Infamy

EMBER’S POV
You wouldn’t even be able to imagine how happy I was when Alex finally proposed to me, on our daughter’s birthday and in front of all the people I cared about the most, nevertheless. The ring was beautiful, the exact one that I had always imagined as a girl when I imagined the day I got engaged. It’s crazy, too- the majority of the times I imagined myself getting engaged, it was always to Alex. Weird how things work out, isn’t it?

Because of the guys touring schedule, we had to be careful of when exactly we planned the wedding. This required a lot of planning on Matt’s part, for he was the one who booked all the shows. He got them a headlining tour for that summer, one that could be on break for two weeks for our wedding and the honeymoon. The date itself would be July 7th, 2011. Slowly, it was nearing to that day, and I was getting nervous. Not bad nervous, as in, cold-feet nervous, but happy nervous. Alex and I were about to be tied together for an eternity, and then, he, Danielle, and I could finally be a proper family. I couldn’t be any happier or more excited for the day when it all came finalized.

Finally, I woke up one morning to look at my phone lazily at what day it was. At first, I read Friday, July 7, 2011 without a second thought, but then I looked back and realized what it said. I jumped out of my bed- literally- and squealed under my breath, for Alex was still fast asleep in the bed, passed out from his bachelor party the night before. I looked at him and thought about the fact that I would be waking up to this sight almost every morning for the rest of my life. The smile on my face was permanent.

I went to the kitchen, but found a full breakfast already waiting for me. I looked at it confusedly until I found a note, from my girls.

Dearest Ember,
Today’s the big day! Enjoy your five-star gourmet breakfast and start worrying about yourself for once. We took Danielle so you and Alex could have the morning to yourselves before we kidnap you at 11 to start your pampering. So, get ready!
Love, your bridesmaids.

I smiled to myself and picked out a cinnamon roll. I heard footsteps and turned around to meet Alex’s eyes, obviously a little hung over from the night before. I had not expected anything less of Alex, and chuckled when I saw him. I handed him the water and Advil the girls had left for him, and he swallowed them gratefully. He put his arms around me, leant down, and kissed me on the neck, murmuring, “Good morning, soon-to-be Mrs. Gaskarth.”

“Mmm,” I said, smiling as he kept kissing my neck. “I really like the sound of that.”

“As do I, darling, as do I,” he said, kissing my jawline, the corner of my mouth, and then my lips. We both smiled and he lifted me onto the counter, pressing my back against the wall as he forcefully made out with me.

I pushed him away and said, “Wait until the honeymoon, Al,” with a wink as I walked out of the kitchen. He trailed after me, of course.

“Wait, wait, wait,” he said quickly, running after me and grabbing me by the arm. He turned me around so we came face-to-face, dangerously close. He gave me a sly smile and asked, “Are you implying something, Ms. Davidson?”

“Possibly,” I said teasingly, walking over to the dining room table. I grabbed my bag and pulled out a folder, carefully sliding out the papers the folder had been holding for a while. I handed them to Alex and said, “I need you to sign these.”

“What are they?” He asked, taking a seat at the table.

“They’re papers documenting Danielle’s name change.” Alex looked confused, and I put my arms around him, leaning on his shoulders as I pointed to the first line.

Danielle Rae Gaskarth.

Alex turned to me, gawking. He asked slowly, “Are you serious?”

I rolled my eyes. “No, Alex, you’re getting Pu- mmm!”

Alex had wrapped his arms tightly around me and pressed his lips to mine. I smiled and let him kiss me, doing whatever he wanted. He pulled away from me as we both tried to catch our breath, and he whispered, “Thank you. So much.”

“Think of it as an early wedding present,” I said, kissing him again as I walked into our bedroom and began changing out of my pajamas and into a relaxed outfit. When I came back into the family room, he was signing the papers eagerly and munching on some of the food the girls had left. I took a seat next to him, and said, “We have everything to ourselves until 11.”

“What time is it now?” He asked, looking up at me, his eyes flashing. I looked over at the clock.

“Uh. Ten,” I said, laughing. “Leave it to us to sleep in on our wedding day.”

“Well,” he said, leaning back in the chair as he cracked his fingers, “we could do a quickie.”

