For the rest of the afternoon, while Amos cruised around with the guys running errands, he couldn’t stop thinking of Emmy. Proposing to her needed to be perfect, which was why the rehearsal dinner would be the ideal location. Sam’s Chowder House in Half Moon Bay had a gorgeous view of the ocean, and after dinner, Amos could walk Emmy down to the beach to propose under the moonlight. He even enlisted Carmela and his mom to set up paper lanterns in a heart shape on the sand for them to stand in while he asked the question.
All day, he felt confident in his plan, but as soon as he arrived with the guys at the restaurant, the nerves swarmed in. It also didn’t help that the rehearsal dinner would be the first time talking to or seeing Emmy since breakfast.
“You didn’t forget the ring, right?” Amos said to Rodrigo’s reflection in the restaurant’s bathroom mirror.
“Of course not.” Rodrigo plucked the small black velvet box from the inner pocket of his leather jacket. “Right here.”
“Good,” Amos sighed in relief and finished washing his hands. “Let’s take a look.”
Stepping next to him, Rodrigo held out the box and opened it. The pear-shaped diamond ring, encircled by smaller diamonds, twinkled under the bright lights of the bathroom.
“You picked a good one. It must have cost you a pretty penny.”
“I sold a couple of my guitars to buy this ring,” Amos said.
“Which ones?”
“My red sunburst Paul Reed Smith, and my black on black Gretsch.”
“Those were some good-looking guitars.”
“They were, but Emmy deserves a beautiful ring.”
“Damn straight!” Rodrigo clapped Amos’s back and handed him the ring box. “Now get back out there and make my daughter happy.”
When they exited the bathroom, Amos immediately spotted Emmy. It took one glance, and a smile spread across his face like peanut butter. She had no idea what was in store for her later in the evening, and he couldn’t wait to see the look on her face once he got down on one knee. Except, he didn’t have time to admire her curly updo or her fitted amethyst dress as she rushed past them with Cassandra.
“Hey, not so fast.” He latched onto her elbow.
“Give us a second, ok?” Emmy said as they shoved through the women’s restroom door.
“What was that about?” Amos quirked his brow at Rodrigo. “Is it just me, or did Emmy look flustered?”
“Yes… definitely a little off. But I’m sure everything is fine, so let’s find our table.”
Despite feeling uneasy about Emmy’s demeanor, Amos followed Rodrigo through the restaurant to an area where larger parties could have their privacy.
“Champagne?” A waitress offered.
“No, thank you,” Rodrigo replied.
“Same, but if you have non-alcoholic cocktails, we’d love to see a menu,” Amos added.
Since becoming part of Emmy’s life, Amos did his best to drink water or non-alcoholic beverages with Rodrigo, so he wouldn’t feel left out on special occasions while everyone else had cocktails. He grew used to the taste of non-alcoholic beer and sometimes preferred it over regular beer.
“It’s your brother’s rehearsal dinner. Have a proper drink!” Rodrigo insisted as they headed to the long dining table lit with candles. “You don’t have to have water to make me feel better,”
“Nah, I’m good with water. As anxious as I am, I’ll probably drink too much and then be a slurring mess during the proposal.”
“Are you really that nervous?”
“Yes!”
“Well, you don’t look it.”
“Thank God, because I don’t want Emmy getting suspicious.”
“Hey, look, Carmela is here.” Rodrigo pointed towards the balcony doors which overlooked the beach. The sun was setting and turning her curly hair aflame with bursts of orange and scarlet stretching across the ocean behind her. “You told her about tonight, right?”
“Of course. After asking you for Emmy’s hand in marriage, I asked her too.”
“Good call. Carmela would boil my balls if you didn’t.”
“Speaking of boiling balls…” Amos narrowed his eyes at Rodrigo as they eased into their seats. “Have you thought about what we said about Ben?”
“I… really don’t want to think about that asshole tonight.”
“Fine, but you gotta tell her that he contacted you. She deserves to know.”
“I said, I don’t want to talk—” Rodrigo cut himself short, his eyes widening as he looked past Amos. “Emmy. Hi.”
“Hey, dad.”
“Em.” Amos looked up at her. “Is everything ok?”
“Not really…” She chewed her lip, so Amos took her hands in his.
“Babe, what’s wrong?”
“Is Carlos here yet?”
“Yeah, he’s over there talking to Cassandra’s dad.”
“Ok, I need you to come with me…”
“Honey, what’s going on?” Rodrigo stood from the table.
“Dad, can you keep Carlos distracted?” Emmy said as she tugged on Amos’s hand.
“Yes, of course, but what’s going on?”
“I’ll explain later,” she said over her shoulder.
Together, she and Amos weaved through the restaurant, around tables and patrons, with her pulling him behind her. He still had no idea what was happening, but he realized they were heading for the restrooms.
“Emmy, seriously, what’s going on?”
“You’ll see!” she said and pushed through the women’s bathroom door.
“I can’t be in here…”
“It’s fine. I’ll guard the door.” Emmy stepped behind him, her high heels clicking against the tiled floor as she nudged him forward. “Go to the last stall.”
