The morning of the wedding, Jac forced Fletch into a new suit. She dressed herself in a stunning emerald dress that was practically a gown and slipped on a pair of heels. Evie managed to take a few pictures of the pair, against Jac's wishes.
"We need to go, Emma will need help getting ready. I have no idea why Jonny insisted on her staying there last night, it only means things are going to take longer," Jac grumbled as they made their way to the car and started the journey to the venue.
They arrived at 11:30, and the ceremony was scheduled to start at 12 so they were already stretched for time. Jac asked for directions at the reception, rushing off to find Emma and telling Fletch that she'd meet him in the chapel as soon as she could.
Fifteen minutes later, she took the seat beside him with a smile and reached for his hand. The two remained sat like that, their hands intertwined and curled close to one another, as the ceremony began and Emma walked down the aisle proudly, scattering rose petals.
Jac's cheeks were met with a tint of colour as she watched her little girl with the pride only a mother can really know.
They barely paid attention to the ceremony, losing themselves in their own heads as vows were said and rings were exchanged. It was a miracle that Jac got through the entire thing without falling asleep, and yet here she was dragging herself through it like the well-behaved ex that she was.
Despite their masterful and ingenious plans of sabotage, Jac had settled simply on being there with Fletch, not drawing attention to herself but making sure that anyone who dared to look saw a woman who was entirely happy in her new and improved life, free of Jonny Maconie.
"Drinks!" Fletch suggested as soon as they arrived at the reception, making a beeline for the bar and leaving Jac to lurk by the door and wait for his return.
"Jac Naylor, as she lives and breathes!"
The redhead snapped around at the sound of a familiar voice, smiling warmly as she pulled Mo into a hug. Suddenly, the entire affair seemed just a tad more bearable.
Fletch came back five minutes later to find the two women deeply embedded in conversation. He rolled his eyes, wondering what Jac had even been worrying about, and approached them to pass Jac a glass of Merlot.
"Fletch!" Mo exclaimed happily, pulling her old colleague into a quick hug before releasing him. "What are you doing here? I didn't think you and Jonny ever got that close!"
"I'm playing plus one," he admitted with a grin, hoping she would catch the hint and skate right over the topic. Not a chance.
"Oh my God! You two? I never saw that coming in a million years! Jac Naylor with five kids, God knew that day was never coming!"
Jac quickly made her excuses and hurried off to find Emma, taking Fletch in tow. Emma was sat on her new step-mother's knee, eating a bar of chocolate much to Jac's dismay if the meal was supposed to start so soon.
She whisked Emma up and cuddled her, making a fuss out of how well she'd done coming down the aisle. No matter what this day was, Emma was going to enjoy herself if it was the only thing that Jac could ensure.
"Jac, I just wanted to thank you for being such a help today," Jonny offered sincerely, and she glanced up at him for only a moment before returning her attention to Emma. "Well the meal's set to start in 5 minutes so we'd better get to our seats."
Fletch stepped in, persuading Jac to leave Emma and return their table.
Luckily their table seemed to have been saved for all the people who didn't want to be there, all the people that they didn't really expect to turn up, so they had it to themselves apart from one old woman on her own who snuck out as soon as the food had arrived, and she could stash it in her handbag.
"I told you this wasn't going to be a complete disaster, apart from the floral arrangements and the bridesmaids' dresses, I'd say everything has been quite easy on the eyes," Fletch joked as they ate. "Are you glad you didn't try and ruin it now?"
"I am glad Emma had a good day, and I'm glad that some other poor soul is stuck with Jonny for the rest of her life now. That doesn't mean I don't regret listening to your advice and being reasonable," she answered, sipping her wine. "He finally got what he always wanted."
"What do you mean?" Fletch asked, slightly lost in what she was saying.
"All he ever dreamt of, the perfect little family, the big white wedding, the textbook happy ending. A few false starts but he got here and he did it," she mused, accepting in her head that she hadn't ruined him.
"You'll get it too, Jac. Not the perfect little family and the big white wedding and the textbook happy ending, that isn't your style. But whatever it is you're looking for, whatever that secret dream of yours is that you're still too scared to admit to anybody, you're going to get it," Fletch vowed and her heart melted.
If he had asked her to marry him right there and then, she couldn't have said no...wouldn't have. He was right, happy endings weren't her scene; her life's goal had always been to become the best cardiothoracic surgeon in all history, but that wasn't her dream. Her dream was something much simpler, and it seemed almost infantile but all she wanted was a place that felt like home.
The speeches happened. Everybody started dancing. Jac and Fletch grabbed a tired Emma and said their goodbyes. The drive home was quiet.
Jac let herself smile a little as she fell asleep in bed that night, this was her happy ending. Jonny wasn't the only one with that kind of luck.
