Party of Four

The Morning Rush - Riley

The morning of the baby shower was almost as stressful as working on a holiday. We had insisted Nica relax until the party, but she kept floating back and forth trying to find something she could help with. Dad and Cole spent most of the morning putting together the food for the party. It was primarily appetizers and finger sandwiches. Quick, easy stuff that could feed a lot of people, set out on fancy little trays mom had found online. She and I were working on decorating the back yard.

Now that it was the morning of, we could put out the linens for the tables as well as the center pieces. A gift table and the table holding the party favors were set up under the patio as well as the food and dessert tables. Everything else was arranged in the yard itself.

“You aren’t going to make us play weird games, are you?” I asked as I placed another small, ceramic fairy house in the center of a table. “Like…no one wants to eat baby food or try to guess what chocolate you’ve melted in a diaper.”

“No,” she scowled. “I always hated baby shower games. Ugh, the ones your Aunt Jan forced us to play when I was pregnant with Cole were the worst. I almost didn’t have a shower with you because of it.”

My muscles relaxed a hair. We had invited both our families though, so there was still heavy tension among all of us. We weren’t sure who would actually come outside of our friend circle, nor were we sure how anyone would act about our uncommon dynamic.

Mom glanced towards the patio door, making sure it was still just us outside before she commented, “I’ve been thinking about the wedding next year though. I know Nica said she’d be fine with something small here, but if we’re going to give her the dream wedding she didn’t get with her ex, I think we need to have it somewhere else. Somewhere that’s more aligned with the aesthetic you’ve been describing.”

“Okay,” I said the words slowly, nodding slightly. “So…did you have any ideas yet?”

She nodded. “There’s the old theater downtown I thought might be perfect, especially considering all three of your interests. Or if you wanted something outdoors, the vineyard would be nice and still have that gothic elegance.”

I nodded, considering both of the ideas. “I might be bias, but I like the idea of the theater. It’s old as hell, which gives it that kind of spooky vibe. Plus, you know, it’s a theater. I just don’t know how it would work for a wedding.”

“Well, I scheduled tours for both of them. The theater tour is Tuesday, and the vineyard is next Sunday.”

“Oh,” my eyes widened again. Of course, I should’ve expected that my mom would’ve already contacted both venues the moment she found them. “I’m off Tuesday, but I work Sunday morning.”

“I know. You always do. So I scheduled the vineyard for five.”

The discussion ended abruptly as Cole brought out another platter of finger sandwiches. Dad was right behind him carrying a tray of cookies. Nica followed.

“This looks so nice,” she smiled, admiring the little fairy house centerpieces. They were placed in wide, shallow bowls surrounded by tiny, white silk roses.

I slid my arms around her, pulling her against me. “You’re supposed to be inside relaxing while we get everything finished.”

“I know, but I’m bored,” she insisted. “I feel cooped up and useless knowing you’re all doing something.”

“You are growing another human, you’re currently the least useless person here,” I kissed her forehead. “We’re almost done, why don’t you start getting ready?”

She sighed dramatically, but a smile tugged at her lips. “Fine. But I better not hear a balloon pop.” She gave me a quick kiss, then blew one to Cole before flashing a bright smile at him and dad.

“That’s the last of the food,” dad said, walking over to mom. “Cole and I are gonna go get the cake. We’ll be back before the party starts.”

“You better be,” mom teased. They shared a brief kiss before he and Cole walked back through the house. Mom and I were left alone again to finish the last little bit of decorations.

I was left with my thoughts turning back to our secret wedding planning. The idea of a gothic romance themed wedding still felt impossibly large, but I knew if anyone could pull it off, it was my mom. It was an idea sparked from a conversation between Nica and Willow that I’d overheard when she’d first left her ex. The idea was so her. Dramatic, elegant, and moody. It was quite the contrast to the sunny, whimsical shower we were throwing that was, somehow, also very Nica. It was everything she deserved to have though, everything her ex had refused to give her.

I really did love the idea of the theater, too. It played into all of our worlds. Planning it felt like the ultimate act of commitment, proving to Nica that this wasn’t just about the baby. It was about the forever. It was about the three of us creating something enduring and magical.

October of next year. That felt like the perfect distance. Enough time to save, plan, and allow us to settle into parenthood before we tackled a huge, elaborate wedding.

I took a deep breath, looking around our backyard. It was a beautiful space, but it was home. The wedding needed to be something grander, something that declared our union to the world, far away from the casual comfort of our patio. I looked at the tables and chairs scattered across the yard. It was a beautiful celebration of the immediate future, of Poppy’s arrival. I felt as surge of energy and happiness.

“Showtime in T-minus one hour,” I murmured to myself. I moved to the gate to open it so that our guests wouldn’t have to track through the house, and fixed the sign and balloons that would direct our guests around the side of the house.