by Claire Adams
“So in summary,” Nick said, looking at a legal pad. “You are getting married in New York in three weeks, you are taking your finals next week, and you start your new position at work after the wedding. And you’re moving out tomorrow?”
“Nick, have you been taking notes?” I burst out laughing. It was classic Nick.
He flashed me a confused look. “Shouldn’t I have been? As your – wait, what will I be doing in your wedding? Stacey is maid of honor. I can’t exactly be a bridesmaid. Wait, Aria, I am in your wedding, right?” He looked horrified by the possibility that he might not be.
“You are the brides-dude-of-honor. I made up that title for you. You will be standing next to my bridesmaids with honor, but you don’t have to put on a dress; a suit will do.” I smirked.
“Awesome, then as your brides-dude-of-honor, I have to make sure we document everything so there is no lag in any part of your wedding. And I also volunteer to be the errands guy. I love running errands,” he said with a straight face, making Stacey and I burst into a fresh set of giggles.
“Pizza’s here,” I said when the doorbell rang.
It was as perfect as the last night with my two favorite people in the world could ever be.
Chapter Six
Zayden
I walked into the living room to find Aria fiddling with her boxes. A strange sense of accomplishment filled me as I watched her unpack in her new home. My home. Our home. The thought of all the wonderful memories we were going to make here for the rest of our lives filled me with profound happiness. I couldn’t believe all of this was happening, that Aria was here, now and real, and willing to be mine.
Slowly, I walked towards her, which must have startled her because she jumped. She broke into the most wonderful smile. “Hi, there,” she said. “I was starting to think I would never see you. Which is odd, considering it was your idea that I move in here right away.”
“Sorry, I was taking care of some business. I came here as fast as I could, though. The thought of you unpacking all alone at home was not making me happy,” I said, and sat down on the couch. “Come here,” I told her and welcomed her into my arms.
As she walked towards me, I tried to take a mental picture of the scene so I could keep this perfect moment savored in my memory forever.
She sat next to me and put her head on my chest, looking tired but content.
“How was your last evening with your friends?” I asked gently. “Were they upset? Are you?”
“It was bittersweet,” she said without removing her head from my chest to look at me. “We were happy together. And drunk at some point. They sent you a little present. It’s over on the kitchen counter. How do you feel about chocolate chip cookies?”
“I don’t feel strongly about them.” I shrugged.
“Well, that is about to change, then. Stacey makes the best chocolate chip cookies in the world. And she sent you an enormous batch to thank you for everything.”
“I take it you told her about my plans with Fiona for their wedding?” I said amusedly.
“Was I not supposed to?” She looked up at me. “I’m sorry.”
“No, no, no! Don’t apologize. I am glad you told them. I was merely amused that you guys seem to have a system of sharing news as fast as possible. Which is why I am quite surprised your friend Stacey didn’t tell you about the ring.”
She giggled. “We know to keep it tight when it really matters. They were so thrilled, Zayden. Stacey couldn’t stop crying. She can’t believe you’re real sometimes.”
“Is that so? If I weren’t real,” I said and moved my hand across her body to slide a few fingers underneath her panties, making her shudder. “How come I just made you do that?”
Aria moved away. “As much as I would like that train of thought to continue,” she said and grinned. “I have a lot of unpacking to do, so no room for distractions.”
“That game, huh? Whatever, I have some important matters to discuss with you anyway.”
“Is everything alright?” She looked immediately alarmed and for some unknown reason, it made her appear more adorable. She was such an insanely genuine person.
“Yes, everything is alright. Pretty fucking perfect, actually. I just wanted to talk to you about your mother’s hospital bills—”
“Oh right. I suppose since we are getting married, the contract is no longer valid. Don’t worry about paying for the last two months; I don’t want it to be a conflict of interest. With my new promotion, I am sure I could handle those payments myself. And since we have been paying all the other amounts on time, the hospital should allow me some extra time. I will probably incur some interest but that hardly matters in the grander scheme of things.”
