It wasn’t hard walking down the aisle, wearing the dress which reflected the kind of person she became. The fact that all eyes were on her didn’t matter, she saw no one else but Ethan who stood at the end of the room, a smile spread across his face as he only had eyes for her. Her father gave her a pat on the arm, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from Ethan. It made her father laugh while Ethan’s eyes glittered with amusement. It wasn’t hard at all to approach the man she loved and say her vows. They did it before, it mattered more then than it did now. At this moment they were just making things official in front of everyone. As she stood in front of Ethan, her father stepped away.
“You look beautiful,” Ethan whispered to her.
“You really do,” Gabriel told her, his voice not toned down which made a few people in the front row laugh.
Rachel flashed him a teasing glare. Gabriel merely responded with a smile, looking quite pleased with himself that she finally had eyes for the people around them. As she took in the room decorated in white, beige and gold she noticed the proud smiles of her family. Her mother was holding Ava, letting her baby girl take in the scene. Ava’s little white dress looked cute on her, but it also restricted her movement. The little girl didn’t look happy about that. Her face puffy while she looked ready to start crying. She wanted to take Ava from her mother to calm her down and it looked like Ethan was thinking the same thing because he already started moving. Gabriel grabbed onto his shoulder and kept him in place.
“I got this. You two just got married.”
So they let Gabriel handle it while they listened to the speech of the officiant about marriage and love. Saying their vows was easy, the promised each other the same things they promised each other the other night. Getting married didn’t mean they found their happily ever after. To make them work as a team they’d need to work on their relationship and always be honest with each other even if it was sometimes the hardest thing to do. So they promised each other that. They slipped platinum wedding rings on each other’s fingers. And when the officiant told Ethan that he could now kiss the bride, they couldn’t help but laugh. No one understood the joke, it was their little secret.
“I’m going to kiss the bride now,” Ethan told her quietly.
Smiling she met him halfway, both of them keeping the kiss light. It was over in a split second, but when they pulled away and looked into each other’s eyes she couldn’t help but feel content. It was the perfect wedding day, not the kind of wedding she always dreamed of, but better.
***
While everyone was either on the dance floor having the time of their lives or sitting at their appointed tables, Rachel and Ethan were fussing over Ava who was throwing a fit because she was cranky and tired.
“It’s okay.” Ethan reassured her, letting her rest her head against his shoulder, “Just go to sleep.”
She was making whining noises, but she kept her head rested against his shoulder.
“I told you I’d watch over her.” Gabriel and Valerie entered their private room, Gabriel approaching his friend and placing his hand upon Ava’s little head, “You’re just tired aren’t you, sweetie?” He trailed his eyes to Ethan, “We can watch over her while you two end the night with a dance?”
Rachel shook her head, “No, we got it. I think we’re supposed to end the night like this. As a family.”
Ava’s eyes drooped and within a few seconds, the little girl finally fell asleep. Ethan placed his hand upon Ava’s back, keeping it steady there while he met her gaze.
“I think we should call it a night.”
Valerie stepped up before her husband could, “Then we’ll take care of all this while you two go home and put Ava to bed. She’s one cranky little girl who misses her bed.”
Ethan looked content with that suggestion, “You always clean up our messes, Valerie.”
“And I always will.” She told him with a straight face, “Now, while you two get ready to leave I’ll call your driver.”
Gabriel grabbed his wife by the arm and pulled her in, kissing her right in front of them which made her a bit uneasy while Ethan cleared his throat. It wasn’t that they were against it, but it didn’t quite feel like the right time to share a kiss or two.
“I love it when you take charge like that,” Gabriel told her which made his wife blush while Ethan chuckled.
“Easy, Valerie might run away if you keep flirting like that right in front of us.”
“Yes, my sister tends to get flustered by things like that.” Rachel agreed.
She checked Ava’s diaper bag to make sure everything was there. Ethan wrapped their little girl up in a blanket which she really didn’t seem to enjoy. With her eyes closed, she started making whining noises and throwing her arms around.
“Just getting you comfy.” Ethan spoke to her in a quiet voice, “It’s okay.”
Once she was a burrito baby he picked her back up and kept her close to him, meeting her gaze to see if she was ready as well. They left the reception before everyone else, need to go home to let Ava sleep in her own bed. Gabriel and Valerie could handle it on their own.
Sitting in the back of their car, Rachel took in her husband and baby. Ava was looking so peaceful while Ethan looked like the proudest man on the planet right now. He kissed her little head and then trailed his eyes to her.
“You know, I didn’t think it would be just another day.”
She frowned at that, “What do you mean?”
His lips curled up to a smile, “I mean that it didn’t feel like an obligated social event we had to attend while people we don’t care about our present and were forced to be polite all day long.”
Smiling she reached for his hand and tightly held it in hers, “It felt like a day we made things official between us while everyone else witnessed that.”
He laced their fingers together, his eyes warm with happiness as he leaned in to press a kiss to her lips. The kiss warm and inviting, lasting far longer than a second. It might be because they didn’t have an audience or it might because in her head it felt like it lasted an eternity. She felt disappointed when he pulled away, to express that she made a whining noise which Ava usually made when she was trying to get their attention. It made him chuckle, the happiness glittering in his eyes.
“I love hearing you laugh like that.” She told him.
“I love how happy you and Ava make me feel.”
She gestured to his face, “I can tell. Your eyes are sparkling and you’re smiling a lot more.”
He grabbed her fingers and lowered her hand, “No more chess games, Rache.”
Those words hit her so hard she could barely breathe. The games he played to ensure those around him were safe and protected, mind games which were sometimes cruel and unnecessary, he was going to quit those. It meant that he really took his promises seriously. The fact that Valerie would be very pleased with this came to mind for a split second. But her sister or any other member of their family had no place in their little bubble right now. It was just them, her, Ethan and their baby Ava. She knew it was reckless of her but she undid her seatbelt and snuggled up to him, leaning her head against his free shoulder. He was surprised by that and she knew he’d scold her for her reckless behavior. She didn’t give him a chance though. She placed her hand upon his thigh and gave it a squeeze.
“This is my happily ever after.”
He wrapped an arm around her waist holding her tightly to him, she figured it had more to do with him wanting to keep her safe than him wanting to cuddle.
“We talked about that.”
She kept her smile hidden from him, “I know, but then you shouldn’t be so damn charming all the time. It makes me fantasize about all these silly things.”
“Didn’t you hear, my charm is what makes me Ethan Hunter.”
She looked up and met his smug gaze, “I know, that’s what draws most people in.”
“How about you?”
She placed her hand against his chest, “I like the Ethan who is honest about his feelings and looks at Ava like she’s an angel even when she behaves like a little troll.”
Laughing he leaned in, kissing her hair, “Fine, I’ll admit it.”
“Admit what?”
He sighed, “This is my happily ever after too.”
Smiling they spend the remaining ten minutes in their own private bubble. Sharing their little fantasies about their future. It might not ever become reality, but what she did know was that they were happy as long as they had each other and their little family. Not to mention the people closest to them who supported them through the good and the bad. She was proud of the things they’ve accomplished so far. She was proud of the fact that they had friends in their life like Gabriel and Ryan who they could count on no matter what. She was proud of her sister who showed her that there were more important things in life than living for money and fame. And most of all she was proud of becoming Mrs. Hunter. Because he helped her become the best version of herself.