California is gorgeous. The weekend is beautiful, simple with just enough lighthearted silliness that Ricardo nor Alicia feel out of place when they arrive a little late during the pre-wedding party, AJ immediately making a beeline for his fiancee, allowing Mike and Ricardo to sit and talk for awhile. He runs into a lot of former and current WWE guys, some Lucha Underground people, a couple TNA. Greets them all cheerfully, hyped up on coffee and the general happiness that weddings bring him. Sighs when he realizes that in less than a year, this will be him and Alicia as long as things go well.

As if drawn by his thoughts about her, Alicia joins him and snakes her hands around his middle, kissing his neck. "Thinking about when I'll be standing before you in an obnoxiously poofy white dress, telling you I do forever and ever?" she whispers, making him shiver.

He chuckles and turns his face towards her. "How did you know?" he wonders, interlacing their fingers before pressing his lips to her knuckles. "Am I that obvious?"

She hums, kissing his shoulder. "You looked worried, hopeful, and a little sick," she muses. "If that's not a good description for most husbands to be, I don't know what is."

"John doesn't look like that," Ricardo sighs, eyeing his friend from across the hall. "Mike didn't look like that. I'm sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me."

Alicia shakes her head. "You have nothing to apologize for, sweetie. We've both been through a lot." She cups his face and strokes her fingers down his temples, along his jaw muscles. "I love you. I will always love you, and I will spend every day until that moment I get to be your wife reminding you that I will never hurt you like Paige did. Ok?" She leans forward and kisses his cheek before shifting even more, whispering into his ear. "Between the two of us, I never found Del Rio to be as handsome as everyone insisted he was. You're much hotter than he ever could be." She winks at him, pleased with herself as his skin blushes a hot red when the meaning of the words dawn on him.

"Alicia..."

"I meant every word," she tells him simply. "I love you, I love your eyes, your hair. I love the passion you have for every aspect of wrestling, your love for soccer, how despite your insomnia and all of the pain your ankles and knees are in you give your all to whatever you're doing in that moment. I'm gonna be the proudest bride in the world when we stand before our friends and family and declare our love for each other in front of everyone. It can't come soon enough for me." She strokes his face once more before leaning in and kissing him, lips parting as he swallows down a moan, overwhelmed both by her words and by her touch. She pulls away when she feels wetness on her fingertips and realizes he's crying, just a little. "Oh, honey," she says, kissing the salty tracks off of his face. "It's ok."

"Sorry, I've just- always wanted someone to say those things to me and mean them," he says in a choked whisper. "I started doubting I'd ever find it after... well, after Paige and Alberto." She wraps her arms around him and he hugs her back. "Thank you," he mumbles into her shoulder, his emotions stabilized for the most part when she pulls away.

"Any time," she tells him softly, searching his face for any more tears. Satisfied that he's ok, she smiles tenderly at him. "A few more minutes of mingling, tell everyone goodnight, and we can go back to AJ and Mike's, alright?" She leans closer to him and smirks. "The to-be married couple might have to spend the night apart, but we definitely do not." Her lips ghost against his and he lets out a soft groan at the tease, following her on weak legs as she maneuvers her way around the room, fingers still curled around his hand as he nods and smiles at everyone they come across.

When they reach the door, he shudders and rushes to get to the car, entering it fairly impatiently. Alicia laughing at him as he leans in and claims a deep, lingering kiss over the panel before quickly pulling out and driving away from the establishment.

They sit on Mike and AJ's porch for awhile, enjoying the lingering sunset, before Ricardo turns to look at her. "You're gorgeous," he tells her softly, observing how the orange and purple bleeding overhead highlight her hair, skin and eyes, giving her an ethereal kind of appearance. She beams at him but, before she can respond, he leans in and brushes her hair out of her face, kissing her so thoroughly that she can't even think straight, blinking slowly as her fingers tangle in his hair, scratching against his scalp. He exhales a breathy kind of moan as she hums, licks her lips and takes over the kissing, Ricardo's fingers curling around her sides as she shifts to sit in his lap.

