Disclaimer & Author's Note:
Anything you recognise definitely doesn't belong to me, but I thank you, all those other stories out there that I've been reading for this whole while as I brainstormed on this idea, for providing various inspiration and source of motivation to finish this story. I'm quite certain the plot idea is original. It's a lengthy one-shot, I didn't want to split it into chapters. And yes, I do not own Suite Life. If I did, we will have new episodes consistently every week. In any case, enjoy & review, that would make me really happy :D
Summary:
Bailey was called home due to an emergency, only to find out that her parents have bethrothed her to a boy in Kettlecorn even before she was born. Now he's 18, the legal age for marriage and waiting to take over the family farm. He needs to settle down before he can legally have rights over his family farm under Kettlecorn law, so his family is calling for Bailey's hand in marriage under the betrothed conditions set 17 years ago. However, Bailey's only a senior at Seven Seas High and is currently dating Cody. This will greatly affect her diploma, not to mention her college plans and her relationship with Cody. What can they do about it or is it too late?
All's fair in love and farms.
"How's my beautiful Bailey comet?" Cody said as he entered Bailey's cabin.
"Not so good," Bailey replied as she turned around from her desk to face him. She gave him a small sad smile at that, hoping that was vague enough and that she wouldn't need a better explanation.
Cody took a seat beside her and held her hand in his, stroking her hand which helped to calm her down. Cody sure knows every way to make his honey happy.
Bailey didn't know how to tell Cody her situation, so she merely handed him the letter she left in between the pages of her Biology book.
Dear Bailey,
We know you're busy preparing for mid-semester exams that's coming up really soon but something has cropped up at home. Something big and important and you need to be here soon. Call Uncle Bill the moment you receive this letter and he'll arrange a flight for you at your next port. As much as I want to say there's nothing to worry about, but I can't. It's still under control now, but we need your decision. Return home immediately.
Love
Mom and Pappy.
The Pickett family's emergency letter kept Bailey worrying, even Cody felt that something dreadful must have happened. Cody placed his arm around her, pulling her in and she fell into Cody's comforting arms.
"What if Pappy's in the emergency room, he is getting old and I've been telling him to leave the farm work to the boys on the farm, but no, he's as fit as a cow!" Bailey mimicked her dad. "Or worse, something awful has already happened, and they're just calling me back now to tell me the news as I'm half way across the world!" Bailey words muffled towards the end as she placed her head down on Cody's shoulder, tears began soaking his shirt.
"Bailey, first thing first, before we panic, let's just called Uncle Bill and get two tickets the fastest way back to Kettlecorn," Bailey looked up at him as if questioning the 'we' and 'two tickets'.
Cody knew what she was thinking instantly as he replied, "Don't be silly Bailey, you don't think I'm just going to let you go back on your own while I worry here? I'll be with you all the way no matter what happens."
Bailey was touched by Cody's insistence to accompany her back home; she knew she couldn't handle any crisis without him by her side.
"Mom, Pappy, I'm home! Is everything alright? Is everyone okay?" Bailey screamed across the house but her voice merely echoed back. "That's weird," Bailey said, earning a confused look from Cody.
"It's just, normally the house will be so packed that everyone had to scream across the hall just to get another to pass the peas, and right now, there's nobody home. Oh Cody, my senses are tingling and I think something really awful must have happened!"
Before Cody could think of something witty to comfort Bailey, the door opened and Bailey's parents came strutting in. Bailey ran towards them and held on to their hug for quite a decent time. Honestly, Bailey hasn't visited home since two semesters break ago as the gang went summer backpacking in Europe the last time they were docked there; so she really missed her parents. While this wasn't the best reason to be home, she was just glad to be in their comforting embrace.
Upon releasing Bailey and giving a small greeting to acknowledge Cody's presence, tears began rolling down her mother's eyes, some of it for the lost months since she last saw Bailey but mostly channelled towards the news.
Bailey's mother, Karen, finally spoke with a sigh, "You're getting married".
Bailey's family has always been very supportive of hers and Cody's relationship. Cody came by two summers ago and stayed with the Pickett family for three days while Zack was away on his Wilderness Scouts Troop reunion near Kettlecorn. Cody was well accepted by Bailey's nine sisters, who found him very charming even when he droned on actuarial science and quantum physics. Unexpectedly, his intelligence even won over Bailey's over-protective dad, Clement, especially after hearing his well-thought of plans for the future.
