Under The Magnolia
Page 20
people from high school. We wanted to keep it small.”
“Wait. Are you all serious right now? We’re like, legit about to exchange
rings and do the thing?”
“We’re doing the damn thing, baby. We drew names to figure out who
got to be legally married to you, but you know that won’t make a damn bit
of difference to us. You’ll be our wife whether or not we have a piece of
paper that says you are.”
Just breathe. It’s not that big of a deal, right? I mean…its’ not like…shit.
Nope, I’m definitely about to cry. It’s exactly like I’ve been waiting my
whole life to lay claim to these guys, to show everyone that they’re mine.
“You okay, Mils?” Constantine leans into me, sweet peppermint from his
breath mingling with me and drawing me in. I kiss him, holding onto his
quiet strength to get me through this.
“Am…I…okay? Ummm…yeah. Yes. I think so? Sure. No, I’m great.
Better than a hedgehog with a toothbrush.”
“Is that supposed to mean something?”
I think about it. “If I say no?”
“I’ll just chalk it up to an eccentricity of yours. You’re still adorable. Still
want to marry you.”
“Constantine? Hello? Anybody home??”
“Fuck.”
“Who is that?”
Constantine gets real close again so I can see him, close enough to
breathe on. “I love you. Just hold on to that for a minute. I have to go break
up with my girlfriend.”
I’m not sure whether I should slap him or…I start laughing.
Maniacally.Logical response, right? Wedding sprung on you by your
childhood sweetheart, his uninvited girlfriend showing up…
“Are you serious right now, man? You never told her you guys weren’t
dating anymore?”
“She’s been out of town and I…yeah. Totally forgot I had a girlfriend.”
“I have some questions…”
“And I will answer all of them. Let me go stop her before she gets any
closer and ruins this. Well, ruins it anymore.”
I get a kiss on the cheek and the rush of wind from him turning tail and
running, Cam letting out an exasperated sigh.
“He has a girlfriend?” Good question to start on, Theo.
“Well, had a girlfriend. Started dating like four months ago or
something…obviously wasn’t serious.”
I can hear some yelling in the background, the distinct sound of flesh
being slapped, some more yelling, some colorful profanities aimed our way,
then eventually Constantine steps back up and grabs my hand.
“Sorry about that, baby.”
“Should I be concerned you forgot to dump your girlfriend before you
proposed to me? Or that you were technically still dating her right before
we slid a ring on your hand? Wait, are you guys all wearing rings? Because
if I’m wearing this monster you better have something to show for it, too.”
“That was really shitty of me. I’m sorry. Honestly, when we first found
out you were Theo’s roommate, I kind of forgot about a lot of stuff. You
shouldn’t be concerned. Well, not as concerned as…Jess. Yeah. Fuck. Did I
just ruin everything?
“Amelia, I swear to you, I don’t love her, don’t want her, she was…a
time filler. I don’t think you realized how empty we all were without you.”
I try to process everything. Should I be freaking out about the fact his
girlfriend just showed up to our wedding ceremony wanting to visit? Does
this tell me that maybe he’s not ready to get married? Should I be worried
that I won’t be enough for him?
“Stop every single though that just flew across your face. Get in my face,
Amelia, and read me. I told you once that if you were to let me start kissing
you, I wasn’t likely to stop. I meant that then, and I still mean that now.
That was…unfortunate, but it in no way reflects on what we have, okay?
Do you have any doubts that you’re it for me?”
“No.” Easy. Didn’t even flinch. Responding to that question was actually
a gut reaction, not something I had to think about at all.
I get my hands on Tina’s face, feeling his smile and swiping his dark hair
out of his eyes. “That’s my girl.”
“Does anyone else have any girlfriends they forgot about?”
This makes them laugh, which I’m hoping means no.
Cam gets up and starts speaking to the small crowd. “Just want to thank
you all for coming, we know this must seem really strange to probably all
of you, but if you know Amelia like we know Amelia, then you’ll know
how perfectly incredible she is, and that one man could never hold her. She
goes beyond any other woman any of us have ever met, and if you’re
unfamiliar with our story, you can read about it in the guest book my
Mother put together for us.
“All of you should know we’ve known Amelia damn near our whole life,
well, except for this stud here. Theo pulled her from a house fire and not
only saved her, but was there for her when she was too scared to let any of
us in. We owe you everything, Theo, and we’re proud to stand here next to
you and share this with you.
