Yet another songfic inspired by Brad Paisley! This time I used Love Her Like She's Leaving, which features Don Henley, and is just an amazing song. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Not mine!
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Shawn Spencer couldn't believe this was happening.
He should have, because it was. But it was so amazing, so surprising to him that he was still reeling in shock. He was the luckiest man in the world right now.
His gaze went to his left hand, where a gold band had been placed on his finger just an hour before by the woman he loved. Juliet O'Hara, now Juliet Spencer. He loved the sound of that.
He was sitting in a chair at one of the tables, just taking everything in. The guests were drinking and some were enjoying the cake that he and Juliet had just cut not long ago.
At that moment, his bride was on the dance floor with his father, smiling and looking absolutely radiant. Shawn looked down at his tux and almost laughed. Juliet looked like she had stepped off of the cover of a bridal magazine, and he was just a clown in a tux. Why she agreed to marry him, he would never know.
"Hey, Shawn!"
Shawn looked up to see his best friend Gus walk over, a plate with two slices of cake in his hands. "Hey, buddy."
"Well, you did it. You're married." Admittedly, Gus was a little jealous. He always knew that one day this would happen, but he kind of thought he would be the first to settle down and get married. But he was still happy for his best friend. "Congratulations."
"Thanks, Gus."
The song ended, and Juliet kissed Henry's cheek. Then she came to the table where Shawn was sitting. She gave him a kiss, then took Gus's plate out of his hands. "How about a dance, Gus?"
Before he could say no, she grasped his hand and pulled him onto the dance floor. Gus looked over his shoulder at Shawn.
Shawn chuckled at his best friend's expression. Juliet wanted to dance with everyone, including Gus. She had such an amazing heart. It was one of the biggest reasons he had fallen for her in the first place.
He looked around the room. Though her dad hadn't showed up, most of her family was able to make it up from Miami. Shawn was surprised (but only a little) at the sight of several older couples who had been married for at least thirty years. Even her grandparents had made it up, and she had once told him with great pride that they would be celebrating their sixtieth wedding anniversary soon. Commitment and loyalty ran through her family, and he wanted to be part of that.
A little girl of no more than five or six bounded up to him, and Shawn recognized her as Juliet's niece, Rachel. She had been the flower girl in the wedding party, since she was the youngest girl on Juliet's side of the family.
"Hi, Uncle Shawn!" Rachel greeted him brightly. She had big blue eyes and her long blond hair was pulled back in a braid.
He grinned. "Hi, sweetie. Did you get some cake?"
"Yeah! It was good!" She produced a small flower and held it up to him. Her expression suddenly turned bashful. "I saved this for you."
He took the flower, and she suddenly turned and took off, giggling. He watched her go with a smile.
We cut the cake, and everyone danced
And some people drank too much
You look like the cover of a bride's magazine
And I look like some guy in a tux
Setting the flower down on the table, he leaned back in the chair.
"Hello, Shawn."
Shawn looked up to see one of Juliet's uncles approach him. "Hi, Mr. O'Hara."
"Shawn, please. You're married to my little Julie. That makes you family. Call me Bill."
"Okay… Bill."
The older man pulled up a chair and sat down beside his new nephew. "You're a lucky man, you know that?"
"Yes, sir. I know I'm a lucky man."
"I was a little older than you when I met my Maggie. She and I have been married for forty-five years now."
Shawn nodded, impressed. "That's amazing."
"It hasn't been easy. Marriage never is. But when you're married to the right person, it's the most amazing thing in the world."
That was something Shawn definitely agreed with. Before Juliet, he had only ever thought of marriage once or twice (not with a specific girl) and it was always some faraway notion. But with Juliet, he couldn't imagine loving anyone else, let alone marrying them.
Bill pointed to Juliet through the crowd. She was dancing with one of her little nephews, and they were both laughing. "Anytime anyone in our family gets married, I only have one piece of advice for the groom."
"What's that?"
I'll never forget when your Uncle Bill
Pulled up a chair and sat down
Said, "Son, I've been married now forty-five years."
And he pointed at you through the crowd
"Love her like she's going to leave."
Shawn looked at the older man curiously. "What do you mean?"
"I mean just that. Love her like she's going to leave you tomorrow."
Like she's going to leave tomorrow… That thought brought a surprising lump to Shawn's throat. He couldn't imagine his life without her, and he didn't want to.
"Love her like everything is going to end if you don't. Love her like your life is depending on it." Bill leaned back in his chair. "That's what my dad told me the day I married my Maggie. I'm not saying that you'll never fight, or that everything will be absolutely perfect for the rest of your lives. We're all human."
He looked at Shawn. "But if you love her like she's about to leave, I promise you, she won't."
Shawn looked across the room, at his beautiful bride.
And said, "Love her like she's leaving
Like it's all gonna end if you don't
Love her like she's leaving
And I guarantee you, she won't."
"Put notes on the refrigerator for her in the morning before you go to work. Tell her that you love her, or you'll miss her."
That made him smile. "I already do that."
"Good. Keep doing it. And give her little presents when she's not expecting it. Keep her guessing."
