Footsteps for a Bride-to-Be

January 19th, 2012

There were only a few days left before I would be a married woman. Michael and I were spending the last few days in Baltimore doing the finishing touches of our upcoming nuptials before our flight to Hawaii with some of our family members and entourage. There was going to be a run through two days before the actual event of our lives, but we had to go there early - from the advice of our Wedding Planner - so that there wouldn't be anything to delay us from going to Hawaii.
I couldn't really believe I was already getting married, and it was quite a surprise after Michael woke me up one morning with a sudden realization that we were already at the point where we could count the days with our fingers. We weren't aware that it'd make time go heck of a lot faster, despite having a lot of things to do without keeping up with the time. And after days of constantly being on our feet, going here and there as well as keeping close to our son, Michael and I usually collapsed each time we touched our bed. Though I think that he really needed more sleep since he spent half his day in the pool and the rest with me, and I wasn't cutting him slack as I was as stressed with all the wedding stuff I was left to do while he was away.

Our flight was early in the morning, fortunately, Baby Phelps cooperated and let his Parents sleep during the flight over the country. My Family were going to catch up later during the day while Michael's Mom and Sisters caught the next flight afterwards. Our entourage from Groomsmen to Bridesmaids were arriving in the evening as their commitments held them back for the day.

7:40am - Hotel Wailea

"Back here again," I yawned as we entered the hotel room. I held onto Baby Phelps, cradling him in my arms as he slept so soundly. Michael chuckled tiredly as he closed the door, watching me enter the bedroom where I placed our son in the cot that we rented out. He twitched and made a noise that he was going to wake up, but with a switch of position, rolled onto his tummy and fell asleep once more.
Michael placed our luggage on the side, just opposite the closet and he tossed himself on the bed, his eyes shut tight as he muttered, "Babe, this bed comes second to our bed at home."
I joined him not long after, my eyes half-closed as I stared at his face. "We don't have to go anywhere yet, so let's have a little snooze," I whispered, reaching out to his cheek, caressing his skin. He already fell asleep, and I didn't even have time to talk to wake him because I joined him not long after.

And hour or two later, I woke up with a sleeping Michael, he shuffled on his back with his head facing the other way. Some time in between, he took off his shirt and slept just in his shorts. I sat up and turned to Baby Phelps, and he was still sleeping too, but he must've woken as he too was on his back with only his shorts. I think my fiancé helped the baby settle so I could sleep.
I smiled at the thought.
I slowly slid off the bed, quietly walked out to the door and made sure there wasn't any noise to wake both the two guys in the room. I made it to the living room to find my phone, rummaging through my bag and taking out a few things before I finally found mine and Michael's phones. I looked at his one to find he had a few missed calls from his Mom and Bob, while I had a few messages. I read through some of them, but a majority of them were from my Parents checking in on where they were. There was one from Lia and another from Lindsay the Wedding Planner, who said she touched down and checked in.
There wasn't really much to do until everyone's arrived, so I sat back down, my head leaned back against the sofa as I closed my eyes again. I think that when the time came for me to walk down the aisle, I think I would be really nervous, the thought of being walked down the aisle by my Mom and Dad and meeting Michael at the end made me whimper. I felt loose tears ease down the side of my face, quickly wiping them away in embarrassment, even though I knew Michael was a sleep.
Well, I thought he was.
"Are you okay?" I heard him from the back, and it wasn't long before he took the seat beside me and leaned his head on my shoulder. I couldn't open my eyes if he saw me tear up like that. I sniffed and tried to ignore him as I felt his hands try to shake me up and get my attention, and knowing him, he was like that until he got my attention.
"I'm awake," I mumbled.
"Then why aren't you looking at me?"
"Do I need to look at you?"
"Yes," He directly grunted. His fingers pressed against my cheeks as he turned my head towards him, but my eyes were still closed. "Look at me," He continued to plead, his tone made me purse my lips together to try hide a smile. "I know you're going to crack a smile. Let's do it, hurry up."
I pursed my lips harder.
"Look at that," He chuckled as I lost from the constant pushing.
I opened my eyes and met with his sparkling brown eyes. The curve on my lips proved that he could beat me when it comes to persistence. "Why do you always do this to me?" I sighed in defeat, my head lazily still leaning back against the sofa, we were both mirroring each other's position.
"Because you look more beautiful when you smile, that's what made me fall in love with you."
"Why are you being so dramatic?"
"Why are you asking all these question?" Michael sat up, straight and proper, tugging me after so that we could still meet eye to eye. "I don't think you need to be reminded that we're going to be married soon."
I laughed weakly and rubbed my eyes. I couldn't really lean close to him to give him a kiss because our son decided it was time he cried and interrupted his Parents in their moment.
"Well, he lasted this long?" He teased and leaning in to peck my cheek and disappeared from my sight.

