Didn't get much feedback in terms of reviews, but thank you to the few people who did and let me know some things that they would like to see. Trying to write this story in a hurry because of the net neutrality stuff so I hope this doesn't seem rushed.
Callie's alarm woke her up at 8am and she quickly sat up in the bed and it was only when she looked around the room that she realized that the reality of what today was bringing hit her. Seeing her brothers sleeping on the floor, sharing the bed with her sister, spending one last night together under the same roof before she became somebody's wife. Callie smiled to herself before climbing out of bed and rushing through one more shower, careful not to get her hair wet since the hair stylist would be taking care of that once she arrived. When she was out of the shower, Callie dressed in sleep pants and tank top specifically chosen because she could easily take it off over her head with out messing up her hair and make-up later. Callie noticed her mothers' door open and they weren't inside the bedroom so she assumed they were already awake and downstairs. Two steps down the staircase and Callie could smell the coffee brewing and the made her walk a little faster. When she rounded the corner into the kitchen Stef and Lena were both seated at the table sipping coffee.
"Morning sweets, smelled the coffee did you?" Callie smiled as her mother slid a mug to Callie and encouraged Callie to take a seat with them.
"Did you get any sleep last night honey?" Lena and Stef both tossed and turned for a while before falling asleep so they assumed that Callie had done the same.
"I actually slept really well and I'm shocked. I don't usually sleep well when I'm excited."
"Maybe that slumber party you had with your siblings helped you out after all." Callie smiled at the gesture.
"It was nice to be surrounded by them, that's for sure." Callie's memory was interrupted by her phone buzzing with a reminder.
"That's my alarm to eat something for breakfast so I can brush my teeth before hair and make-up get here." Stef waved Callie off and went about making her something to eat.
"Bagel, eggs, pancakes? Bride's choice." Callie smiled at being called a bride. "Eggs and half a bagel please, I'll need the protein and some carbs to power through the day without fainting before we eat at the reception." Stef made the bagel quickly while she made enough eggs for the three of them. They had agreed weeks earlier that everyone save for Callie was responsible for making their own breakfast and eating before they needed to leave for the church.
Callie ate slowly, trying not to shove the food in her mouth to save time. Stef was watching how carefully Callie was eating and yet somehow her hands were trembling slightly.
"Not nervous are you sweets?" Callie put her fork down and sighed.
"I don't know why I'm nervous. I mean, all I have to do is walk in a straight line, say my vows and kiss a man I've been kissing for years."
"Yeah, but this time after you kiss him you'll be his wife, not his girlfriend. It's a different feeling Cal. Even when you've been together forever, getting married changes things…for the better, but it changes. It did when mom and I got married and it'll be similar for you." Lena tried to soothe her daughter's worries and she meant what she said. The word "wife" changed things for them when they got married and while it will mean something different for Callie, the change to her life will be just as big. Callie finished eating and handed Stef her plate.
"I'm gonna go brush my teeth and rinse with mouth wash so I don't taste like cream cheese when he kisses me." Callie dashed upstairs and was fielding texts from the hair and make-up people as she did. They would be there at 9 so Callie had enough time to do her stuff and let Mariana have the bathroom for a few minutes before they needed to be downstairs ready for the women to work on them. When the doorbell rang about half an hour later, it was Callie who answered the door to great the women who would be doing her hair and make-up along with Mariana's. Callie had offered the services to her mothers, but both women insisted that they could get ready themselves and to just get the services for her and her sister. After setting up in the dining room, Callie took a seat and let the hair stylist begin to section out her hair in order to flat iron it and begin to style it according to the picture she had been given. Mariana sat in a different chair with the make-up artist and she began her work so that eventually the girls would switch and have both hair and make-up done by the time they left.
Upstairs was chaotic with all three boys trying to be dressed by the time they had to leave. Mariana would put on her dress right before they left and Callie would put hers on at the church to avoid any problems. Brandon had woken up first so he got the first shower, leaving Jude and Jesus to fight over the remaining bathroom time they had. While the boys got their suits on, their mothers did their own hair and make-up in their bedroom before putting on the clothes they would wear at the ceremony. Both women had gone back and forth between wearing a dress or a suit, but ultimately Lena decided to stick to a dress and Stef went with a suit. At 10:30 Stef poked her head into the other bathroom to check on the boys and saw that for the most part they were dressed and were just putting on their ties and styling their hair which mostly meant slicking it back with gel.
"Boys, 30 minutes and we need to be in the limo. If you're late, you can deal with your sister." She walked downstairs and saw that Mariana was done with her hair and make-up and was about to go into the bathroom to put her dress on.
