Page 40 of Flawless Aria

“I do, I really do, Mrs. Mathews.”

Wiping my tears, she says, “It’s Trish. Call me Trish.” I nod because I’m too emotional to speak. And sad that my mom and dad haven’t yet said a word.

Jim walks over for a group hug and that’s when my dad clears his throat.

“I just need to ask one question before I put in my two cents.”

“What’s that, D-Daddy?”

“Can I still walk with you even if there’s no damn aisle?” I’m laughing and sobbing when I leave Jax to give my dad the biggest hug, ever.

“Absolutely. We’ll figure something out as soon as we pinpoint the venue.”

“It’s settled then. The kids will have their wedding, where they want, when they want.”

Well, that’s three out of four votes, but my mom still hasn’t said a thing. It’s def not unanimous.

“Mom, we’re waiting for an answer.” I’m shocked when Jax squats down in front of my mom and grabs her hand.

“Mrs. Mitchell, I swear this was all Aria’s idea. Not mine. I can see why you’re hesitant, because you probably thought I put her up to it. I really didn’t. It’s what she wants, and when she ran it by me, I agreed it was as quirky as us. Isn’t a wedding supposed to be about the couple getting married? I don’t need to wear a tux, and Aria doesn’t want a big poofy white wedding dress that she’ll never wear again. We’re just two people who are madly in love and want to share their special day with their families and friends.”

Damn, I can’t stop crying. I’m the luckiest woman in the world to have a fiancé who understands me. Who loves me enough and will go to bat for me when I need him the most. It’s true, it was my idea, and he’s gracious enough to let me have it. It’s going to be the most beautiful nontraditional wedding that ever was. You just wait and see.

“Aria, is Jax telling me the truth? Remember, I’ve always known when you were fibbing. Is this really what you want?”

“Yes, Mom. It’s what we both want.” She scrutinizes my every move, my every word, and then I watch her deflate right before my eyes. She’s disappointed, I understand. Dress-shopping for a mother and daughter is very special and I’m depriving her of that right. I’ll need to come up with something that the two of us can do to compensate.

“If I disagree, I’m going to be the bad guy. Right, Jax?” She chuckles because in his band, Rebel Riot, it’s always majority rules.

“You won’t be the bad guy, Mrs. Mitchell. But you’d make us the happiest couple in the world if the vote was unanimous. We’d also like your blessing.” Oh, he can shmooze when he wants to, that fiancée of mine.

“Fine. I agree. But I’m warning you both here and now. Trish and I will be in charge of the wedding reception as soon as we learn about the venue. Deal?” I want to scream with joy but there’s one thing missing.

“Mom. Do we have your blessing?” I hold my breath, and I swear Jax does the same.

“Yes, you crazy nontraditional children. You have my blessing. Looks like the vote is unanimous.”

24

JAXON

A few weekshave passed since we broke the news to our parents, and I’ve been full-speed ahead ever since. I’m at my wits’ end trying to make this happen, but so far, no luck. Had I known there was going to be so much red tape involved, I would have nixed the idea from the get-go. It’s frustrating and disappointing to say the least. No way I want to tuck and run with my tail between my legs and admit defeat. So I keep plugging away during my spare time, which is slim to none.

Never fear, I won’t give up until I call the last venue and I get a thumbs down. Until then, there are still a few weeks to pull it off. If it’s on, Aria will be busy on this end fine-tuning the details. While I’m going to work every night from nine to whenever. With a Rebel Riot’s live performances, you get more bang for your buck. Hey, please don’t blame me for all these quirky phrases. Blame my parents and grandparents for the never-ending repetitiveness of things like ‘kicking the bucket’, ‘bite the bullet’, ‘spill the beans’, and so on. Something was bound to rub off on me.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. We released the single,Riot of the Rebels, a few weeks back and we’ve been posting little teasers of the video ever since. Fans are going fucking nuts. It’s great PR for the upcoming release of the album next week. Tonight, we’re all going over to Zander’s to watch the worldwide release of the video at nine. We’re all psyched since it came out so great. We can’t wait to see what our fans think. Fingers crossed they love it just as much as we do. We’ll def be checking out all comments on social media tonight and responding to as many of them as we can.

I guess I need to start jotting things down, so I don’t forget to fill you in on the important shit that’s been happening. My bad.

I’m currently heading out for my interview with Gracie from the magazine,Metalize. Not a big fan of interviews, but Caleb insists on doing them with the release of a new album. Zander and Ace had theirs already, so it’s me and Micah on the hot seat today. I have the morning, and he has the afternoon. Lucky son of a bitch. Bet he slipped them a few so he could get the last one since he has a little one at home that keeps him up all hours of the night. I know he wouldn’t trade it for all the money in the world. Proud of my friends for juggling their personal and work life with flair and pizazz.

Driving to my appointment isn’t difficult at all. Glad she decided to meet me at a coffee shop since the drive downtown would have been horrendous at this time of day. Love the laid-back vibe. And the fact that I can drink copious amounts of coffee while she interviews me. It’s a win.

I’m hesitant when I pull into the parking lot. Tons of cars and no baseball cap. Damn. Opening the glove box, I yank out my aviator glasses and a wrinkled beanie. Not my first choice since it’s June and I might be hot as fuck wearing it, but it’s all I have. Throwing on my disguise, I saunter into the shop, hoping my day-old stubble will add to the mystery.

No need to wait for a hostess, so I head over to the corner booth where Gracie’s waiting. She recognizes me instantly, but no one else pays me any mind.

“Jax, so glad you could make it here today.” After I slide in across from her, she holds out her hand. It gets lost in mine when we shake. Formal, but since we don’t know each other, a hug is out of the question.

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