“Terribly,” she teased and rolled her eyes.
We worked the entire morning at the docks, then the restaurant in the afternoon. In between jobs, Harper and I showered at Cherry’s and let her know we’d like to have a little get together that night. She asked us what it was all about but we told her she’d have to wait just like everyone else. Cherry said we could use Charlie’s, encouraging us both to come there after the restaurant to help her because she thought, and I quote, ‘Announcements always go better with dinner’. We didn’t know where she got the impression that it was an ‘announcement’ but Harper told me girls are freakishly intuitive and I left it at that.
We obeyed Cherry and showed up at Charlie’s around three-thirty. Charlie and Cherry were both there and Harper and I both noticed how friendly they’d become of late.
“So what’s this all about then?” Charlie asked in his impossibly English accent.
“You’ll see,” I said, holding plates in my hand, following Harper around like a little lost puppy as she placed them neatly on place mats around Charlie’s table.
The gang started trickling in around five-thirty and Cherry passed around glasses of wine around as everyone chatted. They were all gracious enough not to mention John for which, I think, we were both grateful.
Then it was time to eat, a few of us sat around the table and up at the bar, the rest on random cushions on the floor near the table and on the couch. Harper and I chose to stand.
“We have an announcement,” I said, extremely nervous. Harper placed a hand on my back, offering her support. “Harper and I are marrying.”
We were bombarded with absolute silence, a few forks and knives fell on plates in clangs as all turned to stare our direction.
“Now,” I continued, “I know this seems rushed but I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life and it was only a matter of time anyway. We thought it was stupid to wait.”
Again, nothing.
Sam broke the quiet. “Oh my God, she’s pregnant,” she said with disgust.
“No!” I said emphatically. “Harper is not pregnant.”
Harper snorted.
“But you’ve only known her for a few weeks!” Sam said, whining out the last word.
I looked around, locking eyes with Charlie as he processed the information I’d just laid on them. Then he came full circle and stood.
“Congratulations, Callum,” he said, slapping me on the back and hugging me fiercely. He grabbed Harper’s little frame and hugged her just as tightly before pulling away. He placed a hand on each of our shoulders and looked us both in the eye. “This is wonderful news!”
And the dam broke. A sea of sincere congratulations came gushing over us,
Cherry hugged me tightly and whispered in my ear. “A very good choice, Callum.”
I felt slightly guilty for the lies I was spewing but when I really thought about it, it didn’t feel like a lie. I truly wanted to marry Harper despite how crazy it seemed.
Unexpectedly, Sam stood in a rage.
“This is ridiculous, Callum! You cannot marry someone you just met! This is just stupid!” Sam yelled.
Harper shrunk into my side slightly, fisting her hands in my shirt, sending a slew of butterflies swarming around my insides. I gritted my teeth at Sam.
“You’re too young!” She continued, the waterworks at full force. “This isn’t you! She did something to you! Why are you doing this?”
“Enough!” We heard Charlie say behind us. “Sam, can I talk to you in the hall please?”
Sam’s face softened but not entirely as she followed Charlie out the door.
A few minutes passed by and the awkwardness Sam had caused, seemed to have left with her. I was stunned at how everyone supported us. No one seemed to feel the same way Sam did. I was flabbergasted, to be honest. I expected more of an upset than this. I expected to spend a few hours convincing but instead Cherry popped a bottle of champagne and started to pouring it into glasses.
Charlie entered the apartment once more with a tear soaked shirt and I felt badly for Sam for a moment but knew she would get over it eventually. Getting over things quickly was her specialty actually. Sam huffed over to the side table by the sofa and grabbed her purse and jacket.
“Sam,” I said, grabbing her arm. “Don’t leave. Everything will be okay, you’ll see.”
“No it won’t!” She threw harshly at me. “You’re making a huge mistake. I don’t know why you’re doing this but I can promise you, you’ll regret it.” Then she walked to the door and slammed it shut behind her.
I didn’t want to think about her any longer so I pushed my way through my friends toward my solitary stress reliever named Harper. She was talking and laughing with Charlie and Cherry and I stopped to watch her a bit. She was breathtaking to me. She’d decided to wear her striped dress again but went barefoot, her hair soft and wavy down her back, cascaded slightly off her shoulders. Her eyes struck me breathless, they were sparkling so under the lights of Charlie’s apartment. She caught me staring and smiled, extending her hand to me. I swiftly walked her direction and took it in mine.
“So when is the big day?” Cherry asked.
“Saturday,” I said, tucking Harper deeper into my side, she leaned slightly back to get a good view of my face and smiled.
“Saturday!” Cherry said, making everyone around her jump. “How are we going to throw a wedding in less than a week?!”