Inside These Arms Of Yours

"Which terminal is it again?" Val asked as we entered the San Diego airport in Matt's escalade. Matt was in the drivers seat with Val riding shotgun and me in back. Jimmy was behind us in his huge pickup truck since the escalade didn’t have enough seats for everyone plus all of their luggage.

It was five in the morning and I was already starting to feel the nerves of the day kick in.

"Terminal one." I stated as Matt nodded and turned into the parking area. We parked in the sixty minute parking and got out of the car but not before Val stopped and gave me a huge hug.

"You're gonna be ok today you know that? Everything is going to be smooth sailing and by the end of the day you're going to be the happiest girl alive." She pulled away and held me at arms length as she winked.

The corners of my lips tugged up into a smile as I saw the happiness that was already in her eyes. "I know. But it wouldn’t be my wedding day if I wasn’t nervous or scared." She chuckled and nodded before turning and linking arms with me. We followed Matt and Jimmy, who were decked out in sweatshirts, hats and sunglasses, inside and waited near where my family and Will would be coming out from.

I could feel the butterflies in my stomach already start to fly as I stood there thinking about what today would bring. It was supposed to be a gorgeous day weather wise. Everything had worked out perfectly. Zacky along with the others were already up and at the beach getting everything ready for the ceremony. The companies we had hired for decorations and such had already started on it yesterday so today was just last minute things. I hadn’t seen Zacky since last night. Brian had drug him into his and Michelle's beach house for the night and Val had joined me in mine so I wasn't alone. I had a feeling I wouldn’t be seeing him until the ceremony this evening.

The ceremony was going to be held at four in the afternoon while the sun was still up and the reception would follow in the main beach house. I had been surprised when I saw the layout of the area. We basically had our own little village of houses for the wedding. Each couple had their own smaller house and then there was one main one for the reception. The main house had steps leading out and down onto a small wooden run that eventually led to the sand where the wedding party would stand. The wood spread to either side of the run so that there was a firm surface for chairs for the guests to sit on. So far everything had gone according to plan. I just hoped it stayed that way.

I watched as people came trickling out of the hallway from the gates but still didn't see my family. Matt and Jimmy were hanging back so as not to get noticed by fans while Val stood by my side. It seemed like the entire music world knew of our wedding. There had been articles in just about every magazine as well as snippets on Fuse and MTV even.

I watched as a group of teenage girls walked past us but stopped to do a double take. Oh here we go. Their eyes got wide as they looked at me and Val. I could hear Matt and Jimmy snickering behind us and I bet they had not been noticed yet or there would have been yelling and screaming. I pretended to be looking around and stopped my gaze on them. A smile found its way to my lips as they headed in our direction.

"Umm hi. We just wanted to say good luck today. I bet you're pretty nervous." One of the girls spoke up in a quiet voice.

"Thanks. I am a little but I think I'll manage." They grinned and each gave me a hug shocking me before they turned and waved to Val before scampering off in the direction of the baggage claim.

"Damn girl! I'm the one that's been with them forever and yet you get all the hugs!" I blushed and shrugged. "And if you two don't stop back there I'm going to call you both out pretty soon." The snickering from the guys stopped as Val turned to glare at them.

I turned back to face the hall and my eyes lit up when I spotted the pink hair tips that belonged to my sister. My mom had finally caved and let her be like me. I grinned as I took off and waved at them. Karissa was the first to spot me and she bolted in my direction before engulfing me in a hug.

"Kaaaatie!" She squealed causing me to laugh. She let me go and moved onto Val whom she had met on her trips out here. I hugged the rest of my family and noticed that my mom was already starting to cry. Oh dear. She stepped next to my dad to let me finally get a good look at Will.

He sheepishly grinned at me as he stood there. I placed my hands on my hips while I gave him a good once over. He hadn't changed much over the years. He still stood around six foot tall. His sandy hair was still a mess as it always was and his blue eyes shone in the light. He had adorned some muscles over the years and the addition of a wedding ring topped off his appearance.

"Well? Are you going to give me a hug or what?" He laughed before stepping forward and grasping me in his arms.