“Uh…”
“Just do it!” Emmy hissed as she closed the door behind them.
With cautious steps, Amos headed for the last stall, where he found Cassandra inside. Crying. Her white lacy dress was bunched around her waist, exposing her bare thighs and underwear down by her ankles. With red, puffy eyes, she looked up at him and released a sob.
“I’m bleeding.”
“Oh… um… do you need me to buy some tampons?”
“It’s not my period,” Cassandra cried.
“Uh…” Amos glanced at Emmy, gnawing at her lip in worry, and then he looked back at Cassandra. “I don’t understand. What’s going on, Cass?”
“I… I’m pregnant.”
“Oh, Cass, that’s wonderful!” Amos kneeled and took her hands in his.
“No, Amos. I think I’m having a miscarriage. I think that’s why I’m bleeding.”
“Then we need to take you to the hospital. Let me grab Carlos!”
“No, wait!” Cassandra latched onto his arm as he began to stand. “He doesn’t know I’m pregnant. I only found out earlier this week, and I was going to tell him tomorrow at the wedding as a surprise.”
“Cass…”
“I know. I should have told him!” she cried and wiped away the tears on her cheeks with a trembling hand. “I started cramping this morning, but I ignored it. I thought maybe it was just nerves about tomorrow because I want the wedding to be perfect. But then I started bleeding right as we got here.”
“Cass, whatever is happening, Carlos needs to know, and we need to get you to a doctor.”
“But how am I supposed to tell him?” Her eyes spilled over with more tears, sending mascara streaks down her freshly done face. “How can I tell him I’m pregnant and having a miscarriage?”
“We don’t know that. Lots of women spot blood during pregnancy, and everything turns out fine. I read it somewhere on Facebook once.”
“On Facebook!?” Cassandra sucked back a cry, her brows furrowing.
“Listen, the point is, we don’t know what’s going on, and until we get you to a doctor, we shouldn’t panic. But most importantly, Carlos needs to know what’s going on.”
“I’m scared, Amos.”
“I know.” He caressed her cheek, drying the tears with his thumb. “But you’re not alone in this. My brother loves you. He absolutely loves you, and he’s not gonna care that you kept the pregnancy a secret. The only thing he’ll care about is getting you to a hospital.”
“But the rehearsal dinner and all of the hungry guests…”
“Who cares. Everyone will understand.”
“Cass…” Emmy said over his shoulder. “Please listen to Amos. Don’t worry about the dinner. We’ll take care of everything.”
“Ok,” she sniffled. “Please go get Carlos.”
While Amos stayed with Cassandra as Emmy searched for Carlos, a few women entered the bathroom, their laughter echoing off the walls. Halfway inside, their giggling halted, and they looked at him in confusion, so he gave a quick wave. They nodded in return and proceeded to go about their business cautiously, but when they noticed Cassandra crying in the last stall, their scowls softened. One offered a tissue and another a piece of chocolate from her purse. Neither of them prodded for information but simply comprehended something was wrong, and Amos was there in support.
Within minutes Amos’s crazy, silly brother burst through the restroom door and flew across the tiles to Cassandra’s side.
"Babe! What's going on?"
"I need to go to the hospital." She looked up at him and released a sob as an embankment of tears flooded onto her cheeks.
"Are you hurt?"
"I..." She glanced over his shoulder at Amos and Emmy, and they nodded at her in encouragement. "I think I'm having a miscarriage."
"A miscarriage?" Carlos gasped.
"Yes, I'm sorry. I meant to tell you that I'm pregnant, but I wanted it to be a surprise. I'm so sorry."
"There's nothing to be sorry about. Come on." He helped her to her feet, pulled her underwear up, and adjusted her dress. Then he smoothed a few tears away from her cheeks and kissed her forehead. "The only thing I care about is getting you to a doctor. Now let's go. I've got you."
Amos and Emmy stepped aside as a very calm, yet determined Carlos, escorted Cassandra through the bathroom and into the crowded restaurant. As they maneuvered around patrons, he kept his arm around Cassandra and used his other arm to create a barrier so no one could bump into her. Once they made it outside, he lifted Cassandra into his arms and carried her to their car.
As he peeled out of Sam’s Chowder House parking lot, Amos pulled Emmy into a hug and kissed the top of her head.
After what happened, there was no way he could proceed with walking her to the beach to get down on one knee. He didn’t want to mark the proposal with a sad night like Cassandra possibly having a miscarriage.
So, he inhaled a deep breath, and together, they walked back inside the restaurant to let the guests know there was an emergency.
The proposal would have to wait for another night.
*
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Thanks for reading! I know this chap ends on a sad cliffhanger, but I'll always provide an emotional roller coaster for you as I put my characters through realistic trials.
Many women suffer their losses in silence and are expected to grieve quickly and move on. But it's important to know it's ok to grieve and be sad for as long as you need to. Don't let anyone make you feel as if your loss is small ❤
The next, "Where Are They Now," will be about Carlos & Cass, so stay tuned ❤🤗