Greyson
SOMETIMES A LITTLE WHITE LIE NEVER HURTS
"You guys are doing an excellent job!" Hudson yells walking around the space. "But we've got a deadline and an impatient boss so if you can continue your excellence with some pep in your step that'd be much appreciated!"
Looking around I was amazed too see what months of planning and a week of setting up could create. Exactly how I envisioned it in my brain and all thanks to an expensive planner and my best friend who just gets me.
Hudson notices me and smiles. "Well there he goes, I must say things are coming together amazing. We just need too work on a few things and we're still waiting on a few items but my guys are going to get it here by tonight and we'll focus on that stuff tomorrow."
"Well," I say shrugging off my suit jacket. "I'm sure we need all hands on deck. What needs work?"
He grins. "Well actually we're good on the help with decorating and setting up, what you can do is get your ass to sleep because you have the energy of an anxious four year old but your eyes show the tiredness of an eighty year old."
"Hudson this is too important to waste time on and sleep off."
He nods and agrees. "Understood but you've got enough on your plate and as much as I appreciate the enthusiasm for this, you've got other things too attend too."
"Yeah!" Suddenly an energetic sound echoes into my ear. "What he said."
I look down to find none other than my own flesh and blood, wearing a pair of overalls. Her dark hair pulled into a messy ponytail. "Scarlett, I left you at your mother's house how did you get here?"
"Well I'll be damned." A voice that used to bring me nothing but toxic energy (still sort've does) says. "Greyson this is marvelous I must say."
Hudson sighs. "Why are you here, this is a place of purity Bianca. We don't need that bad juju spreading around here."
Even after having knowledge of Bianca's situation, Hudson remains cold towards her. As most close friends would react when you're around a poisonous ex.
"Relax, Scarlett is a sucker for events like this and wanted to help out." Bianca looks at me.
Scarlett has been staying with Bianca for these past few days, I couldn't just leave my daughter with Sage all this time. She would get suspicious, that's not like me at all and would cause her too snoop in places she shouldn't.
She continues. "Besides what father wouldn't want his daughter helping out on his wedding day? Surely not the princely one I painted you out to be."
Yes, you heard right.
Wedding day
For months I've been planning out a wedding, a surprise wedding you might say. Sage and I have been through enough for me to be able to confidently say she's my forever. No matter what I've done or how much my past comes to haunt our relationship she still proceeds to stay with me with nothing but unconditional love and support. I honestly can't picture my life without the girl with such fire in her eyes and passion to help the ones she loves in her soul.
We were always going to get married but it was going to be a regular expensive and fancy one. Where some planner will tell us the basic wedding go-to and we'd accept. However, Sage is too important for me to brush this off. I don't deserve her and that will always be something I'll never forget, but I will give her something she does deserve. A wedding ceremony that came from the heart.
"I'm here to help, what can I do!?" Scarlett stands tall and excited.
"You've got to ask Uncle Hudson, he's in charge of the execution." I inform her.
Hudson looks down at Scarlett. "You can help me be in charge, how about that? I need a female touch too this."
Scarlett jumps. "Yes sir!"
The two begin to walk off, leaving me in an awkward space with the mother of my child. Although my hatred for her has simmered, I forgot how to converse with her without the venomous tone in my voice. I'm pretty sure old habits die hard and that tone will sneak it's way out somehow and that's the last thing I need to happen.
"So hows the trial?" I break the silence.
Bianca's expression doesn't falter from her usual cold demeanor very much, this is one of the rare moments it has. "I've never felt imprisoned in my own body before, it's almost like I'm in the illness's territory and I'm the intruder it's trying to push out."
I couldn't say any words of comfort, not because I couldn't but because I didn't know how. She's always been the kind of woman who would deal with things herself. Weakness is something she hates to show anyone, even herself. I'm sure if I did say something anyways, she'd take it in a pity way and I know Bianca's pride like I know the ocean is blue.
She scoffed. "Stop with the gloomy vibe, I admit that comment was unwarranted. I promise to not slip like that again. These new treatments are making me feel more human than usual."
"Maybe it's working."
"Or maybe it's rushing the process."
Her tone was joking but her words held truth, I'm sure somewhere deep down, no matter how hard she'll fight she knows the end goal. Unfortunately, my gut agrees. I've done my research and the numbers are critical, Bianca would literally need to be a miracle at this point. Not that I don't believe in them, Sage is the pure definition of one.
It saddens me that the mother of my child most likely won't make it too her graduation, or prom. Marriage or her first child. Things I'm sure Bianca hides that she doesn't care about but I'm sure she wants to see her daughter through this. Help her pick a gown out or find a crib. Scarlett dotes on her, despite her upbringing. She always see's the light in her mother, I could never.
"Bianca."
