(Noah)

I've been awake and watching Elle sleep for at least an hour now. Not continuously; I've also gotten up, showered, dressed, unpacked the suitcase I'd taken to New York, and made coffee. But in between those accomplishments, I keep coming back to our room and pausing to watch her sleep. She's still wearing the ring and I'm glad for the reminder that yesterday actually happened, because the memory of it feels like one long, weird dream. But no, it was all real. I spent the week convincing myself to be patient and then Elle informed me that we were getting married. Now. Which thrills me every time I remember, even if I don't yet have any idea how we're going to manage that.

Elle still doesn't look interested in waking up, and I wander back to the living room to find more to distract myself with. I guess the plan for today is going to be telling our parents, although that may need to wait for this evening, when Mike gets back from work. Maybe we'll go tell my mom first. I think Elle would like that. Mom's going to go into full emergency planning mode the second she finds out, though, so Elle and I should talk about when and how we want this wedding to happen before we head over there.

An alarm on my phone goes off, and I can't figure out why at first. The description just says "Rams - Adam," and eventually I remember that today is the day 'Niners tickets go on sale and that Adam and I were hoping to see them play the Rams in September. Yeah, so that's not happening, and it's weird to think how radically life has changed since I set that alarm. Back then I expected that in September I'd be settling into my third year teaching, maybe starting to plot my next move. I don't really know where I expected things to stand with Elle by then, but I'd probably have told you that we were over, ignoring that quiet voice that still believed we'd work things out. But I definitely didn't expect that within months of creating that calendar alert I'd have left San Francisco, gotten a new job, and oh yeah, be living with Elle and planning to marry her. Not to mention hoping to do so soon, before we become parents.

I send Adam a picture of the calendar alert with the caption sorry - find yourself a new date, and I'm surprised to see him start typing back almost immediately. And suddenly I feel like sharing the news. Elle surely won't mind if I tell Adam, and we just won't tell our parents they weren't first to find out. I hit call before Adam's done typing.

"Man, you really miss me, don't you? I get it, I'm awesome." Adam laughs in lieu of saying hello.

"Yeah, definitely why I'm calling."

"No? Ah, so it's more of my excellent advice you seek. Still trying to convince Elle?"

"Nope. Just calling to let you know you've been promoted."

"Promoted?"

"I said you'd be seventh to know, but you're up before anyone else so you get to be first."

"First what? ... oh. Shit, really?"

"Really." Even if I can't quite believe it either.

"Damn. That's awesome. Seriously? You managed to convince her?"

"You've met Elle. There's no such thing as convincing her."

"Right. You managed to subtly suggest reasons why she might want to independently change her mind?"

"I said absolutely nothing about marriage all week, I left for the weekend, I came back and told her that she was right about waiting, she proposed."

There's a long pause, and then Adam laughs. "You have no idea how much Elle's Elle-ness and your utter weakness to it delight me."

"Then you're going to enjoy this part. How's your schedule looking for the next couple weeks? Think you could come down here?"

"Trying to squeeze an engagement party in before the baby ruins your social lives?"

"No. Think... Crazier. Elle-ier."

Adam is silent for a moment.

"Holy shit," he whispers fervently after a beat. "Please please please tell me you're throwing an honest to goodness shotgun wedding. Please."

"Minus the shotgun, but yeah. Think you can make it?"

"Are you kidding me? There are no plans I wouldn't cancel to witness this. Can I come down today?"

"I'm getting the impression that it's less that you're happy for us and more that you're bored and in need of entertainment."

"Why not both? I am very happy for you. And I wouldn't miss this circus for the world. So, when? Where?"

"We haven't figured any of that out yet. But soon, obviously."

Adam and I stay on the phone a while, and I end up telling him most of yesterday's craziness. He asks what changed Elle's mind, and I realize I don't have an answer for him. I'm not sure I need one, either. Elle said something about realizing we'd made this decision long ago and not needing more time, and I see no reason to second-guess her. Maybe I'm curious, but I don't need to know; I trust Elle.

Elle's still asleep when I get off the phone, so I go check out what she and Mom did to the nursery while I was gone. A room decorated with penguins shouldn't be this intimidating, but it kind of is. For months I've been telling myself not to worry about the baby part because we'd figure it out on the fly, but now the prospect is getting unsettlingly close. Whether Dinah shows up on time or a little early or a little late, all of those are incredibly soon.

