'Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue'
A Friday
The 18th of a September
The beautiful Dovolore Castle
My hand glided over the whites of the fabric, gliding over the lace, gliding over the bodice. It had come. After years of love, today was the day, a day that lead to an eternity.
Six years had swept past like a fast breeze on a windy day, but I could still remember the first day, standing
by the window, Blonde behind me, I had watched the one man I could ever truly love, staring back at me.
Standing here, today, in my wedding gown, every minute of the six years rolled before me, somedays great, somedays anything but, but one thing stood constant through out the years, Bryce.
And now here we were... finally. Our wedding day.
Blinking away the sudden tears in my eyes I turned back towards the mirror and caught one woman who meant the world to me standing behind me watch me with warm wet proud eyes, a forgotten tissue in her hand, my father beside her.
"It's time, darling," she whispered, glancing at my father for a second before slowly sweeping out the door, leaving us in the room, alone.
"You look radiant, fuzzy," dad walked to stand behind me, resting his hands on my shoulder.
"Thank you, dad," I whispered back, my eyes blurring as I watched the man who fathered me, the man who cared for me, the man who raised me up with love, warmth, cry as he stood behind me, his eyes proud and sad.
I couldn't help it. I turned and hugged my dad.
"I know I've never said this enough dad, but I love you. You're always going to be my superhero."
"I love you too, kiddo. You've made me a very proud father. Thank you." He mumbled back, chuckling midway as his voice broke and I held him tighter.
He chuckled again, "Okay, I need to walk you down the Isle," he pulled away, smiling as he dabbed a tissue under my eye,carefully.
Moving back he extended me his arm, "ready?"
I hooked my arm in his, my thoughts now on the one man, the one man who was waiting for me at the end of the isle. Looking at my dad, I smiled back, "Ready,"
"Ready?" Blonde asked dad as he stood in front of the large oak door.
"Ready," dad smiled, looking at me as he tightened his hold on my now shaking arms.
My gaze glanced towards Blonde and he grinned at me, "Congratulations, Luna,"
And then he and Emogin pulled the doors open.
My eyes swept up and stilled on wide, loving, bright blue pools.
Standing at the end of the Isle, Bryce stood towering almost everyone, Derek, Rome, Alistair and Chris behind him, almost as tall as him. A bright smile on all of their faces, but my eyes stayed only for Bryce. His beautiful blue eyes.
Looking at me, his beautiful eyes wide, he smiled, his eyes glistened, and I took a step forward. To our forever.
A Saturday
Ten months later
Peidmond, WA
The keys jingled from my fingers as I closed the office up early for today, twelve o clock on the noon, at the dot.
A soft smile braced my lips as I reached forward to open my car's door and the two glistening rings on my ring finger shone in the light, stopping me to admire the symbols of my marriage. Almost an year had come to pass and it still felt like it was only just yesterday. I still took out time to admire them every chance I got.
"Have a great weekend, Mrs Wilhem," my secretary called out cheerfully as she walked to her own car, somewhere in the parking lot.
I put a hand up in a wave, my bright smile matching hers, "You too, Shelly! Have fun! See you on Monday!"
Shelly grinned as she got into her red bug, "Wouldn't miss it, Mrs Wilhem, your mother's Monday visits are the only things that brighten my Mondays!"
Opening the car's door I grinned back at Shelly, "Same here Shelly, same here,"
Another wave and goodbye and we both got into our cars, and drove out of the parking lot.
"I demand you come to the boutique right now, Theia, the girls and I are waiting for you!" Mom insisted over the phone and I glanced at my wrist watch, sighing as I gave in.
"I don't know what this is about ma, but really you and the girls are staring to scare me with your secret missions," I grumbled into my phone as I sat in my car, parked on the side of the road to take the call from mom.
I rolled my eyes when a round a excited squeals echoed around in the background and I almost imagined them throwing their hands in the air in triumph. I couldn't help but shake my head as the line went dead, my friends were really losing their minds as their grew older.
Glancing at the main road I quickly got my car back in the lane and began driving towards the boutique, all the while wondering what the girls had up their sleeves now.
