Accepting Owen (Emilia's Perspective)

Chapter Nine

I woke already feeling anxious. I sat straight up in the bed, searching for my phone. I knew I'd plugged it in before falling asleep, but I couldn't find it. I was in a panic, standing beside the bed staring blankly at the wall. There was so much to do and I didn't even know if it had all been planned. I closed my eyes, to try to force myself to take a deep breath.

Owen's hand wrapped around my wrist and he yanked me back into the bed, up against his body. He put his arms around my chest, pinning my arms down. "Breathe, darling. Everything will be fine. There's no need to get all worked up about it. It will be, what it will be."

I was sweating thinking of all the things I needed to sort out and he was telling me not to get excited. Ha! I flipped over in his arms so I could kiss him. "I have been dreaming of this day since I learned how to talk. I have very high expectations for this day. I want everything to be as close to perfect as it can possibly be. Tomorrow, I promise, I'll go back to normal, but today is not a normal day. I am a princess today. Are you going to drive me to my dad's so I can panic there or would you like for him to come get me?"

He scrubbed his hands over his face, groaning. "Okay. I get it. Princess day. Do I have time to shower?"

"No, you can shower at my dad's house. Please get up."

He laughed at me, but when he looked in my eyes, he still seemed happy. "Yes, ma'am. Did you find what you were looking for?"

"No. My damn phone- I can't... There it is." I pulled it from under my pillow. "It's dead. Oh my God."

Owen leaned over onto his elbows closer to me and raised his eyebrows at me. "Seriously. Take a deep breath. Relax. It's all going to work out. It's going to be your perfect fairy tale, but if you're anxious the whole time you won't enjoy it. We're only gonna have this day once. Take it a step at a time, and let's enjoy the day for what it is."

I nodded. "You're right. Now get up. I'm going to jump out of my skin if we don't start moving. Do you think everything is set up?" I asked as I pulled my hair into a ponytail.

He stood from the bed. "Your dad said you have had everything ready for awhile, and everyone knows what to expect, so it should definitely be ready." He walked into the bathroom.

I started to shove my dirty clothes from the last two nights back into my bag, and then I stopped. "Wait, I'm going to live here."

His head poked out of the bathroom, forcing a tight-lipped smile. "Don't panic. That's not what we need to worry about right now. Right now you need to come brush your teeth with me."

~

I shook my hands nervously as I paced around my bedroom, thinking that it might be last time ever sleeping in that bed. A knock on my door drew me out of my trance for a moment. "Come in," I called.

"Elijah is taking Owen to LedgeCrest. Mom and I are going to take you down when you're ready."

I continued shaking my hands. "I'm... Not ready."

"Come on, Emie. We've talked about this day for so long. It's finally here. You two seem to have hit it off very well."

"Just promise me one thing. Do not let me fall when you walk me down the aisle."

My father's face lit up brightly as he chuckled. "I'll never let you fall, baby."

I nodded along. "Okay. Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Why do you want him to move to Chicago?"

He considered his answer for a moment before speaking. "I think that your brother will be invaluable to the two of you. Elijah can help teach him the ways, while making sure he stays honest to you. I'm getting too old to take care of everyone the way I used to."