Kiss Me Cate Pt. 08

"So that's it then?" Her father said to her sharply.

Cate looked at him confounded. "Is that what you really think of me?" The heartbreak was obvious. Even her mother gripped his arm but didn't say anything.

"Well there has to be some reason you feel it necessary to go through with this after only a few months. Are you pregnant then?" Her expression went from dismay to shock to anger.

"I am not!" Her eyes had gone vivid blue and were nearly bugging out of her head. She ticked off her points as she made them. "We are both adults. We love each other immensely. We've become best friends and have made a pact that no matter what happens, that we will remain so. We are financially stable, and we're committed to making our marriage work." I silently nodded as she made every point. I glanced aside at Cate, her jaw set, and her gaze unflinching as her father took a deep breath.

He looked at me. "When I asked you what your designs were on my daughter, you could have warned me then."

"I asked you to trust me that day."

"Aye, and I told you to bide your time. That was less than a week ago."

"Biding my time wouldn't have made me love her any more than I do right now. I can't imagine a situation where waiting would have changed anything."

"That's the problem. You can't picture anything being a problem, yet they'll be there as sure as the nose on your face."

"Remember what else you told me? Cate's like you, smart, stubborn and well worth the wait. The only thing don't agree with is the waiting. She's asking for your blessing. If you can't give it to her, then it's you who's being stubborn." I began to raise my hand to signal the waiter to prepare our check before we'd even ordered dinner. I couldn't see the point of putting Cate through any more of this.

"David." Cate's mother finally spoke up. "She's made up her mind and you'll not change it I'm afraid. She's as stubborn as you are, and besides, I'm sure they're making the right choice for themselves."

The waiter arrived to a very tense table. "Are you ready to order?"

David looked up at him and nodded and with a guarded sigh. "Have you got a bottle of Champagne to celebrate my daughter's engagement?"

The waiter smiled and nodded stating that they did. Cate let out her breath slowly, along with that the tension at the table appeared to recede. We finished dinner, and I noticed that Cate didn't finish her meal and she passed on dessert. I could feel the hurt and disappointment coming from her. In the parking area we said our goodbyes to her parents. Her father motioned me aside.

"You understand that I'm not upset with you I hope. It's just that I want the world for her, and I'm afraid she's making a short-sighted decision."

I looked him in the eye, and nodded slightly. "I know. I hope you understand that I want nothing less for her and will do everything in my power to make that a reality."

He nodded and held out his hand. I took it firmly and gave it a shake. I was surprised when he pulled me towards him and gave me a quick hug as well. "Welcome to the family then." His expression had lightened considerably as Cate walked towards us. "Cat," he took hold of her and hugged her tightly, "I'm sorry, it's just so sudden and I worry for you over there in America."

"I know. I can't have made it easy on you traipsing all over the place making you worry, but trust me on this. He's a wonderful man and I love him dearly. He says he wants to make me the happiest woman in the world, and I'm going to give him the chance." She said smiling through her tears.

Cate didn't talk much the rest of the evening and rather than try to talk her through it I just held her when she wanted me to, and let her be when she wanted a moment to think. She'd kissed me and said she was going to bed. I followed a few minutes later to find her curled up around my pillow crying. I crawled into bed and took her in my arms and spoke to her softly, trying to reassure her that he'd get to know me over time and he'd see that I was as good as my word to take care of her.

She sniffled. "My own father as much as called me a whore tonight Dylan. That wasn't about you."

"He didn't say that Cate! He's worried about you."

"First he asks if I'm marrying you for your money, then he asks if I'm pregnant? What do you think he was implying?" She said, her voice shook.

"Cate, he loves you very much and he's worried you're making a mistake. Unfortunately he's really bad at telling you that."

"No shit."

"You still have me." I said hoping to lighten her mood.

There was a long pause. "I hope so, you're all I have left."

"Whoa!" I rolled her onto her back and reached for the lamp.

"You have not lost your family over this. He's concerned, and he's lousy at verbalizing it, he has NOT disowned you in any way, and if he has then I'm sure he's completely alone on that front, your mother and sisters won't side with him, I'm sure of that."

She looked up into my eyes and caressed my cheek. "Let's get some sleep. We have an early morning." She tilted her head towards the lamp and I turned it back off. She rolled back onto her side and I slipped in behind her, set on the idea that she was not going to feel alone if I could help it.

We'd woken up early to get ready for our flight. Cate moved around in efficient silence. I gathered our things by the door. Cate's phone rang, shocking us both out of our silence. She looked at the number on the screen and answered it.

"Hello?" The side long look she gave me didn't leave any question as to the number. "Hi Mum." I looked at her and pointed over my shoulder to the other room. She gave me a wan smile and I went into the other room, closing the door behind me as I did. I puttered about, straightened up and eventually sat down and played on my phone looking at flight times to see if we could bump to a later time if necessary.

Fifteen minutes had passed and I was worried we might not make the flight when the bedroom door opened and Cate was carrying her bag out to set it with the others. Her face was flushed, her eyes a little red but she didn't say anything when I asked if she was alright, she just walked up to me and hugged me so hard I thought she'd crack a rib. I didn't press her. She made one last pass through the apartment while I brought the bags down to the car.

We didn't have enough time for breakfast so we agreed to just get coffee and something quick at the airport. Once we were on the motorway she reached over and took my hand and set it on her lap, holding it tightly. We dropped off the car and wheeled our luggage to the international departures terminal. Cate was still quiet, giving over ticket and passport when prompted. The agent at the counter giving me a quick look of concern, I just gave her a smile back as we collected our board passes.

She looked up at me from her seat with a bright smile. I was surprised at her change and I guess my face showed it. She patted my seat and once I'd closed up the bin above I joined her.

"I'm sorry I've been a dour old bag all morning." She leaned over and kissed me, I intercepted it since I didn't want it on the cheek.

"You haven't been, only quiet, and I'm sure you have your reasons."

She chuckled at that. "Well if you'd asked me before dinner last night I'd have said this trip couldn't have been any better. The weather not withstanding."

"Wait until you get home. I just looked at it before we got on board and it's twelve degrees, and no, that's not Celsius." Her eyes went wide and she shivered.

She looked back out the window and sighed. "Mum told me their dirty little secret, then handed the phone to my dad." She turned back to me and with a little smirk on her face recounted the tale. It seems that her parents fiddled with the date of their marriage without telling their kids. Her mother was just pregnant with Sinead when they got married. So the accusation stung not only Cate but her mother as well. She wouldn't let him be a hypocrite to Cate like that, and had told her father that he'd better call her and apologize or things would be getting lonely as her mother threatened to move out until he fixed things.

"I told him that I didn't want him to be sorry because Mum threatened him, I wanted him to be sorry because of what he said to me."

I was proud of her having stood up for herself.

"He said he was, that he was ashamed for what he'd said because he knows me better than that. He also said that he knows that you'll take as good care of me as he has, and asked me to tell you that he's sorry for ruining our announcement like he did. He would like to get the chance to apologize in person."

"Spring break is coming in a few months, or if they'd like to come here we can get them tickets."

"He also said he would be very honored to give me away at our wedding." She leaned in and gave my arm a hug. "Which should be here in Ireland since he gets airsick when flying." She giggled.

"I guess we're coming back on spring break then." I said before kissing the top of her head. The door of the plane was closed and preparations to take off began as I sat back and smiled.