Boundaries

Trevor had proposed. I had—blindly—accepted. Now, it was time to plan the wedding whilst all the while, plan for Christmas, and continue the search for our new home. Everything was happening so fast, but we were still playing catch up. Theo was still getting acclimated to having two parents instead of one, and she was learning and navigating the boundaries between Trevor, her, and I. She was a smart kid for her incredible young age, and much like her father, she knew how to manipulate things to her advantage when she wanted and needed to.

We had a month and some change before I was set to start looking for a job back in the PR world, and in all honesty, I had people whom I could reach out and ask for help, but I didn't want this to be that way. I wanted to earn this position in whatever firm I chose to apply to. I wanted my achievements and knowledge to speak for itself, and if in the long run, my references would put a good word in for me then amazing, otherwise, I wanted to try and do this on my own.

As soon as the word 'yes' had left my lips, Gigi had sprung into action and had started planning Trevor's and I wedding. After giving me nothing but radio silence, or when she did speak to me it was in the form of a snarky remark about my time away or questioning whether or not I had come back to Trevor just to 'milk him for his money', she was now wanting to sit down and chat; discuss wedding flowers and decorations, catering, venues, and bridesmaids dresses.

I'd ignored her, but she was persistent and insistent about certain details of the wedding to the point where I felt that she had been recycling ideas from Trevor's previous engagement, and now, I had retreated and dejected myself from any and everything wedding. I needed to get the ball rolling with certain things, especially if I wanted them by the date Trevor and I had agreed on being wedded.

Trevor was content, beyond ecstatic and hadn't noticed my demeanor, or at least, I thought he hadn't noticed…

"Noa!" he shouted from his office.

I rolled my eyes and smiled, "Your daddy is something else, Theo."

The girl squealed and went on to babbling until I caught the only intelligible words she said, "Papa, Mami."

"Yes, baby," I giggled, "Papa is crazy," I said, twirling the spoon for her to take.

"Don't ignore me, woman! I know you can hear me, Billings just came in here."

I snickered, "Yes?"

"Come here, please."

"Baby, I'm feeding your vacuum spawn!"

"Bring her down, I want to do it," he replied.

I growled and rolled my eyes, "Lo voy a matar, Theodora. Dead."

"Dead!" She shouted and I couldn't help but giggle.

I stood and picked up Theo from her high chair, sitting her on my hip as I reached the table to grab the plate and spoon as well as her sippy cup. Theo played with my leaf pendant as I jogged down the stairs. I entered the office and saw him perched on his chair, Billings sitting between his legs as he mumbled something to her. I scoffed and shook my head, grabbing his attention.

"Is she eating all the leftovers?" Trevor asked with a pout.

I nodded, "You both have the same appetite. I don't know why you're so impressed."

"She's sixteen months old, Noa. Of course I'm impressed," he replied, opening his arms for her.

"Theo," she looked at me with a toothy grin. "Where's Papa?"

Theo squealed and became rowdy, glancing around the room. Trevor had the biggest grin on his face at the excitement his daughter exuded at the mention of his name. Once they locked eyes, Trevor stood, approaching us. He gave me two quick kisses and grabbed Theodora from me. He kissed her forehead, mumbling his love against her skin.

"Let's talk," he said as he sat, and I wasn't sure if he meant Theo and him or the both of us.

He cleared an area atop his desk for Theo's plate and me and patted the surface gently. I walked towards them, lifting my leg and climbing his desk effortlessly. I placed the plate next to me and watched as Trevor accommodated Theo on his lap in order to hold her in place and feed her at the same time. I watched as he got a couple of bites in, smiling at the tenacity of my blue-eyed lover.

"Do you want to marry me, Noa?" he asked somberly.

His eyes were on the plate of food next to me, an arm wrapped protectively around Theo and the other one gripping her spoon. "Look at me, Trevor," I barked quickly, leaning forward at the words that had come out of his mouth. He was struggling to look at me. "Trevor Elijah Langan III, look at me," I growled. His eyes moved up to meet mine, "Do you want to marry me? What the hell brought this on?"

"Of course I want to marry you, Noa. Christ! I've been waiting to ask you since the day you were taken away."

I nodded and smiled wearily, "Then, why would you ask me something like that? I'm yours, Trev. Even if a piece of paper doesn't say so."

"You haven't been… enthusiastic about the planning. What's going on? And, don't lie to me."

I sighed heavily, "Purple and cream? Weren't that her wedding colors?" He parted his mouth mirthfully and I couldn't help but burst out in laughter, "I'm sorry, I just can't help but think that she's been saving up on ideas since you and Miranda. I don't want her calling the shots for our wedding, Trevor. It should be you and I making all the planning and her opinion and advice will be sought out when needed."

