by Sian Ceinwen
Dina made her way down the aisle and came to a stop at the front, opposite Hayden. Charlotte came next, and she smiled at a man sitting about halfway up the room on the left-hand side that Lita assumed must be her boyfriend. Then Charlotte looked to the front again and continued walking to her place opposite Sebastian.
Finally, Heather appeared. She looked absolutely stunning in the same purple dress, with her hair in an elegant updo. Lita turned to look at Sebastian, who was looking at Lita with a smile, and he gave her the tiniest shake of his head. She had to hold back laughter because she thought that Heather looked so beautiful that Sebastian must have held some desire for her right now, but his face looked nothing like Harrison’s next to him. Harrison’s eyes were glued to Heather, and the love that he had for her was displayed all over his face.
Lita turned to look at the aisle again. Heather caught Lita’s eye, and she smiled widely at Lita on her way down the aisle. She turned to look at the front again, and Lita was sure that she was looking at Harrison. Once she’d taken her place opposite her husband, the musicians began to play the “Wedding March,” and everyone stood and faced the door.
Lita gasped when Ariana appeared; she was holding the arm of a man that Lita assumed was her father. Her hair was up, and there was a gorgeous gold headpiece in it that circled the crown of her head. Her dress was exquisite. The bodice had intricate, floral beadwork over its lace, and it flared out from the waist with more intricate floral beadwork over the tulle skirt.
Lita cursed herself when she started crying at how beautiful Ariana looked. She wiped away her tears, then turned to look at the front. Gabriel was staring at Ariana, looking mildly stunned. Sebastian was smiling at Lita, though, as she wiped away her tears. He looked as though he might laugh, and she knew that he would make a comment about her pregnancy hormones right now if he could.
When Ariana reached the front of the room, everyone took their seats, and the ceremony began. Bianca handed Lita a tissue, and she thanked her quietly. When the time came for the vows, Gabriel looked like he might need her emesis bag after all. He spoke clearly into the microphone, though, and there was no trace of nervousness in his voice.
“Ariana Irene Chamberlain, you are my heart and soul. I love that you are kind and caring, and considerate of others. I love that you jumped into a pool with your clothes on the night that we met. I jumped in, headfirst, with you, and I never looked back.
“I vow to you that I will support you always. I will be the man that is by your side during the highest highs and the lowest lows. I will always be in your corner, and I will fight for you every day of my life if I have to, because I know that I am the luckiest man in the world because I get to have you by my side.
“I look forward to starting this new chapter of our lives together, with you as my wife. Wherever the road takes us, we will be together forever.”
Lita dabbed at her eyes with the tissue as Ariana took the microphone and smiled at Gabriel before she spoke her own vows.
“Gabriel Christopher Knight, you’re my soulmate. Being with you is so much easier than being without you. I love that you love me. I love that I know that you love me. With everything that is within me, I am certain of that.
“I promise to never leave you. I promise to never make you write an album about me that’s so good you win another Grammy. Only terrible albums about how happy and in love you are from here on out.”
A large portion of the guests laughed at this, and Sebastian looked over at Lita with a smile on his face.
“I promise that I will be the woman who is by your side on the wildest rides, but I will also be the woman who is by your side on the mildest rides. The ones that are boring and long and that nobody ever wants to go on, because those are the ones where I know that you’ll need me the most.
“I will ride those rides with you every day for the rest of our lives because I love you, Gabriel. Always and forever.”
Lita was openly crying when Ariana finished her vows; they were just so beautiful. Fucking pregnancy hormones would be the death of her. Bianca handed her another tissue. The rest of the ceremony passed quickly, and it wasn’t long before the celebrant was pronouncing them husband and wife. Everyone cheered when they kissed and made their way down the aisle together. Sebastian smiled at Lita as he passed her.
Eventually, the guests all made their way down the aisle after the bridal party, and when she reached them, Lita waited her turn to give the happy couple her wishes.
“Congratulations, guys!” Lita said cheerfully.
“Thanks, Lita,” Ariana said with a huge smile.
“I’m just glad that I didn’t need your puke bag,” Gabriel said with a laugh as he gave Lita a hug.
She moved past them and only had a second to start looking around before Sebastian was pulling her aside.
“Hey, princess. I saw your pregnancy hormones getting the better of you during the ceremony.” He grinned at her.
“Oh my god, it was so embarrassing. Ariana’s vows were so sweet, though. I’m so happy for them.” Lita smiled at the memory.
Sebastian had a strange look on his face. “Yeah, they’re pretty lucky to be here today. I definitely didn’t think they’d make it, once upon a time.”
Lita nodded, remembering what Ariana had told her. She was distracted by the string musicians that were now playing soft, classical music, and when Lita realized what they were playing, she smiled.
“Sleeping Beauty Waltz.”
“Classical music fan?” Sebastian asked her.
“Yeah, a bit, but also a big fan of animated kids’ films,” Lita laughed.
Sebastian chuckled, and they stood together in silence for a few minutes before Hayden came and stood with them. They were talking and laughing when Lita stiffened as she noticed Cooper Powell standing with a group of people nearby.
