Julia's Engagement Party

Owen and I dressed semi-casually to the engagement party—he in a red plaid shirt with black pants, and me in a light blue plaid shirt and dark blue jeans. Though well-dressed for the occasion, my heart was just not in it tonight. Enough drama had already unfolded over the weddings, with Julia having to share her day with Taylar’s sister, Yancey. Taylar was the only person on my mind, so while getting dressed to impress, she’s the person I’d been thinking about instead of my family and the Nuzzos—as much as I loved the Nuzzos.

It’s a coincidence how we both chose a shirt with the same design, but at least the shirts were the only “slightly casual” outfit we could find in the closet. Neither of us was in the mood to suit up for an engagement party when it’s not really as important as the wedding itself. Don’t tell Julia I said this, or she’d freak out big time.

At the hotel, our wedding planner Sylvia directed us to the Magnum dining room she’d helped set up for the occasion—filled with classic and refined decorations, featuring a color palette of champagne gold, ivory, and deep navy blue. The French windows overlooked the lobby, casting a romantic glow over the evening. A framed sign at the room’s entrance read CONGRATS TO ANTONIO & JULIA in large, black letters—which you couldn’t miss. Two vases of hyacinths sat at the front of the room’s large table, facing the windows to the lobby.

The guitarist played soft, classical acoustic music, which I believed to be Can’t Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley. If this wasn’t an example of over-the-top, then I didn’t know what else to call it. Honestly, Owen and I came for only one reason—the food. The oldest trick in the book but worth it. It’s awkward enough being at an event where all of our family’s closest friends knew about my mother’s diagnosis and surgery, and I’d like for that to be the least of my worries for now.

Dad wore a black tuxedo while Mom wore a white, long-sleeved satin dress. Julia, as the lady of the hour, wore a red mini satin silk MoraBrand dress—from Etsy—with long bishop sleeves and matching red heels accentuating her tall stature at 5’9. I bet she really wanted to imitate our mom’s satin style so everyone knew she was Carol-Ann Schroeder’s daughter. It figures Julia would somehow make a statement.

Hayden wore a white dress shirt with a black tie and pants, looking as formal as ever while acting laid-back as he made himself acquainted with his gorgeous female co-worker, Marianna; she worked with him as a flight attendant. She was his plus-one for the evening, as well as for the wedding and reception. A very pretty girl of Hispanic origin, she wore a spaghetti-strap pink dress and matching pink heels. They were engaged in lively conversation with Antonio and the four Nuzzo brothers, along with one of his cousins, Leonardo—his best man. Antonio wore a black tuxedo with a navy-blue bowtie, looking as stunning as the future groom, his black hair neatly coiffed.

Out of every single person in the room, Owen and I were seemingly the only ones “a tad underdressed”, wearing casual dress shirts to an event like this. Tonight wasn’t about me, though; it was all about Julia. Boy, did she love being the center of attention. She’d been that way ever since the abuse from Uncle Dave took its toll on the three of us—her, Hayden, and me.

Julia’s friends were also there as her bridesmaids—Felicia Matthews, Lyza St. Pierre, Emily Harris, and Kloe Wheeler. As the maid of honor, Felicia looked like she was trying a little too hard to outshine Julia’s style—wearing a long-sleeved purple satin mermaid dress as if attending a high school prom instead of a close friend’s engagement party. If that didn’t scream “over-the-top” or ridiculous, then I didn’t know what else did.

On the other hand, Lyza, Emily, and Kloe looked more modest enough to not overshadow Julia. Lyza wore a long-sleeved black dress with small white polka dots; Emily wore a long-sleeved, A-line, dark blue floral dress with pockets, which she claimed to have gotten from Amazon, and Kloe wore a short-sleeved, A-line turquoise dress with a keyhole neckline—the type of dress you’d get from Temu. When Temu first opened up in Boston almost a year ago, Mom and Julia had gone there to buy as many dresses and fancy clothes as they could possibly get, and Kloe’s dress looked pretty similar to one of the dresses Julia had gotten. It’s an elegant style—sophisticated enough to wear to a cocktail party, such as tonight’s event.

