"Lalie," Heather nervously gasped. "How much did you hear?"
"Enough that, at this moment, I'm embarrassed that we share the same blood," Lalie frankly replied, dabbing away her tears.
Heather bit her lip, not knowing what to say.
"I've had enough for one day," Vivian chimed in as she walked away and headed over to the bush where Ted was with the video camera.
"How could you lie to everyone like that for this long?" Lalie demanded to know. "How could you?!"
"Lalie, I can explain," Heather tried to make the situation better.
"No, you can't!" Lalie immediately shot back. "How could you play with Kevin's heart and emotions like that?"
"It's not how it seems!" Heather managed to say as she began to tear up.
"It's exactly how it seems," Lalie brought Heather back into reality. "You used Kevin and, you know, now it makes so much sense to me."
What Lalie said sparked Heather's interest. Heather nervously asked, "What makes sense to you?"
"Why you didn't want me working where Kevin works, why you switched the resumes, why you were always checking up on Kevin and myself at the office, accusing me of wanting to seduce him," Lalie explained shaking her head in disgust. "You thought I was an obstacle that you had to overcome."
"How so?" Heather wanted to know.
"I stood in the way of you having a comfortable life with Kevin, and I mean that in financial terms only," Lalie angrily replied. "You don't give a damn about Kevin, otherwise."
"Kevin and I," Heather started only to get cut off by Lalie's immediately reply.
"I don't want to hear 'Kevin and I' in the same sentence anymore, Heather!" Lalie picked up her bag with her dress in it. "I should just throw this dress in the garbage because it means nothing!"
Heather took the bag and opened it and showed Lalie the dress she bought. "Look, Lalie, this is the dress that I want you to wear at the wedding."
"There isn't going to be a wedding," Lalie softly told her preparing to walk away.
"Wait," Heather ordered, as her tone started to turn evil again. "What do you mean, there isn't going to be a wedding?"
"Kevin deserves better than you," Lalie admitted. "He deserves someone who won't break his heart in two-for a second time! He deserves real love."
"With who?" Heather mused. "Someone like you? Perfect little Lalie?"
Lalie shrugged and said, "That's not a bad idea, Heather!"
Heather's breathing became more rapid with every word Lalie just spoke. Lalie didn't stop there.
"I'm stopping the wedding," Lalie confirmed as she turned away.
Heather let out a panic stricken scream and grabbed Lalie.
"Let go of me!" Lalie cried out, trying to break free. "Let me go!"
"No!" Heather desperately replied. "You're not stopping the wedding! I won't let you!"
"Ask me if I care," Lalie finally broke free. "The honeymoon is over before the wedding!"
Heather tried to think of a way to get out of this. "Listen, Lalie, if I promise to tell Kevin the truth, will you reconsider?"
"You won't tell him," Lalie presumed.
"I promise I will," Heather pretended to cry. "I'll tell Kevin everything. Please don't do anything!"
Lalie looked down and shook her head. "Fine. I'm telling you right now, if you don't tell him within a few days and if you're walking up that aisle and he still doesn't know, you will be answering to me-after I stop the wedding."
"I'll tell him," Heather reiterated. "Let's go home," Heather reached for Lalie's hand.
Lalie pulled her hand back and retorted, "I'd rather take the bus."
Heather stared at Lalie as Lalie walked away. A panicked Heather glanced down at the bag that held Lalie's dress before she turned away and prepared to go home by herself hoping that the walls wouldn't come crashing down beside her.
Vivian and Ted were behind the bush having captured everything on videotape.
"Heather won't tell Kevin the truth," Vivian squinted her eyes. "Lying is the only thing she knows how to do."
"It doesn't matter if Heather tells him or not," Ted reminded Vivian by pointing to the camera. "At the wedding, all eyes will be on this tape."
Vivian raised her eyebrow and smiled, as she knew the charade was almost over.
