Fated (A Chris Evans Series)

The Lighthouse

Luca was already getting her hair done when Denise arrived at her room. It was 7:00AM. Denise walked in half-asleep to see Luca sat in front of the mirror, eating yoghurt and muesli for breakfast. "Aw, Nise. You look exhausted." Denise spotted a sympathetic smile on Luca's lips when she moved to stand behind her and Luca caught her in her sights. "You should've slept until the beauticians were ready to work on you."

"And miss the chance to have a little girl talk?" Denise smiled, pulling up a chair so she could get off her feet. "Yeah, right." She bit playfully and Luca laughed, reaching behind her to squeeze Denise's hand before returning her attention to her breakfast. "Anyway, how are you?" Denise asked, resting her hands on the swell of her belly. "I feel like we haven't had a lot of alone time since the guys came into our lives. I love them, but there are some days where I'd rather it were just the two of us."

"Take me back to those good old days, yes." She joked and Denise nodded in agreement, laughing. "I'm good, really good. I'm excited to get married, and I'm excited to meet our sons. Things are...They're good, things are really good," she nodded and Denise found herself nodding in agreement again. "And how are you? Are you a little less overwhelmed now?"

"Somewhat, yeah." Denise nodded. "I've had some time to really just sit and bask in the fact that I am pregnant and I am going to be a mom. Chris and I went to a birthing class together for the first time, which is ridiculous considering Jack's due next month."

"A little," Luca agreed, laughing. She and Sebastian signed up for all the classes as soon as they found out she were pregnant. But in their case, their little one had been planned. They'd expected her pregnancy, Chris and Denise hadn't. "But that's okay, there's still time." She said and Denise nodded. "What else?"

"I finally joined him shopping," Denise answered, chuckling. "For clothes, nursery items, all the essentials, just- everything, really. I actually went with him instead of letting our moms take my place. I don't know, it's still a little overwhelming but I am feeling much better about it all. Chris has been a rock, I honestly don't know what I'd do without him."

"Denise Hogan," Luca chuckled. "Even without the help of the sun's light, you'd succeed anyway." She said and Denise smiled. "Trust me," she mirrored her best friend's smile. "You are going to be fine. I realize it's overwhelming now, but once you get the hang of it- you are going to be the best mother, I just know it."

Elizabeth poked her head into her daughter's room and smiled, seeing the bride-to-be and Denise. "Knock knock," she said as she entered, stealing the attention Denise and Luca had on each other. "I hope I'm not interrupting, I wanted to see how things were going."

"It's going good," Luca nodded as Elizabeth walked over. "My hair almost done, I think."

"How're you, Aunt Liz?" Denise smiled at her when she pulled up a chair and sat down next to you.

"You're asking me, darling? I should be asking you that," Elizabeth smiled and gave Denise's belly a gentle rub. Their smiles widened when Jack kicked under her palm. "I heard about your road trip," she chuckled when she pulled her hand away and Denise bit back her smile. "You poor things, maybe you should just stay in New York and have Jack here."

"No way," Denise laughed. "Chris would have a heart attack. Ever since Sebastian saw me in a Yankees cap, he has been sending me Yankees merchandise for my birthday and Christmas presents. And he knows I'm not an actual baseball fan, he just likes messing with Chris." Elizabeth laughed. "I am not going to give him another reason to drive Chris up the wall by giving birth in New York. Seb will mark Jack with the Yankees seal which will cause Chris to pop a vessel."

"It's funny that you should say that," Luca looked at Denise and Elizabeth through the mirror. "Seb is actually wishing that you'd go into labor while in New York, he is using all his shooting stars and '11:11' wishes." Denise laughed, knowing it wasn't a joke. "He has a little Yankees cap with Jack's name embroidered on the back waiting in our apartment to- he said, and I quote, 'bless Baby Cap's little head with.'"

"Why can't he just get his own son a hat, and leave mine out of it?"

