Chapter Twenty-nine – Finally
April 19, 2018
"…Happy birthday dear Marie, happy birthday to you!" Paul and I sang as Marie beamed at us over her stack of pancakes, seven candles spread over the top.
"Make a wish baby!" I crooned, and she did so instantly. Her brown hair was up in a lose ponytail. Jesse was standing beside her, gazing at her with a look of utter amazement. Dislike was still boiling in me just looking at him, but I kept any comments at bay for the sake of my daughter.
She loved him with everything in her, even though I hated him so much. Paul had calmed a little after practically killing him after she was born, after Jesse showed him specifically that what he felt towards her was nothing romantic… but I was still wary.
Sam had had to intervene, ordering Paul to back down and listen to what the idiot had to say. I was quite a bit upset though, and didn't let him see her for a few days before Paul convinced me to at least agree to supervised visits.
Now, she giggled freely and grabbed the syrup bottle, piling it on top of the breakfast food. "So, what did you wish for?" Jesse asked her, and she glared at him slightly.
"Jesse! You know that I can't tell you! Jeez!" she complained, and I allowed myself a small smile.
"BUT! I do hope, I said hope, not wish! I do hope that Mommy and Daddy's wedding will go down good today!" she crowed, and I grinned at her proudly as Paul wound his arms around my waist lovingly.
Yes, that's right! Paul and I had an eight year engagement. After Marie was born and we had all that drama, we decided to put if off for a while. And then months turned into years and we never got around to it.
It was only a year ago that we started planning for it, when Marie asked us why we weren't married. We asked ourselves the same question. The time had long come and gone for stupid excuses, and Emily and Kim were only too willing to help me out.
We wanted to honor it with it being on our daughter's birthday, so the big day was in fact today, and I was filled with nervous excitement. I had been waiting for the moments to come since I was a little girl.
All of the other imprints had long since gotten married, with exception of Renesmee and Jake. Hanna and Alex had even tied the knot!
"Will Auntie Becca and Emily and Kimmy and Cassie be here soon?" she asked me, and I nodded.
"Probably any minute. They have to get me and you in our dresses, and then they have to get their dresses on! We only have until four!" I reminded her gently, and Paul grinned excitedly.
"They should be here any second… which means, I'll have to go and hang out at Jared and Kim's place," Paul rolled his eyes. Marie looked at him with a confused expression.
"Daddy, why do you have to leave?" she asked and all three of us laughed.
"Baby, first of all, they're going to kick me out. They just want to do make-up and hair; they're going to be racing around all busy and crazy… I wouldn't want to be caught up in all that, anyway," he explained, and she frowned at him, her little mouth puckering angrily.
"So why are you leaving me here? I don't wanna be caught up in everything either!" she complained, and there was laughing from the hallway. We turned to see the girls strolling in, bins of hair curlers and dress pins under their arms.
"You have to be here because you're a flower girl, honey. Just like Kim's daughter Nicole!" Emily called from the door, a small pregnant bump protruding from her stomach. She was pregnant with her second child, a girl they were going to name Jennifer, and already had a six year old son named Jackson. He was going to be a ring bearer, along with Embry and Cassie's son Adam, who was two.
"Mar!" Five year old Nicole shrieked as she streaked across the room, gazing up at her admirably. Marie smirked at her beloved nickname and crossed her arms proudly. She took Nicole's hand and led her into a corner, whispering to Nicole mischievously.
"Mar Bar! You and Colie can eat the pancakes while we get our hair and make-up done!" I called to them, and Marie shot me an annoyed glance before grabbing Nicole's arm again and walking her to the table. As they began to eat, I turned to the older girls and found them gathering mirrors, chairs, and all else we needed in a circle.
Cassie was already set doing hair, the perfect job for her since she runs a salon focusing on just that. A very, very pregnant twenty year old Hanna was helping out too, since she was Cassie's assistant. I found it awfully nice of her, since we couldn't find a place for her in the wedding. She and Alex had a very fast paced relationship; they eloped when she was just sixteen after dating for almost two years.
Since Cassie had taken charge of Emily, and Cassie was doing Kim, that left Rebecca and I. She turned a watery smile to me and shooed me into the chair, grabbing a hair curler. Becca was always amazing at doing these things, a total girl through and through.
"So, how's my nephew?"I said timidly as she ushered me to a chair. She giggled, grinning widely
"Ah, Lee is doing just fine! I asked him if he wanted to come and say hello to his cousin Marie, and he told me that he was not going to the 'girl party'. He was pretty grumpy because he hates planes, and of course we had to fly here! Kupona cheers him up easily enough though…" I let her babble away, not really listening and knowing that she would hardly notice.
My nephew Lee was only a few months younger than Marie, and I was sad to say I'd only ever met him two times in person. The first visit was for his third birthday, where Paul, Mar, and I went to Hawaii to surprise him, Becca, and her husband Kupona.
They came to La Push the second time barely a year later, because Billy had had a mild heart attack. Of course, that was a rather sad occasion. My dad was better now; and pretty healthy at the age of fifty-five.