And I can't help dreading that arrival, just a little. Not because I don't want this, but... I'd like more time. More time with Elle as just the two of us. More time to settle in to living together. More time as each other's first priority. And now, getting married is going to consume most of the limited time we have left. There's no doubt this is what I want—Dinah, our crazy wedding plans, all of it—I just wish there were some way to squeeze a few more months into the timeline.

I don't want to put off getting married—Elle's right, why wait when we know what we want—but maybe I shouldn't have nixed a secret elopement. We've got less than a month left, and the idea of spending any more of that time on wedding planning than absolutely necessary is not appealing. But I do also want our family and closest friends there. Maybe this is another of those situations where we need to forget about what would be ideal and just enjoy the imperfect reality. We'll get married, somehow, we'll make the most of our last weeks on our own, somehow, and we'll figure out this baby thing, somehow. None of it will be perfect but all of it will be worth it.

The next time I walk into our room, Elle is finally awake but still in bed, checking her phone. She looks pale, and I'm guessing she's woken up feeling queasy again. She claims that's normal for this late in pregnancy, but I still hate to see it. At least this time around I'm here.

"Do you need seltzer?" That's what usually does the trick. Lime seltzer, specifically. I made the mistake of bringing her lemon once last week, and I was informed that's completely different and not at all adequate.

"Is it that obvious?"

"A little. I'll go grab one."

Elle is sitting up by the time I return, and she takes the can of seltzer gratefully.

"Adam says hi. And congratulations." I tell her as I sit down at the foot of the bed.

Elle nods distractedly at the first part, then looks up sharply. "You told Adam?"

"Yeah. I needed to talk to him about something else, and then I just felt like telling him. Should I not have?"

"No, it's fine, it's not like Adam's going to tip off your mom before we can tell her. But I do want you to know that I was just now texting with Mickey and doing my absolute best not to tell her yet. So I want this noted for the record for the next time you claim I'm the one who can't keep secrets from friends."

"Go ahead and tell Mickey. And I know we talked about just needing our family there, but I was thinking we should invite her. And Adam."

"Because you already invited him?" Elle guesses, smiling. "Yeah, you did. I know that face. But that sounds good, and I'm sure Mickey will be around. I'm not telling her yet, though. She actually might call your mom immediately and spill the beans, so they can start losing their minds planning. I'll tell her once our parents know."

"How do you want to tell them? Do you want to tell your dad first?"

"He'll be at work all day. Let's start with your mom. And Lee, if he's home. Dad isn't going to mind if they know before he does. Is your dad in town?"

"Yeah, but probably in meetings all day. And we should talk a little about what we want and when we want to do it before we go over there and Mom demands details."

"Ugh, you're right. Well, it can't be this weekend, Lee will be gone. So I guess the next weekend? Or do you think Adam could make it on a weekday?"

"He's teaching summer school, but I think he could find a way. Waiting for the next weekend might be cutting it close." I point out.

"That's still two weeks before my due date, and first babies are always late, or so everyone tells me. But let's say sometime next week or weekend."

Elle reaches for my arm to tug me closer, and I scoot back on the bed until I'm sitting against the headboard with her. I've quickly become fond of these lazy mornings on our own, in our own place, and I feel a flash of regret that we're not going to get too many more before life gets crazy.

"Where? City Hall? If they even do weddings there. I mean, people always talk about getting married at City Hall like that's a thing, but I've never actually been, much less for a wedding." Elle comments.

"Me neither. One of my students did get married at the courthouse last year, and it was surprisingly nice. But that was in San Francisco."

"One of your students?" Elle stares at me, aghast. "Like, a high schooler? I hate my hypocritical self for asking this, but... was she pregnant?"

"Oh, no. More like the opposite, I suspect." I laugh.

"The opposite? The opposite of pregnant is just... not pregnant. That's not a reason to get married in high school."

"This was right after they graduated. And what I meant was that I'm pretty sure they were getting married for the same reason she wasn't pregnant. Because they were both from very, very traditional families. Very. Hence the desire to get married as soon as possible." I grin at Elle, and I can tell from her expression once she gets what I mean.

