Happy Ever After
-O-
DISCLAIMER: I am not connected to Emmerdale and its characters, which belong to ITV.
-O-
Aaron slowly opened his eyes and immediately shut them again! The light was too bright; the sun was streaming through the window of the room and it was too much for Aaron to bear. However, he decided that he could not spend the rest of his life with his eyes closed, so he opened them a crack to squint at his surroundings.
He did not recognise the white walls, the furniture or the blinds at the window. For a moment, panic began to set in, but then he turned his head and focussed on Jackson's face. His boyfriend was by his side and he knew that all was right with the world! Then, the memories of the previous day came flooding back; they were in Hazel and Carlos' villa in Spain.
"Oooh, my head!" Aaron moaned; and as he did so, Jackson roused.
"Eh?"
"My head's thumping!" Aaron croaked.
"I told you not to mix your drinks!" Jackson said.
"Smart-arse!" Aaron replied, as he climbed out of bed and headed for the door. He then hesitated and looked lost, "Errrr..."
"What's up?"
"Where's the bog?" Aaron asked.
"If you mean the 'en-suite bathroom', it's over here," Jackson pointed towards a door on the opposite side of the room to where Aaron was standing.
"Oh yeah!" Aaron crossed the room in the nude and, in spite of his own hang-over; Jackson felt a stirring in his loins at the sight.
"Is Hazel likely to be in Portugal by now?" Aaron asked as he returned after relieving himself.
"I don't even know if she's on the ship yet," replied Jackson.
"How long is their cruise?"
"Ten days."
"I didn't think Hazel was that keen on sailing!" Aaron remembered an incident on a boat in Whitby ages before, when Hazel had invited herself along on Aaron and Jackson's trip to the seaside!
"I think a cruise liner is a bit different to a fishing boat!" Jackson suggested.
"What was the idea of a honeymoon cruise, anyway?"
"You remember Carlos' relatives? We met them at the wedding."
"Yeah," Aaron looked at Jackson, wondering what he was getting at.
"Well, they clubbed together to pay for a cruise as a wedding present," Jackson explained.
"Oh, I see," Aaron put his hand on his forehead, "My head still hurts!"
"Aww! Poor baby!" Jackson was sympathetic, but knew that he had sounded sarcastic.
"Sod off!"
"Come here and let me kiss it better!" Jackson ignored Aaron's insult and pulled him into an embrace.
They kissed with passion and intensity, still in love and still with a hunger for each other.
As they stopped kissing, Aaron spoke again, "That's the best headache cure I've ever come across!"
"Aaron?"
"Mmm!"
"Did you enjoy the wedding yesterday?"
"What I can remember of it, yeah!" Aaron rested his head on the pillow and stared at the ceiling, "Your mum's a real live wire when she gets going; ain't she?"
"You know what she's like," Jackson defended his mother, "get a few drinks down her and she's the life and soul of the party! I'm glad she's met Carlos, though; he's a really nice bloke. Everyone should meet someone they can spend their life with, that's why I'm so glad I met you."
Aaron was lost in thought for a moment, "So, you want to spend the rest of your life with me then?"
Jackson looked at Aaron, the beautiful blue eyes that he loved were now staring at him intently, "You know how I've always felt about you," Jackson spoke in hushed tones, "I can't imagine life without you in it; but, I don't suppose you'd ever consider getting married?"
Aaron was looking back into Jackson's big, brown eyes, which were now searching his own for an answer, "Are you being serious?"
Jackson raised himself up and, propped on one elbow, he looked at the object of his desire lying next to him, "Aaron, I love you! I've always loved you! I know we belong together," he suddenly felt that he might be coming on a bit too strong and he flopped back down again and stared into space, "Like I say, I don't s'pose you'd go for it; it's not your style."
Aaron suddenly felt guilty. Jackson had laid his heart on the line and he had not reciprocated. He copied Jackson's previous actions and propped himself up to stare down at his boyfriend, "What do you mean; 'not my style'? Don't you think I can be committed, faithful...or loyal?"
"You KNOW what I mean," Jackson once again stared into eyes that he could easily stare into forever, "You're all those things and more...it's just, I can't see you wanting to tie the knot, that's all."
Aaron bent down to kiss Jackson, a kiss which Jackson willingly returned, "I love you Jackson; and I can't think of anything I'd rather do than spend my life with you. I want to be with you, always; and if you want to make it official, then it's fine by me!"
Jackson looked at Aaron with an incredulous look on his face, "You mean...?"
"I'm saying yes, you Muppet!"
They kissed again, wrapped up in a moment that they would both remember forever.
"I know what my mum's gonna say!" Jackson smiled.
"What?"
"Well, because she's had a wedding; now everybody wants one!"
They both chuckled; they were happy and relaxed together.
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As the days went by, Aaron and Jackson spent the time going to the beach or sightseeing. Hazel and Carlos had suggested that they take a little holiday during the honeymoon period and they made the most of having the time; and the villa; to themselves. However, towards the end of the two weeks, Jackson was getting restless, he wanted to get stuck in to his new job with his step-father's company; and Aaron was looking forward to working for Carlos' brother Rafael at his garage.