Coming back to the present, "Wait, this is the big emergency?" Bailey looked at Cody the instant her mother said that. Before Cody could respond, she replied with all smiles but seriousness that 'She's not ready to commit even though she loves him' and went on with, 'We're just too young, but I like your plan, in cahoots with my family. That's sweet.' She did add on she's not too happy that he made her so worried for the past few days.
Unfortunately, Cody wasn't as well-prepared for the announcement as she did. Cody merely shook his head furiously and exclaimed, "NO, I'm NOT asking for your hand in marriage." His voice was tense and high pitched though, and a nervous laugh followed the statement after he realised the double interpretation of his words.
Bailey shot him a look of disappointment and fury.
Noticing that, he quickly continued, "Not that I don't want to, because I love you very much honey, but you said so yourself, we're just too young and it's not the right time yet." He shined his charming smile, melting away the fury in Bailey on his rejection to their 'marriage'.
Bailey's dad stepped in to explain. 'Please sit and I'll explain in full detail. It's not easy for me to bring this up, and definitely a big mistake on our part.'
Bailey's dad was twiddling his thumbs on the table as he explained that he and Old man Jenkins were friends that went way back to elementary school and they grew up together. From buying their first packet of potatoes from the market and were scolded by their parents as they grew potatoes on the farm (their family reared animals, not so much on plantation) to the day he married, and the joyous day when his son was born…
"I know Old man Jenkins! I just didn't know he had a son!" Bailey interrupted.
Clement went on to explain that Old man Jenkins' son, Henrie, was seldom mentioned due to his distance away from home, and people didn't want to frequently mention him to make Old man Jenkins feel miserable that his kid was not home with him. In Kettlecorn, most families were huge, having 5 kids minimum is the norm, and the whole family lives together under one roof. Old man Jenkins was different. He wanted to change his life, he, like Bailey, loves adventures and tried all ways to leave Kettlecorn but was held back by his father. So he set sights that next time he will send his kid abroad to gain independence and see the world that he never got to see. He only had one son as it was not cheap to keep him abroad in a top boarding school, for this reason, he did not want to have more kids to increase their burden. Well and also the fact that his wife did leave him just a year after Henrie was born.
He felt a twinge in her stomach as he remembered about the pact they made when Henrie was born and just right after Bailey's mum was pregnant with her. Clement knew it was now or never, he had to tell her. All those stories earlier was merely a build up, or him just beating around the bush.
Bailey seemed to have realised it as well, "So wait, what Old man Jenkins has to do with me and the emergency, and the marriage? I don't get it."
"The truth is," Clement paused before continuing, "I knew all about the plans Old man Jenkins was going to make for his son and that he is definitely going to be someone great in the future. You know, Bailey in our time, not many people left Kettlecorn, so it was seen as something big. Henrie will become someone with hopes, dreams and a good future. I wanted to make sure that at least one of my daughters will marry off well, so –"
Bailey looked keenly at her pappy, she was clearly leaning over her side of the table as she waited for the announcement her dad is about to say that will change her life forever.
"I have betrothed you to Henrie," Clement finally said it, and no, it didn't felt like a sigh of relieve as he had just dashed the hopes, dreams and plans of his daughter. Clement clearly thought he made a good decision at that point of time, creating a good future for his child, but little did he know he had betrothed his most adventurous daughter, and at times the most rebellious (Like the time she hid in the barn for a whole week, surviving just on water, so that her parents could let her go on Seven Seas High semester-at-sea programme) to Old man Jenkins' family.
"Why didn't you tell me about this before, till now?" Bailey was in tears, and Cody's arm was around her, but it was difficult to calm a hysteric woman.
"We forgot about it, it was nearly two decades ago, and with Old man Jenkins' son abroad, who would have guessed that he'll be back to marry my Bailey? We all thought he'll stay wherever he is and never come back again," Bailey's dad sighed with regret and shoved his hands in his pockets.
Cody cut in the moment of silence and queried, "Was there any official legal document that cemented your agreements of betrothal?"
Bailey looked up as if she saw a ray of sunshine behind dark clouds, but only to be set back in the darkness.
"No there wasn't, but in Kettlecorn, we do things by trust and integrity. We're a man of our words; we don't go back against what we have said even if we regret saying it," Clement admitted grudgingly.
"Back in Boston, everything is about legal documents! No signature, no deal," Cody muttered without the slightest hint of hesitation as he ran a hand through his blonde locks in frustration before adding on, "but why now? Is Henrie back and asking for Bailey's hand in marriage?"
