One and Only

Part 44

One and Only - Chapter Forty-four
Lauren's POV
-
This was it.
After months of devising, planning, and preparation, it was finally here. I was getting married today.
It was funny to me-having that thought run through my head. I was getting married today. I had never even imagined this would happen. I never imagined I'd be staring at my reflection in the mirror, wearing this white dress with Ally, Dinah, and Normani standing over my shoulder. I never imagined I'd make it here.
But I did.
And knowing that my soon-to-be wife was in the room next to me, wearing a white dress like mine-there wasn't a word to describe it.
"Are you ready?"
I turned to meet eyes with a beaming Sinu, the mother entirely overjoyed about today, and nodded. She reached out to me at my response and we linked arms. I could feel my blood pumping-I was so nervous.
We walked together for what felt like hours before we were both standing in front of the open doors, ready to walk to the altar.
Everyone's eyes were on me as they stood and turned and I smiled when I saw the familiar faces. Camila's side was filled with her family-which was huge. It included every aunt, uncle, cousin, grandma, and grandpa the girl had-a mixture of Cuban and Mexican descent.
Our friends from college and work sat on my side. I sent a small wave to the families of Normani, Dinah, and Ally as I passed by them, happy they were here, and was relieved to know that Mark, Richard and his wife, and my ex-girlfriend, Kat, had shown.
I wasn't far from the altar when I noticed a man sitting alone in the front row, becoming immediately curious as to who he was, and almost tripped when I saw that it was James.
He gave a slight smile when he caught my eye and I returned it, my heart swelling at the realization that Camila had invited him to surprise me.
I hadn't seen the other bride all day as she wanted the wedding to be as traditional as possible, and I held my breath in anticipation.
As I took my place at the altar, I smiled at all of the girls surrounding me. Ally, Normani, Dinah, and Sofi, who gave me a brief thumbs up, all stood beside me, their presence making me more at ease.
But nothing could have prepared me enough for the moment she appeared, arm in arm with her father, Alejandro.
Quiet gasps were heard around the room when all eyes fell on her, the petite brunette looking radiant as she began to walk down the aisle, and I was entirely speechless.
She broke out in a face-eating grin the moment her tear-filled eyes locked with mine, looking away only for a moment to give her dad a kiss on the cheek before she joined me at the altar.
The minister began the ceremony almost immediately, asking for everyone to take a seat, and I nearly pinched myself to make sure this was real. I couldn't believe I made it here with her. I couldn't believe this was my life.
"Hi," I whispered.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her smile. "Hi," she quietly replied, taking my hand.
"I'm kind of really psyched to marry you."
Camila gave a small chuckle and squeezed my hand in response. "You got me. And baby, I got you."
The reference to the beginning of our relationship made my heart skip a beat. It had been over a year since we had our first real kiss as a couple-the timeline of it all feeling a bit surreal now that we were standing here-and now we were hand in hand, ready to be married. She sent a small wink my way before we both redirected our attention to the minister in front of us, the man continuing on about the importance of marriage, and then it all seemed to start going by really fast.
Before I knew it, we were exchanging "I do"s and rings and all I could think about was how crazy it was that the best decision of my life had been as simple as choosing to sit down next to some random girl I didn't even know. I didn't know what I was getting myself into then-I didn't know she would be my 'forever'.
But here we were-promising our lives to each other. And hearing the words, "I now pronounce you wife and wife," finally made it feel real. She was mine and I was hers and nothing was going to change that.
To my surprise, Camila tipped me back when our lips met, both of us shooting back up after we parted, and I giggled when she shot her fist up in the air victoriously.
As our guests applauded, she pulled me close to her side. "You're mine now, Mrs. Cabello."
"Always have been," I happily responded, joining our hands once again to walk back down the aisle together.
-
It was just after our first dance as a married couple when a small clink of a fork against glass hit the air. Everyone's attention was brought to Sofia, the girl standing up to face our guests.
