Dawn Atkins - Wedding For One

“Where did you get that idea?” Mariah realized the answer before her mother gave it.

“That blue box on your dresser. I wasn’t snooping—I know you hate me going in your room—but it said ‘pregnancy test’ really big, so I couldn’t help but be curious.”

“That was a joke I bought for Rhonda to freak out her boyfriend.”

“Pregnancy is nothing to joke about, Mariah,” her mother chided. Then she frowned. “Wait. You mean you’re not pregnant?”

“No!”

“Oh, dear.” Meredith’s brows lifted in alarm, then lowered. “Well, it’ll still be okay.”

Suddenly, Mariah realized a terrible possibility. “Did you tell Nathan?”

“Not exactly. He overheard me talking to your father in the factory, so—”

“Nathan thinks I’m pregnant? But we haven’t even…Why would he want to marry me? Oh, God.” She covered her face with her hands, stricken with shock and humiliation. “That’s why he said ‘what’s past is past. You don’t have to explain a thing.’ I thought he meant being with other guys, not that!”

“Honey, Nathan worships you. And he’ll be good for you. He’ll help you settle down and stop flitting from thing to thing.”

Mariah jerked her face up to confront her mother, hating being reminded that this was how her mother saw her. “I’m not flitting. I’m being me.” And Nathan had seemed okay with that, though she’d tried to act more mature around him. They’d only been dating a month when he’d told her he loved her and wanted to marry her—saying the words in a rush, as if they’d been wrenched from him. She’d believed him and said yes without pausing for air. Because she loved him, too. Desperately.

It had amazed her that Nathan had even wanted to date a crazy girl like her, let alone marry her. He’d come to Copper Corners with a brand-new business degree from the University of Arizona to take a job helping her father run Cactus Confections. He was serious, stable and responsible. The exact opposite of her. The fact that he loved her had seemed like a miracle.

But it hadn’t been a miracle. It had been an act of mercy. He’d thought she was pregnant with another guy’s baby—since they hadn’t even slept together yet—and he was going to make an honest woman of her. He felt sorry for her. Oh, ick.

With that, her Cinderella story burst in her face like a six-piece bubble of Bazooka, leaving a sticky mess.

Well, she knew what she had to do. She couldn’t go through with this sham and she couldn’t let Nathan ruin his life just to be a hero.

“Tell Nathan to forget it,” she told her mother. She lifted her thick skirt and ran for the door, fighting tears.

“What are you doing?” Meredith asked.

“The wedding’s off, Mom. Tell everyone.” She galloped down the stairs, then stopped at the landing and looked up. “Tell Nathan….” What? That she wouldn’t settle for a mercy marriage? That she couldn’t bear to be the only one desperately in love? “That I changed my mind. I need my own life, not his.”

“Don’t run away, Mariah,” her mother called to her from the landing. “For once in your life, stick to something.”

With the deadly words ringing in her ears, Mariah lunged out the door, desperate to escape. Luckily, at that moment her best friend Nikki pulled up in her battered red Miata with the top down. Relief flooded her. Nikki would understand. They were soul sisters.

Mariah hiked up her dress and climbed into the convertible, not bothering with the door. Satin and lace puffed up to her chin, and flapped over Nikki.

“Phht!” Nikki spit out fluff. “What are you doing? I thought we were going to the church in your parents’ car.”

“Just drive, okay?” she said, as fat tears rolled through the Honey Luster powder her mother thought brought out the peach in her skin.

“Where to?”

“Anywhere.” Then she corrected herself. “Anywhere but the church.”

Nikki shot her a puzzled look, then accelerated, throwing them both back in the seats.

At the stoplight, Mariah looked at Nikki in the maid-of-honor dress her mother had urged her to choose. Lavender satin with puffy organdy sleeves and a huge satin bow over the left shoulder. It looked ridiculous on her wild friend, who was more comfortable in black leather and boots than frou-frou girlie clothes. The only thing that looked normal was the funky ceramic butterfly pin Mariah had made for her. “What was I thinking making you wear that dress? You look like Glenda the Good Witch.”

“More like Skipper does Dallas,” Nikki said with a shrug. “It’s not too late to dye my hair purple and wear my mauve snakeskin boots.”

Mariah laughed through her tears.

“We’re buds, Mariah, you know that. Thick and thin. Anything you want, I’m down for it.”

“I know. And I couldn’t stand it without you.” She leaned over to hug Nikki, organdy crackling.

“Watch out!” Nikki said, as the car swerved. “Hard to see through satin.” Still, she grinned. “So, what’s up?”

“I’m not getting married.”

Nikki slammed on the brakes. “What?!”

A car behind her honked.

“Keep driving,” Mariah said. “I don’t know what came over me. It’s like I thought I was a Bridal Barbie doll marrying Ken and moving into the Dream House. That’s nuts. So not me.”

“But you love Nathan.”

“I do.” It hurt to say that. “But I’m only seventeen. I haven’t even graduated.”

“Abso-flippin’-lutely!” Nikki said, pure relief in her voice. “I mean, I was on your side, if marriage was your gig, but, hell, you’ve got your whole life ahead of you.”

“Exactly. What was I thinking? Too Twilight Zone.”

“What happened to change your mind?”

Mariah told her friend the sad tale of the false pregnancy and the pity proposal. As she talked, an ache began to spread from her chest to every part of her body. An ache that came from losing Nathan and all that she’d believed he felt about her. The zapped wedding fantasy was nothing compared to that.

She felt herself slipping into self-pity, so she grasped at indignation. “He probably thought it was like a duty, now that he’s working for my dad. You know, manage the factory, marry the kooky daughter. God. It’s so humiliating.”

“At least you found out before you said I do,” Nikki said, patting her knee through the cloud of satin and netting. “Now you can put it behind you.”

“Right. Behind me.” But it felt like it was all around her—a big ball of agony she couldn’t escape. She knew breaking it off was best—a quick, sharp pain, a bit of bruising, and then the healing would happen. But right now, it hurt like hell.

They drove in silence for a bit. Since Copper Corners only had five streetlights, they were soon speeding along the highway. Mariah surveyed the passing desert landscape—tall, crazy-armed saguaro, clumps of cholla and prickly pear in bloom, chaparral bushes and mesquite trees. They were headed north toward Phoenix on a wide-open highway. Wide open. Like her life had suddenly become. The thought made her feel empty and scared.

As if she’d read her mind, Nikki pressed the brakes, whipped the car into a doughnut, fishtailed in the shoulder gravel and jerked to stop, turned toward the town. “What now?”

“I don’t want to go back there and face that,” Mariah said fiercely.

“I don’t blame you. I don’t want to go back, either, and all I have to face is telling my parents I don’t have enough credits to graduate next semester.”

The best friends sat in glum silence for a few seconds, the cicada hum filling the air, buzzing along with their brains, which were busy sifting options.

Finally, Nikki spoke, her words coming slowly, excitement building as she talked. “I know what we should do….”