It's been two months since finding out that Kendall was pregnant. I've only been waving from a distance to Dr. Daniels at the hospital. Kendall has been working on her doctor appointments around Scott's schedule, so I haven't returned to Dr. Daniels' office since that first appointment.
Today, I invited Scott and Kendall over for dinner. We rarely had a day off together, and my parents were out for a business dinner.
I was pulling the lasagna out of the oven when the doorbell rang. "Coming!" I open the door.
Kendall comes in first. "Hey, Mal!"
Then Scott said, "Thank you for the invite, Mallory."
"Of course." I smile at my friends.
"I brought cheesecake!" Kendall proclaims.
I lick my lips. "Strawberry?"
"Is there another flavor?" She side-eyes me.
"Not in my world," I say, and Kendall nods in agreement.
"I just pulled dinner out of the oven." They follow me to the dining room.
"Drinks?" I ask.
Scott replies, "Beer, please."
Kendall responds, "Lemonade if you have it."
"I do! Have a seat, and I'll be right back." I get their drinks and mine, then place them on the table.
I go back to get the lasagna when Scott appears behind me. "Let me get that."
"Thank you!" I grab the garlic bread and salad, then follow Scott back to the table.
"This smells amazing, Mallory," Scott compliments me.
"It sure does! I'll try to leave you some," Kendall says as she places a healthy portion on her plate.
Scott and I both raise our eyebrows at her.
"What? This boy can eat!"
We laugh, and it's like old times, almost. I look over at the empty chair and sigh.
"We have news!" Kendall interrupts my thoughts.
"Really? What?" I ask.
"We set a date for the wedding!" she proclaims excitedly.
"You did?" I clap my hands.
"We did," Scott adds, smiling.
"That's amazing. When? I'll need to make sure to take off work."
"Well, we don't want to wait till Baby Boy is born," she says as Scott places his hand over Kendall's.
"You're six months pregnant, and Baby Boy will be here in three months," I say, confused.
Scott announces, "That's why we are getting married this weekend."
"This weekend!?" I shout, surprised as hell.
"Yes. It's going to be very small. Just you and my parents. We don't want to wait," Kendall explains.
I nod in understanding. "I get it.
Scott looks at me. "Are you still on second shift?"
"Yes. I don't see that changing anytime soon," I sigh.
Kendall smiles. "Great. We're going to the Justice of the Peace on Saturday at 11:00, then having lunch at Ay! Jalisco Mexican Cafe. After Baby Boy comes, we'll have a large reception."
"I like it." I smile back.
"I knew you would," she retorts.
"Well, I have something that I wanted to talk to you about, too!" I confess.
Kendall and Scott put down their forks to give me their full attention.
"Would you two be interested in renting to own my house?"
Their jaws drop, and they look at each other.
They turn back to me. Kendall says, "What exactly are you saying, Mallory?"
I take both of their hands into mine. "I have a house that I don't need or want. You need a house for your growing family. Your one-bedroom apartment isn't going to cut it."
Scott looks perplexed. "Okay. So what does renting to own mean?"
"I want you to take over my house payments. No money down, start making my payments. At any time, you can purchase it, or when the loan's paid, it will be yours," I explain.
Tears are in Kendall's dark eyes. "That's too much, Mal."
"I want this. Consider it a wedding gift. I don't want to sell our house to strangers. I can't live there myself anymore, but I don't want it gone from my life either. Please, let me do this for you; let me do this for me," I plead.
I can see that Scott is trying to hold in his emotions. "Thank you!"
Kendall gets up and gives me a tight hug, Scott joins, and we all cry. This time, they're happy tears, and my heart swells with my love for these incredible friends. What matters most is that I know, without a doubt, Ben would want this for them, too.
Saturday morning, I'm doing Kendall's hair and makeup in my childhood bedroom for her wedding. My parents insisted they have their wedding here and not some cold room at city hall. They have a beautiful wooded backyard with gorgeous flower beds that my mother tends to use as a way to relax. At the end of the yard stands an arbor trellis that leads deeper into the wooded yard. It's beautiful.
My mom approaches Kendall. "Oh, sweet Kendall, you look stunning."
"You can thank your darling daughter for my transformation," she responds.
"Well, look at her beautiful face. Even a five-year-old could not mess up this face!" I laugh.
"Awe, you're too sweet. Please ignore my gagging at your ridiculous cheesiness." Kendall fakes gagging, and we all laugh.
"Honestly, Momma Stevens, I appreciate you and Dad Stevens standing in to support Scott. It means the world to him," Kendall says with tears welling up in her eyes.
Mom hugs Kendall. "Oh, Honey. We wouldn't miss it for the world. It's been a tough year for Scott, losing his parents and best friend. Scott and Ben have been like sons to us."
"Ready to put on your dress?" I ask Kendall.
"I am so ready!" She smiles, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Here, Baby Girl." Kendall's mom gets her dress from the back of the door and pulls off the plastic covering.
We found the perfect wedding dress at the maternity shop in the square. It's a gorgeous, solid-hued, chiffon gown with a pleated cinched bust and straps that cover Kendall's shoulders with a wrap that goes around her forearms like a scarf.
"Careful..." Kendall tells her mom.
"Sweetheart, you need to step into it. You be careful." Mom Keller unzips the dress.
Kendall has plenty of room to step in and pull it up over Baby Boy with no issues.
"Here, take my hand to balance you," I offer Kendall.
Her dress is perfect. Mine is a knee-length off-the-shoulder peach dress. After giving us hugs, our moms left to take their places.
"You ready?" I wink at her.
"Absolutely!" She grins.
At the bottom of the stairs, Kendall's dad is waiting. He lets me pass, then takes Kendall by the arm. "Baby, you look beautiful."
"Thank you, Dad."
I make my way silently outside. Kendall and Scott opted for no music. Kendall will make her way to Scott at the sounds of nature. When I see Scott, I also see photos of Scott's parents and Ben on a stool beside Scott. They had asked if it would bother me, and I didn't hesitate to tell them how much I loved the idea. As I approach Scott, I take a moment to kiss my fingers and place them on Ben's picture.
I smile at Scott. We both have tears in our eyes. He gives me a wink, then we both turn our attention to the bride.
I hear him whisper, "Oh my god! She's perfect."
After the Justice of the Peace performs the ceremony and we take a few photos, the seven of us head to the restaurant for lunch. Since I had to leave for work from the restaurant, I brought my scrubs to change into before work.
The parents sit at one end of the table, and Scott, Kendall, and I sit at the other. The hours pass as we eat, laugh, and plan the move into the house.
Before I know it, it's time for me to leave for work. "I have to go. Congratulations. I love you both so much!"
"Thank you for everything! You're the best!" Kendall and I embrace.
Then, it's Scott's turn, and we hug. "Thanks for everything, Mallory. We love you, too."
I say goodbye to Kendall and my parents and leave for the hospital.
When I arrive, I park, grab my bag, then head inside. As I was going in, Dr. Daniels was running out. "Mallory?"
"Hello, Dr. Daniels." I smile.
His eyes take me in from top to bottom. "You look amazing, Mallory."
I shift a little uncomfortably. "Um... thank you. Scott and Kendall got married today."
He smiles. "Really? Good for them!"
"Well... I have to, in, change," I stutter.
"Of course, sorry. I didn't mean to keep you," Sam replies.
"That's okay. Have a wonderful evening," I remark.
"Yeah, I'll be back after I grab something to eat. Maybe I'll see you later?" Sam comments.
"Maybe?" I shrug.
"Oh, I'll make sure of it." I hear him say under his breath as he walks away.