A Long Time Coming Ch. 07

After Thanksgiving, things settled down, but with Christmas on the horizon and the need for Jade to turn her attention to planning a wedding things would get very hectic, very quickly. Jade still had trouble comprehending that she would actually be married to Alex. Sometimes she just had to pinch herself to make sure that she wasn't dreaming.

*

Jade was taking a break in the garden at the McCords' when her thoughts turned to planning the wedding. She was excited, but she didn't know how it would all get done, even with help. She and Alex had agreed to wait until after Russell's situation was resolved. Now that was over; sooner than anyone had anticipated and she was thankful for that.

To help bring her thoughts into focus she purchased half a dozen bridal books. She wanted a traditional wedding, but she wasn't completely sure what all that entailed. To brainstorm and help with the actual preparations, she enlisted her mother, Judy, Cheryl and Carrie's help.

She would have liked to include Mrs. McCord who was a wonderful organizer, but Jade didn't want her to feel obligated to help with everything else she did. She was still finding it hard to deal with the fact that her employer would soon be her mother-in-law.

Jade's mother married at the courthouse, Judy eloped, Cheryl and Carrie were single, so there really wasn't any experience with planning a wedding in that bunch. She knew she had to get this right because it would be her only chance; this would be her only wedding.

After a half hour of thought Jade felt herself getting a headache. This was going to be an enormous undertaking. Besides the actual planning of the wedding, she had to consider the expense. With Alex's family and friends, it was likely to be a fairly large guest list. Then there was the fact that she would be paying for the wedding. She knew that her parents would insist on doing it, but at most she would only let them help, and only if it became absolutely necessary.

Jade had some money she'd gotten as an inheritance from her grandmother Hazel Phillips on her mother's side, which she got access to when she turned twenty one. She'd never touched a penny of it vowing to save it only for dire emergencies. Fortunately, her job with Rollins did pay well, so she had a fair amount of money in her savings account.

She could barely believe that it had only been a few months since she met Alex at the Fourth of July cookout, but it seemed like she'd known him for much longer. Now she was engaged to him and happier than she'd been in her entire life, except for the day Briana was born. She had a man who loved her completely and Briana would soon have a step-father.

Rousting herself from her thoughts, she went back inside to finish out her work day.

*

Alex was in his office going over the mountain of paperwork received as a result of his motion to compel discovery in his Anti-Trust Lawsuit when Cameron knocked on his door.

"Hey, Brother," he greeted. "I'm going out to lunched and wondered if you'd like to join me. Jason is having lunch with Kate and her mom."

Looking at his watch and then at the mound of paperwork on his desk, Alex said, "Why the hell not, an hour isn't going to make a huge difference with all of this paperwork."

Grabbing his coat, he headed out of the door with Cameron. After locking his office, he stopped by his secretary's desk and informed her that he would be out for lunch and where to reach him in case of an emergency.

Cameron chose Malio's, a popular steakhouse for lunch. After they were seated and their drink orders were taken, he got to the real reason that he'd asked Alex to lunch.

"There was an ulterior motive to my offer of lunch today," he said with a serious expression on his face.

"Yeah, I know," Alex replied, equally serious.

"Hell, how did you know?"

"Easy. I know you. In the last six months I've had lunch with you twice. You've either been too busy to go out to lunch or you've had lunch with Lauren. You've also been acting like there was something on your mind for a couple of days. If it had lasted another day, I was going to ask you about it," Alex said.

"Ok, ok, so you know me," Cameron said with a smile.

"The thing is, I'm going to ask Lauren to marry me. I love her. I've known that for a while, but the thought of marriage is still kind of unsettling for me."

Addressing him with a sober expression, Alex said, "The fact that you love someone doesn't automatically mean you're ready to get married. Everyone is different, just be sure that it's what you want before you do it."

Looking at Cam thoughtfully, he continued.

"An engagement would be a formal commitment to marry Lauren; you need to be sure that it's what you want before you put the ring on her finger. The thing you need to do is make sure that you want, need and expect the same things out of your married life. Don't leave it to chance or assume you know if you haven't had the important discussions."

