FicWad

It was like a perfectly scripted movie, the way the air temperature was beginning to cool just ever so slightly, a warm breeze floating up through the trees as the sun began to fade in the early evening sky. The guests were beginning to arrive, shuffling through the garden to take their seats among the rows of perfectly aligned white chairs garnished with beautiful bouquets of purple Vanda Orchids. Ana silently pat herself on the back as she commended the orchestration of such a beautifully constructed event; elaborate enough to satisfy royalty, if it had to.

With a smile on her face, she smoothed out the dark purple, satin fabric of her knee-length cocktail dress before taking one last look at the beautifully constructed yard and returning back inside the adjacent building. The makeshift “changing room” was still bustling with excitement when she returned and no one seemed to even notice as she snuck back in to retrieve her coordinating flower bouquet. The commotion around her was momentarily drowned out as she stood by the window overlooking the garden, inhaling deep calming breaths and reminding herself that the night would go off without a hitch and it didn’t matt how uncomfortable she felt in the beautifully crafted dress that no longer fit the way she wanted it to because this would be a perfect day for everyone involved, no matter what.

The reassuring voice of Emily Ryder, Janelle’s younger sister startled Ana out of her relaxed trance, “You did a great job; everything is perfect.”

“Thanks” Ana’s smile was grateful and sincere as she commented absently, “It was a lot harder pleasing someone else than it was to please myself.”

Emily returned the warm smile as Janelle joined their huddle, wrapping both her arms lightly around her baby sister and the girl she referred to as her heterosexual life partner. Sighing dramatically, she blew a stray strand of hair off her face before dropping her arms to fidget with the straps of her dress, “I feel like I’m Saran wrapped into this thing and I haven’t seen my husband in a week; I want to get this thing over with so I can get laid.”

“He isn’t your husband yet” Emily interjected in a sing song voice, mocking her sister’s displeasure, “And you’re the one who agreed to the traditional Jewish wedding.”

“I know but still, this is ridiculous.”

“Maybe you should have adopted your own religion to force upon him on such a magically beautiful day.” Ana smirked wildly, fidgeting with the hem of her dress again.

“Eh, details details.” Janelle mocked, leaning against the table to get a better glance at the yard below before turning anxiously to her best friend and little sister with apprehension in her voice, “Do I look okay?”

“You look sexy as hell.” Ana reassured her, slapping Janelle’s hand away from her head as she tried to fidget with the curls that were so precisely pinned and sprayed into place.

“As sexy as you did on your wedding day?” Janelle joked, with a raised eyebrow.

“I don’t know” Ana smirked, biting at her bottom lip, “I did look pretty good.”

“You don’t have to remind us, I think we all still remember watching Patrick drool all over himself before you even made it down the aisle.”

“When did we grow up?” Emily sighed pensively as the three women stood together at the floor length window, staring down at the arriving guests. “I mean, I still remember you guys taking me to my first frat party when I visited you that one winter. I was the coolest kid in the 9th grade that year.”

“And I’m still the most radical sister, to this day.” Janelle smiled before rolling her eyes at their mother, who was frantically waving them over to the rest of the female portion of their family, “But mom is still scolding us like we’re 8 years old again.”

Janelle and Emily shuffled away to appease their mothers request, leaving Ana alone again in front of the window overlooking the garden; leaving her to once again relax the anxious feeling that had become a fixture in her everyday life and leaving her eyes to scan the guests below for the one face she just couldn’t seem to find.

Moments later the door to the room burst open and if Janelle’s scorning outburst hadn’t given it away, Ana would have known who it was just by the enthusiasm in their step as they headed her way.

“Peter Wentz, get out of here right now!”

“One second Nell, I just have to talk to Ana for a minute.” Pete whined, rushing to Ana and ignoring Janelle’s shrieking plea for his immediate exit.

Ana raised an eyebrow at Pete but before she could open her mouth to pose a question, his arms were engulfing her in a tight, enthusiastic hug. When she dramatically coughed for a breath, Pete let her go, stepping back immediately and apologizing frantically.

“What?” Ana questioned, with a raised eyebrow at the excitement in Pete’s eyes and the sparkle in his smile.

“I’m just so happy!” Pete beamed, wrapping his arms around her once again, “I know that you know how happy he’s going to be, but I don’t think you can really understand it from a third party perspective like I can. It’s so excellent, I’m so happy for you both.”

