Summary: Harm. & Mac begin their life together, while both deal with the reality of Harm's decision to resign his commission. Spoiler alert: Mac doesn't handle it very well. (Continuation of It Started in Russia, and Everything is Going to Be Okay)

Part Twenty-Six

Saturday – Seven Days Until the Wedding

"I know everything will be fine, but I have to admit I'm a little nervous about a bachelor party after what you told me about Ben's." Mac bit her lip and scrunched up her nose. "And after Bud's," she continues.

He winced at the reminder of the two worst bachelor parties he had ever been to. "Well, at least with mine, there isn't a Big Bud to get us into trouble. And unlike Ben's party, a 22-year-old isn't in charge of the planning. So, it will be just a bunch of dignified old men." He laughed when she rolled her eyes and leaned in for a kiss. "It'll be fine, I promise."

She sighed and ran her fingers down his chest. "Just remember that a lot of those dignified old men were arrested with you at Bud's party."

"I'll keep that in mind," he said with a huge grin, "but try not to worry. Maddie and mom have planned a great night for you - and you should enjoy it."

"I'll try," she said. She watched as he shoved his wallet into his back pocket.

"Need anything before I go?" She shook her head, and he leaned in and kissed her again, his lips lingering on hers. "I'll see you later," he said softly, "and tomorrow, we'll be less than a week away from our wedding."

The words sent a thrill for her. As tired as she was from all the stress that came with planning a big wedding, she couldn't wait to be his wife. "God, I can't wait," she said.

"Neither can I."

They shared one last kiss, and then he was gone. Her friends and Harm's family weren't coming over for another hour, and she wasn't sure what to do with herself while she waited. But, thanks to Trish and Sarah, everything she needed to do for the wedding was done. Every napkin had been pressed, every program had been folded, and every place card had been checked and sorted in order according to the table number.

She turned off the bedroom light and walked down the hall to the guest room. She had picked up her wedding dress the day before and was keeping it in here for the next week. Harm had been banned from this room, but she found herself constantly sneaking in to admire the pristine white gown. The sleeveless gown looked simple and elegant from the front – with its moderate V-neck line and fitted silhouette, but the back was sexier with its low-cut back and dramatic with a chapel-length train. Harriet had tried to steer her towards something with a full, princess-style skirt, and Maddie had wanted her to get something covered in lace, but she had ignored them both. This dress had been the first one she had picked up, and it had been love at first sight. She was running her fingers over the row of tiny buttons that went all the way from the waist to the hem when the doorbell rang, and she let out a small sigh as she stepped away from the gown, ran her hands over her hips, and went downstairs.

The men had kept to their word and had thrown Harm a dignified bachelor party. Frank had taken care of the location and had rented out a swanky cocktail lounge for the evening. Glasses of expensive scotch flowed, and fat cigars with questionable legality (courtesy of Jack Keeter) filled the room with a heady smoke. There were no strippers, and other than the two servers in skimpy black dresses, there were no half-dressed young women young enough to be his daughter.

He was pleased with the party and glad his friends had overruled him and thrown him one. The scotch and cigars were nice, but he was happy with this diverse group of men. From his stepfather in the bespoke blazer and Italian shoes to Bud Roberts – these men couldn't be more different, and he wasn't sure if he could blame the sentimental thoughts on the mild buzz or just the fact that he was getting older, but he was thankful for each of them.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Harm looked up at Ben and smiled. "This is nice," he said simply. "And I'm glad you all talked me into it."

"Much better than mine," Ben said, and Harm snorted.

"I'll say." He took a sip of his scotch and leaned back in his seat.

They were quiet for a moment, watching the other men cheer over the touchdown some team had just scored. Then Ben turned back to Harm and let out a breath. "Any doubts?"

"No," he said without hesitation. "I've been ready for this for a very long time." Ben looked down at his left hand, and Harm watched as he twisted the still-new wedding band around his finger. "What about you?"

"Hmm?"

Harm gestured at the ring. "I know you love Maddie, but the fears you had don't just go away."

Ben shrugged and sipped his drink. "The fears are still there, but they're easier to deal with." He looked at Harm and smiled knowingly. "I imagine it's the same for Mac. Her fears and anxiety are probably still there and will probably always be there to some extent. But you've helped her learn to manage them. They're not as crippling as they once were." He shrugged lightly and sipped his drink again. "I'm trying to get to that point with Maddie. I'm trying to let her actually help me instead of pretending that everything is always okay."

"Keep letting her help you," Harm said quietly. The other men cheered again, and he sighed, unable to remember the last time he had actually cared about a football game. "Every time Mac confides in me about something bothering her or lets me help her with something she's struggling with, it makes me feel like a superhero. I love knowing that she can trust me with her feelings, and I love that I can make her life a little bit easier."

Ben lifted his glass and touched it against Harm's. "Thank you for helping me, too. I know you and Mac were rightfully team Maddie, but you didn't give up on me even then. Even when I was a total asshole to you."

"We've all been assholes at one point or another." He lets out a breath and shakes his head. "God knows I've said and done my fair share of stupid shit."

"Not you," Ben teases.

