"What's wrong with you? Cheer up." Phil sat down next to me and nudged my shoulder.
I couldn't have been more thankful that there wasn't a camera filming me breaking down. I just couldn't be happy right now. I couldn't celebrate my news. I should be thrilled right now, but the very reason I should be is the reason I'm not.
I guess Jon isn't the man I thought he was. Coward sneaking off like that. I couldn't even be angry right now. It was all too painful. I couldn't bear it. All I wanted to do was shut down, but Phil wasn't letting me.
"No, none of that. You ought to know better, Jessie." Phil told me.
"Better than what?" I dryly asked.
I had been sitting on the floor in the locker room, long after the other girls had cleared out. After I failed to speak multiple times to any of them, Brie got Phil to check in on me. For a while, he sat down next to me without saying anything. Upon my flat comment, he positioned his body so that he was sitting in front of me. Phil grabbed my chin to force me to look him in the eyes.
"Where did you go?" He asked.
I smacked his hand away, glaring at him hard.
"No, I'm serious. As much as I hated to admit it for a long time, you two are perfect for each other. And this is a happy time. So why are you sitting on the floor, looking broken?"
I gave him a hard shove backwards. He landed on his back, but swung his legs up so he rolled backwards completely.
"Come on." Phil stood up and offered me his hand.
I ignored him, looking pointedly at the floor.
"Don't want to do it the easy way? Fine." Phil forcefully pulled me up to my feet and lifted me up. I gave a startled cry as he laid me flat across the back of his shoulders.
"If you give me a knee strike..."
"Thinking about it, but no. Come on."
I fussed and fumed as he walked out of the locker room, with me still on his back and rolling my gear bag. He continued to walk effortlessly around the backstage area until he started towards the stage area.
"Phil, what are you doing?" I demanded to know.
He dropped my bag off and went through the curtain.
"Phil, damn it, put me down!"
"This will teach you to doubt your heart or his." Phil said with a chuckle.
"What?" I tried to squirm off of his shoulders, but he held me too tightly.
The arena had been long empty from the fans. The cleaning crew had already begun their work. Due to the position that Phil had me in, I could hear people chatting but I couldn't see well. I could see the steel steps of the ring as Phil walked through the ropes with me still on his back.
"Alright, alright. Put her down." I heard Jon say, a slight chuckle in his voice.
As soon as I was on my feet, I punched Phil hard in the shoulder.
"Easy, Jess." Jon said, putting his arm around my waist and pulling me out of arms reach of Phil.
"And you." I bitterly said, elbowing him in the ribs. I spun around as air rushed out of him. I stomped on his foot as hard as I could, resisting the urge to punch his lights out. "You had me worried out of my mind."
Seth grabbed my arm gently before I could do any more bodily harm. It was only then that I realized that the ring was full of our friends.
"Jess, if you beat him up, he can't talk." Seth joked.
I crossed my arms over my chest, my lips pursed tightly together. Jon chuckled when he finally regained his composure.
"I'm sorry for sneaking off like that, but I didn't want you to know what I was doing." Jon stated.
"You have any idea-" I took another step but Seth stepped in.
"Stop." Seth gently said. "Look around you, Jess."
It hadn't registered to me everything that was around us. Purple and white balloons hung from each of the four turnbuckles, along with streamers wrapped around the ropes. Next to the ring announcer's table was a long table nearly the entire length of one of the sides of the ring covered in food and a large cake stood at the center. Nearly the entire locker room was either in the ring or around the food table.
I looked sheepishly over at Jon, who was now grinning from ear to ear.
"Surprise." Jon smirked.
"Congratulations!" Everyone exclaimed in unison.
I turned bright red as Jon took me into his arms. I buried my face into his chest, trying to recover my composure.
Jon gently stroked my cheek, tipping my chin up to meet his eyes.
"You crazy woman. I love you." Jon told me.
"You crazy man. I love you."
