Big time jump in this chapter. Only 6 more chapters after this one. I already have ideas for a sequel, so let me know if that's something anyone would be interested in. Thanks for all the love! :)
Max and Mirabel were in no rush to get married. They wanted to take their time in planning everything. Also, it would give them a chance to continue get to know each other better. They were just so happy spending time together. It was getting harder and harder to wait in taking that next step in the relationship, but they were committed to waiting until they were married. They knew it would be worth the wait.
In June, both Dolores and Isabela had their babies. Dolores gave birth to a baby boy, who they named Carlos, on June 10. Isabela gave birth to a baby girl, who they named Emelina, on June 12. Isabela's labor with Mateo was 12 hours, but it was almost 18 hours with Emelina. She had gotten lucky with a shorter labor before and thought it might be short again, but unfortunately not. Dolores had a 25-hour labor with her twins, but with Carlos, it was only 13 hours.
There toward the end, everyone was nervous they'd be having those babies at the same time. Just 12 hours after Dolores had Carlos, Isabela went into labor. Poor Julieta and Pepa didn't get much sleep those days as they both were there for both births and then helping with the babies afterwards. It was a good type of exhaustion, though. They loved being there for the births. It was so exciting getting 2 more babies and now there were 6 great grandkids for Abuela. All of the kids absolutely loved the new babies. Rosa was still only a year old, so she didn't understand it. She would be curious about them for a bit before getting bored and running off. Maria, Gabi, and Mateo were so excited about it and wanted to hold the babies all the time.
Mirabel was smiling at the sight of all of the kids sitting on the couch together, Gabi holding Carlos and Isabela helping Rosa hold Emelina. Isabela was instructing Rosa to give her kisses on the head, which she did. Max grabbed Mirabel's hand and whispered in her ear, "I wonder if we'll the one to add a baby to this mix next."
Mirabel's smile widened. "That would be amazing." she whispered back and kissed him.
One day in August, Max was having dinner with the Madrigal family. He usually loved being around everybody, but today was different. He had woken up that morning and realized it was officially a year since his parents died. He spent most of the morning and the afternoon sharing memories with his grandparents and Diego. Being around the big family with everyone's parents just reminded him he didn't have his parents. It was a lot to take in.
He was moving the food around on his plate with his fork, not wanting to eat. He had been silent most of dinner and just taking everything in. He was honestly trying not to fall apart. He had spent plenty of time crying over his parents' death, but always in secret and never in front of Mirabel. It was too embarrassing to him.
Mirabel nudged him. "Hey. Are you okay?" She didn't know it had been a year since his parents' death. Aside from the first few weeks they were together, they didn't talk much about his parents.
He nodded, forcing a smile on his face. "Yeah, I'm good."
Mirabel did not believe him. He was always very happy and she could tell he was not happy at the moment. He had barely said a word at dinner. "Are you sure?"
"Mhmm. Um…I'm sorry, Julieta, but I'm just not that hungry. Thank you for dinner."
"It's okay." said Julieta. "You don't have to eat."
He nodded, stood up, and took his plate to the sink. Mirabel got up and followed him. As he was putting his plate in the sink, she put her hands on his shoulders and then wrapped her arms around him from behind. She knew something was wrong, but had no idea what it was. She hoped it was nothing she did. "You know you can always talk to me."
"I know." he said and turned around. He gave her a hug. When they pulled apart, he said, "I think I'm going to go sit outside for a few minutes. I'll be back in soon."
"Okay. I hope I haven't done anything to upset you."
"You haven't, I promise." He gave her a quick kiss and headed outside.
Mirabel sighed and went to sit back down with her family. "I wish I knew what was up with Max. He told me it's nothing I've done, but I can't help but feel like it is."
Julieta knew what the problem was. She just so happened to run into his grandmother that afternoon and she told Julieta that it was a year since Max and Diego's parents had died. "Mirabel, you've done nothing wrong." said Julieta gently. "I thought maybe Max would have told you, but…I ran into his grandmother today. Today is exactly a year since his parents died."