"You look beautiful sweets. Just make sure you are ready to go in…"
"30 minutes, I know. Believe I've been sitting with the bride for an hour and a half, I know what time it is." Mariana laughed as she went into the bathroom to change, leaving her mother to watch Callie get finishing touches on her make-up. Her eyes were shut as the artist finished touching up her eye shadow. Stef didn't realize how long she was standing there, just looking at her daughter until she heard Callie calling for her.
"Mom. What do think? Does it look good?" Stef looked at Callie's hair and make-up and it wasn't until that moment that it truly hit her that her child was getting married. With some tears in her eyes Stef smiled.
"It looks lovely, you look lovely." Callie smiled and thanked the two stylists that helped them and she quickly paid them so they could pack up their tools and leave before the family would need to be leaving themselves. Callie rushed around downstairs collecting a few last minute things she needed and Stef kept offering to help, but Callie was in her own world.
"Callie!" Stef finally snapped Callie back into reality and made her sit down.
"Honey you are gonna sweat off that make-up they just put on. Relax. We have everything packed, your sister has your dress, everyone else is ready to go. As soon as the limo gets here we'll be on our way alright?" Callie nodded her head and looked off at nothing in particular.
"What if I'm bad at it?"
"Bad at what honey?"
"Being married, being his wife." Stef sat Callie down on the couch and took a seat opposite her daughter.
"Honey, I've seen the two of you together over the past few years and there is no doubt in my mind that you will be a fantastic wife. You guys love each other too much for your marriage to be anything other than beautiful. It may not always be easy and you might fight sometimes, but the love never goes away. I know how big of a heart you have Callie, I've seen it a thousand times over and that alone is going to make you an amazing wife and one day an equally amazing mother." Callie nodded her head and smiled, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly.
"Am I going to feel this nervous all day?" Stef smiled and kissed her daughter's hairline, careful not to touch the make-up.
"It'll go away when you see him and actually say I do. Then you can enjoy yourself, I promise." Stef stood up when Mariana entered the room and gushed over how beautiful she looked in the plum colored dress. The limo arrived slightly early which was perfect since it gave Mariana time to put the dress in the trunk along with Callie's shoes and the collection of other things they would need to finish getting her ready at the church. Stef called upstairs for the boys to get downstairs and to have all their things with them. Lena went around to make sure the house was locked up tight and once Mariana assured Callie that there was nothing left in the house they needed they managed to convince her to get in the limo before the rest of the family piled in. During the car ride Callie looked over to Jude at one point and seemed to be asking him a question without saying anything out loud. Jude smiled, nodded and took out an envelope from his suit jacket pocket and held it up for Callie to see before putting it back in the pocket. The traffic wasn't as bad as it normally was so it only took them about 30 minutes to get to the church. The boys helped unpack the limo so that all Callie's things were in the bridal suite. Mariana carried the dress in herself, insisting that the boys would drop it or let it drag. With everything set up the boys went to go check that everything in the church itself was ready for pictures, leaving Mariana to help Callie get into her dress that everyone was finally going to be able to see.
Stef and Lena waited behind the dressing partition for the girls to finish and the photographers were standing by for reaction shots. After about 15 minutes Mariana stuck her head out and smiled.
"You guys ready to see it?" Stef and Lena stood up and nodded. "We've been waiting for 9 months to see it so yes I think we are ready." Mariana motioned for Callie to step out from behind the partition and when she did Mariana was pretty sure she heard both her mothers take a sharp breath and hold it…which was totally the perfect reaction that she was going for. Of course, both women started to tear up as they fawned over how beautiful the dress was. For what it was worth, Mariana did an amazing job. The dress was just long enough to touch the ground when Callie wore her heels, it had an empire waist and had a fine lace overlay that allowed for Mariana to put some shiny elements throughout the gown. The gown had a matching head piece that allowed for a veil to trail behind Callie and fall just below her waist.
"Clean up pretty good don't I?" Lena stepped forward and gently held Callie's hands in her own.
"You look stunning, just beautiful. Your sister did a really marvelous job making that, but you look so happy in it that it makes it that much better." Lena kissed Callie gently on her forehead, again careful to not ruin her make-up. Just as Stef was about to echo Lena's sentiments there was a knock at the door and they could hear Jude calling from the other side.
"Cal, Mariana texted me that you are in the dress and I can see it." Callie nodded for Mariana to go ahead and open the door. Jude was fixing his tie when he walked in and wasn't immediately aware of his sister in the dress, but when he looked up his hands stilled and he forgot all about his tie. Jude looked his sister up and down and when he finished he opened his mouth to say how beautiful his sister looked, but nothing came out, but tears sprang to his eyes and with a big smile Jude started crying without any care that he was being photographed.