Carlos and Rafael Mendez were one year apart in age, but a lot of people thought that they were identical twins! They were in their mid-forties, Carlos the younger of the two and they both had sultry Mediterranean good looks and dark, curly hair. Rafael had married a girl called Maria when he was twenty years old, but Carlos had not married until he met Hazel. Both were successful businessmen; with Carlos being a property developer, building villas near the coast, while Rafael owned a car dealership. They were friendly and generous to their nearest and dearest, but could be quite ruthless when it came to business. Carlos had taken a shine to Jackson and Rafael also liked Aaron. They had no problem with Aaron and Jackson being a couple, as they had a gay elder brother, Miguel, who they loved dearly.
Carlos' villa was large and spacious and Aaron and Jackson had a suite of rooms to themselves, consisting of a small lounge, a bedroom with en-suite shower-room and a balcony overlooking the coast. Although it was an annexe to the rest of the villa, a passageway connected their rooms to the other part of the building, where Hazel and Carlos had their quarters. It was perfect for the lads, as they had their own space, yet could share meals with Hazel and Carlos, in the dining room, whenever they wanted.
Jackson could not wait to tell Hazel his news on her return. They sat in Hazel's large lounge after the newly married couple arrived back from their honeymoon. Hazel and Carlos regaled them with stories of their cruise and Carlos could not resist showing them pictures, on his laptop, of the places that they had visited.
All the time, Jackson was bursting to 'spill the beans' about his engagement, but he waited politely for the right moment. Then, when Carlos had come to the end of his slide-show, he spoke, "Mum, Carlos, we've got something to tell you!" Jackson took Aaron's hand in his own, "I've asked Aaron to marry me...and he said 'yes'!"
"Oh, my boys!" Hazel looked close to tears, "That's wonderful news!" She hugged and kissed both lads in turn and Carlos added his congratulations and also pulled them both into a hug! He then suggested a glass of wine to celebrate and opened a bottle.
"I knew you'd get jealous!" Hazel giggled.
"What did I tell you?" Jackson gave Aaron a knowing look.
"What do you mean?" asked Hazel.
"Well," Jackson explained, "I said to Aaron that you'd think we only wanted to get married because you'd just done it!"
"Well, whatever the reason, I'm glad it's happening!" Hazel was beaming, "When's the big day?"
"We've not thought about it yet!" Jackson knew his mother would be champing at the bit, "But I suppose we'll go back to England to tie the knot, you'll be able to go over there won't you?"
"You try and stop me!" Hazel was still grinning, "I keep telling Carlos how beautiful Yorkshire is and he'd like to see it for himself!"
"I expect I'll have to invite Rafael too!" Aaron chipped in.
"...and Maria," Hazel suggested, "She loves a good wedding! Did you see the way she was crying at ours?"
"Yeah," Jackson added, "I kept passing her the tissues but I ran out before she'd finished!"
They all laughed.
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The next day, Jackson cajoled Aaron into ringing his mother back in England. Aaron pulled his usual displeased face at the suggestion, the memory of Chas siding with his half-brother Eden was still fresh in his mind, but he knew that it was only fair to tell her that he and Jackson were engaged. During the conversation, Chas asked to speak to Jackson and Aaron passed the phone to his boyfriend.
"What did she say?" Aaron asked, once Jackson had finished.
"She wanted to congratulate me herself," Jackson looked happy, "and she apologised again for not trusting me regarding that incident with Eden."
"She's coming to our wedding," Aaron looked pensive; "I hope my darling brother is not coming with her!"
"I hope he's learnt his lesson by now! I'm willing to forgive and forget; if he is!" Jackson looked directly at his boyfriend, trying to gauge his reaction.
"That's one of the things I love about you!" Aaron returned Jackson's gaze, "You're so forgiving; I wouldn't have stood a chance with you if you hadn't been. I'm not sure I can let him off the hook that easily though!"
"Your mum sounded a bit cagey about Eden; do you think she might be seeing his true colours?" Jackson asked.
"I hope so!" Aaron sneered at the memory of Eden telling lies about Jackson, "She'll only put up with so much before she snaps...and, when she does; ker-pow!" Aaron indicated an explosion with his arms.
"You could be right, but she seemed pretty loyal to him before we left; and a mother always loves her sons, regardless!" Jackson mused.
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Aaron and Jackson settled into a new routine in Spain. Jackson was busy working on new villas which Carlos was building nearby, while Aaron settled into his job at Rafael's garage. He was surprised to find that the language barrier was not a problem; most of the customers were ex-pats, just as Jackson had said. Aaron even found himself picking up a few Spanish phrases! In the evenings and at weekends, they were free to do as they pleased and often visited the nearby beach to relax. It was like taking a mini-holiday whenever they were not working!
