Soundtrack:
Mercy by OneRepublic – when Will and Candi get home
I'll Be by Edwin McCain – the video
It took a whole week and a half for them to finally release Will. The rest of his stay at the hospital had been non-eventful, which I was more than thankful for. I spent most of my time with Genevieve and Lachlan, but William's father had remained absent for the most part.
I learned a lot about Genevieve over those days. She told me about how it was when she was younger, and how she'd felt when she first married her husband. I listened to it all attentively, and found that once the cold exterior dropped and Genevieve let her walls down, she was actually quite a nice woman. A little frosty and calculating at times, but now that she was supportive of my relationship with Will, it had been a lot easier to view her as a lovely person.
The day he was released, Ava, Jamie and Chance stayed at the apartment while I took him home in Will's car. His parents had a business meeting that Will had begged them not to postpone on his behalf, so I had volunteered my services as cab driver.
It was still weird driving on the other side of the road, like I was committing an offence, and though the steering wheels were on the other side, once you got used to the strange feeling it was actually kind of fun.
"I heard about Luke and Ava," Will commented as I steered around a bend. "What's going on?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. As you can imagine it's not the typically conventional relationship. I just think they're taking it slow and testing the waters."
"Good for them," Will replied, nodding heartily. "It's been a long time since I've seen Luke genuinely smile so much."
"It's nice," I replied. "They're both happy, which makes me happy."
I pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex and stared up at the sheer skyscraper. After the events at the club, the senior Winchesters had been quick to rescind our eviction notice, and thankfully Jamie had been lucky to pull out of the deal at the new apartment we'd gone for. Life had returned to normal.
Well, except for the fact our wedding was now in less than three weeks.
It was the final countdown, and Ava had kicked into more of a Bridezilla than I ever could. She demanded bargains, was constantly on the phone with the caterer, and, now that she was sure neither of her hospitalized friends were in any danger, she was gone at all hours of the day, checking on the dresses and planning our big day.
I was happy to let her do it. She ran all major decisions by me, consulted me on everything she did and kept me informed. I was happy not to go through the stresses of planning it, and only commented on something I was definite about; like the hair and makeup and cooking side of things.
Now that mostly everything for the actual wedding was planned, she had begun planning the rehearsal dinner, which was going to be held the night before in a nice little dining hall across town. Genevieve had even helped Ava to pitch in with the ideas and was going to take care of all the costs for the rehearsal dinner and most for the wedding (she had wanted to pay for it all, but I wouldn't let her). I would never wish for what happened to Will to ever happen, but I couldn't deny that in doing so it had definitely bonded the rift between all of us, and it was a huge weight off of my shoulders to have their approval to marry their son.
Slowly, I got out of the car and moved over to Will's side, and he struggled out with a grunt. A small plaster bandage was still wrapped around his head, and he was now more prone to headaches, but the fact he was on the mend was a relief to the both of us.
Together we struggled up to the apartment, and on the elevator ride up I snuggled into the warmth of his jacket. "I'm so glad you're back home," I whispered, wrapping my arms tightly around his waist.
One of his arms came up and around my shoulders, pulling me closer into him so that I could smell his spicy aftershave. He pressed a chaste kiss to the top of my head. "Me, too."
The doors opened into the corridor and we got out, him lugging his suitcase behind him. I walked to the front door and pushed it open, and was immediately greeted by the delectable smell of a dessert of some kind.
"Surprise!" voices chorused from inside, and Will and I entered to find the apartment spotlessly clean. The counter top shone, and I could see a pie baking in the oven. Hanging from the window overlooking the city was a banner that said 'Welcome Back', and Ava was grinning as she held out two glasses of sparkling champagne.
Jamie stood in a green sweater by the couch, and was grinning at the both of us. I don't know how, but somehow over the time he had been in England he had formed a genuine friendship with Will, and seemed more than happy to have his buddy back.
The rest of our friends were there, too, with Luke standing by the counter near Ava (though I think his position had more to do with the fact it was near the oven which was currently emanating warmth), and Pippa and Milla stood by the window. Shae was there too, clapping jovially with Léon standing right beside her.
"You guys cleaned up?" I asked, looking around. In the last week that Will had been hospitalized, my cleaning efforts had sorely dwindled, and I couldn't believe how nice everything was. The living-room smelled of air freshener and the wood had been polished and everything was dusted.
