Choosing Life

Chapter Thirty Three

Carlos sighed as he brushed a bit of fur from his suit jacket, unknowingly mimicking the same actions that Mal had done before her own wedding. He couldn't believe the day was finally here, the day where two families would be one. The day where Jane would finally become his wife.

"You nervous?" Clay asked as he poked his head in, Diego and Rodger Radcliffe copying him. Carlos knew Rodger was acting as almost like a father of the Groom, even if in his own mind, that role belonged more to Clay than it did Rodger. Not that he'd ever tell the musician that. He and Anita were kind enough to look after him, even be his guardians when he first arrived in Auradon when they would have been well within their rights to say no, they wanted nothing to do with him.

Hell, they offered their Dalmatian Plantation up as a wedding venue for free; something both Jane and Carlos accepted in a heartbeat even though Carlos still had money from the sale of his mother's fashion empire's resources to Evie...and Evie making him a silent partner in Evie4Hearts. He took 20 percent of the profits, Gil took another 20 percent as the first male seamster which had allowed Evie to branch into Auradon male fashion, and Evie split the remaining 60 percent evenly with Dizzy and Doug.

Rodger had said that family doesn't make family pay, and they were Carlos' family.

"A little," Carlos told Clay.

"Well don't be," Clay said as everyone walked into the room. "Everything's perfect, even the weather's decided to be nice and have the humidity be non existent today, a rarity for July. Your wedding is going to go off without a hitch and then you'll be off on your honeymoon, doing things I don't need to think about my little brother doing."

Carlos snorted in amusement, causing Clay to smile as he heard that. It honestly was amazing, how much Carlos had changed over the years...and how much Clay wished he had been there to see it for himself.

His normally timid brother would have never stood up for himself and yet one of the first decisions Carlos had made about his wedding was that he was going to wear a black tux.

"The groomsmen can wear whatever color they want," Carlos had told him. "But my colors are red, white, and black. And I am tired of letting Freddy pervert my color from beyond the grave! He had his claim on it long enough!"

And Clay had to admit, his little brother looked good in black.

"Looking good cuz," Diego chuckled. "Jane's going to be gobsmacked when she sees you."

"Thanks," Carlos said with a small smile. "Are you sure you're okay, Diego? Weddings can't be easy for single people—."

"And if I was single, I'd be miserable but suck it up for you...plus my band's playing," Diego said. "Just so happens I'm not single...she just has to stay on the Isle for a smaller reason. Well actually...two smaller reasons."

Clay frowned as he looked at his cousin. Yeah it was still odd having family from his mother's side he could trust but Carlos wanted Diego here, so Clay was going to make it happen. "What do you mean?"

"It's probably better to tell Gil this after the wedding but...Locklyn's pregnant," Diego said, looking over his shoulder in case the best man walked in. "Yzla wrote to me to let me know why she wasn't coming, she doesn't trust Zevon or Maddy not to throw vials at Locklyn and of course Matt, Zevon's kid, might get in the crossfire and Yzla adores that kid..."

"I get it," Carlos said, giving his cousin a small smile while trying to prevent himself from wondering who the father of Locklyn''s kid was. After all, there were a few Rats, Zevon, possibly the Gaston twins, and the Stabbington cousins remaining on the Isle. "I hope she's able to come over soon, I know that might be weird for someone who was a Warf Rat to say especially about the leader of the Casters but if she makes you happy, Diego, then I don't care."