"And then, the astronaut told me all about his second cousin's llama farm!" Rebecca caught my attention with this last sentence, and I laughed along with her, wondering what the hell she had been talking about.
"All done!" she smiled, and I made a sound of surprise as I noticed only forty-five minutes had passed. Usually, it took hours to up do hair as thick as mine, but she had whipped through it so quick. At my look of astonishment, her grin widened. "Ah, Mija, don't forget I have the same hair as you! I'm used to this thick mass of curls!"
"Of course, Me One… how could I forget?" I joked, referring to the nickname I had given her when we were eight year olds.
"Damn, Me Two, when was the last time we called each other that? Forever, at least!" We smiled in remembrance, and then she picked up the make-up tray, moving it closer until it was balanced beside me. "You going for the natural look?" she grunted, wiping her forehead gently with the back of her hand.
I nodded quickly as she dug through the different shades of eye shadow, knowing that Rebecca was not one to go for the natural look at all. I would have to help her pick all the make-up out, or things would end disastrously. After everyone finished each other's hair and make-up, not without squabbles, of course, Emily ducked out of the house to get our dresses.
I thanked the lord that we picked a day that wasn't going to rain. It was fairly nice out, not humid or too hot or cold, just normal with a tiny bit of sun. When she came back in, the girls bounded for their dresses and I disappeared into my room, getting my own dress and Marie's flower girl dress carefully.
I had preserved the dresses with my life, guarding them with everything in me and not letting Paul see a peep of the tiniest piece of fabric no matter what. I slipped back in the room and handed Marie her dress, which she handled just as delicately as I did.
I then grinned nervously at Emily before heading to the bathroom to change. I motioned quietly for her to follow me, and she did. Emily was my Maid of Honor, and she played the part well. Considering she was also Kim's, her sister's, and new wolf girl Lola's. No one particularly liked her… actually, most people hated her. Except for Louis, and then Emily and Cassie I guess, who are just too nice to dislike her so much.
She and Louis, her wolf, got married earlier this year, and she had Emily, and then Kim and her sister Mandy as her bridesmaids. Her sister was quite a slut… apparently, she fooled around with half the pack, including Louis, before they imprinted. Thank God Paul stayed away from that blasted family! It caused a large tiff between them, so it would have been really awkward if she was the Maid of Honor, but Lola still wanted her in the wedding and blah, blah, blah! Like I've said before, I detest drama.
Snapping myself back to the present, I finished positioning my dress the right way, and twisted in the mirror to gaze at it. It was, to put simply, quite gorgeous. I smiled widely, as Emily pressed her hands together, 'oohing' and 'awing' appropriately.
"Oh my God, Em! I can't believe this! I mean, after eleven fucking years, we're finally fucking doing it! Paul and I are getting married!" I squealed, squeezing her elbows. She laughed when she hugged me back, sliding easily into my embrace.
"Sweetie, I am so happy for you! And just in time, too!" she sing-songed. I glanced at her in confusion, and she gave me a knowing look.
"Oh come on! Paul was thinking of how you smelled with Jared on patrol, and then Jared thought about it with Sam, and he told me, and I imagine Jared told Kim. You should know by now that there are no secrets in the pack!" She waggled her finger at me. I was now even more confused, staring at her.
"Paul was thinking of how I smelled? Why?" I asked her incredulously. She gave me a strange, bewildered look, which turned into confusion, then shock, terror, more shock, and then she fell against the wall, wringing her hands, clearly upset.
"Ooh shit! Ooh crap! What the hell have I done?" she cried, biting her lip angrily. I stared at her for a long time, and then shook my head.
"Emily, what're you talking about?" I asked her, and she cast her eyes downward.
"Never mind me; Paul will tell you when he needs to, okay?" Emily said nervously, and I opened my mouth to protest again…she cut me off with a wave of her hand.
"Like I said; never mind! We should get back out there, time is ticking by!" she sang, but something was slightly off about her voice, and curiosity erupted inside me. What was Paul hiding from me? I frowned, shaking my head to clear it out.
I would find out eventually what this was all about, but right now I had to focus on the wedding, and nothing could distract me.
The sand ran through my toes, my bare feet wriggling themselves deeper into the ground. I took a few breaths, trying to calm myself down. My bridesmaids were behind me, just watching as I poked my head out of the small shelter we were readying ourselves in.
"I think it's time, Rachel," whispered Emily softly. I bit my lip, nodding my head slowly. I didn't move though, nerves zapping through my veins like acid. I shivered when she stepped forward, putting a hand on my shoulder and guiding me to the back of the line. We had a mat placed down the aisle, so my dad would be able to move with me, and I took his elbow as he clutched my arm, staring at me proudly.
"Rachel, you do not have an idea of how… happy I am, to see you so at peace." His whispered words had me beaming.
I watched with glazed eyes as Marie, Nicole, Jackson, and Adam marched off first, the girls scattering flowers down the aisle, and the boys laden with pillows that had fake rings sewed onto them. Emily and Jared were entrusted with the real rings.
