Tears on the Runway

“Are you feeling okay?” Ben asked me for what felt like the millionth time as we sat in stiff airport chairs.

“I’m fine, babe,” I insisted again. It was partially a lie. Sure I wasn’t going to die, but the nausea had hit me hard. Nausea had woken me up at close to five this morning and hadn’t let up since.

We’d been sitting in this damn airport nearing an hour now. Today our friends and family were flying in from California. The rehearsal dinner was tomorrow and I was so stressed out over this wedding. It would be nice to have my big sister to help me out.

“Is there anything I can do for you?” Ben asked. His grip on my knee tightened and loosened, anxiously.

For a moment I mulled over the questioned. The nausea had seemed to take over my mind by this point and after several trips to the bathroom, I had exhausted myself. “Gingerale?” I asked, hopefully.

“Of course!” In an instant he was up and running into a nearby store. It was actually quite cute how much he cared.

Not even five minutes later Ben returned, slightly out of breath. He proffered a bottle of Gingerale and a package of Saltine crackers.

“Thank you, baby,” I told him, taking a pull from the bottle.

“Dai!” a shrill voice sounded from behind me suddenly.

“Sammi!” I screeched, hopping up too fast. I ignored the nausea that writhed my stomach to run at my best friend. “I missed you! All of you really!” I squealed as I spotted the others coming up oh her heels.

“Dai!” Danny came running up behind his girlfriend and engulfed me in a tight hug with his large frame.

“Danny boy!” I giggled as he lifted me off the ground.

“How’s my favorite girl?” he asked, earning a glare from Sammi. “Er… second favorite girl,” he corrected, setting me down on my feet.

“Ayy, back off, mate,” Ben joked as he approached me from behind.

More people had filtered in behind Danny and Sammi. Two familiar faces made me do a double-take. My grandparents. I hadn’t been certain that they would make an appearance at my wedding. Caitlin must have talked them into coming along.

Just as I noticed my grandparents my sister came rushing in from behind everyone to stand in front of me, scrutinizing me happily. “I can’t believe my baby sister is getting married!” she squealed and yanked my body against hers in a tight hug. She smelled of flowers, Caitlin’s signature scent.

“I’m so glad my big sister is gonna watch me get married to the love of my life,” I whispered into her hair.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she murmured back to me.

“You guys ready?” Ben called, breaking my sister and I apart. He had a smile and an emotion I couldn’t place on his face. Elation maybe?

I turned to look at him and gave a curt nod. It was just now that I had realized my eyes had gotten misty.

Ben had his mother’s minivan, but due to the limited seating we’d rented another smaller car. The band, Sammi, and Steph would ride with Ben and I in his mother’s car while my family was in the rental together.

“Tonight we should go to dinner,” Ben suggested once we were on the road. “Something simple before the rehearsal tomorrow.”

The idea was met with a chorus of agreement and Ben glanced my way with a subtle wink. Ben had run the idea by me this morning. At the dinner we were going to tell everyone that I was pregnant. Still the only person that knew was Bex.

The ride was fairly eventful. There was the constant hum of conversation as everyone in the minivan was speaking at once. It was nice being around everyone again and overhearing the many excited conversations from our friends.

It wasn’t long before Ben was pulling into the hotel parking lot. Ben’s father had offered to pay for everyone to stay in a hotel before the wedding, including Ben’s family and myself. Part of me felt like he only offered to apologize to his son for dropping his divorce on him right before our wedding.

“How do you guys do it?” Travis laughed when he exited the rental car. “Driving on the other side of the road feels so weird!”

“You’ll get used to it, mate.” Ben smiled, slipping an arm around my waist. “Alright, so what do you say everyone get settled and we’ll meet up in an hour and a half for dinner?” Ben asked the group.

After a tired chorus of agreement, everyone went their separate ways to their rooms.

“So,” Ben began when we’d arrived in our hotel room. “What do you say we break in the room… or the bed more specifically?” He gave me a suggestive wink, causing me to giggle.

“Hmmm…,” I hummed in thought, wrapping my arms around his neck. “I don’t know...” I let out another small giggle and gave him an amused smirk.

“Baby...” He bent to press a gentle kiss against my neck. Then another, trailing down to my collarbone before placing one on my lips.

“We’re supposed to meet the others for dinner-” I started, breathily.

“We’ve got an hour and a half, love,” he reasoned with a sweet smile on his face. One of his hands came up to cup my cheek in his hand.

I grinned at him and gave him my answer in the form of a sweet kiss.

Ben wrapped his arms tightly around my waist and he yanked me to the bed. We melted into each other as effortlessly as the first.

~~~

“You guys are late!” Caitlin informed us in a sing song voice.

“Blame him!” I giggled, shifting the blame to my fiance with no explanation.

“Will do!” she joked and sent a playful glare to Ben.

Ben raised his hands in mock surrender and sank into the seat next to me. Everybody had already been seated around the table, my family and Ben’s alike along with all of our friends.

Sammi looked at me over the table, a knowing smile playing over her lips. She raised an eyebrow. There was a question in her eyes.

I didn’t answer, instead averting my eyes as heat spread over my cheeks. That was probably all the answer she needed.

Thankfully, a slightly overwhelmed waitress stopped by to take our orders. She made her way around the table slowly and the left with the promise that our food would be out shortly.

“So,” Ben cleared his throat. Everyone that sat around our table their attention to him. “While it is nice to have everyone together and for my family and my lovely bride’s family to finally meet, there’s another reason we asked you all to dinner tonight.” Ben flashed everyone with that Cheshire cat grin that he only got when he was extremely happy.

“What is it, dear?” Ben’s mother question, confused. The rest of the table shared generally the same expression, even my grandparents. I didn’t even expect them to care.

“We have an announcement,” he started and then turned to look at me quizzically. “Do you wanna…?”

“Sure,” I murmured softly. A bubbled mixture of excitement and anxiety caught in my stomach and throat. I took Ben’s hand in mine under the table before I spoke up, louder, “I’m pregnant.”