Love Thy Neighbor

Chapter 58

The next morning, we both spend an hour contacting all of our loved ones to share the big news. Both sets of parents knew this was coming since Shawn had spoken to them.

Telling David was the hardest.

"Can't I just text him?" I ask Shawn.

"I think a phone call is better."

So I call him.

To be honest, he took it better than I expected. I wouldn't say he was thrilled, but he probably knew it was inevitable. Perri got on the phone and made up for David's bland reaction with an abundance of enthusiasm. I'm so glad she is part of the picture.

After everyone who needed to know was told, Shawn said he wanted to share it on Instagram.

"So soon?" I ask.

"The second you are spotted with a ring, which will probably happen at the airport tonight, there will be speculation. I say we head all that off by making the announcement first," he explains.

It makes sense.

Shawn pulls me into his arms and takes a picture of us. We're both wearing sweats and I have no make-up on, but it's still a really good picture of both of us. Our happiness is what shines through. You can see the ring on my left finger.

"Caption?" he asks.

"No idea. You are much better at being cheesy than me."

After bouncing around a ton of ideas, he decides to just put the ring emoji between two red hearts. To me, the ring is the least important part of his proposal, but it's an easy way to communicate what happened without words.

He posts it.

Within an hour he has over two million likes. The comments are surprisingly positive. Our story is no secret. Shawn has posted quite a few pictures of Delilah and everyone now knows she is mine. The details might not be public, but the basic facts are.

We spend the rest of the day lounging around his condo; both of us can't keep the huge smiles off our faces.

"So when do you want to get married?" he asks me after lunch.

"I think we should have at least a year engagement," I respond.

"Really?" he says, the disappointment evident.

I kiss his nose. "Not really. I'd happily get married tomorrow."

"That would take some fast wedding planning," he says chuckling.

I bite my lip, unsure of how to respond.

"Shawn?"

"Jessica."

"Would you be upset if I said I didn't want a big wedding?" I say anxiously.

"How come?"

"I just want something small and private. I'd be happy going to the courthouse, if I am being totally honest. It would certainly be easier considering we're two different faiths."

Shawn doesn't say anything for a few seconds.

"Jess, baby, all I want is for us to be married. I don't really care how we get to that point. All I ask is that we have our families there."

"You sure?" I ask. "I know it's every man's dream to have a big wedding."

He laughs.

We look at our schedules and call our parents to discuss it all with them. They feel like Shawn does; they just want us to be happily married.

On Monday we apply for the marriage license. Our families arrive on Thursday. The days in between are spent scrambling to get everything sorted out. Thankfully my employer gave me the week off when I explained what we were doing.

Late Friday afternoon, we're standing in the city clerk's office in Brooklyn with just our parents, sisters, and Lila.

It's a simple ceremony. I'm wearing a pale pink sleeveless dress. Shawn is wearing a gray suit. Lila is wearing a darker pink party dress. I hold her, in lieu of a bouquet, as we say our vows.

After the ceremony, Aaliyah and Elsie act as photographers and take tons of pictures of us on the steps of the clerk's office.

When we're done, and we are officially Mr. and Mrs. Mendes, we go back to Shawn's brownstone. We've invited all of our local friends to celebrate with us. A caterer has prepared delicious finger foods and the champagne is flowing. There are only around 25 people here, but it is a very festive occasion.

I'm sorry that many of our friends who live far away couldn't be here. That's the only downside to such a fast wedding. When I spoke with Liz and Jules earlier in the week, they both totally understood. Jules joked that they'd already been to one of my weddings, so it was no big deal.

As I watch Lila and Jayson dance around the living room, David comes up to me.

"Despite what everyone thinks, I really am happy for you," he tells me.

"Thanks, David. That means a lot."

"Shawn is officially Lila's stepdad now. I guess we're all family," he says.

"What about you and Perri?" I ask, hoping I am not being rude.

"I'm going to ask her soon," he whispers, "but that's just between us."

The party continues late into the night. The furniture is pushed to the side so people can dance. Shawn even pulls out his guitar and plays several of his most romantic love songs for me. Lila sleeps in Manny's arms until Shawn takes her upstairs and tucks her in.

When things wind down and everyone has either left or gone to bed, Shawn and I finally have a moment alone together. He pulls me into his arms and starts slow dancing with me. There's no music, so he softly hums in my ear.

"I didn't know I could be this happy," he says after a bit.

"It's crazy to think how different our lives were less than eight months ago."

"One thing was the same. I loved you. I may not have had you back in my life, but I loved you so much," he tells me.

"I was fighting so hard not to love you. It wasn't a fight I could win," I say.

"So, Mrs. Mendes...shall we go up to bed?"

"Honeymooning at home. Yes, let's go on up."

He takes my hand and leads me up the stairs. When we get into his room (which I guess is now our room), he pulls me in for a kiss.

"Are you still weird about fooling around if parents are in the house?" he asks. His parents are in the bedroom on the top floor; Aaliyah is in the room across from ours. My family is staying at my house.

"I guess if we're married, it's okay," I say with a giggle.

He grins. "That's good because otherwise you would have a very disappointed husband."