"Jules loves surprises."
"Almost every woman does. Send her flowers for no other reason than you can. Not just roses. Lilacs, baby's breath, orchids."
The song ended, and Juliet's big brother Ewan crossed the floor and held out his arms. Shawn smiled. It had taken quite a bit of planning, but somehow they had pulled it off. He knew how important it was to Juliet for her to have her big brother with her on her special day.
"That will keep her from hiring a divorce attorney."
"How can you be so sure?"
Bill just smiled.
He said, "It's sending her flowers for no reason at all
Putting notes on the fridge every day
An unexpected gift at an unexpected time
That keeps the lawyers away
The song ended, and Juliet kissed her brother before she came back to Shawn. "You ready to dance again, Shawn?"
Shawn nodded to her uncle. "I'll be there in a second, Jules. I'm having a talk with your Uncle Bill."
Juliet lit up and squeezed her uncle's hand. "That's fine. Enjoy your talk." She kissed Shawn sweetly, then went back to the dance floor.
Shawn watched her go, then turned back to Bill. "She's amazing."
"Yes, she is. And I know that she says she'll always be there for you."
"Yeah, she does," Shawn murmured.
"It's easy to take forever for granted, especially on your wedding day. You have stars in your eyes, and those tin cans tied to your car." Bill held up a finger. "But I'm telling you, if you're smart, you'll listen to my advice."
It's easy to take forever for granted
With tin cans tied to your car
And I know she tells you she'll always be there
But I'm telling you, if you're smart
You'll love her like she's leaving
Like it's all gonna end if you don't
Love her like she's leaving
And I guarantee, she won't."
For the next song, Shawn was surprised to see Juliet pull Lassiter onto the dance floor with her. Lassiter looked uncomfortable and surprised, especially when she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Bill nudged Shawn's shoulder. "She could have any man she wanted." Just like his own Maggie could have had any guy around, but she had wanted him.
Shawn nodded. He knew that was true, and it often left him wondering why on Earth she had chosen him to begin with. She could have had someone more mature, more stable, less goofy… But she had picked him. "Any more advice?"
"The best way I can tell you to keep her is to keep her wanting you, son." Bill stood up, affectionately squeezing Shawn's shoulder. "I hope you take my advice to heart. You two are very lucky to have each other."
"We are…"
The older man chuckled and released Shawn's shoulder before walking away to find his own wife.
Shawn sat there for a minute, just watching Juliet on the dance floor. Finally he got to his feet and crossed the dance floor.
Juliet lit up when she saw Shawn beside her.
"May I cut in, Carlton?" he requested, and Lassiter kissed Juliet's cheek before he pulled back and allowed Shawn to join his wife.
"Did you have a nice talk, Shawn?" Juliet murmured as he pulled her close and she rested her head on his shoulder.
"I did." He kissed her head gently as they swayed to the music.
Yeah, she can have any man she wants
You know it's true
Best way to keep her
Is to keep her wanting you
At the end of the night, Shawn took Juliet's hand and lead her to the car waiting outside. There were tin cans tied to the bumper, courtesy of Gus, and a Just Married sign, with a pineapple drawn on the side, in the rear window.
Everyone waved and shouted their congratulations as they got into the car and drove to the hotel where they would be spending the night. In the morning, they would be catching a plane to Paris. Shawn smiled at that. Juliet only knew that they were flying to their honeymoon location. She had no idea that he was actually taking her to Paris, the city she'd talked about visiting for years.
When they got to the hotel room, Juliet kicked off her shoes and sighed deeply. "Wow…"
Shawn loosened his bowtie and smiled. "You okay, Jules?"
"I'm fine. I'm just… we're married." She looked at her left hand in awe.
He came up behind her and slowly unzipped her dress, kissing the skin as it was revealed to him. "Yes, we are," he whispered.
With a contented sound, Juliet closed her eyes. The dress slipped from her, pooling around her feet.
Slipping his arms around her middle, Shawn pulled Juliet against his chest and held her tightly.
"I love you, Shawn."
He gently brushed her hair away from her neck. "I love you, too, Juliet." More than she would ever know. He brushed his lips against the sensitive skin of her neck.
She smiled, settling her hands lightly over his.
For a while, they just stood there together, enjoying the peace and quiet.
Finally Shawn spoke, his voice breaking the silence. "What do you say we try out that spa tub?"
"I would love to."
He suddenly spun her around, capturing her lips in a sweet, passionate kiss. When he pulled away, her lips were parted and her eyelids were heavy. "I'll race you!" He darted off in the direction of the bathroom.
Juliet watched him go. "Hey, no fair!" She stepped out of her dress, then followed after her new husband.
He was waiting for her, and as soon as she entered the bathroom, he grabbed her in his arms and held her tight.
He was absolutely determined to love her like she would leave at any moment. She would never doubt just how he felt about her.
She deserved nothing less from him.
Love her like she's leaving
And I guarantee, she won't
Yeah, I guarantee she won't
Love her like she's leaving
The End.
A/N: Awww... I just love my Shules! I thought this song really fit them. Thanks for reading, and please review!