11:40am - Private Resort, Hotel Wailea

A few hours later, when my Family and Michael's Family were in Maui as well as the Groomsmen and Bridesmaids, we were moved to the 15 acre resort that we reserved for the next two weeks. It dug deep into our pockets and making holes as we went, but we also wanted to have the tight privacy knowing how well the media could take snapshots. The hotel room we were in earlier the day was reserved for the two days before our wedding for the women in the entourage, and that meant being apart from my fiancé and son for two days. Michael and Baby Phelps were going to stay in the resort with all the other guests who paid to stay in a room there, and that also included my Father, Step-Father and Brothers as well as a few swimmers were in the list and their partners. Coach Bob and Family were in the list and his Agent, Peter, too. The Fulton Family as well...

Wow there were a lot of guests.

I lay in the bed where Michael and I were going to stay prior to being separated before our wedding, and it was where we would be sleeping after the wedding. At the moment, Baby Phelps was with Whitney and her kids while they ran around with the big space the resort had, so I lay there for quite some time, my eyes shut tight as my legs dangled from the edge of the bed. My thoughts were everywhere, and I was holding onto two books, hugging them close to my chest as I waited for the Olympian to come back from dealing with the room arrangements with his groomsmen at the other area of the resort. The bridesmaids were all busy at the spa, a treat from me to them so I could spend time with Michael before we have a big lunch with everyone who has already arrived.
A yawn escaped from me as I sat up and opened my eyes, staring at my engagement ring with a big smile, the diamond sparkling from the light peeking through the window. "I'm getting married," I muttered under my breath, confused on how I got to that point starting from writing books. I placed the two books onto my lap, looking at the titles and my smile curved wider. Even my writing has changed, it has evolved and I did catch on that it has matured. This was the another chapter in my life, but this was going to be the last book I would be writing that features my relationship with the US Olympic Swimmer, Michael Phelps.
"Well, look how far we got, Sweet Cheeks."
I looked up from the books and met eye to eye with a pair of brown eyes. They were soft, warm and loving, his smile reflected the same as he stood by the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. "As much as we try to keep our lives private, especially for our son, I really don't think you noticed how open we actually are when those books went out," He added. "This last one will probably be a masterpiece."
"Do you really think so?" I questioned, my head tilting to the right like a puppy, and a small amount of air puffing out from between my lips out of the sudden pressure oozing into my head, because even Fulton had said the same thing after reading the first few chapters.
Michael walked towards me, going down to the ground and kneeling between my legs and moving the two books to the bed, he then reached out and wrapped his arms around my body as he looked up at me with puppy eyes. "I'm happy you wrote all your thoughts out," He whispered. I placed my hands on both sides of his face, caressing his skin with my thumbs as I kept my gaze strong onto his. "Do you remember when you came clean about your first book?"
"Yeah..." My voice faded. "You were kind of mad and thought that I was with you just because of the book, which I kind of did," I sighed. My heart ached at the thought of how cruel I sounded. I was such an ass.
"Do you remember what you did and what you told me to help me agree to this?"
"Um, I'm sure I cried and couldn't do anything, I didn't even say anything..." I tried to recall what happened, it was quite some time ago. I fell quiet for a bit, Michael's light chuckles echoing through my ears as I am guessing that he's reminiscing too. I returned my attention back to him, my fingers combed through his brown hair as I finally recalled what happened that day. I parted my dry lips and answered, "Well, baby, I went home after our argument, you came over no longer than thirty minutes later, knocking like a crazy person at the door. Lia wasn't home, so I had to open the door. We continued to fight for a bit before I threw the folder that had the draft copy of the book. I locked myself in my room, you went home-"
"-I read those chapters and I realized that your feelings were as strong as mine," He proudly finished as he knew he had to knowing that my voice was beginning to get shaky.
It was because I knew that I did hurt him for writing the first book without his permission, but after a talk the next day, he told me to continue writing and let him read the first book ever because that's where he understood me most. Those two books that remained on the bed were his copies, he had me kiss them with lipstick and write a private message, and he's held them dear since he received them. And apparently it was because I hardly ever opened my thoughts to him on the first two years we dated, but he said I had evolved and became more open with him. I never wrote that part in the book because Michael didn't want it in there as he told me it was a private memory for him to reminisce to in his own time.
A reminder that I did love him.
"I'm sorry I emotionally exposed you," I sobbed, trying so hard not to let my tears come out, but it resulted to having to close my eyes tight. It wasn't long before Michael's lips pressed against mine, he lightly pecked my lips a few times, wanting me to kiss him back. I felt him gently pressing his body against mine and we both landed on the bed, my lips parted from surprise and he took the advantage to make our kiss a lot more passionate. My arms wrapped around his neck, his arms wrapped around my body and pulling me closer as we continued to kiss. The tears fell down the sides of my face as I pulled away and sniffed.
He rolled to the side, not letting me go, but I felt him stare at me. "This reminds me of that day," He said softly, his fingers trailed down the side of my face and brushing away the hair that blocked his view. "You were so vulnerable, and I never felt more protective of you. You know that that was the moment I realized that I was certain I wanted to spend the rest of my life looking after you," He went on.
I rubbed my eyes and finally gathered enough confidence to open my eyes and look at him. I really couldn't deny that when I met his gaze, my heart pounded hard inside me.
"I really hate seeing you cry."
"I really hate letting you see me cry," I stammered.
He shook his head. "You know that I'll protect you, Anne. I'll protect you and our little guy." His thumb swept away the loose tears that managed to drizzle down. I sighed and felt a bit at ease, pressing my hands against his chest, I felt his heartbeat, it was pacing at a steady beat, but it was punching strong enough for me to be able to feel it.
"Are you sure you want to marry me?"
The Olympian's goofy grin appeared in an instant, and that followed with a snickered as I stared at him with a serious expression. I waited for him to finish as he finally replied, "Heck yes. And you better be meeting me at the end of the aisle. You better not have cold feet."
"What if I did? What if I turned into Julia Roberts and became the runaway bride?" I filled his head with questions that was making his mood the other way, his lips pursed together and his brows furrowed as he muttered, "You better be joking, right?"
"What if I’m not?"
"Shut up, Anne," Michael hissed and began to wriggle his fingers at my sides, making me giggle at how much it tickled. I couldn't stop him as he went on, which led to something else. It reminded me so much of how we flirted and played around in bed every time I slept over his place when we were in Ann Arbor.

