Things could not have been better for them. The new house in Phoenix turned out to be better than expected. During the course, they met a few people in the town, and they were warm and welcoming.
Two days ago, they officially left their apartment. They should have moved into their new home by now, but due to a few minor alterations here and there, they had to postpone the scheduled date of their move. Despite the fact that almost all of their possessions had already been shifted, Justin and Fiona were forced to stay at Emily and James' home because of a water issue. However, Justin and Fiona will be able to move into their new house tomorrow.
Currently, it is two in the afternoon. Emily and Fiona were driving towards their new home. Due to some last-minute changes, Justin requested they meet there.
When Emily parked her car in the driveway, they both got out of their seats and headed up to the porch entrance. As they stood in front of the gate, Emily said.
"Fiona, I love your new home. This place is beyond perfect."
"That is all thanks to you and Justin. I don't know how he managed to find this place, but I thank you for sharing with him my desire to live away from the city." Fiona told her.
"That is because we both love you," Emily stated with a knowing smile as Fiona rang the bell.
When no one answered, Fiona rang the bell again. "Why isn't anyone opening the gate?"
"Let me check with James." Before Emily could say anything, James opened the door and welcomed both ladies inside.
"What took you so long?" Fiona asked him.
"I was setting everything together," James informed her, leaving her even more perplexed than before.
"Setting everything? I don't understand what you mean." Fiona said as James led the way into the house.
Fiona was as quiet as stone as she noticed the stairs when James moved aside. The stairwell's barricade was adorned with white daisies.
"Guys, what is going on here?" Fiona asked them.
She had not anticipated this and was utterly unsure of what to expect next. She couldn't figure out what was going on.
"Why don't you find out for yourself? But before you take any step further. Here, take this flashcard." James left Fiona with a handwritten card before heading towards the room where Justin was waiting for him.
Fiona took the card from James's hand. It was a blue color card that had Justin's handwriting on it.
'With every step that you take, it is one step closer for you to reach our new beginning.'
"I don't know what to make of this," Fiona stated out loud, completely mystified by the whole scenario.
On the other hand, Emily had a playful smirk on her face as she tried to encourage her friend to take the steps that Justin indicated. "Don't overthink Fi. Let's just go upstairs and find out."
"Alright." Fiona nodded and took steps, which led her to the first floor.
There was another shocker waiting for her. There was still another surprise in store for her. Fiona had a choice of two paths to choose, one of which was lined with rose petals.
"Oh, there is another card." Emily's exclamation drew Fiona's attention. It was a green-colored card that was taped to the barricade's corner.
'With every step you take, you will find me beside you, holding you, guiding you, supporting you, and loving you.'
"Justin, what the hell are you up to?" Fiona whispered to no one in particular.
But Emily decided to answer her friend. "There is only one way to find out. Let Justin lead the way through his words."
"Whatever this is, you were in on this," Fiona stated, clearly aware of the answer.
"Obviously! He would not have been able to pull this off without me. I am the core element. Also James, but do not tell him I mentioned him." This made Fiona chuckle.
Fiona followed the path of the roses, which led her to the room adjoining their master bedroom. Another card was stuck on the doorknob, which she plucked and read.
'As kids, we imagined ourselves to live a fairy tale. But as adults, we make our own tales with a portion of love, trust, loyalty, and respect. A final twist in the story of today's day, a surprise awaits on the other side of the door.
Hopefully, you say yes.'
"This is way too cynical. Sweet but cynical." Fiona stated but turned the knob, nonetheless. She was nervous about what to expect on the other side of the room.
Once, she turned the knob and was awestruck. Because as soon as she entered the room, her sight was drawn to the white gown that was delicately laid on the room's bed. Both her and Justin's Grams, along with their mothers, were also in the room waiting for her.
"White gown? Wedding gown?" Fiona was flabbergasted.
Instead of answering her question, Cynthia and Cecelia Grams said something else, "Well, this is the final card that Justin particularly wanted us to send since we got you two hitched."
'Special something for Special someone. A well-deserved day, which you deserve.
Marry Me?'
"I...I..." Fiona was completely overwhelmed. "Where is Justin?"
"Downstairs. Waiting for you two to get married," Cecelia stated.
"If that's what you want to do. You have the choice to leave if you want." Emily stated, but everyone knew she was joking.
"So...?" Emily asked her.
All the ladies in the room were waiting for Fiona to respond. Justin, on the other hand, was nervously pacing in his room.
"I hope I didn't go overboard with this. What if she says no?" Justin Stated.
James wanted to sigh and roll his eyes. "You two are already married, Justin. Plus, you are going to shift here. Why the hell would she say no? It is stupid."
"You never know." James wanted to sigh, but he knew that Justin had become a lot more apprehensive than before, wherever Fiona was concerned. He couldn't blame him for that. Well, that is what love is then.
