Ever true to her word, Martha had woken the next morning and prepared a feast for the masses in honor of Leonard and Anatalia's engagement. It had taken Leonard a moment to coerce Ana out of bed, the early mornings of the south still not agreeing with her, but a quick reminder of her favorite breakfast waiting for her downstairs had her up and about fairly quickly. She was feeling better than the previous evening, the anxiety pertaining to her own mother fading as she was able to fall asleep and wake in Leonard's arms. The couple made their way downstairs hand in hand, bringing a large smile to Martha's face as they rounded the corner into the kitchen.
"Good morning! Everything is all set. Hashbrowns, sausage patties, and blueberry pancakes with a homemade blueberry syrup. Please eat as much as you'd like."
"Thank you, Martha. It all looks and smells amazing."
"Anything for you, my girl. So, any fun plans today?"
"Well, we were maybe going to start apartment hunting, but we hadn't really discussed a schedule or anything. We don't have to start work until next week."
"I was actually hoping we could do apartment hunting tomorrow darlin."
"Oh. Did you have something else planned for today?"
Leonard released a heavy sigh and dropped his fork onto his plate before rubbing his hands down his face tiredly. Anatalia frowned at the response, unsure what exactly had brought it on, and moved to scratch Leonard's back gently in comfort and support.
"I have to go see Jenny and tell her about us. You're going to be my wife, so she and I need to come to some sort of agreement about Jo. I refuse for you two to be separate for the rest of our lives. If Jo gets to live with Robert, she should get to live with you too on the rare occasions we get her."
"Are you sure you want to handle that today? We could do it later this week if you want more time to prepare."
"No. I just need to get it over with as soon as possible. I want you and Jo in the same room again as soon as possible. I'm excited for us to be our own little family."
Talia smiled wide at the thought and Leonard's smile matched her own as he looked over to see her reaction. The couple knew that being married would officially solidify Ana being Jo's stepmother, but they hadn't really talked about it in any kind of detail beyond that. Leonard had always been too nervous to ask Talia her thoughts on essentially becoming a mother. But one look in her eyes now and he knew that she was as excited for the experience as he was. Martha watched on in awe of the love shared between her son and Anatalia. She had known from the moment she met Ana that if anyone would love her Leonard forever, it would be her. She couldn't be more relieved that the two of them had finally gotten to a place of confidence and trust in one another to make their love permanent.
"Thank you, Len. That means a lot. Do you want me to go with you?"
"No, that's alright darlin. I should probably go alone for the negotiations."
Talia chuckled lightly at Leonard's exaggerated phrasing, but also knew that it wouldn't be far off from the truth. She nodded in understanding and then leaned forward to place a quick kiss to his lips, giving him an encouraging smile before removing herself from her seat to dish herself up seconds of her breakfast.
"Sounds like it might be a wedding planning day for us then, Martha. If you have any venues in town in mind, I'd love to go tour some. We should get a place scheduled as soon as possible."
"Oh, I'd be honored to go venue hunting with you. There are a couple of spots that I think could be very pretty in the fall."
"Glad to hear it. Don't worry, Len. I won't make any final decisions without consulting you first."
Leonard laughed heartily as he too stood from his seat to set his dishes in the kitchen sink, stopping in front of Anatalia as he did so.
"Pick whatever you like best darlin. It's your wedding."
"It's your wedding too, Len. I want you to have a say as well."
"If you insist. But you agreeing to marry me was all I needed to be happy. I want you to have the wedding of your dreams. So, if there's anything that you really, really want, I'll agree to it. No questions asked."
Talia smiled softly up at Leonard as she rolled up onto her tip toes to place the softest of kisses to his lips, pulling away ever so slightly so as to speak without Martha hearing her.
"If we were at our own place, I'd take you upstairs to reward you for that answer."
Leonard groaned lightly at Anatalia's words, the seductive and mischievous smirk on her face not helping his growing need for her in this exact moment. He placed a quick yet firm kiss to her lips before she dropped back down onto the heels of her feet, making it harder for Leonard to reach her with ease.
"I'll make it up to you as soon as we get our own place. As many times as it takes."
Now it was Anatalia's turn to blush as she turned away from Leonard and walked back to the dining table where she could eat her plate of seconds in peace, and hopefully cool herself down in the process.
"Alright, I'm going to go shower and then head to Jenny's. You ladies have fun today, okay? Call me if you need me for anything. I mean it. Anything."
"We'll be fine, Leonard. Nothing an old woman and glowing bride can't handle. You go tame that witch and get us more time with Jo. I haven't seen my own granddaughter in months because of that hag."
"I'll do my best, mama. I love you both."
"We love you too. Now shoo."
Leonard smiled at his mother before turning to look at Talia once more. He wasn't sure of the exact moment it had happened, but Leonard was so inexplicably in love with Anatalia that moments like these his heart could barely take it. This was everything he had ever hoped for his life to be. A beautiful wife, both inside and out, that loved him as much as he loved her, who got along with his family and made an effort to be a part of their lives, who supported him in his work while still having dreams and goals of her own, and who could make his worst days also his brightest with just a single smile. Leonard would never be able to fully express just how much he loved her, but he would spend every day of the rest of his life trying.
"I love you, Tali."
"I love you too, Len. Now go shower. We'll see you later tonight."
With one more grateful smile in Talia's direction, Leonard moved up the stairs to prepare himself for the day.
-----
"This is the one. This is where we need to get married."