I really did hope that I wasn't having cold feet.

3:00pm - Resort Reception Area

"My little guy," I greeted Baby Phelps as we were finally reunited after a couple of hours away from him, and I did miss him so much, despite being a bit distracted for most of the time by Michael. I gave the baby a big hug, snuggling him as he also gave me the same amount of love in the embrace. He missed me just as much, even though he spent most of his time with his relatives.
"My little family." My husband-to-be's big arms wrapped around Baby Phelps and I. He leaned his head against mine and we stayed that way as he took a front-camera photo through his phone, he took a few with different facial expressions - except Baby Phelps, who waved his arms and shared his drool all over of the two of us. Michael skimmed through the photos on his phone and grinned, looking proud at what was on his screen and showed me the best one. "I am marrying one heck of a woman and we have one good looking kid," He complimented so proudly.
I agreed, nodding my head. "Well, look at that," I started. "I'm thinking you're threatened by your own son."
"Don't say that out loud," He played along as he tucked away his phone in his pocket and took Baby Phelps from my hold. He beckoned to the baby and asked, "But don't you think we look the same?"
"Nowadays, yeah?" I teased and tapped both their noses and left the two alone.

I was forced to leave them alone. I had to go deal reunite with my bridesmaids, their faces looking so relaxed as they piled up one by one into the reception area of the resort. The same place where we would have the wedding reception, but there wasn't a lot of decorations or any settings just yet because we didn't want any surprise to be ruined. I made sure that Lindsay the Wedding Planner kept her word, we had to pay for a storage room in the hotel just for the sake of hiding everything.
I met with Lia first. "My best friend and sister from another family," She greeted me with her arms tossed around my neck and her body weight adding onto mine. She wore a loose blouse and shorts, but her hair was down and her face looked very relaxed. Though I wasn't really jealous, I was relaxed my own way. And I knew she noticed because her face looked smug as she smirked. "Babe, you're a bit more relaxed than the three of us combined!" She said it quite loudly.
Tiffany and Jessica giggled and joined the huddle without hesitation. The Brunettes clapped their hands together and began to tease me, their eyes and grins were so devious. It reminded me so much of our days in the Ice Cream parlour in Ann Arbor where the four of us worked, and I never expected to have gotten so close to the Brunettes after years of working with them. I swear that all we needed to be complete was our flirtatious male worker, Jesse. Though we would be reunited the moment he arrived the day before the wedding, and we were planning to do a gathering to do a mini reunion.
"You know Lance told me that something interesting today," Brunette B, Tiffany, suddenly spoke out of the blue, causing Lia to take a step back and give the two brunettes a curious look. "You know how Lance lived under the same roof as Michael for a couple of months, maybe a year," She began, and I knew exactly where it was heading. "And how Anne occasionally sleeps over, right?"
Jessica squealed, but covered her mouth so no one else would join in on our conversation.
I reached over towards Tiffany, struggling to cover her mouth as she hastily revealed, "Lance said the two of you were such passionate lovers, and that he's happy that the two of you are finally getting married."
"Oh dear me," Brunette A gushed as she gave me a big hug.
My cheeks were burning, they were glowing red and I fell speechless.
"I- Wow- Haha-" Lia couldn't form a sentence as she couldn't stop laughing, as did Tiffany as they all gave me a hug. There were so many hugs today, and I didn't know why, I did fall suspicious.
"Can I ask?" I muffled from beneath Jessica's hair.
"Shoot!"
Their gazes were at me, and I had to take a step away from Brunette A so I could speak up. I looked around and see if anyone was listening, but everyone was busy doing their own thing. I returned my attention to the three women, and I then asked, "Did something happen? Why is everyone giving me hugs all of a sudden? Can you guys please tell me if Michael said something?"
