Maddie: Twelve Years Later
"What do you mean we can't have our wedding at your farm? You host weddings all the time but you won't let your own family, your own twin sister use the place as a venue?" I ask, following Josh around the green acres he purchased about five years ago.
After graduating from college, Josh put his agricultural degree to use by becoming a literal farmer. He grows organic food and makes a lot of money by spiffing the place up during the wedding season. But he's putting his foot down for me? How dare he?
"Because you'll want to use the family discount and what if another couple decides to get married that weekend and I lose out on some big cash."
"Joshua Daniel Culkin. I can't believe the words I'm hearing! You're such a scrooge and I even let you eat at my restaurant for free!"
To everyone's horror, Adrian and I did eventually get into business together. After quitting my job back in L.A., I spent a whole year getting the place up and running with him. It was a brutal experience but I even learned some important skills after having to do some of the maintenance myself.
"You know what, there's an even better question here. Why now? You and Jacob have been engaged for over ten years and yet are only getting married now. If you ask me, you should wait another ten. Make sure you really know each other."
"We're finally not swamped with work for the first time in forever and you would actually know this if you ever came to our family dinners."
"I can't make them. You guys are too far in town. Come out here sometime."
"Fine," I concede and he looks up at me in surprise.
"You hate driving back home late at night. You're only agreeing because you want to use the farm as a wedding venue."
"So what if I am, Josh? Please, please, please? Pretty please with a cherry on top?" I say and jut out my lip. It's the face I usually use on Jacob and it always gets me what I want.
"Ok, geez. Just stop making that disgusting face."
"Really?" I squeal. "Aw, thank you, Josh! You're the best brother ever!"
"Are you guys hugging or trying to squeeze each other to death?" I turn around and see Jacob getting out of his car. I was so busy trying to convince Josh to give me use of the farm that I hardly heard the car approach.
"Why can't it be both?" I ask. He rolls his eyes at us.
"Are you ready to head home?"
"Yes, please take her," Josh answers for me and starts pushing me towards Jacob's car. Jacob laughs and catches me around the waist.
"Hey, you," he says, giving me a not-so-chaste kiss on the mouth.
"Hey, yourself," I say breathlessly.
"Ugh, yuck. Can you disgusting people please get off of my property?"
"Guess what, baby? Josh says we can use this place for our wedding."
"The yes expires if you're not gone in the next thirty seconds," I hear my brother call.
I stick my tongue out at him but allow Jacob to lead me around his car and open up the passenger door for me. He presses another kiss to my mouth (mostly just to annoy Josh) before he heads over to his side of the car.
"I can't believe we're finally getting married," he says, grabbing hold of my hand as he starts reversing out of Josh's gravel driveway. "I can't believe I'll finally get to call you my wife."
"I can't believe Lilian will be a mother figure to me again," I say and my words are only half-repulsed. Hey, we've kind of, sort of gotten over our shit but that doesn't mean we're suddenly all sunshine and roses with each other. "How was work?" I ask, changing the subject.
Jacob's eyes brighten up at the thought. "You'll never believe what I got to do today."
"Perform the surgery on the conjoined twins?" He almost seems disappointed that I already know. "Contrary to popular belief, I do actually listen when you talk. How'd it go?"
"Surprisingly smoothly. I think they miss being near each other already. Although, before the surgery, all they could talk about was how eager they were to finally be free of each other."
I look back in the rearview mirror as his words strike a cord in me. I can't see Josh or the house on his farm anymore. All that's left to see is the many miles and miles of green grass that he owns.
"I get that. Being a twin is a funny thing."
It took us a while for Josh and I to really sort things out. Almost years, really. There was a lot of hurt between us and at one point, I even convinced him to see a family therapist with me. It was only for one day but, hey, at least he showed up. The thing is, any relationship is salvageable if both parties are willing to try.
"So when are we doing all the fun stuff?" Jacob asks, interrupting my thoughts.
"Fun stuff?" I question, raising a quizzical eyebrow.
"You know, cake tasting. Dress fittings-"
"I don't think you do the dress fittings with me," I tell him and I see him frown.
"I don't get to see you try on the dresses?" He says with such disappointment that I have to laugh at him.
"Yeah, there's like a whole-ass thing about not seeing the bride in the wedding dress before the wedding."
"That's stupid. What's it like a jinx or something?"
"Pretty much. And when you said 'fun stuff' I thought you meant other things."
"Like what?" He asks and I blush. He pretends to gasp when he sees my pink cheeks. "Madeline Culkin, your mind is perpetually in the gutter."
"Shut up," I say. "And keep your eyes on the road. Plus, we should start trying for a baby sometime. I'm not getting any younger."
He snickers. "But you would hate for people to do the math and find out you were pregnant before we got married. The wedding's only in two months."
"First of all, what makes you think you'll get it right on the first try?" He scoffs at my words. "And second of all, what makes you think I care what people think? People have said worse things about me anyway."
And it's at just that precise moment that Sweet Home Alabama comes on softly on his radio.
"Oh my Lord," I say and reach over to turn it up much to his amusement. "Even the radio is making fun of us."
"It's weird when you think about it," he says with a laugh. "When we first met, we were about to become brother and sister and now you're about to become my wife."
"Just shut up," I tell him. But it's days and moments like this that I love the most.