Vincent agreed to the premarital counseling sessions without giving it much thought. Sierra, on the other hand, stressed. Jacob worked with a psychologist. He would discuss the more philosophical aspects of marriage, expectations, fears, and faith within marriage, while Loren would go through finance, conflict resolution, intimacy, and children.

The first two sessions were relatively easy. Both told how they met. Vincent remembered everything from what Sierra wore to what she said. He even recalled how she styled her hair.

Sierra recalled what she ordered and how she offered and test drive. Where woman excelled in the exercise, Sierra's memory remained vague. Again, it wasn't a test, but it was enough to make her panic.

"What is your most memorable moment?" Loren asked.

There was a short silence before Sierra replied, "when he kissed me for the first time."

Vincent smiled as their first kiss replayed in his mind. Yes, it was memorable, but for him, it was another scene he retained, "when she accepted to marry me."

"What's your favorite food?"

The questions were banal, yet some triggered specific souvenirs.

"Eh," Sierra pondered a second. The first dish that came to mind was Kalops; the name of the Swedish dish alone had Sierra's taste buds dancing. "Em, Vincent's chicken vindaloo. I'm not a good cook."

Vincent grinned and patted Sierra's hand, "she can't cook."

"I can. I know how to cook a few dishes," Sierra said, "it's just I need to practice more."

Sierra's outburst surprised Vincent, who wondered where and how Sierra learned. As far as he was concerned, she barely knew how to boil an egg.

"What do you do to unwind?"

"Alone?"

"Yes, you're still individuals," Loren said. It was weird how couples always believed all questions were entity orientated.

"Eh, I like to read and spend time with Leone."

Sierra paused as the images of how she and Jonas would pick Leone up at daycare, how they would go to the bakery and the park. Or the two times Jonas sat and waited at Bussy's while she got a blowout just because he wished for them to go home together, "and I love going to the cinema with Vincent," she added while smiling in his direction.

"And you, Vincent?"

"I work a lot, so for me, unwinding means just being with Sierra," the man said while he lightly squeezed her hand.

If Sierra was scared of being abandoned by Vincent, she got served with clinginess. The issue was the annihilation of their independence with time.

The session carried on, and the couple continued to reply to common questions, the kind one finds in Cosmo or Glamour. They either make you smile when you discover the compatibility is high or frown when you realize you don't match. Here the questions made the couple think.

The third session was coarser.

"Do you have properties?" Loren asked.

"Yes."

Loren switched her gaze from one to the other, "both of you?"

"Yes."

"Where will you live once married?" Loren pursued.

They looked at each other.

Vincent adjusted his position on his seat, "I live in an apartment, but I have a house in Enghien. It's bigger and more suitable for a family."

He quickly added, "we need to discuss this," when he saw Sierra's mouth beginning to twist slightly.

"Sierra, would you like to live there?"

"I've been there a few time is nice and huge. Enghien is a chic area compared to where I live. I guess the environment is better for Leone."

"You already have a child?"

"Leone is my son," Sierra replied.

"One you had with a former companion?"

Sierra's cheekbones rose to blush. This time it was her who shuffled in her seat, "no, I'm adopting him."

"Are you adopting him together?"

"No," Vincent said, "Leone's father is alive."

"Does your son see him?"

"Jonas lives in Sweden, but Leone has him on the phone weekly."

Vincent turned to look at Sierra, "really?"

Sierra threw a glance at Loren before looking at vincent, "yes, Jacob calls him when he's with Leone."

"You weren't aware of this, Vincent?" Loren asked.

"No, I wasn't."

Communication in marriage was vital. It avoided many things, including misinterpretations. Vincent found himself wondering if there were other things he didn't know.

"Do you get along with Leone's father?"

"Who me?" Vincent asked while pointing at himself.

"Yes, vincent."

Once more, he adjusted his position while wishing the air conditioning was a little higher, "well, we only met a couple of times, but I'd say we get along."

"How many kids would you like, Sierra?"

"I ready have Leone, one more."

"And you, Vincent?"

"Well, I was thinking two of our own," Vincent turned and smiled at Sierra, but all could see how weak and disheartened the gesture was.

Loren quickly picked up, "so with Leone, that means you'll have three children. That's fantastic."

"Yes, yes, three," Vincent said with a slight corner smile.

If Sierra and Vincent thought they sizzled with Loren, things weren't easier with Jacob.

"Tell me why you want to marry in church."

Being christened or baptized wasn't mandatory. Some couples did the rituals before marriage. Still, Jacob asked. He liked to understand why couples decided to wed in the church when there wasn't any religious affinity.

Most of the time, the answer was tradition. Here Vincent's response was more elaborate.

"Most of my family is Christian. My gran is a Hinduist. I don't have time to practice, but I'd like the heavens to validate our union."

"Sierra?"

"I don't practice anymore."

"By lack of time, like Vincent?" Jacob asked though he knew the answer.

"I can't hear God. I wish I could."

