3

Memories

 

I chugged the remainders of my melted iced coffee.

“Just a few more kilometres,” said Troy, “and we’ll be on the longest straightest road in the world.” His face lit up.

My eyes drifted from the road to him then back. “You’re really excited about seeing it, aren’t you?”

“Yeh.” He unwrapped a muesli bar. “You’re not?”

“Thrilled.” Maybe not as much as him. But who doesn’t love a road trip?

The Prius coughed and spluttered.

Troy cut his eyes to me. “What was that?”

“I think—” The car slowed. My foot squeezed the accelerator. Nothing. Oh no. No, no, no, no, no! Not here. I managed to pull onto the side of the road, in time for the engine to cut out.

Troy’s forefinger tapped the fuel gage. “We shouldn’t have run out of petrol. I’ll have a look.” He jumped out.

I popped the bonnet and followed.

Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. His eyes swept over the battery and radiator. “Hm.” He slid under the vehicle.

“What are you doing?” I said.

“Checking the fuel tank.” He was silent for a moment. “Ah, not good.”

“Is it fixable?”

“There’s a dent in it. We’re out of petrol.”

“Someone will come along, right?”

He straightened and dusted his hands off. “Could be hours.”

I kicked the wheel. “Stupid car.”

The journey home is never easy. I should have known there would be a hiccup or two along the way.

“Let’s get some shade.” He reached for my hand and towed me over to a large tree.

Two hours later, not a car had passed. No mobile reception, either. I paced under the line of trees. “I’m hungry.” We would have been eating lunch by now.

Troy stood and stretched. “There’s a couple muesli bars left.” He reached into the back seat.

Bleating emanated from behind us. Four single-humped camels came into view.

I froze. My eyes widened. “Troy.” Was I so starved that I was envisioning this? I clenched my eyes shut. Cheeseburger and fries. Cheeseburger and fries. I opened one eye. Nope. Not a single fry in sight. Damn.

Troy swivelled then backed up, pushing me behind him. I peeked around his shoulder at the giant creatures as they crossed the highway.

“They aren’t dangerous.” I swatted his arm away and reached for a bar.

He sighed. “Someone should come along soon.”

Neither of us wanted to sleep here.

“We could hop on a camel,” he teased.

I shot him an icy glare.

“Thought you said they’re not dangerous?”

“I call dibs on the back seat,” I said.

“Don’t bother.” He grinned and pointed down the highway.

I squinted. The black dot on the horizon was headed our way.

“I’m gonna see if they can take me to the nearest town,” he said.

“You are going to leave me here alone?”

He touched his lips to my forehead. “I’ll be back, I promise.”

He better be.

“Lock yourself in the car,” he said.

I brushed dirt off his back as the Hyundai slowed. The window rolled down. A couple in their twenties grinned at us.

“You guys need any help?” said the man.

“We’re out of petrol — dent in the tank,” said Troy. “Could you give me a lift?”

“Sure,” he said.

The woman peered around him. “There’s room for both of you.”

“Oh, thanks,” I said, “but everything I own is in that car.”

She smiled, reassuring. “Okeydokey.”

Troy handed me the last muesli bar. His hands cupped my face as he kissed me. “Love you.” He slid into the back.

I waved as they sped off. Was I ever going to see him again?

I chewed on my thumbnail. An hour had passed and there were no signs of them. Had I lost my husband before I married him? I checked my phone for the hundredth time — still no service. Where was he? Was he safe? And was he bringing food?

Ten minutes later, I heard a rumble of an engine. It cut off. I sat up and peered out of the rear window.

Troy smiled at me as he loped over. He leaned through the side window. “Are you glad I’m back or that I brought food?”

I unlocked the door. “A little of both.”

He lifted me into his arms for a beat then dropped me on my feet and pressed his lips to my forehead. “Roni and Ryan.” Troy gestured behind himself. “They’re good people — from Cairns. She’s a little—” He searched for the right word. “—eccentric. Owns a cupcake bakery.”

I felt my eyes widen. “Cupcakes?”

