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I was not my father and I had to remember that. Getting married wasn’t suddenly going to change me. I wasn’t going to become a violent drunk out of nowhere. This was my life, and I had complete control over it and the type of man that I was. I couldn’t let fear control me. I couldn’t let fear have me missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime. I was madly in love with Maya, and I wanted nothing more than for her to be my wife for real and nothing was going to stop me.
“Good for you. Fucking finally. I’ve been telling you for years to let it all go and just focus on being yourself and not who your father used to be. At the same time though, really happy you didn’t marry Elizabeth. That would have been a fucking nightmare,” he commented as he took a drink from his beer.
“No shit. Sometimes when the phone rings, I wonder if it’s her. Just for a second,” I admitted.
“You really want that piece of work back in your life?”
Lucas was not a fan of Elizabeth. He had never been a fan of hers from the jump really. It only got worse over the years and especially everything Elizabeth put me through. When she left me and Zoey, he was beyond pissed, but also relieved that it might finally be over. I don’t think either of us were expecting for her to never come back, to never contact me again. At times I thought it was good that she was gone, but at the same time I hated that Zoey had to lose her biological mother.
“No, but as Zoey gets older I can’t help but wonder how she is going to feel about it. All the kids at school who get picked up by their mom or the moms help out at the school for fundraisers. I never want her to feel left out or resent me for not trying harder to keep her around.”
“You don’t ever have to worry about that shit. Zoey loves you, and I can’t see her resenting you for Elizabeth’s choices. She might hate her one day, but that is her right. I don’t think she will feel left out. You have always been very active in her school, plus now Maya is there and from what I have seen, they are great together. Zoey knows you love her, and she isn’t going to hate you for the bitch’s actions.”
“I hope that is true. Regardless, I haven’t heard from Elizabeth since she left. I doubt she even knows where we are. I guess that is a problem for another day when Zoey is eighteen and decides if she wants to find her.”
“And that will be her right. But for tonight, we are celebrating your last night of freedom, like gentlemen,” Lucas said as he picked up his beer and continued. “To your future, and I hope you find nothing but happiness with your new love and your new family.”
“I’ll drink to that,” I said with a smile as I picked up my beer and we clicked our bottles together. By this time tomorrow night, it would be my wedding night, and I was going to enjoy spending it with my new wife.
Maya
Myhandsrandownthe front of my breathtaking wedding gown. It felt so surreal to be wearing it, and I knew it was going to take me a bit of time to get used to the feel of the fabric against my skin. I wasn’t one for dresses but there had just been something about this dress when I put it on for the first time roughly two months ago.
“You look stunning,” Hellen said with tears in her eyes.
Today was the big day. Today I was getting married for real, and I felt like there were thousands of butterflies fluttering throughout my stomach. Hell, my body. I knew the wedding day was coming. We wanted it to be quick so we could enjoy being married before the baby came. But now that the day was here, it felt like a dream. Like I was going to wake up any minute now, and I will be back in my car starving and trapped in a nightmare. I never would have thought agreeing to a fake marriage would land me here, but I didn’t regret a single moment of it. As far as the world will know, we were already married. We wouldn’t be able to file a new marriage license, but that was ok. I was happy to just be getting married to him, even if it wasn’t technically legal. Being married to Charlie was so much more than that.
“This is actually the dress that I picked for our fake wedding photoshoot,” I admitted.
“Really?” Hellen asked, surprised.
I knew technically I shouldn’t be wearing this dress. Not only was it used for our fake marriage, but Charlie had already seen it. However, the moment I put this dress on the first time I felt like it was made for me. I had looked at others since getting engaged, but none of them left me feeling the same way.
“When I put this dress on the first time, it felt magical. None of the other dresses ever felt like this. Do you think he’ll mind?” I was a bit worried about Charlie being disappointed that it was the same dress, but he seemed to really like it the first time.
“Oh Honey, he is not going to care. You are absolutely stunning in it, and if it has you feeling like a million bucks, then it’s the perfect dress.”
I was really loving how supportive she was. She had been a huge help in getting this wedding put together. She was all for it and helped us to get an archway set up for Charlie and me to stand under. She was here last night for a little while during Zoey and mine’s sleepover. We all did our nails and ate a bunch of junk food before she headed back to her hotel for the night. It felt like we were bonding and becoming a real family. I knew we had a lot to still work through, but it was so great to have her in my life now.
There was a knock at the door, and Zoey walked in. She was wearing her own white dress and she looked like a miniature bride. She was perfect.
“Everyone is here and ready,” she said with a massive smile.
“Okay, looks like it’s show time. You have my phone for Holly?” I asked Hellen.
“I do. I will call her up and head out to my seat.” Hellen went over and pressed a kiss to my cheek as she continued, “I’m proud of you, and I am so happy for you.”
She moved back and headed out of the room to get into one of the few seats that we had set up. It was really only me, Charlie, Hellen, Zoey, Lucas, and Ms. Wilson, but it was perfect. They were the people that cared about us, and that is what made it perfect.
“You ready?” I asked Zoey. I was starting to get nervous now, but they were good nerves.
“Yup. You?” Her pure confidence was refreshing to see, and it did help to ease my nerves a bit.
“Absolutely. Should we head down?”
She excitedly nodded her head, and I knew it was time to go. She grabbed her basket with her red rose petals. We both headed out of the bedroom and made our way down the stairs. My whole body was tingling. I couldn’t believe I was doing this. Letting out a long and deep breath I stood by the back door and heard the music begin to play. I saw Zoey’s shoulders square as she stood up straight and began to make her entrance. She was so beautiful, and I knew this was going to be a moment we all cherished forever. She made her way down the short aisle all the way to Charlie. Once there, she moved off to the side where Ms. Wilson was sitting.
Everyone turned to face the back door and they waited for me to make my grand entrance. All I could think about was not tripping in my heels. I was never very good at them. Mimicking Zoey, I straightened my posture and began to make my way outside. The second Charlie could see me his eyes lit up, and I knew he recognized this dress. I saw no disappointment, only desire and love within his eyes. I knew I had made the right choice in still going with this dress and the very last of my fears washed away.
