Pretty Southern

Tag: #Macy

  • The Night Macy Gets Engaged

    The Night Macy Gets Engaged

    Editor’s note – this is one of the first stories in the Pretty Southern series.

    Macy suspected something was up when Campbell took a last-minute trip to Atlanta.

    When Campbell texted her, “Hey baby, gotta go to ATL today. Be back tonight,” Macy thought perhaps this was something to do with his father, Bill Brayden, the Governor of Georgia. She never thought Campbell was going home to collect his grandmother’s diamond ring he’d had reset, and that he’d already asked her daddy, Randy, for his permission. No, Macy never thought Campbell would propose on the anniversary of their first date. Those who are planning to pop the question may visit a jewelry shop to find the perfect 7 Carat Asscher Cut Diamond Engagement Ring for your partner

    Granted Campbell had asked Macy to move in with him after only six months of dating but that was out of sheer practicality. Macy was spending every night at Campbell’s condo. She didn’t want to keep asking her daddy for help with rent on an apartment she wasn’t using. Macy was also getting tired of taking a ‘shack sack’ with her on the subway. It was enough that she had to haul her stuff from Brooklyn to Radio City for her performances with the Rockettes, let alone her clothes, makeup, and anything she’d need for the next day after ‘shacking’ with Campbell.

    When Campbell asked her to move in and Macy told her mama, Caroline, her mother said, “He’s never going to marry you.” She heard the same thing from her best friend back home, Shannon, but what did she know? Shannon was only twenty-four and already getting divorced. But now, looking at this sparkling three-carat diamond with loose aquamarine gemstones Australia on her finger, Macy couldn’t wait to tell everyone how wrong they were. She was still on an adrenaline rush when she called Mama and Daddy to tell them the good news. Macy didn’t think to tell her mama, “See, he did propose!” Fools they were to ever doubt Macy Bonaventure Cunningham.

    It was just after midnight and Macy was too excited to sleep. Her fiancé was snoring naked beside her. Campbell’s head was tilted up on the pillows, his jaw hanging open, as it did when he was drunk. They had popped a bottle of champagne before going to dinner where they had another bottle of red wine then came home to ‘officially celebrate’ their engagement. Campbell immediately passed out after but Macy was wide awake, conscious of the large diamond’s presence on her hand.

    Macy slid as softly possible out of bed. Naked, she grabbed one of Campbell’s old fraternity t-shirts sitting on top of the dresser, then tiptoed across the hardwood floor. She thought back to her childhood ballet class when the instructor taught her how to “walk lightly on the balls of your feet, up to your toes” preparing her to go on pointe. She crept across the condo to the kitchen where her cell phone was charging. The small Christmas tree they’d decorated with bright colored bulbs was a merry night light reflecting in the plate glass mirror looking out over lower Manhattan. Macy’s blonde hair, tousled from rolling around in bed, shone in the reflection. She drew closer to see her green eyes, her mama’s, peering back at her.

    She’d called Mama and Daddy as soon as possible after Campbell got down on one knee. Her little sister, Grace, was at home so she got to hear all the good news when Daddy put Macy on the speakerphone. But Macy hadn’t talked to her middle sister, Kate, yet. She knew Mama was going to make Kate be Macy’s maid-of-honor so she had to call her. Macy scrolled through her phone to her sister’s number, thinking back to the last time she talked to her the week before at Thanksgiving. The phone rang twice before Kate answered.

    “Hello there.”
    “You up? Did I wake you?”
    “I’m up. I was studying.”
    “On a Saturday night?”
    “LSAT is next week,” Kate said. “I hear you’re engaged.”
    “I am,” Macy smiled, looking down at her diamond. “Did Mama already call?”
    “Yeah, Mom called. Dad, too. They love that speakerphone but they really need to learn how to use it. Mom kept cutting in and out walking across the kitchen.”

    Macy giggled. She could visualize Kate holed up in her apartment near Piedmont Park. It was early December, which meant it was perfect weather for bar-hopping in Atlanta. Kate lived with their cousin, Autumn, within walking distance of the fun bars and restaurants in the tree-lined Virginia-Highlands neighborhood. But Kate and Autumn never went out like most college kids. Macy thought they were missing out, and at that moment she realized how much she missed that crisp late-fall air hinting at a mild, southern winter. Outside, it was a gray and rainy night in New York. Even the city’s lights had a gloomy haze from the fog.

