“You what? And you didn’t even invite me?” Kendra shrieked.
“Well, we didn’t invite anyone,” Delia said in her own defense. “It was a real spur-of-the-moment thing. But I am inviting you to our reception on March 19. Do you think you guys can come?”
“I’ll have to run it by Jared,” she answered, “but I sure hope so. I’ll let you know as soon as I know.”
“You’ll be getting an invitation in the mail as soon as we get them printed up,” Delia told her.
The girlfriends chatted for a while longer before hanging up.
“So can she come?” Ivan wanted to know.
“Said she’d have to let me know,” Delia said. “She needs to run it by Jared first.”
“Of course.”
The next morning Ivan told Delia that he needed to go into town and tell his grandparents about their marriage.
“Do you want to go with me?” he asked her. “I don’t honestly know what their reaction will be. So if you don’t want to go, you don’t have to.”
“I think I will,” Delia said thoughtfully. “I know it could be unpleasant, but maybe if I’m there with you, they won’t get on your case so much.”
So after breakfast, the couple drove into Scottsdale and to Granddad and Grandma Peters’ place. They welcomed Ivan heartily, lamenting how long it had been since he had been to see them. Their welcome of Delia was more restrained, merely polite rather than truly friendly. She feared that this wouldn’t be easy.
After the four of them were seated in the living room, Ivan broke the news.
“I have some good news to tell you,” he began. “Delia and I were married a few days ago in Orlando, Florida.”
“Married!” his grandma gasped.
“You were what?” Alex exclaimed.
“Yes, we were married,” Ivan repeated.
“And you didn’t even tell us, or invite us?” Irena’s eyes showed disappointment.
“Why Orlando? We didn’t even know you were out of town,” Alex said.
“Well, the thing of it is, I had sent Delia on a business trip about a month or so ago. We, well, we’d had a bit of a spat over a silly misunderstanding, and I sent her on the trip to get her off the ranch for a while. Then I realized what a jerk I’d been and went after her. I knew that I loved her very much and I didn’t want to risk losing her, so we just got married right on the spot. But I’m here now to tell you about it, and to invite you to a reception we’re having in a couple of weeks. It will be two weeks from last Sunday and we plan on you being there.”
Alex and Irena looked at each other, and finally both of them just shrugged their shoulders.
“Well, I guess what’s done is done,” Grandma said. “We’ll be there. And congratulations to both of you. I hope you will always be as happy as you look today.”
“Thank you, Grandma,” Ivan said getting up from his seat to give her a hug.
“Yes, thank you,” Delia added.
“I’m sure we will always be happy,” Ivan said.
Alex stood and shook his grandson’s hand.
“I wish you all the best, son,” he said. “And you, too, Delia. Welcome to our family.”
“Thank you, sir. Please know that you are welcome to come visit any time,” Delia said.
The four of them visited for a while longer, and then Ivan and Delia took their leave.
“That went a lot better than I expected it to,” Ivan said once they were in the car and out of the driveway.
“Yes, I thought they were polite about it,” Delia agreed. “I could tell that they aren’t thrilled with the idea, but they were gracious about it.”
“They will learn to love you just as I have,” Ivan said reassuringly. “They just don’t know you yet.”
“I hope so,” she said.
Over the next couple of days, Ivan and Delia moved her things from the cottage into the ranch house. They could have done it all in one day easily, but there was still business to attend to, and Delia was cleaning as she went.
“Not that the big house isn’t beautiful,” Delia said as she was taking down the painting from the living room wall, “but I have really loved living in this little cottage. It’s so cute and cozy. You could move down here with me instead.”
Delia turned mischievous eyes on Ivan and grinned.
“We’ll save this place for our getaway cottage when our ten kids get to be too rowdy in the big house,” he threw back at her.
“Ten kids! Bullwhacky!” she exclaimed. “Why they’re cheaper by the dozen, or haven’t you heard?”
“Twelve little miniature mes and yous running all over the place,” Ivan said rolling his eyes in a comical fashion.
“Mes and yous?” Delia questioned with raised eyebrows. “What kind of English is that?”
“My kind,” he asserted. “You make up goofy expletives, I make up other goofy words.”
“Guess we’re even then, huh?”
Within a week, Delia had left her mark on the ranch house and everyone noticed the change and welcomed it. The house somehow seemed more alive with her presence there, and not just stuck off in the office all day, but throughout all the rooms. She and Ivan put together a short guest list for the reception. Other than the staff and the senior Peters’, there weren’t too many more people to invite. They would have a combination wedding announcement/reception invitation printed up that they would send out.
Delia put Kendra and her husband on the list, and a couple of the girls from the store that she had been friends with. Ivan put his uncle Mike Peters and his family on the list, too, along with a few other assorted relatives on both sides. His maternal grandparents had both passed away in recent years, but he had kept in touch with his mother’s only sibling, a younger sister whom he would invite. Delia couldn’t think of anyone back in Oklahoma to whom she would send an invitation.
