Chapter Twenty-Six
Janessa
T ODAY IS THE day I become Janessa Coleson.
I hate having the last name Burns because of the horrible things my parents have done.
They aren’t getting out of jail anytime soon.
For the first time in my life, Micah has made sure I have absolutely nothing to fear and every person who has hurt me in the past pays the price for what they’ve done to me.
My parents have tried calling over the last two weeks and I’ve ignored every single one of them.
I have nothing to say to either one of them and don’t want to hear the hate they spew every chance they get.
This is karma coming back for every wrong thing they’ve done in their lives and I’m here to watch it all go down.
Especially when Aaron has told me everyone back home my parents thought were friends have abandoned them now.
They’ve got no one to rely on other than Nicole.
Yes, they’ve also tried to contact my brothers who are also ignoring them.
Anyway, Micah and I don’t want some over-the-top wedding ceremony so we’ve decided to get married at the courthouse with no one but Tease and Victoria with us.
Kaden will be there as well. Marie wanted to watch him, but he’s our son and I want him with us on the day we get married.
The only thing we gave in to was Marie and the club throwing us a reception once the ceremony is over with.
It’s nothing but a regular party if you ask me and that’s the only reason I agreed to it.
Plus, Marie was kind of giving me those puppy dog eyes that get her whatever she wants when she doesn’t want to be demanding.
Micah just laughed because he knew it was coming and that we wouldn’t be able to stop the queen of the club.
Victoria showed up at our house this morning with Tease.
Her job was to help me get ready even though it’s a courthouse ceremony while Tease was going to take Micah and Kaden to the clubhouse to get ready for the day.
I told him he was fine to wear jeans and his tee-shirt because he hates dressing up for any reason.
The man is allergic to wearing a suit or button-down shirt.
Most of them in the club are if you ask me.
I don’t want him to feel uncomfortable for any reason so if he wants to wear his jeans, cut, and a tee-shirt, I’m happy for him to do that.
“Girl, are you out of the shower yet?” Victoria questions me, her voice snapping me out of my head.
“I’m getting there, Vic. We don’t have to rush to get ready, ya know,” I return, finishing rinsing the conditioner out of my hair and shutting the water off so I can get out.
Victoria holds a towel out for me and I wrap myself in it before taking the one to wrap my hair in.
When I’m fully covered, I make my way into our bedroom.
Yes, I’m fully moved into Micah’s house and we’re slowly combining our things and making this our home instead of just four walls surrounding us.
I’m not making a ton of changes unless Micah okay’s them, but he simply pulls me into his arms, kisses me, and tells me to do what I want with the house.
It doesn’t matter to him what I do and he’ll do everything in his power to help me when I need it.
Including painting walls, replacing carpet, anything else I’d like to change about our space.
“I’ve got your dress hanging and ready to put on.
I ran a steamer over it so there’s no wrinkles or anything.
Sit down so I can get your hair and make-up done,” Victoria says, pointing me to a chair someone brought in the room and looking at it until I move to take the seat so she can get to work.
“I know we don’t need to rush, but you get exhausted easily and Micah and I agree we need to get this done early so he can bring you home when you’ve had enough for the day. ”
“You’re both gonna suffocate me before this pregnancy even hits the second trimester. You do realize that, yeah?” I ask her, shaking my head and laughing because Victoria is going to be over-the-top with everything and watch me like a hawk.
Honestly, I’m not sure who’s worse at this point—Victoria or Micah.
Tease hasn’t been quite as bad as the two of them and I’m not sure why since he’s just as protective as his cousin.
Especially when it comes to Kaden and me.
So far, he’s giving me some leeway and I know it’s just a matter of time before that comes to an end.
Right now, he’s my safe haven when my best friend and soon-to-be husband become too much.
He’s gotten me out of the house more than once when Micah is going off on one of his tangents about what I can and can’t do because of the pregnancy.
Victoria works on my hair before moving to my face.
I told her I want everything to be simple and easy that I can toss up at the end of the day.
I don’t want to have to wash it out by the time we get back home after the ceremony and party at the clubhouse.
All I’m going to want to do is change into my pajamas, slide in bed, and close my eyes.
Having to take a shower will only exhaust me even more.
I look in the mirror as she works and find my long hair curled with half of it up in some kind of knot thing.
Curls frame my face and hang over my shoulders while the rest cascades down my back.
I love the way it looks and wish I had the time on a regular basis to do my hair this way.
But, Victoria always knows what to do and how to make me look like the best version of myself.
When she’s done with my face, I look at it all.
She’s done very little and the effect is stunning.
My eyes stand out and pop more than normal.
That’s all I really care about honestly.
My eyes are my best feature if you ask me and Victoria has made them shine today.
“Thank you, Babe. You always do the best work and make me look better than I could on my own. Love you, girl,” I tell her honestly, standing with her help before she walks to the closet and grabs my dress.
“I always got your back. You’re my sister from another mister and ride or die.
No matter what happens or where you go, you’ll never get rid of me, Janessa.
And I already know the same goes for you.
You’re always there when I need you and would do anything for me.
We’re sisters of the heart if not by blood.
Now, get dressed so we can get you to the courthouse.
Tease messaged me and they just left,” she says, her voice going slightly wavy with all her emotions.
After giving her a hug, I take the dress from her hands and grab the panties I picked out earlier.
I don’t need a bra with this dress since my back is completely exposed.
Shutting myself in the bathroom in case someone else walks in our bedroom, I quickly change into my outfit for the day.
Victoria uses the opportunity to change into a different dress and get herself ready so we can head to the courthouse.
***
V ictoria pulls up and lets me out right at the steps before going to park her car.
I wait for her as instructed. She doesn’t want me to walk up the steps alone.
No one does. Honestly, I worry about walking down them more than going up.
My girl rushes from the parking lot over to me and has me hold her arm as she leads me inside.
I make my way through the metal detector and security checkpoint without hassle before Victoria comes in behind me.
She leads me to the room I’ll be getting married in and I’m handed a bouquet of flowers I wasn’t expecting.
“This is your moment girl. You’re marrying the love of your life exactly the way you want. I’m here for it and will be here if you need a quick getaway,” Victoria says, laughter leaving both of us as she turns to open the doors. “Seriously, you look amazing and I love you.”
“Love you, Vic. And you’re just as bad as Micah is. If anyone gives me a quick escape, it will be Tease,” I respond before we enter the room.
Victoria walks me down the center of the seats in the room we’re getting married in.
My eyes are locked on Micah as he stands in front of the judge marrying us.
I’m shocked to say the least. He’s wearing a black button-down shirt under his cut, new pair of jeans, and his boots look as if they’re brand-new.
He’s not wearing his hat as normal either.
My man looks sexy as fuck and I’m the lucky one who gets to call him mine for the rest of my life.
The second I’m close enough, Micah takes me from Victoria. He holds my hands in his and doesn’t take his eyes off of me.
“You look incredible, Little Fighter,” he whispers, a smile on his face.
“You’re sexy,” I return with my own smile as tears form in my eyes.
Tease and Victoria stand on either side of us with Kaden in Tease’s arms. I barely hear a thing as the judge begins speaking. My entire world is focused on the man in front of me.
“Micah, you may say your vows now,” the judge finally says.