by Kahlen Aymes
I’d puked my guts out in the trash can under my desk three times last week, and instantly, I knew. I went to my OBGYN this past Monday, and she confirmed what I already knew. The ultrasound showed a healthy fetus only about three weeks gestation. It looked like a bean on the screen of the machine. I was lucky I had morning sickness early, so the continued use of the pills wouldn’t harm the baby’s development.
I was excited, longing to tell Jensen my news, but I’d hoped for the perfect moment. I’d shared with Teagan who was ecstatic, going on and on how we’d have two sets of kids of similar age who could play together, grow up together and how nothing could be more perfect! She assured me that Jensen would be over the moon and told me how she’d dropped the bomb about her pregnancy to Chase at the altar, and I didn’t think I could wait that long to tell him. Jensen and I hadn’t even set a date because we’d only been engaged a few weeks, though we weren’t planning to make it an overly long engagement.
Jensen put his house on the market, and we were going to purchase a larger one, closer to Chase and Teagan, together. My mom was going to take over the lease on my apartment. Somehow, it was all working out.
The game ended with Chase’s killer aerial shot leaving the score 3-2, USMNT.
As the fans started to clear the stands, Remi turned to Teagan. “Mommy, I have to go to the bathroom.”
“Okay, sweetie,” Teagan answered, right before Mace started fussing.
“I’ll take her,” I offered.
“Really? That would be so great. Thank you!”
“Sure. Dylan stay with Dad and Uncle Ben.” My eyes met Jensen’s, and he smirked. I was still getting used to referring to him as ‘Dad’ but doing so felt right. My son, on the other hand, didn’t have any issues making the transition.
I held my hand out to Remi, and she took it. We maneuvered down a few flights of stairs and into the stadium, weaving through the massive horde of people rushing around to leave. There was a very long line of women waiting at each of the ladies’ bathrooms, so we got in line to wait our turn.
“Missy, should I call you Aunty Missy now? Since Dylan calls my Dad Uncle Chase?” she pouted her lips as she thought it over.
“I don’t know. What do you want to call me?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I love you, though.”
A delighted smile lifted the corners of my mouth. “I love you, too, sweetheart,” I touched her chin with my index finger as she gazed up at me. She was so precious, decked out in a red, white and blue sundress and white flip flops, her hair in curls down her back and her green eyes sparkling. It was warmer in Orlando than it was in Atlanta. There was no trace of the nasty bruise Derrick had left on her cheek.
He’d been arraigned and locked up without bail and was awaiting his trial. Thank God, the District Attorney’s office told us that there was enough evidence since he’d been caught red-handed, so there was no way he’d get out of a lengthy jail sentence. They were still investigating the murder of my lawyer in Jackson Hole, but the kidnapping alone was enough for the judge to terminate Derrick’s parental rights, but that wouldn’t happen until the verdict in the jury trial came back guilty.
I knew that both Jensen and Dylan wanted the adoption desperately, and I had faith that it was going to happen. We already had an attorney drawing up the paperwork.
“Are you excited about going to Disney World this weekend?”
Remi nodded, with a smile. “Yes! My favorite is The Magic Kingdom cuz that’s where all the princesses live, but Dylan wants to go to the jungle one.” She wrinkled her nose. “I just want to stay with the princesses.”
“Animal Kingdom,” I corrected. “I bet that one is fun, too! I hear there is a safari and a bunch of other fun things to do. We get to see all of them.”
Today was Thursday, and we weren’t going home until the following Wednesday. The plan was to spend one day at every park, and then one day at one of the water parks, though admittedly, Magic Kingdom might be the most kid-friendly. Though, now that all of the smells made me want to vomit, I didn’t know how much I’d enjoy myself or if I’d be able to hide being pregnant from Jensen. I wanted to tell him, but only at the most perfect moment. He’d given me so many perfect moments since I’d met him, I just wanted to create one for him.
“Mommy can’t go on rides with me because of my brother,” Remi said sadly.
Knowing that some of the rides would make me sick, I offered an alternative. “How about we trade off? I can stay with the baby sometimes, honey. Your mommy, daddy, Jensen or I will be with you and Dylan on every ride, okay?”
“What about Uncle Ben, Grandma Jean or my other grandma and grampa?”
I nodded.
Remi and Ben had hit it off, just about as well as Dylan and Ben. Ben had a knack for kids. “Ben, too,” I agreed. “Though, I’m not sure how many rides the grandparents will go on.” My mother was with us at Teagan’s insistence. She had only just moved to Atlanta, and Teagan thought it wrong to go on a family vacation and leave one member of the family behind. I was amazed. One by one, my family had been intermingled beautifully with the Forrester and the Jeffers families. I’d never had a large family because my mother was an only child, as well. I had no cousins, aunts or uncles, and having an extended family was a wonderful thing.
“Do you and Jensey wanna get married at the castle, like Mommy and Daddy did? It was so pretty, and I got to wear a princess dress!”