He nodded. I flicked my eyes to them. Roni grinned and waved.

“She wants to bake for Ruby’s birthday,” he said. “I told her yes. Do you mind?”

“Not at all. But, they are strangers, Troy.”

He placed his hands on my shoulders. “There’s nothing to worry about, you’ll see.”

She jogged over. “Hi! Troy’s told us a lot about you.”

“Oh?” I slid my eyes to him. “He better have been nice.”

“He was. Super nice.” She flashed another grin.

Ryan ambled over and nudged her.

“Oh, and I got you an iced coffee.” She offered me a plastic take-away cup. “Troy told us you were a caffeine addict.”

“Just a little.” I returned her smile and took it. “Thanks.”

She vibrated with energy. “I can bake anything you want me to for the party — cake, cupcakes, pastries, mu—”

Ryan rolled his eyes. “Never mind her. She had a double espresso back at the petrol station.”

Roni raised her hand. “Guilty.”

“We’ll let you guys go. You must want to get back on the road.” Ryan reached for her hand.

“Call us about the party!” she said, “Troy’s got our number.”

“Okay, I will.” I returned their waves as they sped past then swivelled to face Troy. “This has turned out to be the worst damn day of my life.”

He cut his eyes from them to me.

Uh-oh. “Except for the day we broke up.”

“Sure.” He held up a paper bag. “C’mon, let’s eat.”

“You didn’t have lunch?”

He propped himself up against a tree. “No. My fiancée was alone and starving. Why would I leave her longer than necessary?”

My heart swelled. How lucky was I, to be marrying him?

“I gotcha two burgers.” He smirked. “Thought I was gonna get my hand ripped off last time.”

“Hm. Don’t know if I should take that as a compliment or not.” I shovelled fries into my mouth then blew a sigh. “I can’t wait to get into bed.”

He arched an eyebrow.

“With or without you, doesn’t matter.”

“Soon as I finish eating, I’ll get the Prius running again.”

My lips tugged into a grin. “Love you, awesome car nerd.”

I flopped face-down onto the mattress. “Bed. Feels good.”

“Uh-oh.” Troy pitched his messenger bag onto the bed. “You’re speaking in broken sentences. You must be really tired.”

“Mm-hm.”

“You wanna grab an early dinner or crash first?”

“Food.”

“Okay. I’ll go get us something.” His lips pressed into my hair. “Back soon.”

My eyes closed and I drifted into slumber.

Moments later, a ringing dragged me out of my sleep. Troy’s phone vibrated on the bed-side table. I groaned and tugged the pillow over my head. It stopped and I convinced myself that I was dreaming. After a beat, the phone shrilled again. I sighed, peeled back the corner of the pillow and stared at the screen — Lauren.

Should I answer it? Whatever she had to say, I could handle. I reached for it. “Hello?”

“Who’s this?” she said.

“Monique.”

“The bitch trying to steal my family? Yeh, I heard about you.”

I sat up. “I’m not trying to replace you, Lauren. I could never do that.”

“Right.” She snorted. “Is Troy there?”

“He’s out. Did you want to leave a message?”

Beep, beep, beep.

Super.

The door opened and Troy stepped through. “Hey, Gorgeous.” His eyes roamed over my face. “What’s up?”

I rested my chin in a hand. “Lauren called. Said I was a bitch.”

He heaved a sigh, dropped the containers on the table and sat next to me. “Sorry.”

I shrugged a shoulder. “Not your fault.”

His brow furrowed. “She’s the mother of my daughter. It partly is.”

I reached for a container and flicked it open. Fries. “She’s jealous. And nuts — no offense.”

“None taken.”

“She’s not going to make it easy for us, is she?”

His arm curled around my shoulders. “Don’t you worry about that.” His lips brushed across my temple.

Us getting married had to be hard on her.

“So.” He grabbed a handful of fries. “You wanna watch some TV? I think there’s a repeat of The King of Queens on.”

“Sure.” What else was there to do?

Before I passed out again, I called Mum.

“Hi, Darling!” she said. “How are you?”