"Justin, relax. I am sure Fiona loved your surprise, and, most importantly, she loves you."
"You think so?" He asked his friend with hopeful eyes.
"Yes. Why don't you take a few moments to rest before getting ready? Fiona is getting dressed as we speak. Emily sent me a text." James' words bought relief to Justin.
After two and a half hours, Justin stood at the end of the aisle, waiting for Fiona to show up. It was about time.
His breath caught in his throat when he finally saw his bride walking on the aisle with her dad. With each step she took towards him, his heart skipped a beat, and finally, Vincent gave his daughter's hand in Justin's.
Both were at a loss for words. Especially Fiona, who was absolutely taken aback by the situation. She didn't know how Justin pulled it off, but now she just wanted to get married to Justin in the best traditional way possible.
So, without any further ado, both Justin and Fiona got married. They didn't have to make their own vows because they already understood each other's hearts. They repeated the priest's words, shed happy tears, and finally bound them to each other in one of the purest ways possible.
The newlyweds were now dancing in the middle of their garden.
"Justin, you are one hell of a sneaky person. But thank you. This..." Fiona sniffled. She couldn't hold back her tears any longer. Justin simply smiled at her and wiped away her tears.
"This is something you deserve, Fi. We both do." He kissed her forehead.
"How did you plan this? I don't get it." She asked him as she swayed with him. His hands were on her torso, and her hand was clasped behind his neck.
"It's been a few months, actually. The most difficult part was keeping it from you while keeping you involved in every detail of our wedding. Once I realized you wanted a private wedding, I was able to work out a venue and a date that was agreed upon for both of us. I knew that our home would be the ideal setting for a new beginning, and we would also be able to accommodate enough guests." Justin explained.
"How could I have missed it?" Fiona asked in general.
"It's all because of Emily," Justin stated. When he noticed a frown on his wife's face, he went on to explain further.
"I desperately wanted to start our lives on a positive note, and then an idea struck me that a wedding was a perfect way. When I told Emily and James about my plan, they were immediately on board. Our grandmothers and parents were next, and they were thrilled to be a part of it. Your gown was taken care of by your grandmother and your mother."
"I love this gown. This was of my Grams, who gave it to my mom. I always knew that I wanted to wear this at my own wedding." Fiona added.
"So your mom told me. So, she, along with Cecelia Grams and Emily, made sure to make this your perfect wedding gown." Justin explained.
"That is why I used to get random images of different designs of gowns from them asking for the suggestion," Fiona said with realization.
"Yes, the decorations were a little tricky, but Emily knew you too well, and you yourself helped me to select the perfect décor for our wedding."
"I remember this arrangement from an image you showed me in the name of your friend." Fiona pointed out.
Justin chuckled. "And you were so happy to see the photographs that you mistakenly remarked that you adored the color theme of white, and everything fell into place because you described your perfect wedding that day."
"And the food is from 'Delicosa' and 'Darbaar Bites', isn't it? I remember Margret and Jasmine asking us to volunteer for taste testing." Fiona asked him knowingly. Margret is the co-owner of the café, Delicosa, and Jasmine is the owner of the Darbaar Bites.
"Yes. I knew that you love the place, so I thought we could go local in the spirit of staying here. But, the cake was arranged by James and Emily. I couldn't risk letting this surprise open, so James and Emily stepped in for the cake. Even I didn't know what they selected except that it is from the 'The Puffins."
"I remember when we went there. The pastries were too good. But weren't you scared to leave them in charge?" Fiona asked him jokingly.
"I was terrified. But they do make a great team."
"Justin, thank you so much. This is perfect." Fiona kissed his cheeks and told him.
"Not more perfect than you. I really hope I didn't goof up." Justin voiced out his apprehension.
"You didn't. Everything is perfect, even the people present here. Our families, James and his family, Emily and hers, Mason and Kristie...."
However, Justin completed the rest of the list. "Oliver even managed to bring Ava, and even Ethan and Amanda were able to make it here."
"Yes, they really have jelled well with us," Fiona added while looking at all her friends and family who were joyously dancing around them.
"That they did." Justin nodded in agreement.
"You even invited a few locals." Fiona pointed out when she saw Jasmine and Margret. She even spotted Evelyn, who is one of the bakers in The Puffins.
"Yes. Well, since we didn't know many people and didn't have that big of a place to accommodate everyone, I couldn't invite all."
Fiona smiled at him in response. She just wanted to soak in every moment of this day.
"Fiona," Justin said her name after a few moments while dancing with her.
"Yes, Justin." She looked at him with her adorable eyes.
"I Love You. Thank you for giving us a chance."
"I love you too. Marrying you again today; is the best decision that I have ever made."
With love shining in their eyes, the only thing left to do was kiss.
They kissed.