After a morning full of long car rides to various venues in Georgia, Ana and Martha had finally found the spot that screamed 'the one'. It was a large, vintage greenhouse with frosted glass windows encased by intricate green iron making up the greenhouse's structure. Long vines of various different plants grew along the greenhouse's perimeter, adding to its natural beauty as it let the slight rays of sunlight in through the partially opaque glass.
"It's beautiful, Talia. And the windows can be opened in case we wanted a more open concept for the wedding but can be closed if the weather is too cold to permit it. And we can line the aisle perfectly down the center of all of the plants with seating closer to the front."
"And we can hold the reception in the meadow just beside the garden outside. There will be plenty of room for tables and dancing. And we can set up the food along the outside wall of the greenhouse."
"It will be perfect. Now we just need an exact date to get your spot reserved."
Talia paused as she thought about putting down a date without Leonard present. She was certain he'd agree to whatever she put down, but she still wanted to make sure it would be a month and day that they could both appreciate.
"Maybe we should wait until I talk to Leonard. I mean, we have a little over a year. We can be flexible if it's not available with the initial date we may want."
"Wow."
"What?"
"You just continue to amaze me. Even though Lenny keeps telling you to do whatever you'd like for the wedding of your dreams, you still refuse to exclude him from the planning."
"Well of course. Like I said, it his wedding too. I want him to be able to enjoy it as much as I will."
"Ugh, how my Lenny could have possibly fallen in love with you and Jenny in the same lifetime is beyond me."
"Martha. Come on. He was young and in love. We can't fault him for that."
"I know, I know. You're just so much better than that bitch."
"Well thank you, Martha. I think so too."
"Well as long as we agree. Now, we should head back to the house. I'll want to beat Leonard home so I can have as many cold beers ready as possible after his encounter with the dragon lady."
Talia chuckled softly at Martha's dramatics but could agree that Leonard would probably rather come home to his fiancé and mother than an entirely empty house. The two women spent the drive back discussing all of the intricate details they imagined going into the wedding now that they had chosen the venue. Anatalia was sure to write all of their ideas down as fast as possible to ensure that she could give Leonard as many options as possible too. Both women fell into a bout of silence though as they pulled in to find Leonard's car already in the driveway. The two women shared a look as their own car came to a halt, silently discussing how to go about handling the situation. Finally, the two seemed to come to the conclusion that it didn't matter how bad things were inside. Leonard needed them right now, so they were going to be as patient and supportive as necessary.
Both women's concern grew as they entered the silent house with no sign of Leonard to be seen. Martha carefully began searching the downstairs while Talia searched the upstairs rooms, neither having any luck in finding him. It wasn't until they heard the sound of a high-pitched squeal and laugh coming from the backyard. Martha was the first to race through the back door and towards the sound with Anatalia following slowly behind. Tears of joy reached Martha's eyes as she ran towards Joanna in the backyard who was riding on Leonard's back as he raced between the fruit trees of his mother's backyard.
"Joanna!"
"Granny!"
As the young girl made a beeline for Martha, Leonard stood straight now having the weight of his daughter removed from him and allowed his eyes to meet Ana's from across the yard. The smile he gave was infectious and Anatalia quickly found herself running into his arms where he happily swung her around with ease. As he set Ana back to the ground, she pulled him down into a fervent kiss which he gladly reciprocated. The couple pulled away after a moment but were sure to keep one another close as they reveled in the moment.
"I don't know what it took, but I'm proud of you Leo."
"Thanks, darlin. Just did what I had to do."
"I believe you. Your mom and I found a venue."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. It's this beautiful green house in an open field. I took some pictures so you could see. I want your honest opinion."
"If you say it's beautiful then I'm sure it is, Tali."
"Still, I want us to make the decision together."
Leonard chuckled softly at the sweetness of Talia's comment. Sometimes she was too adorable for her own good.
"Okay. Deal."
Leonard placed a few more quick kisses on Talia's lips before pulling away to walk towards Jo and Martha hand in hand, pulling the pair's attention towards the happy couple.
"Talia!"
Before Ana had a moment to think, Joanna had wrapped her arms tightly around the woman's torso, showing no intention of letting go. After having a moment to compose herself, Anatalia gladly reciprocated the embrace, placing loving kisses atop Joanna's head as the young girl squeezed even tighter around her midsection.
"Alright Jo, ease up. You don't want to kill her."
"I'm so happy that you're marrying my dad. He talks about you all the time and I've missed you so much. I'm so excited that you're going to be my new mom."
"I've missed you too, Jo! Oh, I'm so excited to get to spend time with you. It's been way too long. You've already grown so much since I last saw you."
"Three inches! Dad says I'll for sure be taller than you someday."
"Oh really?"
From behind Joanna, Leonard was bright red as his daughter ratted him out to his fiancée. But still, he'd endure all the embarrassment in the world if it meant Jo and Talia being in the same room together.
"Well, he's probably right. After all, I'm only five feet tall. That's short for anyone."
"Can I help you plan the wedding?!
"Of course, Jo. I'll want your opinion on everything."
The girl gave an excited shriek as she pulled Anatalia into yet another bone crushing hug. Ana laughed brightly at the girl's excitement before she was called away by her grandmother to help prepare dinner. Leonard made his way back to Anatalia's side where he placed a loving kiss to the side of her head, feeling more at peace than he had in a long time. For the first time in his life, Leonard was completely and truly happy, and it was a feeling he wasn't planning on losing anytime soon.