There was no simple answer. Between spending hours by myself, not knowing if my fiancé was alive, to the problems with Lauren, I wasn’t sure how I felt.

“Moni?” Concern flooded her voice.

I had taken too long to answer. “I’m fine.”

“Ah-ha. And I’m Martha Stewart.” She was silent for a beat. “Where’s Troy?”

“Shower.”

“So, you wanna tell me what’s really going on?”

I filled her in.

“She hurt my step-granddaughter-to-be? What’s her address?”

I smirked. “What are you going to do — send her a nasty letter? You are on the other side of the country,” I said. “Speaking of, when are you coming for a visit?”

“Soon.”

“Let me know. I’ll buy you a ticket.”

“No. I’ll buy my own ticket, thank you.”

I heard a male voice in the background. “Who’s that?”

“Jay,” she said. “He, uh, wanted to borrow the Ute again.”

His dad had one. Something’s up. “What are you hiding?”

The bathroom door opened.

“I’d better go,” she said and hung up.

Troy strolled out, a towel secured around his waist. “Who’re you talking to?”

“Mum.”

His eyes widened in mock curiosity. “Oh? How is she?”

“There’s something she’s not telling me. And Jay was there.” My brow creased.

“I’m sure it’s nothing.” He turned his back to me as he dressed.

“What are you hiding from me?”

He pulled a shirt over his head. “I’m not hiding anything.”

I marched over and grabbed his jaw. “What happened to no secrets?”

“I promise, it’s nothing bad.”

My grip slackened.

“It’s a surprise,” he said. “I can’t tell you anything more.”

I released him. “Fine.” It had better involve chocolate.

He tugged on a pair of track pants, a smirk growing on his lips. “You’re so cute when you’re frustrated.”

“I am?”

“Yep.” His arms knocked my legs from under me then pitched me onto the bed. His fingers unbuttoned my shirt, brushing his lips across the bare skin as it was revealed.

I tugged on his collar and he shifted closer, his lips trailing up my neck.

“We have an early start tomorrow, remember?” I said.

“And?” A hand slid over my stomach. “I’ll buy you a double espresso in the morning.”

* * *

“Make it a quadruple,” I said the next morning as we waited in line for breakfast. I didn’t get a lot of shut-eye. Restless night, I guess. Too much on my mind.

His head swivelled in my direction. “You’re talking espresso, not pancakes, right?”

“Yep.”

“Hm. Not sure I wanna be in the same car as you after that.”

I nudged him with my elbow. “Ha ha.”

“We’d better stock up on munchies, too — just in case.”

“I see some muffins.” I nodded towards the display case.

“I’ll get us a couple of those and some fruit. I bet you’re sick of those muesli bars, huh?”

“A little.” I never wanted to see another. “I just want to get home and sleep for a week.” I slumped into him.

He secured an arm around my waist. “Blueberry pancakes?”

“Yes.”

He nodded across the room. “Grab that table. And try not to fall asleep.”

I yawned. “No promises.”

A minute later, he joined me. “They were out of blueberries.”

“That’s not funny,” I said. “No jokes until I have my coffee.”

“Someone’s grumpy this morning.”

“That someone’s fiancé is hiding something.”

The waitress delivered our breakfast. Troy checked his phone for the fifth time.

I ripped into the pancakes. “Expecting a call?”

He hesitated. “You know that surprise I talked about last night?”

I nodded. “The one you wouldn’t tell me anything about — no matter how hard I pressed?”

“I’m kinda relying on some people to help me pull it off.”

“Sounds big.”

“Monumental.”

Hm, what could it be? He had already proposed. “And you won’t tell me anything?”

“There’ll be cake.”

“Ooh.”

“But no one’s getting back to me — could be an epic failure.”

I reached for his hand. “As long as the cake’s good, right?”

He returned my smile. “Right.”

An hour later, we were on the road again.

“We need some tunes.” I plucked a stack of CDs from the glove box and flipped through them.

“Whoa, whoa! Was that a country album I saw?” His lips tugged into a smirk. “I thought you hated country music?”

