“Luke! Cara!” Sam said, walking up behind them. She had a smile from ear to ear as she walked towards them with her fiancé. Luke turned around and took them in. He had never seen his best friend so happy before, never mind the fact his sister was positively radiating with happiness. One look at her, made you want to smile.
Nick looked over her head towards Luke and laughed. “Sorry we’re late. She was having a wardrobe malfunction.” He said and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling Sam’s back against his chest.
Cara looked Sam over. She was wearing a short pink fly-away dress. It was fitted on top and then started to flow right underneath her breasts. “You look beautiful.” She said as she smiled at her. Sam had told her a month ago that she and Nick were expecting, yet at that moment, one glance at Sam and Cara would’ve known even if she hadn’t been told. Sam was glowing and she wore it well.
Luke eyed Nick. “I suppose you were able to assist in the malfunction?” He said wryly, but Nick knew that Luke was joking around. The truth of the matter was they had this unspoken language between them. Without words, they each knew what the other was thinking. Nick knew that Luke was happy for him. He knew that there was nobody better for his sister to make a life with.
Sam looked up at Nick, she watched the hint of mischief in his eyes as his lips turned upward into a grin. He glanced down and kissed the tip of her nose. “We’re all good now. Crisis averted.” Nick said as he tugged her closer.
Sam leaned over and whispered to Cara. “It’s my boobs. They’re huge. I’m not wearing a bra right now.” She said with her eyes wide as if she was doing something so scandalous.
Cara couldn’t help the laugh that erupted from her and after a moment she blushed when she realized the three of them were smiling at her as they watched her laugh. She cleared her throat and straightened her shoulders. “Should we see if the table is ready?” She asked, feeling a bit like a fish in a fishbowl.
They were half way through their meal when Nick asked the waiter to bring over a bottle of champagne and a bottle of their finest sparkling water. The waiter poured the champagne into their flutes and mimicked the task with the sparkling water, placing the flute in front of the mother-to-be. Nick leaned back in his chair and glanced at Sam, who sat beside him, his arm spread out hanging on the back of her chair.
“Are you going to tell them why we asked them to come here or what?” Nick asked her, with a teasing smile playing on his lips.
Sam leaned into him and pressed her lips softly to his before she turned around and looked at Luke and Cara who were staring at them expectantly.
“Okay, so first we wanted to thank you guys for meeting us tonight.”
She looked at her brother. “I know how much it pains you to dress up.” She winked at him before she took a breath. “We wanted to make tonight special. Actually, I did, Nick said we could’ve invited you over for beer and pizza and you guys would’ve been fine with that.”
Luke considered the alternative, nodding at Nick he pulled his tie from his pocket and turned to wink at Sam. Nick laughed beside his fiancé and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
“Anyway.” She said, rolling her eyes at her brother as he stuffed his tie back into his pocket.
“We decided to get married before the baby. We even set a date.” She looked over her shoulder at Nick and he nodded. “There’s just this one little thing.” She bit her lip and turned towards Luke and Cara. When she didn’t inform them of what that one thing was Nick did.
“We’re getting married in Cabo, Mexico.” He said and the both of them waited for their reaction.
Luke squinted and leaned forward. “Like you’re eloping? Are you trying to kill mom and dad?”
“No!” Sam exclaimed. “Mom and dad know. We’re having a destination wedding. We want everyone who is close to us to be there.” She rolled her eyes at her brother. “Like I would cheat mom and dad out of a wedding,” the thought was ridiculous to her.
“Okay, so when is the big day?” Cara asked, reaching for her whiskey, and for the bout of courage she needed to discuss the details of a wedding.
Sam looked at Cara carefully. She knew this was going to be hard on her. Just next week would be September 19th, the day she was supposed to marry Jake. She chose her words carefully. “December 26th.” She knew it was the day after Christmas, but she figured it was the perfect time to get married. She would be on holiday break with the school. The other factor was this would be their first Christmas without Jake and while nothing would ease that, Sam thought maybe the wedding would help everyone heal, even just a tiny bit. She left that part out, not wanting to dampen the mood or the good time that Cara seemed to be having. Sam couldn’t remember the last time she had heard her laugh.