Page 1 of My One
To my husband, my one.
When I was a little girl, I planned my fairytale wedding to my future prince.
Every time I thought about my dream wedding, I imagined it would be during the summer at night while the stars glistened above us. The reception would be in a white tent draped in white lights and red roses. My prince and I would dance with our family and friends until our feet hurt, and then he’d whisk me off to our castle where I’d be his princess and we’d have a lot of babies. And, of course, my prince would become king and me his queen.
But notoncein my dream wedding was my plan to get married in Las Vegas.
Granted, I didn’t know then what Vegas was or that you could get married at a drive-thru chapel by Elvis. However, I put my foot down when it came to getting married in a car. And because Avery and I tended to not wait for anything, we were getting married by Elvis. Okay, maybe not Elvis, but since we were more or less rushing to get married, I found a small outdoor venue that had a pretty gazebo and would provide us with the minister, the marriage license, and decorations. Our December wedding was going to be in the early evening, and there would be twinkling white lights like I’d always dreamed about.
I’d realized that marrying the right person meant I didn’t need to put on a show with a lavish tent or a wedding that cost more than a house. I just wanted to celebrate with our close friends and family.
Being with Avery and losing a baby had made me appreciate the little things. In a world filled with A-list celebrities, lavish vacations, and rent payments that cost more than my yearly salary, I’d come to the conclusion that my dream wasn’t to find a prince so he could provide the high life for me. My dream was to be happy, and Avery made me happy. Losing a baby was traumatic, and I’d spent months depressed—it still hurt to think about it—but I neededhim.
Avery was my one.
Avery was all that mattered.
Most of our guests were flying to Las Vegas the day after us, but the day we got to Sin City would be our bachelor and bachelorette parties with just a few friends. Brooke was in charge of planning my little party and wasn’t telling me much of anything, but did wereallyneed a plan for partying in Vegas?
When we booked our destination wedding, Avery left a message on his mother’s voicemail that we were getting married and when.“They won’t show,”he’d said after he ended his call.
“What? Why not? They’re your parents.”They lived closer to Vegas than we did, and if anything, could drive.
“Are they?”
Avery hadn’t seen his family in over five years. I couldn’t imagine not having the loving parents that I had. We no longer lived in the same town or state, but they’d always be there for me, and I knew that. When I’d had my miscarriage, I didn’t hesitate to show up on their doorstep. But Avery? He’d flown across the country to go on a cruise and had time to meet up with his parents, but they didn’t answer his call or call him back.
“Of course they are,”I’d replied. They were Avery’s parents, and I couldn’t imagine they wouldn’t attend their one and only son’s wedding.
“They might have conceived me, but it takes more than blood to be a parent, Nic.”
He had a point. Avery had never told me that his relationship with his parents upset him or hurt him, but I could tell by the way he interacted with Easton’s parents that Avery wished they were his. Jimmy and Jane were good people and had welcomed me in as their family too.
I’d moved to where Avery sat at the dining room table, and when he scooted his chair back, I took a seat on his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck. “If they don’t show, then I will never utter another word about them. We live on the other side of the country anyway. But, I want you to be happy.”
He’d smiled.“I am happy. You make me happy.”
“And you make me happy, too.”
His grin had widened, and he gazed back at me with his blue eyes.“Good, because we’re getting married.”
I’d smiled in return and kissed his lips softly.“That we are. Want to practice for our wedding night?”
“Like I’d ever turn you down.”Avery had picked me up, causing me to squeal, and carried me to our bedroom.
We’d practiced multiple times.
Vegas. The City of Sin.
Or in my case, the city that would make me an honest woman.
Avery, Brooke, Easton and I landed at McCarran Airport, and to say I was excited would have been an understatement. “Vegas baby!” I shouted as we walked toward baggage claim.
“Excited?” Avery asked.
I rolled my eyes. “Um, yeah.”
“And why’s that?”
