Sweet Home Arizona.

I woke up the next morning around 8:30, only getting about two hours of sleep. For some reason I just could not fall asleep. My mind was racing the whole night and it was driving me absolutely crazy. All I could think about was this stupid wedding and all the things that could possibly go wrong and things I just didn’t want to talk about.

I got up from the couch and made my way into the kitchen. Even though it was still early in the morning, I really needed a shot of Jack... Okay, maybe a couple shots of Jack. I’m sure there were other ways to deal with nerves and everything that was going on in my head, but Jack was my best friend at the moment.

After indulging in one, okay five shots, I was feeling a little better. I looked over at the stove and saw that it was almost 9:00. I had to meet my mother and the rest of the bridal party in 30 minutes and I still had nothing ready. I didn’t have my honeymoon bags packed. I was still in my pajamas. And I think

I may have misplaced my wedding dress. “Fuck me.” I groaned.
After 45 minutes of looking high and low for my wedding dress and being harassed by text messages from my mother, I was now on my way to the hotel. I couldn’t help but shed a few tears as I left my apartment. I mean that would be the last time I ever slept in the living room or got drunk in my kitchen.

That little loft in Manhattan was where I basically grew up into an adult. I wiped away a stray tear as all the memories kept flowing back into my memory. Now I was going to be living in some huge house with 10 or more rooms and a staff of 30. Was I really ready for the high society life. I kept assuring myself I was but in the back of my mind, it kept telling me that I wasn’t worthy of such richness. I grew up in a two story house in Tempe, Arizona. My parents worked their asses off for that house and I never grew up with people waiting on me. I didn’t want my future children growing up that way either. I wanted them to know the value of a dollar and that you have to work for everything you get.

I think that’s the thing I loved about John the most. Even though he grew up with hard working parents, who provided him and his brothers with whatever they wanted, he still worked his ass off to become the success he is today. He didn’t have people handing him tools on how to become a rock star. Jon made his own money and that’s where him and Luke differed in more ways than one.

I soon felt the limo jerk to a stop, signaling that I was finally at the hotel. I collected all my things and assisted myself out of the limo with the help of the driver of course. “Congratulations Ms. King.” I looked at the elderly driver and smiled. “Thank you.”

As I walked through the lobby doors, all I could think about was running away from all of this and just becoming a cat lady on a deserted island. Becoming a cat lady was probably a lot more stress free than being someone’s wife. Hopefully, the closer I actually get to the ceremony, the less nervous and scared I will be.

I stepped off of the elevator and walked into the bridal suit. I could hear my mother’s voice all the all the way down the hall, yelling about how late I was. When I made my appearance in the room, everyone’s attention was now placed on me. “What?” I asked nonchalantly.

My mother turned around and gave me her famous scowl, “Do you realize how late you are Mason?” She yelled through the room. “I have been calling you since early this morning but did you care to answer; no of course not. And after your little hissy fit last night, you should be ashamed of yourself.” I rolled my eyes as her reaction and walked into the living room area. I really didn’t want to hear her bitching right now. She continued to go on about how I made a fool of myself in front of not only my family but also Luke’s family. I really didn’t need to hear all of this crap right now....

“The party has arrived!” The sound of my younger sister’s voice rang through the suite. At least one of us was actually happy for today’s events. “Is Mason even here or has she ran off to Jo-” She stopped mid sentence when she finally saw me. “Oh, hey Mason.” She walked over and wrapped her arms around my waist. “I’ve missed you so much.” She said sweetly as she held onto me. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at her antics.

“Okay smartass, that’s enough.” She pulled away and smiled. I loved my sister to death but sometimes I just wanted to strangle her. “So did you get the dress I sent over this morning?” She quickly nodded her head and showed me the bag that contained the new bridesmaid dress. The dresses that Lillian had picked out were just hideous and not appropriate for my 16 year old sister too wear. I also didn’t want Dylan wearing anything scandalous either since her son was going to see her in the dress. I still had yet to tell either my mother or Lillian that I switched the two dresses, but it’s my wedding day so why should it matter?

“Mason, you need to be in hair and makeup right now.” My mother yelled from across the room. “Taylor, quit messing around with your sister and get your ass in gear.” My little sister turned toward my mom and gave her a salute. Sometimes, even though she’s one of the biggest smartasses i’ve ever met, I wished I could have Taylor’s attitude. Whenever someone broke her heart or made her feel worthless, she would simply brush it off and not worry about it. I have no idea where she gained that much inner strength, maybe she got it from our dad. As for Dylan and I, well I could handle my emotions to an extent but I eventually had a breaking point. And ever since Dylan’s been little, she would cry about anything at the drop of a hat. We definitely got that from our mother!

“Mason Lauren King, get your ass out of daydream world and over to the hair and makeup chair.” I looked up and saw my mom standing above me. I let out of a sigh and slowly walked over to the chair. Could this day go by any slower...

