You Got Me Poppin Champagne

ERIN'S POV

Alex was sat to my left on the long table dedicated to the wedding party, his band mates next to him and then his parents. My mother had eventually agreed to sit at the table with us but looked incredibly uncomfortable. My bridesmaids, of course, were sat to my right and then my mother. Jasey had a high chair which was situated between Alex and I. I smile brightly at her, seeing our future in her eyes. The mind of a child, all those hopes and dreams, all those fairy tale endings that aren't impossible to achieve, the beautiful fragile strength that shrouded an infantile imagination. I wanted this future to work for her. Alex and I had got off to a good start, now we just had to make sure we would continue, but I had faith in our relationship. My faith was confirmed when Alex glanced at me mid sentence talking to the band, and smiled. Everything I needed to know was in that smile.

So I knew that whatever was wrong with me...he would be there. He would get me through it. But I pushed the thought to the back of my mind, falsifying the world a little to fit in with the only reality I wanted to experience. I didn't want to feel like I had this morning, it was probably nothing, and as Alex had pointed out, stressing about the babies would only harm them. I stroked my bump carefully, as if the slightest touch would harm them. I had three children to look after. Yes, two were unborn, but I was a mother. I fixed my gaze back on Jasey who stopped smiling when she saw the focused expression on my face, and frowned, reaching out to somehow hold my hand in her small one.

At her touch, my worries seemed to melt a little and I managed a smile again, a smile that was expected from the bride on her wedding day, and I stroked her cheeks and kissed her forehead, letting her know her mommy was okay. I didn't know what I would do without Jasey. She was everything to me. I loved her. She was my daughter. The most important girl in the world, and no one could say any different. My little treasure. I didn't want her to ever feel the hurt I had been through, I wanted her to be happy. But for her to be happy, I had to be happy, right? I was her mother, she needed me to be strong for her, to guide her, she needed to look up to me, while it was Alex's job to protect her and be the one who could make everything okay. I liked how parenting relied on both the mother and the father. Neither was more important than the other. It was an equal balance, constructed from unconditional love. Well we certainly had that, I thought to myself, and my smile grew. 

I took another glance at my mother. She was rocking back and forth, chewing her bottom lip and fumbling with the table cloth. She must be so scared, handing herself in. But I wouldn't be able to stop her, and I guess part of me was glad. As much as I understood how hard it had been for her, she still hurt me. And the part of me that still hated her for putting me through that was still there. She never came to me when she needed me. She never tried to get out. She just let it happen. And that was what hurt me the most. She wouldn't fight. But things always happened for a reason. 

ALEX'S POV

"So yeah, it was an interesting day," Jack said, as the whole wedding party dried their eyes from tears of laughter. "But seriously though, Alex is pretty much my brother, and sometimes my lover, sorry Erin," he said with a wink as I rolled my eyes. "I've never seen him as happy as he is with Erin and Jasey, I can only compare it to how I know I feel about Allie and Shane. So I know you guys will make it. The fact that Erin still hasn't stopped being a fangirl kinda confirms that she'll always love Alex, because he's still her favourite member even though she actually knows me now, and who could resist this? No, sorry, not appropriate with mine and Alex's kiddies in the room. You guys have a wonderful future ahead of you, I know it. You were both searching for something and you both found it in each other. If that's not a relationship that can only grow, then I don't know what is. So a toast, to Alex and Erin, to their future, to their children, present and soon to be. To their happiness."

The guests all stood to make the toast, and I was honestly touched. I think that was the most seriousness I'd ever seen in Jack. As he sat back down, I rubbed his arm and thanked him. He gave me that goofy smile of his and ruffled my hair.

Great. Now I had messy hair. Fuck you too Jack. 

My father then stood to make a speech, seen as Erin's mother wasn't going to take the role, and said sweet things, from the heart, I'm sure, about just how much of a daughter Erin had become to him and my mother, and how much they loved her and how happy we were together, thanking her for getting me on track and giving them Jasey Rae. I'm sure I agreed with all the wonderful things he was saying, but I didn't take half of it in. I was too busy watching Erin.