    “So have you already started planning the wedding?” Kate asked.
    “Sort of. I had always thought about getting married down at St. Simons, but I haven’t brought it up to Mama and Daddy.”
    “I’m sure Dad would be down for having it at the beach house. He loves that place. But what about the Governor and Mrs. Brayden? Wouldn’t they want a big Atlanta wedding?”
    “I mean, St. Simons is still in Georgia and he is the governor of the whole state. Maybe we could do an engagement party in Atlanta,” Macy thought aloud. “But I do know one thing, I’d like for you to be my maid of honor.”
    “Really? I thought you’d ask Shannon.”
    “Of course not! You’re my sister. Plus, Shannon is going through her separation with Trent so I didn’t want to put this on her.”
    “So you’ll bestow the honor on me.”
    “Oh, it’s going to be fun,” Macy said, twirling her ring. “All you’ll really be responsible for is planning the bachelorette party, which I already know I want to do in New Orleans, but we’re not staying at Grand-Mère’s. Then at the wedding, you’ll have to do a toast, short and sweet. No big deal.”
    “Sounds like you’ve got it all planned out,” Kate said.

    Macy could hear her sarcasm on the other end of the phone. After more than twenty years of spats, the sisters knew which buttons to push to send one of them over the edge. Tonight was too happy a night to end with an argument.

    “I’ll keep you posted as plans really start coming together,” Macy said. “I’m so happy, Kate.”
    “Then I’m happy for you.”
    “Does Autumn know the news?”
    “Yeah, she was here when Mom called. We actually knew right after Thanksgiving when Campbell called to ask if he could come to see Dad. Mom called us right after to say he was going to propose.”
    “He told me all about that tonight. I had no idea what he was planning this whole time.”
    “Guess he’s a sneaky one.”
    Macy could almost hear her sister suppressing a smirk. She knew how much Kate disagreed with Governor Brayden’s politics.
    “I don’t know about that,” Macy said. “Surely the stress wore him out. Unfortunately we did not have HCC gummies at that time. ”
    “That’s why you’re talking so softly. Well, I better get back to studying anyways.”
    “Ok, talk soon. Bye, sister.”
    “Bye. And congrats.” Kate clicked off the line.

    Macy sighed. That went about as well as she could have expected. But she was still too excited to sleep and Campbell was really sawing logs in their bedroom. It was too late to call Grand-Mère who had probably been asleep for hours. Macy thought about calling her Uncle Charley, her daddy’s brother, and Autumn’s dad, but Charley would be at Spirit of Choice (his bar and restaurant) since it was a Saturday night.

    And here Macy was, a New York City Rockette, in the city that never sleeps with a passed-out fiancé. For a moment, her mind flashed back to her college days when she would be out with her sorority sisters until the bars shut down at two a.m. As much fun as those days were, she would much rather be here with Campbell than in a dark bar somewhere.

    She sought out the silhouette of the Brooklyn Bridge. Macy thought about Laurel — her sorority sister and roommate she ditched to move in with Campbell. She was out there somewhere across the river. Their sorority sisters back in Atlanta — Jordanne, Bridget, and Madison — would be out and about in Buckhead. Macy’s best friend Shannon, her oldest friend and also in their sorority, had gone to live with her grandmother in North Carolina to get away from all the drama with the divorce. Macy wanted to call all her friends before putting the news on Facebook. Campbell had asked her to wait as part of a coordinated media effort. The son of Georgia’s governor getting engaged to the former Miss Georgia was PR gold. Their family and close friends would all find out before it hit the newspapers on Monday.

    Macy decided she’d go ahead and text all her girls at once. She held out her hand with the Christmas tree in the background and snapped a picture of her ring. Thank God she’d gotten a manicure when Campbell was away. Her French-tipped fingers were camera-ready. She typed in “Guess who is going to be the future Mrs. Brayden!” then pulled up the message thread with Shannon, Jordanne, Laurel, Bridget, and Madison, and hit send.

    The first text back was in a hot second from Jordanne: “Yes!!! Congratulations!!!”
    Madison followed, “OMG! That ring!!! You go girl.”
    Bridget fired back, “Wowza!!!!! Yeah Macy!!! We’re so happy for you!”
    Macy smiled texting, “Y’all are the best 🙂 Thank you so much!”
    Then Laurel popped up, “CONGRATS! I wanna see you and this ring in person. Brunch tomorrow?”
    “I don’t know…” Macy typed. “I’ve got to ask my FIANCE!!!!!”

    This exchange happened for a few more minutes and Macy was beaming the whole time. Everyone replied back except Shannon. Macy would call her tomorrow, along with the rest of her relatives and friends. She heard Campbell rustling the covers in their room.