John’s POV
I woke up the next morning with one of the worst hangovers I’ve had in quite a while. Trying to drink the memories that Mason and I shared was really starting to take a toll on me mentally and physically. I looked over at the clock and saw that it was nearing 10. I had heard through the grapevine that Mason’s wedding was set to begin at noon, so I guess I had better get prepared. The guys had left earlier this morning, saying that they wanted to get breakfast and do some other stuff before the wedding began. I however told them that I would be on my way back to Arizona by the time Mason said “I do.” I didn’t wan to them going to the church and telling Mason of my plans. Hell, I was still unsure about what I was going to do in the first place.

“Fuck me.” I rolled out of bed and stalked over to the bathroom. Smelling like a bar was definitely not going to help me win back Mason. I wanted to be able to show her that I was no longer the man I used to be. I wanted to be able to show her that I could be responsible and not always have my brain focused on work or what kind of alcohol I would be indulging in.

After showering and picking out an appropriate outfit for the wedding, I was officially ready to get my girl back. My plan was to barge into the hotel and let her know what a fuck up I had been in the past and that from now on out I will always be there for her and never let her down. Seems like pretty good plan right? Oh who was I kidding, my plan pretty much sucked. I was never the type of guy that could barge into a place and sound authoritative. My luck, I wouldn’t even be able to get into the hotel...

Mason’s POV
Everything was finished. My hair was great, makeup was perfect, and the dress looked magnificent. I was officially ready to get married. This was the moment I had been waiting for, months of planning and here it was.

I felt a hand reach my shoulder, “Oh Mason, you look absolutely gorgeous.” I looked into the mirror at my mom’s reflection, seeing the tears begin to spill out of her eyes. This was the first time in a long time that my mom was actually being nice to me. After the whole ordeal with John and everything else, things between her and I were very rocky. I knew she just wanted what was best for me but I, like her, was too stubborn to listen. “I love you more than you will ever know Mason.” Her voice quivered. “I always want you to know that babydoll.” She placed a kiss on my forehead.

I let out a shaky sign, afraid I was going to lose it any minute. “I love you too mom.” I wrapped my arms tightly around her neck. I couldn’t remember the last time that ever happened. I wiped away a stray tears that was threatening to spill from my eye. “Okay, I think it’s time to get you to your wedding.” My mom said smiling. I think she knew in the back of her mind that I didn’t really want to marry Luke anymore. She knew that spending those days with John in Arizona had finally done the trick. The only thing was, she was still making me go forward with the wedding.

John’s POV
“So you know where to go right?” I nodded my head at the woman’s question for the hundredth time. “Make sure you get her there on time or else people will start to talk.” Mason’s aunt was also the type to keep going on about something. “Do you understand all that?”
I gave her a smile, “Yes ma’am.” She patted me on the back and walked back over to the hotel entrance. Once I knew that she couldn’t see me anymore, I made sure to make sure I looked convincing one more. I mean I didn’t want to get noticed, especially by Mason’s mother or even worse Mason.

“Okay, so the driver is going to drop you off in front of the church in 30 minutes.” I looked over at the source of the voice and if felt like my heart had stopped beating. Mason stood not even 20 feet away from me looking absolutely stunning. I felt like I was stuck in a trance just looking at her. "Make sure the driver takes you to the right place." Her aunt stated taking a glance at me. Mason simply rolled her eyes and started walking over to the car. I couldn’t take my eyes off of how beautiful she looked. I mean, she looks gorgeous any day of the week but today she just looked absolutely stunning. “Are you okay?” I snapped out of my trance and saw Mason was now standing in front of me. She had a look of confusion and concern written all over her beautiful face. I gave her a simple smile and assured her that everything was fine. “I’m Mason by the way.” Her voice was so angelic.
I reached my hand out and accepted her hand shake, “Nice to meet you Mason.”

Mason’s POV
As I was shaking the driver’s hand, I couldn’t help but feel a spark between us. I did not know this man from Adam and i’m sure he had no idea who I was. He probably really didn’t even care who I was either. I let go of his hand and watched as he quickly opened the door. “Here ya go.” He handed me his hand and helped me into the sleek Bentley. I felt kind of weird riding around in such an expensive car.

I’m pretty sure I could buy like three Range Rovers for the price of this one. The driver hopped into the seat and started up the engine. I guess this was it; no looking back now. I waved goodbye to my sisters as the car drove onto the street. I knew today would be the only time I would get to see them without having to fly out to Arizona, something Luke would protest. I guess Luke figured that if I went back to Arizona, I would be seeing John and things would happen.
"I have to say, you are the most gorgeous bride I've ever seen." I looked up at the driver and gave him a smile. "Thank you." If Luke was with me, he would have thought the driver was flirting with me or something. At least Lillian hired a nice driver instead of a prick. "So, what's your fiancé's name?" The driver causally asked.