Giving Cam a slightly crooked smile, Alex said,

"I sort of put the horse before the cart, but Jade and I did get around to talking about what we expect out of married life, including kids. However, I'm sure there are a bunch of things we still need to discuss further. So, I guess, I'm a fine example of what not to do. But, hell, I know her well enough to be sure that we can work anything out."

"Yeah," Cameron laugh, "you did just jump into it with Jade, but you make sense. There are a lot of things that we need to be sure about before I decide to pop the question."

"It's your decision to make, Cam," Alex said. "If you get engaged, if you get married, do it because this is the woman you want to spend the rest of your life with, not because you feel pressured."

"Well, Lauren has been talking about marriage lately. I do love her and I'm not getting any younger. I'm twenty eight, almost twenty nine," he said with a sigh.

Raising an eyebrow Alex said, "I'm thirty six, what's your point?"

"All right old man, I get it," Cameron teased. "But seriously, Alex, I don't want to lose Lauren."

"I understand that, Cam," Alex assured him. "But don't let fear be your motivator. If she loves you, she'll understand that you aren't ready for marriage. If she doesn't understand, then you might want to think about whether she's really in love with you. You've only been dating a year, it's not like it's been a very long time. Yes, she might leave you, but that might happen at any time in your relationship, there are no guarantees."

Running his hand through his hair with a sigh, Cameron said, "I know you're right, Alex. I just needed to run the situation by you. I trust your opinion and I should trust myself. Dad and Mom did a good job raising us and teaching us how to approach problems, but when reality hits you in the face, you forget sometimes. Thanks."

Nodding, Alex said, "No thanks necessary, I only want you to be happy."

After that, the tone of the conversation lightened and the brothers enjoyed the rest of their lunch.

*

After picking up Briana from her parents' house, Jade made a quick stop at the grocery store before heading home.

While Briana listened to her Winnie the Pooh talking book, Jade put up the groceries and started dinner. She was cooking one of her favorites and hoped it would become a favorite of Alex's. Cooking was relaxing for her, so she found time to think about a few things as she flitted about the kitchen.

Alex brought a lot into their lives, not the least was stability for Briana. Jade had come to know and appreciate how much her daughter needed a father; one that was steadfast and dependable. As a result of Alex's influence Briana was more confident, less clingy, although Jade sometimes felt a little wistful about her child's new found independence.

Her little girl was growing up, but Jade still had a lot of mommy points. At first she'd thought that Briana's independence meant that she would want to spend more than away from them, but that hadn't been the case. She was all right with visiting, but she never wanted to stay with anyone overnight, not even her parents more than a couple days at a time.

The move to Mrs. McCord's assistant was a good one in more ways than one. Jade was far more rested and able to give Briana her full attention when they were together instead of crashing on the sofa soon after coming home from work.

Now she was home almost every day by five thirty. She was happy and felt invigorated. The work was continuous, but it was worked that she loved, in conditions that were pleasant. Although things could get hectic at times, it wasn't stressful like it had been in her prior job. She even had alone time with Alex, the man she adored.

Her daughter was starting to get interested in what Jade was doing in the kitchen and was given small tasks to help with preparing the meal. Briana took great pleasure in telling Alex that she helped with dinner. They were already a family in Jade's heart and mind, soon it would be legal.

*

Two weeks later

Jade had some unexpected time off as Mr. and Mrs. McCord were taking a long weekend to visit his brother Marvin and his wife Harriet. Since event activities were slowing down, there was no need to have anyone answer the phone. The couple was taking a cruise over the Christmas holiday and wouldn't be able to attend the McCord's pre- Christmas festivities.

With Thursday through Monday off, Jade thought it was a good time to do her holiday shopping. She usually had everything purchased and wrapped before Thanksgiving, but with her new found personal life and Russell's troubles, she was off her game.

Shopping, especially for Christmas, was truly akin to a blood sport at times. What with people being crushed by the stampede of shoppers during black Friday and fights over limited toys, she preferred to avoid the entire scene.

It was almost eight when Alex got home. Jade and Briana had already eaten dinner and Briana was now coloring in her Princesses Coloring Book. It was another long day in court for Alex and he was tired after wrapping up some details on one of his newer cases.

