Many of the wedding's attendants had expected Tori and Jade to be the life of the party following the ceremony, but they were surprised to learn that the newlywed couple was nowhere to be found in the hotel ballroom, even as celebration was well underway.
Holly and David Vega assumed they were tired from planning the wedding for months on end and simply wanted to relax.
Trina simply shrugged away guessing any reason and went on to offer embarrassing secrets about her newlywed sister and sister-in-law...before her parents stopped her.
Tori and Jade's friends were only told to take over entertaining duties, which was a no-brainer for a group of Hollywood Arts graduates and one Neutronium Records in-house singer.
The wedding minister, Sikowitz, continually dodged the question by asking where he could find more coconuts...which were not part of the catering.
Finally, Nora West-Hastings simply glanced at her ex-husband, Blake Callaghan, mingling with business partners—as if he wasn't at his own daughter's wedding—before she returned to her wife, Piper.
At that point, everyone had resigned to enjoying the reception's food and entertainment and assuming the happy couple was off to their honeymoon already...
...if their honeymoon was simply hanging out in the empty Vega house watching TV.
From the kitchen, Tori smiled as she watched Jade slumped back on the couch in her wedding dress, scrolling through TV channels. On the table in front of them were their phones silently flooding with congratulatory messages and tagged pictures. If it weren't for the wedding outfits they had on, this would be just like the old days for them. The nostalgia made Tori laugh as she carried two full wine glasses to the living room.
"As requested, a celebratory glass of wine for Mrs. Jade West~" Tori handed her wife one of the glasses with a smile that wasn't quite returned by Jade, but taken nonetheless with a quick gulp that made Tori almost double back in surprise. "Wow...maybe we should get something to eat if you're that thirsty!"
Jade looked away from the TV long enough to see Tori's surprised expression and sighed before placing her glass down on the table in front of them. "Sorry, babe...my mind hasn't exactly been on point since the wedding."
"Why? What's on your mind?" Tori settled down on the couch next to her, clicking off the TV.
"I'm sure you saw him," Jade looked aside for a moment, "My...my dad was there; invited by my mom, of all people."
Thinking back to when they processed out of the church, Tori certainly remembered meeting eyes with someone she hadn't seen in a long time. "Oh yeah...he was sitting with your mom and Piper. Well, I mean...did you and he get into an argument before the wedding?"
"If my mom hadn't stepped in, we might have," Jade sighed, "He thought he'd be 'giving me away' like most dads do, but when I told him that my mom was...I think he finally felt what I felt when he left me. I don't know how to feel about it, really. I should feel some satisfaction or a 'victory' over him, but I just feel...sad. Honestly, I'm surprised I didn't just lose it in front of you and all those people there."
"Hey..." Tori placed a hand on Jade's chin to look into her eyes, "I may not know for certain, but I think the reason your mom invited him was to see how great a woman you've become after he left. You may have felt 18 again when you saw him there, but think about what 23-year-old Jade has accomplished: you moved to Miami, helped me come out of my nervous shell...in both senses of the word, we graduated college together, and now we're married and about to take on the working world together! He would have to be completely stupid not to be proud of you, Jade...because I certainly am."
With Tori's hand on her cheek, Jade smiled back and held on to her hand as if to let its warmth sink in, "Tori...thanks. I'm sorry I let that little mood keep us from celebrating. Maybe we should head back to the hotel for the reception?"
"Who said I wanted to go back there?" Tori raised an eyebrow and pulled Jade closer, enjoying how confused she briefly looked. "Jade...that reception is gonna go for a long time, and my parents and Trina are sure to be busy driving my relatives back to Santa Barbara after it's over, which means we're gonna have this whole place to ourselves for at least a few hours...and I can't think of anything except celebrating our marriage...right now~"
Jade's face turned redder than ever as she heard her own words from years ago being echoed back by her now-wife, eager for something they hadn't had in just as long. "Holy chiz, Tori...I've really rubbed off on you." She watched Tori's smirk grow wider as she leaned in close and whispered something that made Jade's skin almost tingle as she gasped.
"Not yet, you haven't~"
And that was enough for Jade to stop talking and pull Tori in for a hard and passionate kiss. Tori gasped into their kiss and stood up, pulling her wife up with her as they went upstairs to continue their "celebration" properly.
The next hour or so in Tori's bedroom passed by in a flash of scattered clothes on the floor, feverish kisses, and sweet whispers in between...other things...the likes of which Tori and Jade hadn't felt from each other since the first night they made love, almost a lifetime ago. Once Tori was able to think again, her eyes opened to the sight of Jade smiling over her before pressing another long kiss on her lips. Her arms wrapped around Jade's bare back as the couple turned to lay on their sides and catch their breath while pulling the covers over themselves.
