by Megan Smith
Hunter kisses MacKenzie’s neck and tosses a chip at Ryder making him giggle. He’s such an amazing dad.
After mom finishes eating she sits down on the chair next to mine and leans her head against my shoulder, it takes everything I have not to cry. She’s fine on the outside and she looks more beautiful than I’ve seen in a long time but I know that on the inside she’s being killed slowly. Cancer is a bitch like that. It rips away your whole life, not just your body.
With an empty hand I reach over and thread my fingers with my mom’s. “I love you, Mom.”
She sniffles. “I love you, too, sweetheart.”
Hunter must have heard her because his head twists towards us. His face is etched with worry but it quickly fades when Olivia places a messy kiss on her daddy’s face.
In this moment I want to say so much to my mom but I won’t because today is supposed to be a happy day. A day that we forget about all our worries and be happy for Mason and Hailey.
After everyone finishes eating and gets cleaned up, Elle looks to her watch. “It’s about that time.”
Jackson hands Chloe a tuxedo. “Help me get this monkey suit on him, please.”
Chloe takes it and shakes her head. “You’d think you’d have mastered this by now.”
He shrugs. “I have,” he points a finger over to Alex. “It’s him that’s got the problem.”
“Jackson,” Elle scolds. She takes the tux from Chloe and hands it back to him. “Take this, Alex, Hunter, and Ryder and go back to your rooms. You can manage that much.”
Chloe snickers.
Jackson blows a kiss to her. “Come, buddy. Let’s go get our monkey suits on.”
The four of them leave and then it’s on. We get Olivia and Alexis in their dresses, it’s easier to do it here and less wrinkles for our dresses when we get over to Midnight Atlantic.
When we’re ready to go, MacKenzie goes and knocks on the door for Hailey. “Hailey, it’s time we get over there.”
The door opens and all our heads turn in her direction. Hailey is traffic stopping beautiful. Her blonde hair is pulled back, much like MacKenzie’s, on the side of her head with curls cascading over her shoulder pinned back with three white roses and her bangs wisped to the side. Her makeup both dark and light illuminates her eyes making them look drastic but subtle. Her Nordic blue eyes ringed with long, black eyelashes and her lips a medium pink.
“Damn,” MacKenzie says under her breath.
“You are going to push that man’s limits tonight,” Chloe chimes in.
Hailey bites down on the corner of her bottom lips. “Too much?”
Elle goes to where Hailey is standing and grabs both her hands within hers. “There is no such thing as too much where you and Mason are concerned, sweetheart.” From my position I see Elle’s eyes crinkle in the corners. “It’ll be nice to see my son speechless for once.”
Chloe, mom and I all sigh at the exact same time.
Then, in Hailey fashion, she slips her white sweatpants on with the word bride written on the butt, picks up her little mini-me and her dress. “Let’s go, ladies,” she looks over her shoulder. “I’ve got a hot date waiting for me that I’m about to stun silent.”
We all laugh and grab everything and anything we’re about to need to make this wedding go off without a hitch.
Jaylinn
When we all stepped off the elevator Jackson and Hunter were standing there. “What in the world?”
Hunter put up his hand stopping MacKenzie and flanked one side of Hailey while Jackson was on the other. I glanced around wondering what in the hell was going on when a flash caught my attention.
MacKenzie falls in step beside me and Chloe with mom, Elle, and the babies behind us. “Looks like the damn media found out about the wedding.”
I sigh heavily, as does Chloe. “Does that,” Chloe nods with her head to the side, “ever get easier?”
I shrug. “We don’t have that problem, but then again Cooper is still in the minors.”
“Guess I shouldn’t have posted anything on Twitter, huh?” I hear Elle behind me.
MacKenzie falls back a step. “Not your fault, Mom. I don’t understand what the big deal is anyway. Haven’t they seen anyone get married before?”
I guess this is something I might have to get used to should Cooper ever make it to the major league. It’s like Mason became a superstar overnight.
