CHAPTER 10
Johnny took a deep breath and straightened his tie before knocking on Lulu's front door. This was it – the beginning of their second chance to make it work. He was well aware that she was only marrying him to keep Brayden. But the marriage was going to keep them in close proximity. It would be far more difficult for her to avoid him when they were under the same roof.
He waited several minutes, and when nobody answered, he let himself in. The living room was a disaster. Toys were scattered across the floor with some of Brayden's clothes mixed in. He could hear his son giggling upstairs, so headed up to see if he could help in any way.
He rounded the corner and spotted Brayden streaking down the hallway, laughing so hard that tears were forming in his eyes. Johnny smiled and worked to corner the toddler, scooping him up in his arms.
"Something tells me that you shouldn't be running around naked, little man."
"Brayden!" Lulu called from the room at the end of the hall. Deciding to be helpful, Johnny carried him down the hall and let himself in, realizing it was Lulu's bedroom too late. She stood in front of him in only her bra and panties and shrieked when she locked eyes with him.
"What the he-" her voice drifted off to shield Brayden's impressionable ears from what she really wanted to say.
"Sorry," Johnny apologized, "I… uh.. I thought this was Brayden's room."
"Well, it's not," she argued, grabbing a blanket off of her bed to cover herself. "What are you even doing here so early?"
"You said I could pick you up at 10… it's in the text you sent me yesterday," he reminded her, unable to keep the grin from his face. She was turning ten shades of red, which was cute considering they had a child together.
Lulu glanced at the clock on her wall and groaned. It was five minutes after ten, and she had completely lost track of time. She hadn't slept at all the night before. After a long, agonizing talk with Patrick, who left more than a little upset, she spent hours going over the past few weeks in her mind. She hoped to find some way to keep Brayden and her single marital status at the same time. But all of the obsessing in the world did not bring her an answer. Instead, she got Brayden up without the energy to clean up after him. Now she had a disaster area in her house, a son running around without any clothes on, and her ex/future husband standing in front of her while she was barely dressed herself. She noticed the suit he was wearing and sighed.
"You're wearing a suit?"
"It's a wedding… I mean, even if it's not for the reasons people usually get married, I thought it was worth dressing well for," he explained, shifting Brayden in his arms as the toddler struggled to get down on the floor.
Lulu realized that the jeans and sweater she had planned to wear would probably not be the right complement to his attire. Her frustration and exhaustion were catching up to her, because that realization in itself made her feel like she could cry.
"Do you mind taking Brayden to his room and getting him dressed?" she asked, needing a few moments to herself. "His room is the first door on the right. There should be some nice outfits in the closet for him, assuming he hasn't pulled them all down."
"Not a problem," he agreed.
He took Brayden into his room, which was even messier than the first floor of the house, and found a tiny shirt and tie that would be appropriate for the occasion. Brayden wasn't thrilled about wearing clothes, but he was able to bribe him with promises of a special treat if he kept his clothes on.
Once his son was ready, Johnny brought him downstairs and found a toy airplane for him to play with. While they waited for Lulu, he took the liberty of cleaning the living room. Within twenty minutes, he heard Lulu walking down the stairs and turned to face her, catching his breath in his throat. She was wearing a form-fitting white dress that stopped right above her knees. Her hair was curled to one side of her shoulder, and she was absolutely gorgeous. He pulled his gaze up to her face and could tell that she was masking tears.
"Wow… you look gor…"
"Don't," she warned with a cracking voice. "Can we just go?"
"Yeah, sure," he agreed, realizing that she was more than a little emotional about what they were about to do. "Is the diaper bag all set to go? Can I get anything to bring for the ride?"
"It's all set," she answered, pulling her keys out of her purse. Her words were short, as if she wanted to avoid all conversation beyond the essential words.
"I'm happy to drive," Johnny offered. "It's not too hard to get the car seat in my car."
She shook her head and tossed him her keys. "You can drive mine. Let's just get on the road."