Owen and I mingled with the others over hors d’oeuvres, trying to act as enthusiastically as we could fake. After all, the old saying goes, “Fake it till you make it.” We didn’t need to let the others know we weren’t that interested in coming tonight, nor did we plan to stay for too long. We wanted to show Julia we were happy for her and Antonio. With Taylar on my mind, it gave me hope to get through this event, no matter what might happen. I’d still be there for her at the end of the day for our secret rendezvous, as promised. I wanted her to get through her own family event first, no matter how awkward it might be.

The main meals included salmon, filet mignon, and vegetarian options for those with dietary restrictions. Before dinner, the photographer decided to take some shots of us mingling with each other and having a great time. One of those photos included Julia and me posing together as the lovable Schroeder twins. I had to admit, I didn’t mind having a moment with Julia to myself. I wanted to show her we were still close, despite the issues she’d had with Taylar, so far. I hoped by the day of the weddings, our families’ feuds would subside, so as not to ruin the day for Julia or Yancey. They both deserved to have their special day go off without a hitch in sight.

“Thanks.” She gave me a small smile after the photographer took his own photos of us. “You know what I’m thanking you for.”

I did, but I wanted her to tell me. “No problem, Jules. What for?”

She gave me a hug, then kissed me on the right cheek. “Just for being the best twin brother ever. Coming here tonight and sharing this moment with us and the family. Despite all the drama we’ve been through in the past and eventually learning about… Mom’s diagnosis,” she added, keeping her voice down to an almost-whisper, “Despite all that… I don’t know what your secret is, but somehow, you’ve managed to magically resolve the drama by being here. I know you don’t regret this, Dare, so please look me in the eyes right now and tell me you made the right choice by celebrating this occasion with me.”

That shouldn’t even be a question in my mind.

I smiled. “Where else would I be, Jules? This is your special night. I’m just happy to go with the crowd and see how things turn out. I want things to end well for you and Antonio so you’ll get your happily ever after. Don’t you believe in fairy tales like you used to?”

“Used to.” She chuckled as a tear ran down her face, which she quickly wiped off with a tissue. “I don’t know about now, as an adult. Is it lame that I don’t know how I feel about my future after all this?”

“Jules, of course not.” I caressed her hair. “Your feelings are totally valid, no matter how unsure you are about them. But I have faith in you and Tony, okay? We all have faith in you guys, and when that moment comes again, you’ll have to learn to have faith in yourself, too. Have faith in each other as a couple. Do that for me, please?” I stuck out my pinky, and she stuck hers out as we made a pinky-swear promise to each other.

“I promise.” She smiled, a little more genuinely this time. “Thanks again so much.”

“Ah, no need to keep thanking me.” I put my hand up. “Don’t overboost my ego, or it just might burst.”

“Of course it will.” That was the first genuine laugh I’d gotten from Julia since the start of the event tonight. At first, she was a little nervous because she felt like there’d be so much pressure and attention on her to “do the right thing” in her marriage to Antonio and to never break his heart or hurt him. The Nuzzos were our closest family friends, so it made sense that Hayden, Julia, and I would hang out with Antonio and his siblings when we were given the opportunity. But knowing Julia, we all saw how real her and Antonio’s feelings were for each other, and he’d been her Mr. Right all along; we just never knew it then. We knew it now, and what really mattered—they’re together and they’ll share a special moment on the big day.

As we ate dinner, I realized there was no more tension in the air. I didn’t know what it was, but I felt a lot closer to Julia tonight than I’d ever thought I would, and it wasn’t only because she’s my twin sister. The moment we had together… I still felt like I was dreaming, but it was reality. We’re really on the same level with each other. Things were bound to go more smoothly between us, moving forward. Everyone was chatting, having a great time with each other, and it started to make me feel a little bad that Owen and I would have to ditch the event soon, so Taylar and I could spend some quality time together. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind, especially when Owen and I gave them the pretense that we’d be hanging out with each other. I dared not tell them about Taylar, so as not to further incite the family rivalry.

Despite myself, I stayed for the toast and speeches after dinner and shortly before the cake was brought out for dessert. Speeches and toast first, then the cake. Perfect. I wasn’t such a huge fan of sugar and sweets, so Owen and I would leave during cake time.

