Feigned Marriage

chapter 22 (end)

Sky's POV

"Bet you a hundred bucks that he'll cry," phayu tells Kuea, his expression filled with pure glee at the thought of his brother's tears.

"I'm not sure," rain replies. "I reckon he'll hold it together. I'm betting tears in his eyes but no more than that. Your brothers aren't going to let P'pai cry, they'll crack some stupid joke to take the edge off."

"Damn it," phayu snaps. "You're probably right."

I don't think I've stopped smiling all day, and I have the two of them to thank for it. "Come on," I tell them. "Help me into my dress."

Phayu glances at my wedding dress in awe as he takes it off the hanger carefully. It's my grandest design yet, even though it's so simple. It's a tight fitting trumpet suit with a deep V and a ton of very intricate beading. P'pai doesn't know it yet, but I'm not going to let him take this dress off me until he finds every single thing I've hidden in the design. It took some time and it's incredibly hard to see, but I've hidden a cupcake, the letter P, a sky, and so much more in the beading.

A knock sounds on the door shortly after Phayu and rain finish getting me ready, and my father walks in, a smile on his face. He pauses in surprises and shakes his head. "Wow," he whispers. "Sweetheart, you look beyond beautiful." He sniffs as tears gather in his eyes, his hands trembling as he reaches for me.

Dad gently touches my hair, his touch reverent. "I still remember the day I first held you. I thought I loved you then, but as you grew up to become the amazing man you are today, my love for you grew with you. I wish I didn't have to give you away, sky. I wish you'd always stay my little boy."

I blink back my tears and hug my dad tightly as tears drop down his face. "I always will be, Dad. That will never change."

He tightens his grip on me. "This time it's different," he whispers.

"I know."

"You'll tell me if you aren't happy, won't you? If you don't want to come home, I'll buy you a whole new house. It doesn't matter what happens, sweet boy, you will always have."

"Of course I will, Dad." I pull away to look at him. "But you don't have to worry about that, okay? For the first time in my life, I'm truly happy."

He nods, his expression filled with reluctant understanding. "Okay," he says, more to himself than to me. "Okay," he repeats, more firmly. "Let's do this, then. Are you ready, beautiful?"

I nod, and we watch as Kuea and Phayu head out, walking down the aisle ahead of me. P'pai and I decided to get married in the same place he proposed in, and Phayu made the property look almost unrecognizable. He transformed the land around the cabin into a floral oasis, complete with a separate reception area that has a dance floor, and so much more. I thought that I'd love planning my own wedding, but what I actually craved was the connection the wedding brought with it, the togetherness during the planning stages. Leaving most of it in phayu's hands is the best thing I could've done.

Dad and I reach the end of the aisle, and I spot P'pai' before he sees me. I watch as Saifah leans in and whispers something in his ear, the same way he did the first time we got married. P'pai's eyes flash with anger, and he grits his teeth. I have no doubt Saifah just told him something unreasonably offensive, just to took the edge of his nerves.

P'pai looks up, and his eyes meet mine. It's like everything else fades away, his expression transforming into pure awe. As phayu and Kuea expected, his eyes fill with tears, and he swallows hard. His brothers chuckle and elbow him, but he doesn't take his eyes off me for even a single second.

The last time I walked down the aisle I was filled with fear and insecurity, but this time I'm feeling nothing but love. Dad and I walk slowly, his steps reluctant, and I take a moment to glance at him in reassurance. I thought I'd miss having my mother and brother with me today, but surprisingly, I don't. I've come to realise that what I miss isn't them - it's the roles I wished they'd fulfil in my life, but they never did. Even if I were to invite them back into my life, they wouldn't fill the hole in my heart they created.