Trevor sighed, feeding another bite to our daughter, "Why didn't you say anything sooner, huh?"

"That's your mother, Langan—"

"This is your wedding, Noa. If she doesn't like it, she can stay home," he interrupted quickly.

I smirked, dancing my eyes across his face. It was pretty obvious then that Trevor would do anything to keep me happy, but so would I. It had been the same reason why I hadn't said anything in the first place. I was trying to keep the boat steady between the two, not rock it and make more of a mess than I had already done whilst I was gone.

He was still short and distant with both his mother and sister, and between the biting remarks, the clipped answers, and the sudden growl in his voice when he felt he wasn't being heard, I wasn't trying to add fuel to that fire by blatantly stating that I wanted nothing to do with Gigi's involvement when it came to our wedding.

Though, if Trevor's answer had been an indication of something it was that if his mother and/or sister couldn't agree with the decisions we made for our wedding, they could easily be out of the wedding proceedings and he wouldn't bat an eye at their absence. I needed to be the voice of reason and get through his stubbornness; the last thing I wanted was to be resented for lying dormant when it came to the relationship between mother and son.

"You hate the colors too?"

He hid his face and cooed at Theo, "You're paranoid, Noa."

I laughed heartily, shaking my head, "God, I love you."

"I love you more," he winked at me.

"Wuv!" Theo shouted, raising her little hands in the air. "Wuv Papa! Wuv Mami! Wuv Bis!"

I snickered, shaking my head. "I love you too, little missy," I replied, leaning forward and handing her the sippy cup. "I would like to plan this wedding with you, Trevor."

"Then, let's do it," he said with conviction. "I know we're on a crunch here because we want to wed in the summer and we need to find a venue for the reception, ASAP."

I nodded. "I have an idea," I conceded, watching as Trevor's blue gaze sparkled with curiosity. "What if we got married at the Queens Botanical Garden?"

Trevor smiled, "That's where my parents got married, baby."

I nodded and scratched my head, "I know, I know. I love it there though, and we can take some beautiful wedding pictures with the bridal party, and we could even have some of us playing with our soon-to-be two-year old."

Trevor leaned back and smiled, feeding another spoonful of food to Theo, "Perfect, that's settled. And, the reception?"

I smiled and bit my lip, "The Dominick."

Trevor chuckled. "Why do I ever underestimate you?" I shrugged and smirked. The night of the ALIA, Trevor expressed his love for The Dominick and in particular, his love for the SoHi room where the event was held. It was a beautiful space and it fit 150 guests, which was our targeted number for guests, "I'll call them as soon as we put Theo down for a nap."

I nodded and smiled, "What about the colors, Trev?"

He furrowed his brow and eyed Theo's onesie. It was white with coral, pastel yellow, and pastel blue flowers and dots. Theo had leaned back on his shoulder and turned her head to lock eyes with her father, snuggling close to him as he reveled at the sight of my carbon copy on his chest. He brought his lips down to Theo's head, kissing it gingerly and he chuckled, looking at me.

"Theo's onesie," he replied.

I looked at her attire and smiled. Those were the perfect colors for a summer wedding, "You sir, are a genius."

He blew me a kiss, "Now, to tell my mother."

x x x

"So, what are you saying, Trevor? That she doesn't want my help in planning your wedding?" I could hear Gigi from the stairs.

Trevor had invited her over whilst I placed Theo down for a nap. Once I had settled with the girl downstairs, Trevor snuck outside with Billings and made arrangements with The Dominick. He hadn't thought twice when they had asked for a deposit in order to save the room since it was the summer, and one of the busiest months they had. He had updated me once I came outside looking for both Billings and him. I was excited and finally felt in control.

"Your advice will be sought out when needed, Mother. I don't understand why this has to be so difficult," he grumbled.

"It's difficult because she's making it difficult," I heard her sigh. "You're the last of my children that marries, I would like to be involved in the wedding process."

"Mom, it's her wedding. Don't you think she deserves a chance to choose her own wedding colors, her own venue? You just went into full wedding planner mode."

They were silent for a second, or maybe it was a minute? Either way, there was a prolonged pause between them before Gigi spoke once more, "Was this her idea? She's prying you away from your family, Trevor, and you're letting her walk all over you."

I scoffed and shook my head, taking the remaining steps rather quickly. "I'm not walking all over him, Gigi," she turned to look at me. "Trevor is a grown ass man who's capable of making his own decisions. What is this really about?"

She sized me up, her eyebrows high on her forehead as I came to stand next to Trevor, "I'm his mother, Noa. I know when he's whipped."

I snickered, looking up at Trevor, "That's grand."