"Wow..." Tori panted, "I hope that was worth waiting all that time to it do again, Jade."
Jade couldn't help but laugh as she cupped Tori's face in her outside hand, "Hell yeah...certainly not as clumsy as that first time, either~" Her hand then traveled down to Tori's bare shoulder, intending to go lower, but her eyes quickly caught the gold necklace still around her neck. "Oh wow...I can't believe I didn't notice you were wearing this today!"
Tori looked down and chuckled, holding the black and gold charm of the necklace in her hand. "Of course I wore this today, of all days! How could I not wear this amazing gift from you, Jade?"
"Yeah, you're right..." Jade smiled back, "Guess it's just a lot easier to see when it's the only thing you're wearing now~" With a chuckle of her own, Jade leaned in and kissed Tori again on her lips, then closer to her jaw, and then closer to the necklace, making her wife shudder and giggle with a mix of instinct and pleasure.
"So...I take it this means you're out of your little funk, Jade?"
"Yeah, I mean...it may still bother me when I think about it," Jade frowned, "I just hope I'm never like that to my kid..."
"'Your...your kid'?" Tori blinked, taken by surprise.
"Yeah, I mean—when I have a kid, of course! I'm not saying I want a kid now!"
"Well, sure! I mean, we can't exactly—"
"I know we can't! L-Like we could adopt, there are those...procedures I read about on the internet..."
"You've really thought about this, haven't you?"
"Like you haven't?"
"Sure, I have! Just...not as much," Tori sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Remember what I said in my vows, how I said I couldn't think past my future; that record deal with Neutronium? After I left that, I really didn't know what I wanted to do. My future was so unclear except for one thing...you, Jade. I knew that whatever I wanted to do next, be it acting or making music independently, I wanted to do it with you. I know it makes me sound like I'm dependent on you, especially after you told me I shouldn't be if I want to treat myself better, but..."
"Tori..." Jade placed a hand on her cheek to pull her back toward her, "Relax, okay? It's what I want, too. Why do you think I said I'll marry you? I was full of ambition, too, remember? But when high school was over and I didn't know where to go...you happened. Everything from these last 5 years, I never would have imagined any of it if I didn't drive you home that night, Tori. So don't worry about being dependent on me, because we're going to depend on each other from here on in. So let's make our future together, babe."
Tori beamed with a smile and kissed her wife again, lingering close to her as her mind began to spin with thoughts of their future. "Well...for one thing, we haven't exactly planned our honeymoon. Carly had some recommendations for Italy from when she was there..."
"Hm..." Jade mused in her head for a while, "I wouldn't mind Italy...though we'd have to be back by next week. Emily said she had some contacts with a network looking to cast for an upcoming TV series."
"Really? What kind of series? No, let me guess...a washed up rock star meeting a daughter he never knew about, played by you, and you're gonna be the lead singer of his band?"
"Uh, yeah, that's about as likely as you starring as a tech-savvy investigator tracking down a cyber-stalker."
"Ahh, man! Look at us, we're getting ahead of ourselves again, Jade! Let's just...think about dinner or...what names we're gonna go by now?"
"Well, those are very different things. Where did that come from?"
"Sorry, my mom brought it up before the wedding! Like, are we gonna be the West-Vegas, the Vega-Wests? I told her we'd be fine just keeping our names as is, but what about when we have kids—"
"Who's talking about having kids now, you dork?" Jade laughed.
"Gah, dangit! I'm sorry!" Tori nearly bit her tongue on her rambling.
"Nothing to apologize for!" Jade smiled as she moved closer to Tori, "Whatever our future...what's important is that it's ours...together."
"I love you, Jade." Tori sighed, leaning her head down to Jade's shoulder.
"I love you, Tori." Jade sighed back, leaning over Tori as they both closed their eyes and finally took a long rest.
"Mommy! Mommy, wake up!"
A sudden, young-sounding voice echoed in Jade's ear before she finally opened her eyes to a small, round face leaning over the bed at her. Jade instinctively backed up in the bed, then turned around to see she was in bed alone...and wearing a loose t-shirt and pajama pants.
"Where's..." Jade started to say, but the girl at her side blurted over her.
"Mommy, come on! Mama Tori just made a reeeeally good breakfast downstairs and she's waiting for you to get up!" The girl tugged on Jade's arm until she stood up with her and left for the bedroom door.
"Okay! Okay! Just slow down..." Jade reached the door, taking a long look at the girl in front of her, taking in the long, brown hair and equally shining brown eyes that reminded her of...
"Cassie!" Tori's voice called from downstairs, "Is Mama Jade awake yet? Breakfast is almost ready~!"
