Chapter 1: Today
Peter didn't need the glorious sunshine that was streaming in through their bedroom window to tell him that today was going to be a perfect day. He stretched lazily and gazed at the woman sleeping peacefully in bed next to him. The perfect woman for the perfect day.
He reached out and gently caressed her cheek. Even though he and Carla had been forced to rebuild their lives from scratch after her breakdown, and even though they were still living in his dad's spare room without a real home of their own, they had each other. In Peter's mind, that made them the richest and the luckiest two people in the world.
Carla began to stir. Peter watched as her eyelids flickered and slowly opened; how she looked at him, how recognition immediately translated into a genuine smile.
"Good morning, beautiful."
Peter accompanied his greeting with a soft kiss on Carla's lips.
"Mmm…" Carla stretched, gradually reacquainting herself with consciousness. Then a wonderful realisation hit her.
"It's today."
"Yeah, baby, it's today."
Peter wrapped his arms around Carla and pulled her body close to his; together they lay wrapped in each other's arms, basking in the morning sun, contemplating the day ahead.
"Dad's gone to the library," Peter held up a note that had been propped up in the middle of the kitchen table of Number 1, Coronation Street. "Says he'll be back by eleven."
"That's plenty of time. What about Si?"
"I'll give him a call."
Peter pulled out his mobile and placed a call while Carla busied herself with making them coffee.
"Yeah, Si, where are you?"
"In town? When are you gonna be back?"
"No, sorry, that's not good enough, you need to get back here now."
"Why? Because I said so."
"No, you can't go out later. Make sure you're back here within the hour. And no more of your cheek, mister!"
Peter hung up the phone and turned to Carla, who passed him a steaming mug of coffee.
"Thanks, babe." Peter accepted the coffee and took a sip before continuing. "He went to town with his mates."
"I'm sure he loved you ordering him back home."
"He'll lose the attitude when he finds out why."
"I hope so."
"So," Peter formulated a plan in his head. "We should go to the Rovers first, then Michelle, Roy, Daniel, Adam, then back here for dad and Si."
"Sounds like a plan."
Carla gave Peter a quick peck on the lips before turning back to the kitchen bench. "What do you fancy for breakfast?"
But Peter wasn't ready to let her go just yet; he gently grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her towards him. She happily obliged, allowing her body to meld into his, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder.
"How you feeling, love?"
Carla was feeling so many things at once, she didn't quite know how to answer.
"I dunno? Nervous. Excited. Happy. Mainly happy."
"Me too."
Carla looked up at Peter; he looked back at her, at the love of his life, and kissed her. A deep, passionate kiss, that emptied each of their minds of any thoughts of breakfast. Who needed food when such kisses existed?
Carla knocked again on the front door of the Rovers, still locked and bolted until the pub officially opened over an hour from now.
"We're closed!"
The sound of Johnny's voice was muffled through the closed door.
"Johnny, it's me! It's Carla! Open the door, will you!?"
Soon enough, they heard the sound of metal against metal as first the key was turned in the lock and then the bolt was slid across.
The door opened to reveal Johnny Connor, surprised to see his daughter and her partner on his doorstep at this time of the morning.
"Come in, come in. What's the emergency?"
"No emergency," Peter lead Carla over the threshold and into the quiet pub where the landlord and landlady were preparing for a busy day ahead. "Hi, Jenny."
Jenny looked up from the till where she was counting out the change into the various compartments.
"Oh, hey, you two. What are you doing here so early?"
"Umm, we wanted a word actually."
"Oh, sounds serious."
Jenny left the till and joined her husband, who was waiting anxiously for whatever it was Carla and Peter were about to reveal.
"So?" Johnny couldn't handle the suspense any longer. "Spit it out. Whatever it is."
"Well," Carla glanced nervously at Peter. "We were wondering if you two were free this afternoon?"
"This afternoon?"
"At four pm to be exact," Peter narrowed it down for them.
"We're working. Both of us."
"Can't you get cover? It's important."
"Is everything okay, love?" Johnny was getting worried now.
"Everything's great," Carla reassured her father. "The thing is, me and Peter…"
"We're getting married," Peter interjected, unable to contain his excitement any longer.
"Married?" Johnny suddenly struggled to understand the meaning of the word, as if they were speaking in a foreign language.
"Today," Carla added. "Four pm."
Carla and Peter looked at each other and grinned.
"Oh my god."
"We're getting married."
"Today!"
