You Are My Only One

The storm raged on outside, hitting harshly against the window making it look like a hose had been held to it. But it went unnoticed by the couple curled up on the couch, wrapped up tightly in a blanket with a movie playing on the TV. But they weren’t paying attention to that either.
The couple jumped as a particularly loud clap of thunder echoed. The taller of the two’s arms tightened around the smaller. Lips close to ears, whispering as if there were others in the room. A secret between the two. “My grandmother used to tell me that thunder was just the angels bowling.” The other’s face scrunched up in laughter. Sparkling green eyes met warm brown.
“I love you just the way you are.” A smile stretched across his face. A contradiction of his own lyrics. His nose brushed her cheek as he kissed her.
“I love you even though you’re a lyric stealer.” She smiled.
Every girl dreams of the person who’ll complete her. Someone she can be completely comfortable with. The one who’ll tell her she’s beautiful even in sweats, no makeup, and hair in a messy bun. The one who doesn’t care where he is as long as he’s with her. Lisa had been lucky enough to find him in high school and even though they’d been through plenty of crap, she wouldn’t change a thing. She loved him even though he drove her nuts sometimes, but it kept their relationship alive.
As they were lying on the couch watching some movie they’d seen hundreds of times, Lisa had to smile at the boy who stole her heart all those years ago. Sure he’d changed some, his hair color and style, his clothing choice, his maturity, but his personality hadn’t. Sometimes he let how well the band was doing get to his head, but something would always bring him back down to earth. She loved him, all of him.
Alex could feel eyes on him. He tore his eyes away from the TV screen and looked right into the green eyes of his girlfriend. He smiled. He’d been waiting for a special dinner out or something, but nothing could ever compare to this moment right here. He reached in to the pocket of his sweats. He’d been looking at it earlier and she’d come home early, so it’d been stuck in his pocket for awhile.
“Lisa, I love you and I’m so glad you’re mine. I want to make so many more memories with you than I already have. I want to have a billion kids with you. I want to grow old with you. I want to be the annoying old couple in the retirement home that all the workers love and hate. I want to have so much with you. Lisa Noel Ruocco will you marry me?” Her sparkling green eyes were swimming in tears.
“Yes” she gasped. “Yes, yes, yes!” She lurched forward pushing their lips together. He slipped the diamond onto her left hand.
*
Five ladies sat patiently. Out of the room came a beautiful girl in a flowing white gown. This was her third gown and she loved it. Anxious, she awaited the opinions of her three best friends, mother, and mother-in-law.
“Oh sweetie you look absolutely stunning!” Her mother opened the flood gates.
“Yeah Lis it’s perfect.” Kara stated. Alex and Annie nodded in agreement. Lisa looked to her mother-in-law. Isobel stared at the girl in front of her. A smile, much like her son’s, stretched across her face.
“You look gorgeous dear. Alex will love it.” Lisa smiled. She’d found her dress, relatively easy. It was simple and elegant. Absolutely perfect.
The bridesmaid dresses were fitted easily. They had a deep purple Lisa absolutely loved and worked perfectly. She knew who was going to be in her bridal party. On the drive home Lisa was wondering if he’d thought about who his groomsmen were going to be. She shook her head. They had plenty of time, no need to worry about it now.
*

Rehearsal dinner was crazy. Everyone was there. Lisa couldn’t wait for the next day. She was finally going to be married! Alex squeezed her hand. She smiled at him.
“Excited?”
“Very.” He smiled and leaned over to kiss her.
Later on they separated. Alex going back to his and Rian’s house and Lisa went to Kara’s.
*
Someone once said that your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life. All Lisa could think about was the butterflies wreaking havoc on her stomach.
Kara had left to give Alex his present and Jack was her to give her her present. Jack, with his infectious goofy smile, immediately calmed Lisa’s nerves.
“Hey Jack” He hugged her.
“You look gorgeous.” She smiled back.
“Thank you.”
She opened the small box in Jack’s hands. In it was a beautiful amethyst and pearl bracelet. Jack slipped it on her wrist and kissed her cheek.
“Well I better get back to Alex before he has a nervous breakdown.” Lisa laughed and watched him leave. She turned around to the mirror and did some finishing touches. Now it was just a waiting game.
*
Alex stood at the altar with Jack right beside him. Followed by Rian, Zack, Flyzik, Greico, Mike, Danny, and Vinny. He felt Jack squeeze his shoulder. “Here they come man.”
Alex smiled as his nieces came down the aisle tossing flowers. Cassadee started down the aisle then Olivia, Lily, Kendra, Kacey, Alexandra, Annie and finally Kara, the maid of honor.