"It's good to see you Kate." He whispered in my ear.

"You too Will. You too." We pulled away and I saw that my family was now conversing with Matt, Val and Jimmy over by a window. "Zacky's not here. But I'm sure the guys will introduce you to him later on." He nodded and rested his arm on my shoulder as we made our way over to the group that had now formed.

"Matt, Jimmy, Val, this is Will. Will these are three of my closest friends. Matt and Val are dating and Jimmy's girlfriend is back at the beach with everyone else." Will stepped forward to shake hands with Matt and Jimmy and received a hug from Val as well. I had told them ahead of time that there was to be no hostility toward him after the phone call and they agreed. Zacky on the other hand had me a little worried.

"Nice to meet you guys." They nodded and grinned. My family had already met the guys on one of their pre-wedding visits and already felt at home around them. Kyle and Johnny sure got along well and for that I was very glad. I could only imagine how hard it is being a teenage guy and having older guys not want anything to do with you. But the guys were good with Kyle and enjoyed having him around, especially Johnny.

We retrieved their luggage and headed out to the parked cars before loading the suitcases into the back of Jimmy's pickup truck and climbing in. Myself along with my mom and Will were riding with Jimmy while the rest fit into Matt's car.

I let Will sit up front and I rode in back with my mom who was still struggling with tears. My dad had informed me that she had been a wreck all week since her 'baby' was now getting married. I wrapped my arm around her and asked if she was alright.

"Oh hun I'm just so happy and sad at the same time. You've grown up and I now get to send you off with Zack to start your own family. But I am so happy for you two." I saw Jimmy and Will chuckling in the front seat and glared slightly at them in the rear view mirror.

"I know mom, I know." She blew her nose gently and I smiled sadly at her. This was going to be a long day.

***

I felt like I was the bride running around like a chicken with her head cut off. I had been out to the beach to make sure everything was set up just the way it should have been. I had stopped by the caterers to make sure everything was there, the flowers were correct and were all where they should be and the rings were still safe in our room. I was determined to make sure nothing went wrong today. It seemed like everyone was in high gear though, it wasn’t just me.

As I was rushing to go check on the dresses I was grabbed by Leana who I had almost just run right into.

"Woah there. What's the rush?" She quirked an eyebrow at my frazzled face.

"I just… I'm going to… I need to breathe." I think she sensed that I was serious and immediately sat me down on one of the folding chairs that were placed around the reception area of the beach house deck. I rested my elbows on my jean clad thighs and set my head in my hands. This was all starting to feel like way too much at the moment.

"What all have you been doing today?" Leana reached out to take one of my hands in hers.

"To be honest, I've been doing everything! I just… I think keeping busy is keeping my mind off of my nerves." I looked at my nails that had been painted a bright blue to match the accents on my dress.

"Oh hun. You need to relax or you're going to over work yourself before tonight. So since I've never had the wedding nerves why don't you and I go grab a cup of coffee and chat. You look like you need it." My lips opened and let out a sigh before I nodded and stood up. She pulled out her cell phone and made a few calls telling people where we were going. She said the last thing we needed were people thinking there was a runaway bride.

"Hi Katie and Leana. Where are you two going?" I smiled as Brian's younger sister McKenna came skipping out of Brian and Michelle's room. She was going to be our flower girl and you could tell she was ecstatic about it.

"We're going to go get some coffee." Leana smiled back.

"Oh! Can I come? Pretty please?" Leana looked to me and I nodded letting her know it was fine with me and she told McKenna yes. The squeal that came from the young girl's mouth was one of excitement and it made me laugh. She sure was a cutie. She turned on her heel and opened the door to Brian's room back up before sticking her head in.

"Brian! Zacky! I'm going with Katie and Leana to get coffee! Bye!" She shut the door and it wasn’t even a second before it opened back up and Brian stood with a skeptical look on his face.

"Oh. So she really is going with you two. You sure you don’t mind?" Brian filled the door with his body as he spoke.