Her brother nodded as once more he wished to tell her God speaks to you, but you're not listening.

"Do you have any expectations, wishes?"

Vincent looked at Sierra, "I want us to be happy. I want Sierra to sleep without waking up at night and not to worry."

Sierra turned to glare at Vincent, "I don't wake up at night."

"You do, Sierra, you sleepwalk."

"No, I don't," she turned to her brother, "Jacob, I swear I don't."

"You did it when Cecile died and recently."

"Vincent, can you tell us when Sierra began to have her episodes again," Jacob prompted. The man had a hunch. If he were right, it would make his sister face reality.

The room grew silent," Vincent."

The man swiped his hand on his forehead, "just after we got engaged."

"I guess I'm more stressed about becoming your wife than I thought," Sierra said, cutting in before the man added a comment only to regret as Jacob asked:

"Why, Sierra?"

The woman lifted her eyes to the ceiling before saying, "I want to be a good wife. I want to support Vincent and be a good mother too."

"That's a lot of goals, Sierra."

"Other women do it."

"That level of achievement is only reached when there's reciprocity of effort from the husband."

Vincent didn't know whether Jacob's words entered the process or if Jacob tackled him.

"I'll support Sierra. We'll be there for one another," Vincent locked his hand with hers, and the couple smiled in complicity.

"What scares you the most, Vincent?"

"I'm afraid of losing Sierra."

"How can you lose her when you're marrying her?"

Every session brought a few answers and a bucket of inquiries. What frightened Sierra was to realize how little she knew about Vincent though they were together for over a year.

She only spent six months with Jonas, but she was aware he loved all the shades of blues. He could spend a day in front of the same painting at the l'Orangerie museum, and he enjoyed walks in the garden of L'acclimatation. The man loved infusions. He was ambidextrous. Jonas also wished to have loads of children. His favorite season was autumn because of the leaves.

Vincent, too discovered things he didn't know. He was surprised to see Sierra only imagined herself having one more child. For her, this meant they had two children, but Vincent saw things differently.

It wasn't much, just minor details, but it wasn't easy to get rid of them once they were exposed.

They came out of the sessions rinsed in thought.

Vincent sighed, "at least that's done for this week," the man said as they stepped out of Jacob's parish.

"I have an appointment with Solina to finish the gift list. Do you want to join us?"

"I've got to get back to the restaurant. There's a bachelor party tonight.

Summer was the wedding season. Lakshmi was extremely popular for parties.

"Alright."

Vincent had never been so happy to be busy after the counseling session; seeing Solina was too much. The man dropped Sierra off in front of Beaux Nuptial. "see you tonight," Vincent kissed her and watched Sierra enter the building before driving off.

Solina didn't know what to think when she saw Sierra enter her office alone.

Was Vincent fleeing her?

She only met him once after the first time since Vincent made sure not to partake in the meetings.

The woman found herself debating on sending him a message and chickened as she wondered what the man would think of her. Solina was not a homewrecker, and though she still had strong feelings, the woman didn't see herself breaking an entry in the man's heart when she wasn't even sure to offer him what Sierra came to prepare in her office.

Sierra was charming, but above all, she appeared to be kind and diligent. When one listened to her, it seemed the wedding was the guests. The woman had not yet spoken of her wedding apparel when the brides only focused on it.

The gift list was a mind-bender for Solina, who could not get past Sierra's ready-made I-have- everything-I-need sentence.

"Sierra, listen, a bride doesn't have to have a need. Just ask for anything, and people will buy what's on the list. It will prevent you from having unnecessary gifts and give an idea to those who don't have a clue what to get you," Solina explained once again.

Solina had ideas, notably, things she knew Vincent loved. She tried to orientate Sierra's choice by dropping hints. What irony, here she was helping a woman who was marrying an Ex for whom she still had feelings.

The end of the day rang like salvation for both women. Solina internally patted herself on the back for holding up the front while Sierra's mind throbbed.

She was glad to find Leone, who she hugged as though he was a life jacket.

Mom, timeout, I know I'm adorable, but please. The little boy thought before whiffing her, oh, you smell so good.

In the office of his restaurant, Vincent thought of Jacob's questions, and one practically clung to him.

"Since when did Sierra begin to have her episode again?"

The answer was: Since Jonas left.

Even away, the man managed to make noise. Jonas's aura weighed more than when he was there. Sierra told Vincent that Jonas would come for Leone's birthday. The man wished Jonas would stay put.

During this time in Stockholm, Jonas checked his calendar. He wouldn't miss his son's birthday for anything in the world. He needed to see Leone, and he longed to see Sierra.

The man looked at his phone's screen like a sailor waiting to debark on the docks of his homeland.

He closed his eyes and focused. Some mediation teachings explained that if one thought of the person long enough, the person would feel the other's presence.

Jonas hoped his thoughts would attain her.

An odd sensation swept over Sierra; she shuddered and hugged herself.