"Yes, it is!" She quickly replied, "First you leave with his child, manage to convince my husband somehow that the situation wasn't what it was, and then you waltz back into our lives like nothing ever happened."

I shook my head, "I left because my life and that of my daughter's was in danger, but how could you understand that if you won't even let me explain the situation to you?" I grunted in frustration. "Listen, Gigi, this is the deal. I am clearly here to stay. I'm not going anywhere just because… the grand dame of the family feels however she may be feeling towards me. You are the one that has a problem with me, not the other way around."

Gigi had opened her mouth to say something when Trevor interrupted her, "All right, enough! Here's the deal, Mother, and this is the one and only offer. You don't have to agree with what Noa and I do with our wedding, just like you didn't agree to the name we had chosen for our daughter. We are still going to do what we think plausible whether you like it or not. I will not tolerate anymore of this," he motioned between Gigi and I. "If you want to be in my life, if you want to be in your granddaughter's life, in the life of any other children Noa and I bear together you will respect my wife to be, you will respect our decisions as parents or this is the end of the road for you and I."

"Trevor—" I begun, he knew I didn't want that.

"No, Noa. I know this isn't what you want, but it's the only way," he quickly defended.

Gigi looked between Trevor and I, a somber look in her eyes.

Trevor finally had managed to get through that thick skull of hers that she may be his mother, and she may know what's best for her children, but there comes a point in life where you just have to let your children be free. It's not like Trevor was a mama's boy; on the contrary, I would categorize him more as a daddy's boy. And, though there was nothing wrong with that, Trevor was significantly independent compared to other men that allowed their mother run their life.

All three of the Langan children were ultimately very independent, but they still sought their parent's advice and comfort when it came to certain things. It was beautiful to witness to say the least and I could only hope that Theo and all my other future children held that same regard towards Trevor and I. But, Gigi needed to understand that just because other people in her children's life made decisions with them without the need to seek her counsel did not mean that her opinion wouldn't be needed in something else.

My mother had offered her help when it came to choosing flowers in season, the meaning behind them, and what they symbolized when it came to a couple on their wedding day. She had been an avid plant person and had been working at a greenhouse for nearly over half of my life. My mother knew her flowers, it's the entire reason I knew so much about them, it'd been the only way I could connect with her when I was young. If I could find some common ground—just like I had with my mother—maybe this could... smoothen out.

She sighed. "I understand. I want to be part of your life, Trevor, and part of Theodora's as well. I guess that with Miranda it was different. She relied on me so much, and now…" she stopped, smiling towards my direction. "Now you have this incredible, headstrong woman, and it makes me feel like you don't need me anymore."

Trevor sighed, approaching his mother, and wrapping her in her arms, "That's not true, Mom. I'll always need you, you're my mother."

Gigi's eyes watered and she sniffled, patting at Trevor's back slightly. She cleared her throat and spoke. "All right, I get it. Understood," she finished breaking the embrace. "Noa, I'll be at your assistance for whatever you may need."

I smiled and nodded, "Thank you, Gigi. And, you don't have to completely be out of the wedding planning. Just… Trevor and I want to handle the entirety of the planning. My mother and I will be going over what flowers to choose, and you and I can go over the menu for the reception. With your vast knowledge in catering, you can guide us in the right direction."

Trevor looped his arm around my waist, pulling me close to his body as Gigi smiled. She nodded, "I'll be happy to! Thank you, Noa."

I shook my head and settled into Trevor's side, "No need to thank me, Gigi."

Just then Theo cooed, her soft mumbling coming through clear through the baby monitor on my hip. She mumbled a faint 'Bis' and we all chuckled. "I'll get her," Trevor said, moving his arm.

"No, no, I'll get her," Gigi said. "Do you think she'll be excited to see her gigi?"

I looked up at Trevor, smiling. "Only one way to find out," I replied, watching as the woman disappeared down the stairs. Trevor kissed my forehead, "That went… well," I snorted.

"Thank God for wearing jeans, otherwise, having a hard on in front of your mother—not the highlight of my life," he admitted huskily in my ear.

"Yelling is your thing, huh?" I replied, turning on my foot to fully hug the tall man. He nodded, biting his lip. I hummed and smirked, "Maybe we can get in a fight tonight. I'll yell at you and cut you off, then you can pull my hair, and grab my neck all while fucking me against that brick wall."

He parted his mouth, grinning at my words. "Oh," he chuckled. "It is so on."

x x x

A/N: I'll be adding x's to separate a change in scene or a major break in the timeline since the horizontal only seems to be working for website users, not app users. This was a deleted chapter from the main story, but I didn't want to completely trash it since it gives you a little insight in Noa and Gigi's relationship. Also, it explains the colors of the wedding and not something I completely pulled out of thin air.