“Aria,” I said with an urge to laugh. “What on earth do you think you are talking about?”
She raised her eyebrows. “My mother’s hospital bills. I am guessing that’s where you were going with bringing up that subject?”
“Quite the contrary. Have you not realized by now that I will gladly turn over my entire fortune for you? My money is your money. What I wanted to discuss,” I said, planting a kiss on her mouth, unable to help it. “Is that I paid off the rest of her bill. Since I am marrying her daughter, it’s the least I could do. She is giving me far more than I have given her. You were right on one account of course; the contract is no longer valid. You are going to be my wife now. We don’t need some stupid contract.”
“Well, I have actually been thinking about that,” Aria said softly and slowly, as though weighing her words in her mind. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, Zayden. You know I love you a lot, more than words can ever describe. If you don’t then you’re just stupid and shouldn’t be allowed to run such a huge empire.” She giggled. “I love you with all my heart and want us to be together forever. But life is strange and sometimes things happen. In the case that we ever find ourselves in a situation that is unpleasant as far as our union goes—”
“What are you trying to say, Aria?” I felt myself stiffen. I didn’t like hearing those words.
“Well, I guess what I am really trying to say is that the last thing in the world that I want is to feel like I am in some way taking advantage of you. As you know, I have nothing but some annoying amounts of debt. You have quite a lot. In the case that we were to,” she choked up trying to formulate that idea. “In the case that we ever, you know, split up for any reason, I want you to feel like your assets and everything you own are secure and yours. Which is why I think a prenuptial contract is important. To protect you.”
“Are you joking?” I stared at her closely to make sure that she was being serious.
Her words at once annoyed me greatly but also made me admire her even more. Any other woman would be thrilled that I hadn’t brought up a prenup or tried to convince me to ignore it if I had brought it up. Aria would be the only person to care so much about protecting me because she didn’t want me for my money. She wanted me for me.
The part that annoyed me was that she thought that such an arrangement would even be necessary. That was absolutely preposterous. I saw no situation in any part of our future where divorce would ever even cross my mind, and I highly doubted that she did too. So she must think somehow that I might change my mind about how much I loved her down the line…she simply did not get that what I felt for her was beyond everyday romance, beyond my concern for my own life…
“I am not joking, Zayden. I want you to feel secure. It is important to me that you know that I am marrying you for the right reasons. I appreciate the promotion I got at work, and it will certainly help me grow into my own going forward. As such, even though we are nullifying our contract, I am going to pay you back for the money you paid towards my mother’s hospital bills, just like we had planned. I want us to be equals in this relationship, I couldn’t stress that more. In fact, down the line I expect to pay for half the costs we incur during this wedding. I know you don’t need the money, but it’s really a matter of princ
iple at the end of the day. Do you understand what I am getting at?”
“I do,” I said and pulled her back towards me. “I know exactly what you are getting at and this is precisely why I am in love with you. We are getting married, which means there is really no distinction between my money and your money, my home and your home. Everything is ours from now on, together. That is what family is all about. We will be sharing our lives with each other, every bit of it. But okay, if it makes you feel better you can slowly pay me back for whatever you wish, so you feel like we are equals. If the scales are tipped at all, they are in that you are cleverer and far more intelligent than I will ever be, so you have the upper hand, in a sense.”
She giggled and let out an adorable little snort. “You guys must all stop this ridiculous praise of my intelligence. It’s starting to get way too funny. I am 20 years old and I don’t even have an undergraduate degree yet.”
“Exactly my point,” I said cheerfully. “But anyways, moving on. You can go over checks and balances and ‘pay back’ whatever you think you need to. We have a whole lifetime for you to do this, as it happens. I am firmly intent upon this, so if you put up further arguments, we will just be wasting precious time that could be spent fucking. I will not ever agree to a prenup. The whole idea behind it suggests that there is even the slightest bit of possibility that you and I might not be together forever. I would rather die the most painful death than allow myself to even entertain such an idea. I have been married before and it was a complete disaster, as you know very well. Given that I had made up my mind that nothing would convince me to partake in a union again. Then you came along. Believe me when I say this, Aria, I would never have proposed to you if I had even for a second thought that there was a possibility that we wouldn’t last forever.”