He took a few steps towards Callie, closing the distance between them so that he was within arm's length of his sister. He ran his hand over his face and covered his smile as he took in the sight of his big sister in her wedding dress. After a few moments of opening and closing his mouth, trying to find words he finally managed to choke out in a broken but happy voice, "you look beautiful…really, really beautiful. You are easily the most beautiful bride I've ever seen."
Callie smiled, tears threatening to fall, "and just how many brides have you seen that I can be compared to?"
"You can't be compared to anyone period. You've always been extraordinary…today you're just extraordinarily beautiful." Jude tucked a stray hair behind Callie's ear. "Mom would be so happy to be here Cal and if anyone deserves a perfect wedding day it's you." Callie held it together until Jude mentioned their mother, at which point she let Jude wrap her up in a hug and she softly cried into his jacket. The photographer caught the moment to be forever remembered in film as the two siblings held each other in both celebration and sorrow. As Callie pulled away Jude kissed her forehead, a moment also caught in a photo. Mariana pulled up the touch up make-up kit to fix the problems with Callie's make up caused by the crying. Before she could touch Callie's face, Jude stopped her.
"You might want to wait a minute Mariana." Jude took the envelope from his jacket pocket and held it up for Callie to see.
"We should probably do this now so Mariana can fix your make-up just once." Stef recognized the envelope in her son's hand as one of the letters that their birth mother had left behind for them to read on major occasions.
"Callie, we can leave you two alone if you'd like some privacy."
"No, please. She would want me to share my day with my family…the whole day and that includes this letter. Can you read it for me buddy?" Jude nodded and unearthed the paper from the aging envelope. He took a deep breath and began to read.
"Callie, my darling daughter. Of all the days I am missing, this one breaks my heart the most. To see your child happy and in love, to see them with someone who loves them with their whole heart is a day parents dream of because for the first time you are witnessing your child being loved by someone who loves them just as fiercely as you do. As promised, I'll be there in spirit which I know is not the same as being there in person, but know that my heart and my love will surround you as you marry this special person who has stolen your heart. I don't pretend to know if you'll be marrying a man or a woman and to be frank, I don't care. From the moment you entered this world to the moment I'll leave it, all I wanted for you was for you to find love…someone to love you and be you constant supporter and best friend through life."
"This day should be all about love, joy and family and don't you dare let my absence take away from one second of that. Enjoy getting dressed, enjoy being fussed over, enjoy the little moments that seem to be insignificant, but really mean everything. I hope your brother is with you and more than anything I hope he is the one walking you down the aisle. Take a minute before you take that walk…I don't care if you stand there in silence or if you repeat how much you love each other, but cherish that moment and walk with purpose, knowing that if you falter in your steps, your brother will no doubt be ready to catch you. My marriage is perhaps not the best thing to base your's on, but take this advice from me as a mother: learn to forgive the small things he or she does to make you mad, don't let the sun go down on your anger (if you fight, finish the fight and forgive each other), and above all else remember that this person has seen the real you and that person they see is dazzling in their eyes. I hope your marriage is full of beautiful moments and one day I hope you get to feel the immense joy of a nurse putting your child in your arms. Do not mourn my absence today because I said, I will be there…I wouldn't miss this day for the world. You'll always be my baby, but today you start your journey as being someone's wife and I hope the journey is everything you ever dreamt of and every bit as beautiful as you deserve. Save a dance for me, dry your tears and go enjoy that walk with your brother. Tell him to kiss you once for me before he lets go of your arm. I love you always and am forever proud of the woman you've become, because I don't doubt for a second that you grew up to be a woman that is anything less than extraordinary. All my love, Mom."
Jude folded the letter back into the envelope and as he brushed tears from his eyes he offered his handkerchief to Callie to dry her eyes.
"Mom definitely gave us her gift of words. You ok?" Callie nodded and handed the handkerchief back to Jude.
"I'm glad we read it together and mom had some scary good future telling abilities to know you'd walk me down the aisle."
"I think it's what she wanted to witness and deep down she knew she never would, but she wanted us to have that walk. We would do well to not disappoint her." Jude smiled and winked at his sister who cracked a smile and that ended her tears.
"You think you'll be able to let me go?" Jude looked at Callie in a dead serious way, "never, but I am however willing to share you." Callie kissed Jude's cheek and held his face in her hands.
"You are one hell of a little brother, you know that right?"
"I was raised by my awesome big sister so yeah, I know." Mariana jumped in and made Callie sit down so she could fix the little problems with her make-up…seriously God bless the person who invented water-proof mascara and fake eye lashes. When that was finished, the photographer got the ok to take some pictures outside and inside the church with the family/wedding party. Soon Callie was ushered back into the suite so that Luca could do the same with the second photographer. The whole family waited in the bridal suite and everyone made sure to continually praised Mariana for her flawless work on Callie's dress. Twenty minutes before the wedding was due to start Brandon, Mariana and Jesus went out to make sure everyone was finding their seats and Stef and Lena went to make sure everything was on track, but Jude and Callie weren't alone long. A quick knock at the door was followed by Sharon entering the bridal suite.
