Free Second Thoughts by H.M. Bailey Page B

it's the name my career is built around. 'Aubrey Gray'. You have to admit it has a nice ring to it. And it's just me and my sister in my family, my dad doesn't have a son to carry the Gray family name, so it would be nice for me to do that. I doubt my sister will ever have kids-I don't think she could stop drinking for nine months.”
    Nick slightly adjusted in his seat. He seemed uncomfortable. “You didn't say anything about the kids. Do you think they'd take your name, too? They should have Smalley for their name or it would be too confusing to them, people would think we were divorced.”
    “Confusing? Our kids will be smart, they'll figure it out.”
    He looked at her and added, “You told me you want to have a family with me, I know that's important to both of us. Maybe you could keep your name for your work until we have kids, then after you've been home with them and are ready to go back to work again, you could hyphenate it or something? Best of both worlds!”
    “How long do you think I'm staying home? I love my job and aside from maternity leave, I plan on staying there, I have worked incredibly hard to get where I am.”
    “I just assumed you'd want to stay home. I make more than enough money for the both of us. There are a lot of women out there who don't have that opportunity. It would be hard to find someone to trust our children with and we are lucky enough to not have to worry about that. Right?”
    “So, is this a battle you are fighting?”
    “What? No, I don't want to fight with you. We never fight, and I don't want to start the day before our wedding about something like this. And this isn't like you at all, honey.”
    “I don't think it's a fight, it's just a discussion. Because we obviously disagree.”
    “Well, like I said, if you want to keep your name, keep it. And we'll cross the bridge about the kids' names and daycare when we get to that part of our life, okay?”
    Aubrey didn't know what to think. She gave him a smile, thought just a little one. One little, nervous smile. He was right, she needed to get over this and focus on the fun night ahead of them and their wedding day. She was probably making too big of a deal of it.“Okay.”
    “All right then. Can I talk about eggplant now?”
     
    ****
    The groom's dinner went well, though Aubrey couldn't remember much of it. She was preoccupied with her conversation with Nick and something just wasn't sitting right with her. She never thought in a million years she'd be a bride to get cold feet. Was that what this was? Was it just bridal nerves or something else? The lump in her throat told her it was more than that. She wished she and Nick would have done one of the engaged couples classes that their minister had recommended. They had just blown it off-they knew they were perfect for each other., they didn't need a class to confirm that.  And Aubrey had done a quiz in Cosmo that confirmed they were a perfect match. However, the quiz hadn't mentioned anything about keeping your maiden name or your groom thinking it a good idea to quit your job.
    Everyone raved about the delicious food and there was plenty of eggplant and chicken cacciatore to go around. The best man, Kyle, who was also Nick's best friend, gave a wonderful toast to them. Then Nick stood up and gave a speech about their first date that took place at Angelo's that was very sweet. While he was giving the speech, she was stuffing her face with tiramisu. Besides chewing gum, she liked to  eat when she was stressed. It must have had something to do with moving her jaws, which always were tight and clenched during stressful situations. As the speech ended and everyone clapped, one of her bridesmaids, her cousin Hannah, came up and sat down next to her, putting her hand on Aubrey's back.
    “Hey, cuz, are you okay? I'd recognize your nervous eating anywhere. Everything will go fine tomorrow, just relax and enjoy this night.”
    Aubrey smiled back at her and wished that would be