"Maureen, would you stop showing me frilly wedding dresses? I'm not wearing anything like that. I'm wearing a white leather skirt and a simple white top. That's it." Ava said handing Maureen the magazine.
"But Ava, you're an international rock star. You can't get married in City Hall and you certainly can not wear a leather skirt and a blouse. You and Roger should get married in style.
"Listen to me Maureen, OK? Because I'm only gonna say this one more time. All I care about is having my friends, family and Roger at my wedding. Everything else is too much. Sweetie, I understand that your heart is in the right place and I love you for it, but you're getting all bridesmaidzilla on me. Now, if you don't quit it, me and Roger will get married in Vegas when we get out west. Play with me." Ava said pointing up at her as Roger, Jimmy and June entered the loft with Mark in tow.
"Fine. I'm sorry Ava. I was only trying to help." Maureen said submitting to her before plopping down to the couch.
"What'd we miss Baby?" Roger asked putting his bags down by the door before going to Ava on the couch.
"Nothing Baby. Just Maureen being Maureen again." she smiled looking up at him as he leaned down to kiss her.
"Maureen would you leave her alone, please. She doesn't want the Cinderella wedding. Get over it." Jimmy said looking down at her.
"I'm only trying to help my best friends have a wedding day to remember. What's wrong with that?" she asked looking up at him with her hands folded acrossed her chest.
"Maureen, there's nothing wrong with that. I'm just saying the fact that I'm marrying Roger is reason enough for it to be a day to remember. I don't need the big fan fare. This is what we want. We want to get married with just our friends and our family there. No photographers, no reporters and no fans gawking at us. You see how Roger joining the band turned into us being called the rock super couple of the year. And every newspaper and gossip rag speculated on what our relationship was. It's gonna be hard enough for us to enter City Hall in New York City. Imagine if we went all out and planned this? It would be a nightmare and nothing would be the way we want it. We would spend our wedding day dodging photographers instead of celebrating what is going to be the happiest day of our lives." Ava smiled looking over at Maureen.
"I understand. I just hate the thought of you guys not getting the fairy tale happily ever after." she said looking over at them.
"We are getting our fairy tale happily ever after. It's just gonna be a rock and roll fairy tale." Ava laughed leaning up to hug her.
"I love you Ava." Maureen smiled hugging her back.
"And you know I love you too Maureen. You're my best girl friend. And you not only brought Roger back to me, but you gave me another wonderful family who loves me. I can't thank you enough for that. I always knew your meddling was gonna come in handy one day." she laughed kissing Maureens cheek.
"See Roger, I told you you'd appreciate my meddling one day." Maureen laughed looking over at Roger.
"Yeah, I never thought I would see the day when I would be thanking you for meddling in my life." Roger laughed looking over at them.
"Now, I have to get working on more songs for me and Roger. We have a tour coming up." Ava smiled looking over at them.
"Baby, you have to see what I bought today." Roger said smiling at Ava getting up from the couch and going to the bags he had brought into the loft.
"I hope you boys got him some stylish clothes." she laughed standing up in front of Maureen.
"Don't worry Ava. We got him some stage clothes. It's the off stage clothes we can't get him out of." June laughed looking over at her.
"You always liked the way I dressed." Roger whined holding a bag in his hands.
"I do. But you need to dress differently on stage." Ava smiled looking over at him.
"I got you something." he grinned handing her a bag.
"What is this Roger?" she asked taking a small box out of the bag.
"Open it." he smiled looking down at her.
"This is incredible. How did you...?" she started looking down at the ring in the box.
"My salary from the night we performed. Your manager gave it to me when I signed the contract this morning." he smiled looking down at her.
"This is beautiful Roger. I love it." she smiled with tears in her eyes.
"Here. Let me put it on you." he smiled taking it out of the box and slipping it on her finger. "It's perfect." he smiled bringing her hand up to his lips to kiss.
"You're perfect. I love you Roger." she smiled looking up at him.
"I love you too Ava." he smiled leaning down to kiss her.