Thankfully, we’re close to the doors and across the boardwalk in no time at all. When we reach the elevators there are two big men dressed in black suits standing on each side of the door. They push the button for us.
Hunter gives a head nod as he steps in and we all follow.
“What the hell?” Hailey says taking Alexis from my mom.
Jackson shrugs. “They were down there when we all came over a little bit ago.”
Hailey shakes her head and no one says another word. I think we’re all a little nervous and excited. Jackson and Hunter usher us into the bridal suite. It’s overflowing with white and black roses and a white and black bag with a card is sitting on a table in the far corner.
MacKenzie kisses Hunter and, in turn, Hunter kisses Olivia goodbye.
I take Alexis from Hailey as she goes over to the gift. She takes a seat at the little table and grabs the envelope. She spends a minute reading it and then wipes a few tears from her eyes before digging into the bag.
Hailey pulls out a pair of tear-shaped diamond earrings, a black and white diamond bracelet and another tiny bracelet for Alexis. Elle places her hands on Hailey’s shoulders. “They’re beautiful.”
“Mason has great taste.” Hailey smiles up at Elle. “I wonder where he got that from?”
Elle beams. “I don’t know, sweetheart.”
I walk over to Hailey with Alexis. Hailey’s hands are shaking so bad she can hardly unclasp it. Finally, she does and I hold Alexis’s hand out. It’s the perfect fit and matches her mommy’s.
MacKenzie pulls Hailey’s dress out of the bag and hangs it from the door. I was one of the lucky ones to see Hailey in it before anyone else and it’s just as beautiful as I remember. Sweetheart empire waist that’s black satin with white pearls and crystals in the center of her breasts giving it that cinch look, the rest is pure white with black pearls and crystals that stem from the top and fade to the bottom. It’s stunning.
A knock sounds from the door. Mom opens it just slightly so that no one can see the dress that was just pulled out.
“Hi, I’m Vi the photographer.”
Mom opens the door wider and Vi steps in. “Now that is a beautiful dress.” And just like that she gets to work.
Vi goes around the room taking different candid’s before stopping before Hailey. She holds her hand out. “Hello, Hailey, I’m Vi.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Beautiful dress, mind if we get some pictures of you next to it?”
Hailey nods. “Sure.”
For the next few minutes the sound of the camera clicking fills the room along with Olivia and Alexis playing. Alexis crawls over to where Hailey’s dress is and looks up, the sound of the camera clicking in rapid succession. That picture will forever be ingrained in my head.
A dream come true for every little girl, the princess finding the prince.
Another knock comes a few moments later. MacKenzie opens the door this time.
“Hello, I’m Amanda the event planner.”
A smile spreads across Hailey’s face when Amanda walks in. “Mason’s life saver.”
Amanda flushes. “I’m no one’s life saver.”
Hailey winks at the girl who is growing more and more awkward by the second. “One day you will be.”
“Thanks,” she swallows hard. “I just wanted to let you know that we’ll be ready to get started in about a half hour.”
A shiver of excitement rushes through me.
“Okay, we’ll be ready.”
Amanda and Vi excuse themselves while we get our dresses on. I’m
the first to get my dress on. I love this dress and it’s something that I’ll be able to wear again. It’s elegant with a touch of formal. It’s a simple black strapless dress with a white sash just under my breasts and the dress hangs right at my knees. The heels are black, open toe with black satin laces that crisscross up to my ankles. The girls and I all got black earrings and bracelets that match from Mason and Hailey. My dress is the same length as Chloe’s but MacKenzie has a floor-length version and Olivia’s matches hers.
“Jay, can you do me a favor?” Hailey asks.
“Of course.”
“Can you go and grab Andrew for me, please?”
I nod and step out of the room and run almost directly into Cooper.
He freezes and stares at me with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. “Fuck.”
My cheeks pink and I feel nervous which is crazy. “Is that a good fuck or a bad one?”