Ana’s limbs went rigid with anxiety in Pete’s tight embrace and he quickly pulled back to see uneasiness in her eyes as he stuttered out a quick and quiet explanation. “Travis let it slip and I promise I’m the only one who knows. I swear on my daughter’s lives that I will not say a word!”

Ana’s lips were pursed together unhappily, as she placed her hands on her hips, letting out a slightly frustrated groan, glaring daggers out the window before returning her attention back to Pete’s now nervous expression. “You’ve fulfilled his every dream and more. I promise, my lips are sealed!”

Allowing her lips to curl up into the tiniest hint of a smile, she let out a more relaxed breath as Pete once again embraced her with such great enthusiasm, whispering a hushed but subtle “Congratulations” in her ear before pulling back, but keeping his hands firmly placed on her shoulders. “Do you know what it is?”

With a light smirk, Ana answered “a baby”, rolling her eyes sarcastically because Pete asked for such an answer by posing such a dumb witted question. It was hard not to smile though, as she finally said it out loud. Travis was the only person who knew and that in itself was a total accident that had to be kept a secret because not even her best friend knew that finally, after over 2 years of trying and countless heart breaking, unsuccessful attempts, she was finally pregnant.

“You always were a bitch” Pete remarked with a smirk.

Ana smiled warmly at him because the uneasiness in her had subsided, the anxiety in her eyes had melted into a golden sparkle of happiness; someone else knew and it felt good to let it out. “No, I don’t know yet. I think that’s something we need to find out together.”

Pete smiled and pulled her close again, he was as giddy as a school girl and Ana couldn’t help but mock him lightly, “Were you this happy about your own children?”

Pete laughed, finally letting her go and stepping back to admire the glow he could now so obviously see, “I’m just really happy for you. He’s my best friend and I know how much he loves you and how happy he’s going to be.”

“He really is, isn’t he?” Ana contemplated deeply, her eyes traveling back to the window, taking notice of the chairs that were now filled with anxiously awaiting guests.

“You’ve fulfilled his every dream and more.” Pete reminded her with a loving smile.

Ana smiled more securely now, sighing quietly as she anxiously smoothed her dress over the slowly growing bump that would soon make itself more aware. There was a warning tone in her voice when she turned to Pete but the smile hadn’t faltered one bit, “You can not say a word, not to a single soul which includes your wife and even the unknowing ears of your children. Today is their day and I do not want to take an ounce of attention away from that.”

With a smirk on his face, Pete reached up to his lips and locked them shut with his finger, throwing the invisible “key” behind his shoulder as he requested quietly, “Just promise I can be somewhere in the area when you tell him, that’s something I wouldn’t want to miss for the world.”

“I promise” Ana agreed with a solid nod as her father came knocking on the door with a 3 year old Nathaniel Gene Stumotrolazera on his hip, dressed for the occasion in a little black button down and khaki pants, accented with the most adorable black dress shoes.

“Auntie Ann!” Nathan exclaimed, wiggling in his grandfather’s arms and reaching anxiously for the arms of his favorite aunt. Ana happily obliged, taking her nephew from her father as he cleared his throat to catch the attention of the rest of wedding party.

“I think it’s time to get this thing started.” Arthur announced, causing a squeal of excitement to rise from somewhere deep in Janelle’s voice box. Before anyone could move, Janelle was rushing past them, out the door.

Pete just stood there, almost dumbfounded with a mischievous smile on his lips as he watched Ana lovingly smooth the collar of her beloved nephews shirt before patting down the back of his unruly hair. This was a smile that Ana did not take lightly and her voice was quiet but stern as she left him with a warning before following Emily and her father out of the room.

“Peter Wentz, I’m serious. If you even speak a peep, I will strangle you with my bare hands in this church-ish sort of place.”

The anxious feeling was almost overwhelming when the processional through the yard began and Ana exhaled deeply as Travis shuffled towards her, a bit of fear flickering in his eyes as he hesitantly held his arm out for her to link with. Shaking her head lightly, it was hard to fight the smile that was playing on her lips as she quietly threatened, “I would kill you right here if it didn’t completely off balance the symmetry of the wedding party.”

“I’m sorry, mama.” Travis apologized quietly, smiling wildly at the unintentional use of such a loving and fitting term of endearment, “It was an accident, I swear.”

