Chapter Nineteen

They awoke late, too late to make it to the hill till half day tickets went on sale, so Colby made a quick run to the world famous bakery all the skiers favored, and came back with lattes and fat cinnamon buns. They ate in bed, made slow love again, and then dressed for skiing.

As they rode the lift to the top, Colby amazed Mia by stating simply they would be married and then head off to his parents’ and start house hunting. His dad had an executive office waiting for him to get finished with this ski bum business, and Mia would enjoy their club and his mother’s pet projects, and his parents were expecting grandchildren soon.

Mia was totally taken aback by this pronouncement, but before she could voice her concerns—she didn’t love him, he didn’t love her, she had a job here, didn’t want to move, didn’t like to have decisions made for her without Colby even consulting her. Colby skied away, called by radio for an emergency lift evacuation on another run. Mia was left stunned by Colby’s calm announcement. It seemed like he had just been interviewing for the perfect corporate wife, and after sleeping with her, had decided they were compatible in that area too.

“My God, he’s worse than Rob—telling me what he’s decided and expecting me to meekly go along with it. At least Rob was in love with me, and I loved him. This is just too much. I won’t be pushed into anything. He’s going to have to get to know me better, and find out he can’t order me around. Country Club indeed!” she muttered as she made her way down the hill, “and I want him to meet my family and friends, and then I’ll think about marrying him. I’ll show him what a strong-willed independent woman is really like, and he’d better change his high-handed ways mighty damn quick, or I’ll be out of here!”

Colby seemed to be saying he had found the perfect corporate wife, with a good education, ability to get a good job in the city where his dad’s business was, good family—it was almost as if he was filling out a list of qualities that were needed in his future corporate life. He never once talked about loving her.

The longer she skied, the more upset she became. Mia was so thunderstruck by Colby’s bland announcement of their future life together, that she felt like she was in a fog. For the rest of the day, she was uncharacteristically silent, but Colby was so energized, he didn’t even notice.

“What about my job, my family and my friends? This will turn their lives upside down as well as mine, if I was to accept Colby’s marriage proposal. Besides that wasn’t even a proposal. It was a goddamned order.” She knew they were compatible in lots of ways, even in bed, but she also knew being a mere adjunct of a husband, was not in her nature.

She also resented the high handed way that Colby just assumed they would be married. He hadn’t even asked her! He hadn’t mentioned anything about love. They had never talked about a future together and every time Mia tried to interject her opinion on his plans, Colby just laughed and told her “Darlin’, when the right person came along, it would be foolish to let details get in the way.”

As Colby made plans over the next few days to return to his family as a married man, Mia was so scared she didn’t even tell her best friend or her parents about him. She knew she was attracted to him, and she had to admit the fact he seemed to be wealthy was a factor when she decided to bide her time for a bit and see how things went. Maybe Colby really did love her and just didn’t know how to express love openly. He didn’t seem to worry that she never said she loved him either. Maybe the whole idea was just too new, and they would learn to love each other. At least that was what Mia hoped. After all, she thought, we do seem to want some of the same things—a home, children, the white picket fence in fiction if not in fact.

Mia did some internet research on Colby’s family, and found a great deal of information about their companies, holdings and social position. Everything told her she would live in great wealth, have a privileged life and be part of a rarefied atmosphere most women only dream about. She felt like she was mesmerized by Colby’s strong personality, caught up in a maelstrom she had no control over. Every argument she came up with would be dismissed or kissed away.

* * * *

As Mia’s upset grew, she became more and more withdrawn at work, till finally Ava took her aside and wanted the scoop on what was happening with her. Mia broke down in tears, but couldn’t quite get the words out to tell her about Colby.

She went home to her parents for the weekend, and predictably, they were ecstatic about her marriage to such a ‘good catch’. They were disappointed she wouldn’t be having a big wedding in the old home town, with all her and their friends in attendance, but with Colby starting his new job, they reluctantly gave in, and promised to hold a big party later when the couple came back to visit.

Mia’s mom was sad she’d be so far away, but promised to visit as often as she could, ‘especially when those little babies start arriving’.

Whenever Mia tried to talk to her mother, who had always been a confidante, and very understanding of Mia’s life and loves, it was like her mother had been recruited by the Colby Fan Club. Her parents hadn’t even met Colby yet!

Mom & Dad had liked Rob too. Mia had hardly ever brought her boyfriends home to meet the parents, because everyone in the small town just assumed she would marry the man of the moment. Would they even like Colby once they met him?

Her parents’ friends and even her own friends, and her father’s employees all asked her, “Is he the one, and when will we be invited to a wedding?” Mia got to the point where she stopped bringing her boyfriends home because it was so embarrassing for both of them. Until Rob.

Mia figured maybe she was just having jitters about marriage in general, and finally brought Colby home to meet her parents one weekend. He was a great hit, especially with her friends and her two younger brothers, who were all fascinated with his world traveler stories. She found out while listening to these stories, that Colby was an accomplished golfer, and her family enthusiastically welcomed him to the next Sindling Family Golf Tournament. Oh, great. Now even her brothers, Boyd and Perry, were card-carrying members of the Colby Fan Club. He charmed Cheryl and Al, and showed Al how to play ice cube poker. Mia didn’t even want to ask about the origins or finer points of that game.

Mia felt like she was being borne away on a tide, in a boat with no motor or oars. Colby came into the city a couple of times and stayed in her little apartment, always taking her to bed, and making her forget her nagging little thoughts about him. Mia and Colby were invited to the Asher’s for dinner, and Ava took her aside.

“What are you worried about? He’s great. Maybe even as great as Rob. Go ahead and marry him, Silly. He’s handsome, educated, loves to ski and travel, and don’t forget about the money. You won’t be scratching for every dollar like we are all the time, and believe me that makes a difference.” Ava admonished.

Each time Mia saw Colby at the ski hill, he had yet another idea or plan about how their married life would be. He was heading off to Toronto, where his parents were, and he would be finding a condo for them to buy. His mother had phoned Mia several times, with suggestions about flowers, dresses, food and music for the “little” wedding, which seemed to Mia, to get bigger with every passing day. Mia knew that only Noah and Ava, and her parents would be there to sit on the “bride’s side” of the church, and she was still not sure if this was what she really wanted. It seemed that everyone was thrilled about the wedding except her.