"Maybe Hudson was right maybe I've got too much bad juju, I should go. I did come to drop our daughter off and that's it." She rubs my arm. "Sage is a lucky girl, I admit I almost feel regret for leaving you. I always knew you were capable of this amount of love but I know now that it never belonged to me. It was always meant for someone else."
In some weird way I knew she was right but what I had for Bianca back then was the second closest thing I had to love. Without her and what she did too me I wouldn't have ever met Sage and I'd go through all of it again just to be in this same position. With the love of my life and a daughter I got lucky to have in the end.
The pain that I felt makes sense because it makes me appreciate what I have. I just wish in some way Bianca could've received it for herself. Even if she did poison my life for years she doesn't deserve to go through this alone. And as much as I want to involve myself, I know that's a bad idea.
"Anyways, I'm not into chick flick moments. I'll be taking my leave." She begins to walk away, sliding on a pair of sunglasses. "Also I've gone ahead and got Scarlett fitted by a designer for her flower girl dress. Don't know if you wanted to be apart of that, and I don't care honestly. My daughter will look nothing less than impeccable at events like this."
Why am I not surprised Bianca?
She walks away like with such grace and nonchalance that you can't tell what's going through her head. Her composure has always been scary, even in madness she thrives. Next time I'll see her will be my wedding and it's interesting to think that Bianca would be there out of anyone. But Scarlett deserves to experience a joyous event with her mother, yet, does Bianca deserve to have front row seats to this?
At the same time it was her who suggested being there and I can't argue that.
Anyways, I must go back to work.
****
"Two more days." Hudson slumps onto the floor, cracking open a beer. "It's basically done, how does it look so far guys?"
Scarlett walks around, staring up at the illumination. Fascination drawn all over her face as she watches millions of stars twinkle above her. An expression I can't wait for Sage to show when the time comes.
"I'll take the silence as approval." He smiles smug as he sips the contents of the can.
"Hudson it's breathtaking."
His eyes slide over too me. "No kidding, wait until the big day when that moon is full and out."
I specifically planned this day and location for the perfect sight of the moon. When I exchange vows with her I want it to be under the bright light of the stars and moon. And a little illumination around to amp up the scenery.
And wait for it...
"Daddy fireflies!"
Everything around us will spread light but nothing will be as bright as her.
I'm sure in someway that Sage would have wanted to plan the wedding herself but at the same time I know her. What she likes and what she'll love, aside from me of course. She's stressed herself for my life, I wasn't going to let her plan a wedding on top of all that madness. Despite her maturity, Sage is still very young and I don't need my fiance growing grey hairs before her twenties.
She already has to deal with the fact that her husband too be is suddenly a father to a child from an ex she had never heard about. On top of the school situation and Walter, almost loosing my dad and almost loosing each other. The least I can do is give her a dream wedding without having her lose her mind with the details.
"You're a cornball, Grey." Hudson jokes. "If you didn't think you were whipped before you damn sure have no excuse to think otherwise now."
I chuckle. "I'm definitely whipped, Hud."
"As long as you know."
As I stare at the venue I see what's too come. The smile on her face and the tears that'll join up with it. I cannot wait to make her my wife.
Suddenly my phone rings, on the screen flashes Richard.
"Dad, I told you I'm not letting you sing at the wedding. I don't care what Simon Cowell said." I answer.
"For your information, son." He responds. "My voice is one of the many reasons your mother fell in love with me. And Simon Cowell says I'm fantastic. Do not belittle my voice, I have the range of an angel."
I roll my eyes. "What do you want?"
"We need to have a serious talk, that loose canon of a brother Sage has, Gideon." He pauses. "Something is going to happen son and I tried very hard to protect you all from it. Andrew and I didn't expect him to be successful in his ventures."
My eyes widen and a frown forms on my face, Hudson watches my expression change and places the beer down. His attention focused on me.
I breathe. "What?"
"I'm sorry, I had promised to keep this until the afterlife but you must know now due to circumstances we could not solve." His tone changed to one I hadn't heard in a very long time. "It's about the Emerson's secret, one that you must prevent Sage from knowing at all costs."
"Father." I stand up.
He sighs. "We can't talk about this over the phone, you need to come to the towers."
"What's it about?" I say, anxiously.
"It's about..." He pauses. "It's about her mother, it's about Sages mother."
****AUTHORS NOTE****
I apologize on the delay of the long awaited update, life has been quite distracting and honestly I've gone through so much that I lost my actual drive to write. I've been dabbling with this chapter for months, I rewrote it several times and tried to figure out which direction to go and debated on having it be cliche like the rest or adding my famous twists. I've made my decision and all I need you too know is what you're expecting, I'm definitely going to try and combat it in any way shape or form.
So bear with me, more updates too come soon. I promise you all this story will be finished withing the next few months or less.