The Baker

Chapter 57

Ben and Cassie walked into The Ledbury, where they, her mom, and Kelly were meeting Ben's parents. It wasn't pretty when Bob was told he wasn't invited because of the reservation issue, but he got over it after he and Ben got into a heated argument, which Cassie didn't bother to stop until Ben started loosing his voice from yelling so much.

Bob had told him that he didn't want to have dinner with "a bunch of posh pricks", to which Ben took with incredible offense. He was also still snappy from his and Cassie's argument after he had told her they couldn't have the wedding in January.

That was an argument that will continue for days to come. The only reason they stopped is because they eventually noticed the time, then proceeded to get ready without saying a word. Ben couldn't help that his work schedule was changing on him, but he understood Cassie's frustration. He just doesn't like the way she's handling it.

Anyways, after he and Bob had the argument, Bob stormed out and said he was going to a pub. That's when Julie was debating on whether to go after him or not, to which Cassie started arguing with her mother about that decision.

It's been a terrific family bonding night.

So, as they walk into the restaurant with Ben holding Cassie tightly to his side and flashing the best smiles they can conjure up after the events of the past few hours, they spotted Wanda and Tim. They waved at them and started to walk over to the bar where they were sitting.

"Do try to act happy, darling," Ben said through gritted teeth in her ear. She looked up and him and flashed a smile. "Oh, I am so very happy, my dear fiancé," she retorted. He let out a low hum of disapproval, before turning to his parents.

"Hey, mum," he greeted with a smile, before pulling her into a hug and giving her a kiss on the cheek. Wanda gave him a half-assed hug and quickly moved to Cassie and her mom. "Hello! I'm Wanda, Benedict's mother," she excitedly greeted.

Julie gasped and said, "Oh, it's so nice to finally meet you! I'm Julie, the bride's mom." She turned to Kelly and said, "This is my other daughter, Kelly." Wanda cooed, "Oh my, look at you! You look just like your sister!"

Kelly let out a nervous laugh and said, "Thanks." Wanda brought over Tim and said, "This is my husband Tim." Tim shook Julie and Kelly's hands while saying, "It's an absolute pleasure! Benedict has told us so much about you both!"

Wanda and Tim then moved to Cassie and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek, while commenting on how beautiful her dress was. "Speaking of dresses, have you thought of what you might want to wear on your big day?"

Cassie let out a nervous laugh and told her, "No, not yet. I'll get to that in a little while I'm sure." While the women spoke amongst themselves, Ben and Tim went to go check on the reservations. They were told it was going to be a few more minutes so they opted to get everyone a drink at the bar.

While they were standing, waiting for the bartender, Tim asked Ben, "Are you alright, son? You seem a little tense." Ben sighed and looked back to Cassie who probably didn't look much better than he did at the moment.

"It's the wedding," he told him. "We're...having some issues with it." Tim frowned at his son and asked, "Well, is there anything we can do? Is it the money? Your mother and I would be more than happy to pay, Ben, you know that."

Ben shook his head and waved him off. "No, it's not that. Cassie had her heart set on having it in January, but I just learned a couple of hours ago that 12 Years A Slave moved filming to the time she wanted the wedding."

"Well, why not do it after? It will only take a couple weeks, right?" Tim asked innocently. Ben shook his head. "It's not that simple," he said, while rubbing his face with his hand. "I'll have the Fifth Estate interviews for a couple weeks, but then the Star Trek junket start up in March and I'm going to be constantly traveling until it comes out a fucking year from next week. Christ, I want to marry her more than anything in this world and work keeps getting in the way."