A/N: Thank you so much for all of your nice feedback on the last chapter and on this story. I love hearing what you think! I really missed Jaddison on Private Practice this week. I get that it was a CharCoop episode, and I liked it, but I was really hoping that there would at least be one scene dealing with Addison and Jake's engagement. Anyway, this chapter has a lot of Jaddison in it. This is also the last chapter of this story, so thank you to everyone who stuck with this fic. I really appreciate it. I hope you like this chapter, and thank you so much for reading my story! It's been fun! :)
"What was your first wedding like?" Addison asked Jake over breakfast, the next morning.
Jake, who had been feeding Henry, turned his attention away from the little boy, and met his fiancée's eyes. "It was pretty traditional," he admitted. "Why do you ask?"
Addison shrugged. "My first wedding was big and elaborate and traditional," she explained. "I don't know…I think I want something different this time."
"Different?" Jake asked hesitantly. He was more than happy to go along with whatever Addison wanted to do but, at the end of the day, he was still a traditional guy.
"I still want a wedding," Addison smiled, sensing her fiancé's reservations. "Trust me…I'm not talking about doing something completely out of the ordinary…like getting married on a post-it. I-"
"Getting married on a post-it?" Jake cut in. "Do people do that?"
"My ex-husband and his wife did," Addison explained. "It works for them, I guess. But it's not for me."
"It's not for me either," Jake agreed. "So what were you thinking?"
"Something small and intimate," Addison began. "My last wedding was this huge, elaborate event. I want something smaller this time. But not City Hall," she added quickly.
Jake nodded. "I don't want to get married at City Hall either," he agreed. "I mean, I get why people do it, but it's not for me. I don't know, City Hall weddings have always kind of reminded me of a business transaction, and I don't want that…not for us."
Addison smiled. "So, I was thinking we could still have a relatively traditional wedding with just our family and closest friends."
"I like that idea," Jake grinned.
"I don't want bridesmaids," Addison continued. "But I want Amelia to be my maid of honor."
"Which means I need to choose a best man," Jake filled in.
Addison nodded, as she thought about Jake's potential choices. Neither of them really had many close friends outside of work, and even though Jake was close with their coworkers, none of them really struck her as best man material.
"So, who are you going to ask?" she asked her fiancé curiously.
Jake met her eyes and smiled. "Is it okay if I have two best men?"
"Two?" Addison asked in surprise. She was struggling to come with one best man for Jake. And, somehow, he had two best men in mind.
"Sweetheart?" Jake prodded, when Addison met his first question with silence.
"Oh, uh, yeah, two's fine," Addison recovered. "I mean, my maid of honor is my ex-husband's sister. You can definitely have two best men. So, um, who were you planning on asking?"
Jake gave his fiancée a warm smile, before turning his attention back to Henry. "Henry," he cooed to the little boy, "you're one of the most important people in my life, and it would really mean a lot to me if you'd be a co-best man at my wedding."
"Jake," Addison breathed. Just when she thought it was impossible for her to love her fiancé more than she already did, he went and did something like that. "I love you," she smiled, kissing him softly.
"So, is that a yes to Henry being a co-best man?" Jake asked, meeting Addison's eyes.
Addison nodded happily. "And Angela's going to be your other best man?" she assessed knowingly.
"Yeah," Jake smiled. "It was a toss-up between her and Sam."
"Not funny," Addison smirked.
Jake offered Addison a teasing smile, but quickly grew serious. "So that means our wedding party is you, me, Amelia, Henry, and Angela. That sounds pretty good to me," he said after a moment.
"I think it sounds better than pretty good," Addison disagreed, meeting her fiancé's eyes and smiling. "It sounds perfect."
xxxxx
"Hey," Addison smiled, as she knocked on the door to Amelia's office, later that morning. "Can I come in?"
"Sure," Amelia nodded, looking away from her computer screen, and meeting Addison's eyes.
"Thanks," Addison smiled, as she sat down across from Amelia. "So," she began, unable to keep the smile off her face. "I wanted you to be the first one to know that Jake and I got engaged last night."
"Congratulations!" Amelia exclaimed, crossing over to Addison's side of the desk, and hugging her tightly. "That's fantastic news!"
"You don't seem surprised," Addison noted, when Amelia let go of her. "Happy for me, yes. But surprised…not so much."
"It's because I'm not surprised," Amelia admitted. "I'm thrilled for you, but I'm not surprised at all."
"Really?" Addison asked.
Amelia nodded. "I spoke with both you and Jake, yesterday afternoon, and it was painfully obvious that you both wanted to get married to each other. Not to mention, you nearly blinded me with your engagement ring when you walked into my office."
Addison looked down at her ring and smiled.
"Jake has good taste," Amelia complimented, as she took Addison's hand and took a closer look at Addison's engagement ring. "How's your finger handling all that extra weight?" she smirked.