She thought rather cynically that she should send a write-up and photo to her hometown newspaper in Oklahoma and see if they would print it. Then, if there was anyone else who remembered old Drunk Susie’s little girl, they would know that she escaped that life and made a good one for herself far, far away.
When the list had been finalized, they went to a print shop in Scottsdale and ordered elegant announcements. The print shop offered a two-day turnaround time for an extra fee, which Ivan was glad to pay just to get them back and in the mail as soon as possible.
When they did come back, Delia spent an hour that day getting them addressed and stamped and ready to be put into the mail. They had put in an RSVP to Ivan’s email address that they hoped everyone would use. It’s always helpful when planning food to know how many people are going to show up.
Delia also bought some decorations that she planned to decorate the patio with. Mostly ribbons and streamers to put on the table that would hold the wedding cake, but also some other cute little wedding-themed decorations. She had a large vertical vinyl banner made that had a wedding photo of them on it with the words printed on it:
Ivan and Delia
March 4, 2016
Forever In Love
It would hang from a wooden beam that was part of the patio framework and would be positioned behind the table with the wedding cake on it. That would be the focal point of the patio arrangement. The buffet table would be off to one side.
The day of the reception finally arrived. The out of town guests were already lodged in hotels in Scottsdale or in their RVs scattered around the ranch. Ivan and Delia were up early to help the staff get everything decorated and set up. The bakery would deliver the cake around ten o’clock that morning, so that table had to be all ready for it to be set up on.
The reception was scheduled to begin at one o’clock. By noon, Lynne shooed Ivan and Delia off to go get dressed and ready for the party.
“We can finish setting up here,” she told the slightly-nervous couple. “Betsy and Sue and I know what we’re doing. You two get out of our way and go get yourselves all gussied up now.”
“Yes, ma’am, Mrs. Potter,” Ivan said, snapping off a salute.
She flicked the dishtowel that she was holding at him, but missed on purpose. He threw up his hands in a defensive position and they both laughed.
“Shooing as directed,” he said, grabbing Delia’s hand and pulling her along with him.
“That boy!” Lynne exclaimed to Sue who stood nearby laughing at their antics.
“It’s good to see him happy again, isn’t it?” Sue commented.
“So good,” Lynne agreed.
“She’s been good for him, although I had my doubts there for a while,” Betsy put in.
“Yes, she has. And I had my doubts, too for a while,” Lynne said. “But it looks like everything worked itself out.”
Delia had considered wearing her hair in an upsweep do, but Ivan nixed that idea by telling her that he preferred it down. Her hair was jet black thanks to both her black heritage and her Cherokee heritage. But the Cherokee had prevailed in the texture, because it was very straight. Sometimes she set in on hot rollers, letting soft curls cascade down her back, and sometimes she wore it straight. Today, she had set it on the hot rollers. She drew it back from the front and sides and fastened it with an abalone clip that she’d bought in Florida.
When Ivan saw her after she was all ready, she nearly took his breath away.
“Mrs. Peters, you are simply stunning today,” he said, taking her in his arms and pulling her close. “You’re beautiful every day, but you’ve outdone yourself today. It’s a good thing that there are no single men here today, or I’d have to carry my shotgun.”
“Why, thank you, Mr. Peters,” she said demurely, batting her eyelashes at him. “You look mighty handsome yourself all duded up in your new suit. You’d have to share that shotgun if there were any single women here today.”
Several kisses and an hour later, Ivan and Delia emerged from their bedroom both looking like a million bucks. Delia was wearing her wedding dress that was now adorned with a corsage made up of three tiny red rosebuds and a bit of greenery. It was a nod to the red rose that she had carried in their wedding. Ivan was wearing the suit he had bought in Florida for the occasion. The only change he made was to wear a red tie with a white shirt to match his red rosebud boutonniere and Delia’s outfit.
When they walked out onto the patio to join their guests, everyone broke into spontaneous applause, cheers, and whistles. It caught them off guard, as they weren’t expecting anything like that. They had already interacted with most of the guests who had come early, or were staying on the ranch. They mingled with the group, which numbered about twenty, and included the senior Peters’, and a couple of aunts and uncles, along with two or three assorted cousins. Kendra and Jared, and a couple of her former co-workers were the only guests from Delia’s side. But his family all welcomed her with such friendliness and affection that she felt drawn in immediately.
Delia’s former co-workers who came were more excited to be at the Mr. Peters’ ranch than they were to see her again. That kind of bothered her, but she was determined that nothing would spoil her joy that day. Of course, Kendra was delighted to see her and to see her looking so happy. She was duly impressed with Delia’s new home, too. She knew from whence Delia had come. She had lived in the same neighborhood, too. They were thrilled that they both had escaped the grind of poverty and alcoholism that they had been raised in.
