Wedding

"Where is she, Abby?!"

"Sheeeeeee's running a little bit late. Stop stressing. Your mother will be here in plenty of time."

"This isn't a small thing to worry about. She has my wedding dress! I can't get married without it."

"Well, you could," Abby began. When she saw the ugly look on her best friend's face she quickly added, "but you aren't going to. She will absolutely be here! Go...drink some juice or...fold some baby clothes. Do something to keep your mind occupied."

Abby watched Olivia stalk to the kitchen and then glanced at her watch. It was two hours before the ceremony was supposed to start. Marie wasn't returning any calls from her or Liv, and Abby was beginning to worry. She tried to call Olivia's dad one more time. Surely, another voicemail wouldn't be too much, right?

"Hey, Papa Pope!" she said in an overly chipper voice. "This is Abby...calling you again. Liv is starting to stress out over you guys not being here with the dress yet. Could you please call me back and let me know what's going on? I'm running out of ways to contain the little stress box that is your daughter. Call me back. Please. Thanks!"

Abby sighed heavily. The day had started out with lots of stress. It had gotten better as the day progressed, but little moments of craziness had been peppered along the way. Abby had found it vastly humorous, but Olivia had worried over all of it.

It started out when the girls woke up. Well, how they woke up to be precise.

"Abby! Abby get up!"

Abby, who was extremely hung over, was not quite ready to wake up and get her day started. She and Quinn had continued drinking out on the porch long after Olivia had passed out for the night. "Leamealone" she mumbled, and burrowed under the blankets, rolling on her side, away from Olivia.

"Come on, Abby." Olivia said, shaking the redheaded burrito. "Get up!"

"Noooo." she whispered. "Goway. And stop yellin' at me."

Olivia was not going to freak out alone. She grabbed the blanket and tugged hard, unwrapping Abby from her warm cocoon. Her friend's hair was frazzled, sticking up in so many directions instead of the straight tamed beauty it usually was.

"What the hell, Liv? I'm tryin' to sleep!"

"It's raining outside!" Abby looked out the window. It was barely light out there.

"Congratulations! You're a weatherman...woman...whatever. Now go away."

Olivia burst into tears and sat down on the edge of her friend's bed.

Well, hell. Now Abby felt like an asshole. She slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes to try to remove some of the fuzziness there. That made it so much worse. She closed her eyes and counted to ten before opening them and talking to Olivia. "Liv? It's not a big deal that it sraining. You get that, right? Because you're not gonna get married here."

"Yea, but what if it is raining at home? I don't have a plan B. We're just gonna...what? Stand in the rain and say our vows? Who doesn't come up with a back up plan?" Olivia whined.

"Heyyyyy, it's okayyyyy." Was she rhyming? She tried to shake off her inner Doctor Seuss and come up with comforting words. God, her head was thumping. "Florida weather is very...temperamental. You know that by now. It could be pounding down rain one minute and hot as hell the next. It's probably nothing more than a pop up shower."

Olivia sniffled. "You're probably right. I'm over reacting because of the hormones."

"There ya go. What time is it?" Abby wanted nothing more than for her best friend in the whole world to get the hell out of her room so she could sleep a little longer. But maid of honor duties required that she take care of Liv.

"It's six fifteen. You wanna go get some breakfast with me?" Olivia asked.

She would be there for Olivia today, but tomorrow nobody had better fuck with her or they would die! She was so tired. And then she remembered the bed on the plane. She could nap on the way home and it would help pep her right up for the ceremony. "Yea. Breakfast sounds good. Let me go wake up Quinn so she won't miss any of the fun either." If Abby had to go, that bitch was going too!

"Why is the sun so bright?" Quinn whined as they walked.

Olivia was overly happy. The rain had shut off almost as quickly as it had started, leaving everything looking clean and fresh. "What time did the two of you go to bed?"

"Like four." Quinn replied, staggering behind them.

"You guys only got two hours of sleep the night before my wedding? Are you insane?"

"When we found out Fitz left us a shit load of alcohol, we felt obliged to drink it. That took a while." Abby giggled, and held onto Olivia's arm. "We had a good time. And now we're ready to celebrate with you today."

"What time do we leave?" Quinn asked on a yawn.

"A car is picking us up at noon, so make sure all of your stuff is packed up and ready to go."

"Why are we conscious at six in the friggin morning?" Abby asked. "It's too early to be alive."

