Aftermath

Chapter 28

"Well I think we should wait until tomorrow." I say, sliding off of him. "You know, the whole wedding night thing."

"Don't get me wrong we can do it tomorrow too if you want." He says and laughs, pulling me back to the couch.

"Seriously babe." I say, standing up. "It's bad luck for you to see me before the wedding."

"How did you manage to get superstitious in the last thirty seconds?" He jokes, but at the same time still irritated that I'm resisting him.

"You'll pick me up then?" I ask him, disregarding his question. "How about five?"

"Well hold on a second." He says. "You're just gonna leave me like this?" He gestures to his jeans and I see his bulge.

"That looks like a you problem." I say, bending down to kiss him. "Tomorrow we'll do whatever you want."

I smile and give him another kiss before picking up my bag and walking to the door. I'm almost there when I hear him stand up and tell me to wait. I turn and watch him walk over to me. His hands rest on either side of my face and he looks down at me with those big blue eyes.

"Are you sure about this?" He asks me rhetorically. "Because once it's done you're stuck with me forever."

We laugh and then I give him a 'did you really just ask me that?' look. He nods as if he knows if was a stupid question and leans forward, pressing a long loving kiss to my lips.

"That was your last kiss as my boyfriend." I tell him, pressing my forehead against his. "I love you."

"I love you too baby." He says, rubbing his thumb on my cheek. "Now please go before I lose my mind."

***

"You mean like, tomorrow tomorrow?" Thatcher's jaw drops as I nod. "What the hell brought this on?"

"Your niece or nephew." I notify him, resting a hand over my stomach. "I just don't want to wait anymore."

"Oh my god." He says, smiling. "What the hell are you gonna wear?"

"How did I know you were going to say that?" I laugh.

We sit down at our familiar bar stools and Thatch passes me a glass of water.

"So, okay, I don't mean to be rude or anything." He starts out, sipping his water to fill his pause. "But how is this going to work?" He asks, zero trace of hostility or disapproval in his voice. "Like for starters, where are you guys going to live?"

"I guess we hadn't really gotten that far." I say, pushing a piece of hair behind my ear. "Maybe at his place just for a while until we find a house or something. We always talk about getting out of Michigan, but all that is a long ways away."

"You want to have the baby here?" He asks just to clarify and I nod. "Good because I was going to fight you on that."

We both laugh and he crosses his legs, leaning against the counter. There's a silence between us. I think it's one that's well needed. He smiles at me and tilts his head to the side, looking at me like he's known me his whole life.

"Where's mom stand on all this?" He asks, scratching the back of his head.

"You know how she is." I shrug, remembering the phone call. "After that first time I left years ago she never says a bad word about anything having to do with Marshall. As far as I know, she's happy."

"That's good." He nods, and it wasn't until now that I see a hint of sadness lurking in his eye.

I guess this is exactly what Thatcher was fearing. That I would marry Marshall and move out. I don't think anybody really thought we would be doing it so soon. I had promised Thatcher that a while ago, I told him that whatever was gonna happen wouldn't happen for a long time. But knowing him he probably always knew that wasn't true.

"You're sad." I point out, setting my glass down on the counter.

"Yeah." He nods once. "But it's okay."

"Look, we're not moving anywhere right away." I explain to him, holding his hand. "My family is here, and I love Marshall but I love you guys too."

He nods again and smiles at me. He pulls me off the chair into a hug. I hug him back for a few seconds and then we pull away.

"Well then." He takes a deep breath. "Should we go get you something blue?"

We both laugh and I tuck another piece of hair behind my ear.

"You wanna wear white or just go in like your usual?" He presses. "I have to know, if I can't give you a wedding I need to know how this will happen!"

"You're gonna be there." I tell him. "But if you really want to we can go out and look for something."

"Finally." He rolls his eyes and smiles like he's been trying to get me to say that all along.

***

We end up at a rather pricey looking store in the middle of downtown. He's pulled numerous casual white and off-white dresses for me. I think it's more for him than it is for me. He wants to feel like he has some control over it and if this makes him feel better then I'm all for it.
I stand in the dressing room and pull on another dress that he's chosen. It's short and tight, much like everything he picks for me. Long sleeves of course to shield the scars and a high neckline. Before looking at myself I pull back the curtain and he grins when he sees me.

"You like it?" I ask him, pulling the sleeves down.

"Well yes." He nods and stands up, walking over to me. He makes me turn to the side and see myself in the mirror. "But I'm smiling because of this."

He points to my stomach in the mirror. The tightness of the dress enhances my slight baby bump. I smile at it too and place my hand on it. Marshall hasn't noticed yet, maybe this dress is the perfect thing to wear. It's not too dressy and it'll remind him that he has something greater than us to fight for.

"I can't believe it's really happening." He beams, leaning against the dressing room wall.

"You and me both." I agree, turning around in the dress to see myself from all angles. "You think this is it then?"

"Yeah I like this one." He nods. "And I think I found something blue too."

He walks back over to the chair he was sitting in and comes back with a silver chain bracelet with three small blue jewels on it. I smile at it and take it from him.

"It's beautiful." I say.

"Alright well I want you to get your last night of good sleep so we should be going." He jokes. "God knows you'll be up all night tomorrow."

I blush hard and widen my eyes which sends him into a fit of laughter. I shake my head and walk back into the dressing room.

***

"Hello?" I answer my phone.

It's late, probably close to 11pm and I'm laying in bed.

"Hey." Marshall says, breathing deeply.

"Are you okay?" I ask him, nervous to know why he's calling so late.

"Yeah, baby." He answers. "I just wanted to talk to you before you go to sleep."

"Mhm and why's that?" I bite my lip, I think I know what this is about.

"I wanted to tell you I love you." He says, his voice rumbling through the earpiece beautifully. "And since tomorrow's not going to be very intimate for us, I wanted to also say that you're the only person I've ever loved and ever will love. I knew that from the first time I saw you. Even if I was scared, even if I scared you, and even if I came off as a complete dick, I cared about you then as I do now. I never want to see a world without you baby, I love you. Thank you for marrying me."

I blink and it signals the tears. My eyes cloud and I sniffle, sending more out. My heart aches, I couldn't imagine myself with anybody else but him. He's the one.

"Are you alright Rach?" He asks gently.

"Yeah baby." I say, wiping some tears away. "I just want it to be tomorrow already."

"Well I'll let you go so you can get some sleep." He says. "Goodnight Rach."

"Goodnight love."