A stack of letters were placed gingerly on the kitchen counter the cloudy morning before. In an upbeat, yet groggy manner, Hailey walked over to the letters and spread them out as to read them easier. She ran a hand through her unwashed hair and leaned against the edge of the shiny counter. A name caught her eye. She pushed the other letters away and picked up a telegram written in familiar pen. She ran up stairs and down hallways into her first bedroom closet. She pushed away hundreds of dollars in beautiful dresses and pushed away still packaged hats from foreign countries. She sat on the floor with a hushed thud and read each word carefully. Edward was to marry her brother's beloved. She knew what it was going to say even before she saw the telegram. But she was restless to find out how he might go about wording it.

She put the telegram down on the floor, smoothing it out with her bare palms. Her poor brother. Can such tragedies truly occur outside of the pages of a book? She read it again and again and again, memorizing the curve of his letters and the exact shape of his dots. How was she to feel? As a mutual friend of Edward and now Cara, she was ecstatic. But her responsibilities and true allegiances ought to lean towards her brother, and in this regard, she was distraught.

She stared at her white traveling gloves on one of the lower shelves. The index finger of the right glove dangled gracefully over the edge of the shelf. They were turned in her direction. She stood and straightened the skirt of her morning robe.

"Ernest," Hailey called out from her bedroom door.

"Yes?" The appropriate voice called up from the bottom of the staircase.

"Please prepare the car for an hour from now. I have an errand to run."

"Certainly."

"Is everything okay?" Aron stood across the hall at his bedroom door. His day clothes were sleep wrinkled and mislaid on his beaten body. Even from her distance, she could make out a path on his cheek most frequented by daily and nightly salt-water travelers.

"It's fine. I'll be gone for some time. Try to eat with the other tonight." With an unconvincing nod, Hailey disappeared into the bathroom.

…

Around nightfall, Edward walked down the darkened hallway and placed a few logs of wood into the fireplace in a pyramid shape. He shivered as he lit the match to heat the air above and then dropped it in the center gape of the wood. Slowly, infantile flames cooed and nestled into the side of its rustic nurturer. Edward rubbed his palms together and held them a safe distance away, sighing in the flicker of warmth it provided. He poked at the wood just as a soft knock was heard from the door. Edward looked at the clock quizzically, doubting his mother's presence behind the door. He peered around the wall of the dining area to be sure that his bedroom door was closed before opening the front door.

"Hailey!" Edward said smiling, "what are you doing here? Come in, it's cold." Hailey strolled in and stood near the fireplace, watching the baby flames steadily grow, "sit, please."

"No, thank you, Ed, I won't be here long." She stood with an air of earnestness that was rare for the spritely girl he knew well.

"Is something wrong? It is rather late..." He didn't want to sound like he was trying to force her out although the hour was uncommon for visitors.

"I expected to be here earlier, I'm sorry. And nothing is wrong, of course. I just came to give you this." She produced a white envelope from her inky winter coat. Her took it from her smooth gloved hand and opened the seal.

"What's this?"

"Consider it to be an…" she smiled a little, her body beginning to feel tired, "early wedding present." She wrung her hands once or twice and thought for a moment. "This does; however, come with a small price." Edward looked up from the envelope and became serious.

"Small price?"

"Please consider befriending my brother once more. He misses you terribly." Edward sighed and looked down.

"Hailey…"

"Just consider… please…" Edward pursed his lips and nodded slightly, Hailey smiled a little, "thank you." She breathed and walked towards the door, holding the collar of her coat closed, "I hope I see you soon, Ed. It's too cold here."

"It is, but we'll manage." He gave a smile to his old friend.

"I've never been to your home before." Her eyes swept across the room quickly, taking in all the amenities of a normal middle-class somewhat urban townhouse, "It's quaint." She summarized, holding back harsher adjectives. He smiled and hugged her.

"Say hello to your butler." He said as he opened the front door to find Ernest standing next to the town car.

"Of course," she stepped outside and turned her head ninety degrees to the right, "give my regards to your wife." She said whimsically and continued down the steps. He watched her, assuring to himself that she got into the car and drove off soundly. When he closed the door, he smiled to himself.

Your wife.

He had not yet called her that, let alone hear someone else call her that, although it was true. She was his bride. And despite the awful hell they lived in at the moment, they created their heaven with an engagement ring. Almost as if on a cue, Cara walked in with a blanket over her shoulders. He looked at the envelope and hid it between the pillows. He still had time, he had to find the correct moment. Edward walked up to Cara, held her waist and kissed her soft, cold lips.

"I love you." He whispered.

"I love you too." She smiled. They sat next to the fire, his arms wrapped around her womb, her head on his shoulder. They watched the fire and fell asleep, happy to wake up in the arms of the other.

~~~/~~~

Very happy.

...

So just to be perfectly clear, the whole thing that happened with Hailey happened the morning before the proposal (can you imagine how awkward it would be if Cara had said no?). Anyway, Hailey is adorable. She's our little blonde Alice of this story. Although less... well... annoying? So sorry, that's the only way I can think of her. The bare palms as opposed to the gloved hands are important imagery, not sure if I want to tell you why just yet but, for now, just know it to be important. Also in the realm of imagery, note the baby imagery with the fire. It's quite a clever literary tool, imagery. I'm rather fond of it. Hope you enjoy, cheers!