"Wow. I can't even imagine."

"Yeah, I'm aware." I'm smirking at her, and I fully deserve the murderous look I get in return.

"Oh, like you're one to talk." Elle mutters.

"Never said I was. Anyway, we're getting off track. I don't overly care where we do this, but I'd rather it not be some depressing office."

"Me neither. But people get married all sorts of random places, right? Like in parks and stuff. I'm sure we can find something."

"Alright, so we've made great planning progress. We're getting married next week on a day not yet determined, in some random place not yet determined."

"Maybe we should just tell your mom and let her start throwing ideas at us."

Mom is reading the paper in the breakfast nook when we find her.

"I heard from Mike you flew home early. Too busy to tell me?" Mom glares lightly.

"Yeah, kind of. Ask Elle about it," I tell her as she stands to pull Elle in for a hug.

Elle sits down next to my mom, and I can tell she's psyching herself up to make the announcement when I see Mom's eyes widen and I hear her sharp intake of breath before she turns to stare me down.

"Noah Flynn, would you care to explain that wedding ring?"

"I mean, it seems pretty self-explanatory," I shrug, taking a seat across from Elle.

"Noah!" Elle yelps, lunging across the table to smack my shoulder. "It's not a wedding ring, June. I mean, it is a wedding ring. But not yet. It's a ring for when we get married. Which we're going to do, but haven't yet. Which is what we came over to tell you," she explains in a rush.

"You're engaged? Really?" Mom's tone has melted.

I just grin and look to Elle, who finally replies. "Yeah, really."

I was expecting Mom to grab Elle for another hug, so I'm caught by surprise when I'm the one she reaches for first, squeezing me almost painfully tight before releasing me with a laugh.

"Finally."

I'm not going to ask exactly how long Mom means she's been waiting for this, but I'm guessing she's got years in mind when she says finally, not just this spring. She takes Elle's hands and they just look at each other, sharing a wordless moment.

"Have you told your dad yet?" Mom finally asks her.

"No, that's next. Well, and Lee—is he home?"

Mom laughs. "Home and snoring. He rolled in from wherever he was last night just as I was getting up and I'm pretty sure he's still asleep."

"So no rush there, I guess. Is Matthew at work? I was thinking we could tell him and Dad and Brad all together tonight."

"I'll invite your dad for dinner. I'll leave announcing why we're having a family dinner up to you two, though."

I've been trying to catch Elle's attention, trying to remind her that there's more she needs to be announcing, but Mom ends up giving me the opening I need.

"I know it's too early to bug you about this, but do you have any guesses when you'd want to get married? Maybe next spring?"

"Oh, Elle definitely has some ideas about timing. Elle?" I stare at her and she blushes, ducking her head.

"I, ah, we were thinking sooner. A lot sooner." Elle admits, Mom eyeing her with curiosity. "We'd actually like to do this now."

"Now?" Mom exclaims, probably louder than she intended. "As in right now?"

"I mean, not today. But... next week?"

Mom stares at me and then at Elle, and then back at me before bursting out laughing.

"I should have guessed. I'd ask if you're being serious or playing a prank on me, but I can tell the answer from your faces." Mom's own expression turns serious. "This isn't because you think you have to or that we're expecting this, is it? This is what you want?"

Elle responds before I can. "It's what I wanted, and I convinced Noah. But not because of anyone else."

"I didn't actually need convincing." I interject, and Mom laughs.

"And we know it's too short notice to invite people," Elle continues, "but we were thinking we could have a big party next year. Maybe for our anniversary. But the actually getting married part, we want to do now. Even if it's just our immediate families and a couple friends."

Mom gives us another long, appraising look, then nods resolutely. "Alright. We can make this happen. This is going to be crazy, but in the best way. Either here or at City Hall are probably the easiest locations on such short notice, and I bet my friend Carol —"

I can see Mom shifting into planning mode, and I realize something.

"Actually, Mom—is there any way you could make this happen?"

Elle looks at me curiously, and probably I should have run this past her first, but if she disagrees I hope she'll say so.