She hugged me tighter, kissing my chest. “How did you get to become such a sweet and loving person? God I am so lucky.”
I shrugged. “It’s the effect you have on me. Most people – my own mother included – would laugh at the idea that someone used those words to describe me.”
“Well your mother sounds kind of awful anyway,” she said.
“Yeah, you will have the opportunity to experience it firsthand soon enough. Apparently it is the norm to invite your parents to your wedding, or something.” I rolled my eyes.
She laughed. “I am sure she isn’t so terrible. She did give birth to the most amazing man in the world, after all.”
“You are too sweet,” I said, and kissed her forehead. “But seriously, my mother can be a nightmare, so if I were you I would be careful. She is going to try and make you feel as though you aren’t good enough for me. She obviously won’t have any idea what the fuck she is talking about, so if I were you I would ignore everything she says.”
“I’m sure I could get her to like me,” she said confidently.
“You know what?” I thought about that for a second. “You actually might just accomplish that, Aria. It is rather difficult not to fall in love with you, as I speak from very personal experience.”
The doorbell rang. “Were we expecting company?” Aria asked.
“Oh yeah, that’s kind of a surprise. I’ll be right back,” I said and walked to the door to welcome Fiona Davis.
“Sorry our house is a bit of a mess, my fiancée just moved in today and we are still figuring out where to put everything.”
“No worries at all, Zayden,” Fiona said, kissing me on the cheek. “Now, where is the lovely bride?”
“Right in the living room, come on in.”
I escorted her to where Aria was, who looked rather alarmed at the sight of a beautiful blonde woman standing in front of her.
“Your sister. Please tell me she is your sister,” Aria said with her eyebrows raised. “I mean hello, sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude.”
Fiona giggled as I looked at them in amusement. “Oh darling, aren’t you absolutely adorable?” She looked at Zayden. “Wow, well done Sinclair. I can’t wait to work with her.”
“What is going on?” Aria asked suspiciously and then her face lit up in realization. “You’re Fiona.”
She got up nervously and then sat back down, apparently unsure how to react to a celebrity wedding planner standing in her living room.
“That is what they call me.” Fiona giggled. “But you can call me anything you like. From this moment on, I’m here to do your bidding.”
“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.” Aria was hyperventilating and it was entertaining to watch. I felt a sense of pride at being able to do this for her. “Is it okay if – can I – may I call my best friend and maid of honor to come here? It will make her day. I can’t believe this.”
“Of course, dear,” Fiona said, pulling out a binder from her pocketbook. “I hear I will be assisting this lady’s wedding too later in the year. So it only seems logical that we spend as much time together as possible.”
“You haven’t changed one bit since college.” I rolled my eyes. The woman was so good at her job and so enthusiastic about everything to do with it.
“You guys went to college together?” Aria gasped. “What other celebrities did you go to college with?”
“A couple here and there. Now, let’s get down to business. We have a rather extravagant wedding to plan here.”
“First things first,” Fiona said, pursuing her binder. “Do you have a theme in mind, Aria? It’s a specialty of The Plaza; they can transform the venue to look like your wildest imagination.”
“A Hogwarts-themed wedding would be rather nice,” Aria said after pondering for a few moments. “But I suppose that isn’t the most romantic. Hmm…”
Fiona, who was giving Aria a very understanding look, gleamed with pleasure. “You know, you would be surprised. I have actually planned two Hogwarts-themed weddings so far, and the clients were extremely satisfied. Technology is so advanced these days we were able to make the venue appear enchanted.”
