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The After-party

Toby entered the Hannons’ kitchen with Meredith close behind. “Hello? Anybody here?”

“Mr. Toby!” Chelsea cheered as she ran into the kitchen with Lynn at her heels.

“Ooh! What’s that?” Lynn spied the wrapped package in Toby’s hands.

“This is a little something to say Merry Christmas from Meri and me.”

Chelsea stamped her foot. “Do we have to wait until Christmas to open it?”

Meredith laughed. “No, honey, it’s for now. Take it to your mom and dad.”

The girls grabbed the box and ran to the living room.

Steve twisted to see them. “Hey, the last time you showed up late…”

“Well, I already proposed. So, it’s not that.” Toby laughed as he took Meredith’s coat. “Want to show them?”

Meredith blushed and held out her hand. Nancy, Ivy, Holly, Angela and Kendra dashed out to the kitchen for a closer look.

“Meredith, that is gorgeous!” Angela gasped.

“Congratulations, Meri!” Ivy hugged her.

“Hmm, that’s a step in the right direction.” Holly said, studying the ring. “Why an emerald?”

“Toby and I both have birthdays in May.”

“That is a lovely ring, Meredith.” Nancy smiled. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you, everyone.” Meredith dabbed a tear from her eye. “Say, my dress and Toby’s tux are in his car. Should we get those dry cleaned?”

“No.” Holly said. “Just bring them in. We’ll take care of all that.”

“Is that why you were so late?” Steve elbowed Toby.

“Well, they told the chauffeur to take us to see the lights in the park. Then we went to the jewelry store…”

“Okay, but what about the change of clothes?”

“Oh, we swung by her hotel for something to wear and we stopped home to show Mom and Dad the ring.”

“I’ll bet she freaked out. Didn’t she?” Ian laughed.

“What do you think? Me in my tux and her looking like a dream. They were thrilled.”

Frank smiled. “That’s great. Will you get a chance to meet her folks?”

“I did, kind of.”

“Toby, what do you mean ‘kind of’?” Steve laughed.

“Well, Dad decided they shouldn’t have the good news all to themselves. Mom said Meri was so beautiful that it wasn’t fair to not show her parents.”

“So, he did an on-screen call with her parents out of the blue?” Ian put a hand on his forehead.

“Would you expect anything else from my parents?”

“Actually, no.” Steve laughed. “I’d be surprised if they hadn’t.”

“How did it go?” Frank asked.

“Considering how awkwardly out of the blue it all was, they took it very well.” Toby shrugged. “Marty and Gail are great people. They really hit it off with my parents.”

“That’s awesome, Toby.” Ian gave him a hug. “I’m so happy for you, man.”

“Thanks. We’ll be seeing them in person next weekend. That should be fun.”

“Sure, Toby. It will be great. What’s the matter?”

“I’ve never driven that far. I’ve never driven in the city.” He wrung his hands. “And it’s one thing to call them up out of the blue in our wedding outfits and show them an engagement ring-” Toby teetered. “Gotta sit down.”

“Sounds different when you say it out loud, huh?” Steve helped him to the couch.

“Yeah, it’s a lot.”

“Hey, Ivy and I will be here to help you guys. Okay?”

“Sure, we all will.” Steve said.

“Definitely, Toby. You’re practically part of the family. We’ll all be here for you.”

“Absolutely.” Jeff said.

“Daddy, open this.” Chelsea held the gift box up. “It’s from Mr. Toby and Miss Meri.”

Frank took the box and tore at the wrapping paper. “Oh, wow. Thanks, Toby. Look, Chelsea, it’s a fruitcake!”

Chelsea snatched the box away and ran to the kitchen with Lynn. “Get the big knife!”

“What?” Kendra yelped. “Just you two wait there and I’ll slice a piece for you both.”

“I’ll get it, Kendra.” Holly said, breaking away from the women surrounding Meredith. “Meri, why don’t you sit down and make yourself comfortable? Did you want a slice of this?”

“No, thank you. I’m more of a gingerbread girl.”

“Oh, we have gingerbread men.” Kendra said, reaching for a plastic canister. “Would anyone else like some?”

After everyone had some refreshments, they all returned to the living room. Ian and Ivy showed the latecomers the wedding gifts they’d missed. As the evening drew on, people made their exits.

“I think we should get going.” Meredith squeezed Toby’s knee.

“Oh, your overnight bag is still in my room.” Ivy said. “I’ll go get it for you.”

Meredith stood up. “Be right back.” She followed Ivy to her room.

“Wow, so the call with your parents went okay?”

“It was the shock and awe approach. We’ll see how it goes when Toby and I go to see them next weekend.”

“Are you expecting any problems?”

“Problems?” Meredith sat on the bed. “No, I think they’ll get along with him.”

“But it looks like something’s bothering you. What is it?”

“Not bothering me, exactly.” She scrunched her overnight bag in her lap. “It’s just so…”

“Real?”

Meri’s jaw dropped. “Yes! It’s so real, it’s unreal.”

“And here you are in matching Sentinels jerseys and you’ve got a beautiful engagement ring.”

She looked down it the glistening green gem on her finger. “I’m afraid, Ivy.”

“Of what?” Ivy sat down beside her and studied her engagement ring.

“That I’m going to wake up in the morning in my apartment, find out it’s still last week and none of this ever happened.”

“That better not happen. Today was nerve-wracking enough without having to go through it again.”

Meredith laughed. “I know. It’s just silly. I can’t believe this is actually happening to me.”

“As far as I can tell, it’s real.” Ivy pinched herself. “Seems pretty real. You deserve to be happy, Meri.”

“Thanks, Ivy. Thanks for everything.”

“Have you decided about the living situation?”

“There’s stuff I like about the city, but Toby’s got a good job here. It’s easier if I move.”

“Is that going to be alright?”

“Sure.” She shrugged. “Toby has some down money for a place set aside. I don’t think it would buy a broom closet in the city.”

“Probably not, but you should be sure before you give up your place.”

“Do you regret it?”

“Not in the least, but I’m not you. Are you going to be alright? Living out here in the sticks is a change.”

“Does it ever warm up?”