A tired Heather came home by herself, still carrying Lalie's dress.
"Where's Lalie?" Carole asked as she stood up.
"She wanted to stay longer and look at more dresses but I was getting tired," Heather lied.
"I'm right here," Lalie came down from the top of the stairs.
Heather widened her eyes as Lalie came down the stairs. She was surprised Lalie made it home on the bus before she did.
"Lalie!" Carole looked behind her. "When you did get in here?"
"Just a few minutes ago," Lalie replied.
"I must have been in the basement when you got in," Carole figured. "Why didn't you come home together?"
Heather and Lalie glared at each other and didn't give a definite answer.
"There was something I wanted to do but then I changed my mind and took the bus home," Lalie lied. "Heather had already left anyway."
Heather stared at Lalie as she said that and then turned back to her mother. "That's exactly what happened."
"Did you find a dress?" Carole asked taking the bag from Heather's hand.
"Certainly," Lalie took the bag from Carole and showed the dress to her mother.
"That's beautiful," Carole smiled looking it over. "You two are going to look remarkable up there."
There was a pause in the conversation for a few seconds. "You two must be getting hungry, I'll go make something for lunch," Carole mentioned as she went into the kitchen.
Lalie and Heather glared at each other as Carole left. Heather turned around and walked over to the couch.
"Don't walk away from me like that," Lalie demanded.
Heather stopped in her tracks and turned around to face Lalie. "And why not?"
Lalie walked over to Heather and whispered, "You know why. Don't forget what you promised me earlier. Tell Kevin the truth before you walk up that aisle or I will."
"I'll tell him over the weekend," Heather tried to convince Lalie.
Lalie didn't respond and turned away and walked up the stairs.
Heather sat down in the living room and thought about how she can get married to Kevin without telling him the reason why she's walking up that aisle. "I'm running out of time," Heather said to herself. "We'll have to get married even sooner than I thought."
Later that evening, Vivian was at home reflecting on what happened earlier. Concerns ran through her mind about the tape. What if he forgot to put it on? What if the battery wasn't charged enough? What if the microphone didn't pick up their voices? None the less, Vivian was satisfied with the events of the early afternoon.
Kevin came into the living room and sat down across from Vivian.
"So, how was work today?" Vivian tried to start conversation.
"Good," Kevin replied looking through the mail. "Lalie wasn't there today. She went shopping with Heather today for the wedding."
"When is the wedding anyway?" Vivian asked.
"I'm not sure," Kevin truthfully replied. "Heather's mom is supposed to be reserving the chapel but I haven't heard anything about it yet."
"Am I invited, Kevin?" Vivian innocently asked as she looked at Kevin in the eyes.
Kevin looked at Vivian bewildered and laughed. "Of course, you're my mother!"
"I heard that I might not get invited," Vivian told him, waiting to see his reaction.
"What would make you think that?" Kevin asked in disbelief. Why would his mother think something like that?
Vivian's cell phone rang in her pocket book. "Excuse me," Vivian politely said as she reached into her bag, pulled it out and put it up to her ear. "Hello? Oh, you do? Sure. Let me just write that down. See you soon."
"Who was that?" Kevin asked, having heard everything Vivian just said.
"Just one of my friends," Vivian replied getting up and putting on her shoes. "I have to leave for a little while. I'll be back soon."
"Okay," Kevin replied as he stood up also.
"Oh," Vivian added before leaving. "I really hope I'll be invited to the wedding."
After Vivian left, Kevin laughed again in disbelief and couldn't believe what she was saying. Kevin picked up the phone. "Heather, we need to have a talk. Can you come over?"
Vivian arrived at the address the person on the phone gave her. Vivian knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer.
"Well, there you are," Ted answered the door.
"Nice place," Vivian admired walking into Ted's lavish apartment.
"You'll be happy to know that I copied the tape onto a VHS," Ted smiled as he walked over to the VCR.