"So...," she began, shifting her weight to the other foot, "I was supposed to prepare a speech since I'm the best man or maid of honor or most important person here... whatever you want to call it," she joked. A delicate hum of laughter filled the room and that seemed to relax her a bit, the Cuban girl gesturing toward Camila and I. "But speeches aren't really my thing. They're too rehearsed and I always forget them. So I'm going to just wing it."
At that, Camila squeezed my hand under the table, nervous at what Sofia would say. "Oh, boy," she whispered.
"If you've ever been around Camila and Lauren for even just a few seconds, you'd know that they were a pair. There isn't one without the other. It's been like that ever since I can remember," she said. "The first time Camila brought Lauren home, I was five. I remember the exact day because I had, like, this really gross stomach virus and I wouldn't leave the couch. So, Lauren comes up to me and she introduces herself and she's trying to make me laugh and all of a sudden, I throw up on her." Camila hid her smile with her hand at the memory and I chuckled. "Like, really. Puke everywhere." There was another collective sound of amusement among the crowd, and she continued, "But Lauren didn't freak out like you'd expect any other normal person to do-Camila freaked out, but not Lauren. She just brushes it off with a laugh and cleans the mess on the floor up before she even gets my puke off her. That's just the type of person she is." Sofia paused, her eyebrow furrowed, "I kind of forgot where I was going with that. Sorry," she apologized. "So anyway, they're a pair."
Camila leaned her head on my shoulder, "I love this."
"Love what?"
"This," she repeated. "Having everyone around us, hearing Sofi give a speech about us, being with you."
I smiled, giving her a quick kiss atop her head. "Me too."
"Everyone knows you as Camila and Lauren, Lauren and Camila... and it's because everyone knew-even before you started dating... that it was obvious you would spend the rest of your lives together," Sofia grinned. "If there's anything perfect in this world, besides me," she joked, "it's the love you have for each other. It captures people's attention-everyone can feel it-and I can't wait to see how it grows. I love you guys. To Camila and Lauren," she raised a glass of apple juice in the air and gave a cute smirk when everyone followed suit.
A few more people spoke after that-Sinu and Alejandro, Normani, Dinah, Ally, even Richard said a few words. The speeches were all very heartfelt and touching and I didn't ever want the night to end. Everyone was dancing and singing and laughing and it all felt so right.
The wedding was beautiful and it couldn't have gone more perfectly. I got to officially vow to spend the rest of my life with my best friend in front of all of our loved ones and I was ecstatic knowing what was to come for the next two weeks of our honeymoon.
I had planned the whole thing out with Normani, Dinah, and Ally, who had helped me make all of the reservations for the two hotels Camila and I would be staying at. The two weeks off of work was a gift from Richard to us and I decided to utilize the time by securing two locations for our vacation. We were going to Florence in Italy for the first week and then taking a flight to Madrid in Spain for the second week. The second trip was a surprise for my wife and I couldn't wait to tell her about it.
After the wedding reception ended, we said our goodbyes to everyone we could, thanking them for coming, and made our way to the town car that was waiting to take us to our flight.
When we were finally alone in the car, Camila smiled at me.
"What?" I asked.
"You're my wife now."
I giggled at that, nodding, "I think that's how marriage works."
The brunette took my hand, "I can't believe I'm married to you." She kissed my cheek. "Forever."
"Not long enough," I told her, and we grinned at each other.
The ride was longer than expected and when we stepped out of the car, we were standing on a large slab of endless concrete. This definitely wasn't the airport.
"Um... Lauren?" I heard Camila say.
I looked at her, noticing she was looking at something behind us, and turned around, my jaw dropping at the sight of a large jet.
"I don't remember us including the price of renting a private jet in our wedding budget plans," said Camila.
"I didn't...," I began, looking around for the driver. "Excuse me," I called him over, "I think there's been a mistake."
The driver furrowed his eyebrows, "Are you Lauren and Camila?"
Camila responded, "Well, yes, but-"
"There's been no mistake. You're a friend of Kat's, yes?" I nodded, confused, and he gave me an envelope.
I tore it open immediately and started to read it with Camila, trying to figure out what exactly was going on.