The bathroom line was decreasing slowly, and we moved closer and closer to our destination. “Wow. That sounds amazing, but I’m not sure if we’d have the time to arrange it while we’re here.”
“Mommy and Daddy could help,” she insisted. “My mom is good at planning stuff.”
“Don’t you think your mom and dad will want to be the only couple in the family to get married at the castle? It’s sort of special to them.”
Remi shook her head. “I think they’d want to share,” she said simply as if to think any other way would be absurd. “Especially with you and Jensey.” There was a pearl of wisdom to her words; knowing what I knew of them.
Truth be told, it would be surreal and timely, considering my current condition plus, Ben was here, and he could only get so much time off of work each year. There was no way I would get married without him. Since my dad had deserted us, Ben was the only one I’d want to give me away. I certainly didn’t want to usurp Teagan’s memory of her wedding. Besides, Jensen and I hadn’t even talked about a date yet.
“We’ll see, sweetheart,” I said, trying to placate her.
“You’d make such a pretty princess, and it could be at my castle, too!”
The other’s in the line in front of, and behind, us couldn’t help overhearing and were smiling from ear-to-ear at the precocious little girl’s exuberant attempt to arrange my wedding.
“Seems she has a knack for wedding planning,” a kind-faced, older woman with greying hair said. “And, so pretty!”
“She’s quite something, that’s for sure!” I looked down at Remi, now hugging my legs and beaming up at me. I cupped her beautiful little face in my hands remembering another bathroom trip that we took together the very weekend that Jensen and Remi drove to meet Dylan and me in Omaha. “She’s an extraordinary little girl. I simply adore her.”
JENSEN
Was I really standing here, in the same place we were standing a little more than one year before when my best friends were married? Except this time, I was the groom, and Chase was my best man.
I didn’t care that the wedding had even fewer guests than Chase and Teagan’s. It didn’t matter that hardly any of our ESPN colleagues were with us, because Chase’s family, Jean, and Ben were all here. Jarvis flew down on short notice and was standing on the other side of Chase. My parents, who had arrived last night, were seated in the front row.
When Remi had climbed up on my lap at the end of dinner Thursday evening, right after Chase’s game, and suggested that Missy and I get married at her castl
e, I was dumbfounded. I admit, at first, I didn’t think it was a good idea. I thought Missy would want to plan out a more elaborate affair, but after Remi had barely said the words, I glanced over at Missy. She smiled and nodded slightly. Clearly, she and Remi had been plotting. It was hard to believe that it had been just three short days ago.
“We have just about everyone here that matters,” she answered my unspoken question. “It depends on if your parents can get here.”
Everyone at both tables had suddenly stopped eating dessert; all conversations coming to a halt while they waited with bated breath to hear my response.
“Do you think we can pull it off so quickly?” I asked out loud, certain that we wouldn’t be able to. “Surely the venue is already booked.”
“I checked already,” Teagan popped in with a sly smile. “Before dinner, when we all went to our rooms to change,” she explained. “Sunday night is open. I had a feeling about it.”
I looked down at the little girl on my lap. “What have you been up to? Conniving?”
She giggled happily. “Well, Missy’s a princess, and I think she should get married to my Jensey at my castle, wearing a very pretty dress.”
My eyebrows rose, and a grin spread out on my face just before my gaze flew up to briefly meet Missy’s bright blue eyes. She was trying to hold back a smile, but her eyes were dancing with mischief.
Chase was holding the baby, so that Teagan could finish her food. “If you don’t want to do it, we understand, but I’m happy to cover the cost of the venue.”
“Oh, Chase, that’s too much,” Missy put in. “If we do—"
“Shush,” he commanded teasingly, gently jostling his little son gently as Mace suckled greedily on a bottle.
“Hey, I just got a raise, you know,” I objected.
“That’s fair, but Teagan and I went ahead and put a deposit down to hold it when Teagan called to see if it was available. It has to be fate, right?” He smiled, glancing between Missy and me.
When Missy’s hand closed around my bicep, and she put her forehead down to touch my shoulder, I was flabbergasted. Then, she looked up into my eyes; her love shone so brightly that it just felt right.
“What do you think?” she asked. “It would be kinda wonderful.”
“Yeah! Then you can be my real dad right, right now!” Dylan added enthusiastically, sitting in the chair to my left.
“I think…” I sputtered, still blown away, but still, I slid an arm around my son and pulled him to my side. Everyone was watching me for my response. “Okay,” I was incredulous. “I’ll have to call my parents.”
The entire table had burst out in hoorays and guffaws, and Dylan picked up my phone and handed it to me.
And poof. It had all materialized in a matter of days.
My parents were surprised but happy to fly down and had immediately taken to Dylan. He and Remi had dragged them around the Magic Kingdom for two straight days, and now, here we were, having our wedding in the same fairytale-like setting that Chase and Teagan had celebrated their marriage; with everyone who mattered to us in the world here with us.