Jared made a good living, too, at the law firm where he was employed. He had recently been made a junior partner, which was not only a boost to his status, but also a boost to his paycheck. So the two girlfriends had both succeeded in breaking the cycle into which they had been born and were doing quite well for themselves.
After they had gone around and greeted everyone, they went up to the cake table, and Ivan called for everyone’s attention.
“We want to thank you all for coming,” he said. “It means a lot to both of us that each one of you are here. Now, since I’m starved and it’s my party, let’s eat!”
There was a short applause and laughter, and then everyone started heading for the buffet table. Ivan and Delia’s plan was that their guests would go first, but too many of them insisted that the newlyweds go through line first, so they complied. Ivan had gone out and bought several long tables and enough folding chairs to go around them at the local home improvement store. Ned, Jess, and Travis had set them up on the patio as directed and the ladies had decorated them. The tables began to fill up as folks made their way through the buffet line and carried heaping plates and chose places to sit.
Ivan and Delia invited his grandparents to sit at the table with them. He was hoping that when they saw how sweet, how refined, how intelligent Delia was that they would overcome their prejudices about her background and breeding. He knew that it would take time, but he hoped that today would speed the process up a bit. They wouldn’t be here much longer, and then they would go back to Oregon.
Delia saw to it that Kendra sat next to her so that they could visit while they ate. Although she couldn’t focus solely on Kendra because of all the others around her, too, they were able to enjoy some catching up. Jared had the gift of making friends wherever he went, so he was already talking with several of the other men who were there.
After everyone had stuffed themselves on haystacks, Ivan’s granddad got up from his place at the table and went over to the cake table. He motioned for Ivan and Delia to follow him. He ladled himself and each of them a glass of the punch from the large punch bowl that sat on the table near the wedding cake. Then he called for everyone’s attention.
“Attention, everyone,” he said. “I would like to propose a traditional Russian toast to the bride and groom, my wonderful grandson, Ivan, and his lovely bride, Delia. May the happy star that brought you together shine on you for many, many years. Let us raise our glasses to the newlyweds and their happy future!”
“To the newlyweds,” the group chorused.
Glasses clinked together as the toast was executed. Ivan and Delia linked arms to drink their toast. Then Ivan’s uncle Mike came up.
“I have another traditional Russian toast,” he said.
Alex looked at his son in surprise.
“You don’t know anything Russian,” he said. “All you know is American.”
“I know a few things, Dad,” Mike said. “Like this toast. Everyone, your glasses again, please. Dear newlyweds,” he said, facing Ivan and Delia, “live your whole life as if you’ve just gotten married!”
Glasses clinked again as the bride and groom were again toasted. Then everyone resumed their chatter as Ivan and Delia cut the cake and fed each other the first bites. Then Lynne Potter came forward to cut and serve the rest of the cake. Betsy came over and helped her. When enough pieces had been cut and placed on small paper plates, the guests were invited to come up at get theirs.
After the food had all been consumed or put away, the men helped fold up the tables and chairs and stack them against the garage wall. Ivan put on a CD of romantic love songs that played over a sound system he had rigged up on the patio. Ivan and Delia had the first dance, and then all who wished joined in and danced for nearly an hour. Later on, everyone except for the Peters clan drifted off and went home. The relatives all visited together for the rest of the afternoon and evening.
When Alex and Irena got too tired, Mike told Ivan that he would drive them home and then come back.
“Uncle Mike, would you mind stopping and picking up a couple of pizzas for us to eat this evening? I’ll call in the order, if you wouldn’t mind picking them up.”
“Sure, I can do that,” he replied. “Where is the place?”
“It’s right on the road going into town from here. It’s easy to find,” Ivan told him.
It was late that night before everyone said good night and left to go to their hotel rooms or out to their RVs parked on the ranch. Ivan and Delia were both worn out, but happy that they had been able to share their joy with family and friends. The family was all leaving the next day, but they all gathered at the ranch for one of Lynne’s big ranch breakfasts before hitting the road. When they were all stuffed with pancakes, hash browns, eggs, biscuits, and orange juice, the lengthy round of goodbyes began. Ivan’s Aunt Patti and her family, his mother’s sister, left first, followed by Uncle Mike and his family. After watching the RVs drive off down the long ranch lane until they were out of sight, Ivan and Delia went back into the house.
It was quiet in there. The only sounds came from the kitchen where Lynne was cleaning up after breakfast. It was Sue’s day to come in and clean the house, but she wouldn’t be in for another hour.
“I guess we’d better actually try to do some work today,” Ivan said. “We’ve kinda neglected it lately, me especially.”