Mirabel's heart broke for Max. "Oh, no, I had no idea. Oh, I feel so bad for him."
As soon as she finished eating and had helped her mom get stuff put away, Mirabel headed outside to try and find Max. She found him sitting on the front porch. He was leaned over and was shaking. She could immediately tell he was crying. It absolutely broke her heart. She had never seen him cry before. She couldn't decide if she should leave him be or go talk to him, but she finally decided to go sit next to him. She gently put her hand on his shoulder and he jumped. He immediately wiped his eyes and face and looked at Mirabel. "Sorry, babe, didn't see you come up."
"It's okay." she said softly.
He sighed shakily and looked in front of him. "You should go back inside. I don't want you seeing me like this."
"Why not?"
"It's embarrassing. I'm 25 and I'm crying over my parents. A grown man shouldn't be crying like this."
"You've seen me cry. It's not a big deal. Just because you're a man doesn't mean you're not allowed to have feelings. Especially when it comes to your parents who have passed away."
He really did not want to cry in front of Mirabel, but her telling him it was okay and he was allowed to have feelings caused him to start to cry again. In between sobs, he said, "I'm sorry."
"Don't you ever apologize for that." she said and got in front of him. She pulled him in for a hug as he wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her shoulder, and she rubbed his back. He had wanted to be alone, but having her there with him was so comforting. Somehow, this was a turning point in their relationship. He revealed he was often very sad about his parents and didn't want to talk about it much due the fear of falling apart. Mirabel told him he needed to be honest with how he was feeling, even if he cried in front of her.
They finally picked a date for their wedding in September. They decided on March 20. They didn't want it to be too big or extravagant. They just wanted it at the church with family and close friends. Once the date was set, they started planning everything. Isabela would, obviously, handle all of the flowers. Mirabel was very stressed about finding a dress, but interestingly enough, she decided on the 3rd dress she tried on. It was absolutely perfect. It was slightly off the shoulder, had lace sleeves, lace along the chest, had little flower designs all over it, and flowed beautifully. It was slightly off white. She looked absolutely stunning in it and she couldn't wait for Max to see her in it. Julieta cried when she walked out in it. Mirabel picked out a beautiful pink dress for Rosa to wear.
In November, Rosa turned 2. She was turning into such a funny, sweet little thing while also having moments of tantrums and fits like any toddler. When she turned 2, a flip switched and Rosa decided she was done nursing. She stopped doing it a lot when she turned 1, but still wanted it before naps, bedtime, and the occasional times she didn't eat much food. Mirabel felt a little sad about it, but was also relieved. She could fully have her body back and it was so nice. This also meant that other people could lay her down for a nap without Mirabel.
Mirabel woke up on the morning of her 24th birthday feeling so much joy in her heart. Instead of reliving the memories of her 21st birthday, she relived the memories of her 23rd birthday when Max proposed to her. It had officially been a year since that day. It didn't feel like a year. She could not believe that she was 2 weeks away from her wedding day. She was excited, but nervous. She wanted everything to go perfect. She hoped Rosa would be good for the wedding, but 2-year-olds could be very unpredictable and there was no telling how it would go.
Before she knew it, the day of the wedding finally arrived. After rehearsal the day before, Max and Mirabel parted ways and they wouldn't see each other until she was walking down the aisle to him. There were several people in the Encanto who rented out their homes for special occasions, so Mirabel, her sisters, and girl cousins stayed at one house while Max and the guys stayed at another house. A few old friends came to town for the wedding, so they were there, as well as Camilo. Abuela, Julieta, Agustin, Pepa, and Felix stayed at Casita with all of the kids, except for the newest babies, who had to be with their moms due to no one else being able to feed them.
Everyone came back to Casita the next day to get ready, but everyone made sure Max and Mirabel never ran into each other. Mirabel tried to stay calm through it all, but she was starting to panic. She was worrying about all of the things that could go wrong. She also never went more than a day without seeing Max, so this was the longest she had been away from him in a long time. She was very anxious to see him again. As she was getting into her dress, she was taking deep breaths to calm down. Her heart was racing.