Harm laughs and looks up in time to watch Keeter toss back the rest of his drink and saunter over to them. "Oh lord," Harm says, loud enough for Keeter to hear, "here comes trouble."

"I know you didn't want a bachelorette party," Trish said, "but hopefully, this has been okay."

Mac smiled and nodded. "This has been wonderful," she said. "Thank you for everything."

"You're welcome, sweetheart."

Maddie and Trish honestly had planned a perfect day. They had gone for massages first, although that wasn't initially planned, but after the disaster with the venue, Trish had insisted. Then, after the spa, they went to a gourmet chocolate shop Mac was obsessed with and had taken a class on making chocolate truffles. Each woman had left with a bag of truffles, a tin of sipping chocolate, and an assortment of miniature chocolate bars from around the world.

Keeping with the theme of experiences rather than bar or winery hopping, they had gone to the Jo Malone store and worked with their staff to create custom perfume and candle scents while sipping tea and eating finger sandwiches worthy of a proper English tea. Finally, they each left with a bottle of perfume in their created scent and moved on to the gorgeous rooftop of an Italian restaurant for a six-course dinner.

"No, really," Mac said. "Thank you for everything. Not just tonight but for all the help you've been over the past week. I don't know how I would have done it without you."

"You're resilient," Trish said, "you would have managed. But it's nice that you finally realize that you don't always have to." Mac blushed, and Trish smiled.

"Without your help, I probably would have thrown in the towel and let Harm convince me to elope."

She laughed and shook her head. "I'm honestly surprised he hasn't. When Harm makes up his mind about something he wants, he's very persuasive. And he's terrible at waiting. I never imagined he'd have the patience to wait this long."

Mac blushed again and sipped her water. "I'm the one who wanted the big wedding." Trish didn't say anything, and Mac hesitantly continued. "I was married once before, and we went before a judge. This time it's real, and it's a big deal, and I wanted to treat it like a big deal. He said you would probably kill him if we didn't have some kind of wedding and a party."

She laughed and rolled her eyes. "I would have been annoyed, but I know my son, and I think I would have understood."

"Now you tell me," Mac teased. She stabbed at the lime in her water and stirred her glass. "I'm glad we're having a big wedding. I can't wait to celebrate with everyone we love."

"But…"

Mac sighed softly. "I think at this point I'm out of patience too. I never imagined how much work it would be or how expensive it would be."

"Can I make a suggestion?" Mac nodded, and Trish took a sip of wine. "Everything for the wedding is done. All that's left is to get dressed and walk down that aisle. There is absolutely nothing left to do. So, find a way to enjoy it."

"I'm trying," Mac said softly.

Mac watched as the sommelier walked around filling wine glasses, silently pushed her chair back, and slipped away from the group. She pulled her cell phone out of the pocket of her dress and dialed Harm's number.

"Hey," he said, answering on the second ring.

"Hey."

"Having fun?"

She took in the view and then over at her group. "Yeah," she said quietly. "You were right; Trish and Maddie planned a great night."

"I'm glad," he said. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," she said. "I just… I love you," she said softly.

"I know," and she could hear the smile in his voice. "I love you, too."

"How much longer are you going to be out?"

Harm looked at his watch and shrugged. "Probably not too much longer. Keeter, Sturgis, and Ben are pretty drunk, and Bud has called to check in with the babysitter three times."

"Good," she said. "There's something I want us to do when we get home."

"Oh yeah," he said and lowered his voice to a sexy timbre. "There are many things I want us to do when we get home."

She rolled her eyes at the innuendo and sighed dramatically. "I want us to go get married." The line went silent, and she pulled the phone away to make sure they hadn't lost the connection. "Harm? You there?"

"I'm here," he said. "I'm just trying to figure out what you just said."

"I want to get married," she said softly. "Right now."

"Mac," he started, but she shook her head and cut him off.

"I want to be your wife, Harm. We've waited so long. So, so long. And I don't want to wait anymore. We already have the marriage license; we have the rings. And I don't want to spend the next week worrying about every tiny thing that could go wrong when the only thing that matters is being your wife."

He was silent again for a moment and then swallowed hard in an attempt to push back the emotion. "Where do you want to go?"

"I hadn't thought that far," she admitted. "I found a 24-hour officiant who said he'll meet us wherever we want."

Harm frowned and glanced at his watch. "How about the Wall," he asked quietly.

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah," she said. "Let's bring the rest of your family with us."

"Yeah," he said. "I'm going to stop by the house and change clothes, but I'll see you there."

As soon as she hung up with Harm, she returned to the group, hugged Maddie, and thanked the other women for coming. Then, she claimed exhaustion and pleaded with the rest to stay and enjoy the evening.

"Trish, can I talk to you for a minute?" Trish joined her by the elevator, and she discretely told her what she and Harm had just decided. Her eyes went wide, and she covered her mouth and shook her head. "Was it something I said?"

"Kind of." She smiled and shrugged lightly. "Being married to him is all that matters, and I don't want to spend the next week worrying about everything that could go wrong when only one thing matters."

"Smart girl," she said. "I'll get things wrapped up here. Your friends can keep the limo, and we'll take a cab back to your house."

End Part Twenty-Six