Addison rewarded Amelia's comment with an amused headshake, but quickly grew serious. "There's something I want to ask you," she began, meeting Amelia's eyes. "I know that we've already talked about this hypothetically, but I want to ask you officially. Will you be my maid of honor?"
A wide smile spread across Amelia's face. "Yeah," she nodded. "I'd love to."
"Good," Addison smiled. "Because I couldn't imagine having anyone else."
"You know," Amelia began, taking Addison's hand and looking at her engagement ring again. "I know that you just got engaged and all, but…I don't know…it's hard to remember what your hand looked like without the ring. It just…it looks right."
"Yeah," Addison agreed with a smile. "It feels right too."
xxxxx
"I thought I'd find you in here," Charlotte smirked, as she entered Clara and Alexander's nursery to find Cooper hovering over the twins' cribs, as they slept peacefully.
Cooper met his wife's eyes and smiled. "I can't get enough of them," he admitted. "I mean, I know that they're just sleeping, but they're just…so amazing."
"They are pretty cute," Charlotte agreed, smiling at her sleeping son and daughter. "We did good work." She turned her attention away from the twins, and looked at her husband. "And Mason's adjusting to everything-"
"Amazingly," Cooper filled in with a smile. "He's an incredible kid."
"Of course he is," Charlotte nodded. "He's our son."
Cooper couldn't resist smiling at his wife's words. "You know, I don't think I'll ever get tired of watching them sleep," he chuckled, as he turned his attention back to Clara and Alexander.
Charlotte rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "We've become those people," she sighed. "I told you we would."
"Which people?" Cooper asked, not looking away from their children.
"Those boring people with kids."
"We're not boring," Cooper disagreed.
"Cooper, we're standin' in here watching our children sleep," Charlotte insisted. "We're pretty boring."
Cooper shrugged and met his wife's eyes. "So what if we're boring?" he chuckled. "I wouldn't trade this for anything."
xxxxx
"Hey, do you have a minute?" Amelia asked, as she knocked on the door to Sheldon's office.
"Sure, come on in," Sheldon smiled.
"Thanks," Amelia nodded, as she walked into Sheldon's office, and sat down across from him.
"So, what's up?" Sheldon asked.
"I was wondering," Amelia began. "Do you maybe want to go to Addison and Jake's wedding together?"
"Uh, yeah, sure…yeah, okay," Sheldon stammered. "But you're Addison's maid of honor. I'm sure you're probably going to drive over there with her."
Amelia shook her head. "That's not what I meant. I, uh, I was kind of hoping we could go together, you know, as each others' dates."
"Really?" Sheldon asked.
"If you don't want to, I get it. I totally-"
"No, no, I want to," Sheldon cut in. "I…I'd like that very much."
"Really?" Amelia breathed.
"Yeah," Sheldon nodded.
"Good," Amelia smiled. "Because I'd like that too."
xxxxx
Three months had passed since Addison and Jake had decided to get married, and it was the morning of their wedding. There was still a part of Addison that couldn't believe this was happening – that after all these years of heartbreak and crappy relationships, she was marrying a truly wonderful man. She was marrying a man who didn't play mind games. A man who put her and Henry first. A man who loved her more than anything, and who she loved more than anything.
There was also a part of her that couldn't believe how quickly she and Jake had planned their wedding. Sure, she had put Bizzy and Susan's wedding together in almost no time; but this was her wedding…this was different. But she and Jake agreed that they didn't want to waste time on a long, drawn-out engagement – that they wanted to be husband as wife as soon as possible. So they put their wedding together in three months.
Everything was set. They had found a beautiful place to get married; and since their guest list was limited to family and close friends, it hadn't taken long for them to invite everybody. Addison had even handled the finer details, making her father and brother promise to be on their best behavior at her wedding. And each gave her their word that they wouldn't do anything (or anyone) inappropriate.
Everything was set. From the venue, to her gown, to the flowers, to the menu – everything had been taken care of. Everything was in order. Or so it seemed.
Their wedding day had arrived, but as Addison sat on the countertop in her bathroom, that morning, her upcoming wedding was the last thing on her mind.
"Addison," Amelia called out, as she knocked on the door to the bathroom, ripping Addison from her thoughts. "Addison, you've been in there for a while. And the people are here to do your hair and makeup."
"Addison," Amelia called out again, trying to open the locked bathroom door. "Addison, please open the door."
Addison sighed. In all honesty, she needed another couple of minutes to herself. She needed to process everything that was happening. But she also realized that by locking herself in the bathroom, she was inadvertently acting a little bridezilla-ish; so she opened the bathroom door slightly.
"Hey," Amelia said gently, her eyes softening in concern. "Is everything okay?"
Addison swallowed hard. "Is, uh, is Jake still here?" she asked hopefully.
She and Jake were supposed to be getting ready separately. Neither of them really believed the superstition that it was bad luck to see the bride before the wedding – but they had decided to get ready separately…just in case.
"Um, I think he's still downstairs," Amelia said uncertainly. "I can check for you."