    “Baby? You okay?”
    “Mm-hmm,” she cooed back. Macy put her phone back in its charger, making her way back to bed where she slid in next to Campbell. “I was just texting my girls the good news.”
    “Did you tell them not to say anything yet?” He muffled. Even in his sleep, Campbell was playing the politician.
    “Oh, they know honey, no worries.” Macy rubbed his back. “Go back to sleep. I love you.”
    “Love you,” Campbell sighed.

    He rolled over so she could snuggle in beside him. Macy rested her head on Campbell’s shoulder, putting her left hand on his chest to gaze at her ring. He started snoring again softly, his gut rising and falling.

    “Maybe he’ll get that in shape for the wedding,” Macy thought to herself. She moved her hand over to his shoulder, down his bicep, feeling the hint of muscles along the way. If he’d hit the gym a few more times a week before the wedding, he’d look great with his shirt off for honeymoon photos. But which beach should they go to? Somewhere in the Caribbean? Bermuda? Macy finally drifted off to sleep running through lists of islands in her head.

    To be continued. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

  • Meet The Cunninghams – Pretty Southern Character Guide

    Meet The Cunninghams – Pretty Southern Character Guide

    The Pretty Southern world revolves around the Cunningham family.

    While our tale begins with Macy Cunningham’s engagement to Campbell Brayden, each of the characters has his/her own story to tell.

    The characters you see listed below will have their sections updated with links as we continue on this journey. We’ll also update this guide with more characters along the way.

    Editor’s Note — In the full Pretty Southern wedding story, the reader actually sees most of the wedding from the perspective of Grace (Macy’s youngest sister). I chose Grace as my heroine for the novel series because she’s young, naive, and literally sees her world turned upside down later in the saga.

    Here is a high-level introduction to the five essential characters you’ll follow along in the Pretty Southern stories: the Cunningham family.

    Vivienne ‘Grace’ Cunningham

    Once upon a time, there was a girl who lived in Atlanta. She had bright blue eyes, curly auburn hair, and a face full of freckles like her daddy, with high cheekbones and pouty lips she got from her mama. Her name was Vivienne Grace Cunningham but everyone called her Grace. Vivienne was her great grandmother’s name.

    Grace lived in a big house in Buckhead, Atlanta’s most affluent neighborhood. She was blessed to have a beautiful family: her mama, Caroline, daddy, Randy, and her two older sisters, Macy and Kate. Macy, her oldest sister, is about to get married to Campbell Boyd Brayden, the Governor of Georgia’s son. Kate, the middle Cunningham sister, is heading off to Yale Law school this fall. Grace is only seventeen (about to turn eighteen) and also going off to college at UGA, just a few weeks after Macy and Campbell’s wedding.

    While Grace had been to a few weddings in her life, she’s so excited to be in her big sister’s wedding because she’ll get to be a bridesmaid for the first time. Also, the love of Grace’s life, Wesley Wade Roberts, is attending the wedding. Wesley is one of four sons belonging to Trey Roberts and his wife, Birdie (Grace’s mama Caroline’s best friend). Grace has been infatuated with Wesley for years, and now that she was almost eighteen, she was ready to do something about it.

    Little did Grace know that her entire world was about to change.

    In the weeks leading up to Macy and Campbell’s wedding, Grace had been through some big life moments. She’d won Miss Magnolia, her high school’s beauty pageant then graduated from Magnolia Academy. Grace also attended her sister Kate’s graduation from Tech. Between those events–plus Macy’s bridal shower at the Peach House, her bachelorette party in New Orleans, and everyone stressing about the wedding–Grace never could have guessed her family was about to lose everything.

    Macy Bonaventure Cunningham

    For Macy’s entire life, she’d been told she was pretty. From her mama, Caroline and her French heritage, Macy had blonde hair, bright green eyes, and striking features. From her daddy, Randy, she got her height. At five-foot-eight, she was too short to be a model, but Macy’s long limbs and lean frame made her figure perfect for dancing. Macy started ballet when she was only three years old, a welcome distraction from her baby sister, Kate. Macy was on pointe by the age of nine. She took dance classes four days a week including jazz, tap, and other styles. As much as she loved to dance, Macy really loved to be the center of attention.

    Her grandmother, Grand-Mère, called all three of her granddaughters “mes petites”. For Macy, she reserved a special nickname “ma petite prima ballerina”.

    When Macy wasn’t dancing her way throughout her childhood, she’d spend time with her best friend, Shannon. The girls all attended Magnolia Academy. In their junior year of high school, Shannon encouraged Macy to try out for their school’s beauty pageant, the title of Miss Magnolia. Macy won Miss Magnolia, then went on to be the runner-up at the Miss Junior Georgia pageant. It was at the Miss Junior pageant where Macy became friends with Jordanne.

