Love Letter

Perfect.....

December 20th......

Darling Tom,

I know as I write this, you are right next to me, sleeping. So why am I writing? Because, my darling, I want you to have this to hold onto. This definitive expression of my love for you.

You see, although tomorrow we are to be married, I just want to take a moment to tell you here and now, whatever happens in the next few months? I will regret nothing. Not a moment, not a glance, not one single kiss.

Tomorrow... no, actually, it's today now, you become my husband..

I still can't really quite believe it. Not quite a year ago, I wrote my first letter to you. Now? Now I am to marry my soulmate, my best friend, my - and I know it's vastly overused - my rock.

Tom, you came into my life at the worst possible time. You changed fear into bravery, despair into hope, and loss into love. Then? All I could see was darkness and loneliness.  Now? All I see is light and love. Our love.

Today, Tom, is all about family. Yours and mine. It's about the future. Yours and mine. One day. It will be about children. Yes, yours and mine.

Tom, my vows were simple, for a reason. I knew I wouldn't be able to say any more. Hence this letter. When you read it, you'll see.

I will always love you, Tom, just a little more than the day before and a little less than the day to come.

Whatever the future holds for us darling, I know now we can face it together. You and Me. Like a little gang, but a really, really small one.

All my love,
Mrs Alison Hiddleston xxxxxx

She folded the page and slid it, not in an envelope this time, into the pocket of Tom's suit. His wedding suit. 

Blue, naturally, three-piece with a beautiful cream rose in the button hole. It had been delivered that evening along with her bouquet, which now sat in the cool of the kitchen, ready for the morning.

Her dress hung on the wardrobe in its bag.  She would get ready all bar the dress, and after he left with Chris, Emma would help her into it.

Ali looked at him, still sleeping soundly. The picture of contentment.  It had been a hard few days, lots of discussions, lots of tears and lots, and lots of hugs.

In the end, she'd decided to give it another go. After that? Let nature take its course. If she fell pregnant and the cancer returned, she would wait till the baby came to do anything more.

Life, they'd decided, was too short to wait for perfect circumstances.

She put out the light and lay back.  She could hear murmuring from the guest room, Emma and Diana chatting about tomorrow, no doubt. She smiled. It was going to be a perfect day.  Just Tom, her, Chris, Elsa, Emma and Diana - oh and Tom's dad. She'd be meeting him for the first time at the ceremony, but that didn't matter. He was Tom's dad, of COURSE she'd like him!

Tom stirred slightly and slid his arm over her, nestling into her neck. "Ok?" He murmured sleepily.

"Perfect," she breathed and closed her eyes, "just perfect."

The next morning, that was a concept that was hard to remember.....

"WHAT THE FUCKING HELL ARE YOU DOING?" She screamed at him. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE!!!"

"Alison, love, please just listen to me. I  didn't mean to upset you...."

"ITS MY FUCKING WEDDING DAY, YOU.. YOU THOUGHTLESS ARSEHOLE! GET! OUT!!" She screamed and slammed the door, turning to lean on it, tears coursing down her cheeks, breath ragged.  How? How could he? How could he think this was acceptable.

She sank onto the floor, arms wrapped around her knees, head on them. Sobbing hard, she let the misery wash over her.

"Come here, little one," the soothing arms wrapped themselves around her, the voice calming her. "It's ok, it's all going to be ok."

"Really?" She looked up, mascara trailing down her cheeks, hair straggling down from the jewelled clip. "He spoiled it, spoiled my perfect day."

Tom sighed, "well darling, its actually OUR perfect day and I say - to quote your favourite word of today - fuck him. If your father can't support you when you need him, he can fuck right off when you don't."

She looked up at him, a tiny half smile on her stained face. "Say that again?"

"Which bit?" Tom looked at her puzzled.

"Say 'fuck'?" She giggled a little now and colour flushed into her cheeks. Tom laughed.

"I have said it before, you know." He smirked and squeezed her to his side, "but just for you? Fuck, fuck, fuck" he whispered in her ear. "And later I'll show you what means..."

She stood up slowly, putting out her hands and helping him off the floor.  "Hot. Very hot. " she winked and kissed him. "Come on, you need to get your suit on. Chris will be here any minute. And I need to sort this mess out!" She circled her face with her manicured hand.

Tom smiled and kissed her. "We could skip the ceremony and just go to the Honeymoon? More specifically, the Honeymoon nightt?" He growled, and she groaned.

"Stop it, you.... you devil! I can resist everything but temptation, and God knows you're my temptation." She smacked his butt and shooed him away. "Go. Dress. Now!"

He saluted and lunged away upstairs, two steps at a time.

"Showoff!" She yelled after him.

"Jealous shortarse!" He called back.

As the jealous shortarse watched his car disappear to the registry office, she smiled and turned to her bridesmaid.  "Ok, let's get this show on the road.."

Emma paused. "Can... can I just ask something?" She looked almost scared, and Ali felt a twinge of fear.

"Of course?"

"Who... what... was all the shouting... I mean, we heard the words, we were coming in from walking Bobby, it's just...."

"Oh Emma, I'll explain later, I promise, but suffice for now, it was my Father. Not my Dad, he doesn't deserve THAT respect, but my biological father. He'd gotten wind of the marriage and had come pretending to be all loving and caring and wanting to give me away! Bloody cheek of the man."

"Oh. I see." Emma shook her head. "Ok, forget him, let's get you dressed."

Ali hugged Emma tightly. "Thank you, thank you so much. I do love my sister - sisters - so much.  Sarah will get hers later, but this is for you...." she pulled away and rifled in her bedside drawer, pulling out a small package.  She handed it to Emma. "It's not much, but..."

Opening the package, Emma took out a delicate gold necklace with a single small diamond set into a filigree heart. "Oh, Ali! It's so beautiful! Thank you." She kissed her cheek and put it on. It nestled in the neckline of her dress perfectly.

"Just a small thanks from me for adopting me?" She grinned. "You lost a brother and gained a sister!"

As Emma held the beautiful lace dress out for Ali to put on, she grinned. "Sounds like a great swap to me..."