"It's just—Elle and I have so little time left to ourselves, before the baby. And I really don't care about the specifics of how all this happens as long as we end up married. I mean, I do care, but I'm sure I'd be fine with anything you come up with. Elle, feel free to object, because we'll do whatever you want, but I'd really rather spend the next few weeks just being with you. Not... figuring out logistics."

Elle hasn't said anything yet, but she doesn't seem to hate the idea. Mom definitely looks game.

"I'd still need you two for some of the planning, but if Elle doesn't mind... I'd be happy to take care of all the details for you. Noah's right, you two have better uses for your time right now." Mom agrees, looking to Elle for her reaction.

"That sounds... really great. And I'm sure I'd love whatever you planned. But I feel guilty dumping all the work on you when getting married on two weeks' notice was my crazy idea."

"Oh, Elle, don't even think of it that way. I'd be thrilled to, I promise."

Mom and I both watch Elle as she twists her ring around contemplatively, then looks up with an impish smile.

"Yeah, let's do this. Or, I guess, let's not do this and let's let you do this, instead. Since I'm pretty sure you've already been planning this for a while."

I give Mom a long grateful look, and I can tell she gets it. Her taking this on for us, giving us some of these precious last few weeks back, is the best wedding present she could give us.

(Elle)

Lee groggily rubs at his eyes as he sits up, and I hand him a mug of coffee before perching on the edge of his bed. I'd asked Noah on the drive over here whether he'd mind if I told Lee on my own, and we'd agreed that was the best approach.

"You look like you're going to need a lot more coffee than just this," I laugh at Lee's barely-conscious expression.

"Thanks. There was this party at Josh's... I fell asleep on a couch at some point... and then I woke up way too soon and drove home. We weren't even drunk, just... hanging out. There were video games, I think. Ohhh, and one of his friends was hot."

"Ah, staying up late. I remember that, I think. Before I needed twelve hours of sleep to function."

"I'm sure you'll be up all hours of the night again soon enough. At least, that's how I hear newborns operate."

I flop back against the pillows next to him, groaning. "Please, don't remind me."

"Holy shit. How long was I asleep?" Lee suddenly sounds a lot more awake, and I realize he's staring at my left hand.

"Oh, this?" I ask him with a teasing voice as I lift my hand, wriggling my fingers.

"Elle! Did you guys seriously—I mean, without me?" Lee looks equal parts hurt and confused, and Noah was right—eloping and keeping it secret would have been a terrible idea.

"Relax. Of course we didn't... yet."

"Yet?" Lee is still staring at me, and now the look on his face sets me giggling.

"Good morning, future brother in law."

"Oh god, please never ever call me that again," Lee grimaces. "It's just too weird. But seriously? You guys got engaged?"

Lee doesn't even wait for me to confirm before pulling me into an extended, somewhat tearful, hug. I know he'll probably never not think this is weird, but I'm relieved we found a way to make this triangle work. I don't think there's any way Noah and I could have survived Lee's opposition, or made it without his help.

"You do know that looks exactly like a wedding ring, right? I didn't realize my dumbass brother needed engagement rings explained." Lee asks after finally releasing me, taking my hand to get a closer look.

"Oh, shut up. Because it is a wedding ring, jerk, or at least it will be eventually. But right now it's an engagement ring. It's a long story." And his dumbass brother is actually brilliant at meaningful gifts, but Lee hates hearing those stories.

"Damn. Wait, isn't Noah in New York still? How —"

"He missed me too much, so he came home yesterday. And then I proposed."

"You proposed?" Lee's eyebrows rise.

"Well, first I told him he could, but he said I had to, because I was the one who wouldn't let him propose last weekend... I guess I need to tell you that story, too. But that's how I ended up proposing. But then I made him ask me, too. Like I said, it's a very long story."

"Holy shit." Lee says again, this time looking more delighted than alarmed. "I kind of can't believe you two actually did it. I mean, at this point I figured it would be after the baby. Or maybe never, to prove some kind of stubborn point. Does Mom know yet?"

"You didn't hear that screech ten minutes ago?"

"That does explain a lot. She must be thrilled."

"Well, right now she's a little busy. The engagement news wasn't why she screamed."

Lee looks confused. "Why, then?"

"Are you in town next weekend? Not this coming weekend, the next."

"Yeah. Why?"

I just grin at him.

"Elle, why?"