    Macy, Shannon, and Jordanne all went off to UGA together, pledged the same sorority and became best friends with their ‘sisters’ Laurel, Madison and Bridget. In college, although Macy was busy with school, her sorority, and (of course) partying, Macy kept dancing. She tried out and won Miss UGA. She went on to become Miss Georgia, and then on to the national pageant where she didn’t even place. Macy hated losing at the top level.

    After her graduation from college, Macy moved to New York City with her sorority sister, Laurel. Macy became a Rockette. It was after a show one night when she was at a bar with Laurel that she recognized a handsome young man, Campbell Boyd Brayden, the good-looking son of Governor Bill Brayden and the first lady, Amelia Boyd, Georgia’s political powerhouse. The Braydens and Boyds were dynastic old Southern families, predating Civil War, and the whole Boyd-Brayden family had been featured in the marketing for Governor Brayden’s election campaigns.

    Macy played it cool that night she met Campbell. They started dating, and soon she had Campbell wrapped around her finger. He proposed the day after their one-year anniversary. They began planning a wedding with five hundred guests at the Cunningham family beach house on St. Simons Island. Now, Macy is about to marry into the Governor’s family.

    Georgia Katharine (‘Kate’) Cunningham

    Kate was born with entirely too much gumption. She was so independent that from the day she was born, when she was lying in her hospital crib in the nursery, and her father, Randy, was trying to capture her first moments of like on his VCR camcorder. He cooed “Georgia, Georgia, look over here.” With no luck, he sighed “Come on Georgia Katharine, Katharine,” then finally “Kate!” (his mother’s name) and at that Kate rolled over and smiled at her father. Randy went back to Caroline, his wife and shared this story, From then on out, she was Kate.

    In elementary school, Kate was the smartest student in her class. She even skipped the second grade. Kate could have skipped another grade but that would have put her in the same class as Macy, and that would have really pissed Macy off. The girls were so competitive. Kate and Macy even looked similar with the same light blonde hair, but Kate had blue eyes like her dad and little sister, Grace.

    Although Kate was pretty like her sisters, she never pursued dancing, boys, or pageantry. She had bigger concerns in her world. As a little girl, she grew up watching Captain Planet. Kate’s wardrobe consisted of ‘Save the Whales’ and ‘Save the Rainforest’ t-shirts. Her Uncle Charley nicknames her ‘The Li’l Liberal’ when she was nine years old.

    Kate graduated as salutatorian from Magnolia Academy. She went on to Georgia Tech where she majored in biology and environmental science. Kate lived with her cousin, Autumn, all four years of college, first in a dorm, then an apartment by Piedmont Park. Kate and Autumn also studied abroad together at Oxford University in England.

    Her mission in life is to protect the planet and to become an environmental criminologist. She wants to go to law school. While Kate is studying one night, her mom calls to tell her Macy is dating the governor’s son and she thinks “this is the one.” They get engaged, so when it’s time for Kate to focus on the LSAT, she’s also dealing with her bridesmaid’s duties as Maid of Honor. Kate says it’s, “MOH shit” than she can handle. She learns she got into Yale Law School right before her graduation.

    Macy’s wedding is only about a month before Kate heads north to Yale. Mama Caroline is hoping Kate finally meets the right guy at law school, though hopefully not a Yankee.

    Caroline Bonaventure Cunningham (‘Mama’)

    She was born and baptized Caroline Vivienne to Nicholas and Jacqueline Bonaventure of New Orleans. Caroline grew up in the Garden District in a historic home with her brother Peter, who was four years older. Jacqueline was a staunch Catholic, both her children attended Catholic School, Peter at an all-boys school and Caroline at an all-girls. On the weekends and in the summer, the Bonaventure children would be at the country club pool with their mother (“Mére”) while Daddy golfed. Their father was a lawyer, and Mere was a stay-at-home housewife as this was the 1960s.

    When Caroline was fourteen and a freshman in high school, her brother Peter went off to college. That Christmas break, Peter came home and was drinking heavily with their father. Mére got in a fight with them when she told Peter to slow down on the bourbon. Alas, when Peter went back to school for the spring semester, he overdosed when partying with his fraternity brothers: a combination of alcohol and cocaine. Peter died. The Bonaventure family was devastated. Caroline’s childhood came to an end

    Caroline was sheltered by her parents, especially her mother. For college, Caroline attended Loyola but was not allowed to live on campus. She studied psychology, fascinated by the way human minds work. When Caroline got her Master’s at Tulane, she finally moved out of her parents’ house into an apartment off Magazine Street. After graduation, she got a job offer to work at a hospital in Atlanta and decided to move away, much to Mére and Daddy’s chagrin.