"I wanna call your parents. They'll be so happy." she smiled looking up at him.
"OK Baby." he smiled kissing her head before she rushed to the phone happily.
"It's gonna be OK Roger. I promise." she smiled taking his hand as she dialed the phone. As she waited patiently for one of the Davis' to pick up the phone he stood next to her anxious. He hadn't spoken to his parents since the day he left Ava drunk in her bedroom 10 years earlier. He wondered how his parents were doing everyday since, but couldn't face them after leaving the way he did. He had sworn he would stick by Ava no matter what, but that day, he couldn't take anymore.he couldn't watch her kill herself. "Hi Mr. Davis, it's Ava." she smiled looking up at Roger.
"Ava, we've been trying to get in touch with you for days. We read the review of your concert the other night. Is it true? Did you find Roger? Is he OK? What happened? Tell me everything." he asked anxious for her answers.
"Mr. Davis, it's true. Me and Roger are back together and he's in my band." she said excitedly as Roger wrapped his arms around her.
"Is he OK? I mean, really OK?" he asked sitting down in the chair.
"Yes, he's really OK Mr. Davis. Actually, he's right here. Do you wanna talk to him?" she smiled looking up at Roger.
"Yes, I do. Thank you sweetie. I love you kiddo." he smiled looking up at the pictures of Roger that were hanging in the house.
"I love you too Mr. Davis. Here he is." she smiled holding the phone out to Roger." Everything's gonna be OK Baby. Just talk to him. He misses you." she smiled caressing his face.
"Hi dad." he said quietly looking down at Ava who was still standing by his side.
"Roger, are you OK? What have you been doing? How did you and Ava find each other? You need to tell me everything." Mr. Davis rambled excited to be speaking to his son after 10 years.
"I'm sorry dad. I didn't mean to leave the way I did all those..." he started before his father interrupted him.
"It's OK Roger. We understand. It must not have been easy to see the love of your life suffering the way she was. So tell me, how have you been? How has everything been going? Are you OK?" he asked easing his sons fears.
"I'm OK dad. I'm in a band." he smiled looking down at Ava as everyone looked on smiling.
"Congratulations on that. It's what you've always wanted. I'm happy for you Roger. I really am." he smiled sitting back in the chair.
"Me and Ava are getting married dad. We're finally doing it." he smiled excitedly.
"Well it's about time. I've been waiting to hear those words for 10 years." he laughed crossing his legs. "So when's the big day?" he asked smiling at the pictures of Roger and Ava that still hung on the walls of the Davis house.
"In a few days. We're getting married in City Hall and having a party with our friends. We want you and mom to come." he said looking down at Ava.
"We wouldn't miss it for the world. Our son and his girl are finally internationally known rock stars and they're finally getting married. We're so happy for you two. You always knew you would marry her." he smiled as Mrs. Davis entered the house.
"Luke, I'm home." she called out before entering the living room.
"Abby, you will never guess who I'm on the phone with." he smiled looking up at her.
"Who?" she asked putting her shopping bags down.
"Hold on." he smiled before handing her the phone. "See for yourself." he smiled as she took the phone from him.
"Hello?" she said into the phone.
"Hi mom." Roger said looking down at Ava who was holding him tight.
"Roger? Is that you? I mean, really you?" she asked looking down at her husband who had a smile from ear to ear.
"Yeah mom, it's me." he smiled as tears filled Ava's eyes.
"How are you? Are you OK? Are you and Ava back together?" she asked looking down at her husband with tears in her eyes.
"I'm great mom. Ava and I are getting married in a few days." he smiled caressing Ava's face.
"You're kidding? That's incredible. When?" she smiled as Mr. Davis got up and put his arms around her.
"In a couple of days. We're going to City Hall and then having a party with our friends and family. We want you and dad to come." he smiled looking down at Ava.
"Of course we'll be there. We would never want to miss this. You two belong together. We read your review in the paper. You were fantastic, I'm not surprised. You and Ava always did well together." she smiled wiping her eyes.
"Thanks mom. That means a lot." he smiled as he held Ava close to him.