“Not when I was nine.” I smiled as I examined the CD. “It was a gift from Dad.” I always was Daddy’s little angel. He would bring me home trinkets and all kinds of cool stuff from his trips. Sometimes he even let me tag along.

Troy squeezed my hand. “You wanna stop for some post-breakfast breakfast before we leave civilisation? Or coffee?”

“Sure.” I swiped at my moist eyes. “A vat of coffee.”

“Comin’ up.” He swung into a petrol station then jogged inside. Moments later, Troy returned. He passed me a take-away cup and a chocolate bar.

I felt my lips pull into a smile. “Thanks.”

He leaned through the window and pressed his lips to mine. “You’re welcome.” He marched to the other side and slid in. “Let’s go home.”

“Ruby’s gonna go nuts when she sees you,” said Troy.

“Are we picking her up before we head home?”

His eyes drifted to the clock on the dash. “Yeah. School’s nearly out.”

“Awesome.” I couldn’t wait to see her either.

Troy found a parking space and cut the engine. I drummed my fingers on my thigh.

A hand covered them. “Any minute now.”

The bell sounded. A stampede of kids escaped the buildings, filling the yard. Ruby paused by the gate, her eyes searching. And then I realised, she wouldn’t know my car. I stepped out and waved to her.

Ruby sprinted across the pavement, a big smile on her lips, and slammed into me. “Moni!”

“Hey Sweetie,” I said.

“I missed you so very much.”

I kneeled and crushed her to me. “Ditto.”

“Even though Mummy wouldn’t let me talk about you.” Her face dropped.

“Oh?”

“She gets really mad.”

Troy appeared beside me. “Hey, Kiddo.”

“Daddy!” Ruby pounced at him.

He picked her up and swung her around. “Let’s go, hey?” He winked at her.

She giggled.

“You are both keeping secrets now?” I said.

“A really big awesome secret,” she said.

We managed to squeeze Ruby in the back.

“You okay there, Rubes?” I adjusted the rear vision mirror to see her.

She nodded.

“There’s a bag of toys next to you from when I was your age. I thought you could pick out the ones you want.”

“Thank you.” She reached in and pulled out a purple unicorn.

Troy swivelled. “Wow, that’s pretty cool, hey Ruby?”

“Can I keep this one?” She held it up.

“Sure.” I swung out of the lot. A minute later, I turned onto our street.

Ruby hopped out. “C’mon! You’ll love your office!” She led me up the driveway.

“Hold up, Missy.” Troy jogged ahead to unlock the door.

“Daddy, cover her eyes,” said Ruby.

Troy’s gentle hand clamped over them.

“Jeez, must be something special,” I said.

“No peeking,” she said.

I heard the door swing open. They ushered me forward.

“Step,” said Troy.

I lifted a leg then the other.

“We hope you like it.” He spun me around. “Plenty of shelves and storage.” His hand peeled away to reveal lilac walls.

I perched on the futon and prodded the mattress. “Perfect for mid-afternoon naps.”

Troy returned my grin. “Our exact thoughts.”

Ruby sat next to me.

I tucked her under my arm. “This is amazing. I love it.”

“But, we have another surprise.” He held out a hand.

I took it and he hauled me up, securing fingers over my eyes again.

“Is it a puppy?” I heard Ruby giggle.

“No, silly.” She tugged me forward.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see in a moment,” he said.

I heaved a sigh. I hated not seeing where I was stepping. “Troy ...”

“Just a sec,” he said. “There.” His hand slipped away.

Mum, Patrick, Jay and Troy’s mother stood before us.

“What’s going on?” My eyes flickered between them. “Mum? What are you doing here?”

Troy dropped to one knee and reached for my hand. “Will you marry me today?”

I froze. “Are you serious?”

He nodded. “Very.”

Ruby peeked around Troy. “Say yes! Say yes!”

I breathed deep. “Yes.”

“How did you want your hair?” said Mum. “Up or down?”

“Uh. I haven’t really thought about it,” I said.

“Not to worry.” Mrs. DeGaris sorted through eye shadows. “Makeup?”