I stood up quickly. “I couldn’t agree more.”

I took his hand, and quickly pulled him to the bed, both of us stripping the whole entire way, laughing like we were teenagers all over again.

Ah, sweet love.
--
After Alex and I had our ‘quickie,’ the girls came and picked me up at exactly 11, just like they promised. Danielle was with them and we gave her the choice to go with Alex and his buds or come with me. She chose me, of course. Although she loved Alex, I was still her favorite parent and we all knew it. I was the one who had raised her the first four years of her life, and who never left her for my job. Not that there was anything wrong with Alex doing it. We all knew that he was doing it for all of us, not just him.

Our first stop was the spa to get massages, facials, and manis/pedis. Danielle got all of them, too, and she looked so cute with the avocado mask on her face and the cucumbers over her eyes. She even got her own little pink robe, with the word ‘Princess’ embroidered with a little picture of a crown beneath it, right over her heart. I couldn’t agree more with her new nickname. Hell, she was a six-year-old getting a facial!

That made me stop and think. Was she already six years old? That meant that I was already 28, as was Alex. I mean, I knew our ages, that wasn’t the issue. Then, I thought deeper about it, and realized with a shocking jolt that today was the same exact day that, ten years ago, Alex broke up with me and our relationship had unraveled. I was staring off into space, thinking diligently about it. Ten years later, and look at us: we were getting married.

I smiled and shook my head. Shit’s crazy, right?

After the spa, we went to go get my dress on. It was a strapless dress with a beaded bodice and elegant skirt, one that was only a little long in the back- nothing that someone could trip on or step on and send me flying. I had enough nightmares about that happening to convince myself to get the shorter train and not have to worry about it.

After we got on my dress, we went and got our hair and make-up done. We then drove to the beach where Alex and I were getting married. I had to say that to myself about seventy times before I got used to the idea. I still just couldn’t believe that Alex and I were getting married. On a beach, nevertheless. This moment was truly picture perfect.

We waited in a nearby building where we would be holding our reception until my mom told me that they had started playing my song. I grabbed my bouquet and my bridesmaids and Danielle, our flower girl, ran out. I slipped my arm through my dad’s, and he smiled down at me, kissing me on the forehead. “You look beautiful, baby girl. And I can’t believe you’re actually marrying Alex. After all the times we joked about you two getting married...”

He trailed off and I laughed. “I know, Dad. Trust me, I really do.”

He smiled and we walked to the beach in comfortable silence. I saw the crowd that had developed to watch Alex and I’s wedding, and felt warmth. I walked up and saw all heads turned as a new tune began to play. I began walking down the aisle with my dead, the grin on my face not able to go away. I saw Alex turn fully and smile just like I was, and then I saw Danielle’s face peek out from the end of a row.

I was really doing this. I was getting married.

I made it to the aisle, somehow without collapsing, and the minister began. My leg felt like it was going to give out, I was so nervous. What for, I had no idea. Finally, the minister got to the part where I knew what to do, where I knew that I was so close to reaching my happy ending, I could taste it.

“Do you, Ember Marie Davidson, take Alexander William Gaskarth to be your lawfully wedded husband?” The minister asked. I didn’t even have to think about it; I answered ‘I do.’ The minister then turned to Alex. “Do you, Alexander William Gaskarth, take Ember Marie Davidson to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

Alex met my eyes, smiling widely. “I do.”

“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the minister said, smiling as he shut his book he had been reading from all along. He looked at the two of us and said, “You may now kiss the bride.”

Alex looked over at me and smiled, leaning down to press his lips to mine. The applause was deafening and I smiled into the kiss, throwing my bouquet to the ground as I wrapped my arms around Alex’s neck. He pulled away from me, resting his forehead against mine as he whispered, “I love you.”

I smiled at him, feeling the cold metal of his wedding ring rubbing against my cheek. My smile got bigger and I kissed him again, murmuring, “I love you, too. Forever.”

You’re never gonna be alone from this moment on
If you ever feel like letting go, I won’t let you fall
When all hope is gone, I know that you can carry on
We’re gonna see the world out, I’ll hold you ‘til the hurt is gone

You're never gonna be alone,
From this moment, on.

The end.