Chapter 53: Thirty Seven

7:03 PM It's been seventeen Sundays since I found home. It's been seventeen Sundays since I have become complete. Whole. It's been seventeen Sundays since I felt alive. Seventeen Sundays since my heart, my favorite day of the week returned to me. Gifted by fate, the universe, or by a magic freakin' cupcake-maybe all three. Absurd. All of it. Madeline looks down disdainfully at the bouquet of lilies and gerber daisies clutched in her hands and sneezes for the hundredth time today. She sounds like a tiny chipmunk. "Kind of an important detail, Madeline," I say. "You should have told me you had allergies." "I forgob," she says, wiping the corner of her red nose with Kleenex. "I sent X for bendryl." As if his ears are burning, X comes into the hotel room just as Madeline speaks his name. He looks dashing in a Tuxedo with a silver cumber bun, and silver bow tie. The color is a perfect match to my not-so-traditional wedding dress. Silver. Not white. Xavier freezes and gapes. "Oh my God. Mouse, you look," he stops trying to choose his words, "You're beautiful." I feel heat rush to my cheeks and look down at the skirts of the most beautiful wedding gown I've ever seen. I feel like a princess. Who am I kidding? I am a princess, living in a real life fairytale. "Thank you." Madeline smiles before holding out her hand expectantly. "That took a whilb," she says, before another sneeze escapes. Xavier hands her the brown paper bag from the drugstore. "Sorry baby, do you have any idea how many times I got razzed by the basketball team that I was a MoHo? Christ I didn't even know Maid of Honour had an acronym until now." His eyes dart back to me. "I'm never going to live this down, Lo, like-ever. Hope you can appreciate that." I laugh. "Who else would be my MoHo, X? Let's be real, shall we?" "You could have asked Maddy." He grins and slips an arm around her shoulder. "She is the one who made the cupcake that brought your boy back." Madeline is only half listening while she fumbles with the lid to the medicine. X absentmindedly takes it from her. "Don't hurt yourself sweetheart." "HabHab," she says. I think she means 'ha ha,' but can't be certain. She sneezes a third, fourth, and fifth time, all in rapid-fire succession. "Jeez Madeline, are you gonna make it?" She is a pathetic vision right now. With red, puffy eyes and a running nose. Poor girl. "I'll surbibe." "That's Maddy speak for I'll survive," X supplies, as if I'm too dumb to know. In the last three -months, Xavier has found in Madeline the things he though he wanted with me. The two make an odd, albeit perfect couple. Madeline keeps him in check and in turn, he makes her swoon like a preteen girl at a pop concert. It's disgusting and adorable all at the same time. I love it. Madeline sniffles again. "Xavier is ribe," she says. "You're gorgeob. Jackson is a lucky, lucky mab." "Jackson is a lucky lucky mab," Jackson's voice cuts in. I squeal, yelp and try in vain to hide myself with my bare arms, but it's a ballroom gown so it's no easy task. I move Xavier's body in front of mine like a shield. "Jackson," I chide. "You aren't supposed to see me before the wedding! It's bad luck." In true Jackson fashion, he completely ignores me and steps into the room. "Angel, don't you think we've had our share of bad luck? I don't think anymore is coming. Today begins our happily ever after." He looks at Xavier and Madeline, delivering an undeniably cheeky grin. "Vacate the room please, I need a minute with my sexy bride." Butterflies dance around in my belly that is corseted to the point where I can hardly breathe. In fact, it's so tight, those butterflies should have expired from constriction. Bride. I am just minutes away from becoming Jackson's wife. Forever. Xavier nods and holds his arm out to Madeline who happily takes it. As they leave the room, Madeline tosses a glance over her shoulder. "Don't mess her hair or make-up Jax." He doesn't take his eyes off of me. "I'm just going to ravish her. It will be fine. Promise." I giggle. When the door clicks shut, I smooth my hands over the skirt of the dress. "Do you like it?" His small smile stretches into a massive grin. "Do I like it? You look like you've fallen from Heaven for me Angel. Like a gift from God himself. I must have been a very good boy," he adds. I smile and kind of freak out. "I'm going to be your wife! Mrs. Jackson Sunday." "That's so hot when you say it. It's fucking crazy, right? Say it again." "I'm going to be your wife!" "The other part." "Mrs. Jackson Sunday." He stalks forward and snakes his arms around my waist, pulling me close to him. "Once more. I love it. I'll never get sick of hearing it. Say it again." "Mrs. Jackson Sunday." He puts his mouth on mine, and I know he is going to smudge my lipstick so I dodge him. "My makeup," I say. "You'll ruin it." He kisses me anyway, like I knew he would. "Good, I like you without the war paint." I pull a compact from the inside of my bra and flip it open to check if he damaged my look. He hasn't. "What are you doing here, breaking the rules?" He shrugs. "Rules are meant to be broken. Fate is meant to be challenged. If it weren't we wouldn't have gone through hell to be together. I had to see you before we say I do in front of family, friends and God. I needed one more moment where only the two of us exist. Is that too much to ask?" No. Not at all. I shake my head. "I have a gift for you," he says. I look down, ashamed that I hadn't thought to get him a gift. Jackson lifts my chin. "No," he says, as if he knows what I'm thinking. "You're my gift, Lola." "You're mine too," I say. "Literally." "I know," he grins. "Although if we're being all technical, I'm now Xavier's gift." I giggle. Cause it's partly true. Xavier wished on the cupcake for Jackson to return. I was plain out of wishes at that point. "Xavier is good with sharing- he just hit some speed bumps along the way." "Thank God for that," Jackson says. He releases my chin and reaches into the pocket of his tux. It's a small, silver, locket style necklace. "Something new," he says. He opens the locket to reveal the small white face of a clock. "So you never forget how important time is." I lift the curls that are falling down my back and turn so he can place it around my neck. "So I never forget how important we are," I say. "I'll never take a second for granted." "I know you won't." He secures the clasp and I feel his lips on the back of my neck. I shiver. I turn again, back to face him. "You look so handsome," I say. Jackson smiles. "Every single guest at our wedding is gonna wonder what a girl like you is doing with a guy like me." "No, every guest is going to wonder how I scored such a deadly hot guy." "You can tell them you wished for me on a cupcake and it came true." I laugh. "Right. And get locked up in the mental institution on our wedding night? Stellar idea." Jax arches his eyebrows. "Mmmmm, think of all the ways I could restrain you," he says. "Might be fun." "You're crazy," I tell him. "Really sweet, incredibly cute, but batshit crazy nonetheless." "Crazy for you, Angel." "I'm crazy for you, too." "Prove it," Jackson says, holding out his arm. "Let's get hitched. Right now." I laugh and slip my fingers through his. "Deal." I hold hands with my past, and share my heart with my present, as together, we walk toward the future.