Sebastian must have seen her do it because he asked, “What’s wrong, princess?”
“Cooper.”
“I’ve told him not to even think about coming near you. Let me know if he does,” Sebastian told her and put his arm around her to hug her to him quickly before letting her go.
“Want me to punch him for you, Lita? I’ll do it if you want me to.” Hayden grinned at her.
Lita laughed and then frowned. “Okay, for real, if you guys dislike him so much, why is he still your manager? He’s such a dick.”
“He’s very good at his job. Plus…contracts. We’re tied to him for”—Hayden looked at Sebastian for a second as he seemed to do some mental math—“another two years, almost?”
“Yeah, we signed with him again in 2018 for five more years,” Sebastian agreed.
“Well, that sucks, but if he’s good at his job…ugh. Anyway, I don’t condone violence, Hayden, but if I want him punched, I’ll do it myself.” Lita winked at him.
Hayden laughed. “I actually believe that. Anyone who can stand up to Seb can probably handle Cooper just fine.”
One of the photographers’ assistants came over after another minute or so and asked Hayden and Sebastian to go with him for the bridal party photos. She was standing on her own and feeling a bit out of place when Evangeline and Celeste came over and started talking to her. They were lovely and friendly, and their little group followed the crowd of guests as it made its way out and toward the area where they would be having cocktails before the reception.
Another of the photographers’ assistants was rounding up family members for photos now, though, and they took Evangeline and Celeste away, much to Lita’s dismay. She was on her own again, and she sighed heavily before she heard someone calling her name.
“Lita? Is someone here called Lita?”
A third photographers’ assistant was walking through the crowd of guests, calling out her name.
“Yes, that’s me?” Lita was confused.
“Oh, what a relief, I’ve been looking for you. We need you for the family photographs.”
“I’m not family, though,” Lita pro
tested.
He looked down at a piece of paper that he was holding with a list of names on it and asked, “Is your name Lita Ciccone?”
“Yes.”
“Then we definitely need you. Quick, we need to go now; they’re all waiting for you.”
Lita followed him through the hotel and out the back into a stunning pool area with beautiful willow trees where all of the bridal party and the rest of their families were standing.
“There she is!” Ariana called and smiled as she pointed to Lita.
The photographer urged her into a space that had apparently been left for her next to Sebastian.
“Hi, princess. Took you long enough to get here,” he grinned.
Lita shrugged. “I didn’t know I was needed. I wasn’t expecting to be in any photos.”
Sebastian had his arm around her, and they stopped talking as they smiled for the first photo. Then, when the photographer was checking the photo he’d taken, Sebastian looked down at her.
“I told you before the wedding that you’re family now, Lita. You’re certainly my family, and that makes you part of the Cruise Control family as well.”
This was confirmed after the traditional family photos were finished being taken, when the rest of the family members had drifted away to have cocktails, and Lita was included in the photo session with Cruise Control. Ariana even had photos taken with just her and Heather after that.
“You look beautiful, Lita,” Ariana said to her with a kind smile as they watched the guys having their photos taken. “That dress is gorgeous.”
“Thanks, Heather did a great job. I think yours is better, though!”
“It is stunning, isn’t it?” Ariana lifted the tulle of her skirt and swished it from side to side. “It’s everything I ever imagined my wedding dress to be.”
Lita couldn’t stop herself from saying, “I’m sorry that Sebastian got you to include me in the wedding photos. You could’ve said no.”
“He didn’t tell us to do that, Lita.” Ariana shook her head. “Gabriel and I made that choice; Sebastian didn’t even suggest it.”
“Why?” Lita was surprised.
“Look, I know everything that’s going on isn’t ideal, but no matter what happens, we’re all stuck together. I really like you, and I feel like you and Seb will work this shit out. You were here today, carrying his baby, and it was important to me to have you in the photos to capture the moment. Not having you in them would have been wrong.”
Lita was overwhelmed with emotion, and Ariana put an arm around her and hugged her tightly.
“Thanks, Ariana. I guess I’d better get up to the reception; I’ll see you later,” Lita said.
She called goodbye to the guys who were still having their photos taken, then walked back up to the hotel and made her way to the reception. Lita knew that she shouldn’t have been surprised by it, and yet she was. Like the room where they’d held the ceremony, this ballroom was filled with so much greenery and so many flowers that it was like walking into a garden. She checked a seating chart near the door and went to find her table. Lita was the last person to sit down at it. It was positioned two tables away from the bridal table at the front of the room. All of the tables were placed around a dance floor in the middle of the room.
“Hi, my name is Tim,” said the man sitting next to her.
“Hi, I’m Lita,” she said and shook his hand. “How do you know Gabriel and Ariana?”
“My girlfriend is one of Ariana’s bridesmaids; she works with her. You?” He smiled at her.
“Oh, that must be Charlotte, she’s really nice. I’m having Sebastian’s baby.”