“He hasn’t seen me in any yet,” I said. “Why start now?”

Mum smiled and shook her head. “I’ve known about this for over a week, but I still can’t believe my little girl’s getting married.” She swiped at her eyes.

Julie handed her a tissue. “Well, I’m glad my son’s marrying you and not that tramp — ooh you won’t tell Troy I said that will you?”

“I will take it to my grave.” I drew a cross over my heart.

Mum brushed strands of my hair. “You don’t seem one bit nervous.”

I shrugged a shoulder and smiled. “I have been waiting twelve years to be with him again and twenty-five to marry him.”

“You really are meant for each other,” said Julie.

“How do you feel about curls?” said Mum.

“I like ’em.”

Ruby wandered in. “Nanny, can you do my hair, too?”

“Sure thing, Beautiful.” Julie slid a chair closer to mine.

“How long have we got?” I said.

Mum plugged in the curling iron. “Plenty of time.”

Ruby bounced in her chair. “It’s not even dark yet!”

“You excited Rubes?” I clutched her hand.

“Yep! You make Daddy very happy.”

My smile widened. “Thank you.” My thoughts trailed to the ceremony. “Oh my God. I haven’t got anything written for my vows.” My heart kicked in my chest. “What am I going to do?”

“Speak from the heart, Dear,” said Mum.

Jay’s voice floated into the bedroom, “Everyone decent?”

“Yes,” I said.

He slipped through the door. “I need a moment alone with the bride.”

“Why?” said Mum.

“Secret best man business,” he said.

They held their place.

His eyes flicked between Mum and Julie. “I got orders from the groom.”

“Come on, Rubes.” Julie towed her out of the room.

“You, too, Mrs. Cullen.” He thrust a thumb over his shoulder with a smirk.

“Fine, I’m going.” She squeezed my shoulder as she passed. The door clicked shut behind her.

“What’s up?” I said.

“First off, I wanna apologise for lying earlier.” He sat in the other chair, brow furrowed. “Troy called when he bumped into you.”

I waved a hand. “That’s in the past.”

“Awesome.” He was silent for a minute.

“Secret best man business?”

“Oh, yeah.” He beamed and plunged a hand into his pocket.

“I thought Patrick would have been best man?”

“He is. However, Pat didn’t do an online celebrancy course.”

“Hold up,” I said. “You are marrying us?”

“Yup.” He waved a necklace in front of me. “You like?” He placed the string of tiny diamond flowers in my palm.

“He spoils me too much.” My finger traced a flower, smaller than the tip of my pinkie. “All I care about is spending the rest of my life with him and Ruby.”

“You really are a good one, Mon.” He stood then bent to press his lips to my head.

Troy’s brother slipped into the room.

“More secret best man business?” I said.

“Not exactly,” said Patrick. “I need to borrow Jay for a sec.”

“No more secrets!” I stood, hands on hips. “Someone better tell me what’s going on.”

“C’mon,” said Jay. “Let’s get outta here before she goes all scorned bride on us.”

I shot them an icy glare. “Hey.”

“Too late, Man,” said Pat. “Let’s go.”

Perfection, something everyone covets. And I have it — a gorgeous husband and daughter, the people closest to us standing witness to our everlasting love, and a golden sunset. Right now, there is nothing more I wanted than to say I do.

Mum fastened the last button on my dress. “You’re ready, Kiddo.” She moved to stand in front of me.

I sighed. “Mum don’t cry. You are not losing me. You are gaining so much more.”

“I know.” She pressed her lips to my cheek. “And that Ruby’s a gem, isn’t she?”

I giggled.

“No pun intended.” She fixed an unruly strand.

There was a tap on the door. “It’s showtime,” said Patrick.

I took a deep breath.

“Are you ready?” said Mum.

I exhaled. “Yep.” This morning I was worried about not having enough snacks for our trip home, and now I was getting married. Things were moving fast, but I didn’t mind.

Music floated in as the door opened. I turned to her. “Mum, will you walk me down the aisle?” Dad would have wanted her to.

