Crescent Moon (Kyle J Simmons)

Honeymoon

"Congratulations on the baby." said several different people at different times.

"Can't wait to see the baby."

"Have fun becoming parents!"

Kyle's side couldn't have been more thrilled. The entire Bastille crew, his parents, siblings, relatives, and friends. They were all happy for us. Mine was obviously not.

Mum had tried to play it easy at first, and then she took me away from the party with my siblings. Her face was furious.

"What the hell, Manda? Is THIS why you did all this? Did I help pay for all this fancy wedding stuff because he knocked you up!?!"

"He didn't knock me up, Mum." I said. "And no, that's not why we did this."

"Really? What's more convenient than a girl who's boyfriend gets her pregnant, and then marries him to 'set things right'. I know you Mandala. You screw up and then you try to make it look better with crazy solutions!"

"It wasn't a solution." I said. "Kyle proposed before it happened."

"That's not how you do things, Mandala! He could have easily left you just then!"

"Mum, no." I said, my throat burning with frustration.

"She's right, Mandala." said Leah. "If he didn't leave you already, it's coming sooner or later."

"Mum, Leah, Elliott. It's not like that. We talked about starting a family after we got engaged. We planned this baby."

"I'm sorry, Mandala, but I can't see Kyle being a stable father. He's good to you, but he's going to screw up your child. He IS a child."

"Don't say that about him!" I pleaded. "I love him, and he loves the baby. He wants to be a father so bad, you just don't know." I felt myself crying.

"Just wait, and see, Mandala." she said. "This baby has screwed up everything for you. You just ruined your second marriage. Congratulations."

"How dare you say that about my child!" I yelled through my tears. "Go away. Leave my wedding, now!"

"Mandala-"

"No! I'm done! Don't call me, or my husband. Ever! Go!"

"You can't cut me off." she said.

"What? Just like you cut my father off? Yeah don't act like I don't know, because I know he's alive. I know you've been lying."

"What is she talking about?" Leah asked.

Susan was furious. I could see the fire in her aged eyes. "Who told you about him?"

"Doesn't matter. What matters is that you lied to me, to Elliott, and to Leah. I'm not going to deal with your lies anymore. I never want to see you again."

That was when I walked back inside the building and locked the door. What did I just do? I cut my family out of my life, and I was never going back.

Just like that, my wedding day had been spoiled. Family drama, of all days. I was still crying as I walked down the empty hallways of the building. I didn't want to be around anyone. It all felt ruined. With that, I fell to my knees and took my time sobbing.

"Manda?" I heard a voice from above. It was Dan. "Are you alright?"

I didn't deny it. He helped me stand up and I explained to him what had just happened. He listened well.

"It's okay, Manda. I promise. I can't relate to your situation, but I promise you'll be better off now. Kyle's going to take care of you. We all are. You're part of our family now."

I wiped my face. There was something so comforting about his voice. Genuinely, he was an incredibly nice person, but Dan was different from Kyle's other friends.

"Wow, Dan." I said. "You're such a dad. And I've never had one."

"I've got two kids, it rubs off on other people sometimes." He hugged me. "It's going to be okay, Manda. Go back to your husband, and let him fix it. You'll be much better."

I walked beside him on the way back to the party. Kyle ran to me and wrapped his arms around me. "Mans, baby what happened to you? I've been looking everywhere! I came back here wondering if you did."

"I'm alright, Kyle."

"No, you're not. I can tell."

"I'll tell you in the car." I said.

The drive was very short, and then we were off to our honeymoon. Kyle made me feel better about the situation with my family. Suddenly I didn't care anymore.

When we got to the location, he carried me to our suite. Italy was gorgeous at night, even though I barely saw what I needed. It was late, and I was pretty sure that most people were already asleep. Like any other honeymoon, there were red rose petals all over the floor and candles lit all around the bed.

The house we were staying at was rental, and isolated completely in the forest. I was honestly grateful that Kyle and I weren't staying in some hotel, surrounded by a whole city. 

"You should sleep." Kyle said, and I could sense some agony in his voice. 

"What's wrong, Kyle?" I asked. "We just got married, we're finally in Italy, and the baby is due in six months!" 

"It's not that, Mandala." He said. "We have three weeks together, and then I have to leave again." 

"I know." I said. "But please. Let's just enjoy this week. Please." 

"We will." He said. "But I'm going to miss this the second it's over. I want to be by your side all the time. I wish it were that simple." 

"Listen, Kyle." I started. "It's your job. You're not the only one who has to leave someone behind for it. Think about Dan. Think about Woody, and Will and Charlie and so many more. It's not just you. And you've done this many times before. It's okay. I'm not mad about it at all." 

"We're husband and wife now-" 

"Stop right there. Didn't you hear what I just said, Kyle? Will leaves his girlfriend, for one. And to make matters anymore intense, think of Dan and Woody. Both of them leave their wives and their kids. That has to hurt. It's no different with us." 

"Manda, our baby hasn't even been born yet. What if I'm not around and something happens to one of you? Or both? What if you go into labor when I'm away?"

"It'll be okay, Kyle, really." 

He was silent. All his worry began to depress me. I was just so use to him being so optimistic and playful. Was marriage really going to change my Kyle? Would he be another statistic to letting himself go once the knot was tied? No! If I had to fight to keep him the same way, I would, and I would win. 

"Come here, Kyle. Please." 

He hesitated, but then he leaned over to me. He kissed my lips softly, and then placed his hands on my hips. "I love you so much, Mandala."  

"I love you Kyle." 

"Mandala Dianne Simmons." He smiled. "That's going to take some getting used to."

"I'm just glad I'm not a Queen anymore." I laughed. "But also, it's nice to finally be married to you." 

He kissed me again. "Let's get some sleep, Mrs Simmons."