Walking into the boutique, I glanced around suspiciously. Everything seemed in the ordinary, nothing seemed amiss. A frown marred my features and I took a step towards one of mom's sales assistants.
"Hey, excuse me, do you know where my mother, Mrs. Anderson, is?" I asked as reached the girl with straight black hair, her back turned towards me as she tidied up the rack.
She stopped and turned around and my eyes widened as I looked at Gardenia, one of my clients, her grey blue eyes looking at me with sudden happiness.
"Nia! What are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to be in college?" I asked, startled, happy to see her, but confused all the same. She was supposed to be in College, in New York!
"Well... dad spiralled again," she mumbled quietly as she shuffled on her feat.
I understood perfectly well, Reese Evans, Gardenia's father, was a cocaine addict, reforming and then collapsing one too many times, usually very abusive under the influence of the drug. His fear for Gardenia's late mother's genes and features being in her lead to his undying hatred. His hatred had lead to Gardenia's brutal beatings. His beatings had reduced Gardenia into seeing me.
"How is he doing, now?" I asked, my hand finding hers, I gave it a comforting squeeze.
Shrugging Nia looked away, "He had an overdose, two weeks ago."
Oh my...
"Why didn't you visit me?" I breathed from between my teeth, watching the sad looking girl in front of me.
"I just... didn't think there was hope. College... my dreams... I mean.. how?"
I squeezed her hand again. "You still want to go to NYU?"
Surprising me she shook her head, looking stuck between speaking her mind and not, "I just want to get out of America. I'm done. But there isn't any hope left, I'm stuck, and penniless in debt because of my father's addiction!"
Despite myself I smiled, my mother and the girls still in the back of my mind, I shook my head and looked at the girl in front of me. "There is always hope, Gardenia. If you want, you can apply to any of the universities in Europe, Germany is great too, my best friend is settled there. We can help you out. Sell your house to pay the debt. Take a leap, because without it you won't be able to pass the ditch. Think about it." I softly tapped the girls hands before letting it go, her eyes wide with hope and fear.
Slowly Gardenia nodded and I smiled. "You always know where to find me."
Her stormy eyes met mine and I wished it twinkled like it usually did in our sessions when she laughed, this girl had seen a lot, it was about time her life changed for the good.
"Thank you," she whispered, "Thank you, Mrs. Anderson is in her newly finished office,"
Sending a smile her way I nodded as I turned around and made my way to the former back room, the soft scent of frangipani making me smile brightly. I had come to have a sudden liking to the exotic flower, for the past few weeks, it smelled like heaven.
I stopped at the door, hearing loud rumbles of chattering, immediately it stopped. I sighed. They knew I was here.
The door knob felt warm against my palm, I smiled as I turned the knob and pushed the door open. My body temperature had been increasing recently.
"SURPRISE!!"
I blinked, my eyes tearing, staring at the large decorated room. Mom and Aunt Meryl standing in middle, Marley, Casey and Charlotte excitedly vibrating in the right, I cocked an eyebrow up seeing a guilty looking smiling Shelly beside them.
"Guys," I breathed, a shocked laugh leaving my lips as I shook my head at this treat.
Immediately all six women rushed forward, mom's arms finding me as she pulled me into the room and onto the large white seat in the middle. A bunch of wrapped packages and boxes resting on the floor nearly around my feet.
"We know it's a little early, but we wanted to! Happy baby shower, darling." Aunt Meryl grinned as she swooped in and placed a kiss on my forehead. Mom sitting on the arm rest to my right, her comforting arm around my shoulder.
"Yes sweetie, and we all think you tell Alexander, I know he's been over in the UK for the past eight weeks,—
"Which is crazy I never thought he could stay away for so long, but—" Marley butted in, then fell silent as Aunt Meryl sent her a warning look.
"But you should tell him," Aunt Meryl smiled and continued as if she wasn't cut off.
I smiled, shrugging at the women I front of me. "I'll tell him when he comes home tomorrow,"
"They're twins, you know," Aunt Meryl grinned, a knowing look in her eyes.
"WHAT!?"
The two whats echoed around the room, Charlotte's excited and mine surprised. My hand immediately found my stomach.