(Three hours later)
Lulu opened her eyes and winced. The sunlight was bouncing off of the freshly fallen snow and preventing her from getting any sleep. She turned her head and looked in the backseat. Apparently her son was not having the same difficulty, because he was sound asleep.
"It shouldn't be too much longer," Johnny informed her. "I'm assuming that since both of you crashed as soon as the car started moving that he was up all night."
She shook her head. "No, he actually slept through the night. Car rides just put him to sleep. They have ever since he was born. I used to spend every night driving around Boston just to get him to fall asleep."
"I wonder where he got that," he smiled. "I certainly don't sleep in cars, and I seem to remember you loving the thrill of a good joyride."
"Yeah, well, I'm hoping he doesn't get that trait from either of us. I don't think I'll be able to sleep once he has his license," she remarked with a yawn.
"So if the little man slept all night," he observed aloud, "Can I ask why you are so tired?"
She bit her lower lip, debating as to how much she should divulge to him. Part of her wanted to keep Johnny far out of her life, at least as far as she could now that they would be husband and wife. But another part of her needed him to know that she had feelings for someone else, and that the marriage they were about to embark on was strictly one of convenience.
"I couldn't sleep," she started, opting for partial disclosure. "Patrick and I got into an argument."
He felt his jaw tighten. While he was aware of her involvement with the good doctor, he had hoped he never had to hear her say his name. And if an argument with him left her unable to sleep, she obviously had real feelings for Patrick Drake.
"Let me guess… he's doesn't approve of our impending nuptials?"
"I didn't tell him about Logan," she continued, "As much as I want to, and I know I can trust him, if I tell him everything, it makes him an accessory. He's all that his daughter has, so I can't risk him getting caught up in a murder investigation. So I had to tell him that we were getting married just so that I can appease you."
Before he could respond, they arrived at the wedding chapel. He pulled into the driveway and parked the car, looking over to her and taking her hand in his.
"Thank you for not running away with Brayden. I know you're making a huge sacrifice here, and it means the world to me. I am going to do everything I can to take care of you and Brayden and to keep our family intact."
"I know," she nodded, offering him a small grin.
(Twenty minutes later)
The small chapel was beautifully decorated with fresh flowers. Lulu held Brayden, who was still sound asleep, on her shoulder as the minister ushered them to the front.
"We do have a small nursery in the back," the minister offered. "We could take the little one back there to spend some time with my wife if you'd like…"
"He's fine," Johnny answered for both of them. He wanted Brayden with them. Even though he knew this wasn't the wedding he envisioned for them, one day he hoped they would share the story with their son, adding how they fell in love after that day and were happy to have him present when they committed their lives to one another.
"Then we can get started," the minister smiled. "Are we ready?"
Johnny looked to Lulu, who nodded at him. "Let's do this."
Lulu tried her hardest to focus in on the minister's speech about the significance of marriage. Instead, all she could focus on was Brayden's small heartbeat against her chest. He was the reason she was there. Marrying Johnny was a means to an end. It would keep Claudia out of their business and keep her child in her home.
It would also keep Johnny under the same roof. He had made his feelings for her clear before Christmas, and she could tell that he was taking the vows they were about to recite far more seriously than she was. She made a silent vow to herself that she would do everything in her power to let him down easily. She could not risk breaking his heart, but more importantly, she could not risk falling for Johnny Zacchara again.
"Lulu…" Johnny's voice pulled her out of her daze.
"Hmm?"
"It's your turn," he whispered, offering her a smile to urge her on.
"Oh… sorry," she apologized. She decided to push through the vows to the best of her memory without letting the minister interject. "I, Leslie Lu, take you, John, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, 'til death do us part."
"Wow… she's anxious," the minister joked. "And now for your vows, John…"
"I'd actually like to say my own vows if that's alright with you," he answered, turning his attention to Lulu and taking her free hand in his. He wanted to take this opportunity to share his real feelings with her, and since there was a minister present, she would have to listen.