The way she caught her bottom lip between her teeth, how the pink blush crept it's way in her cheeks, how her eyes lit up with something else when she laughed, how one side of her mouth pulled up a fraction more than the other when she smiled, the way she absentmindedly stroked her baby bump from time to time, and smoothed Jasey's hair down without knowing it. How the gold band that matched mine glistened on her left hand, as if it had been waiting for its place there for decades, and now it was home it couldn't stop basking in the vibrancy of the love I felt for my wife, every emotion I poured into that ring and into Erin's heart and gave myself over completely. I had never felt this way before, nor imagined that I ever would feel this way. I'm pretty sure I surprised the fans too. Although they were gonna get a good few songs out of this. They should be happy! But they always were, weren't they? When it came to the band. They were always there for us through the good and the bad, laughing and crying with us, even though we had never met most of them. It was just another branch of unconditional love, I guess. You see, it wasn't just that we were everything to them, they were everything to us too. That was why I would still tour, despite hating having to leave Erin and the kids behind. Because if it weren't for our fan base, we wouldn't have been able to tour the uk, Erin wouldn't have even been a fan, and I wouldn't have met her. And we wouldn't have this.

An outburst of applause erupted around me, pulling me away from my thoughts. I turned my head to see a few tears in Erin's eyes as she smiled and stood carefully to hug my father. He patted her back and whispered something in her ear, some kind words, and sat back down. Oh. I guess his speech was over.

"Alright guys, it's time for the bride and grooms first dance!" Jack announced, and gave Rian the cue to let the band in that I had hired, unknown to Erin.

I smiled sideways at her as she shot me a suspicious look. And then her eyes widened as she saw the band we had playing for us. "Oh my god, Alex, you didn't!"

I chuckled and pulled her onto her feet, supporting her, and lead her to the dance floor. "Ah, but I did," I whispered into her ear as Rascal Flatts began to play Bless The Broken Road.

She giggled as I pulled her close for us to dance more intimately, so I could feel her heartbeat against mine, whilst being careful of our growing children. "Alexander William Gaskarth. I love you so much. I really don't deserve you," she whispered as others began to join us, but not disturbing our solitary paradigm of happiness.

"That's where you're wrong. I don't deserve you. Or Jasey. Or the two on their way. But I know with everything in my heart that I'd never give you up. I'm selfish like that. Looks like you're stuck with me. You well and truly put a spell on me, mrs Gaskarth. I love you, and there's no turning back now." I felt her arms tighten around me as she buried her head in my neck.

"Is it bad that I just fangirled so much when you called me Mrs. Gaskarth?"

I laughed softly at her, and shook my head. "Nah, I'm used to it by now. Besides, the fangirl in you has a lot to look forward to at thus reception, you are gonna have a field day."

I was right though. Because halfway through the night, after Erin had her father daughter dance with my dad, the band and I took over and cleared the dance floor so we could play poppin champagne for Erin. And then we let Rascal Flatts take over again as we stripped off our tuxes revealing our vests and shorts, and started doing the infamous poppin champagne dance, much to everyone's amusement. Erin even covered Jasey's eyes when we thrusted on the floor, but she couldn't hide her laughter. 

And okay, yeah, so when we got back to the honeymoon suite, which was three times the size of the last room with an even bigger bed, fireplace and soft, white furnishings, we didn't tear each others clothes off. We had a bath together, to warm ourselves up on the cold December night, and I spent a lot if time washing Erin, which in sure we both enjoyed, then changed into pyjamas and crawled into bed, huddled in each others embrace with the fire blazing.

"Fuck, Alex, it's freezing!" Erin complained as she snuggled closer to me.

"I know, I guess this is what we get for a winter wedding."

"I told Cass the same thing before she arranged the wedding with Rian...why didn't I take my own advice?"

"Maybe because you couldn't wait any longer to marry the super good looking charmer you see before you?" I asked innocently, as she rolled her eyes at me but grinned.

"Yeah, maybe," she mumbled as our lips pressed against each other for an exchange of passion. When we broke away she had a worried look in her eye.

"What? Are you okay?" I asked her, unsure of if I had done something wrong.

"I just...I feel bad. I mean, we only just got married and we can't even consummate the marriage because my stupid body would decide now would be a good time to allow the pregnancy to make sex painful. I just don't feel like a very good wife right now."

I shook my head at her as I caressed her cheek. "Erin. You are perfect. We can just look forward to that part later. How many times do I have to tell you, I don't need sex to keep me happy. I just need you here. It's enough, it really is." At that, she smiled, and it would have been a perfect night if it weren't for a very apologetic Zack bursting into the room with sincere eyes and tales of an event that destroyed Erin. She wasn't even allowed to be happy for that one night. Part of me wondered how much of her I lost that night.