I swallowed as Embry and Cassie started walking, my heart pumping wildly when Jacob and Kim went off, and then Sam and Rebecca. My knees felt weak and my hands went clammy when Jared and Emily, Best Man and Maid of Honor, went off together.
I chewed on my lip as Billy rolled forward, looking back at me with a smile. Taking a deep breath, I walked to him and he took my elbow, guiding me forward.
As soon as I stepped forward, nothing else mattered but the man standing at the end of the beach. Paul was wearing an impeccable black and gray tux, beaming at me with a wild, hungry glint in his eyes. I was now tugging Billy forward instead of him pulling me; my eagerness to get to Paul was so great.
And then we were there, and my dad let go of me so Paul could take my arm, supporting me as I strode to the pastor. I could barely keep myself from jumping on Paul as the man drone on and on, never ending it seemed.
Finally, he asked who had the rings, and Emily and Jared came forward, distributing them to us. We slid them on each other's fingers.
Paul took a deep breath before starting his vow, "Rachel- my life was nothing without you in it. When I met you, I knew from one look that we were made for each other," he paused there, and I stifled a giggle at the mischievous glint in his eye, "And now, here we are, a couple decades later, standing at the alter. I promise you that I will never let you down, never disapoint. I will be there for you, and I will stop anything that tries to hurt you. Nothing will ever come between us. You are more important than my own life, than anything else in the world. I love you now, I loved you before, and I'm sure as hell gonna love you tomorrow and all the days after that." I beamed at him as he finished, wanting so badly to wrap my legs around his waist and kiss him.
But it was my turn to distribute my vows, and I grinned at him as I began, "Paul... I am in awe right now, standing in front of you. I can't believe I got so lucky as to have a family with you, and be with you. I would say I don't deserve this, but you made me realize that I do. You make me feel amazing, like I'm the most special woman in the world, and I want you to know that you're the most amazing man in the world. I love you so much. I know we had a rocky start, but that doesn't matter anymore. I will stand by your side no matter what you get yourself into, and I will support you even if you're totally wrong. You are everything to me, and like you just said, nothing in the fricken' universe can come between us. Ever."
Paul looked like he wanted to make-out with me, as well, by the time I finished, and he was bouncing with anticipation as the minister went through our 'I do's'. Finally, he took a step away from us, and we pressed our bodies against each other's in anticipation.
"I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Paul Walker! You may kiss the bride!" he announced, holding his arms to the sky and grinning as he finally poured some emotion into his voice.
We didn't hesitate as I pressed my lips to his, pouring all my happiness and joy into that one movement. It lasted only five seconds before he pulled away, but he didn't loosen his arms around my waist. I didn't realize that tears were trailing down my cheek until Paul wiped them away with his thumb.
He lugged me off my feet, carrying me down the aisle. We weren't having a reception, just going straight to our honeymoon. It wasn't anything big, just four days in Seattle while Jake and Nessie watched Marie for us.
Their relationship was agonizingly slow-paced. They got together when Nessie was six, that wasn't too slow, but he hasn't proposed in the five years since then, though Nessie has been full grown. She's getting a bit desperate.
Now, Paul was kissing me affectionately down my cheek to the base of my neck, making me bite my lip. "Ooh, babe!" I giggled, and he laughed breezily.
"Fuck, I love you so much Tiger!" he whispered as my hands roamed his perfect chest.
"Me too, Paul! I can't believe we finally did this," I whispered, nibbling on his earlobe. I felt him get hard against me and started grinding against his member.
"The worst part of it was not being able to see you all day," he said, "how was everything?" he added. I shrugged, and then remembered an earlier conversation with Emily.
"Well, there was this one thing… Emily said something about you thinking about how I smelled weird, and then immediately dropped the subject. What was that about?" I asked him. He froze underneath me, his eyes wide and scared.
"I am going to kill Sam!" he roared, rolling off me and ruffling his messy hair. I rose an eyebrow at him, lips pursed in confusion.
"Uh-uhm, okay? Just tell me what this is about!" I ordered, and he sighed.
"Rachel, your smell has changed into that of a pregnant woman. You're pregnant," he said, his voice straining to keep calm.
It took me a moment to let the words sink in, and then I gasped as my hands flew to my mouth. My head pounded as I started hyperventilating. "What? Are you sure? Oh my god, fuck!" I screeched, waving myarms wildly as my face turned red.
"Calm down, calm down babe! I only smelled it a couple days ago, and then you were so stressed, I figured I'd wait until the wedding stuff ended, or let you find out yourself… I just didn't want you to worry more," he mumbled, and I groaned.
"It's fine… I don't want to argue on our wedding night. But how are we going to do this?" I whispered, my head spinning. He laughed, shrugging.
"How we do everything else… wing it."
Heyla,
Thanks to those who reviewed! I loved all of them, especially cuz I got a few extra this time around!
Again, I want to send a shout-out to laurazuleta18!
I am so sad, and yet a little proud to say, that the next chapter is the epilogue. It's been an amazing journey, and this is my baby, but I have to bid ado.
As always, TwilightHeart21