"Lulu, the best day of my life was the day that our son was born. I thought I knew what love was, but I had no idea. Love is knowing that you would cease to exist without another person in your life… it's waking up every morning with a smile just because there's a chance you'll see them. I love Brayden with everything that I am, and I love you just as much for giving him to me. I promise that I will do everything in my power to keep our family together. I will love you both until the day I die, and I will never give up on us."
She did everything in her power to prevent it, but there was no stopping the tears that were in her eyes from spilling onto her cheeks. She was crying for several reasons – fear of this marriage backfiring and her losing her son, sadness over the prospect of breaking Johnny's heart, and – as much as she hated it – nervousness that she would be unable to keep the promise she made to herself that she would not fall in love with Johnny again.
It wasn't until she noticed Johnny removing two ring boxes from his pockets that she brought herself back to the present. She placed a traditional gold band on his finger and repeated the words that the minister recited. When Johnny took her hand in his, she expected to see the same type of band. Instead, he placed a gorgeous diamond on her finger, something that he had obviously hand-picked for her.
"You may now kiss the bride."
Before she could move, she felt Johnny's lips crash against hers. She wanted to hate it with every fiber of her being, but it felt right in some bizarre way. She responded just enough so that the minister wouldn't notice anything was wrong, but as soon as Johnny pulled away, she made a beeline back out to the car.
(Later that night)
Johnny pulled the car into Lulu's driveway and parked. The ride back home had been tortuously silent. He knew that his vows had freaked Lulu out, and he wanted to explain. But every explanation that would make her feel better would have been a lie. He meant every word he had said, and he wanted to kiss her just like he had when the ceremony had ended. He loved her, and denying it wouldn't change anything.
"So…" she remarked, saying her first word since the wedding, "I should probably make dinner for Brayden."
"Right," he agreed. "We should get some rest, too. The movers will be here pretty early tomorrow morning."
"Wow, I didn't realize you'd be packed up so soon," she replied as she got out of the car and retrieved Brayden from the backseat.
"Me packed up? No, they'll pack everything here in the morning."
She realized what he was saying and felt herself tense up. "No, that's not happening… I'm not moving into your loft."
"Lulu, it's a lot safer there. And I've already had the spare room turned into a bedroom for Brayden."
She led him inside the house and put Brayden down in his playpen with some toys before heading into the kitchen. She didn't want to fight with him in front of their son.
"And what am I supposed to do? Sleep in your bed? God, Johnny… I was afraid this was going to happen. It's not going to be like that…"
"Don't jump to conclusions," he tried to calm her down. "I was going to sleep on the couch."
"Yeah, I'm sure that was your plan," she rolled her eyes.
"Don't do that…"
"What?"
"Don't treat me like I'm some sort of evil bastard who is using this whole custody thing with Brayden to get into your pants. You know it's not like that."
"I know that…. I never called you evil. I just - I hate that I have to give people the impression of you as some terrible guy who is forcing me into marrying you!" she erupted, finally letting her feelings out. "And I hate that this is hurting Patrick. I hate everything about this situation!"
He crossed the kitchen and pulled her hands into his, running his thumb around her wedding ring. "I know, and I'm sorry that Claudia is putting you through this. I know that you didn't like breaking things off with Patrick, bu-"
"I didn't break things off with Patrick," she interrupted, pulling her hands away from him. "He's upset, yes… but I have every intention of making it up to him."
She could see the disappointment in his eyes, and she felt guilty for hurting him. But if this was the only way she could get him to get over her, she had to do it.
"Johnny, this marriage is just for Claudia's benefit," she continued. "It's not real."
"I know that," he covered, regaining his composure. "But Claudia has to believe it's real, or it's going to blow up in our faces. I assumed you understood that."
"I do," she nodded. "Claudia won't find out about me and Patrick. I promise. But we're living here… end of story."