"Well, we haven't thought of a name yet. But don't worry, our little peanut will get a hat too." She said, drawing laughter from Denise and Elizabeth again. Another knock on the door sent all heads its way, this time Luca's older brother, Charles walked in. "Captain," she greeted him, smiling.

"Don't say that around Denise, she might swoon thinking it's her husband you're talking to." Charles teased as he walked over, making Denise roll her eyes. "Happy wedding day, sis." He kissed the top of Luca's head then passed her the Cartier jewelry box he had hiding behind his back. "Someone told me that you were still lacking something blue." He told her then shared a wink with Denise, the said someone.

"Charlie, I told you not to get me anything. Your being here is present enough, I don't-" She was cut off by a beckon of his head, it instructed her to stop talking and open the box. "I already know it's going to be too much," she quipped as she lifted the lid of the box. Her eyes welled with tears when she caught the sapphire tennis bracelet with her sight. "Oh my God, Charlie." She looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you, it's beautiful. You really shouldn't have spent so much on me, it's-"

"Nothing," Charles shrugged with a nonchalant smile. "You're my baby sister and you're getting married today, so no amount is too large." He carefully lifted the bracelet from its satin pillow and helped clip it onto Luca's wrist. "I just want you to know how happy I am for you, you've got yourself a good guy and I know he's going to take good care of you and my nephew. Because the man knows that if he doesn't," he added in a playful tone when Luca got to her feet to hug him, "I will kill him in his sleep."

"I'm not worried," Luca smiled, thinking of her fiancé. "I can say for sure that it won't come to that."
• • • • • • • •
Sebastian stood in front of the full length mirror in his room, adjusting his tie. His eyes darted to the clock hanging on the wall behind him. It was 11:43AM which meant there were only seventeen minutes until his wedding started. He let out a shaky breath as he rubbed his hands together, all the while experiencing the incessant flutters that came from the wings of the butterflies living in his stomach. The flutters had nothing to do with Luca. He knew she was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, but he was still nervous. Everything was happening so quickly. He was going to get married today, then in June he was going to become a father for the first time. Those were things he was extremely excited for, but it was a little overwhelming. Sebastian and Denise were similar there, they were extremely good at psyching themselves out. Hence why they'd both found life partners in people who were good at bringing them back to reality.

"Bas," Chace threw a scrunched up ball of paper across the room and got Sebastian in the shoulder, earning the attention he wanted from his best friend. "Are you okay?" He chuckled at the nervous expression on Sebastian's face. "Do you need some air?" He asked and got a head shake 'no' from Sebastian.

"It's okay if you do," Don told him. "I did too."

"I know it is," Sebastian rolled his eyes. "But I don't."

"You sure?" Anthony furrowed his brows. "'Cause you lo-"

"Oh my God," Sebastian growled under his breath. "Yes I'm sure."

They all stopped asking, pressing their lips together. It was clear he needed something, but they didn't know what. The only person that knew was Chris- not because he knew Sebastian the best out of all the guys in the room- but because on his wedding day, he had felt what Sebastian was feeling too. Chris needed to see Denise then as much as Sebastian needed to see Luca now. It would've seemed ridiculous to anyone else considering he was going to see her in fifteen minutes, but Chris understood. Sebastian helped him and Denise to have an amazing moment before the wedding, the least Chris could do was get him to Luca. He pulled out his phone and texted Denise: "Seb needs to see Luca, think you can get her to the lighthouse?" The reply he got from her drew a chuckle from him: "I was just about to text you the same thing. Yes, we're heading there now."

"C'mon, Seb." Chris placed both hands on Sebastian's shoulders and started to steer him out of the room. "Trust me." He said when Sebastian tried to fight his actions. "You need some air out by the lighthouse," Chris spoke in a tone that Sebastian immediately understood; he bolted out the door. "We'll be back before the wedding starts," he assured all the confused faces in the room then ran after Sebastian.