My Sweet Canadian Girl Ch. 06

That evening I sat at home awaiting her phone call. As anxious as I was, I still remembered to check caller ID before picking up and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw it was her parents calling. It was probably her mother but I let the answering machine get it just in case. Mrs. Dumont was friendly towards me and had come into the city to have dinner with us but still couldn't convince her husband to come along. She claimed he was slowing getting over the shock of finding out his daughter was living with a complete stranger. It had been a few months and I hadn't seen or talked to him again yet. When he spoke to Cassie they never talked about me and Cassie was always sad afterwards saying she could hear the disappointment with her choice of men in his voice. She said she could tell he was hoping to hear that we'd broke up and I was gone forever. I was just starting to panic over him somehow finding our about our secret wedding when the phone rang again and Cassie's sweet voice calmed me down.

"Hi it's me," she said as I picked up the phone.

"Hi sweetie how the dress shopping going?" I asked.

"Well..." she said in an uncertain voice.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I tried on a few but the one I like is too expensive," she said. "I'm going to check another store before I come home."

"Do you want this one?" I asked. There was a long pause on her end. I was sure she was wearing it as we spoke and trying to find something wrong with it.

"I don't know," she said.

"Do I want to see you in this dress?" I asked trying a different approach.

"Definitely," she said and I could tell she was wearing her most beautiful smile as she said it.

"Then buy it for me if you feel bad about spoiling yourself," I said.

"But Rick it's..."

"It's the dress we both want you to have so go ahead and buy it sweetie," I said. When she still didn't say anything I added, "I'll come down and buy it myself if you won't."

"You don't even know how much it costs," she protested.

"Well obviously we can afford it or you wouldn't have tried it on. No matter what it costs I want you to have it," I said.

"It really is a beautiful dress," she said in a voice that still sounded like it needed convincing.

"You have to buy it. Our daughter can wear it someday so we'll get our money's worth," I said without realizing how much it would mean to her.

"Oh Rick you're going to make me cry. That's what I love the most about you," she said in a soft voice. "You're always saying and doing things that make me want to cry in a good way. I love you so much."

"I love you too," I said. "Will you be home soon then?" I asked.

"I just need to have them check the fitting once more and I'll be out of here," she said.

"I'll be ready when you get home," I said.

Cassie had the next two days off so we had all night and tomorrow to continue celebrating and preparing for what was going to be the best day of our lives. Waiting for her to get home I couldn't stop thinking about how lucky I was to have her. She was the most amazing girl I'd even known and in just a few days she was going to be my wife. I loved her more than anything. My life had changed in so many ways since I met her and all for the better. Even with the marriage this week, we couldn't really begin living our lives as husband and wife yet. Things like a proper wedding, a house to live in, and children would all have to wait. I still planned to treat her even better than I did now and show her how much I loved her every single day.

"I'm home," she sang out as she arrived home thirty minutes later. "Just let me freshen up and I'll be ready to go."

"You look plenty fresh to me," I said smiling at her.

"I'll be right back," she said rushing off to our bedroom. A few minutes later she was back with a different top, fresh lipstick, and her purse.

"All set?" I asked her with my hand on the doorknob.

"Just one more thing," she said squeezing me in a tight hug and giving me a knee-rattling kiss. "Thank you for the dress," she said when our lips parted.

"I can't wait to see you wearing it," I said.

"I can't wait to see our daughter wearing it some day," she said smiling beautifully.

Cassie hadn't eaten yet and neither had I so our night started with dinner out. It was nowhere fancy just a little restaurant we both liked. Over dinner we talked about the kind of wedding bands we'd get. I hadn't given it much though yet, but Cassie had some ideas. Before she'd tell me what she wanted, she made me tell her what I thought first. It was something she did more and more often because she knew I'd just go along with what she wanted otherwise. I thought about it for a moment before telling her I'd prefer something simple and matching that wouldn't be mistaken for anything than what it was. She smiled and said that was what she wanted too. We knew we wouldn't get to wear them often but we wanted to have them all the same. Once our marriage was out in the open I knew my ring would never leave my hand again. We wanted to get rings picked out that night if possible and left soon as we were finished eating. Cassie snatched the bill out of my hand and rushed off to pay.