Lita didn’t know any other way to explain her role in his life, and she was grateful when the DJ for the wedding announced that the bridal party would be entering and cut off their conversation. The guests all cheered as the bridal party entered the room and took their seats at the bridal table. The food came out soon after that, and then Gabriel and Ariana had their first dance. Then, the rest of the bridal party joined them in dancing for another song before the DJ invited everyone else on to the dance floor.
As soon as he announced this, Sebastian came over to their table with Charlotte next to him and said, “Hi, Tim, I have a dance partner for you, and I believe that this wonderful woman promised to dance with me.”
“That I did,” Lita said and couldn’t stop herself from smiling widely at him.
She stood and put her hand in his as he led her to the dance floor. Sebastian wrapped his arms around her, and they swayed together in time to the music. It felt so right to be in his arms again. Lita hated how much she enjoyed it, that she had repeatedly broken their ground rules this weekend.
“I’m going to miss you when you go back to Seattle, you know.”
Lita sighed and looked up at him. “I’m sure you’ll find someone to take my place in your bed quite easily.”
“You’re always so casually cruel to me. You know I prefer you.” Sebastian frowned.
“I’m just being honest. I think that the time and space apart will be good for us. Clearly, I have trouble following the ground rules when you’re around.”
Sebastian laughed and pulled her even tighter against him. “Yes, you do seem to. Want to break some more before you go, though?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Should we stop dancing instead?” Lita asked with a smile on her face.
“Okay, okay, I’ll be good,” Sebastian sighed. “I do have to tell you something, though.”
“What?”
“I could fuck a thousand other women, and I would still be in love with you. I know you don’t want me to say it, but it’s true.”
They had stopped dancing while he was talking, and they stood together, motionless, as Lita looked up at him before she had to look away, unable to look in his eyes any longer. She felt like he was daring her to get into a relationship with him, to take the risk, to ask him to stop sleeping with other women.
Lita wiped tears from her eyes as her mouth formed the only reply that she knew would shut this conversation down: “I can’t love you like that, Seb. Please, don’t put this on me. I’ve told you where I stand, and you say that you know, but you keep telling me shit like this.”
He dropped his arms from around her waist and walked back to the bridal table without saying anything more, leaving Lita standing alone in the middle of the dance floor with tears streaming down her face.
Heather rushed over from where she’d been dancing with Harrison and said, “Lita, what happened? Are you okay?”
“I’m a terrible person, Heather. You should hate me.”
“Come with me,” Heather said.
Lita followed her off the dance floor and realized after a few moments that Ariana was also following them. They went to the back of the room, and Heather opened a door into a small room that had some seats, a vanity, and an enclosed toilet stall.
“Where are we?” Lita asked.
“Bride’s powder room,” Ariana answered. “What’s going on?”
“Lita’s going to tell us why she’s a terrible person and thinks I should hate her,” Heather told her.
“I slept with Sebastian last night.”
“Okay, that doesn’t make you—”
“And again this morning,” Lita said, cutting Heather off. “He told me that he knew it was just sex and nothing more, except when we finished, he told me he loves me again. Then, just now, he said it to me on the dance floor. I made the rules that we couldn’t sleep in the same bed or have sex together anymore, but I broke them. You should hate me for leading him on, for fucking him, and then hurting him, repeatedly.”
There was silence when she finished talking. Lita stared at the carpet, following the patterns in it while she waited for Heather to yell at her, but the yelling didn’t happen.
“I don’t know what to say, Lita, but you’re not a horrible person. I think that you’re confused and you’re hurting. I think that you’re in love with him eve
n if you won’t admit it.” Heather sighed heavily. “All I’ve ever wanted for Sebastian was for him to find a woman that he could be happy with. Someone that could love him back as much as he loves them. I thought that he finally had that with you and that he would stop sleeping around, but he hasn’t. I’m so disappointed in him.”
“I can’t be with him, Heather. I hate knowing that he’s sleeping with other women. It hurts me so much, and I’m not even his girlfriend. It would be so much worse if we were together. But then he tells me that he loves me and I don’t know what he thinks that will achieve. It doesn’t stop him from fucking other people; all it does is hurt us both. I know that I was wrong to sleep with him, though; it’s just all so fucked up.”
Lita was crying again, and Ariana handed her a tissue, then put an arm around her shoulders. “I don’t think that anything we can say is going to help, but I know I don’t hate you, Lita. This is between you and Sebastian, but for what it’s worth, I meant what I said about thinking that you two will work this out. At the very least, to find your way to a friendship as parents to the child you’re having together.”
“I don’t hate you, either,” Heather said, and then she sighed. “I love Seb, but I don’t know what he thinks he’s doing. Today’s been crazy, so I haven’t really had much chance to talk to him, yet, but I will.”
“Thanks, Heather, but it’s probably best if you don’t get involved. I hate knowing that I’m causing trouble in your friendship on top of everything else.” Lita cringed.
Heather opened her mouth to reply, but there was a knock at the door.
“Who is it?” Ariana called out.
The door opened behind them, and they all turned to see Gabriel walk into the room.
“Sorry to interrupt, but they need us for the speeches, sweetheart.” Gabriel smiled at their group.