Page 27 of Madison
Pres: We still gonna do the whole thing later today, right? ‘Cause I ain’t about to tell Ma, Anna, Romona or my woman that all their hard work was for nothing.
Me: All that will stay the same, in fact only you and the two of us need to know about this one.
Pres: You’re lucky I was already awake with the twins and watching cartoons. Be here in twenty minutes and I’ll wake up Rory to watch the boys.
I send off a text to my girl to have her sneak out and meet me at the guys' house in twenty minutes.
My soon-to-be Mrs.: I don’t have any clothes but my pjs I have on right now!
Me: That’s fine, it’s just us baby. You trust me?
My soon-to-be Mrs.: Of course. Like you need to ask.
Me: Then just put your flip-flops on, grab your keys and head over. You’ll be back in time for most of the house to just be waking up.
My soon-to-be Mrs.: Okay I gotta pee first ‘cause your child is using my bladder as a drum, but I’m going.
I go run and throw some sweats on and grab my truck keys. I get to the house within fifteen minutes and get out of my truck. I see Madison pulling up, so I wait for her. She parks and I go around to help her out of the car. She doesn’t know it, but I’ve been car shopping and got her an SUV that’s gonna be safer and easier with our little one on her way.
As soon as my girl gets out of the car, I can’t help but lean down and kiss her. I break the kiss and take her hand in mine. I can tell she hasn’t a clue as to what’s going on. “Not that I don’t love seeing you since we are getting married today and all, but what are we doing here at my brothers at the ass crack of dawn?” I stop walking to look at her. “We’re getting married.” She looks at me like I’ve lost my shit. “Wearegetting married today, but what are we doing here?” I take her other hand in mine. “I really read what you texted and I had a thought. We’re gonna go in there and in front of Jon we’re going to say the vows we wrote to each other and marry each other. We’ll do the traditional vows today at the wedding and that can be our official wedding. This one is for just you and me, for us to say the things that we want to but that no one else really needs to hear.” Shit now I’m nervous and worried I did the wrong thing. Just when I’ve reconsidered this idea, my girl flings herself at me, wrapping her arms around me and kisses me over and over again.
Madison
How in the hell did I get so lucky? I mean, he loves me enough to marry me twice in one day. “So this idea is alright with you?” I can hear the smile in his question since I’m still hugging the crap out of him. “I love it and I would’ve never thought of it. You really are a genius.” He shakes his head at me. “Nah, I just want to do whatever I can to make you happy, love.” Gonna make me cry already today.
We get to the top of the steps and the door opens with Jon standing there in his pajamas. “It’s a good fucking thing the boys get up this early all the time, otherwise I would be considering slow methods of dismemberment for your man there sis.” I look at him and know instantly what it is. “It wasn’t your night to sleep with Jane and you’ve only had one cup of coffee.” He glares at me but doesn’t argue which means I’m right. Not one of my brothers is as mysterious as they’d like to believe. He waves us into the house. “Let’s go to my office. The boys are quietly watching television in bed with Rory and Molly is out for another hour or two so Jane’s still sleeping.” We both follow him to his office. “So this one ain’t the legal one, right? ‘Cause if it is, we're gonna have to wake up a couple witnesses.” Mick answers him. “No, we can wait for the legal one to be later today. This is more so we can say the vows we wrote for each other, to each other. This one is for us.” Jon faces us and leans against his desk and crosses his arms. “Little one, he’s making it fucking hard for me to dislike him like a good brother.” Oh for fucks sake. “He’s been your friend for decades, I think you already knew he was a good man. You can tone down the whole mean big brother thing. Iknow you love me.” He shrugs and looks at Mick. “You two want me to say what I’ve got planned or just let you say your vows and I say the important bit afterward.” He nods. “Yeah let’s do that. You can say the stuff afterward, but maybe just us to each other first.” Mick takes both my hands in his. He gives them both a squeeze and I can see the love shining back at me when I look in his eyes. “Madison. I can’t tell you the exact moment that I fell completely head over heels in love with you. It was a million little things. It’s how you make sure everyone is always taken care of, how you honestly get so excited when a new book comes out or your coffee comes out just right. I love that you bite your lower lip when you're rethinking something for the millionth time. I love that you wrinkle your nose when you’re really concentrating on something. I don’t know the moment I fell in love with you but I know that one day I looked at you and all I could see was my future. You’re the one I want to do life with. I remember the day at the clubhouse when you wore those new clothes and I might not have reacted the best.” I hear Jon make a noise and I might’ve too at that understatement. “Okay, so I was a bit over the top, but in that moment I realized your beauty shines inside and out and that I was gonna be damned that someone else would get to live their lives with that beauty and strength. Baby, I know we might have taken our time to get to start our forever, but like I’ve told you before, I wouldn’t change a thing since our journey brought us here, to this moment and I can’t imagine being in this moment in time with anyone else. I can’t wait to do the rest of this life together with you.” Tears are streaming down my face. Mick reaches up and wipes them off of my face.
“That was so beautiful and perfect.” I hear Jon clearing his throat. “Sis, before you try to jump him or something like that, which I really don’t need to be a part of, why don’t you say yours?” I can’t help but glare at him for a second.
