Laura's Secret

Chapter 34 - November 12th, 1921

3rd person POV

Laura was nervously pacing around her living room, waiting for Tommy to come and meet her. She can't wait to see him since she has had a horrible 4 weeks away from him. She could barely eat or sleep without him. She missed him more than she was expecting to. Then again, she wasn't surprised since they literally spent all of their time together. She unconsciously started to rub her tiny baby bump as she paced. She had grown quite a lot, much to her surprise. All she hopes now is that Tommy isn't still mad at her.

As the clock hits 4:30pm, Laura starts to worry that her husband is not coming. She had sent a letter a few days ago asking for him to meet her at 3pm. She didn't receive a reply. As more nerves fill Laura's body, all she can wonder is if she is wasting her time.

The only good thing about Laura's time away was the fact that she didn't see Robert again. She's managed to convince herself that her mind was just playing tricks on her, although the dreaded thoughts of something worse are always lingering in the back of her mind. She never spoke about what she saw, not with anyone. Although, Tommy had spoken to Alfie and he had made sure that Robert was dead. Whatever Laura saw, must have been in her head.

Suddenly, the sound of the door opening makes Laura's heart flutter with excitement. "Laura?" an unfamiliar voice calls out. "Laura are you in here?" they yell into the flat. Laura's body is immediately filled with dread as she makes her way to the hall. She lets out a sigh of relief when she sees Finn in the doorway with a blonde woman who she has never seen before. "Finn!" she gasps, rushing towards him for a hug. "Laura! I'm glad you're home" he exclaims, accepting the hug from his favourite person. "This is Linda, Arthur's girlfriend." Finn then introduces, noticing the look Laura has on her face. "It's nice to meet you, I've heard a lot." Linda says with a seemingly fake smile. "It's nice to meet you, too. It's nice to know that Arthur has finally found someone to look after him." Laura chuckles in reply, her tense state now starting to calm.

"Finn, how come you're here? Where's Tommy?" Laura asks, recovering from the shock she first felt. "Oh, yeah. He sent us to come and get you. Here, put this on." Finn replies as he shoves a box in her hand. "What? Why?" she replies but she doesn't get an answer as she is pushed towards her bedroom.

Once the door is shut, she cautiously opens the box to reveal a beautiful white beaded gown, along with some white satin shoes and a white veil attached to a headband. "What the hell are those for?" She whispers to herself before realising that there is no point in even questioning it. She quickly gets dressed, stumbling slightly when she reaches down to put her shoes on. She is almost finished when there is a knock at the door. "Come on Laura! We're going to be late!" Finn's voice calls through the door. "Ok, ok, I'm coming now." She replies as she admires herself in the mirror. The dress shows her small bump off perfectly.

She slowly leaves the comfort of her room to see Finn, Linda, Arthur, John, and Polly now standing in her hallway. "Oh, Laura. You look beautiful." Polly says as she hugs the younger girl before rubbing her baby bump. "Thank you, although I have no idea why I'm dressed like this." Laura chuckles nervously. "Oh come on, I thought you were smart." John smirks, loving the fact that his friend has no idea what she's about to do. "Right, come on. Tommy's not going to be happy if we're late." Arthur says, pushing them all out of the flat. "Your car, m'lady." Finn says mockingly as he reaches up to open the door for Laura. "Why thank you good sir." Laura replies with a small curtsey.

After driving for around 5 minutes, Arthur pulls into a large field which is covered with the left-over flowers from summer. Laura gasps in admiration, causing Polly and Finn to smile. As Laura climbs out the car, she is handed a small white scarf. "What's this for?" she asks nervously. "It's to cover your eyes. Don't worry, I won't let you fall." Finn says with a smile. Laura takes a deep breath before tying it around her head. She holds her hands out for someone to take before she is guided to an unknown place.

"Right then, this is where we leave you. Don't take the blindfold off yet, ok?" she hears Polly's voice speak from behind her. All Laura can do is nod nervously is anticipation. She has no idea what's going on and why she hasn't seen Tommy yet. Why did she even have to be blindfolded? Just when Laura thinks the suspense is going to kill her, she feels warm hands on either side of her face.

"You look absolutely beautiful, love." She hears Tommy say gently. Laura immediately relaxes into his embrace as they share a soft kiss, the butterflies they were once used to come rushing back to them. She holds her breath as she feels him carefully untie the knot in the scarf and pull it away. She can't bring herself to open her eyes straight away, hoping that she wouldn't end the dream she thought she was having. "You can open your eyes now, love." Tommy chuckles. "Promise me this isn't a dream." She whispers hopefully. "I promise." Tommy whispers back before kissing her once more.

Laura slowly opens her eyes to see that she is now stood in a barn. She looks around to see Tommy's family, Alfie and a few of their friends sat on some wooden chairs, facing what appears to be an altar. Her eyes fill with tears as she realises what is happening. Tommy pulls her to face him and gets down on one knee, once again taking her left hand in his. "Laura Alexander, will you marry me again? Properly this time." he says, a clear sense of admiration filling his eyes. "Of course I will, you idiot." Laura beams. Tommy's smile widens as he stands and hugs her. "I do have one request though," Laura starts as she pulls away from him. "Anything, love." Tommy replies, a little nervous. "No more surprise weddings!" she says cheekily with a small laugh, prompting Tommy to do the same. "Agreed." Tommy says before kissing her head and making his way over to Alfie. He taps him on the shoulder and continues to walk to the altar as Alfie stands and makes his way over to his sister.

"I believe you need giving away." Alfie says as he offers his arm for her to take. Laura's smile beams as she slides her hand into the crook of his elbow. "I can't believe this is happening, Alf." She whispers as they begin walking towards the altar. Laura smiles at every single person she walks past, silently thanking them for doing all of this. Before she knows it, she is stood in front of the man she loves. "Take care of my sister or I'll kill you." Alfie says with a straight face as he hands Tommy Laura's hand. "You know I will, Alfie." Tommy replies as his brother-in-law takes his seat.

"We're gathered here today to reunite this couple in holy matrimony, and I have to say this is definitely a first." Johnny Dogs says as he starts the ceremony, causing everyone to chuckle. "Finn, do you have the new rings?" he then asks Finn, who is straight up from his seat. He hands a ring box to Tommy and a ring box to Laura. "You need to take you other rings off, not mom's though." Finn whispers to them. Laura and Tommy do as they're told and then pass the discarded rings to the youngest Shelby before he sits back down.

"Now, Tommy. Do you promise to keep this woman by your side for the rest of your life?" Johnny asks. "I do." Tommy says through his smile as he slides the ring into Laura's finger. "And Laura. Do you promise to keep this man by your side for the rest of your life?" Johnny then asks, not realising the emotional wreck that is stood in front of him. "Yes, I do." Laura chokes out through her tears. "Then I can now re-pronounce you as man and wife. You may kiss the bride." Johnny finishes, prompting Tommy to engulf Laura in a passionate kiss and the whole 'audience' to erupt in cheers.

Laura was beaming with joy. This was what she had wanted all along. She spent the rest of her wedding say celebrating and laughing with her family. Now, what the future held for her and Tommy was uncertain, but she knew that she didn't want to spend it with anyone else. That was no secret.

THE END

AN~ I can't believe we're at the end! I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. I might write and epilogue but not sure how that will go. Please leave some feedback, whether constructive or otherwise. Thanks for reading 😊 <3