"Well look at you! You look beautiful and you better get used to hearing that today missy." Callie smiled and blushed as her grandmother handed her a thin box.
"Grandma, you promised no more gifts."
"Don't worry honey, this is more of a loan." Callie opened the box and found a lace handkerchief that clearly was made a long time ago.
"Some people make their kid's christening gowns into handkerchiefs to be used on their wedding day. My mother had this made for me, we couldn't find Stef's for her wedding so she borrowed mine and since we don't have yours I thought that maybe you'd like to continue the tradition and borrow this for the day." Callie smiled and held the handkerchief to her chest.
"I'd be honored, thanks grandma."
"You got it doll. I should go grab my seat, I think things are gonna be underway soon." Sharon kissed Callie once more before leaving the room, leaving Jude and Callie alone.
"You're gonna make sure I don't fall flat on my face right?" Jude nodded and smiled. "Callie, you held me up for my whole childhood, you bet I'm gonna hold you up for a few minutes before I let you go get married." Callie put her hand on top of Jude's and squeezed it.
"You know I love you right?"
"I've known that all my life Cal, you made sure of that. You know I love you just as much right? Callie kissed her brother's hand and smiled wide.
"I have felt loved by you every single moment of your life."
"Good, then that's settled." I hear the music changing up which means you and I should be getting ready to take that walk." Jude stood up from his seat and held out his hand for his sister. Jude heard Brandon knock on the door saying they were ready. Jude opened the door and guided Callie outside the suite before shutting the door behind them. Callie heard the music change to the music her mothers and Luca's parents would be walking into. They watched from a few feet away as Michelle, Lena and Stef were escorted into the church, followed by Mariana walking in on her own. Jude stood behind the doors that led into the main part of the church as they waited for the main processional music to be played and he felt Callie grip tighten on his arm. He put her free hand over Callie's arm and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"Take a breath Cal, he's gonna be there and I've got you."
"I have to say this before I walk through those doors. You grew up to be the most amazing man I've ever met, maybe second to Luca. I didn't do that Jude, you did. You have the most amazing heart and you love people so much that it makes me honored that I've gotten the chance to love you your entire life. I love you and I know I've said that a lot today, but I never want you to forget it. I love you so so much. And…you are the only person I trust to love me enough to walk me down this aisle and have the courage to let me go get married." Jude swallowed back tears and whispered into Callie's ear.
"There hasn't been one day of my life where you haven't been my hero and that will never change. You inspire me to be a better man Cal, THAT you did do. Being your baby brother and being loved by you has been my greatest joy and you have no idea how hard it is going to be to let go of your arm in a few moments, but just remember one thing."
"What's that?"
"I loved you first…but you found the ONE man I am willing to share you with. I love you Cal." Callie caught a tear before it fell down her face and she kissed her brother once more before they heard the music change. They had practiced walking in to this music and the way it built up, they had decided that Jude would stand in front of Callie until the song hit a certain note, at which point he would side step and reveal Callie and her dress, grabbing her arm in the process. The doors opened and Jude stood still as a statue with a proud smile on his face as he looked out at the congregation of friend, family and co-workers. When the song hit that high note Jude confidently stepped to the side and effectively revealed Callie to the masses. Gasps could be heard throughout the room, but Callie felt it all melt away the second she linked her arm with Jude's and took a tentative step forward. For the first few feet, Callie couldn't see Luca and a part of her panicked, but a few steps further and that issue was resolved. The second she saw her fiancée the tears started again and she gripped Jude's arm tighter.
"I'm right here Cal, just breathe."
For his part in all this, Luca was a mess until he could see Callie walking toward him. Then he caught sight of his bride and after a moment of shock the tears began on his end. His step-father put a hand on his shoulder to ground him in the moment, but the tears stayed and freely flowed down his face. He had seen Callie walk into rooms thousands of time, but this time she would be leaving as his wife and that alone had him a mess of tears. It didn't help that Callie looked beautiful and he felt as though he was looking directly at an angel…he didn't care how cheesy that sounded.
Stef and Lena watched from their seats as Jude and Callie got to the end of the aisle and they could both see the struggle Jude was going through having to physically let Callie go. To his credit, Jude did as his mother had asked and kissed his sister an extra time before shaking Luca's outstretched hand and gently placing Callie's in his. Jude took his position behind his sister and in front of Brandon and with a full heart and eyes brimming with tears he watched as the ceremony started.
So I'm gonna try and keep updating this until we lose net neutrality so I'll do the ceremony and the reception soon so that at least those will be up. Any feedback is great.