"Luke. Luke Johnson." I answered slowly. I could feel the drivers eyes lurking on me as we were stopped at the red light. I could tell he was itching to ask more questions but didn't want to seem nosy. "How did you meet?" Maybe I should take back the thought of him not being nosy. "We, uh, met in college. He came up to me in the library and asked if I wanted to grab a coffee with him." I said staring out the window. "I guess we instantly hit it off after that." The driver slowly nodded his head and continued driving to the church. For some reason I just wanted to continue telling him my life story but I knew that would be weird. It would be weird for him since he didn't ask to hear it and it would be weird for me because I didn't even know the guy. "Was he your first love?" I simply shook my head no. "Of course not. No one truly marries their first love." I looked down at the engagement ring that adorned my left hand. It was a huge diamond ring that costs a bundle. I could still remember the engagement ring that John had given me. It was a tiny, little stone but it held so much love. It didn't matter how big the diamond was or how expensive it was. All that mattered was that we loved each other. "My first love, well he was something else." I chuckled. "He was the greatest guy besides my dad to come into my life. He was funny, crazy, caring; he was basically the whole package. He was a wonderful father to our daughter. When she got sick, he never left my side and was grateful for that."
I hadn't noticed that the car was stopped and the driver was just sitting there listening. "Is something wrong?" I asked. "Sir?" The driver pulled off his hat and locks of brown and blonde were now showing.

The sunglasses were the next to go and I immediately recognized that beautiful face. I let out an audible gasp and bright my hands up to my mouth. "John?" He turned and looked me straight in the eyes. I could see the sadness just pouring out and into my soul. "What- what are you doing?" I was so confused. He was supposed to be on his way back to Arizona right now. He wasn't supposed to be my chauffeur. Why was he my chauffeur anyway?! "Mason, you have to listen to me." He said calmly. How could he be so calm right now? "You can't marry this guy." I rolled my eyes at his request. Is that all he had to say! For the past couple weeks that's all he's told me. He never gave me a real reason as to why I shouldn't marry him. It was like I was supposed to just take his word for granted and trust him.

I gathered up my bouquet and started trying to get out of the limo. "What are you doing?" John asked frantically. I ignored his questions and opened the door. "Mason, wait." He quickly got out of the drivers seat and stumbled over to me. I had to admit, he was looking pretty good in his outfit. No! You can't think that right now. "Mason would you just listen to me?" I slammed the door closed and turned to him. "What am I supposed to listen to, John? Are you going to finally explain to me why I shouldn't marry Luke or continue telling me just to trust you!" I yelled. He pulled his fingers through his hair and sighed. "Why can't you just trust me, Mason? Is that too hard for you fucking do!" He yelled back. I crossed my arms across my chest and stared at him.

I could not believe he would do such a thing like this. He should have known when he revealed himself to me that it wasn't going to be a peaceful hello and a ride off into the sunset. “I just don’t understand why you would want to marry a guy that just wants you as a trophy to show off.” John announced. He pulled out a cigarette and quickly lit the stick. “If you really want to live that kind of lifestyle, then by all means go for it.” I shook my head. What did he mean by me just becoming a trophy wife for Luke? I was nowhere near being a trophy wife. Hell, at this point, I wasn't anywhere near to being anybody’s wife. “Mason answers me this question; do you honestly want to marry Luke?” He asked stepping closer.

“Do you want to have children with a guy like him? I know for a fact that once you marry Luke, you will become just like him. Your future children will be spoiled brats and you will never be the same Mason ever again.” He was right in front of me, staring me down with those gorgeous, green eyes. “Do you really want to raise spoiled brats and be some rich, snobby bitch?” I looked down to the ground. “ I know for a fact that the real Mason would never act and be like that." In the back of my mind I knew that John was right but I didn’t want him to know that he was right. “I swear sometimes you just don’t think, Mason. It’s like once you set your ways, you become a moron.” Before I knew what I was actually doing, my fist collided with John’s face.

“Fuck, Mason!” John yelled, making me jump. I didn’t even realize that I had hit him so hard until I saw the blood pouring out of nose. “What the hell is your problem?!” He continued to yell. I had only punched John a handful of times, but I think this is the first time I ever made him bleed. “I’m sorry.” I murmured.

“Maybe if you didn’t call me a moron and say I never listen when I actually do, you probably wouldn’t have a possibly broken nose right now.” I stated. Even though there was a tissue covering his nose, I could still see him rolling his eyes. I looked down at my phone and saw there were about 20 missed calls from my mom and sisters. My wedding was supposed to have started 10 minutes ago but you can’t have a wedding when the bride is on the side of the road with her ex-husband...