"See, I told you she didn't know." Mom turned grimly towards aunt Meryl, her lips out in a pout.
Aunt Meryl smirked as she pat mom on her arm and nodded. "Well now she knows,"
Nodding slightly mom suddenly looked, her smile in place again as she looked around the room again.
"Well ladies, let the baby shower begin!"
It felt like a frenzy, how the baby shower commenced and ended. All the gift giving, unwrapping, awwing over the tiny sweater from Mom and Aunt Meryl's new clothing line, all the pregnancy stories that Charlotte and Casey had to share.
Now walking out of the shower, my hair wet, dripping on the tiles as I walked towards my towel, I had a full blown smile on my face. Maybe it was the hormones, maybe it was the growing sense of warmth that I felt every time I thought about the life growing inside me... the lives growing inside me. My babies.
Babies.
A soft sigh left my lips as I let the towel fall, I stumbled slightly as I rubbed myself dry, slipping into the most comfortable clothes I had found earlier.
Letting my hair air dry I put the towel on the towel hanger before opening the door and walking out into the bedroom.
Walking towards the bed I stilled when the sound of the door knob turn sounded, suddenly curious I turned towards the door.
The door flung open and so did my mouth, the beating of my heart accelerating to loud, fast beats of the drums.
A smiling Bryce leaped into the room, bags in hand when he suddenly stopped.
I watched, suddenly stunned, as he tilted his nose up and took a wiff, his ears twitching. Immediately his eyes snapped to mine, golden and fiery. Then to my stomach. My hand instantly found my tummy.
One second my husband stood at the door, his black shirt clutching to his solid muscles, and the next he stood before me, nose to nose, his eyes peering into mine, his hand placed flat on my stomach. My hand pushed away.
"Two..."
It came out like a growl, and an year earlier I would flinch, but I sighed as I brought my hands up and framed his face with them. His golden eyes darkened and he let out a low growl.
"Our babies. You're going to be a dad." I let out, my breath a soft whisper. Bryce's eyes shut close and he leaned his forehead against mine, a serene smile suddenly on his face.
"Thank you, I love you."
My eyes blurred as his eyes opened and a tear slipped down his left eye. I pulled my beast into an embrace, holding him, letting him hold me, as I felt a sense of calm slip over me for the first time in eight weeks.
"I love you too, babe, I love you too."
A Sunday
Five Months Later
Theia's home
"Theia! Will you stop!?"
I stopped, turning towards my mom with an innocent look on my face, "Stop what?"
My mother heaved out a frustrated sigh as she rolled her eyes and sent her hands up in exhaustion. "Stop standing on the chair and trying to decorate the Christmas tree! Alexander is going to be very angry! And so is your dad!"
I rolled my eyes as I mocked whatever she was saying, the irritation filtering through as I stretched on my swollen feet, my increasing stomach definitely there and present. Finally the decoration hooked to a branch and I grinned.
Then a loud growl erupted in the room and I closed my eyes, cussing myself at being caught.
"THEIA WILHEM!"
My father's voice boomed in the room just as two strong arms snatched me off of the chair and wrapped me against a hard chest. Low puffs of growl echoing around the room.
I stayed still, letting Bryce hold me as I basked in the feeling of having the his wedding band against my hot skin, under the large t-shirt of his I had stolen earlier.
"That's it! I'm never leaving you and your mother in the same room alone!" Dad muttered as he came to stand behind my husband. Bryce let out a low growl at that before he began walking towards the sofa, dad marching behind us.
"I'm fine, guys! Super pregnant, but fine!" I grumbled awkwardly, my hand finding the front pocket of Bryce's t-shirt I pulled out a Snicker's bar and grinned brightly as the packet gave away.
"You're seriously testing my patience," Bryce hissed under his breath and I smiled at him brightly as I took a bite of the snickers bar.
"I love you too, husband."
Against my Bryce sighed, then pressed his lips onto my forehead. "Why do you always have to scare me like that, Thi? I just want you and the kids safe,"
I frowned. Taking another bite. "I love you?"
Bryce shook his head, and I almost smiled at his resolve breaking away.
"I love you too, wife."