Clement paused for a brief moment and swallowed before replying, "Old man Jenkins has been sickly for quite a while and most recently his nurse recommends his family to come home as soon as possible to make necessary arrangements. Old man Jenkins needs Henrie to take over the family farm, so he has asked for him to return to Kettlecorn." He took a deep breath before continuing, "However he needs to settle down before he can legally have rights over his family farm under Kettlecorn law, so Old man Jenkins is calling for Bailey to return and follow the pact, under the betrothed conditions set seventeen years ago. He turns eighteen next month, the legal age for marriage and Old man Jenkins has been waiting for him to take over the family farm for a really long time."
"So pappy, I'm being punished for your mistake?" Bailey took a deep breath, tears falling down her cheeks as she spoke. With that, she stood up and paced around the table.
Cody asked, "I don't see why he has to marry Bailey. Can't he marry other girls since to take over the family farm just requires a marriage certificate and not 'marry your betrothed partner'?"
"Unfortunately, Old man Jenkins has been insisting on the agreement and he is in the process of sending his son home immediately. That was why I wanted you to be home before he does. Hopefully to see if we can think of ways to get out of this, or if possible, delay it. Have you seen my Bailey? She's gorgeous! The moment he sees her, Henrie will also insist on the marriage!" Bailey's dad remarked.
Bailey really wanted to laugh but the confusion and frustration in her prevented her from doing so. "Pappy, this is no time to brag about me. You better think of ways to get me out of this mess! I'm not going to marry a guy I don't know about, abandoning my high school education, college plans and Cody!"
Everyone was deep in their thoughts, cracking their brains for ideas and Cody came up with the first. "How about, we find another girl, and match-make her with him? He seems like a good catch, I'm sure girls will fawn over him."
Clement was just about to praise Cody for his brilliant idea but Bailey's witty comment was lightning fast, "Cody, if he is a good catch, he should already have a girlfriend and not come back and demand for me to marry him!" Bailey exclaimed, as her face remained sceptical of the idea while she put a defiant hand on her hip.
"Well honey, don't be too harsh on Cody, he's merely trying to help out," Clement added.
"Oh it's alright Mr Pickett. Bailey gets cranky when she's upset," Cody said as he gave a smirk look, earning a whack on the back from Bailey, playfully of course as she hid the grin that threatened to cross her face at his comment.
So they thought of a few suggestions, give or take a few, Bailey kept criticising all the ideas, it was her future at stake after all. Time was seriously running out, the clock was counting down to the last three days that Henrie will be back. After much consideration, they have decided to go with their very first idea – to find another girl to replace Bailey. It seems to benefit everyone, including the girl, Bailey insist she will not force a poor girl to take her place unless she is a willing party who wants to be married off. So there, a win-win situation. The only problem? Finding that girl.
They conducted match-making interview sessions with potential girls in Kettlecorn but most of them only want to consider after they saw him.
'How superficial can these girls be?' Bailey cried. Old man Jenkins had no photos of his son as he never sent back photos, just school results, handwritten letters and presents, claiming Henrie doesn't like to take photos. "Told you, he's probably not such a good catch. We're doomed! No girls will want to take my place!" Bailey sighed, looking so sad and crestfallen.
Bailey let her head drop to Cody's shoulder as they sat at the front porch gazing at the beautiful skyline of Kettlecorn as the sun sets.
"Isn't this just perfect?" Cody said only to hear Bailey sobbing away. "What's the matter sweetie? Did I say something wrong?"
She slowly lifted her head off of Cody's shoulder and faced him. "No, you're right, it's perfect. But in a few days, all these will change!"
Cody soothed her by stroking her hand softly, while he stared absent-mindedly into the sky, speechless for the first time that he was posed a problem he couldn't solve, that familiar aching returned to his chest again.
Hearts are often broken by words left unspoken.
The next day started out well, or at least hopeful. Cody continued scanning through the list of ideas they have thought of and also another list of girls and their photos in Kettlecorn, sadly it was a mere short list, all he had to do was just catch a glimpse of the lines.
"Found any cute girls in the catalogue that caught your eyes?" Bailey teased Cody as she handed him a can of coke.
"Yep, a real cutie. Full dark brown eyes, straight blonde hair, look at those gorgeous lips and not forgetting the nice curves as well," Cody replied, only to received a smack from Bailey and a 'How could you say that' taunt from her.
Cody grabbed her waist before she could smack and leave, pulling him close to her and said seductively, "You babe, that blonde chick, it's you." He gave an apologetic smile.