Ana took a deep breath as they reached the beginning of the aisle, stepping onto the dark carpet that lead through the rows of chairs and putting on her brightest smile, muttering out a final threat through her teeth as they followed Pete and Emily through the procession, “If Pete spills, I’m going to murder you both.”

It was almost hard to concentrate when Ana took her place on the side of the ceremonial canopy. It was even harder to concentrate on the traditional procession of the bride and groom, along with their respective parents because Ana’s eyes were scanning the crowd of patiently awaiting guests for the green eyes she needed so badly to find. It wasn’t until the ceremony officially began that their eyes locked from across the yard, and Ana couldn’t take her eyes off of him as he stared so lovingly up at her, quietly bouncing little Tessa Jane Wentz on his knee in his best attempt to keep her quiet and amused as she tried to chew on the tie around his neck. Marina was seated next to him and it was hard not to smile in amusement as she tried to keep a 3 year old Chloe Ann from pulling the ribbon out of her baby sister’s hair.

The warm smile that he offered her, easily reading her anxious expression, calmed that jittery feeling that was growing so rapidly, knowing now that it wasn’t just nerves that was making her feel this way. It’s always odd that the best things always seem to come along when you finally give up on looking for them. After more than 2 years of failed attempts they had finally been successful; they had finally been able to create the masterpiece that Patrick had been dreaming up for years.

To Ana, the ceremony flew by; her thoughts were lost in the abyss of her now uncertain future and before she could fully realize that it had come to an end, her best friends were officially announced as Mr. and Mrs. Gabriel Saporta. Travis was by her side again in what seemed like an instant, leading her back down the aisle with a triumphant smile on his face because he had seen how she was looking at him in the crowd and he knew now that he did right by letting her secret slip on such a certainly uncertain day.

It was hard not to criticize the wedding photographer as she stood lost among the wedding party sometime later, posing happily for the official wedding photos as the guests proceeded to the reception tent. All she wanted to do was congratulate her best friends and search for her husband but it seemed like no one in the wedding party could cooperate when it came to posing together in an organized fashion. Ana had talked Janelle and Gabe out of traditional Jewish reception in lue of the excessive amount of things that would have to take place; instead they opted for something that was more contemporary and more of their laid back style, so standing around for just a little longer in her uncomfortably fitted dress was the least that Ana could do for the happy couple.

When the photographer released them from her, what seemed like vice grip a good while later, Janelle’s arms were immediately around Ana’s neck as Gabe waited his turn to do the same; picking Ana up off of the ground, he spun her around happily before placing her back on the ground and kissing her forehead lovingly. Gabe’s smile was as vibrant as the sun as he offered his greatest appreciation, linking his fingers with Janelle’s and squeezing them tight.

“I don’t know how we’re ever going to repay you!” Janelle gushed, “Everything is absolutely perfect; you are a goddess.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll get my bill soon enough.” Ana smirked, silently calculating the exchange rate of hours spent planning a wedding to the hours Gabe and Janelle would owe her in babysitting sometime soon.

Gabe and Janelle laughed heartily as strangers and familiar faces began to make their way towards the happy couple as they finished their “eat as you please” style dinner, anxiously waiting to offer their best wishes to the happy couple.

“Get ready for the most awkward part, greeting people you’re pretty sure you’ve never met before, not even a day in your life.”

“Oh joy” Janelle rolled her eyes as Gabe wrapped his arm around her shoulder, putting on his happiest face for the crowd.

“Alright, I love you guys but I’ve got to go find my sugar daddy; have fun!” Ana smiled warmly at them before departing, cringing just lightly at her word choice, noticing how oddly such terms of endearment were fitting into today’s casual conversation.

After making her way through thankful family members and appreciative guests offering their praises on the wonderful job that she had done putting this all together, the next stop on the train of guests was the table seating the majority of her family; the table that now included Joe, who was currently amusing Nathan and Chloe with his version of some confusing magic trick that involved a salad fork and the now well-groomed mane of hair on his head.

“You did such a great job!” The kind words of her brother’s wife Karrie caught her attention as she stopped to greet her grandmother with a hug and a kiss. Planning this wedding was something she should be so proud of and the praise should have meant a little more, but there wasn’t much room in her mind for gloating at the moment.

“Thanks, I had a lot of fun with it.” Ana smiled, quickly changing the subject, “Has anyone seen Patrick?”