"Considering you took us under your wing for three months, I think it was the least we could do," she told me, practically thrusting the glasses of wine into our hands. "Though I must admit we do have the others to thank for helping us clean up the rest."
"Guys, thank you," I said genuinely. It meant a lot to know that I had friends willing to clean apartments for us just to make our lives a little easier.
"Drink!" Ava encouraged.
I glanced down at the bubbly liquid. "Ave, it's not even two in the afternoon."
"First of all, this calls for a celebration. And secondly, it's happy hour somewhere in the world. Drink up!"
She took a celebratory drink from her glass, and I could see her cheeks ablaze with color. She seemed so happy. I liked it.
"I'm more interested in the sign," Will replied, gesturing to the banner as he took a sip.
She looked up at it and smiled. "It was Luke's idea. Unfortunately the party store didn't have an 'I'm sorry you drunkenly slipped in a shady nightclub bathroom. Hope you feel better' sign."
"Shocking," I commented.
"But actually, we have one more surprise for you, Candi," Ava told me, grabbing my hand.
"Ave, you've done so much already," I replied, putting my glass on the bench. "You didn't have to do anything else."
"You're really going to like this one," she sing-songed, and turned around. "Chance, bring them out!"
Chance appeared, smiling impishly and flagged by two people. My jaw almost dropped when I saw them, and my hand came up to my heart as I let out a noise of surprise and joy. I recognized her slim figure, curly brown hair and tanned skin instantly, and also the man whose hand she was holding onto.
"Julie? Mikael!" I exclaimed in excitement, rushing over to Ava's parents and throwing my arms around them. "You got the invitation!"
"Of course we did," Julie replied, hugging me back lovingly. "Even if we hadn't, the way Ava won't shut up about it, we would've been here in a heartbeat, anyway."
"It's so good to see you! I haven't seen you since summer two years ago!" Back when I had lost my first kiss to Chance. Back when everything was a lot less complicated. "I can't believe you came!"
"Our Candi is getting married," she replied. "We wouldn't miss it in the world."
Even if my mother was a constant disappointment in my life, at least I knew I had Ava and Jamie's parents to provide the parental nurturing in the household.
"But you guys do know the wedding isn't for two weeks, right?"
"We want to help you," Julie told me, squeezing her husband's hand. "I remember when I married Mike. You need all the help you can get."
"Well, thank you," I told them. "How's Grandma and Grandpa D?"
"They wanted to come more than anything, but they're not doing so well. Grandpa got sick, so she stayed with him."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
She perked up. "Don't mention it. These are your special weeks, so let's not ruin it. Now, where is the champagne? Let's celebrate!"
~ * ~
"Don't give me that look," Ava said the next day as she kept a death-grip on my arm and led me through heavy London traffic (and, by that, I mean a hell of a lot of citizens filling up the sidewalks).
"Ave, I love you, and I know you're just trying to make sure the wedding goes off flawlessly, but don't you think this is a little silly?"
"You know what's silly?" Shae asked, sidling up beside us and stringing her camera around her neck. "What's silly is the fact my middle name is Isa. Isa! Who names their kid Shannon Isa? This is not silly."
"Exactly!" Ava crowed. "I think it's going to be awesome! It's one of your last days as a single woman!"
"Okay, first of all I've been with Will for almost two years. I haven't been single for a long time. And secondly, the wedding is still ten days away! Why are we doing this now?"
"So it can be perfect," Ava told me.
I glanced back at Julie for help, but she put her hands up in surrender. "When it comes to my daughter, it's best to just go along with her schemes, Candi. It's less painless for all of us."
Shae led me into the art studio we were frequenting, for Ava's fabulous idea to have me make a small video to be played at the reception. The place smelled of turpentine and fresh paint, and there were some canvases covered in material along one end of the wall, which had a hook holding a gauzy material bag holding my wedding dress. Along the back wall were a few filmy screens, where a wooden stool stood in front of them.
I was whisked away suddenly, where Ava helped me into my dress while Pippa did my makeup.
Ava began doing up my corset, and I sucked in a few deep breaths as the ribbons drew tighter. She stopped and frowned, meeting my face in the mirror as Pippa powdered my nose. "Have you gained some weight?"
I looked down and fiddled with my fingers. "No..."
She put her hands on her hips and pouted. "Candice..."