"Oh I know, I was just kidding sweetie," Bailey laughed.
"Oh, you are so gonna regret saying that!" Cody told her as his arms shot out towards her stomach and tickled at her sides mercilessly. She tried to catch his hands and stop him but he was too quick for her, and she was laughing way too hard while fidgeting, hoping to get out from his grabs. After a while, Cody finally slowly stopped tickling her, as she now had tears running down her face. He sat up and started laughing at the sight, which only caused her to laugh even more.
From the corner of his eye, he could see two of Bailey's sisters, twins Bestlyn and Brenda, giggling, which usually wouldn't bug him as they were used to his and Bailey's cuddliness since the last time he was here.
"Hey Bails, your sisters are starring at us," Cody said before letting Bailey out his arms.
"Well we better space ourselves before they start tattling us off to pappy about how inappropriately we're behaving," Bailey sniggered before adding on, "remember how we were merely holding hands and they told pappy you were taking advantage of me?"
They both laughed and shook their heads, thinking back on the day pappy held his shovel from the farm and approached the scared-looking Cody. Cody stood at the spot and told Mr Pickett to give him his best shot as it was his mistake for not asking permission to hold Bailey's hand. It was that statement that won over Bailey's dad, knowing Cody is the right man for his girl as he is a man of trust, respect and filialness.
"Kids," Cody said, "I really look forward to the day they start dating and maybe I can tease them about it, just like how they did to us."
"You'll definitely have to wait quite a long while for that to happen; they're only eight this year," Bailey replied.
"I love your family; they're amazing and really make me feel at home. Not that I don't appreciate Zack, mum and dad, but these days, even with reunions, we're just there as a family because we have to be a family, not really behaving like a family should be. Just like yours. It's one of the few reasons why I love to come with you to Kettlecorn," Cody smiled.
"So you date me for my family? How could you, Cody Martin?" Bailey remarked jokingly.
"No, of course not," Cody quickly responded. "I love you very much, and you know it." Cody said as a matter-of-factly while his arms wrapped around her back protectively, and hers, automatically, were wrapped around his waist tightly.
Bailey gave a full smile in agreement and told him the same words, "I love you too".
Just as they were to lean in for a kiss, they were interrupted by Bailey's third and fourth older sisters, Benedette and Brittany. "Hate to be in the middle of your…interesting moment, but you guys have definitely got to hear this," Brittany casually said.
Cody and Bailey stood there crossing their arms, with mixed feelings of anger and hope. Angry that they had disturbed their moment but both held a hopefully look across their faces that there may finally be a solution.
"Well it's just," Benedette stumbled over her words and was continued by Brittany, "Maybe we could take Bailey's place. I mean we're of the suitable age too, and we would love to have Prince Charming come and sweep us off our feet!"
Just as Brittany said that, all Cody could think about was that day the ship was docking at Germany, Black Forest, where they were all bored to tears during Miss Tutweiller's class on the Origin of Fairytales. Bailey was the beauty princess and he was her Prince Charming. Cody sighed at the thought of it, How can I still be her Prince Charming if I can't even solve her problem and I'm so losing her.
Bailey stood in the deserted family room at an unruly hour in the morning, staring through the window and leaning against the wall as the rain slowly trickled down the glass, causing the outside surroundings to become blurred and obscured.
Why must life be so complicated? Bailey thought.
All she wanted was to lead a normal life with a little more adventure at Seven Seas High, with Cody, one where they finished school together, maybe become researchers together and get married, maybe form a family when they're ready. This was a big step for Bailey. Although many girls in Kettlecorn, and around the world, already had their wedding day thought off, she did too, and had done so since about 11 years old, but this was different, it is not going to be with the man of her dreams. Not her Cody. She had figured that if she was going to marry someone tomorrow, it should be with someone who she wanted to be with for the rest of her life, she would gladly get married. However, that wasn't the case for her. Tears trickled down her face as she thought of all the shattered dreams. She leaned her head against the glass window pane and breathed out a long sigh, trying not to think about her wedding that was going to take place really soon.
At that moment, footsteps could be heard from the stairs. Bailey responded to the sound and a messy blonde-haired boy with sparkling blue eyes emerged from the stairs, obviously lost in his own thoughts as he didn't even see her, judging by his reaction when she said hello.
"Hey Cody," she said quietly, but loud enough for him to hear. Her voice startled him and instead of climbing properly down the last few steps, he lost footing and fell the rest of the way, landing with a soft thud on the family room floor.
