Chapter 40: The simple wedding

Brielle POV

I wondered how he was able to fall asleep some twenty-five minutes after I had just given him probably the best ride of his life. I could not sleep. I had several things running through my mind.

I wanted to pick up the phone and confront Enrique! Hermione, I could understand, might have just been a pretender, but Enrique was supposed to be Jace's brother and my friend, for goodness sake! Should there not be a sibling code or something that should have prevented all these from happening? I felt like I should ask Ona.

Time passed, and I remained awake, lost to how much time had gone by. I imagined what my wedding would be like tomorrow.

Earlier, I had asked Jace what kind of wedding we would be having, and he told me it would be a common-law marriage. I thought of calling my mom to inform her of the wedding and wondered what she would have to say. She barely had any idea that I was in a severe relationship; yeah, me neither.

"Hello, mom! Did I wake you?" I said the moment the line connected.

"Yeah, Brielle," she replied sleepily.

"I'm sorry about that, mom."

"Okay, it's fine," she said, with her voice becoming clearer. "Hey, it's late; why aren't you sleeping?"

"Sleep has eluded me tonight because I'm so happy, mom," I said, looking at Jace as he tossed.

"Well, why are you?" mother said.

I could feel anxiety dancing in me as I responded, "Oh yes, let me go straight to the point. Mom, I'm getting married tomorrow, and I would like for you to come over for the wedding."

She was silent for a while, and then she said, "Wow, Brielle, I'm so happy for you. Of course, I'll be there for you, baby."

"Thank you, mom."

"Sure, goodnight, princess!"

"Night."

After speaking with my mother, I painted pictures of our wedding without Jace's family. Sad, but to be honest, I wished they were there. This us against the world did not sit right with me.

My mother must have had torrents of questions to ask but knowing her, she would keep them till we saw.  I wondered if Jace wanted any of his friends to show up for the wedding. For me, Hera and Ona were the only friends I was going to invite.

"Brielle," I heard Jace calling my name from a deep sleep. "Wake your ass up, you sleepyhead!"

Impossible! I had just fallen asleep minutes ago. I was not ready to wake up anytime soon. I rolled over and squinted my eyes.

"I just fell asleep," I whispered, unsure. "Can I get like four hours more of sleep?"

"It's eight am... so no, you can't get four hours of sleep. I will let you sleep for an hour. It's our wedding day, remember."

Yes, I remembered, and I felt utterly excited about the day. I wanted to get dressed right away and follow Jace to the wedding venue.

About an hour later, I awoke with a start. I was the only one in the room, or so it seemed. It was dead quiet. My pulse was quickening, and I bolted right up. I went into the bathroom and saw him shaving.

"Oh good, you're awake!" he said, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes! We have only about an hour to prepare," I said. "Have you called anyone?"

"Yes, I've called Hera," he said. He called Hera, which meant Ona knew too. What about his friends? I wondered.

"What about you? Did you not invite any?" I asked him casually.

"Um, just," he said, pausing to stare at the mirror, inspecting his work. "Luca,  Damon, and Maverick are the only ones for me."

"Oh, that's nice... very well then...." I said, trailing off to the bedroom. The sight of him numbed my senses.

"I'll be out in a jiffy for you to take over," I heard him say behind me.

I fell to the bed. I still cannot believe the wedding was getting done in a hot second. There were many things you and your partner had to think about when you decided to make a life together, from where you were going to live, who would take charge of the cooking, and whether or not you were going to have kids.

But that was not all. Couples also had to decide what they would do with their finances, including how to split the bills, joint debt, and how to plan for the future. Yet, I sat in cluelessness, not even knowing what dress to wear to the court.

In less than a few more hours, we were both signing the documentation of our marriage. At least my mother was there as a witness. Jace informed his parents, but his mother was indifferent.

His father congratulated him and wished us well, although he also added—bitterly to Jace's words that he could not make it. Hermione, I heard, had left Milan. Enrique, on the other hand, had been incommunicado for a while. I wore a sexy white gown, and Jace looked formal in a blue suit.

"Congratulations to both of you," my mother said proudly to us as we stepped out of the premises. She held my hand as we matched evenly. "Your stepfather sends his congratulations," She said. I nodded at her.

"Thank you," we both said. We were going for the last-minute celebration Jace had organized to commemorate this day. That was where we were expected to see our friends who did us the honor of showing up.

Once we entered the event center, we were welcomed by old furniture and decorations, including a seventeenth-century tapestry, golden-framed mirrors, luxurious chandeliers, and brocade-covered chairs.

Hera and Ona leaped in joy the moment they saw us come in. They flew towards us and hugged me. I was immediately presented with a bouquet of roses courtesy of my bosom friends, which I sniffed, closing my eyes.

"So who's next in line to be married?" I asked both of them. They both rolled their eyes and pointed at each other.

"She is!" they jinxed, and I laughed.