"Yeah Bri it's fine. I just need an outlet for some of these nerves is all. Figured coffee would work best." He gave me a sympathetic look and a nod before coming out and shutting the door. He opened his arms and I stood in his embrace for a minute. His lips touched the side of my forehead in a comforting kiss.

"You'll be alright. I promise." I gave a weak smile and nodded my head once before stepping back. "Have fun getting some caffeine."

"Oh we will Brian! Don't you worry yourself! Tell Zacky I said bye." McKenna chirped in. For only being ten she sure was full of energy and had the Haner attitude as well.

Brian laughed as he waved and went back inside. We began our walk to a small coffee shop that over looked the beach. It was quite cozy and small yet had a very comforting feeling to it. Leana ordered some coffee for us both and McKenna got a hot chocolate. Leana figured the poor child didn’t need any more energy than she already had.

"So what are you worried about hun?" I looked down to the coffee in my hands and shrugged.

"Just everything I guess. It’s the typical pre-wedding nerves. What if I'm not a good wife? What if Zacky doesn’t like being married? Is this what I want with my life? To be a rockstar's wife? I guess there's just a lot of questions and I'm nervous."

"Zacky's nervous too." My ears perked up as I turned to face McKenna who had a knowing glint in her eyes. "He said so. I heard him and Brian talking. He said he's scared of being a husband. What if he's not good enough for you? What if he disappoints you? He said he's really scared but that he loves you very much and can't wait to be your husband. He also said that you're perfect in every way for him and he can't imagine spending his life with anyone else." Leana grinned as McKenna finished speaking and then she turned to me. Her eyes held a hint of amusement at what the young girl had said. I found it funny how the little sneak had been listening in to Brian and Zacky's conversation.

"Well it looks like you're not the only one who's nervous. But you heard it straight from the girl's mouth. He can't wait to be your husband and you're perfect for him in every way. You are going to be the most amazing wife for him. If you could last while dating him I'm sure being his wife won't be much different."

"That's true. I guess I just feel out of place because we're the couple that's dated for the shortest amount of time and yet we are the first to tie the knot. And thank you McKenna. It's nice to know I'm not the only half that's nervous." I reached across the table and gave her an overdramatic high five.

Leana looked at her small silver watch before grinning at me. "Well it looks like it's just about time to head back and get the bride all sexied up for her groom."

"Ohhh! Does this mean I get to put my dress on finally?" McKenna's eyes lit up at the thought of getting to get dressed. Mine on the other hand were filled with nerves.

"It sure does hun. Let's get Ms. Katie here back and make sure she doesn’t pass out on us first." I stuck my tongue out at Leana as the three of us stood up and left the small shop.
McKenna's flip flops smacked the ground as she skipped the entire way back to the villa. Leana had linked her arm with mine, insisting that it was incase I fainted on her which I am proud to say didn’t happen. Leana's phone started ringing as she pulled it out of her pocket to answer it.

"Hey hun… Yeah we are back now… How's Zacky doing?... That's awesome… Yeah she's okay… Alright I'll let her know… Love you too." She flipped it shut and turned to me as she opened the door to the main beach house.

"So Jimmy says that Zacky is doing awesome. And he also said that they all love you very much." All I could do was give a weak smile as I began to feel overwhelmed once more. People were bustling by in the room but Leana expertly steered me through the mass of people and into a dressing room of sorts. All of the girls were gathered inside already. There were several racks of dressed that had been rolled in and several hair stylists and make up specialists were stationed throughout the room.

I could barely breathe seeing as the second I walked in the door I was engulfed by hugs from everyone. I was sort of staring out in a daze as people started chatting to me about how it was getting so close and how gorgeous I was going to look.

My mom and Val both caught my glazed over look and led me to sit down. It took me a minute to get out of my daze but once I did I stood up and went over to the dress rack. It held a generous amount of blue dresses and one white dress; my white dress. I picked up the wedding gown that I had picked out and held it at arms length admiring it. It was a gorgeous white gown that was strapless. It had a long train and had a bright blue bow around the middle so I would be matching my bridesmaids.