Olivia chuckled. "Because today I'm getting married. And I'm beyond happy. I want to spend my last hours as a single woman with you two crazies. Four in the morning? Really?"

"I'm kinda glad you got us up now. I'm starving."

"Me too!"

As they waited for their breakfast to be brought to the table, an older gentleman approached the three of them. "Which one of you is Olivia?" he asked with a kind smile.

The three women exchanged a look and Olivia spoke up. "I am. Why do you ask?"

He gave a slight bow and handed her a small box. "Mr. Grant asked me to deliver this to you."

Olivia couldn't contain the grin on her face as she thanked him and accepted the box. She was marrying the sweetest man today!

"Open it!" Abby demanded.

"Are you sure he doesn't have a brother?" Quinn asked softly. Abby was right. Fitz and Olivia were soulmates. They were perfect for each other.

"No siblings. Sorry." Olivia told her. She pulled on the fancy blue bow on top of the box, freeing it. The box was white. There was definitely some kind of jewelry inside. She pulled the lid back to reveal what it was. Her sharp inhale followed by misty eyes had her clutching it to her chest and trying not to cry.

"What the hell is it, Liv?"

"It's a monogrammed necklace with a G for the last name instead of a P."

"How sweet is that?" Quinn gushed softly. "Let me see."

Abby put it on her. "It's really beautiful, Liv. You're marrying a great guy."

It was useless, but she swiped a finger under her eyes to catch the tears. "Fitz isn't a great guy. He's the best guy."

The three of them boarded the plane right on time and went straight for their seats. They got buckled up and waited patiently for the plane to be wheels up. The moment the plane had reached cruising altitude, all three of them removed their seat belts and dashed to the back of the plane to lay down. They fell asleep immediately.

The front door of the Grant beach house opened a short while later and Olivia's parents walked in. Her dad was carrying a garment bag. Olivia pounced on them. "Where the hell have you two been?"

Marie's head jerked back sharply. "Excuse me? Are you talking to your mother like that?"

Abby took two steps back away from her best friend. She was on her own this time.

"We've been calling and texting you for the past few hours! I need my dress. Where have you been?"

Marie popped a hand on her hip and gave her daughter the look. "What time is your wedding?"

"Six o'clock. You know that."

"And what time is it now?"

"Four fifteen."

"Have you missed the wedding?"

"Momma, that's not the..."

"Have you missed the wedding?" she repeated slower.

"No."

"Then what's the problem?"

"The problem is you have my dress on my wedding day, and you are late getting here with it, and you didn't take two minutes to let me know where you are so I wouldn't worry!"

"She's good, Marie." Aaron chuckled. "Riley doesn't stand a chance against her."

"She's not gonna speak to my grand baby like that." Marie told her husband.

"Momma! Focus! Why didn't you text or call me?"

"Because my phone died, and your father left his at home accidentally."

Olivia closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. When she felt calmer, she opened them and asked, "can you tell me why you are late with my dress?"

"Oh, I like this Olivia much better." Marie told her. "Yes, I can. I picked up your dress yesterday, while you were out of town. I had to get something done to it, but it couldn't be done until..."

"What did you do to my dress? It was perfect the way it was!" Olivia asked wide eyed. She took it from where it lay draped over the couch. She unzipped the garment bag and pulled out her dress. Nothing looked different about it. It was gorgeous.

"Are you done acting foolish?" Marie asked.

"This is my wedding day. I am so pregnant, and my hormones are making me act crazy. I'm sorry. Please tell me what you had done to my...Oh!" Olivia's eyes doubled and darted to her mom.

"There it is." Marie said confidently.

"There what is? What happened?" Abby asked from a chair. The Pope's were highly entertaining.

"Did you?" Olivia whispered.

"There's only one way to find out." Marie told her. "Don't you dare cry on that dress though."

Once again, Olivia took a deep calming breath and let it out slowly. She lifted the skirt, looking at the lining. Her eyes landed on something that hadn't been there until today. Olivia lovingly ran her fingers over the aged lace. It was a tradition in her family that started a very long time ago. Mothers had a small piece of their own wedding gowns sewn into the lining of their daughter's dresses to make the two women feel even more connected on their special day.

Abby came over to see what had turned Olivia into a mute. "What is that?"

Olivia sniffed and looked up at her mother. "It's a piece from my mom's wedding gown."

