The next morning, Luke and Sasha were lying in bed in each other’s arms at the Richmond condo when the door alarm sounded. Luke growled as Sasha rolled away from him.
“Somebody is at the door,” she said as he reached to pull her back into his arms.
“Luke, Sasha, I’m coming up.”
Sasha sat up, wide awake now. “Is that your mother?”
Luke moved the comforter aside. “Sounds like her,” he sat up on the side of the bed, then reached down to pull on his sweatpants.
Sasha put on his shirt, then walked into the bathroom.
A knock sounded at the door as it began to open. “Hope you two are decent.” Sally said as she walked in. “Well, good morning.”
“Good morning, Mother.” Luke walked over and kissed her on the cheek. “How are you?”
“I’m fine,” she smiled at Sasha through the doorway. “Sasha, Cynthia is downstairs waiting to talk with you about the wedding.”
Sasha looked at the clock. “It’s seven o’clock in the morning. Is the cruise line even open?”
“She wants to call at nine to get things started. She needs info from you to relay to them. I’ll get breakfast started while you get dressed. Luke, I understand you are meeting with Timothy this morning.”
“Yes, at nine,” Luke replied.
“Good. You can have breakfast before you leave.” She looked at Sasha. “I’ll meet you downstairs. I’m so excited to get started on your wedding plans.”
Sasha smiled at her enthusiasm, then glanced at Luke. “This is going to get crazy, isn’t it?”
Luke smiled as he walked over to kiss her. “Yes. Everyone is excited about our wedding. Even your father.”
“Really? Why do you say that?”
“He has called me three times since we decided on a destination wedding,” Luke put his hands on the wall above her head, then smiled down at her. “You want to know what his number-one concern is?”
Sasha slid her hand down his sweats then encircled his penis. “What?”
Luke chuckled as he leaned into her body. “You don’t need to work that up. I’m all ready for you.”
“So I can feel,” she chuckled.
“Do you want to know what your father was calling about?”
She pushed his sweats down, then wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. “What?”
Luke held her against the wall by her waist. He guided himself inside of her and groaned. “A promise.”
Sasha kissed his neck. “What did you promise him?” she moaned as he moved inside of her.
“Not to let you back out of the wedding you want.” Luke growled as he began to move faster inside of her.
“No backing down,” Sasha held on as he pumped fiercely into her. The tension built as he drove deeper inside of her.
“Sasha.”
They both laughed at the sound of his mother’s voice just as they both exploded.
Luke kissed her, then eased her body down. “That’s your taste for the morning.”
“A taste,” Sasha pushed him away. “You are going to continue this after my meeting with Cynthia.” Sasha walked over and jumped into the shower.
Luke walked in the shower behind her. “Why wait?”
Sasha giggled as he wrapped his arms around her.
Twenty minutes later, Sasha walked into the kitchen. Sally was standing at the island across from Cynthia, who was sitting with a plate of food in front of her.
“You just had to get it in before coming downstairs,” Cynthia laughed.
Sasha smiled. “It’s the best way to start the morning.”
“I agree one hundred percent,” Sally smiled.
“Who wouldn’t? Maybe a bride who has a wedding coordinator waiting.” Cynthia drawled.
“Sorry about the delay, but you are a little early for our nine o’clock meeting,” Sasha pulled a cup of fruit from the cabinet.
Sally took it from her hand. “Sit down and have a real breakfast.”
Sasha exhaled, then sat next to Cynthia.
“How are you going to keep that figure eating junk for breakfast?” Sally put a plate of potatoes, bacon, eggs and a biscuit in front of her.
Sasha looked at the plate, then up at Cynthia.
“There is logic to her thinking,” Cynthia laughed. “Substance versus sugar.”
“Oh, okay,” Sasha began eating.
“We need to discuss the guest list. I have an idea of how many from the Lassiters’ side of the family. Have you made a list of people you want to invite?”
Sasha shrugged. “I haven’t thought about it.”
“Well think about it, for goodness sake,” Cynthia pulled out her tablet. “This is who I have on the list so far. “I know your mother’s first name is Stephanie, is her last name Coles?”
“Yes, I’m just not sure she’s invited, yet.”
Sally looked up at her, then at Cynthia. “Of course your mother is invited.”
Sasha shook her head. “I’m not sure Luke wants her there. To be honest, I’m not sure I do.”