Dad was the first one to give a speech, and he started off with a little humor, saying he “wouldn’t get all emotional”, but we knew he would because Julia was his only daughter he’d give away soon. As of July 15th, she’d no longer be Julia Schroeder, my younger twin sister; instead, she’d be Mrs. Antonio Nuzzo—just like that. I bet Taylar felt the same way about Yancey getting married to her fiancé Christian.

Dad was saying, “… So, 32 years ago, my wife and I spent a little over 15 hours in the delivery room, anticipating the little bundles of joy God would gift us with. When we found out we were having twins, we couldn’t have been more excited.” He chuckled as he glanced over at Mom, who only smiled in agreement as a tear ran down her face. “And before you know it, those two precious miracles appeared right in our arms.” He pointed to me. “My son Darrin right there… He was the first to come out, and he came out with a bang, screaming as loudly as possible.”

Everyone laughed, and I couldn’t help but to blush a little. That was true, as far as I’d been told about my birth. Owen gave me a playful punch on the elbow; he, too, was mocking me. “Oh, stop it,” I whispered to him, and he only shrugged in response.

Dad continued his speech. “And roughly two minutes and 15 seconds later—and counting—Julia showed up. My wife and I looked at each other, tears in our eyes, and we hugged each other as we took in the beauty of these two miraculous kids with their bright blue eyes staring up widely at you. That was the first time I ever held my little girl into my arms. I’m sure Carol-Ann here would agree.” He took a small breath, as if trying to contain himself from getting so emotional like he promised he wouldn’t. “Just like that… Time goes by very fast. They turn one, then they go off to kindergarten, and before you know it—they’re at the K-12 level.

“After that, they’re getting ready for prom, then walking down that stage to get a diploma, and you’re dropping them off to college, leaving the house an empty nest. Now, they’re in their early 30s and…” Dad took another pause as a tear ran down his face. “She’s your only little girl, so you have no choice but to just let her go for once. You have to give her away to the perfect man who loves her with all his heart, the perfect man who loves her as much as her father does and I know will make a fantastic, lifelong partner to my Julia—who deserves all the greatness in the world.” He smiled adoringly at Julia, tears flowing down her eyes, and he turned to Antonio. “You’re a lucky fella, Antonio Nuzzo. I know you’ll never disappoint us. Julia is nothing but perfection once you get to know her soul, and man, does she have such a beautiful soul.”

Everyone gave a large round of applause to Dad’s heartfelt speech, and I saw Antonio and Julia snuggling with each other in their seats, Antonio comforting a tearful Julia who was touched by her father’s speech. He gave her a gentle kiss on the arms. “I love you, Jules,” he said softly.

“Love you too,” Julia said through her tears.

I went up to pat her gently on the back. “It’ll be okay,” I said. “I’m right here.”

She gave me a small smile. “Would you like to say something?”

“I will, but why don’t we have one of the Nuzzos say something first?”

The speeches continued from there, and I was the last one to make a speech to round up all the speeches and initiate the toast to the happy couple. After that—cake time… My cue for Owen and I to leave.

We let everyone know Owen and I were a little stuffed from all the food, so we had to get going soon. Everyone knew me well enough to see I never did have a sweet tooth, so they thought it completely okay for me to take off during the cake cutting. I gave Mom, Dad, Julia, and Hayden a goodbye hug, and Owen and I said our goodbyes to Antonio, the Nuzzos, and the rest before leaving.

It was 15 after 8:00, by the time Owen and I left. I took out my phone and messaged Taylar, and she said she and Lyndsay were actually at home right now. She also said they took off from the party not too long ago themselves—after the speeches and toast—adding that all the attention continued to stay on Yancey and all her achievements. I could only imagine how that would make her feel, never receiving parental approval once. I felt bad for her, and this was exactly why I planned for us to ditch our parties so we could spend time together.

I didn’t want to come off as inconsiderate, but I really wanted her to spend one night with me at one of the hotel rooms. I believed it’d help us both take our minds off the weddings and everything. It’s stressful enough for us already, as well as for our families.