"We're here, we're here!" Cassie hopped down to the ground floor, dashing over to the dining table, filled with plates full of bacon, toast, fresh fruits, coffee, and orange juice. Another young girl, almost identical to Cassie except for her hair dyed red and a noticeably more impatient look on her face, was sitting and scrolling on her smartphone.
"About time!" the other girl groaned, "You know Mom doesn't always make this much breakfast, Cassie!"
"Blame Mommy, Daffy!" Cassie replied, puffing her cheeks cutely as she took her seat, "She was the last one to wake up today!"
"Cassandra Elizabeth West-Vega, you know how your sister feels about that nickname~" Tori lightly reminded as she washed her hands in the sink. Jade looked over to her, but only saw the back of her shirt, her green apron, and her long brown hair, now cut shorter and straighter than Jade remembered.
"Sorry...Daphne Eleanora West-Vega~," Cassie sighed and patted her sister's shoulder ironically, to which Daphne glared at her before going back to staring at her phone.
Jade couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing the whole names of these two little girls, one clearly inspired by their middle names and the other by her own mother.
"Alright, kiddos...and Mama Jade~" Tori turned around, untying her apron and setting it back on its hook. "Who's ready for breakfast~?"
Jade was too stunned by how much older, yet still so stunning, Tori's face looked as she smiled at her. Unable to answer properly, she stammered, "M-Me! I'm ready to eat!"
"Me! Me! Me!" Cassie answered happily, almost bouncing in her seat.
"Wait, we can't start yet!" Daphne suddenly placed her phone down and turned around toward the front door, as if to look for someone. "What about—"
As if on cue, the doorbell rang and both girls quickly hopped out of their chairs to answer it. Jade, almost ignoring the doorbell completely, kept staring at Tori, who was starting to look back at her, confused.
"What is it, Jade?" Tori kept smiling, dabbing her forehead with a paper towel, "I'm not sweating too much, am I?"
"N-No!" Jade shook her head more than necessary. "You look...pretty...from this angle."
Tori simply laughed at that remark, then looked over to the door as it swung open and heard the girls exclaiming happily.
"Aunt Tara!" Jade turned to see their friend Tara, somehow still short—but barely a head taller than the two girls—enter the house, rolling in a suitcase and wrapping her arm around Cassie.
"Hey, Cassie~" Tara smiled sweetly as she kissed the little one's head. "Daphne, good to see you, too!"
"H-Hi, Aunt Tara," Daphne nervously half-waved and tucked back her hair, "I-Is Aunt Cat with you?"
"Aww," Tara chuckled, "You eager to show Aunt Cat your new hair color~?" Daphne's blushing face as she looked away was answer enough. "Well, don't worry, she's still on her way! She's just picking up your grandmas from the airport!"
"Yay!" Cassie cheered again, "Grandma Nora and Piper are coming to breakfast, too!"
Tori laughed, leaning over the table, still wiping her forehead of sweat, "And now you know why I asked if I'm sweating! Been a long time since I made breakfast for 8, hasn't it?"
Jade, still reeling from everything she was hearing, looked back at Tori long enough to place a reassuring hand on her wife's shoulder, "Don't worry...you always make the best breakfasts, babe."
Tori smiled, holding Jade's hand and beaming up at her, "Thanks, honey~"
"Wow, Jade~" Tara chuckled as she approached the table, unzipping her jacket, "Did you just roll right out of bed?"
Jade scoffed and began adjusting her hair in her hands, stopping briefly to notice her hair was blonde instead of brown like she remembered. Looking back up at Tara, she shrugged, "If I knew I was expecting you, Short Stack, I'd have cleaned up at least a little more..."
Tara cleared her throat to cover up a blush that didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the table, but Cassie started pulling a bowl of fruits toward her, calling to them.
"Mommy, can I at least have some fruit! I'm starving!"
"Oh, alright! But no main course until Aunt Cat and your grandmas get here, okay?" Tori sighed and passed bowls to Tara and Daphne. "Jade, how about you?"
Jade took a long look at the table; at her daughters, her best friend, and finally her wife before nodding with a small laugh and taking a bowl to begin their breakfast.
The sound of Jade's chuckle stirred Tori awake, whose vision cleared enough to see her clock reading well into the evening hours. She stared at the clock a moment longer, surprised that they slept for so long, before looking down at her wife, whose smile indicated that she was having quite the good dream.
Tori laid back down with a sigh, pulling the covers back over herself, snuck a kiss on her wife's lips, and closed her eyes again, wondering what Jade was dreaming of...and hoping her dreams would be just as happy...though this very moment already felt like a dream come true, or the first of many ahead of them.
Postgrad Partners: The End
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