Back in the car we shared a kiss before driving away. I was still getting used to my new home but having bought the necklace for Cassie earlier in the week and from browsing when I was looking for a graduation present I had a few places in mind. She joked that it felt great to be marrying a man who knew so much about jewelry shopping and that she needed to train me on clothes shopping next. Her grin was short lived when I warned her I was ready to buy her closets full of clothes soon as she finished teaching me. With a shrug I told her I'd have to settle for buying her lingerie that's sexiness was only surpassed by its skimpiness. Even with just the two of us in car I made her blush with my sleazy laughter.

The first place we tried didn't have much of a selection in stock and there was no way they could guarantee a matching pair that fit by Friday so we didn't stay long. It was the same thing at the next store we went to. They had too many other jobs to complete by Friday to squeeze us in. As much at they wanted to help they couldn't justify delaying the work for other customers who had ordered much more expensive jewelry. The problem with the pair of simple wedding bands we wanted is there wasn't enough profit margin in it to make them worth their while. The finance major in me could understand, but it hurt to see the clear disappointment on Cassie's beautiful face.

"It's almost closing time for these places," I said as we drove to the next one. We had time for only one more tonight.

"I know," she said in a dejected voice.

"Just let our money do our talking at the next spot," I said ready to pay whatever they asked to get a set of rings like we wanted in time.

"I can't let you waste money like that," she said.

"It's my money and making you happy is never a waste," I said.

"We'll be married soon so it's my money too," she said with a sweet smile. In my mind she was absolutely right but I knew she was saying it just to tease me. "If we have to we'll get them next week."

"I promised to give you everything you wanted for our wedding and I'm going to get us a matching pair of rings," I assured her. "What about this place?" I said as we passed a small jewelry store that looked ready to close for the night. I was hoping they'd need the business too much to turn us away.

"Why not?" she said in a clearly frustrated voice. I knew it was the fruitless search not me that had upset her.

"Good evening," I said greeting the older gentleman behind the counter as we went inside. My heart sank a little as I looked around and realized that it was probably the most upscale place we'd visited yet despite it's size. He was already wearing his coat and looked like he was ready to lock up. The prospects of serving a young couple fresh out of college didn't seem to interest him much but he sat down and tried to smile at us. I knew it was probably useless but the small chance of fulfilling my promise to the woman I loved made me ask anyway. Cassie knew it didn't look good either and squeezed my hand as I spoke. "We're looking for a pair of wedding bands," I said.

"Well have a seat over there and I'll bring you some to look at," he said in a bored voice. Already he knew there wasn't much profit in this sale.

"We need them for Friday," I said as he turned around to go to the back.

"You won't find them here then," he said picking up his hat and looking at the door meaningfully.

"Please at least let us see what you have. Maybe we'll find something we can take as is," Cassie said in a pleading voice.

"Just like you did at the other stores right?" he said. "Save the looks like that for him they're wasted on me," he added when Cassie tried to turn on the charm.

"What's going on out there Harold? I though you were closing up?" called a woman's voice from the back.

"I am," he answered her.

"Who are you talking to then?" she asked her voice growing louder as she approached. "My what a fine young couple you two are," she said looking down at our held hands and then up to our faces with a smile. It was a kind and honest face, like you'd expect to see on a grandmother baking cookies for her precious grandchildren. It made me feel welcome in their store and gave me hope.

"We need wedding bands," I said. "For this Friday," I added ready to cringe but her kind smile never faded.

"You heard the young man. Put down that hat and hang up your coat Harold we've got one more customer before we close for the night," she said.

"You heard him say this Friday didn't you?" he said in a voice that was less grumpy than the one he used with us. "It's late and I'm too old for this."

"Look at them Harold. Look," she said waiting until he turned his head. "You're going to tell these desperate kids it's too late? The poor girl looks ready to cry. I'd say they found us just in time. Now go bring them some rings to look at because you're not too old for this, just like you're not too old to spend a week sleeping on the sofa."