"What are you worried about?"
Mirabel looked up at Pepa. There was no hiding her feelings. "Everything. I just want it all to go perfect."
"So, what if it doesn't? Do you really think my wedding went perfect?"
Everyone looked around at each other, trying to keep in their giggles. It was just the girls in there. The guys were getting ready somewhere else. "Well, I know there was a hurricane on your wedding day, so that had to have been stressful."
"Yep and guess what? It was still magical. As Felix says, it was a joyous day. The real question is this: do you love Max?"
"With all of my heart,"
"Okay, then. It will be a very joyous day. It's okay to be nervous, but everything will work out great."
"Thanks, Tia Pepa. That makes me feel better."
Once Mirabel was completely ready, she stared at herself in the mirror. Everyone else was finishing up on themselves. It was hard to keep the kids to keep looking nice. They all just wanted to play, so it was a challenge.
Mirabel barely recognized herself. Her hair was down, but was half up with braids intermingled in it. She also had a beautiful veil in her hair. She wore dresses all the time, but never a dress this fancy. It wasn't the most comfortable dress in the world and she was already ready to take it off. She couldn't wait for the moment it would come off at the end of the night. One thing she didn't know is if she should keep her glasses on or not. The green glasses definitely felt out of place with the hair and the dress and the extra makeup she had on. But every time she took them off, she just saw a huge blur.
Julieta walked up to her. She stared her up and down and smiled. "You look absolutely stunning, mi vida."
"Thanks, Mama." said Mirabel with a smile. "I can't decide on something."
"What's that?"
"Should I keep my glasses on or take them off? I don't feel like they go with this."
Julieta thought for a moment before speaking. "Well, let me ask you something. If you took them off, would you able to see Max at the alter or standing in front of you once you got to him?"
"Well…I wouldn't be able to see him as I walked down the aisle. I'd see him once I got there, but…I also wouldn't be able to see everyone that was there." She took them off and while she could see her mom in front of her, most everything else around her was very blurry.
Julieta took Mirabel's glasses and gently put them back on her face. Everything slowly came back into focus as Mirabel pushed them up her nose. "I think you just answered your own question. Darling, you are beautiful no matter what. But these glasses are who are. They are a part of you. You truly see everyone for who they are and I think that is symbolic in your glasses."
"You know…you're right." She gave her mom a big hug.
Everyone was ready and it was time to head to the church.
Mirabel stared at the doors that were about to open. She was beyond ready to see Max. She looked up at her dad who was going to be walking her down the aisle. "Are you ready?"
He squeezed her hand. "Only if you are,"
She nodded. "Let's go." And with that, the doors opened.
Mirabel locked eyes with Max and had the biggest smile spread across her face. All of her nerves disappeared. He was her safe place and she was ready to be in his arms. He was staring at her wide eyed with a smile on his face as well. He had never seen anything more beautiful in all of his life. He was the luckiest man in the world. He had to wipe his eyes with his sleeve.
They got through all of the beginning of ceremony traditions and then it was time for the vows. Max and Mirabel chose to write their own vows instead of them repeating the words after the priest. They thought it was more personal. Isabela stood up, so that she could hand Mirabel the piece of paper with the vows on it. Mirabel turned around and faced Max. She smiled at him. "I'm going to do my best to get through this without crying, but no promises."
Everyone chuckled.
