I Try

Chapter 21 - So Close

October 24th, 2013

48 Hours Before the Wedding

Lauren’s Point of View

“Have you got everything?” I asked anxiously, checking and double-checking my suitcase. I was sure I was going to forget something, and if not me, then Zack was.

               

“For the thousand and first time, I’ve got it all. Tickets, airfare, my apartment in New York hasn’t gone anywhere. We’ve got our clothes, computers, everything.” Zack said soothingly, wrapping an arm around my waist and abruptly stopping my pacing. “In two days we’ll back in New York and it’ll be like we never left.”

               

I looked down at our daughter in her playpen and smirked. “Except for one thing.”

                

“Well, yes,” Zack smiled, equally amused.

                

I took a deep breath and looked at him, his eyes sparkling. “Do you really think we’re going to make it through the ceremony okay? I feel like my father’s not going to let us go,” I thought for a second. “And I’m pretty sure Jeffrey would murder anyone who dares cross him.”

               

Zack seemed to think about this for a second too. “Regardless, I won’t let them interfere. We’ve been fighting against obstacles for over a year now. We deserve to be happy, don’t we?”

               

“Yes,” I smiled, resuming folding my clothes and packing them neatly into my carry-on bag which was going to be hidden in a room at the venue. As soon as we broke the news that the wedding would, in fact, not happen, we’d most likely need to leave fairly quickly.

                

“Just think that forty-eight hours from right now,” Zack said, kissing my cheek, “we’ll be real grown-ups.” I laughed and he did too, but he pressed on. “No, I’m serious, think about it. How many times have we actually acted like adults?”

               

I raised an eyebrow. “It seems like you’re forgetting a very important event in which I gave birth to your daughter.”

               

He threw me a knowing glance. “Okay, besides that. You know what I mean. We’ve never lived on our own together. We’ve never made big decisions, like, for instance, whether we’ll get married. We haven’t paid bills or taxes or done anything remotely adult except fall in love.”

I bit my lip, letting it sink in. “I don’t want to get engaged anywhere except New York, mister, so don’t even think about proposing here. Plus, isn’t that kind of tacky? Getting engaged at my own wedding?” I half-teased. “But yes, I can see how we’ve been somewhat juvenile. I have, at least.” I added hastily.

               

“My biggest mistake was not marrying you the second I saw you,” he said as he folded a onesie for Charlie.