"Thank you so much ma'am," I said speaking for both of us. Cassie was indeed ready to cry as I held her hand in comfort.

"You can call me Nadine. Don't let Harold scare you my dear. He's got a big bark sometimes but no bite. Every night he takes his teeth out before bed," she said making Cassie giggle. "Oh that's much better, such a pretty smile. I bet he makes you do that a lot," she said looking at me.

"He does," Cassie said and I couldn't resist giving her a quick little kiss on the forehead.

"Here sit down both of you. Harold will be out with the rings soon," she said glancing towards the back room. "Now," she said taking a seat to one side of the table, "Every marriage has a story that starts long before the wedding day comes. Why don't you tell me yours while we wait?"

Cassie looked at me nervously and nudged me with her knee. Clearing my throat I started with the day we met on the ski slopes what seemed a lifetime ago. Almost right away Cassie was forced to interrupt when I skipped the part about my 'sexy' smile and together we told Nadine how we fell in love. Harold soon rejoined us with a tray loaded with rings and sat down across from us. He asked us to put our hands on the table so he could fit us for pairs that matched. Cassie was hesitant at first until Nadine assured her it would be okay with a grandmotherly touch on the arm. I put my arm around Cassie's shoulders and Nadine urged us to continue with our story.

It was easy to forget her husband was there and eventually I barely noticed the rings slipping on and off my finger as we spoke. Nadine laughed and cried along with us as we relived our lives together thus far. I looked at my beautiful wife to be and wondered how all of this could have happened so fast. We skipped over the sex stories of course but between the two of us I don't think we missed anything else. I didn't realize Harold was paying attention but he laughed out loud at my description of Mr. Dumont until a glare from his wife silenced him. By the time we were done Nadine had a satisfied smile on her face, like she knew she'd done the right thing by making her husband stay to help us.

Harold had been done with the ring fittings for a while, but his wife wouldn't let him disrupt our story so he waited until the end to show us what he found. Laid out in two rows were matching pairs of rings for Cassie and I to look at. For simple wedding rings like we asked for I was amazed there could be so many. A lot of them looked the same to me at first until the differences slowly became clear. He still seemed a little impatient but Nadine told us to take our time. If they didn't have what we wanted then they would by Friday she assured us. I looked at each pair one at a time and found a few that I liked. The second pair in the row kept catching my eye though.

"See any you like?" Nadine asked after we'd studied them in silence for a few minutes.

"The second pair," we said at the same time. I looked at Cassie and we shared a loving smile.

"You both like the same ones at least," Nadine said. "If they're not good enough we can get you whatever you want so don't feel like you have to take these." I looked deep into Cassie's eyes and raised my eyebrows waiting for her to decide. They seemed like the perfect pair to me as long as she wanted them too. With a nodding smile she told me all she needed to.

"We'll take them," I said.

"They're perfect," Cassie added. "Thank you so much Nadine. You too Harold, I feel bad for keep you up late," she said jumping up to hug them both. Even Harold managed to smile after that. We continued to chat as Harold put the rings in a box for us and took the payment on my credit card. Just as we were about to leave Nadine stopped us.

"I'm so glad you kids came in here tonight," she said with a warm smile.

"So are we," Cassie said giving her another hug.

"Have a happy wedding and even happier life together," she said as Cassie started to choke up. "Just keep loving her like you do and all the rest will work itself out," she said looking at me and patting Cassie on the back.

"I will. Thanks again Nadine," I said putting my arm around Cassie's shoulders as we left.

On the way home I drove with one hand on the wheel as Cassie held my other hand in hers. She looked so happy whenever I glanced over at her. I felt huge relief over having found the rings I promised she'd have before we wed. After sharing our story with Nadine I loved her even more than before. I found myself wondering how many couples had shared the stories that led up to their weddings with her over the years. Hopefully Cassie was thinking about the same thing and not dwelling on the sadness of a secret wedding. I was going to make Mr. Dumont accept me. Somehow, someway I was going to earn his trust and respect. Once I did that we'd never have to hide anything again.

