Always in My Head - An SOA Fan Fiction

Chapter 39

To Mae, eloping was running off and getting married without hotel reservations and children around but this was their way. They'd get a night in a Las Vegas suite to themselves and a few hours in the morning before having to head home. Mae and Opie didn't have the luxury of a huge ceremony and some all-inclusive honeymoon and that was just fine by them. They didn't need those things, they just needed each other.

Piney and the kids got off the elevator a few floors before Mae and Opie. He carried their bags over his shoulder as she skipped down ahead of him, excited to get settled into their suite. They decided easily on two separate rooms, one for the soon to be newlyweds and one for Piney and the kids. Piney didn't mind the but the kids did, they didn't understand the need for privacy yet.

"We're getting married," she sang, throwing herself on the lavish, California king bed. The oversized, downy comforter fluffed up around her.

"Yeah, no shit. I didn't fly here for my goddamn health, Mae."

"You were always such a charmer, Ope. Wait, did you buy new clothes?" Mae asked as she watched him hanging up what she assumed was his wedding attire.

"I'm a grown man, I own a black dress shirt." He said, slightly defensive, before chuckling. "But the yeah jeans and jacket are new."

She beamed at his thoughtfulness, no one would ever assume Opie Winston was that kind of man. The jeans were a dark wash and the jacket was black, simple but it made a statement. "How long have you been planning this?" Rolling off the bed, she began to unpack a few things.

Glancing at the time Opie shrugged. "Just about twenty four hours. Picked them up after work yesterday but I still wasn't even sure until this morning."

"Why?" She put her makeup bag down and looked at him seriously. "Why did you want to do this?"

Opie looked up from his dress clothes, he was obsessively smoothing them as they hung off the end of the door. "I'm sick of waiting. I might not be as likely to catch a bullet now as I was six months ago but shit, Mae, after everything we've been through I don't want to wait another minute."

He saw her face twist and her chin tremble and immediately tried to keep her from crying. "Hey, come on crybaby." He moved closer to her and took her hands in his, kissing her knuckles. "You need to go get a dress. No time for tears."

"Do you mind if I take Ellie?" Mae asked, sniffling as they both started wiping her tears away. "I think it'll be nice, we can both get dresses. She is my maid of honor after all."

"Hey, I sprung for the damn luxury suite. You want to buy your step-daughter a dress, go for it."

"I have a few things to say to that. Number one, we sprung for it babe, what's mine is yours and all that jazz. Number two, I can't believe I have step-children. We're officially going to be a family."

Looking at her and suddenly realizing the enormity of what they were doing despite the how natural it felt, Opie nodded with a tiny smile curling his lips. "Jesus, joint back accounts and monogrammed towels. Shit just got real."

"Very real," she smirked and grabbed his rear end. "I'll be back."

"Today?" Ellie had the same reaction Mae did when she explain it all. They just got out of the cab and were headed into a quaint little boutique when the bomb was dropped. "But what about the big party and the church?"

Mae took the girl's hand as they entered the storefront and she was instantly overwhelmed by the racks of dresses. "Well, your dad and I just think it's better if we don't wait any longer. The five of us can still party and celebrate, all that we care about is that you and Kenny are here."

"Oh, okay." Ellie's face was pouty and Mae felt overly guilty. The girl was so excited and they'd talked about the wedding nonstop but now she was stuck with a Vegas elopement.

"I hope you're not disappointed." Mae said as the saleswoman came up to them.

"No," she shook her head with a smile. "We'll still have fun." Mae felt herself tearing up again, her hormones were all over the place. When the woman introduced herself and asked Mae how she could help Ellie blurted out, "She needs a princess dress."

"Oh, no I don't think that's appropriate." She said to her step-daughter before turning to the woman. "I do need a dress, we both do actually. She can pick whatever she wants I just need mine to be white and simple, nothing frilly."

"Why?" If Ellie was simply disappointed before she was devastated by Mae's dress decision. "You said poufy."

"That was when we were planning a big wedding, Ellie." Mae looked at the woman apologetically.

"But this is your wedding, you said you only get one." Mae was taken aback by Ellie's suddenly sage words. "Just because it's not in a church doesn't mean you can't wear a big, pretty dress."

"You will only do it once," the woman said with a smile. "I think she's right. I've seen plenty of Las Vegas brides in huge elaborate dresses.

Mae blushed and looking at Ellie nodded. "Okay, fine, show me your princess dresses, the bigger the better."

"I feel ridiculous." Mae said as she straightened her veil, Piney by her side. "This is too much, isn't it?" The dress was exactly what she had always dreamed of, even though there were pins in the back that poked her every so often. Proper alterations were just not possible but the lace 'princess gown', as Ellie kept calling it, with capped sleeves was perfection.

He smiled, pressing his palm to her cheek. "You look beautiful."

Walking down the short aisle, she counted each of the ten steps she took before reaching Opie. Piney took a seat while Kenny stood behind his father, and Ellie behind Mae. The ceremony was all of ten minutes, beautiful and to the point. Opie clutched Mae's hands as they softly spoke their vows to one another, whispered promises they repeated along with a few words of their own. Mae swore she would have cried but as Opie spoke she was calm and composed, listening closely to his words, she didn't want to forget anything, not the floral smell of the chapel, the awfully cheesy organ playing low behind them or most importantly the look in his eyes as they were pronounced husband and wife. Before he was even told to, Opie snaked his arms around Mae and as he dipped her back, her hair brushing the floor, kissed her deeply with a fire neither of them had felt before.

"Finally," she whispered, nuzzling her nose with his. "Nothing will break this." The words were firm and she looked at him.

"Nothing, Mae. I swear."

Ahhh, a happy ending! Thank you all so much for your love and support! I couldn't have done it without you. I've started and posted a third part of this ongoing saga that I'm calling What I Love the Most. Please, if you're interested head on over and follow Mae and Opie some more! Xoxo You guys are incredible.