"You guys gotta stop with all the mushy shit. I can't do this today." Abby said, stalking away and dabbing at her eyes as she went.

Olivia got to her feet and went to her mom, hugging her tightly. "Thank you, mom."

"You're welcome, baby girl. Just remember this moment when you do the same thing to Miss Riley though." Marie said with a laugh.

"At least two decades from now." Aaron pointed out.

"Right, dad?" Olivia agreed. "I'm sorry I spoke to you like that, momma."

"I'll let it slide this time since it's your big day." Her mother told her and held her daughter tighter.

The back door opened and Quinn said, "Liv? Fitz wants to see you."

"No ma'am. The groom doesn't see the bride before the ceremony." Aaron told the camera carrying woman. If he had to wait to see his bride, Fitz could wait too.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean see you as in lay eyes on you."

"What other kind of seeing you is there?" Abby shot back.

"What's going on?" Olivia asked her friend as she walked across the room.

"I know it's bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other before the ceremony." Quinn said.

"Yea, in nineteen forty six maybe. Nobody cares about that crap anymore." Abby told the little group of friends.

"I can't see him. My parents are here and they would freak out. And since they are paying for the wedding, I'm going to comply with their old fashion ways. What is my handsome stud muffin up to?"

Abby made a disgusted face. "Uh uh!"

"That's bad for even me." Quinn agreed, making a face.

"What does he want, Quinn?" Olivia asked impatiently.

"He wants to hold your hand. Without looking at you. He says he...misses you."

"Come on!" Abby said with an eye roll. "He's been away from you for less than twenty four hours. He's not gonna die if he..."

"Shut up, Abs." Olivia told her with a grin. "He's a helpless romantic. He can't help it. Tell him I said yes, Quinn. And I want you to take pictures of the whole thing. But first I have to get into my dress."

"You guys are like, couple goals or something." Quinn told her. "I'll go tell him."

Olivia stepped into her dress, and her mother and best friend pulled it up over her body.

Quinn took pictures of Marie pulling the zipper up, of Abby handing Olivia her earrings, of Liv's dad – who teared up when he saw his baby in her dress, and of the gloriously happy smile on Olivia's face, as she looked down and cradled her belly. These pictures were going to be amazing!

The blinds were closed on the sliding back door and he couldn't see anything or anyone inside. Quinn was standing close by with her camera in her hand, snapping pictures of him. It seemed like it was taking forever for Liv to get to the door. And then all of a sudden, something shifted. He knew she was right there. Less than a foot away from him, separated by a plane of glass. "Liv?"

"I'm right here." she told him, and stretched her hand towards the open door frame.

He took her hand in his and smiled at the familiarity of it. He started out rubbing little circles on her hand with his thumb, but then he brought it to his lips and kissed it. "I know it seems silly, but I've missed you."

"You won't be able to get rid of me in a few minutes. I'll be with you for the rest of your life." Olivia turned, facing the glass with her eyes closed. She wanted to be as close to him right now as she could. She had no idea that he had done the same thing, and that they were practically nose to nose.

"I can't wait." He smiled and intertwined their fingers, holding them close to his heart. "I love you. So much."

"I love you too, babe. I'm gonna be your wife today!"

"Yea you are! I can't wait to kiss my wife."

"Before I forget, thank you for my necklace." She reached up and touched it.

"You liked that huh?"

"Having it delivered during breakfast was very romantic."

"I think something like that deserves a prize. Don't you?" he asked with a wicked grin.

"I thought we were over that phase." Olivia chuckled.

"Never." he assured her.

"I think we can work out an appropriate prize for our wedding night." Olivia giggled. "But you know, Quinn was devastated that you don't have a brother."

"It's true." Quinn told him, from behind the camera lens. "I was."

"Okayyyy, it's almost time for us to get this thing started. Fifteen minutes til show time." The wedding planner told them. "Fitz, let go of your bride's hand please."

"I'll see you out there, Livvie." Fitz told her before kissing her hand once more.

"I'll see you out there, Fitz." When he was gone, Olivia did a little happy dance inside the house. She was marrying the most romantic man.

"Hello, Olivia." She turned around to see Max standing by the front door.

"Max? Are you okay? What are you doing here?" She asked walking towards him.

"I just...wow...I just wanted to see you before the ceremony." He took her hands and looked at her. "You look beautiful. Like...a fairy tale."

She couldn't suppress the smile on her face. "Thank you. That is very sweet. Fitz definitely gets that from you."