"If you're not busy, want to go to a wedding?"

"Whose wedding?" Lee is still lost, and then I see his brain catch up and understand. "Wait—your wedding? You're getting married now?"

"No, I just feel like crashing a random wedding to get theme ideas. Of course my wedding, you idiot."

"You're getting married. In two weeks. Less than two weeks. Wow. No wonder Mom screamed. Do I need to go check on her? I'm glad you two finally wised up, but I'm going to be mad if you make my mom go insane."

"Oh, relax. She's fine, and she's thrilled. She's already on the phone scouting locations. You know she loves a good organizational challenge."

"Wow. I, just... You're actually doing this."

Lee looks a little dazed. I snuggle in closer to him, leaning my head on his shoulder like a hundred prior heart-to-hearts, but few of them quite this momentous.

"I wasn't thinking we'd get married right away when I proposed. But once we'd decided that, I don't know, I was just done waiting. We've wasted enough time. So I convinced Noah we should do this now."

Lee snorts. "Yeah—I'm sure that was a tough argument to win. He's probably mad you're making him wait two weeks instead of getting married today."

"Oh, shush. He's the one who nixed eloping, you know."

"Yeah, and rightly so, because our parents would kill you. Both of you. As would I. You are inviting us to this wedding, right?"

"Of course. And Adam, and probably Mickey. And then next year we'll have a big party for everyone else."

"I call dibs on best man."

"Talk to Noah."

"No, not for him. For you. Mickey's awesome, but I've earned this."

"Do I get a best man?"

"It's your wedding. You get whatever you want."

"And what if Noah wants a best man? You're his brother. I can't steal you."

Lee quirks an eyebrow, smiling oddly. "You mean like he stole you?" He's joking, but also... not.

"Are we really having this conversation again? Today?"

Lee shakes his head, laughing. "No, of course not. I'm just pointing out that Noah can deal if I pick you over him."

"I don't think this is going to be the kind of wedding with a best man, anyway. Just... us and our most important people. You don't need titles. But we'll figure it out."

Lee and I stay like that, just talking, for almost an hour until Noah shows up to check on us. By then I've told Lee all of it, from last weekend's painful non-proposal to yesterday's epiphanies and decisions, but leaving out the part about the box he'd never told me to look out for. I do plan to tell Noah that I was never ignoring his last attempt to reach out, but there's no point making Lee feel bad over ancient history. Besides, Lee's done a lot more to get us to this point than he has to inadvertently slow us down.

"Can I steal Elle back now? Mom's deep into wedding planning and it's our chance to make our escape." Noah asks, leaning against Lee's desk.

Lee turns to me with a triumphant look. "See? He admits he steals you."

Noah doesn't look particularly curious about the elbow jab I give Lee, but I guess it's par for the course for us.

Lee follows me off the bed, crossing his room to pull Noah into a hug. He mutters something that makes Noah roll his eyes, but they're both smiling, and I tell Lee we'll see him again at dinner and not to spill the news to anyone in the meantime.

"You're not mad I asked Mom to take over the planning, are you?" Noah asks as we drive away.

"Are you kidding me? That was genius. Besides, we can get our fill of planning next year if we want, for round two."

"I just... would rather we spend the next few weeks not running around more than we have to."

"I already told you, this is perfect. Do you think your mom will need to see us in person to get this planned, or could we go sit on a beach for two weeks?"

"You're not traveling anywhere." Noah reminds me.

"We have beaches right here. But I was mostly joking."

It's not until we're almost home that I remember what I'd wanted to ask Noah.

"What did Lee tell you? Earlier, when he hugged you and you made a face at him."

Noah looks briefly confused, then smirks. "Same thing he's been telling me for six years."

"Which is?"

"Screw this up and I'll kill you."

"You don't look concerned."

"I'm not. I don't plan on giving him reason. Besides, he's never made good on that threat before."

"That doesn't make it an empty threat, you know. I think Lee's just been looking at the long-term this whole time, and he hadn't given up on us yet."

"My brother, the eternal optimist?"

"Oh, I didn't say that. Maybe more like your brother, the eternal pessimist that we'd never actually stop torturing him with this."

"And are we?"

"Going to stop torturing Lee? Not a chance."