(Anna's POV)
Today was the day. Today was the day that I would officially become a part of Michael's life, not just as his best friend, or his fiance, but as his wife. Michael spent the night at his family's Hayvenhurst estate while I slept alone here, at Neverland. Luckily I had Aubrey and Tatiana in the rooms next door, while my aunt and uncle were down the hall. Though I technically was not alone, it still felt awkward sleeping alone without Michael next to me. I lifted my head from the pillow and stretched my stiff limbs before exiting the bedroom. The smell of bacon and eggs flowed through my nostrils, hinting me that Aunt May was awake and already busy. I trudged down the staircase towards the kitchen area to see my aunt busying herself around the kitchen,
"Good morning bride-to-be." Aunt May teased as she filled my plate with every bit of breakfast food she managed to cook up. I smiled to myself as I took the plate from her hands and began to pick at my food with my fork. "I am guessing that you have yet to tell him." I looked up from my plate to see Aunt May staring at me with one eyebrow cocked up.
"How'd you-"
"It's a mother's instincts, or in this case, a really great aunt's instincts." Aunt May set the spatula she had been holding on the counter and took a seat next to me at the breakfast table. "Anna, you can not keep this from him, no matter how badly you want to protect him from the truth, it all will come out in the end. The longer you hide this from him, the worse it will be for the both of you. This problem is something that will not only be taking a huge chunk out of your life, but it will also be taking a huge chunk out of his life as well. You need to consider how this all will affect him in the end as well." She sighed and laid a hand upon my own that I had not realized was shaking.
"Aunt May I am scared, I am not going to lie, I am truthfully scared of what all of this will mean for Michael and I. I do consider how he will take this, I consider that every day of my life. It kills me to go on with my days knowing that deep down I have a secret, one that he does not know about and the fact that the secret is going to alter our lives is what kills me the most." I buried my face within my hands as my thoughts all began to pile out at once.
"Anna, I know that this is a very difficult decision but you need to understand that you may not be ready to tell him now, but sooner or later you will have to be honest with Michael. Just know that whatever you decide, your uncle, your friends and I will all be here to support you no matter what." I wrapped my arms around my aunt's neck as I began to sob softly into her shoulder. I knew that I would always have my loved ones to fall back on in any time of need, but just the mere thought of Michael not included frightened me to all new lows. Suddenly, the front door to the house flew open and in entered Janet, LaToya, and Rebbie, all who were followed by strangers carrying suitcases into the foyer, one by one.
"Where is my, about-to-be-sister this lovely morning?" Janet's voice sounded through the house.
"Kitchen!" I managed to yell back. Janet soon appeared in the kitchen with a bright grin upon her dark skin.
"Are you ready for today?" She squealed in amusement and excitement.
"As ready as I will ever be. Who brought all of that junk in the foyer?" I questioned, attempting to get a closer look as to what was becoming of the foyer.
"I thought Michael already discussed this with you? He paid for hair and makeup stylists to come work on you as well as the bridesmaids, and your aunt." My jaw fell open slightly at the imaginative price that all of this must have cost.
"Clearly not, but don't you think that this is a little...much?" Janet scoffed in sarcasm at my rather upfront question.
"You are marrying the Michael Jackson, so you might as well get treated like it." Not long after Janet's comment, both Tatiana and Aubrey emerged from their rooms to the same astonishment I was bearing not long before.
"Who in the hell moved in?" Aubrey asked, peering over at the mile-high suitcases.
"Don't you think you packed a little much for your honeymoon, Anna?" Tatiana snickered. I scoffed at her tease before responding to her,
"For your information, I have yet to pack for our honeymoon. Those are just suitcases belonging to the makeup and hair stylists Michael has so graciously provided for us." Both women oohed in excitement at the thought of getting everything done professionally. After a few moments of chattering amongst ourselves, a woman and a man of feminine taste entered through the kitchen,
"Hello ladies, my name is Jacquelin and this is Evan and we will be conducting your hair and makeup treatment for today. Which one of you is the bride?" The woman searched curiously but soon ended once I raised my hand shyly. "Ahh, it is such a pleasure to meet you Miss Simms, and congratulations on the big day! Mr. Jackson specifically asked that you all be taken care of properly. Before we start, I would like to get a few details about the wedding so Evan and I can do some thinking as to how we need to prepare you all." Both Jaquelin and Evan moved closer to me as everyone set their eyes upon me as I went to explain every detail that I could manage.
"Well..."
...