They exchanged looks. Lia was the one who nodded, turned to me, her hand patted my shoulder and explained, "Before we went to the spa package you sent us to, Michael caught up with us and asked if we could keep you as relaxed as possible and make sure you are distracted enough to keep away from your overthinking thoughts. He's thinking that you're getting worried about your upcoming nuptials."
"He sent us a text just before we came here and asked if we could keep you calm, because you made him worry that you were getting cold feet after you joked about being the runaway bride," Tiffany ended.
"I am actually getting cold feet," I admitted.
"You shouldn't." The three of them said at the same time. Tiffany shook her head and slightly furrowed her brows as she placed her hand above her chest. "Babe," She sighed. "When Lance and I had that massive break up that everyone knew about, I was guttered. Deep down I thought we were really going to work, but we stopped talking."
"That's true, she was depressed!" Jessica had to add her two cents in.
Brunette B rolled her eyes and continued, "But when he contacted me again, having our chat and the sudden proposal, I was overjoyed about saying yes that I never realized what I was agreeing to. And the day of our small wedding, even with you ladies there, behind the scenes, I was distraught and panicking in my room and in my wedding dress. I hyperventilated, lacked confidence and worried that what I was doing was the right thing to do. Then guess who walked into my room by accident?"
"Sorry about that-"
"-No, Anne," She smiled. "You came in, needing to go to the bathroom, but instead, held it in just to lend me an ear as I went on and on about my worries. Then you asked me why I said yes if I wasn't sure in the first place. You helped me understand why, boosting my confidence to walk down that aisle. That's why I'm here to support you, babe."
I began to whimper. I sniffed and became lost for words.
"So I should be asking you the same question. Why did you say yes?" She crossed her arms with a smile.

I paused, thinking about the same question. The question rang through my mind.



January 26th, 2012

11:30pm - Hotel Wailea

Lying in the bed with the sleeping Lia beside me, I couldn't sleep. I stared at my phone for quite some time, staring at the pre-nuptial photos of Michael and I when we were last here in Maui. I smiled at how much he was happy, he told me that he felt like we were getting married despite it being just a photo shoot, which came with the package in the resort. I trailed the curves around his face with my fingers for every photo, and each time I did so, I flicked to the right to go back to the older photos.

Michael and I haven't seen each other for two days as we had to separate on the 24th, a bit earlier than planned because my bridesmaids paid for a package deal as a gift and relax me. The deal also pampered me and be prepared for the wedding. Though throughout the time, I missed my two handsome men in my little family, they were together and were bonding while I was away. Some photos were sent my way from Derek, Owen and Chris, taking secret photos to document for me, and every single photo that appeared in the screen were of Michael spending more time with Mitchell than his groomsmen. They even complained about it due to the fact they flew out there and were separated from their partners, expecting the Olympian to give them the amount of time they hoped. Instead the three drank beers, Michael sipped here and there and took responsibility of Baby Phelps instead of having his Mother or my either one of my Parents take care of our son.

"Hmmm..." I slowly rolled out of bed, grabbing the nearest bath robe to cover me as I was only in my night dress, and it was slightly chilly inside the hotel room. I tucked my phone into the bath robe pocket and snuck towards the lounge area. Turning the nearest lamp on and picked up the card I planned to give to the Groom an hour before the wedding ceremony. I bought it the same time as Michael bought his card, we chose it together and we planned to write it together, but I have avoided writing in the card and had excuses to avoid answering Michael whenever he asked me about them.
To this date, it was still empty, because I didn't know what to write.
But thanks to Tiffany reminding me of what I asked her, I knew exactly what to write. I grabbed the fancy hotel pen and opened the blank card, and I stared at it for a while, thinking of the right ways to start the message I wanted to share to the man I am going to spend the rest of my life with.

Tomorrow was the big day. I became more excited than before!