Mirabel took a deep breath and unfolded the piece of paper. "I thought I would never find love again. I thought I was too broken for someone to truly love me." Already, tears started to form her eyes. She blinked them back. "Then I met you." Her voice started to shake, but she took another deep breath. "You showed me that even though I was broken, I was worthy of love. You pieced me back together with your love. You have shown me more kindness and more love than I feel I deserve. You have shown my daughter so much love and for that, I am beyond grateful." Mirabel glanced at Rosa. She was sitting in the pews on the front row with the family. She was sitting in between Antonio and Dolores. Antonio was doing a great job at keeping her entertained. "I can't promise that I won't make mistakes, but I do promise to learn from them. I promise to love you every single day, even on the days that I don't like you." Everyone laughed, but Mirabel just kept her eyes on Max. He was smiling with tears in his eyes. "I promise to love you for better or for worse, through the good times and the bad times. I promise to love you until death parts us." She folded the paper back up and gripped the flowers tightly. She was proud that she got through it without completely breaking down.
It was Max's turn. He turned around and his friend handed him the piece of paper. Before opening it up, he said, "This part is not part of my vows, but I just have to say it. Mirabel, you are worthy of all of the love in the world and I'm going to spend the rest of my life making sure you know that." Mirabel smiled widely at him. He opened up the piece of paper. "Through the darkness, you have found a way to show me so much love. I am proud of you for that, because I know it was very difficult for you. I said it after our first date and I'll say it today. Thank you for giving me a chance. I'm going to spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you. I promise to learn from all of my mistakes. I will love you through the good days and the bad days. I promise to continue loving your daughter as if she is my own." He initially was going to say he was going to love her daughter as his own, but he already did love her as his own. "From the moment I met you, I knew you were something special. I'm so glad I get to do life with you." He folded up his piece of paper.
Mirabel wanted so badly to kiss him, but she knew she needed to wait. Only a few more minutes, she thought.
At the request of the priest, Isabela and Max's friend handed him the rings. He handed Max's to Mirabel and Mirabel's to Max. They placed them on each other's fingers, continuing to hold hands even after the rings were on.
"Mirabel, do you take this man to be your husband?"
Mirabel smiled. "I do."
"And Max, do you take this woman to be your wife?"
Max smiled as well. "I do."
"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Everyone stood up and clapped as Max put his hands on her cheeks. They leaned in and kissed. She felt the same sparks in her stomach that she did the first time they kissed. They kept kissing for several moments before finally pulling apart. They kept their foreheads together. She whispered, "Thank you for not giving up on me."
The reception was so much fun. When Max and Mirabel walked in, everyone clapped and cheered. Rosa ran up to Mirabel and jumped into her arms. Both her and Max gave her kisses on the head. Mirabel hadn't seen much of her the past 24 hours and she was thrilled to have her in her arms again. She wouldn't be seeing her at all for the next 5 days, so she was soaking in the moment. Mirabel and Max would be staying in a house in the Encanto that a lot of new couples went to as a honeymoon.
The party continued. Everyone danced, laughed, ate, and had the best time. Mirabel was overjoyed to finally be married to Max. She knew he would be the most amazing husband. As much fun as they were having, they kept looking at each other and would wink and smile. They were ready to get to their honeymoon house.
At the end of the night, Mirabel hugged all of her family members, whispering to each of them how much she loved them and how thankful she was for them. She got to Rosa last and she hugged her so tight that Rosa said, "Mama, stop!"
She laughed and pulled away from her. "Sorry, baby girl. I love you so much and I'm going to miss you. You be good, okay?"
"Okay."
She gave her kisses and handed her off to her mom.
They rode on the same horse to their honeymoon house as Camilo rode on a separate horse, following them. He would be taking both horses back after they arrived. Once they arrived, Camilo said, "Alright, well you kids have fun. But not too much fun now." He winked at them.
Mirabel groaned as her face turned red. "You can leave now, Camilo."
He laughed, grabbed the reins of the other horse, and left.
Max and Mirabel walked in the house. All of their stuff was already there and enough food to last them the whole time. They had no plans for the next 5 days, except be lazy, sleep, eat, and do all of the things that newlyweds do on their honeymoon. They didn't get much time to just be lazy and they were so looking forward to it.
They went straight to the bedroom and started to immediately kiss, which turned into full on making out. All of the self-control they had been holding back the last year and a half went out the window. Mirabel had been looking forward to taking that dress off all night and she was thrilled that she finally got to do it.
