The three of them pulled up into the packed parking lot of Cracker Barrel. Jenny drove since she had the biggest vehicle of them all. Surprisingly, there was no wait as their waitress took them to a table right near the toasty fireplace.
They all reminisced about how this almost felt like they were back in high school again. Getting up early and all heading for breakfast before class. Rafael had always loved those mornings. It wasn't until now that he realized just how much he missed hanging out with his friends.
Their orders came out way faster than any of them anticipated. Time stood still while the three of them ate breakfast and talked about all of their different ideas about the upcoming wedding event.
Rafael's head began to swim a bit as he took in everything the two women were saying. He was glad he was there to hear it though. They brought up all kinds of things he would have never thought of. The bachelor party, the bridesmaids, the location, the food! "Wow!" Rafael thought. "This really is going to cost me a pretty penny."
Just then, as though Alex was reading his mind, she looked at him and said, "Rafa, there's one more thing I forgot to tell you. I called and spoke to my parents last night. My dad said that he was going to pay for everything."
Alex's parents split up right after high school. Since then her dad always seemed to do anything to win Alex's love. What he didn't realize was that he always had it. Alex loved her parents deeply, but together they were always so volatile that many times over the years Alex would be drawn into the middle of all their bullshit.
Sometimes she'd just be locked out of the house for hours listening to them scream at each other. It really took a toll on her. Over the years Rafa watched as Alex roughed it out, never letting anyone help her. It never failed though, as soon as she spiraled too far down, she would end up at Rafa's house in desperate need of his unconditional friendship and one of Virginia's home cooked meals.
Rafael nearly choked on his last sip of coffee. "What??!!" Rafael exclaimed. "He can't do that! That's crazy!" Rafael said with exasperation. "I don't expect him to shell out that kind of money. I hope you told him not to worry about it." Rafael looked at Alex with a question in his eyes. "I don't mean it the way it sounds by the way." Rafa explained.
"Oh, I know Rafa, no worries. Believe me, I did. I told him that, but he insisted!" "My family is ecstatic!" Alex said with excitement. "Yeah, I bet they're really ecstatic that I didn't ask your dad first before popping the question." Rafa sounded embarrassed. "I'll have to call and talk to him." Rafael said shaking his head.
"It's just that everything just kind of happened all at once!" He tried explaining. "Don't worry Mr. Villanueva! I already told them that it was all very impromptu." Alex smiled. "They understand."
"If you say so Alex. I believe you, but I'm still going to call." Rafa replied emphatically.
When the check came, Jenny snatched it before Rafa could get a finger on it. "I already told you guys. I got this!" Jenny said with love. "It's also kind of a peace offering Rafael. I want to steal Alex from you for most of the day. I'm taking her shopping!"
Both Alex and Rafael looked at each other. Alex put her hand up in defense. "I swear, I knew nothing about this!" Jenny laughed. "She really didn't. As her queen bridesmaid, I'm going to be taking her from you often! I take my job seriously and Alex is going to be so well taken care of by me that you are going to have some serious competition when it comes to knocking her socks off!" Jenny laughed. "She might want to marry me!"
YOU ARE READING
It Really Was Good...Once Upon A Time {Sequel to come}
RomanceRafael is finding out that being in love is not always as easy as it's cracked up to be... not just for himself, but also for his parents. Upon the death of his mother, Rafael inadvertently stumbles into learning much more about them than he could...
