After Ending – Episode 3: Marriage?

Three months later.

"Seth!" Jessica screamed as she pushed all the paperwork on her desk on to the ground. "I cannot do this anymore! I cannot please everyone!" She was sure he could hear her either between his super sensitive wolf hearing or the fact the window in her office was partially open.

"Woah, woah! Calm down. What are you taking about?" Seth rushed through the doorway into Jessica's office only half clothed. Jessica cursed herself for being distracted by the sweat glistening on his tanned torso from working in the yard outside. This was not the time to be distracted or the wedding would never be planned. She refocused her mind back to why she summoned Seth in the first place.

"Aro isn't allowed to come here." Jessica tossed her left hand in the air, palm facing up. "But your family and friends won't go to Italy for a wedding there." Her right hand followed her left hand, mimicking the same gesture. "I have to keep in mind when Vicky's having the baby before I can set the date." Her hands juggled in the air, demonstrating to Seth the outlandish balancing act being requested of her. "I am catering to everyone else's needs. Nothing is ours!" Jessica whined before throwing both hands up high in the air above her head. Clearly, she was fed up. As soon as they were in the air, her hands came crashing back down at a lightning speed to comb her fingers along her scalp. Her fingers worked effortlessly to disarray her once neatly tied back chestnut ponytail. She groaned before picking up a stack of blank cream-colored cards on top of her computer keyboard and tossed them up in the air. For good measure. It was a tad dramatic. But this was Jessica, she was dramatic.

Did it help that her body was going into starvation mode even though she basically only skipped breakfast this morning? Most likely escalating her emotional distress.

Well, no, no it did not.

"It doesn't even seem possible to have one wedding! I can't plan two weddings! I will go crazy. I am an engineer. I don't do this decoration stuff. I don't care." Jessica folded her arms across her chest before stumbling back to lean her small frame against her desk. "I just care about you. I don't know how we can ever get married. I will never get things right for everyone to come." When Jessica's theatrical actions ceased and she finally took a beat to rest, she realized she was crying while talking about this. She hadn't cried in over four years...but the tears were from stress. Not because she was upset.

Seth clearly understood this as he titled his head back and released a breathy chuckle. As if he had been expecting this implosion. Now that did not sit well with Jessica Stanley. Not well at all.

She tapped her foot on the wood floor impatiently. Waiting for his apology. Or some justification of his reaction if he valued their awesome sex life.

"You're right. It's not about them. It's about us. Let's do it our way," Seth announced in an easygoing manner that vexed Jessica. As if it was that simple. That easy. Jessica scoffed as Seth swaggered over to her. He had no earthly clue weddings didn't work that way. You couldn't just do whatever you wanted. Their family and friends would riot.

"I would even marry you in a courthouse. I don't care about all this crap either." Seth placed his hands on Jessica's waist.

And that did it. Jessica swooned. So, what if their friends and family rioted? A courthouse was fine. She would marry him anywhere.

But!

She didn't allow herself to live in her beautiful delusion for too long. One of them had to be sensible. Of course, this had to be her. She had to obey rational and reason at the end of the day.

The girl did have some unshakable principles, you know?

"As if. We couldn't do that. Our families would be pissed." Jessica reluctantly removed Seth's hands from her body. It was a distraction she couldn't afford. His ridiculously good looks and husky voice were already enough to make her cave in without a second thought. He wasn't allowed anymore advantages over her.

"Why can't we?" Seth asked earnestly before replacing his hands on her body. He pulled her in closer to him before she could resist. "Let's elope," he whispered into her ear, enticing her to give in. "You let them plan the weddings. And we just show up. And we won't care because we did it our way. Because that's what matters."

Jessica closed her eyes for a moment. No grandiose image seemed to conjure in her mind of how she envisioned her and Seth tying the knot. All she saw was him. Just him. Everything else was blurred out. Where or how didn't seem to matter.

She was grateful that Seth gave her a moment, letting her with her thoughts.

"Elope? Just like that?" She asked, forcing a half smile. Could she give in? It wasn't that Seth wasn't right, he was. But wouldn't that be selfish of them? Hadn't she worked so hard to remove the label 'selfish' from how people viewed her? Then to go behind their backs and get married how she wanted but not letting them share in that moment…Wouldn't that be extremely selfish?

Jessica pulled away from Seth again. Still unsure of herself.

"If you're thinking that it is selfish, remember, it's our wedding. An event we are allowed to be selfish for. No strings attached."

Without thinking, Jessica's hands pushed forward to reward Seth with a playful shove. She just hated when he read her mind. He was cheating. And he knew it. The smug look on his face gave him away and it was working. She was starting to buy into it herself now too. Damn he was one sexy and cunning salesman.

"You really think we could pull it off?" Jessica mused while tapping her finger to her chin in consideration. "Well Aro said he would pay if it's done in Italy. And your mom is chomping at the bit to get more involved. If we did it here, we could make it cheap I suppose." Seth leaned down and began to nibble on her earlobe. Her weak spot.

"Okay!" Jessica squealed, giving into temptation. "Let's do it. Just us! But...we need a witness!"

Both took a second to think before commenting.

"Leah."

"Jake."

They both eyed each other curiously before bursting out in laughter. Both it was.

...

"You're oddly cheerful for planning two wedding ceremonies," Angela commented after sealing another cream-colored envelope with her tongue. "Care to share why?"

"No particular reason," Jessica remarked with a sly smile before she continued humming to herself. She twirled her hair around her finger without a care in the world.

Being a newlywed had such side effects.

Author's Note:

So, this doesn't detail how they got married. But I kind of like it how it is. In the LAST after ending episode, I will update with the kids & I will detail what Jessica fulfilled in regards to her ambitions to go out and "see the world"/ "live life"