Vivian glowed as she asked in shock, "You did? Well, how did it come out?"
"See for yourself," Ted knelt down next to the VCR and pressed play as he and Vivian made themselves comfortable on the couch.
Heather nervously rang Kevin's doorbell. She hoped that Lalie hadn't already told him.
"Thanks for coming," Kevin opened the door and stepped to the side to let Heather enter.
"It's not a problem," Heather replied sounding paranoid. "What's on your mind?"
"I just wanted to ask you if you know why my Mom thinks she's not invited to our wedding?" Kevin asked while sounding very confused.
Heather widened her eyes and took a deep breath. "No," Heather lied. "She's the mother of the groom, of course she'd be there."
"That's what I told her," Kevin explained. "I'll even give her the invitation myself so I know she gets it," Kevin laughed.
Heather fake laughed as she sat down on the couch. "I have so much to tell you about the plans for the wedding."
Kevin sat next to Heather and put his arms around her as she explained in detail what she has planned so far.
Ted and Vivian finished watching the tape and Vivian couldn't get over how well it came out.
"Oh, my God!" Vivian marveled with a smile. "You did such a great job with this."
"I can't wait to see the look on Heather and the congregations face when they see this," Ted replied.
"It'll be a sight to savor," Vivian replied.
Ted turned off the TV set and Vivian stood ready to leave as she looked around his apartment once more.
"I bet you have some breathtaking view when you open those curtains, right?" Vivian laughed.
Ted walked over and pulled open the curtains. Since his apartment was many floors up, you were able to see most of the lights of the city.
Vivian walked over to the sliding doors and was in awe. "I'd love to see this in the daytime. The lights look so pretty though."
"You should come back and look at it in the daytime," Ted smiled.
"I bet when you have some big date, you pull open these curtains while you eat a romantic, candlelit dinner," Vivian turned to Ted.
"I don't have many dates," Ted admitted.
"Still romantic," Vivian looked into Ted's eyes.
Vivian and Ted got caught up in the moment as they slowly leaned into one another. A gentle kiss slowly turned more passionate until Vivian pulled back.
"Ted," Vivian breathlessly pulled away. "Stop. I'm a married woman."
"I'm sorry," Ted apologized. "The moonlight just looked so beautiful shining on your hair."
Vivian smiled and was about to walk towards the door when she stepped closer to Ted and they kissed passionately once again.
"I can't do this," Vivian pulled away and quickly fetched her pocketbook from the couch. "I'm married and I love my husband."
"I'm sorry and I understand," Ted explained.
"Good job on that tape but I just need to go. I'll let you know the day of the wedding," Vivian rushed out of the apartment and shut the door behind her.
Heather and Kevin started kissing on the couch after Heather told Kevin all of her plans for the wedding.
"What do you think of pushing up the date of the wedding?" Heather manipulated. "I don't want to wait anymore!"
"I don't either," Kevin admitted. "But, we do have to give your mom enough time to reserve a chapel and make all the necessary catering orders and things like that."
"She's really fast when it comes to that," Heather tried to convince him. "I'm not worried about that. All I want is you, me, a chapel and a priest, and then a honeymoon suite," she suggestively said as she stroked his chest.
Kevin and Heather kissed once again on the couch before she stopped and said she should be getting home because it was getting late.
Heather got up and Kevin pulled her back and hugged her from the back as he whispered, "I love you."
Heather turned around and smiled as she hugged him. Heather left the house and drove home.
A few minutes after Heather left, Vivian returned home from Ted's apartment.
"Was Heather here?" Vivian immediately asked.
"How'd you know?" Kevin asked.
"I can smell her perfume," Vivian explained.
Kevin laughed and he told her about the invitations. "It was all a misunderstanding, of course you're going to be invited!"
Vivian thanked Kevin for straightening it out and Kevin headed up to bed.
"Score one for the mother-in-law," Vivian smirked to herself.
Chapter 29
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