Val came over and took the dress from my hands before taking it off of the hanger. "Alright lady. Take these into that bathroom and change. Then come back out." I raised my eyebrow as Val handed me a white corset piece for under my dress. If it weren't for her I bet there would have been tons of things forgotten today. She's been my other brain. The corset was the one I had bought with her not too long ago. The plan for tonight was to wear this under and then change into one of the black pieces I had purchased with her way back when we had first met. One of the ones I had been saving for this day. And now it was here.

I took the outfit, or lack of, and headed into the bathroom to change. I pulled the corset on and the thong as well. I then slid the garter on which felt funny on my leg to be honest. I grumbled at the fact I would have to walk out like this. I looked around and spotted a hand towel that would serve as excellent cover. I took the towel off of the rack and wrapped it around my lower waist before exiting the bathroom.

The room looked like it had erupted in mass chaos. The girls were all putting their dresses on with the exception of Val who was tapping her foot apparently waiting for me. Some were already dressed and were seated in make-up or hair chairs. Those not apart of the bridal party were running around doing who knows what. All I knew was that this was chaos above anything else.

Val threw her hands up as she spotted me and looked skeptically at the towel causing me to blush at my embarrassment. She just sighed and shook her head as she led me over to where my dress was now hanging. I took a minute to look the dress over and realized it looked sort of skinny. Was I really that thin? Looking down to my stomach I highly doubted it.

"That's not going to fit me." I insisted with a slight hysterical tone to my voice. "Oh gosh. My dress isn’t going to fit right. It's going to be altered wrong. It'll be too big in the boobs and too small in the waist. I just know it. I can tell!" Val's eyes rolled slightly at my rant before she turned me to face her.

"Katie. Listen to me. The dress is going to fit perfectly. Relax girl. You went to the altering, nothing has changed since then. Now give me that stupid towel and we'll get you into it to prove I'm right." I could feel my heart racing as I handed Val the towel and she reached over to unzip the backside of the gown. She held it out for me to step into and I did. She helped me tug it up so it was resting in the right places. She tugged the zipper back up and then turned me to face her.

Everyone paused whatever they were doing to turn and look at me as well.

"Woo! Someone is looking extremely sexy over there!" I blushed at the comment from Lacey from across the room. I tried to turn and look in a full length mirror but Val was having none of it. She sat me down in a chair and someone dashed over to start on my makeup. It was simple, the way I liked it. Black eyeliner traced around my eyes and mascara was coating my thick lashes. Blush and foundation had made its way upon my skin and cheeks and a hint of glitter was placed above my eyes.

Val then led me over to a hair dresser who took a good thirty minutes doing my hair. But when it was done it looked amazing. My hair was pulled back partly into a clip that was also attached to the veil. It was all curled lightly and my blue tips fell across my shoulders. I couldn’t help but grin at the final product. I opened up my jewelry box that had been brought in and put on a pair of diamond earrings that Zacky had gotten me awhile back. I then pulled out a matching necklace to the set and slipped it around my neck.

"Val! Can I look in the mirror now? Please?" She grinned as she pulled her own maid of honor dress off of the rack and winked before nodding. I walked the length of the room to where the mirror stood. My eyes took in my appearance and I just about died.

"You look gorgeous Katie." I saw Karissa step up beside me in the reflection. She was looking stunning in her own bridesmaid dress as well. "Damn girl! I wouldn’t be surprised if Zacky faints on the spot when he sees you! You look fucking fiiiine!" I could always count on Leana to lighten my mood. I gave off a light laugh realizing that I did look stunning today as I surveyed myself once more.

"You look so pretty Katie!" McKenna skipped by in her own flower girl dress before she trotted off to Suzy who was going to do her hair for her.

"Thanks McKenna!" I called after her. "I just can't believe I'm getting married. It feels so unreal. It seems like only yesterday I was dealing with his smartass comments at the beach about me. We've come a long way." I said to the two of them. Karissa's eyes held excitement while Leana's held amusement.

"Katie not only are you getting married, you're getting married to a tatted, pierced, crazy, loveable, insane rockstar." A fake glare made its way toward Leana before the three of us laughed.

Speaking of the aforementioned rockstar, I wonder how he's holding up right about now.