I rolled my eyes. "Okay. Fine. Maybe while Will was in the hospital I stress ate a little. It's not even that much weight!"
"I knew I saw you eating a package of cookies!" Ava replied. "No one just eats one chocolate chip cookie."
She went back to doing up my corset, which still thankfully fit, and Pippa started working on my eyes. Shae snapped some pictures (she was insistent on making a scrapbook of the whole thing) and I tried not to blush.
The whole thing felt silly (I was a twenty-two year old woman playing dress-up, after all). But being in a dress and having my makeup done did make me feel slightly giddy.
Finally she was done, and I walked over to the stool. Ava busies herself setting up her video camera on a tripod and dimming the lights to a romantic setting. Ava threw up some fairly lights, and I tried to stay still for the camera.
"Perfect," Shae said finally as she pressed a few buttons on the camera. "Are you ready for your endearing speech?"
"Considering you sprung it on me just this morning, I'm going to say no," I replied.
"Well, think quickly."
She started the camera and stepped away, and I saw the red light flashing. My stomach twisted with nervousness, and I felt my mouth go dry. I tried to focus on the camera, but the fact there were four other women in the room watching me intently stayed on my mind, and I sighed.
"I can't do it with you all standing there," I told them.
Shae sighed. "Fine. Would it be better if we went to another room?"
I nodded. "Yes."
Shae led them into an adjoining room to show them some oil paintings, and I was left alone with a camera and my thoughts.
"This is going to be a lot harder than I thought," I started, sighing. "If you ever see this mess of a videotape, you should probably know that I was only told two hours ago we were going to do this, so I didn't have much time to prepare."
I looked down and fixed my dress, crossing one leg over the other. "Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Candice Sinclair. Though by the time you see this, hopefully I'll be Candice Winchester. I'm twenty-two, I live in London, and almost two years ago, I met the man of my dreams.
"I made an extremely hard decision just after my twenty-first birthday. I chose to pick up and leave the only true home I'd ever known. I had no idea what I was doing, or where I'd end up. I never realized there I'd find love and true happiness.
"I think that we are given many opportunities in our lives; some we take, and some we don't. I took a big risk by moving to England, but I haven't looked back. I took a leap of faith, and landed right in the arms of the man of my dreams, Will Winchester. We've been through hell, but somehow we ended up in heaven. He is my light, my soul, my heart, my hope... He is the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. The man whose shoulder I want to cry on. The man who lifts me up, helps me reach my full potential, and shows me the kind of person I want to be.
"We met in a kitchen in the New Year, kissed at an ice-skating rink on Valentine's Day, got engaged on a bridge at Christmas, and we're now marrying in the summertime. And I plan on spending the rest of those holidays with him. There is no one else I'd rather fall asleep next to at night, or wake up with. No one I'd rather smile and laugh and cry with. There is no one else I'd rather cook with, no one else I'd rather watch a movie with, and no one else I'd want to marry. He became a part of my life, then a part of my heart, and now he's a part of me.
"I wake up every morning with a smile on my face knowing that I'll always have someone to share my love and life with. I never thought I'd ever fall in love, and now I can't imagine my life without it. If you're watching this, Will, I love you. I love you with all my heart, and I always will. Because when you find the man of your dreams, you hold onto that. This love isn't just for now, it's for ever."
I released a long breath and looked down, and the door burst open, accompanied by four borderline hysterical women clapping wildly.
"Oh, Candi, that was beautiful!" Julie cried, looking like she might even cry.
"Yeah," Shae said, walking over to the camera and turning it off. "How did you do all that?"
"Honestly?" I replied. "I don't know. I just told the truth."
~ * ~
Sorry for the long wait! Between working tons of hours, studying my uni course, doing Camp NaNoWriMo, and learning to drive (yes, I finally overcame my fears, bit the bullet, and got a driver's license) it's been crazy busy.
Honestly, I'm not 100% proud of this chapter. It's a little shorter than I would've liked it, and I'm not really happy with how I ended it. However, I did enjoy making the video, which was probably my incentive for not scrapping this chapter.
Next chapter is the wedding's rehearsal dinner, and you can expect some drama between every relationship in the book. There are only two chapters and an epilogue left, so if you enjoyed give me a vote and comment!
Also, I got a twitter. If you have one as well, check me out. My username is itsmelaneyb, and I'll leave a link in the External Link and the comments section.
Vote, comment, and fan.
xXx