"I wanted you to know that I am overjoyed that you and Fitz found each other. You are going to make one another very happy for a very long time."

"Please don't make me cry, Max."

He chuckled lightly. "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to. I've never had a daughter."

Aaron cleared his throat from across the room.

Olivia chuckled at her father.

"And I'm not trying to steal yours from you, Mr. Pope." Max assured him. "I just want you to know that I will always be here for you, Olivia. For all of you. You're family now. And speaking of that, I wanted you to have something."

"Ohmygod! No!" Abby declared loudly. "If you are going to make an overly sweet gesture that is sure to make her cry, or me cry, get out!"

"Abby!" Olivia chuckled. "Ignore her. We all do."

"She's just doing her job as maid of honor. I get it. And I'll keep it short and to the point. No crying though!" Max handed Abby Fitz's ring for safe keeping, and then gave Olivia a small oblong box. "I'd love to say this is yours, but it's not."

Olivia opened the box and saw a pearl bracelet. She gasped and pulled it from the box. "They are beautiful."

"They were my wife's. I'd like to give them to Riley when she much older."

"Are you crying, Liv?" Abby demanded in a wavering voice.

"Uh uh." Olivia whimpered.

"May I?" Max asked.

Olivia nodded and handed him the bracelet. She watched her father in law put the stunning bracelet on her tiny wrist and said, "he really does get it from you, doesn't he?"

Max shrugged wearing a similar lopsided grin as his son's. "I suppose he does. I've tried to teach him how to properly treat a woman. If he's marrying you, I'd say he learned something."

Olivia threw her arms around him and hugged him as tightly as she was squeezing her eyes shut to keep the tears away. "Thank you so much for the loaner. Oh! Is this my something borrowed?"

Max smiled at his daughter in law. His son had chosen well. Olivia was going to make him very happy. Her question brought him abruptly to his senses. "Nooooo. I know what your something borrowed is though, and trust me, this pales in comparison. You will cry when you are gifted with it."

"Abby?" Olivia asked.

"Oh, you're on your own when that comes around. I'll be a puddle of tears."

"I need to get out there and take my seat. I just wanted you to have that for the ceremony. We will have to tell Riley Amelia the story of how her mommy wore her jewelry when she married her daddy." Max said. He could feel tears stinging his own eyes.

"Get out!" Abby shouted, pointing at the door and dabbing at her own eyes.

"Yup. I deserved that." Max said as he cleared his throat. "Marie, do you want to walk with me?"

Marie wiped her own eyes and went to her daughter, giving her a hug. "You are marrying into a wonderful family, Liv. I'm so happy for you."

"See you out there, mom."

Abby slammed the door behind them. "Damn Grant men being ridiculous all the damn time!"

"You okay, Abs?"

"Yea. I'm just glad to see you get your happy ending. You deserve it, Liv."

Olivia pulled her in for a hug and whispered, "don't make me cry, bitch."

The two women giggled before parting. Abby handed Olivia her flowers and then picked up her own bouquet. "Let's get married!"

"He's not marrying you, Abby." Olivia chuckled.

"He's marrying you, and you're my best friend. I'm gonna be around all the time. So, he's marrying me too!"

"I can't argue with that logic. We'll be right behind you, Abs."

"You don't have to do this, lil bit. I know you want to. And I know he's going to make you beyond happy, but you don't have to do this." Aaron told her with a sad smile.

"You'll always be the first man I ever loved, dad. No husband can ever take that away from you." Olivia felt like she had hugged everyone on planet Earth today, but still she pulled her dad into her arms. "I love you, dad. So, so much."

"I love you too, Liv. I know Fitz is going to make you the happiest woman in the world. Next to your mother."

Olivia chuckled and dabbed her index finger at the corner of her eye. "I'm ready to do this. Are you?"

The familiar music that millions of brides have, and continue to walk down the aisle to, began to play as Olivia stepped out on the warm sand. Their guests got to their feet and watched as she made her way, barefoot, down the narrow path between the chairs. The sun was shining brightly in a perfectly cloudless day. Everyone looked perfect and they smiled back at her when she met eyes with them.

And then she locked eyes with Fitz. He looked handsome as ever in his tux, standing next to Stephen. His blue eyes looked even bluer with the ocean as a backdrop. His hair was slightly ruffled by the warm breeze blowing off the water. He looked like he wanted to cry, but was holding it all together.