Her lips curled upwards. “I’d be honoured.”

I hooked my arm around hers. “Don’t let me mumble incoherently or screw up my vows.”

“I won’t.” She petted my hand.

The music shifted into a softer melody.

I sucked in another deep breath. “I’m ready.”

Her eyes flitted over me. “You’re so beautiful.”

“It is a pretty dress.” My fingers smoothed out the lace. “Thanks for helping Troy with it.”

“Oh I had nothing to do with it – any of this. It’s all Troy.”

We stepped into the hallway.

“He knows you so well,” said Mum. “And I can see how much he loves you.”

We passed the living room.

I swivelled to face her again. “Thanks for everything.”

“You’re welcome, Dear.”

“I know it wasn’t easy when Dad passed. I was a handful.”

She shrugged a shoulder. “We get dealt what God thinks we can handle.”

I nodded. Losing my best friend and discovering my true love had a seven year old was enough for me. I had reached my limit.

Ruby bounced into the hallway and twirled. “Hey, Moni.”

“You look so pretty,” I said.

“Do you have your flowers?” said Mum.

“Yes.” She tugged the bunch from the table.

“Good girl.” Mum signalled to Patrick.

He skipped a track on the CD then gave us a thumbs-up. The instrumental version of A Thousand Years trickled through the speakers.

And then I couldn’t see anything else but Troy. His handsome face, sparkling eyes. Gentle smile and white rose pinned to his tux. My pace quickened as I neared. This was taking far too long.

“Breathe,” Mum whispered in my ear.

I ignored that and closed the gap between my groom and me.

He reached for my hand and touched his lips to it. “Love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Jay cleared his throat. “If you two lovebirds are done, I’d like to get the ceremony underway.”

“Go ahead,” said Troy.

Jay cleared his throat again. “Love is the greatest gift one can give and receive.” His eyes settled on us. “It’s irreplaceable. When two people entrust one another with their hearts, innermost feelings and lives, their bond strengthens, until they become a whole. This closeness cannot be measured.” His gaze dithered on our families. “We are gathered here today, because love has found Monique and Troy — again.”

I returned his smirk.

Jay winked at me. “And interlaced them together. We are gathered to rejoice, to recount with one another, that it is love that leads us to our true destination and to celebrate that Monique and Troy have finally arrived.”

As I stared at Troy, Jay’s voice became a blur. I couldn’t force myself to concentrate on the words he spoke for longer than a second.

Troy nudged me then reached for my other hand. “I love you. You are my best friend, my soul mate. You are everything I dreamt of and more.” His grin widened. “From the moment I met you, twenty-five years ago, I knew that you were the one. Today, I give myself to you in marriage. I promise to—”

“What is this?” A dirty blonde stepped onto the porch, her eyes hard. “What the fuck is this?”

Ruby dropped her flowers and sprinted over to her. “Mum!”

I cut my eyes to Troy. “What’s Lauren doing here?”

He shrugged. “I have no idea.”

Patrick ambled over to her. “Laur, we’re kinda busy here.”

“I can see that.” She grabbed Ruby’s hand. “C’mon, we’re going.”

“I wanna stay.” Ruby fought to free her arm.

“I’d better speak to her,” said Troy, “I’ll be back.”

My eyes tracked him as he marched over to her.

“It’ll be fine,” said Jay. “Give him a minute.”

Mum offered me a glass.

I snatched it then spun, white-hot anger circulating through me. How dare she ruin our wedding? I felt an arm drape over my shoulders. I shook Jay off. “Don’t touch me.”

“Hey, I’m just tryin’ to help.” His face dropped.

I sighed and turned to him. “Sorry.” I let him hug me. “It’s just that she really gets on my nerves, the way she treats him and Ruby.”

“Feeling’s mutual.”

Lauren’s voice carried over to us. “No, I’m taking her home!”

“Laur, please,” said Troy. “I’ll drop her home later.”

“No.” She shook her head. “I’m not gonna let her be a flower girl for that whore.” She gestured towards me.

“Watch your mouth,” said Troy.