Aubrey #3
“I’ll always worry about you, Aubrey. It’s my job to.” He kisses the top of my head as we take another step closer, now only Emma and my brother left in front of us.
I look through the doors and spot Julian, looking displeased as always, in one seat beside his brothers. “You managed to find Julian? Where was he hiding?”
Shane chuckles. “In the pool room.”
I giggle and shake my head as we take the final step. “Of course, he was hiding there.”
Shane looks out toward the ceremony we will be joining any second. “I can’t wait to do this with you,” he says quietly.
I tighten my hold around his arm. “I can’t wait to do this with you, too.”
We smile at each other as Amanda gestures for us to go. We make our walk down the aisle, smiling at Gabe and Noah and everyone else around. Once we reach the end, Shane and I part ways, him going to the right with the rest of the groomsmen, and me to the left with the rest of the bridesmaids.
The music stops and a new melody begins to play as Ronnie and her father walk toward us. Her eyes are watery as she wears the biggest smile on her face, one that looks identical to Gabe’s. When they make it halfway down, Stephen stops and kisses his daughter’s cheek.
Ronnie looks at him with confusion until she notices Noah walking toward her. A quiet sob falls from her lips as he takes her arm and finishes the walk with her, kissing her temple along the way.
We didn’t do any real rehearsal with the little time we had, so we’re basically just winging it as we go.
But we knew how important it would be to Ronnie to have Noah somehow incorporated into her wedding, so we came up with the idea of having him pass her along to Gabriel, instead of her father. A sign of acceptance.
When they reach the end, Noah goes to give her hand over to Gabriel, but she stops him. Instead, she places her palms on both sides of his face and brings him in for a deep kiss. “I love you, Noah,” she tells him before letting go.
“I love you too, Kitten.” Noah takes back his place behind Gabriel as the short ceremony begins and we watch our friends finally tie the knot.
The rest of the evening and night includes lots of laughter, great food, and hours of dancing. Eventually, the Storms leave, followed by my parents who take my niece and Ronnie’s parents, while Emma’s dad and Amanda take my nephews for the night.
Silas’s parents end up taking Morgan and Clay’s twins as well as Dante, with plans to drop off the twins at their home where their nanny, Natalia, will be watching them for the night or until they get home.
When the party begins to die down and it’s now close to one in the morning, Shane sits me down on his lap. “You look exhausted, are you ready to head inside?”
I cuddle up against his chest. “I am, but I don’t want to end their night. They’re having so much fun, and I know the rest of them don’t get kid-free nights often.” I look at all our friends who are enjoying themselves and partying like there’s no tomorrow.
“They don’t have to leave even if we call it a night,” he reassures me and kisses my crown. “Come on, let’s go say goodnight and get you to bed.” He puts me back on my feet and takes my hand, walking us over to Ronnie who is dancing with Gabe and Noah.
“Hey guys, we’re going to head in. This one needs her sleep, but you’re all welcome to stay as long as you’d like and keep the party going. There are guest bedrooms on the second story ready for use if you decide to take them,” Shane tells everyone.
I let go of Shane’s hand and hug the happy couple, including Noah. “Congratulations again,” I tell them.
“Thank you for letting us do this here. It means a lot,” Ronnie says as I let her go. “And don’t worry, we’ll clean up a bit before heading in.”
“You don’t need to keep thanking us, it was our pleasure.” I smile at them.
“And there’s no need for that; I have a cleaning service coming in the morning to take care of it all,” Shane reassures them. “Just enjoy your night.” He then reaches into the inside of his suit jacket and retrieves an envelope. “And before I forget, your wedding gift.”
Ronnie takes it from his hand with confusion. “Shane, that really wasn’t necessary. Already hosting us and having your people work overtime for us was enough of a gift.”
“Please, I insist.” He smirks when I look at him with that same confusion. Because we hadn’t talked about a wedding gift, which means I have no idea what he’s giving them.
Ronnie pulls the flap back of the envelope and retrieves a few pieces of paper. “Plane tickets?”
“Three of them,” Shane clarifies. “You leave Monday morning for Greece. There are also the instructions to where you’ll be staying. I’ll text you the code to the house and anything else you might need once you’re there.”
“You’re offering them our home in Greece?” It all now registers to me.
“Yes, for two weeks.” He smiles at me then turns back to them. “We haven’t been yet, so you’ll have to tell us how it is.”
Ronnie throws her arms around Shane with a squeal. “Oh my God! This is amazing! Thank you so much.”
“Enjoy it.”
We wave goodnight to everyone and head inside, making a quick stop in the kitchen for snacks since Shane knows I’m always hungry before bed.
“That was very kind of you to give them a honeymoon,” I tell him as we climb into bed. I’m way too exhausted for a shower, it will have to wait until tomorrow morning.
“It felt like the right thing to do. Plus, the house is just sitting there, unused. Might as well let them have it for a bit.” He brings me into his side and kisses my forehead.
“I can’t wait for us to go there. Although it probably won’t be until next summer, since Stellina is due right around the time training camp starts.
” I pout a little, realizing I’ll be home alone with a newborn right from the start.
At least I’ll have my friends to help me out when Shane can’t be there.
“That’s okay, if we have any changes to make up there, we’ll be able to get them done before we visit. And it will be nice having our first family trip to our second home.”
He’s quiet for a moment before he speaks again. “About that, would you want us to have a nanny for Stellina? I’ve been meaning to ask you, but I wasn’t sure how you felt about the subject. I’m good with either option. But if you do, we’ll need to start looking into that.”
I shake my head before he can finish. I had already thought about that, but my mind was made up from the start.
“No. I understand why our friends have some, but I want our daughter raised by us. I know I’ll be alone with her often, but I’m okay with that.
Once I start working again, then yes, we’ll need one or we can put her in daycare, but we can revisit that when it’s time. ”
I can feel him smiling against my head. “I had a feeling you would say that.”
“You did?” I pull my head back, looking up at him. We can’t even hear the music or chatter from outside, so I’m not sure if the party is still going on or not.
“Mhmm, I see the way you are with the kids. You like to be hands-on. You could easily pass them off to others, but you don’t. And when you do, you worry about it, even though they aren’t your kids. You’re naturally maternal and like to be involved in your child’s everyday life.”
My eyes widen at how well he can read me, while a soft blush spreads over my cheeks. He rubs the tip of my nose with his, chuckling quickly. “I told you, Angel. I know you. I’ve always seen you.”
“I’ve always seen you too, Shane.”