“We had to draw names to figure out who got their name on the official
document, so Theo, it’s on you, man. Since I’m not going to be listed as the
husband on there, I’ll be officiating, and the theme for the day is simplicity.
“Getting to this point has been…well, rough doesn’t really cover it.
Amelia Poppy, you’ve been through it. We are in awe of the woman you
are, of the ease with which you smile. You alone are the beacon we’ve all
been reaching for since we were old enough to know about the difference
between girls and boys, and the fact that we’re finally at this moment is
nothing short of a miracle.
“Theo, you ready? Amelia? You still with us?”
I wipe my eyes off, wishing like hell I could see my beautiful men spread
out in front of me, to see their faces as we all pledge ourselves to each
other. But then they take into account that I can’t see them where they
stand, Theo kneeling down so he’s as close to me as he can get with the
chair being there, his face inches away so I can look into his eyes.
I feel the small collection of people scoot closer, circling around us, some
of them reaching out a hand to place on my shoulder or smooth my hair.
Everything feels intimate, and like it’s just for us. Well, I gess that’s a stupid
thought if it’s our wedding.
I remember myself and nod, hoping Cam will know I’m answering his
question, hoping he knows that I’ve been ready for years.
“Alright. We’re going to go one at a time, I’ll let Theo repeat after me,
but I think you’ll all get the hang of it after that. Theo?”
“You ready, Amelia?” Theo kisses my palm as I put it on his cheek, eyes
locked on me. I hear Cam in the background feeding us the words and we
repeat them like good little children.
“I, Theo Adams, take you, Amelia Knight, to be my wife. To have and to
hold, from this day forward, in sickness and in health, for better or for
worse, for richer, for poorer, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.”
“I, Ame
lia Knight, take you, Theo Adams, to be my husband.” I have to
pause, clearing my voice to make sure it will keep working. I’m kind of
whispering, but he’s right in front of my face so he can hear just fine. “To
have and to hold, from this day forward, in sickness and in health, for better
or for worse, for richer, for poorer, to love and to cherish, till death do us
part.”
“What God has created, let no man destroy. Theo and Amelia, I
pronounce you to be husband and wife. Theo, kiss your bride.”
He grabs me from my chair, straightening out so I can hang on him as he
kisses me. He supports my hips and kisses the shit out of me, the realness of
everything hitting me as he whispers that he loves me. His tongue makes
me forget we have a bigger audience than normal, polite/nervous laughter
starting to pull us back.
“Okay, one down, three to go. Alex, you’re up.”
And so it goes, the three of them all repeating the same vows, but taking
the time to celebrate and seal it with a kiss after each conclusion. By the
time I’ve got four husbands, my lips are chapped and my cheeks hurt from
smiling, my eyes from happy crying, and my chair has become a useless
prop.
I love that everything is low-key, that I didn’t have to get dolled up or put
on shoes, it was perfect. As I lay in bed later that night, surrounded by all of
them, I know that I’m finally getting my happily ever after, that I don’t have
to worry about finding my place.
We’ve closed the door on the past, sold the land my father left me, and I
know that I can be the wife they want, not the one I think they need. The
magnolia tree has witnessed the start of our new life, we’ve marked it as
deep as it’s marked me.
All the darkness doesn’t matter, the struggle has made me value these
blessings I get to call my husbands more than maybe if everything had gone
in a more linear trajectory. Their hands rubbing my skin, their mouths
searing onto me, nothing else to be in our way and keep these souls apart.
The End
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Acknowledgement
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want to read more of.
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Four Bonds
One Family
Getting Back Me
First Addition
Second Glances
Three to Find
Four Trials
Territory One
Document Outline
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Amelia, age 5
Amelia, age 10
Amelia, age 13
Amelia, age 14
Amelia, age 15
Amelia, age 16
Amelia
Cameron, age 17
Amelia, age 18
Theo
Constantine
Amelia
Theo
Amelia
Alex, age 18
Amelia, age 18
Constantine, age 19
Theo
Amelia, age 20
Theo
Cameron
Alex
Amelia
Constantine
Amelia
Constantine
Alex
Cameron
Constantine
Amelia
Theo
Amelia
Alex
Amelia
Cameron
Amelia
Theo
Cameron
Amelia
Acknowledgement
Books By This Author