"Jace," Enrique's voice boomed unexpectedly from behind us, and we both turned to see him come in.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Jace asked, sounding irritated. I made sure to hold his palm tightly and hoped he got the message.

Enrique raised his hand defensively.

"I came to show my support, brother; believe it or not, I'm happy for the both of you."

Jace's veins were protruding now, and I could see them beating in response to the anger that was rising quickly. I knew I had to step in.

"Thank you, Enrique!" I said, mocking a gleeful tone. "It means so much to us. Hera and Ona were debating on whose marriage would be next, but I understand if you wish to get married right away."

Jace chuckled at my attempted sarcasm, I guess, but it was the kind of one that was fake.

"Such brotherly love you have for me, Enrique," Jace said. "Such brotherly love. Welcome to the party."

I let out a massive sigh of relief when Jace stepped aside. Enrique crossed over and met with Ona. Thankfully, she took him to a corner. Jace's friends, Luca, Damon, and Maverick, were waiting to congratulate us.

"Ah yes, thank you, thank you!" Jace said. "Luca, you should show your solidarity by taking up the challenge of getting married next."

"Does Hera look like she wants to settle?" he asked, laughing heartily.

"Oh, come on! What choice does she have?" Jace asked, shrugging at him and winking at me.

"Not everyone..." I ended my sentence, realizing we were in the company of his friends.

"Not everyone can be like you, Jace," I continued the earlier sentence in my mind. "You are lucky that I even considered this impromptu marriage fool."

"What was that?" Luca asked.

"Oh nothing," I said, laughing.

"Alright then," he said.

Yes, we ate and drank and made silly jokes. I felt warm but not due to the joy we were sharing but because I wanted to head straight home and get myself fucked. The slut in me was protesting and urging me to whisper to Jace that we should leave, but I forced myself to remain. Just a few more moments!

We were about to bring to an end the celebration. Throughout the event, Jace and Enrique did not say a word to each other. It was as if Enrique and Ona were in a different place from the rest of us.

Enrique was having a good time nonetheless because Ona knew how to treat him right and all. My mother stayed for a while and left afterward. I did not blame her for leaving. If Jace's parents were around, maybe they would have formed a table or something.

We were outside, and everyone was walking off to their various rides. Suddenly as we got closer to the car, I spun back around as if I had the power to sense a presence. My gaze instantaneously collided with that of Javier's. He was walking down to us, and Jace groaned.

"Hey, Brielle, or should I say Mrs. De'Leon?" Javier said, smiling softly. "Congratulations, Brielle, and um, you too, Jace."

"Um, thanks," I said nervously. Why did it feel like I had broken something in Javier? Perhaps it was not just his heart I broke but his spirit too. I felt pity for him. Also, I had a feeling that the congratulation was not heartfelt.

"You both don't mind if I take you pictures, right?" he said, holding up the camera that he wore like a medal about his neck.

Jace made sure to hold me tightly as if he wanted to claim possession of me all over again. For crying out loud, we were married! Javier took several shots of us and smiled. Why? Gosh, I felt, I don't know, I felt nothing. It was his fucking camera, and I was too happy now to let guilt ruin anything.

"Nice, I'll send you copies!" Javier chimed, and I smiled.

"Hey, thank you for showing up," Jace said. "You've improved greatly compared to the last time I knew you."

I was shocked that Jace acknowledged Javier, and I saw Javier smile genuinely for the first time.

"Thank you, Jace," he replied. "Brielle, take extra good care of yourself."

'Hmm, I will!'I thought. 'Bye Javier, I will always love you as a friend... You're a good person, and I hope you find someone soon.'

—

"Jace! You know you can't continue being angry with your family forever, right?" I said as we were in transit to his house. Were we going to his house, right? Where else?

He drummed his thumb fingers on the steering wheel and replied, "I know, Brielle. However, it will take time to recover from all this pain."

True! It would.

"Yeah, I know, and I'm ready to stick it out with you till the end. So we are going to your house, right?"

He laughed and said, "Our honeymoon kicks right now! We are going to fly! Sex on the jet, remember?"

"No way!" I said, gasping.

"Yes, way, Brielle!" he smirked.

I tried to compose myself in the seat, but damn my thoughts were spiraling out of control. Sex while we were airborne. However, the part that worried me the most was that he would be the one dominating this time. I quickly realized that a flight out of Milan required a flight back into Milan.

"Why are you smirking?" Jace asked me, looking at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Nothing, just keep driving." I blushed.

"You sure?" he asked.

"Drive! Speed it up!" I said absolutely.

"Hmm, someone's in a rush."

"Yes, my pussy is throbbing!" I regretted admitting it because he slowed down.

"Ah, yes, um, I do realize we've been doing everything so speedily these days, so I think we need to slow it down a bit."

"Fuck you!" I said, gulping.

"You'll pay for saying that."

The beautiful sunset took over the landscapes in Milan. There was nothing that could be compared to it.