Cooper takes a step towards me and I take one back. My back hits the freezing glass and it steals my breath. Cooper saves me as he slides a hand behind me bringing my body closer to his.
“It’s both a bad and a good one.” Cooper’s cologne washes over me and I have to squeeze my legs together as a rush of heat runs right through me. “Bad because I can’t touch you anymore than I am already,” he slides his hand down to rest on my ass. “And good because you look fucking incredible.” Cooper leans in and kisses my neck. “I can’t wait to peel this off the second we get out of here.” He leans in to kiss me again but his father’s voice stops him dead.
“Get your hands off that poor girl, son.”
I snort trying to hold back my laughter.
“Go calm your brother, and yourself, down.” Andrew’s voice cracks like a whip.
“Yes, sir.”
When Cooper is around the corner Andrew laughs along with me. “That was awesome.”
“Thanks, kid.”
“I was actually coming to get you. Hailey is requesting to see you.”
“Okay.”
I turn and knock on the door once and stick my head in to make sure everyone is dressed and ready to go. When the coast is clear I open it wider for him to step in.
“Andrew,” Hailey says stepping up to him. “I seem to have a problem.”
Elle winks at Hailey.
“What’s that, sweetheart?” Andrew says in a calm manner. He’s always ready to fix everything and do it with a smile.
Hailey bats her eyelashes. “Well, it appears I have no one to walk me down the aisle.”
Next to me, MacKenzie gives Hailey a thumbs up behind her dad’s back.
“Well, what can I do to fix that?”
Hailey holds her arm out. “Be my dad and walk me down the aisle.”
My eyes tear up as does Elle’s, mom’s and Chloe’s. It’s sad to think that Hailey, Chloe and I don’t have our dad’s in our lives but I don’t think anyone could ever stand up to or replace Andrew Cahill, even if we did.
Andrew takes Hailey’s hand and links her arm with his. “I’d love to.”
Another knock on the door. “It’s time,” Amanda sings.
Chloe is the first to go in, followed by me, then MacKenzie and finally Hailey. As I’m walking down the aisle I’m awestruck. The view is absolutely breathtaking. It looks like I’m walking out into the ocean.
“Psst,” I hear from beside me. I glance over and see Layla and Eli.
“Hey,” I whisper as I walk past smiling.
Bentley, Zeke, Logan and Nikki are on the other side of the aisle along with a few of Mason and Cooper’s friends who I recognize. There are also a few I don’t know, too, probably some of Mason’s teammates. And even Cole was able to make it from touring around the country. The wedding is small, intimate and perfect for them since everything else in Mason and Hailey’s world is so crazy and busy.
I step up, take my place next to Chloe and then watch as MacKenzie walks down the aisle. The music changes, everyone stands as Hailey and Andrew stand in the doorway. I take a quick glance over at Mason, he stands there slack-jawed and had stopped breathing until Cooper nudges him. Mason’s shoulders rise as he takes a deep breath and then the fall as he exhales. His eyes still not wavering off Hailey, I’m not sure he sees anything else until they take their first step down the aisle. That’s when he notices his dad is walking Hailey down the aisle. His jaw closes as his smile lights up his whole face and I swear I see his eyes tear up. There couldn’t have been a more perfect moment.
I know that was an important part in Hailey and Mason’s relationship. Hailey never relied on anyone in life except Mason. He’s who she called every time she needed help, every time she just needed someone to lean on, every time she just needed him. Yeah, she had MacKenzie but there was always a bond between Mason and Hailey that no one could compare with. Now, Hailey is accepting Mason and his whole family as hers. She’s no longer alone, she’s got a real family now and not just with Mason and the twins.
After Hailey has just about made it to where Mason is waiting for her I cave and look over to Cooper. I’ve been trying to avoid his stare the whole time because I don’t want him to see how bad I want this for us. He knows it on some level but I also know that our relationship is still so new and we’re both busy but I’d throw it all away if I could just call him my husband.