“So do you want me to continue doing the same stuff I was doing before I left?” Delia wanted to know.
“Yeah, at least for now,” Ivan said. Only now you can just do what needs to be done for that day and then do whatever else you want to. No more eight to five schedule. How’s that?”
“Suits me fine,” Delia said. “After I caught on to what I was supposed to do, I was hard pressed to fill an eight-hour day.”
“Yeah, I know. So was Jeanne. The main reason I had someone stay here all day is mainly for the phone calls and also just to provide a full-time job for someone. Now, we’ll just route the calls to my cell phone, or yours, whichever.”
“That works for me,” Delia said, delighted that she would now have some free time during the day to do things she’d never really had time to do before. “But what about my salary? How does that work now that we’re married?”
“Hadn’t thought about that,” Ivan admitted. “Been too much else to think about, I guess. What do you want to do? That’s another thing we need to do is go to the bank and get your name put on all of my accounts and my name on yours so that everything is held jointly. Do you have a thing about having your own money? Everything is now our money as far as I’m concerned.”
Delia pondered that for a moment.
“I don’t rightly know,” she said thoughtfully. “I’ve been on my own now for more than ten years and have had to work for my money. I was too young when my father was still at home to know how they handled their money. All I can remember is that there was never enough for booze and anything else, too. I suppose if I can just know that I have a little money that I can spend as I please without having to ask you every time I want a dollar, that’s good enough. Could I have say, a hundred dollars a month just to have in my wallet? Or is that too much? I promise not to waste it foolishly.”
Ivan took Delia’s hand and brought it to his lips. He looked into the eyes of this woman whom he loved so much and saw there still was a frightened child. One who had known depths of poverty that he couldn’t begin to comprehend. How would he ever bring her to the point of knowing that his millions were now also hers? He knew from the get-go that she only spent money wisely. She who had been faithful and frugal with her little, would surely be faithful and trustworthy with much.
“My dear, sweet Delia,” he began. “You may have a hundred dollars a day in your wallet if you so desire. I know how careful you’ve had to be with your money, and I want you to know that those days are over. I don’t needlessly waste money, and I expect that you won’t either. But if you see something that you want—clothes or jewelry or anything like that—I want you to have it. I have a good income. You should know that by now after having access to my books. That income is now ours. As soon as I can get it all done, you will be a joint owner of Peters Properties, Inc. In fact, that’s something we should get done this week. Tomorrow I’ll make an appointment with my corporation attorney and he’ll get it all fixed up for us.
“As far as a salary goes, I’ll have to ask my accountant what the best way to handle that is. If I can use your salary as a tax deduction now that you’re my wife, we’ll keep doing it that way for tax purposes. If not, then I guess it doesn’t really matter. We’re partners working together and you can have money anytime you need it. Tell me right now how much cash you have in your wallet.”
Delia went to get her purse to see how much she had. Ivan followed her to the bedroom where her purse was. She pulled out her wallet, opened it, and counted the bills.
“There’s twenty-three dollars in here,” she told him, showing him a couple of tens and three ones. “I’ve always used my debit card for most purchases, but I like to have a little cash on hand for small purchases or if I go to a yard sale or something like that. It was never safe to have much cash on one’s person where I lived in Oklahoma. Too easy to get robbed.”
“We’ll go into town today, go to the bank and get your name on all of my accounts, get you your own debit and credit cards, and get you a little more cash. There are times I prefer to use a credit card, but I always keep it paid off, too. We’ll also go by Jeff Westerly’s office and see if he has time to add your name as my wife and business partner. Then we’ll stop by Keith Jones’ office. He’s my accountant, well, you know that by now.”
“Okay,” Delia said.
Her new life was still a bit overwhelming to her. Okay, it was a lot overwhelming. To think that she—Delia Kaye Kincaid, now Peters—who had grown up in abject poverty and abuse was now married to a billionaire who treated her as if she were the Queen of England was just a little more than she could quite comprehend as of yet.
“I promise that I’ll never abuse your trust in me,” she told him softly. “I’ll never buy anything that’s expensive without asking you first. Well, unless it’s a present for you! But that will seem weird, using your money to buy presents for you.”
“Now just stop that,” Ivan commanded. “It’s our money, not just mine, but ours. You got that?”
Delia just stared at him.
“Nod your head and say ‘Yes, Ivan, I got that’,” he told her.
“Yes, Ivan, I got that,” she parroted back to him.
“Good girl,” he said, patting her on the head as if she were an obedient child.
That gesture broke through her moment of awe and made her giggle.
“Okay, Mr. Money Man, let’s go to town and take care of business,” she said in an assertive tone. “I’m ready to be Mrs. Peters in business as well as in private.”
“Let’s go then,” he said, pulling her to her feet.