Back at our apartment, we sat together on the love seat planning our day tomorrow. Cassie needed to go to the bridal shop early for one last dress fitting. They'd been great making time for her last minute but she might have to spend hours there to make sure it was ready in time. While she was there I needed to pick up my tuxedo rental and our wedding cake. Cassie was back to work the day after our wedding but I was still trying to think of a way to make the whole week special for her. I smiled knowing if I said something like that she'd tell me getting married to me was already special enough. Just before bed we had a cup of hot cocoa and sat close together staring at the pair of rings that would forever bind us as one.

"You know we left out a big part of our story when we were talking to Nadine," I said.

"Which part?" she asked in a puzzled voice.

"The dirty part," I said kissing her neck and making her blush. I couldn't believe how easy it was to make her shy even when we were alone.

"We skipped over it with her but I was thinking about it the whole time," she said setting down the rings and turning into my arms.

"Talking with Nadine reminded me of everything I love about you. There's so much that sometimes it's hard to remember it all," I said kissing her.

"I know," she said breathing softly into our kiss. "When we were finished talking to her the tiny voice inside that was still whispering we shouldn't be doing this yet was finally gone forever. Nothing could stop me from marrying you on Friday and if my father walked in here right now I'd tell him the exact same thing." The moment she said that the phone rang and her eyes shot wide in panic. I was stunned myself but went to see who it was as she sat petrified on the love seat.

"It's just my mother sweetie you can breathe again," I said trying to mask my own relief. If it had been her parents calling it would have freaked me out. "Hi mom," I said picking up the phone.

"Hi, I'm not waking you up am I?" she said.

"No you didn't wake us up. Cassie is off the next two days so she hasn't gone to bed yet, I said.

"That's nice. Are you doing anything fun together?" she asked. It would have killed me to lie to her if I wasn't doing it for Cassie.

"Not really," I said hoping she'd be able to forgive me if she discovered the truth some day.

"What time does your flight get to LA?" she asked.

"We'll get in 1:30 next Thursday. I can't wait for you to meet her," I said.

"Can I talk to her for a minute?" she asked.

"Sure let me put her on. She wants to talk to you," I said walking over to Cassie with the phone.

"Hi Judy," Cassie said in her customary pleasant tone of voice. "I can't wait either. Rick keeps telling me about all these places he wants to take me while we're there. We might not see it all this time but we'll make it back again soon." I could picture my mother getting excited over that promise. "Don't worry about me, whatever Rick likes is fine. Really Judy don't go out of your way I feel like we're imposing enough already by staying with you the whole trip. He's doing well. Still no luck yet but he tries so hard. I'm sure he'll find something soon," I heard Cassie say. They hadn't even met face to face yet but they would talk about me like I wasn't even there to overhear. I didn't mind at all though, it made me smile knowing they'd become close already. So far my mother had never started a call by asking for Cassie right away but the day was coming soon. To give them the privacy they needed to talk about me all they wanted I gave Cassie a kiss on the cheek and went to our bedroom.

It had been a busy week already and the next couple of days would be just as hectic. With my fingers crossed behind my head I found myself thinking about how much better my life had become since I met Cassie. She was my life and I loved her with all my heart. I'd never felt like this about a woman before and I knew it was a feeling that would never stop. The thought of marrying her in just two days now was scary but not because I didn't want her to be my wife. I was still afraid that I'd somehow fail to live up to everything she wanted and deserved in a husband. Nothing made me feel worse than the fear of not giving my sweet Canadian girl everything she wanted in life. She found me glassy eyed and trying not to let my emotions overwhelm me as the responsibility of living up to her hopes and dreams felt like too great a task for a man like me.

"Oh Dickie," she said seeing me and rushing over to sit on the bed holding my hand. "What's wrong my love?" she asked in the same gentle voice she used with her young patients at the hospital.

"Nothing," I said trying to blink away the tears. I didn't want her to think I was having second thoughts.

"You can tell me," she said looking down at me with those big blue eyes.