"I think we better take this inside," she chuckles finally, hands bracketing Ricardo's face once more as she hesitantly pulls away to stand up.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" he wonders, tugging her back into place and slowly standing, Alicia held up by his hands pressed against her back. She gasps and wraps her legs around his midsection quickly, eyes wide. "I've got you, don't worry." When it's clear that he does, taking care not to run into the door or walls as he walks her inside, heading slowly to the guest bedroom they'd claimed as their own, Alicia leans in and starts kissing him, mouth open and eyes completely devouring him. He hisses and moans, relieved when they reach the room and he can kick the door shut behind them, easing her onto the bed and hovering over her as she digs her heels into his hips. "I've got you," he repeats, brushing his hands along the thin fabric of her dress. "I've got you."

"Forever," she breathes out and he stares into her eyes, sincere and ovewhelming.

"And ever," he promises before pressing his lips to hers once more, his hands finding hers and clinging to her as he pictures their life together, smiling gently down at her as he gently brushes his fingers along her ankles blindly until she remembers she's still tangled around him like that, loosening her grip on his hips as he kisses her jaw.

"I love you," she breathes out, staring up at the ceiling as his kisses trail lower.

"I love you too," he murmurs into her throat. "So much."

-x

The wedding the next day is beautiful, simple, perfect. Alicia and Ricardo grin at each other whenever their eyes meet on the dance floor, both managing to dance with most of their friends. She giggles when AJ claims her for a quick dance, realizing that Mike and John are across the hall dancing the chicken dance together to the laughter of the kids around them. "So ridiculous," she chuckles.

"Yeah," AJ sighs. "He's lucky I love him." But her eyes are gleaming and she allows Alicia to dip her, casting a glance over at Taya as she dances with Ricardo. "I guess we're both pretty lucky, huh?"

Alicia nods. "Yeah." She smiles tenderly. "He still has a lot of worries thanks to Paige... and I'll admit, things aren't necessarily easy for me either after Alex, but... I think we'll be fine. Just need to take it slow. I do know I want to spend the rest of my life with him, and he wants the same with me, so someday soon, it'll be our wedding you're at."

"I'm looking forward to it," AJ says, teeth flashing as Alicia twirls her. "You only like dancing with me because I'm smaller than you and you can makeme all sorts of dizzy!"

She laughs, spins AJ closer and then rocks her back and forth slowly to the rhythm of the song. "Hey, it's not my fault you're adorably compact size."

AJ rolls her eyes at this and squeezes Alicia before turning when someone taps her on the shoulder. It's Mike and Alicia allows her to go to her husband before turning to find Ricardo, Taya now drifting back to her husband and his eyes locked on her, holding a hand out to her. Alicia smiles as that familiar spark eases up her fingers as soon as they touch, the two of them starting to dance around the room along with the other couples.

He kisses her softly and she hums, the wide skirt of her creamy brown dress with wispy floral hints curling through it billowing out before easing back around her legs, soft and silky against her skin. They dance another couple of songs, his eyes locked on hers, and she finds herself almost breathless by the soft intensity there, his love so obvious that she wants to melt in his arms right then and there. Thankfully he waits until they both agree to take a break, heading over to get a drink, maybe something to eat, when he rests his hand on her lower back and directs her to a slightly quieter part of the room. "Alicia," he says softly.

"Yes?" she asks, insides curling at the sound of his voice, how nervous he looks.

He sighs, bites his lips, and squeezes her fingers with a weak smile. "You may think it's too soon," he says hesitantly. "But... I think, ... I want to choose a wedding date. No- nothing too soon, I promise you, months away, maybe longer if you think we need it, but I... was watching John and Taya, and... it made me realize we can do this. We love each other, we're devoted to each other. I'm ready to stop living in the past, and I'm sure you are too. What... what do you think?"

He watches her as she stands there quietly, staring at him, her face impassive and blank. His face falls and he's about to pull away, take it all back, when she leaps forward and hugs him tightly, teeth flashing as she laughs delightedly. "Yes," she says into his shoulder. "Yes, yes. I didn't want to push you, but if you're really ready to begin planning, a million times yes." She cups his face and kisses him. "I can't wait to marry you."

His eyes brighten, and he smiles too. "I can't wait either," he exhales, kissing her back happily. A slow song is playing and he slowly guides her in a circle, enjoying the feel of her hand against his, their bodies moving as one as the music washes over them.