Jade was in the living room watching television when she heard the door lock clicked to signal Alex's arrival. She turned her head toward the door and knew by the look on his face that he'd had a rough day.

"Hi, baby," she called, then got up and took his brief case before planting a kiss on his cheek.

"You look like you could use a nice warm shower."

"Yeah," he said. "It was a hell of a day, but I got a lot done and I don't have anything pressing for while," he sighed, hugging her close.

Briana, who had been engrossed in coloring, got up and went to Alex, "Hi, Alex, she murmured, then gave him a tight hug when he picked her up.

"Hi, princess, how was your day?"

"It was good. Mommy and me cooked dinner. It's good too," she said with a smile.

"Well, now," Alex drawled, "I'll just have to see about that. But I'm sure you're right, your mom is a great cook and if you helped, it has to be even better."

Beaming, Briana kissed him on the cheek and gave him another hug.

When Alex set her back on her feet, she ran back to her coloring book.

Turning to Jade, he said, "I think I will have that shower. I'd like a drink too, but you're a teetotaler," he grinned.

"Be that as it may," she said, "I happen to have a bottle of Remy that someone gave me for my 23rd birthday as a joke; it's never been opened."

After giving her a mock shocked expression he said, "What are we waiting for, let's break it in."

"I'll have your drink ready when you get out of the shower," she said. "Don't be long, I'm heating up dinner."

"What did you and Briana cook?" Alex asked.

"We prepared Hawaiian pork with black beans, yellow rice, fried plantains and green beans. Mom was always big on having something green with each meal and you seemed to like them."

"You made them with roast beef before, they were great. You're quite the little cook, I just might have to keep you around," he joked.

She shook her head at him, but gave him a sweet kiss.

He sighed when it ended.

"I won't be long, baby," he said and went off to take a shower.

After his shower, Alex was invigorated and the Remy did its bit to warm him up. Jade, joined him as he ate his dinner, discussing the news of the day.

Eating his meal with gusto, Alex was halfway through his generous portion when he stopped and said,

"I'm not kidding, sweetheart, this is really great. Everything you've cooked has been delicious."

"I noticed that you have a very healthy appetite. At this rate I'm gonna need to let out those pants," she teased.

"Not to worry, baby, I'll always retain my figure," he chuckled. "Jason, Cameron and I can eat almost anyone we know under the table and never gain a pound. We're like our Dad, we have high metabolisms."

"Isn't that just perfect," Jade groused. "You guys eat like there's no tomorrow and I have to watch ever nibble. Huh!"

"Sorry, baby, them be the breaks," Alex teased.

Eyeing Alex, Jade thought, "He's a mighty fine package at that. I'll show him how much I appreciate it, later."

Then she remembered something else she wanted to discuss with him.

"Oh, I wanted to talk to you about the wedding. I was thinking that we'd wait until after the holidays to start planning it. Christmas and New Year's Day are going to be enough to deal with at the moment. Besides, we haven't talked about setting a date."

"I agree that we can wait until after the holidays," Alex said, "but not much longer. I'm anxious to be married and have you and Briana live with me. I'd settle for a small intimate wedding, but if you want a larger one, I'm all right with that too. Just don't wait long, I want to get settled and start making babies."

"Is that right? Jade grinned. "We can practice the baby making tonight," she offered in a low tone so that Briana wouldn't hear. If her daughter heard that, she'd be telling everyone she knew that mommy was making a baby with Alex.

"I want a traditional wedding, but it doesn't have to be large. I think family and close friends would be fine. As for when, I'm partial to May, what about you?" she asked.

"February isn't too soon for me," he said. "However, I know it takes time to plan a wedding and I want this one to be everything you want it to be. I'll clear time from my calendar so that I'm free the entire month, so make it early May, if possible, I want a long honeymoon. I have trials coming up in January and March. They should only take two to three weeks each," Alex said.

"Good. I can get my cousins and Mom to help. You'll need to get me a guest list so that I can send out the invitations in time. I want to be able to give as much notice as possible."

Reaching across the table, Alex took her hand in his.

"Why don't you let Mom help, she would really like that."