(Michael's POV)
All through the night I tossed and turned in pure madness. The excitement that I had been setting my focus on for oh so long had finally arrived, I was about to marry the love of my life. Throughout the night, scenarios of how the day would play out rolled through my head as the minutes of dawn began to set upon me. I imagined how stunning Anna would look in white as she walked so angelically down the aisle as she kept her deep blue eyes pierced upon mine. The images kept me from taking a moment's rest which at this point, didn't bother me. I had made some calls the day before I came here, to Hayvenhurst. I wanted Anna and her bridal party to have the best experience when preparing for the special day, so I called in one of Los Angeles' top hair and makeup stylists, Jacqueline Boudois and Evan Whitcox, both who have been major assets to blockbuster movies, as well as many celebrities. I wanted my soon to be wife to be the center of attention, and what better way to do that than to treat her like the queen she has always been to me. I trudged down the cedar steps as the sun was beginning to peek over the trees in the backyard. All that I could see around me were buckets and buckets of beautifully scented flowers, as well as what seemed like mile-long lengthened ribbon surrounding the house. Every room seemed to hold a different theme, whether it being the chinaware, flowers, or other items that needed to be taken to the venue today. Once I weaved my way through the maze of materials, I found my way to the kitchen to see my mother making breakfast.
"Good morning Mother." I greeted her as I placed a soft kiss upon her cheek. She turned to greet me in response with a hug and a dazzling smile upon her face.
"Good morning my handsome son, today is the big day!" She chirped as she placed some eggs and a few strips of bacon on an empty plate and slid it towards me.
"I'm not that hungry, Mother." Her happy smile faded into a serious stare as she pointed the spatula in my direction.
"Michael Joseph Jackson, you may be thirty years old, but that does not mean I am not afraid to whoop you. You need to eat and I am not taking no for an answer, now eat your food." I poked my lip out at her as I began to dig through my eggs to satisfy her.
"I thought you were going over to the ranch this morning?" I asked as I swallowed my food.
"I wanted to make you breakfast, my son. Especially since today is going to be busy, you need to keep your energy up. I was not planning to go over there until later this morning, though your sisters have already left." I chuckled to myself.
"Of course they did."
"Are you nervous?" My mother blurted, though I was taken aback by her absurd question.
"Not in the least, why do you ask?" I laid my fork down as she pulled out a chair and sat down next to me.
"I still remember your father and I's wedding almost as if it were yesterday. I was absolutely terrified, not just at the thought of having to walk down the aisle in front of many people, but it was just the thought that I was going to be spending forever with this one man. It is a very scary situation to process, and for me, it was even scarier. I loved your father very much, I still do, but that doesn't mean that it's scary to say that you want to spend the rest of your life with someone." I let her words sink in. I never knew of my mother to be scared of anything, and the one thing that she was ever afraid of was commitment, which became an ultimate shock to me. My mother always had been a strong, and confident woman and it was hard to picture her in that light.
"I never thought of it that way. I knew I loved Anna from when we were children and the thought of her being in my life until we grow old has never once frightened me, but I guess I never knew how all of this really made her feel." My mother laid a calming hand upon my own before speaking once more,
"Sweetheart, Anna is going to be more afraid of this type of commitment than anyone. She is going to be marrying you. It's not every day that someone gets married to a worldwide pop star, it just doesn't happen, but she will be in the lime light at the beginning and it all can be overwhelming. I know that this is something that you want, but just make sure that this is something that she wants to, knowing all of these consequences she too needs to assure herself that this is something that she wants." I stayed silent for a few moments, only allowing my mother's words to set deep within.
"I know Anna, and I know that if she was not ready then she would just tell me. We love each other." My mother gave me a wide smile.
"I know you do dear, but I would tell this to any one of my children who were getting married. This is just a typical mother to son talk. But I am going to leave for the ranch to help my soon-to-be daughter get prepared for her marriage to my wonderful son. I love you Michael, and no matter how grown you are, you will always be my baby." She gave me a kiss on the forehead before walking towards the front door and closing it behind her. I took a few moments to ponder my thoughts and absorb what all she told me. Anna loves me and she too wanted to get married, but why am I worrying so much over nothing? Does she really want to get married? I couldn't bother my conscience with questions of nonsense. Instead, I pushed the thoughts aside and began to clean up my dishes and prepare myself for Anna and I's big day, together
To be continued...
Okay so don't kill me. I know that this was a very, very short chapter but the next is bound to be very...well, I guess you will have to find out. MWAHAHAHAHAHA. Thank you to all voted for That Summer as one of the MJFA's Finalists, though my book did not win, in my heart, this was still a victory for me. I am forever grateful for the endless support you guys have shown over the past couple of years and it has been a truly amazing experience to be able to share my writing with you all. This is not the final book I will be writing, so stay tuned for more news as far as books I will be writing pretty soon. Until then, xoxo