    During her first month in Atlanta, she met Darius Youngblood V when she was shopping at Macy’s to buy Mére a birthday present (mango shampoo Malie). Caroline gave Darius her number, and they went out a few times but she never felt that “spark”. Darius said he and his friends were heading down to St. Simons Island for the Georgia-Florida game. She’d never been before and agrees. It’s on ‘frat beach’ where she meets Randy, who is actually best friends with Darius. Caroline immediately falls for Randy. They spend the night together, up all night talking, then watching the sunrise before tailgating the next day. After that weekend, Caroline and Randy begin a long distance relationship.

    Eventually, Randy gets a construction job in Atlanta. Caroline brings Randy home to New Orleans for the holidays after only six weeks of dating, and it’s clear her parents don’t approve (more on Randy’s story below). He proposes with a half-carat diamond, much to the Bonaventures’ chagrin.

    But Caroline and Randy get married. They bought their ‘starter home’ in Marietta. About a year later, Macy is born, then Kate about two years later, and finally Grace. Caroline had to stop working at this point because daycare was too expensive. She’s worried about money. Since Caroline doesn’t really have any friends (at this stage in her life it’s before she meets Birdie) and she can’t talk about this with her parents she tells Darius (since he’s Randy’s best friend) who ends up providing the financial backing for Randy.

    Editor’s note— I’m gonna stop here on Caroline because I feel like I’m giving too much away. Caroline has so many great stories, so for now I’ll just say she becomes a ‘Buckhead Betty’. She’s also fully immersed in her role as Mother of the Bride for Macy’s wedding.

    Randolph Erskine Cunningham (‘Daddy’)

    Randy Cunningham grew up poor in a middle-of-nowhere town between Macon and Savannah in the plains of south Georgia. He has light auburn hair (which he dyes to cover the increasingly gray and white hairs) and bright blue eyes. Randy is about six feet tall with a fit frame from his years of running Cunningham Construction, plus regularly walking the golf course with the golf radars he used.

    He and his younger brother, Charley, were born to alcoholic parents. When Randy was seventeen, and Charley was only fifteen, their father shot and killed their mother, then himself.

    The Cunningham boys went to live with Randy’s best friend, Darius Youngblood V, and his parents, Darius IV and Lydia–the wealthiest family in Youngblood County, the same family for whom they were named–until Randy turned eighteen, graduated from high school, and could become Charley’s legal guardian.

    Randy worked as a bank teller in their small town while Charley finished high school, then hauling timber for a lumber yard near a paper mill owned by Darius IV. When Charley graduated and went to college at Georgia Southern, Randy started working construction. The Youngblood family had a hand in all these businesses, and Darius IV looked out for the boys. Randy was “just trying to get by in a school of hard knocks.”

    About ten years after his parents died, Randy is at the Georgia-Florida game where he meets Caroline. He knows immediately she’s “the one.” The first time Randy goes to New Orleans to meet Caroline’s parents is awkward, to say the least. Jacquline (Mére) and Nicholas Bonaventure are unimpressed with Randy’s background.

    Nicholas tries to buy Randy out of marrying Caroline. Undeterred, Randy moves forward. Randy buys a half-carat diamond ring and proposes to Caroline one night on the couch in her apartment. They get married at the Bonaventure family’s country club in New Orleans.

    Wanting to build a life he’d only imagined, Randy takes on an investment from the Youngbloods to start Cunningham Construction when Atlanta’s housing boom begins. Business takes off with tons of projects and additional financing from Darius V and his pool of investors. He and Caroline start their family with Macy, Kate, and Grace. His dream life is coming together: building a big house in Buckhead, putting his girls through private school, and golfing at a country club. Randy feels like he’s made it.

    But then it’s 2008, and the housing market crashes. There are no projects for Cunningham Construction which means there’s no money coming in. Randy (and Darius) can’t pay back their investors. Then Macy gets engaged to Campbell.

    As Father of the Bride, and future father-in-law to the Governor’s son, Randy knows he has to pay for an extravagant wedding for hundreds of guests. He’s about to go broke but Randy doesn’t tell anyone how bad things are. Instead, he goes to Darius for help.

    And that is where I leave you, for now, dear reader. More to come on these Pretty Southern stories