“Mick. To say I love you is an understatement. You are everything to me. You’re my best friend, my confidant, my greatest cheerleader, my love. You love with your whole being and I love that you give me all of you. I love that you care so much about the people who are important to you. I love that you’re passionate about your work. I love that you can be serious but also laugh at yourself and you help remind me to do that by just being you.” I can feel his strength helping me as he squeezes my hands. “You sawmewhen no one else did. You saw me under my fears and overthinking. You’ve helped me realize all my dreams. You’ve given me the two greatest gifts I could ever have, your all-encompassing love and this little one that’s going to join us in the next few months. When I’m at a loss for words, you seem to find them in my heart and know what I mean even when I can’t figure it out myself. I’m so lucky to get to be your wife. I love you and I’ll love you till the last breath leaves my body.”
I hear sniffling from the doorway and look over and see Jane and Juan standing there with Molly in Jane’s arms. Juan looks over at Jon. “You better fucking do your part before she completely loses it.” As tears are streaming down both my and Jane’s face, I don’t know which one of us he’s talking to. Jon looks between us and clears his throat. “Okay, I wasn’t sure about doing this now when Mick first texted me this idea, but after hearing those words between you two, he was definitely on to something.” He looks at Mick for a second and then to me. “I don’t thinkanything I can say can add to that other than, Mick, do you take Madison as your wife, in sickness and in health for as long as you live?” He gives me that smile that’s just for me. “I absolutely do.” Jon looks at him and nods and looks at me. “Madison, do you take Mick as your husband, in sickness and in health for as long as you live?” I realize in this moment, this is the moment that we become us. That we become one against the word. “I do with every ounce of my being.” Mick’s smile gets even bigger and I feel his hands come up and cup my face. “Love you forever wife.” He kisses me and I can tell he meant everything he’s said this morning and everything that was unsaid. I know without a shadow of a doubt he loves me with every ounce in him, just like I love him.
“Today at the ceremony you gotta wait to kiss till I tell you brother.” Micks breaks the kiss and answers my brother without looking at him. “I will. I just couldn’t wait any longer to kiss my wife.” I kiss him ‘cause how could I not? Mick moves to hold my hand and looks at the two nosey nellies at the door. “This didn’t happen. You two get that? As far as everyone else knows, our wedding later today is going to happen with no changes or anything like that. Got it?”
Jane nods. “It goes in the vault.” She looks over at my brother. “You might want to tell this one ’cause next to Nicky and Ry, he’s the biggest gossip I know.” Juan’s glaring daggers at her, though she was one hundred percent accurate.
“Baby. The fuck I am. You know Ry gossips more than me.” I know this can turn into an argument in the next sixty seconds and I don’t want to be here for that. I go up to Juan and poke him in the chest as I look up at him. “You aren’t going to say anythingto anyone or I’ll bring up that one secret I’ve kept for over a decade.” I watch as he looks confused for a few seconds then he gets this horrified look. He must’ve just remembered what I’m talking about.
He glares at me. “You’re just mean. That’s dirty, sis.”
I shrug my shoulders as I head out of the room to the front door. “It’s only dirty if you give away our secret. Now, I need to head back before everyone at Ma and Pa’s wakes up.” I hug Jon. “Thank you for doing this now and later today. It means a lot to both of us.”
Jon hugs me back. “Shit. sis, you know you only have to ask and we’d do just about anything for you. Love ya.” Mick does that half-hug thing guys do and we both head out.
Mick walks me to my car. “See you in a few hours, wife.”
Looking in his eyes, I know I’ll never get tired of looking into them. “See you soon, husband.” I give him a quick kiss then get in the car ‘cause I know someone at the house is going to be up any minute, if they aren’t already.
Mick
About an hour after I got home Micah, Jameson, Samson, Saxon, Asher and Ry came over with food and we hung out till it was time to get dressed and head over to Ma and Pa’s. I rode with Micah in his truck since I’ll drive us to where we’re staying the next couple of days in the SUV I just got her. I parked it over at Mom’s last night and Asher and Logan brought it over to Ma and Pa’s earlier today for me.
On the ride over Micah, who’s one of the quietest brothers and been my best friend since we were in junior high, speaks up. “You know, I’ve known you through all your past girlfriends and crushes, hell I remember in junior high how we both thought that one cheerleader, what was her name?” What was it? “Holly?” He nods at me. “Holly, that was it. How we both had the hots for her but she ended up falling for some junior. Anyway, in all our years of friendship, I’ve never seen you settled, like you always seemed like you were searching for something, or that something was missing. You don’t anymore. I think Madison is who you were searching for. She’s your missing piece. It looks good on you and I couldn’t be happier for you. I’ll be honest, I’m fucking jealous, not ‘cause I’m pining for your girl, ‘cause she’s like a sister to me and that’s just eww, but ‘cause I want what you’ve got.” I look over at him. “First off, fuck you very much for saying eww about my girl, though I’m glad you think of her as a sister so I wouldn’t have to beat your ass. Secondly, you’ll find your person, I know it ‘cause you’re an awesome person. Maybe it’s time for you to start dating again, it’s been a long time since-” Micah cuts me off. “I know. I think I’m there and ready finally.” I don’t say anything more ‘cause that’s more words than I’ve heard him say at once in over four years.
As soon as we got to the house, we were ushered to the backyard with Anna and Ma both saying the house was full of the girls getting ready and I was banished from coming inside.
I look around the yard and it’s been decorated exactly as my girl wanted. String lights hang everywhere, ready to shine once the sun sets a bit. Flowers and candles inside of mason jars line the tables. It really is pretty, but honestly it could be a dirt lotand still be perfect, because I get to marry the woman who has consumed me for so long.