Frowning, Jade replied, "You really think she'd like to help? I mean, she plans stuff all the time, I just didn't think...well, I don't know what I thought. I haven't managed to separate Diana, your mother, from Mrs. McCord, my employer. "

"That's because she's been your employer longer than your mother-in-law to be," Alex reasoned. "Maybe what the two of you need is some time away from the office. That way you could get to know each other on a personal level. If it's all right with you, I'll talk to Mom about it. It probably hadn't occurred to her because she sees you all the time."

Frowning slightly, Jade said, "Mother-in-law. It even sounds weird when you say it. I really like your mother and I want to get to know her better too. You're right, away from the office we won't have distractions and we can have a more personal conversation."

Acknowledging that the in-law aspect was important in more than one way, Alex said, "She'll not only be your mother-in-law, but the grandmother of our children. She spoke highly of you even before she knew we were dating. Now she asks about you and Briana, although she sees you nearly everyday. That's her way of letting me know she cares about the both of you."

"She does?" Jade said, surprised, though she didn't know why she should be. Mrs. McCord was always asking about Briana and complimenting her on being such an involved mother.

"She admires you, especially how you've raised Briana on your own. But, aside from that, you have secured her heart felt affection for life because you love me," Alex said.

"That means a lot to me," Jade said. "Why don't I talk to her when she's back in town and set up something. We can make a lunch date and talk about the wedding plans. I'm sure she'll have some great ideas."

"Ok, I'll leave it to you then," Alex agreed. "By the way, The Grove is having a Christmas bash. Since Christmas is on a Tuesday, the party will be on the prior Saturday. Would you like to go?"

"Yes, I'd love to go. Is it fancy dress?" Jade asked.

"Yes, it is. There will be a cocktail hour, a gourmet meal and dancing. We get to hobnob with the movers and shakers of the community," Alex teased. "I'll be your Prince Naveen and you'll be my Princess Tiana."

"Hmmm, that wouldn't work, you're no frog. But, for all I know, you could be some fly by night prince?" Jade teased.

Pretending to be affronted, Alex looked down his nose at her and said in a rather proper voice, "I'll have you know, my dear, I'm a perfectly legitimate card carrying prince."

Alex couldn't hold the look for long and both he and Jade burst out into laughter.

Briana's inquiry, "What's funny?" had them laughing even harder.

*

Jade decided to set December six aside as her Christmas shopping day. Thursday was Cheryl's usual day off and Jade thought they could make a big dent in their holiday list.

Jade could shop with the best of them, but she had to admit that Cheryl had her beat. At the end of the day, she will have lost track of the number of stores they visited and her tired body would bear testament the fact that it had been a long arduous day. On the other hand, Cheryl would still be rearing to go; she knew this from experience.

She and Cheryl made plans earlier in the week. Neither of them liked waiting until the last minute to complete their shopping and they both were eager to get started. Jade completed her list, getting information from Alex regarding what his brothers and parents would like. It was decided that the gift cards would bear both their names and Briana's.

Alex gave her money for the presents, more than she thought she'd needed. But, when she objected to the amount, he'd told her if she didn't spend it all, to put it into Briana's savings account.

She still wanted to object, but realized this man was her fiancé and would soon be her husband; it was all right for him to look after them now, even monetarily. Besides, it would be disrespectful to Alex not to accept his generosity.

After shopping, Jade and her cousin stopped and got all the gift wrapping necessities at Holiday Central, a specialty store in the mall. The store had a gift wrapping service, but they both enjoyed doing it themselves. Jade decided the perfect time to wrap her presents would be that night since Briana was staying over with Lisa for a slumber party. Those two never got enough of each other.

She had yet to get Alex's present, although she knew what she was getting him. She'd enlist his help with the wrapping and filling out the gift labels. She was glad to have his help and it was even more of a pleasure to know that she could look forward to many years ahead to share all of the holidays.

*

The plan was for Alex to pick Briana up from her grandparents and take her over to Judy's. He found that he was looking forward to Briana having kids over to their house for sleepovers. That might not be too long into the future, but that night he would have the entire evening alone with Jade and he intended to make the most of it.