I’m still seeing the therapist that I promised Cooper I would see. I’ve told her how I feel about Cooper, explained that I want my mom to see me walk down the aisle before stuff got too bad. I know she’s spoken with Cooper a time or two, Cooper’s told me, but never what they spoke about. I remember sitting on that black rocking chair and asking her if she thought I was crazy for wanting to marry Cooper after everything we’ve been through, being so young, and now with what my mom is going through. I even admitted I was a little jealous of what everyone else had and I didn’t have. Dr. Leighton stared at me, jotted down some notes in that stupid notebook of hers, and said, “The heart wants what the heart wants.” My heart wanted this and I needed Cooper’s heart to want the same.
I stole a glance his way and watched Cooper’s lip move, he told me he loved me and I mouthed them right back. I was in my own world when I realized I missed Hailey saying her vows because Mason was already saying his.
“I want your heart, your love, your laughter, and your smiles,” I hear Hailey take a shuddering breath. “I want your thoughts, your visions, and your future. I want everything with you, Hailey,” Mason turns his head so that he can see his babies, “Alexis and Caleb. We may have done things a little backwards but those backwards moments are what brought us to the here and now and they are ours and no one else’s.”
The wedding officiant asks for the rings. Ryder and Alex, with a little help from Hunter and Jackson, step up and hold out their pillows. Cooper unties the rings from each of the pillows and then winks at them and they go back to standing in front of their dads.
The rings are blessed and the officiant glances down to his watch. It must almost be midnight. Goosebumps cover my body.
“Hailey and Mason, you have committed yourselves to each other in marriage. Having pledged your faith and love to one another in the presence of witnesses, by the exchange of your wedding vows and the giving and receiving of the rings. It’s with great joy and happiness, and by the power vested in me, that I now pronounce you husband and wife.” Fireworks go off all around us and light up the entire room. “You may now kiss your bride.”
Like everyone has always said, their love isn’t sweet or simple. It’s hot and loud but just not messy anymore.
Cooper and I are on the dance floor wrapped in each other’s arms. The wedding reception is in full swing now. He leans in and kisses my forehead as we dance alongside Hailey and Mason.
“Am I going to get to dance with my sister-in-law?” Cooper asks Mason.
Hailey has the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on her face. Her dreams have finally came true.
“Keep your hands where I can see them,” Mason stares his brother down.
I giggle. Boys will be boys.
Mason lets go of his bride and then holds his hand out for me. “May I?”
I slip my hand into his. “Of course.”
Mason wraps his arms around me. Even though he’s Cooper’s twin and they are mostly the same, they are so different in so many ways. Cooper is reserved and quiet where Mason is loud and demands attention wherever he is.
I giggle to myself.
“What’s so funny?”
“Girls across the country are in mourning.”
He turns on the charm by giving me that panty-dropping smile that all the girls love. “You mean girls across the world are in mourning.”
I laugh while shaking my head. “Oh sorry, what was I thinking?”
He chuckles. “Clearly you weren’t. I’ll let it slide this time.”
“Well, how thoughtful of you.”
I sigh. “Hailey’s a lucky girl, Masey.”
He shakes his head disagreeing with me. “After having the twins, I fell more in love with her and I didn’t think that was possible. So I think I’m the lucky one.”
We’re quiet for a bit as our bodies sway back and forth to the music and I let his words sink in. I watch my mom dancing with Ryder and my eyes tear up. I hold it together as best as possible but Mason notices. He brings his body closer to mine, hugging me tightly.
“It’ll be okay,” he whispers just loud enough for me to hear.
I can’t respond because I’m afraid that if I do I’ll wind up breaking down.
“Can I step in?” My brother says startling me.
I take a step back from Mason and my brother takes his spot. “Hey.”
“Hey.” He looks a little uncomfortable with himself.
“You okay?”
He doesn’t answer right away just holds me a little tighter. “Yeah, just felt like dancing with my little sister.”