Everyone filed out of the squared circle to stand ringside, except for my sisters, who I didn't even know was there, as well as John, Bryan, Phil, Seth, and Roman. Shannon and Amy crawled under the bottom rope, dressed in the cutest white dresses with a purple ribbon around their waist.
"I know you better than anyone." Jon began. "And I know this isn't the way we always pictured it, and hell, we can re-do the ceremony after the baby is born, but I just didn't want to wait another night without you being my wife."
That took me by surprise. My eyes filled with tears at his words. "I don't understand."
"Marry me. Right now." Jon said.
"Now?!" I exclaimed.
Everyone at ringside laughed, making my ears turn pink.
"Right now. As I said, we can re-do everything later if you want. But let's do it."
"How? We don't have anyone who can officiate-"
"Actually." Phil stepped forward. "I can."
"What?" I practically shouted.
Phil beamed. "You have a great man there, Jess. He talked me into getting a license online so I could perform your ceremony later. I loved the idea."
"It was a surprise for later. It just got moved up a bit." Jon explained.
"You want to marry me right now." I re-stated.
"Absolutely." Jon nodded.
"Come on, Momma." Shannon smiled at me.
I'm standing in the ring wearing jeans and a tank top. Not exactly what I pictured getting married in. But Jon's right, all that is pomp and ceremony. He was still in his ring gear as well.
I grinned over at him and extended my right hand. I thought his smile was going to break his face as we moved into position.
I was still beside myself. How was it that less then thirty minutes ago, I thought it was all over. Now I'm standing in the ring next to him, surrounded by family and friends, pledging my life to his.
"Oh, I don't have rings." I said.
"Mommy." Amy tugged on my jeans, opening up her little hand to show me a gold band.
Of course he thought of everything.
"We gather together to congratulate these two and bring them together forevermore." Phil began.
I was so giggly, it was hard for me to stand still.
"It's not too late to back out." Phil stated.
"Not on your life." I responded.
"I was talking to him." Phil joked.
Jon shook his head and laughed. Phil gave a little shrug but continued on.
"If anyone sees cause why these two should not be joined, keep your mouth shut and leave the ring area immediately."
Several laughed at Phil's light teasing.
"Go ahead, bro." Phil nodded towards Jon.
"I'm really sorry for scaring you today, but I wasn't able to sleep at all. I watched you lying so peacefully in my arms and I was overwhelmed. You overwhelm me, Jess. I am always amazed and in awe of you. You love so completely, so fiercely. You love me like I never thought I deserved to be loved. I was always the street dog, the gutter trash. But you never looked at me that way. And now, we are really starting our lives together. There is nothing better than you, than us. I promise to always put you and our three children before myself. I promise to be the man that I see in your eyes. Forever."
I was crying happily at his words. Sarah had to hand me a tissue before I could speak.
"You constantly take me by surprise, which is really saying something." I grinned. "I have never met a man who loves as unconditionally as you do. You've always given me your all. You love my girls like they are yours and now, we have our own little miracle to look forward to. I promise to always give you my all. I'm sorry that for a few hours, I doubted your sincerity. It felt like an eternity and I swear to you, I'll never doubt again. I love you."
Jon took a small gold band from Amy's hot little hand and slipped it on my finger.
"Jonathan Good, do you swear to love, honor, and cherish this woman? To always put her needs ahead of your own? To be by her side, even in the darkest of days, as long as you both shall live?" Phil asked.
"I do." Jon agreed.
I took the other band from Amy and slipped it on his left hand.
"Jessie Coleman, do you swear to love, honor, and cherish this man? To always put his needs ahead of your own? To be by his side, even in the darkest of days, as long as you both shall live?" Phil asked.
"I do."
"Then I now proclaim you husband and wife. Go ahead and kiss her." Phil said.
Jon took me in his arms and dipped me. The crowd surrounding us roared and applauded until he set me up right.
"Hey guys! I've got Mr. and Mrs. Jon Good right here!" Phil proclaimed.