Dear Lauren and Camila,
Congratulations!
I heard about your honeymoon plans and thought I could help with a favor from my company.
Consider it a wedding gift.
Love,
The Favorite Ex-Girlfriend,
Kat
Camila and I didn't say anything, instead looking back up at the large aircraft. Both the driver and the pilot were loading our luggage from the trunk into the jet and I watched, amazed at what was happening.
"Are you ready to get on board?" The pilot asked after approaching us.
We just nodded in response, silently walking up the stairs and into the luxurious jet. It was filled with flowers and displayed a chilled bottle of champagne, two glasses sitting next to it.
"I never thought I'd say this," Camila whispered while I picked up a glass, noticing our initials engraved in them, "but I'm really glad you slept with a pilot."
-
We fell asleep on the couch for most of the ten hour flight, tired from the events that had taken place, and when we arrived in Florence, we were driven straight to our hotel. The place was breathtaking when we walked in, one of my hands holding hers and the other holding my heels. We were a bit embarrassed walking into the lobby since we hadn't changed out of our wedding dresses, but there wasn't a lot of traffic there considering it was late at night.
We got checked in fairly quickly and I was excited to finally be able to settle into our suite. Once we arrived to our room, I carried Camila through the threshold (on account of her constant begging the elevator ride up) and she immediately began to explore the second I let her down. I hadn't let her see pictures of where we were staying since it was a surprise and it was definitely surprising. The place was beautiful, paintings covering the walls and the ceilings, and I could hear the brunette gasping and squealing as she looked around from our room, smiling to myself as I started to unpack for us.
When she finally reached our bedroom, she raced up to me, jumping on me, and I had to stumble back to support her weight, laughing at how energetic she was.
"This place is beautiful," she said, her eyes gleaming.
"So are you."
Camila grinned, pecking me on the lips. "Aren't you going to take me to bed?"
I raised my eyebrows at what she was implying, smirking as I walked us over to the bed, and slowly laid her down. I stood in between her legs and bent down to hover over her. "And what do you plan to do here?"
She smiled, rolling out from under me, and stood up. Before I could ask what she was doing, she started jumping up and down, her laugh filling the air around us. I watched as her nicely done hair started to fall out of its place, our giggles mixing together, and she put her hands out for me to take, bringing me up to join her. I hadn't had this much childish fun in a long time, and I was glad she was here to bring it out of me. It had to have been the happiest moment of my life.
We soon found ourselves too tired to move-well, mostly me. I laid my head in Camila's lap and she smiled down at me, stroking my hair. "You're getting old."
"Good thing I have you here to take care of me."
Camila chuckled, "That's what wives are for." I nodded at that, looking up at her. She was so pretty. I couldn't believe she was mine. "What?" She asked.
"I'm just really glad I met you."
The younger girl blushed, grasping my hand. "Me too."
"The day I met you, the first thing I did was go home to tell James. I was so excited to tell someone about you. I still get that feeling." I beamed at the memory.
-
"James," I practically sang, walking through the door. "Are you here?" I traveled further into the familiar home, running down the hallway, and opened the door to his home office. He held his finger up at me since he was on the phone, but slowly lowered it when he saw the smile on my face.
"I'm gonna have to call you back, Sharon." He hung up the phone and squinted at me, a small smirk present on his lips. "You're in a good mood." It sounded more like a question than a statement.
I glided to stand in front of his desk, giving a shrug, "I had a good day."
"Any particular reason for that?" He asked.
"Does there have to be?"
The man let a small laugh out, shaking his head no. "I guess not. It's just that I haven't seen you smile like this in... months."
"I met someone today," I said, not able to lose the happy expression. "This girl. I don't know, she just..."
"Impressed you?" he finished.
"Yeah," I nodded. "She impressed me."
"That's not easy to do," James replied. "Believe me, I've tried." I laughed, rolling my eyes, and he seemed pleased with my demeanor. "Tell me all about it."
So I jumped into recounting my earlier conversation with the girl, making sure not to leave out any details, and he watched with amusement.