The wedding march started and there she was. The most beautiful creature on earth. She walked down the aisle on her father’s arm. A smile stretched across her face, staring him in the eyes the entire time.
“Who gives the bride away?”
“I do.”
Her father kissed her cheek and handed her to Alex. Together, Alex and Lisa walked up to the pastor. The beginning of the rest of their lives.
*
Her hands were shaking, unable to calm down. Alex would be home soon from yet another tour. She was excited but also scared. Kara had told her everything would be okay, and she knew that. But she still had her doubts, even though she didn’t need to.
She heard the door open, bags hit the floor, voices in the hallway. Instead of getting up and going to meet him, she stayed in the bathroom. She hid the stick she still holding as well as the box and bag it had come in.
“Lisa?” She heard him call out.
She was worried. He was just getting to this part of his career and this could jeopardize it.
She got up and walked downstairs, forced a smile on her face, and hugged him and Rian.
“You guys are back!”
They immediately launched in to tour stories, she normally would love to hear. But right now, she was freaking out.
*
That night she decided she’d tell him.
They were laying bed, cuddling waiting for sleep to embrace them.
“Alex?” He smiled at her.
“Yeah Lis?”
She looked down at their interlaced fingers, the silver bands that adorned them.
“I’m pregnant.” She whispered.
He gasped. “Really?”
She nodded, still not looking at him.
“Well I haven’t gone to the doctors but I’ve taken like a million test and…” He cut her off with a kiss.
“This is great!” She finally looked up at him.
“Really?”
“Yeah of course. Why wouldn’t it be?” He looked at her quizzically.
“I-I don’t know. I just…the band and everything…” He cut her off once again.
“Who cares about the band? Besides we’re actually planning on taking a little break. Like a year, I mean we’ve been touring relentlessly since the beginning so we deserve it.”
She smiled. Things were working out.
*
Pain. A lot of pain. That’s all Lisa could feel. She could hear Alex’s voice as well as others. All saying something similar.
“Push. C’mon you can do it! Breathe.”
Then she felt something being placed on her chest and a “Congratulations! It’s a boy!”
She looked down at her little boy. He was finally here after such a long wait.
“So does he have a name?” She smiled up at Alex and he grinned right back.
“William Jack Gaskarth.” Alex smiled down at his son.
“Welcome to the world little man.”
*
“And now I’d like to allow our valedictorian to give his speech. Ladies and gentlemen, the valedictorian of Dulaney’s class of 2034, William Gaskarth!”
Will stood up to give his speech as his parents looked at each other.
“18 years.” Alex whispered. Lisa simply smiled.
After graduation, Will decided to hide out in his room, in a pillow fort with his brothers and sisters.
Alex and Lisa smiled watching their five kids together.
William, Bailey, Peter, Anna, and Ben were all crammed into the fort but were having a blast.
“We did pretty good didn’t we Lis?” Lisa smiled at her husband of 21 years.
“Yeah Alex, we did.”
*
“Benjamin Zachary Gaskarth do you take Jacqueline Noel Merrick to be you’re lawfully wedded wife?” Ben smiled as he looked into the hazel eyes of his bride.
“I do.” The pastor asked the same of Jackie.
“Ladies and gentlemen I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Ben Gaskarth.”
Lisa wiped away tears. Alex wrapped his arms around his wife.
“Our baby’s all grown up.” He nodded.
*
The 47-year-old man’s phone rang. He looked at the caller ID to see his daughter’s name flashing across the screen.
“Hello?”
“Hey Dad. It’s Bailey.”
“Hi sweetheart what’s up?”
He could feel her hesitation.
“Bailey?”
“Daddy I-I…I’m p-pregnant.”
The man couldn’t help the smile that was on his face as he heard this.
“Really? That’s great baby doll!”
He heard her laugh. He knew she was worried about his reaction. Even as a 25-year-old married woman, she’d always be a daddy’s girl.
*
“Alexander Gabriel Johnson! You need to stop running around and calm down.”
Alex laughed as he watched his daughter and grandson.
“B let him be. He’s just a boy.”
Bailey looked over at her dad. She shook her head.
“He’s 9 Dad. He’s gotta learn sometime he can’t just run around the house screaming and yelling. Plus, I think he’s been spending too much time with Uncle Jack.”
Alex smiled. His grandson did remind him of his best friend. Just the way he used to be at that age. A bundle of energy.
Who was he kidding? Even in his 50’s Jack was still like a 5-year-old who ate too much sugar.
*
“Mr. Gaskarth you need to take your medicine.”
“Not now Mary! Can’t you see I’m with my wife!”
The old man sat on the couch watching some movie with his wife.
A storm was raging on outside.
But they didn’t care.
They had each other, and that’s all that mattered.