Olivia was stunning! Her gown was perfect on her. The flowers were beautiful in her hand. She had left her hair down, just the way he liked it best. The breeze was gently tossing it every so often, making him want to run his fingers through it. Her skin had that beautiful pregnancy glow, and as his eyes dipped to see his daughter poking out from Olivia's belly, Fitz smiled. He had everything he ever wanted in life standing right in front of him. She handed her flowers to Abby and took his hands. "Hi."

Why did him uttering that one word make her come undone every single time? She didn't know, but she was glad she would be able to hear it every day for the rest of their lives. She said it back. "Hi."

"Are you ready to do this, gorgeous?" he asked with a wink.

"Absolutely." she told him with a smile.

"...by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."

Fitz wasted no time putting his hands around his wife's waist and pulling her to him. He dipped her, making Olivia laugh before he brushed his lips softly across hers. He broke the tender kiss and told her, "we are finally married!"

When Fitz set her back on her feet, Olivia got her flowers from Abby and waited for the minister to say, "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Fitzgerald Grant!"

"I'm officially a Grant!" she declared loudly with a huge grin on her face.

Her brand new husband kissed her again and said, "welcome to the family, Mrs. Grant."

The reception on the pier nearby was amazing. Once Quinn had taken a million photos of the wedding party and families, Fitz held Olivia's hand and led her up the steps. It was slow going because she continued to turn around and kiss him. "We're married!" they continued to say to each other.

Finally, they made it to where the action was and everyone cheered. That seemed like another perfect moment for a kiss to the happy couple. The center of the pier was the dance floor, and Aaron grabbed a microphone. "Olivia and Fitz, please take your spot in the center for the first dance as man and wife."

Fitz led Olivia to the dance floor and listened to her father.

"For your first dance as a married couple, and your something borrowed, Marie and I would like to loan you our song. I think it's very fitting for the two of you until you find your own song. Happy wedding day, lil bit, and welcome to the family, Fitz."

Familiar slow music began to play as Fitz pulled his brand new wife into his arms. Etta James' magical and flawless voice played loudly over the speakers. Trust in Me were the first three words. How many times had Olivia watched her parents dance to this song in the kitchen when she was a kid? Or heard it playing throughout the house as her mom cleaned the house on Saturdays? Too many too count.

As hard as Olivia had fought to keep it together, this was her undoing. Tears rolled down her face as her eyes quickly darted over to her father's. He was standing off to the side watching them and enjoying her reaction to the gift. He gave her a soft smile and blew her a kiss. Olivia mouthed the words, "thank you" to him. A warm finger brushed the tears away from her cheeks, and Olivia looked up at the man standing in front of her. The man who was now her husband.

"This song is kinda perfect." He told her, as his fingers grew slightly more possessive at her waist as he gently held her right hand in his.

"The whole day has been perfect. I'm sorry that I'm crying. I've been trying to not be a mess all day long."

"It's okay. It's been an emotional day, but I got a wife out of it. I love you, Liv."

"Kiss me, husband."

"Mmmmm I'm going to like having a greedy little wife." He grinned and kissed her as they danced.

"I love you, Fitz."

"Can we leave yet?" he whispered in her ear.

She chuckled and swatted playfully at him. "No."

Stephen and Abby made beautiful toasts to the bride and groom. The garter was flung, and caught by one of the guys who worked with Fitz in LA named Huck. Quinn happily caught the toss away bouquet Olivia had practically thrown at her. She and Huck stood side by side and had an interesting conversation as Abby used Quinn's camera and captured it all.

Fitz got the camera at one point and took pictures of the three girls when they started happily dancing together in the middle of the dance floor. He watched his wife, surrounded by people she had let in little by little. He was proud of her for letting her guard down and allowing people into her heart, without fear or reservations.

He took another picture and handed the camera to his father for safe keeping. As Fitz made his way towards his beautiful wife to dance with her one more time before he took her home, he was moved beyond words that she had let him in too.

After everything she had been through, Olivia had opened up to love and trust. She made space for him in her life and in her heart, and he knew he would never be the same because of it. And now they were finally married. Their forever was going to be amazing together. The thought of that made him want to weep with gratitude. He loved her more than anything. Instead of more tears though, he took her hand and joined her and their close friends in a fun dance. They had their whole lives together to make beautiful music alone.

Only 2 more chapters left of this story...