"I'm happy for you. I'm glad you have something-or someone-to look forward to at school." He leaned back in his chair, "I like seeing you like this."
"Well, I like being like this." I responded, rounding the desk to move closer to him. "Was that call... important?"
He shook his head, "It isn't anymore."
I smirked at that, straddling him, and his eyebrows raised in slight disbelief. Our lips connected shortly after that and I felt his strong hands grip my sides. Pulling back, I started to unbuckle his belt, and he inhaled sharply.
"I really like seeing you like this," he said.
"What can I say?" I kissed his neck, "I'm in a good mood."
Just as he reached under my skirt, the door opened, and I looked back to see the housekeeper enter. "Sir," he said, awkwardly looking away as I fumbled to get up, "your wife is looking for you."
I got to my feet just in time before we heard a loud voice say, "Ah, there you are!" His wife, Stasia, entered the room, her face falling immediately after noticing I was here. "Oh," she spoke. "Lauren, I didn't know you were stopping by."
"Yeah, I-uh, I had a few things to drop off for James," I lied, trying not to look guilty. "Anyway, I'll see you later this week, I assume. At the charity event?" I didn't give them a chance to respond before I was out the door, my heart beating wildly.
-
"Sorry," I gave a small smile. "I shouldn't be talking about him."
"Don't be," Camila responded softly. "He's important to you."
"The point of that story was that you're important to me. More than anyone."
"I know," she played with my fingers. "I'm glad you told me. I didn't know all that."
"What I'm trying to say is... you were a lot of 'first's for me. I know you weren't my first kiss or the first person I slept with, but you were the first person I trusted, the first person I opened up to, the first person I loved... I'm just really happy to be spending the rest of my life with someone that important to me."
Camila was quiet for a while, seemingly deep in thought, and I was about to ask her if something was wrong when she spoke up, "I thought I lost you-after you came back from your first trip to Portland. I know that's when we started our affair, but... we felt different. For the first time since knowing you, it felt like you weren't mine. And it was my fault. I was so confused because I was so angry with you while still being so in love with you and I didn't know what to do. I didn't know where to go from there. I remember feeling like nothing would ever be the same again when you told me you couldn't do this anymore." There was a pause. "Sometimes I think about all of the times I hurt you and all of the times I disappointed you and...," she shook her head, ridding herself of the thought, "I just want you to know that I'm so thankful to be loved by someone as great as you-someone who's never intentionally hurt anyone, someone who's never even tried to make me jealous or upset. I don't know what I did to deserve someone like you."
I took a moment to process that before I spoke. "You've done so many things for me, Camila. You've taught me so many things. You deserve me-hell, you deserve better than me. You talked to me, listened to me, when nobody else did. You showed me what real friendship was, what real family was. You went to college with me, roomed with me, put up with me: my partying, the constant stream of girls and guys that I was with, cleaned up my puke, took care of me when I was hungover, graduated with me... developed a career with me. You moved to New York with me, bought a first apartment with me. You suffered through all of the time I had to spend at work, you stuck with me when you weren't sure if I could commit to this-to us-and you loved me through all of it. You helped me through my father's death, through everything with my mother, and through my own insecurities within our relationship. You cared for me even when I told you I didn't want you to, because you knew deep down that I did. I'm thankful for you... and I don't know what I did to deserve someone like you."
Camila looked at me, an expression of content on her face, and bent down to give me a quick kiss on the lips. "I love you," she whispered.
"I love you, too," I said, holding her hands tighter.
We stayed like that until the sun rose, just talking about us and our past and our plans for the future. I couldn't remember the last time I was able to spend the whole night speaking with her like that and I couldn't help but look forward to doing it for the rest of my life.
Watching the first light of day hit her face while I looked up at her was a feeling I couldn't even describe, but I felt it in the pit of my stomach. Seeing the sun reflect on the wedding dress she was still wearing made me optimistic and excited for what was to come and I didn't want to stop looking at her.
She was beautiful. My wife, that is.
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