"Gosh Bailey, you scared me," he said, sitting up and rubbing his elbow as a small bruise could be seen forming.
"Sorry honey, but it's not really my fault if you don't pay more attention to your surroundings", Bailey replied, smirking slightly before leaning over and kissing him deeply.
Cody was a bit surprised at the sudden change of events but definitely didn't complain as he kissed her back, pulling her closer to him.
"Feeling better, sweetie?" she asked as they broke apart, smiling at him and resting her forehead against his.
Cody licked his lips before replying, "Never better. What are you doing up at this time anyway, it's three in the morning."
"Same to you", Bailey countered playfully.
Cody smiled back at her and replied, "Tossed and turned but I just couldn't sleep."
"Wow your tossin' and turnin' must be really good by the looks of your hair. It sure puts Uncle Bill's hay stack, which he just throws in the barn without stacking, to shame," Bailey giggled as she said.
Bailey pointed at the couch as both of them walked over to it. Cody held Bailey's hand in his as they lay across the couch and she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.
It seems liked ages later when Cody finally spoke, "You didn't answer my question earlier," he stated softly, idly drawing patterns on her palm with his fingers.
She rested her head on his shoulder as he put one of his arms lazily over her shoulders, with his fingers running through her hair instead of distracting her palm.
"Nor did you answer mine," Bailey replied, looking into his eyes as she turned slightly to face him.
Cody chuckled slightly, "Okay, I'll go first then. I was up because I couldn't sleep due to the fact that I was thinking too much," he paused as Bailey looked at him with her eye-brows raised, "well, more so then usual anyway."
"Bailey, I know that this must be really hard for you, but no matter what happens, you know I'll—"
"Yes I know, you'll always be here for me," Bailey interrupted.
"Well we could go with Brittany's idea on the replacement bride?" Cody joked.
"Cody! You know switching one of my pappy's daughters for another doesn't solve it, even if they really did want to get married. Sometimes I wonder why they're older than me," Bailey shook her head as she said.
"I know, I was merely kidding," Cody responded.
"Cody?" Bailey asked.
"Hmm, sweetie?" Cody said as he turned to look at her intently.
"I'm really glad to enjoy our last few moments together in your arms," Bailey smiled as she cuddled him.
"Shhhh— you're right, let's not ruin the moment with negative connotations," Cody held her tightly in his arms.
At the bottom of the stairs stood Mr Pickett as he watched from behind the wall, peeping a little when he needed better view of their conversation; the moment between his daughter and her love interest. It shot him hard in the heart, a pang of pain, knowing how his mistake has hurt his loved one and the people around her. He wished he could make everything go away, but it was just too late. He sighed as he crawled back up the long flight of stairs to his room, leaving the two to soak up their last few moments together, just like Bailey said.
The morning of Henrie's arrival finally came. The whole town stood at their main road (Kettlecorn merely had 500 people) as they waited for the car that picked him from the Kettlepod domestic airport to arrive.
Holding in the sensation of tears welling up in her eyes, Bailey ultimately trailed off at a loss of what to expect. All she knew was that her life was going to change after this afternoon. All their various options that they thought of couldn't help her in anyway. This was it; she has to be the bribe. Her body shook as she took one step, dragging one foot in front of the other. She tried her best to take her time, hoping that if she took long enough then she wouldn't have to face the nightmare she knew was waiting the moment Henrie was back, and the fact that she was about to give up her everything.
Cody grabbed her by the hand, "Bailey, let's elope!"
Before Bailey could nod in reply, they were held back by Old man Jenkins' bodyguards (or rather, farm helpers), surrounding Cody and Bailey. Cody held on tightly to her, not letting them touch Bailey.
"You can hold on to her for now, but you can't do that forever. The moment Henrie is back, she's no longer yours," the guard sniggered.
"Wow tough goons, who knew Old man Jenkins had guards," Cody said.
The moment all have been waiting for, everyone's eyes were glued to the car that approached. The door swung open, out came a tall, tanned, muscular guy in dark shades. He was very well dressed and when he took off his shades, he shone his signature charming smile to the town folks. Boy was he gorgeous and a great catch, a total opposite of Bailey's expectations. Old man Jenkins was the first to react; limping to his son he approached the cab. If Bailey wasn't to be married off soon, she would have felt that it was a heart-warming moment, as the whole town watched them exchange 15 years of unspoken memories.
