"I don't really care about what you think of this Megan."
The rehearsal for the wedding was coming to a close, several people still milling around as Megan pulls Chris off to the side to discuss how the couple will be going public with the surprise wedding.
Megan releases an exacerbated sigh. "You're not seeing it completely, Chris. This post you're wanting to make tonight, isn't just breadcrumbs. If you tag her in it, it's over."
"Let them speculate. While they're behind their keyboards trying to put the pieces together, we'll be saying our vows. No one is going to be able to put two and two together that quickly to figure out that we're out here, right now for our wedding." He thrusts her phone in her face, playing the video once more. "Can you tell me if that even looks like Demi?"
Megan moves her glasses further up her nose, eyeing the video carefully. "No, I suppose not."
"There's nothing else anywhere on my page that shows her head on. And on her page, it's all images of the dog. I'm telling you, this is going to be fine. She trusts me to do this, you should too."
She throws her hands in the air, palms up, knowing that he's going to do what he wants anyway. "I still think it's going to be career suicide with your fans."
Chris looks her dead in the eye, as serious as he can be, "I don't care." He points across the chapel to where Dempsey is laughing with Sawyer and her sister. "That woman over there, she's all I care about. I love my fans, but I don't answer to them. I answer to Demi. That's it."
"You're gonna do whatever you want to anyways." She slaps him on the arm a couple of times. "And on that note, I'll see you tomorrow for the ceremony."
"Thank you," he tells her as she starts to walk away. "Hey, Megan!" She stops her departure and turns back to his voice. Chris meets her where she's at. "Everything else is still a go, right?"
"Yes, it is."
He gives her a wink before pulling her in for a hug. "Thank you."
"It's what you pay me for," she answers with a smile. "I am happy for you, Chris. See you tomorrow."
The couple decide to host an intimate dinner at Chris' home. People could come and go as they please between inside the home and the back patio that overlooks the valley below.
"You still owe me a trip to New York," Sawyer reminds Demi as she prepares to leave for the night.
Dempsey has a hard time hiding her smile as Chris comes to stand next to her. "What are you two talking about?" he asks the women.
Sawyer playfully nudges Demi's wheelchair with her foot. "Just reminding this one that she owes me a trip to New York. I mean, I accompanied her out here and low and behold she met you. I'm ready for my fairy tale to start."
Chris' brow furrows. "I thought you were still seeing that one guy."
She rolls her eyes, tossing her purse over her shoulder. "He discovered that being with a teacher didn't really fit his lifestyle."
"Which is code for he didn't want to work and just be a 'kept' man who wanted to play video games all day," Dempsey explains further.
Sawyer snaps her fingers and points at Demi, "Exactly."
This time Chris has difficulty hiding a grin while exchanging a look with his bride to be. "Okay, why are you guys doing that? It's annoying."
"Should I tell her now? Or surprise her tomorrow?" Dempsey asks, chewing on her bottom lip.
"I say we make her wait," he shrugs his shoulders. "Let her be shocked when she's walking down the aisle."
"I like the way you think, Mr. Evans."
"Aw, come on! That's not fair," Sawyer whines, giving a small stomp of her foot against the hardwood flooring.
"Tough cookies."
"Tough cookies? Really, Chris?" she asks, quirking a brow at the grown man. "Has Demi been rubbing off on you that much?"
"He knows that the S H word is a thirty dollar word. He's only got a twenty in his wallet right now. Can't owe money to the swear jar, against the rules," Ethan chimes in as he walks past the group.
The women burst out laughing at the innocent child that spoke up so easily, with such nonchalance and just kept going. "How does he know what's in your wallet?" Demi asks.
His nose scrunches up, making his eyes close. "I may have slipped up when we went to pick up the tuxes. Traffic was bad and the place was closing in like fifteen minutes and I yelled at the car in front of me to move the F out of the way."
Dempsey's eyes bulge, "Christopher!"
"He got his fifty, don't worry. Ryan made sure of it and then when I dropped them off at the hotel Ma smacked me in the head thanks to the little snitch."
"Think maybe you should have an empty wallet tomorrow just to keep your potty mouth at bay," she suggests, earning a groan from him.
The front door swings open, Scott poking his head. "Cars are leaving! Let's go!" He grabs Sawyer's arm, dragging her away from the couple as they watch everyone else scramble to leave the home.
"You're coming, right?" he asks Chris as the young kids race past him.
Chris looks at Demi to see how she's feeling. "It's up to you, baby. I'll stay if you want, or I'll go if you want to do the whole not see each other thing."
She contemplates this for a moment, but not long as Scott begins tapping at his watch. "Stay?"
"See ya tomorrow," Chris all but shoves Scott out the door, closing it and clicking the lock in place immediately.
He turns to find Demi in a giggle fit by the quick thinking actions he's just taken. "That was mean," she manages to finally get out.
"He'll get over it." He claps his hands, rubbing them against one another. "Now, what would you like to do on your last night as a single woman? Whatever you want, you get."
Dempsey doesn't skip a beat. "Are strippers out of the question?" she deadpans.
Chris purses his lips in thought. "Um, I mean, I can probably get some but I don't think they'd be the kind you'd prefer. I mean, some are high class, but they wouldn't be your type."
"What makes you think that?" she plays along.
"Well, the ones I know have boobs." Demi playfully swats at him, making him break character. "But, I mean, if you're into that," he shrugs. "I mean, we might should have had that conversation before today, but whatever my girl wants, my girl is gonna get." He pulls his cell out of his pocket and starts typing away.
"Chris you put that damn phone away right now!"
He holds up a finger, asking for another moment. "Almost done. Alright, finished. They'll be here in about an hour."
"Christopher Robert! I don't doubt the things you did in your partying days, but please tell me you don't have strippers on speed dial."
He shakes his head, flipping his phone around too quickly for her to catch anything. "Not speed dial, just text."
Dempsey starts to back her chair away from him, actually beginning to feel like he's not just joking around anymore. He reaches out and kicks the brake down easily. "Baby, I'm kidding! See, look." He turns the text around for her to see that he was actually texting her.
- This time tomorrow night, you'll be Dempsey Elianna Abrams Evans, and I couldn't be more happy.
"You play a dangerous game sometimes, Evans."
"I know, but seeing your face, makes it worthwhile." She lifts her right leg to kick at him but he backs up too quickly.
"Alright, so while you're deciding what you want to do, what say we go ahead and make that post?" he suggests, lifting her up into his arms to settle in her lap on the couch.
"Sounds like a plan."
Watching him flip through his videos, looking for the right one, her heart begins racing. This is it.
Chris loads the video from Avengers Campus, the day that he and Dempsey actually met for the first time. He cuts the video of them dancing down to just ten seconds before moving on to the caption.
Steve and Peggy's love story is nice...
A quick tag of @EliStar315 and with a flourish he hits post. "And now, no social media until after the wedding."
"That sounds perfect."
*Unedited
*Okay, I guess I lied. Next chapter will be wedding day.