The day of the wedding was finally here. Jack was getting ready in one of the rooms from the second floor. They were getting married in an old house, specially rented for this occasion. In the back of the house, there was a garden that seemed lost in time. The leaves of the trees were falling and turning from brown to red. The pale roses were contrasting with the dark green of the bushes. The ceremony was going to take place there. White ribbons adorned the place and everything was looking ethereal. No chairs. They had invited just a few people and they wanted to keep everything really personal and intimate.
Jack was checking his outfit in the mirror, he wasn't able to fix his bow tie. He knew Veronica loved that tuxedo and that's why he was wearing it today.
Maybe, the reason he wasn't doing a good job with his bow tie, was that he was thinking about all the troubles they had to endure to made it to this day. He was nervous, but not exactly because of the wedding, he was keeping a secret and now he was getting anxious.
Suddenly someone knocked at his door. He groaned and then he headed to the door. It was Andrew.
"We have a little situation downstairs." Andrew opened, taking a few steps inside the room.
"What?" Jack said and he sounded sullen.
"Veronica's parents are outside. What the fuck are we gonna do, man? If Veronica knows that they are here, she is gonna flip out! You have to do something, dude." Andrew said.
Jack walked towards the mirror and he kept trying to fix his tux, getting annoyed that he still hadn't gotten it right.
"I invited them." Jack confessed not looking at Andrew. He was annoyed with the tie, but he spoke calmly.
"What?!" Andrew was in shock. "Why did you do that?"
"Veronica needs her parents, even if they hate me, man. I don't give a shit about what they think, I'm not going to try to win them, but they wanted to be here, even if they are not happy about me. I went visit them a few weeks ago and I had a serious talk with them. I said that they have every right to feel what ever they want to feel about me, but they should come... for Veronica"
"Veronica is gonna kill you, Jack." Andrew added.
"Maybe. She's gonna be pissed for a hour or two, but she won't regret having them here. Trust me." Jack patted him on the shoulder and headed out.
He went through the hallway, to find Veronica. She was getting ready along with Ryder. He stood by the door for a few minutes, he was a bit concerned, but he had to do this. This was the right thing to do.
He opened the door and she was there in front of the mirror, Ryder was fixing her hair.
"What the fuck, Jack? You can't see her yet!" Ryder said loudly, standing in front of Veronica, hiding her from view.
"I need to talk to you, Ve." he took a few more steps closer to her.
"Come here, Jack. I don't believe in this whole 'It's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding'. We aren't doing the traditional thing."
"I'm going to step outside. I'm too pregnant for this shit." Ryder said, walking out the door.
"Not quite."
Veronica was starting to freak out.
"What did you do, Jack? Spill it."
"I invited your parents... they are downstairs."
Veronica's heart stopped and her jaw fell from the surprise.
What had he done?
Veronica stood up. She had to face this. As much as she didn't want to.
"I'm going down there to talk to them." she said. "Alone." She looked up at Jack. "You stay here." She kissed him on the cheek and walked out.
Jack sighed, thinking about the conversation they'd had.
"So what can we help you with today, Jack." Veronica's father said. He didn't even put his newspaper down, just peered over the top.
"I came to talk to you about Veronica." He said.
This made her dad take notice. He put his newspaper down and looked yup at Jack. "Sit down Jack." He said
They talked for a while. Jack told them everything. He told them how much he loved Veronica. How she had given the ability to love again. How she hadn't planned on inviting them to the wedding because of him.
"I love her. I can't let her walk down that aisle without you guys there. You don't have to like me. It isn't going to hurt my feelings. This is about Veronica." He said. He set the invitation down on the coffee table in front of them. "I've taken too much of your time. But I hope you guys will come. I know she will be a mess if you aren't there for her." He stood up. "Thanks again for hearing me out."
Jack snapped back to reality and headed downstairs to wait for Veronica.
They didn't talk long, but Jack knew it was good when they stepped out of the room hugging each other tightly. Jack smiled and Veronica walked over. Her parents smiled at them as they headed out to the garden.
"Ready to get married?" He asked smiling.
"I am so ready." She kissed him on the cheek and whispered 'Thank you' in his ear.
The wedding was perfect. Just like Jack and Veronica wanted. They enjoyed great food, they danced, ate cake and pie and just had an amazing time together. Jack had never been happier. A year ago, he never thought he was going to love again. Now he was getting married.
When everyone was gone, the two of them sat by the empty pool. They were holding hands. Veronica put her head on Jack's shoulder and whispered to him "I love you". She sighed and they kept quiet until the sun rose over the horizon.