Addison nodded, before closing the bathroom door and locking it again.
"Sweetheart," Jake said, a couple of minutes later, as he knocked on the door to the bathroom. "Is everything okay?"
Addison opened the bathroom door a crack, and pulled Jake inside.
"Hey, what's going on?" Jake asked in concern.
"I, uh," Addison stammered, unable to form words; her mind was reeling, her heart was racing.
"Addison?" Jake prodded gently.
"I…" she trailed off, realizing that, in this situation, there was no chance of her being able to even remotely resemble the eloquent woman that she normally was. "Here," she finally said, handing Jake the little white stick that had been in her hand.
Jake's eyes widened as he looked down at the pregnancy test – the positive pregnancy test – that Addison had just handed him. "Is this-"
"Mine," Addison filled in.
"Oh my God," Jake breathed, a wide smile coming to his face. "You mean-"
"Yeah," Addison nodded. It was all she could get out before Jake wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply.
"I just…I'm in shock," Addison admitted, when they broke apart. I mean, I'm not supposed to be pregnant. I didn't even think it was possible for me. And yet…" she trailed off, gesturing to the positive pregnancy test in Jake's hand. "How does something like this happen?"
Jake gave her a warm smile, as he fought for composure, his heart still soaring from Addison's news. "Do you want me to answer that as a doctor or as your soon-to-be husband?" he asked softly.
Addison looked at him in confusion. "Isn't the answer going to be the same?"
Jake shook his head. "As your doctor, I'd tell you that this type of thing is more common than you'd think. You wouldn't believe how many women spend years trying to get pregnant without any luck. And then once they stop trying…once they relax and stop thinking about it…they miraculously end up getting pregnant…without the drugs or the hormones or any of the other high-tech medical stuff. It just happens. The stats behind it are unbelievable."
Addison nodded. She'd heard that line of reasoning before. She had read those very stats. "And as my soon-to-be-husband…" she trailed off. "How did this happen?"
Jake kissed her softly, and smiled. "As your soon-to-be-husband…I don't know how this happened," he admitted, his voice thick with emotion. "I'm as shocked as you are. But I do know that I'm happy it happened. I'm so, so happy it happened."
xxxxx
The wedding was perfect. The ceremony was small and intimate, and everything that Addison and Jake could have hoped for. And as Addison danced with her husband at their wedding reception, she couldn't help reflecting on how truly happy she was.
She looked around the banquet hall and noticed that she wasn't the only one who was happy. Sheldon and Amelia were dancing together and, from the looks of it, a relationship was blooming. Charlotte and Cooper were sitting at their table, each holding a baby in their arms, and Mason was sitting in between them – they were the perfect little family.
"So, I know it's a little early," Jake began, cutting into Addison's thoughts. "But I already started thinking about names."
Addison smiled at her husband adoringly. They had only just found out that they were pregnant a few hours ago and, already, he was thinking about names.
"Oh, yeah?" Addison smiled. "What names do you have in mind?"
"Well, it's only one name, actually," he admitted. "Vivian."
"Vivian?"
"I've always liked the name," Jake explained. "And when I found out that your mentor's name was Vivian…it just, it seemed even more perfect."
"I like it," Addison smiled. "But how would you feel about using it as a middle name?"
"I'm open to it," Jake grinned. "Make your case for another name."
"Well, I don't have a name in mind, per se," Addison began. "But if we have a daughter, I'd kind of like it if her first name began with an A."
Jake looked at his wife in confusion, trying to follow her line of reasoning.
"All of the most important women in my life have first names that begin with an A," Addison explained, sensing Jake's confusion. "Amelia and Angela…and I want our daughter to be a part of that."
"Amelia, Angela, Addison," Jake smiled. "I want our daughter to be a part of that too."
"You know, we might have another son," Addison pointed out, looking over at Henry, who seemed perfectly content in Angela's arms.
"Maybe," Jake nodded, looking over at Henry, and smiling widely. "But I don't think so," he smirked.
"You know, this new baby and Henry are going to be really close in age," Addison reflected.
"Like you and Archer," Jake smiled. "They can even go to med school together like you and Archer did."
"Yeah," Addison laughed. "I guess they can. But, uh, I don't want to think about that right now. That's way, way down the line. Right now, it's about you and me, enjoying our wedding day."
"I can get behind that," Jake smiled, pulling his wife closer, as they continued to sway to the music together. "I love you, Addison."
"I love you too, Jake," Addison smiled, kissing her husband softly. "You're the love of my life."
And as Addison continued to dance with her husband, she couldn't help but reflect on the past year. It had been filled with loss and romance, family and love. She, Jake, Henry, Charlotte, Cooper, Amelia, and Sheldon had made a lot of memories over the past year. And as she held Jake close, she couldn't help smiling because she knew that there would be many more memories to come.
And I'm gonna love you like nobody loves you;
And I'll earn your trust making memories of us.
xxxxx