Because the party was so few people, everyone there was in beautiful dresses and black tuxedos. The music was played by two men, one on a single acoustic guitar, and the other on a keyboard, and a woman on a single violin. The trio was playing a variety of wedding instrumentals before the ceremony. Missy let me choose the song she’d walk down to, and I hadn’t told her what it was.
But once it started, it shot through my soul. Calum Scott’s, You are the Reason, sung as a duet between the woman and one of the men. It was a beautiful version of the song and spoke of getting over the past and looking to the future. It was perfect for us, the ideal way to tell Missy how much she meant to me, and how committed I was. Forever.
“Once again, Mandi, Mellie, and Jaylan, Chase’s nieces, came down the aisle dressed to the nines in glittery dresses with rings of flowers in their hair. This time they all wore the same style dress in a salmon pink color, though Dylan, decked out in his little black tux walked down with Remi, who of course, wore a tiara on her head above cascading curls, and her dressed matched those of the other little girls. My heart felt like it would claw right out of my chest. They were both so sweet and beautiful; pride threatened to overwhelm me. Chase’s hand came down on my shoulder in silent communication as we both stared at the perfect picture they made.
I cupped both of their heads with my hands when they arrived at my side. Remi stood between Chase and me, and Dylan stood on my right.
Teagan came next. She was beautiful as ever, glowing in a fitted pale coral dress, that sparkled ever so slightly in the moonlight. She had small ivory and coral roses holding back one side of her long hair. Her bouquet was made up of all ivory and light coral roses.
I glanced at my best friend, and he couldn’t take his eyes off of his wife. I hoped that the adoration I felt for Missy would be as visible to her as Chase’s was for Teagan. Teagan stopped at the other side of the altar.
Then it happened.
I looked up and saw Missy, standing with Ben awaiting their short walk to me. Her dress, mostly ivory lace over a light coral lining, was the perfect foil for her peachy completion. Her hair was swept up in a crown of curls with a delicate wreath of ivory roses, scattered with tiny coral ones, rested above the sheer veil cascading down her back; the edges trimmed with the matching lace of her dress.
All of it sparkled gently in the candlelit night. My heart stopped, and my breath caught in my throat. My bride was breathtaking. I doubted she could look more spectacular if she’d had a year to order her dress.
“She’s sure pretty, huh, Dad,” Dylan said looking up at me and holding tight to my left hand. I couldn’t help but smile and glance down for a split second. The others in the group smiled and laughed softly.
“She sure is.” I agreed. “Very beautiful, son.” I touched his cheek with my index finger.
I could see the love that Ben had for his younger sister; it radiated from him; evident in the hand he placed over the one she tucked into the crook of his bent arm. And, he was proud. Jean was crying big tears, as was my mother, and Chase’s.
Ben handed her over to me after kissing her cheek. He placed her hand in mine. “Take care of them.”
“Always,” I promised, taking her hand. She gave her bouquet to Teagan, and Dylan stood between us as we said our vows through tears and emotion, nearly choking us.
The rings were simple, but to me were the most precious things on earth. I reached up to wipe her tears away when the minister said I could kiss my bride. Our lips met and clung together, for first one, then another, lingering kiss.
“You look perfect. Breathtaking.” My fingers traced Missy’s high cheekbones and then the line of her jaw. I wanted to worship this woman until my dying day.
“I love you, Jensen. Forever,” she said, still crying.
My world was made. I had everything any man could ever want.
The recessional music began, then Missy reached over to retrieve her bouquet from Teagan, and Teagan winked at her.
“Now?” Missy asked, her eyes sparkling with happiness.
Teagan nodded with a happy and gracious smile. “Yes! It’s tradition, apparently.”
“What?” I asked curiously, lifting my bride’s hand to kiss the top of it. “What’s tradition?”
“I’m going to have a baby, Jensen.”
My mouth fell open as I looked from Missy’s smiling face out at Teagan’s equally exuberant one, then back again. “What?”
Missy nodded. “It’s true.”
I faced the rest of those in attendance, stunned but exhilarated. Missy’s mom was crying, and mine had both of her hands over her heart. “We’re gonna have a baby!” I shouted amid a burst of exclamations from our family and friends.
I couldn’t believe it, but in that very moment, I knew that I was the happiest man on earth. I lifted Missy into my arms and twirled her around.
; When I sent her down to begin walking up the aisle, I put a hand at the back of my new wife’s waist. Remi and Dylan were just in front of us, walking together, holding hands, and having their own conversation.
“Maybe I’m gonna have a brother, now, too!” Dylan exclaimed.
“Yeah, I guess mine’s not so bad,” Remi agreed. “Except’n when he pukes.” She made a face and stuck out her tongue.
“That’s gross!” Dylan agreed. “Since Jensey is my dad now, will I be your brother, too?” he asked. His face took on a pout as they stopped in front of us, completely oblivious that their pause made us all stop or that everyone in our small group was listening to their words with rapt attention.
Remi turned and put her hands on her hips. She faced Dylan, a small frown gracing her face as she her shook her head so hard that her beautiful curls swooshed back and forth across her little back.
“Are you crazy? I’m your damsel, silly.”
The End
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