Thoughts of home diminished as time went on, but the memories were brought sharply back into focus when Aaron received a phone call from his mother one afternoon, after work. Chas sounded very upset on the other end of the line.
"What's wrong?" asked Aaron, his voice full of concern.
"It's Eden," Chas said.
Aaron flinched at the mention of his brother's name, but carried on listening to his mother.
"He's done a runner!" Chas continued, "He stole some money and legged it! I can't believe it...I trusted him; and this is how he repays me!"
"How much?"
"What?"
"The money?" Aaron felt as if he was stating the obvious.
"Five grand!" Chas replied.
Aaron fell silent! He realised that he had been right about his brother all along!
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"So, are you going back to England?" Jackson asked, as he and Aaron sat on their balcony later that evening.
"Why, there's nothing I can do, is there?" Aaron replied.
"Your mum might need a bit of moral support after Eden ran off with the takings!"
"I did ask!" Aaron wanted to prove to Jackson that he was sympathetic to his mother's problem, "But she said that she would be OK. In any case, we'll be going back soon...for the wedding!"
"Well, I suppose you won't have to worry about Eden turning up! He certainly won't be getting an invite now!"
Aaron smiled; Jackson always had a sarcastic remark for most occasions!
"He wouldn't have got one anyway!"
Jackson chuckled; he knew how Aaron felt about his younger brother, ever since Eden had tried to spin a web of lies!
"I suppose," Jackson was pensive, "Your mum being your mum, she'll let Eden get away with it...again!"
"No way!" Aaron corrected him, "She's had enough! In any case, Diane insisted that they call the police; the money did belong to the business after all!"
"So, he's likely to be locked up!"
"They'll have to catch him first! He's disappeared with the loot! My mum said she'd let me know if they track him down."
"Who'd have thought it? Your brother; a fugitive!"
"It doesn't surprise me!" Aaron said with a sneer, "He was a little scumbag!"
A wry smile spread across Jackson's face, Aaron obviously had the measure of Eden!
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Back in Emmerdale village, Paddy was getting flustered. His "son" was soon coming home to be married and he had the honour of being best man. However, as the day crept closer and closer, he was still working on his speech and Rhona could tell that he was agitated.
"Don't worry," she told him, as she held Leo in her arms, "Aaron won't want a lot of fuss, knowing him!"
"I know," answered Paddy, "but I want to get this right! Aaron's been through so much. At one time, I never thought he'd even be able to cope with being gay. I'm so proud of the way he's come to terms with everything and settled down with Jackson. I just don't know what to say at the wedding!"
"You've just said it!" Rhona told him with a smile, "Just say what's in your heart!"
Paddy smiled, his partner had come up with the solution, as always. He kissed Rhona and Leo; then headed off to deal with a sheep which needed his attention.
Over at the Woolpack, Chas also had butterflies in her stomach. She had always wanted Aaron to be happy, just as any mother would want the best for her child; and she knew that Jackson would provide that for him in spades! She felt stupid, though, that she had believed Eden's story about Jackson coming on to him! She realised now that Jackson would always be faithful to her son; he had always stood by Aaron every step of the way, even when Aaron was at his most obnoxious! Many people would have bailed, yet Jackson had stayed; he obviously wanted Aaron more than anything else in the world! She felt a warm glow, knowing that her son was settled and content. She just wished that she could say the same for her younger boy!
Just as she was preparing to open up the pub, the phone rang and she answered it. The police had traced Eden! He had been arrested and was due to appear before the magistrates the following week.
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Aaron was pleased that Eden was going to pay for his crimes. He was disappointed that Eden could not have been a better brother to him but then; he had not known about his brother all his life and, he figured, what you never had; you never miss! In any case, he felt that he already had a 'brother' in his best mate, Adam! He could afford to put Eden at the back of his mind as he was getting married to Jackson; and he knew this was more important to him than anything else in the world!
As he stood in the registry office, with the love of his life by his side, he looked around the room to see all their friends and family gathered to wish them well. Chas, Paddy, Rhona, Adam, Marlon, Cain, Debbie, Cameron, Lisa, Zak, Belle, Hazel, Carlos and the rest had all turned up to witness the happiest day of Aaron's life.
The registrar indicated that Aaron should place his ring on Jackson's finger and say a few words. Despite the lump in his throat, he gave a slight cough and began his rehearsed speech, "Jackson, I give you this ring as a sign of my love and devotion. You mean the world to me; you saved me from myself and taught me to that it is OK to be who I am. I know now the meaning of 'soul-mate' and I will always be by your side...forever!"
Jackson, whose tears were welling up in his eyes, placed his ring on Aaron's finger and delivered his own prepared speech, "Aaron, I give you this ring as a token of my everlasting love and commitment to you. I will love you, cherish you, keep you safe from harm and always be there, right beside you, through all of life's ups and downs. You are the 'one' and always will be, for all eternity!"
Aaron and Jackson kissed and their assembled friends and family clapped loudly. They had confirmed their commitment to one and other and knew that they would be together now...for life.