Bailey knew this was her last moment with Cody. She embraced him in a hug, loving the feeling of his body so close to hers. "I love you, Cody Martin," Bailey whispered in his ear softly before releasing herself from Cody's grip.
Cody didn't want to let her go, but the assuring looks from her eyes made him realised that's nothing more he could do but merely give away the love of his life as she walked into the arms of another man. Bailey took the lead to approach the car where Old man Jenkins was prepared to introduce Bailey to his son, when out of the car came a lady.
The lady was a head shorter than Henrie, but still relatively tall, slander and her sparkling, glowing skin gave an alluring appeal to the crowd. She reached out to greet Old man Jenkins, calling him, 'dad'. The whole town got a shock, so did Old man Jenkins. Bailey stood rooted to the spot she merely took a few steps away from Cody, apparently the attention was away from her and towards the lady.
With the attention all on the Jenkins family, Henrie went on to explain and introduced her to the whole town. "Hello Kettlecorn, it's really great to be back especially with such a welcoming home greeting from everyone! I'm Henrie Jenkins, and I think you guys know that, and she is my fiancée, Lillian. We're back to host a big traditional Kettlecorn wedding and we'll settle down here, back at my first home and most importantly to be with my dad."
The crowd cheered at his announcement. Not so much for Bailey's sake, but rather the excitement of a Kettlecorn wedding, and Henrie being back with his dad, a family reunion for Old man Jenkins after such a long time. Old man Jenkins was definitely shocked about Henrie's new bride, but many was sure he was pleased with the arrangement, as he was seen grinning from ear to ear.
Bailey heard Henrie whispered to his bride-to-be, "It's a little overwhelming, but you'll get used to it. Kettlecorn is definitely not big, but it's all about being one community like a family." Lillian merely nodded, obviously still shocked with all the attention.
As Cody and Bailey both opened their mouth to reply to Henrie's announcement, words failed them. And so they stood there like a fish waiting for water, floundering for the right thing to say and kept opening and closing their mouths. They were definitely still shocked at the twist in their dilemma, but Bailey did the thing she only knew she could react to then. She turned back to face Cody, ran towards him and jumped into his arms.
Epilogue: Henrie and Lillian Jenkins' wedding
It was a beautiful wedding, the loveliest one so far. The bride and groom were gorgeous, and everything was picture perfect. The bride and groom dance beautifully together, just as they do everything else. Cameras were out, flashing away, capturing every moment of the beautiful occasion for the lovely couple.
"Don't you just love a happy ending?" Bailey asked out of the blue, a dreamy smile on her face as she stared at the happy couple on the white stage, dancing away to their song.
"Care for a dance?" Cody's voice cuts through her musings, holding his hand out to her and Bailey took his hand in hers. Cody pulled her close before bringing her to the centre of the dance floor. She placed one hand on his shoulder, and the other safe in his left, while his right settled on her waist.
Just as Bailey closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder, letting Cody and the music guide her, he spoke, "Bailey, you're right. After seeing this, I really want a big traditional wedding. We can host one here in Kettlecorn for your community and one in Boston for my family. What do you think?" He looked at her, waiting for her to consider his suggestion.
"Are you kidding me, this has got to be the most mind-wrecking moment of my life. I don't think I'll ever see wedding the same again. This better not be a proposal. And who said I'll be marrying you?" Bailey grinned back at Cody.
Cody looked stunned at Bailey's words; not knowing what to say.
"Also, no, I don't want to host one in Kettlecorn and one in Boston. Just one," Bailey added on.
Cody merely scratched the nape of hair on the back of his neck nervously and replied, "Okay honey, we'll just host in Kettlecorn then, but we'll need a big place as the Martin family is huge too." He said sweetly hoping not to make her angry.
Bailey crossed her arms, "Am I that unreasonable sweetie? What I meant was, let's host it on the S.S. Tipton with all our families and friends attending, just like Esteban's wedding. After all, it's where everything began."
Cody kept on nodding like a chicken, and smiled when he was finally free from all of Bailey's word twisting manipulations on the idea of their wedding. "It's a deal" he said before he leaned in closer to Bailey. He watched her face soften, their noses touching, her eyelashes fluttered softly as he felt her breath on his lips, sealing it with a kiss.
"Maybe I should get that in writing. You Boston boys don't have the tradition of trust with spoken words to hold agreements," Bailey remarked jokingly when they parted.
Cody laughed and then he bent his head down and kisses Bailey again, and nothing else matters.
"You know, you're cute when you're angry." Cody complimented her.
Bailey giggled, choking back happy tears.
The End