“I don’t actually want a Hogwarts-themed wedding.” Aria giggled. “Although I sure did when I was 14. I suspect I might have grown out of it somewhat.”
“Thank God.” Fiona sighed in relief. “I have to admit, I always found the concept rather amateurish. But if you’re into books and reading, I am sure we can find something you would relate to.”
“How about a regular wedding, but since you said you can make venues seem enchanted, we have a bit of an enchanted forest thing going on with the décor? I don’t want to say princess-themed, because that also sounds rather amateur. It would be nice to have the look of a fairytale, decoration-wise though.”
“That is actually a very good idea,” Fiona said, unclipping some papers from her binders. “Here are some pictures of similar things I have done, we can pick one of those or we can create a whole new concept from scratch. Now we don’t have a whole lot of time, so I hope you can take some time off work. Since we have a lot to do and the venue is in New York, it’s not going to be very easy to coordinate if you’re working all the time.”
“She has the next three weeks off,” I said cheerfully. “I am her boss and I say so. No, Aria,” I said when she looked like she was about to protest. “You can make up the days later if you must, I don’t really care either way, but knowing you, you would probably want that. But for now, just focus on making this thing as perfect as you can.”
Aria opened her mouth and closed it again. “Okay, I guess so.”
“I have some bakers from Elegant Bakery flying in from New York tomorrow,” Fiona said, still not taking her eyes off her binder. “So get ready for a tasting.”
“Actually,” Aria said, looking almost apologetic. “I was thinking…my best friend – the maid of honor – is the best confectioner I know and she really wants to…I mean, if it’s okay with you.” She looked at Fiona nervously, who let out another giggle.
“She is too cute,” Fiona said. “What do you mean if it’s okay with me? This is your wedding. Everything happens as you desire. I will cancel the me
eting with the bakers. Tell the maid of honor she can design your cake. A personal touch. I rather like it.” Fiona smiled.
“We can tell her together in a bit. She is on her way here.” Aria smiled nervously. “Sorry, I just texted her, I couldn’t resist.”
“Okay, you guys plan this out. I have a meeting in an hour that I need to be in the office for. Don’t worry about unpacking, Aria, I’ll get someone to do it for you later,” I said. I walked over to her and kissed her on the cheek. “Are you happy?” I couldn’t help but ask.
“I couldn’t be happier,” she said radiantly.
“I love you,” I said and kissed her. “Now, work on planning the wedding of your dreams.”
Chapter Seven
Aria
It was my wedding day! It was also Christmas Day, but that happened every year. But it was my wedding day on Christmas Day! I squealed the moment I woke up in the most comfortable hotel bed I had ever slept in. After much consideration, Fiona and I had reached the conclusion that we would keep the wedding ceremony itself really small and personal. It was literally just going to be Zayden’s mom, my mom, Nick and Stacey, and we were holding off on the big party at The Plaza with the enchanted forest theme for the reception. It made more sense to me because I wanted our wedding to be personal, and the thought of a whole audience hearing my vows to Zayden made me feel uncomfortable. Very few people in the world deserved to hear that, so I had decided that was how it was going to be.
The private wedding ceremony would take place in Central Park, and The Plaza would be reserved for the reception. This was a last minute decision I made after visiting Central Park two days ago. The place took my breath away. New York in general managed to do that. You see things and places on TV and magazines and get mesmerized. Somehow, you never expect that reality would look better than your fantasies. Yet, that was New York. Everything about it was better than any camera could realistically capture. Times Square actually glowed at every step, and there were tiny flakes of glitter spread across the sidewalks. People in the most extravagant and colorful – and sometimes rather inappropriate – clothing zoomed around the place as though they were characters from a movie rather than real people. Happy tourists chattered alongside every corner, and I could see fellow first-time New York visitors have the same reaction to the extravaganza as I did and I felt a crazy sense of solidarity. I had managed to purchase almost everything sold at one of the myriads of gift shops and currently owned an “I <3 NY” shirt in every shape and size possible.