“I know exactly where you are coming from,” Cynthia commented. “If I had had my way, my mother would not have been at my wedding either.”
“Cynthia,” Sally scowled.
“You saw how she acted, Sally. The things she said hurt Samuel.”
“It hurt all of us,” Sally replied. “However, Sasha’s mother’s issue is different from your mother’s.”
“How so?” Cynthia asked. “They are both self-centered and vain. No disrespect meant for your mother,” she said to Sasha.
“None taken,” Sasha replied. “You are not wrong. My mother is about number one: her. Everyone else takes a back seat.”
“You still want to invite her,” Sally touched Sasha’s hand. “If you don’t, it will eat away at you and give her more ammunition to guilt you with.”
“Oh,” Sasha said thoughtfully. “I flew to Atlanta to talk with her the other day.”
“Luke mentioned that. How did it go?” Sally asked.
“It was a little rough when I first got there, but we talked and she said the right things. But you have to understand, my mother is the master guilt-thrower. If there was ever a superhero who used guilt, my mother’s picture would be on the billboard depicting her. It’s been her number one weapon against me since I was a child.”
“If you know that, why would you want her at the wedding?” Cynthia asked.
“The same reason you did,” Sally explained. “She’s your mother. Despite everything she does, you still love her and want her to love you in return.”
“Yes, but why?” Sasha huffed. “I don’t know you, Cynthia, and can’t speak for you when it comes to your mother. As for mine, I cannot for the life of me understand why I am so desperate to have her love or approval.”
“Because she is the person who gave you life,” Sally stated. “Good or bad, she is the person you look to for acceptance in all that you do. The fact that you are a grown woman who does not need her or anyone else’s approval is the logical way to think. However, when it comes to your mother or the person you love, it all comes from the heart. Logic be damned, you want your mother to be there and be happy for you.”
“True, but why?” Cynthia asked. “I know who my mother is and there is no changing her ways, so why do I still want her approval?”
“Exactly, the same for me,” Sasha stated. “Look, I realized who my mother was when I was in high school. Yet every holiday, I want to see her, spend time with her, then get disappointed when she doesn’t show up.”
“Holidays bring out the family urges in everyone. Even those people who are loners. We all want to be around family during special occasions, and your wedding is special.” Sally smiled, then glanced at Cynthia then Sasha. “Hell, if I could put up with Sofia at your wedding, I’m sure we can put up with Stephanie at yours.”
“If it’s okay with Luke, we can invite her.” Sasha said disheartened. “Be prepared, she is going to cause trouble.”
“Believe me, we have people who can handle her,” Cynthia replied. “What about your maid of honor?”
“Monique,” Sasha replied.
“Monique,” Cynthia laughed. “You are not going to get Monique in a dress, much less a gown. You may be better going with your cousin Kaylan.”
“No, Monique will do it if I ask her to.”
“Your maid of honor should be that person you know you can depend on for anything,” Sally replied. “If that person is Monique for you, then go with her.”
Sasha thought, other than Luke and her father, Monique was the only other person she really had any relationship with. “Monique will be my maid of honor, and maybe Kaylan might want to be in the wedding.” She thought. “Oh, and Ryan. I think she should be in it, too.”
“Okay,” Cynthia said, “you want three people in your wedding party?”
Sasha thought about it. She really did not have a lot of people in her circle to have a big wedding. “Is it possible to have just Luke and I in the ceremony?”
“This is your party,” Cynthia said. “You can have it any way you like. You just have to tell me within the next hour.”
“The next hour? I won’t have a chance to run it all by Luke.”
“Luke said whatever you want, you get.” Cynthia reminded her.
Sasha looked around, a little lost. She was not the girl who spent hours planning a wedding. Thoughts of her wedding day were not in her memory.
She cleared her throat. “Cynthia, you’ve done a number of weddings. Can you keep the ceremony simple, maybe on the top deck under the sun with Luke and I, his best man, and Monique? Make the cruise the highlight for everyone, not me. Make sure everyone who decides to join us has fun from the moment they board the ship and even after Luke and I leave.”
“Do you want formal, or simple?” Cynthia asked.
“Simple,” Sasha nodded. “As simple as possible.”
Cynthia glanced at Sally, who shrugged. “This is your wedding day, Sasha. Don’t you want a little pizzazz?”
“I want Luke. I don’t need pizzazz,” Sasha stated.