it was, they obviously wanted it recorded for posterity.
Rick was surprised that The Old Haunt was empty except for Brian, the bartender/manager. "By order of someone who outranks you, boss," Brian said when Rick asked why the bar was closed to everyone but them.
"Who?" Rick asked.
Martha stuck her head out from the back room then. "Me, Richard," she said.
Martha disappeared into the back room once more, and Earl emerged then, looking over the group. "Good, good, everyone's here," he said.
"What are we here for? Because it's obviously for something other than a drink," Javier said.
"Ah, the groom!" Earl exclaimed. "Our guest of honor. Have a seat, gentlemen. You are about to be treated to the featured attraction of the evening: some exciting entertainment for men only-"
Javier whirled accusingly on Kevin. "I told you no strippers! You promised me no strippers!" he exclaimed.
"I had nothing to do with any of this!" Kevin exclaimed right back.
"-created especially for you, Javier," Earl interjected. "Trust me, fellas. Sit back, relax..." Earl waited until Javier, Kevin, Rick, Jim, Alan, and Gerald Gates were seated. Then Earl continued, "Presenting, The Bridal Babes!"
Alexis, in a white knee-length dress covered in sequins, with fishnet stockings and white heels, emerged from the back room, and the other women followed her, all of them in the same style of sequined dress, fishnet stockings, and heels to match their dresses, but in all different colors: Kate in blue; Martha in red; Lanie in black (she had insisted it was slimming since she was already showing with this pregnancy); Jenny in green; and Victoria in purple.
They formed a line, with Alexis in the center, and Earl stepped behind the bar with Brian and turned on the music. Jim hastily lifted his video camera and started filming.
"Dear future husband," Alexis lip synced, stepping forward and looking at Javier. "Here's a few things you'll need to know if you wanna be my one and only all my life..."
The ladies all twirled and stepped as they began performing the simple dance moves that Martha had choreographed for them.
"Take me on a date, I deserve it, babe." Alexis was right in front of Javier now, gesturing at him, then at herself, before spinning out and away from him with a big smile on her face. He grinned back.
"And don't forget the flowers every anniversary." Kate pulled a bouquet of silk flowers from the sleeve of her dress and dropped them in Rick's lap, blowing him a kiss before spinning in a circle and dropping back.
"'Cause if you'll treat me right, I'll be the perfect wife, Buyin' groceries, Buy-buyin' what you need." Jenny did a little shimmy that had Kevin beaming and looking her up and down.
"You got that 9 to 5, but baby so do I, so don't be thinkin' I'll be home and bakin' apple pies." Victoria Gates surprised everyone but her husband when she strutted across the floor, circling around his chair before rejoining the other ladies.
"I never learned to cook, but I can write a hook, Sing along with me, Sing-sing along with me, hey." Martha threw a sly wink over her shoulder to Earl, accompanied by a hip wiggle that would put trained dancers to shame.
"You gotta know how to treat me like a lady, even when I'm acting crazy, Tell me everything's all right." Lanie made her move into the front now, and Alan sat there grinning, giving an appreciative whistle when she sashayed back and forth in front of his chair.
Alexis took the spotlight (figuratively speaking) again for the refrain, and the women lip synced and danced their way through the rest of the song after that, each woman focusing on her mate.
Earl unobtrusively made his way out from behind the bar to join the others, and Jim filmed the whole thing.
"Dear future husband,
Here's a few things you'll need to know
If you wanna be my one and only all my life
"Dear future husband,
If you wanna get that special lovin'
Tell me I'm beautiful
Each and every night"
"After every fight
Just apologize
And maybe then I'll let you try and rock my body right
Even if I was wrong
(Laugh) You know I'm never wrong
Why disagree?
Why, why disagree?"
All the women shrugged their shoulders on "Why disagree?/Why, why disagree?" Alan and Kevin whistled, and Earl, Javier, Rick, and Gerald just sat there grinning as they took in the performance.
"You gotta know how to treat me like a lady
Even when I'm acting crazy
Tell me everything's all right
Oh-whoa"
Alexis stood in the forefront, with the others fanned out behind her on both sides now.
"Dear future husband,
Here's a few things you'll need to know
If you wanna be my one and only all my life, hey baby!
"Dear future husband,
Make time for me
Don't leave me lonely
And know we'll never see your family more than mine"
The ladies all got back into a line for the big finale now.
"I'll be sleepin' on the left side of the bed, whoa-oh-hey
Open doors for me and you might get some kisses," at which point each woman blew a kiss to the men.
Each woman then wagged her finger and shook her head on the next line, which was,
"Don't have a dirty mind, just be a classy guy"
Alexis, Kate, Lanie, Jenny, and Victoria all held up their left hands then, and Martha held up her right hand, showing off their respective wedding, engagement, and Claddagh rings on the following line, which was,
"Buy me a ring, buy-buy me a ring, babe"
They all dropped their hands and danced in a circle, the other women surrounding Alexis.
"You gotta know how to treat me like a lady
Even when I'm acting crazy
Tell me everything's all right
Whoa-hey!"
And then, the big finish.
"Dear future husband,
Here's a few things you'll need to know
If you wanna be my one and only all my life
Dear future husband,
If you wanna get that special lovin'
Tell me I'm beautiful each and every night
Oh-whoa"
Alexis sat down in Javier's lap, and then all the women pointed at Javier on the final line of the song as Alexis sang along with Meghan Trainor.
"Future husband, better love me right."
Alexis and Javier kissed, and everyone applauded as each of the women sought out her mate.
"Now I know why your dad and I weren't included," Rick told Kate.
"It was actually your mother's idea," Kate told him.
"This is right in Mother's wheelhouse, so I'm not surprised," Rick replied. Spying Martha laughing with her arms around Earl's neck, and his arms around her waist, Rick smiled, "And now she has a partner in crime, so to speak."
"I'd think they were getting married if Martha wasn't wearing that ring on her right hand," Kate mused.
"They meant it when they said no marriage," Rick reflected. "I didn't get a good look at that ring yet, but I think it's a Claddagh ring. Mother wearing it on her right hand means that she's taken."
"Hey, do we need to turn a hose on the betrothed couple?" Kevin asked, since Javier and Alexis were still kissing.
"I'll do it," Rick volunteered eagerly enough to get an elbow in the ribs from Kate.
They stopped kissing, albeit reluctantly.
"You girls were sensational!" Alan said.
"I've known for years that Victoria has serious moves," Gerald said proudly.
"We owe it all to Martha and Earl," Lanie said. "Working on this routine was a lot of fun."
"You definitely crushed it," Javier said. "And I was taking mental notes, Lex, so I'll definitely remember to open doors for you and take you on dates."
"And I got the whole thing recorded," Jim said, holding up his video camera.
Everyone was milling around now, talking and laughing. Kevin and Jenny went to the bar and then returned with drinks in hand, with Brian in tow with a tray of drinks for everyone else, including club soda with a twist of lime for Jim and Lanie.
Glasses of wine, bottles of beer, and a couple of martinis (Martha and Victoria) were taken in hand, and Kevin said, "I get to get in a practice toast before the wedding reception." Raising his beer bottle, and waiting until everyone else had followed suit with their own drinks, he said, "To Javi and Alexis: may you never stop surprising each other, never stop laughing together, and never have a shortage of moments like this one."
Everyone clinked glasses and bottles before taking a sip of their drinks in this first toast to Alexis and Javier's future together.
The song the ladies performed to is "Dear Future Husband" by Meghan Trainor.