The members of her immediate family all shook their heads, offering random suggestions as to where he may be before Ana shrugged thankfully and excused herself from the table, back into the bustling crowd where she kept a grateful smile as she was stopped by guests who wanted to comment on the fantastic floral arrangements or the great choice of venue. The bar was her next stop, because it was clear of anyone requesting her attention and if she ordered water in a champagne glass she could fool the masses and no one would ask the questions she wasn’t ready to answer.

The DJ began to play more upbeat music now as the majority of the guests finished their dinner and Ana sighed heavily against the bar with her back to the reception, taking a moment to fully awe in the moment at hand. Janelle had been her best friend for nearly a decade now and it was odd to see her finally settle down, to tie the knot with the one person she never thought would settle down. There was no one Ana could see Janelle happier with and it wasn’t because she was the one who had set them up in the first place; they were the missing pieces to each other’s puzzles, it just fit.

“What’s a pretty girl like you doing all alone at such a wonderfully orchestrated event?” The quiet sound of his voice still conjured up butterflies in her stomach after all these years, although now she was sure those butterflies were on account of something a little different, it still brought a smile to her face as she turned on her heels to meet his amused expression.

With a quick, rushed step towards him, her lips were pressed tightly against his own in such a tender loving kiss it almost hurt to pull away. “If one more person asks me what florist I used or what my reasoning was for choosing a DJ over a live band, I’m going to murder everyone here in cold blood.”

“Well then” his voice was calm and soothing as he wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her close; “you would be a widow and all of your hard work would have been wasted on a wedding instead of the necessary funeral.”

“Funny” Ana rolled her eyes sarcastically, leaning her head against his shoulder before sighing quietly as Patrick placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

“Are you hungry?” Patrick asked glancing down at her, “I can sneak back and get you some mashed potatoes; I’ll hurry, before Janelle notices that you’re gone.”

“No” Ana smiled at his childish humor, “I’m not hungry right now.” It was the truth, at this very moment she wanted to run to the bathroom to expel everything that was putting her nerves on edge at the moment, but it was a feeling she could ignore so she pushed it to the back of her mind and lightly sipped on her water as a silence fell over them just momentarily.

“Have I ever told you that I love you?” They were surveying the bustling crowd before them, both most likely reliving their own joyous day when Patrick posed the amused question.

“Why yes, I believe that you paid almost all cash for our $70,000 day devoted to your love for me.” Ana’s lips were smiling but her eyes were frowning as they spotted Janelle waving for her attention from across the crowded reception tent. “And I believe that Janelle and Gabe are even deeper in dept of their love for me for this glorious evening.”

Patrick chuckled lightly, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head before releasing her from his embracing, smiling warmly, “Come find me soon?”

Ana blew him a loving kiss before disappearing back into the commotion, obliging to Janelle’s every desire on her special day. With a reconstructed smile and a twinkle in her eye she was back at Janelle’s side, wondering where Gabe had wandered off to as she was introduced to a face she would never be able to pick out of a crowd again. “Ana this is my great uncle Ernie and my cousin Cecilia; they wanted to be able to personally meet the organizer of the most beautiful interfaith wedding in the world.”

With a forced smile she shook the hand of strangers that Janelle probably saw twice in her life before this night and this continued for the next hour, extending into the cake cutting ceremony where she was requested to stand with Janelle’s parents who just adored her company.

As she and Emily whispered to each other like school girls behind Mrs. Ryder’s back, Ana caught Patrick from across the room, helping Pete amuse a curious 3 year old who just wanted a piece of cake and didn’t understand why she had to wait so long to get it. The site of Patrick interacting with the children held a much deeper meaning now than ever before and out of instinct Ana’s hand moved to her still flat stomach.

“Are you alright?” Emily eyed her sudden movement but Ana was quick to the draw, knowing sooner or later a lie or two would be necessary to move conversation along.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve just been feeling a little weird; I don’t think that sushi for lunch was such a good idea.”

“I know what you mean; the sake gave me the worst headache.” Emily agreed thinking back to the sushi bar they visited between hair salons and make up studios this afternoon.

It wasn’t until many of the distant relatives and friend of a friend of a friend’s had left that Ana was free of her wedding planner/best friend/matron of honor duties. Janelle and Gabe were in the middle of the dwindling dance floor, embraced tightly and swaying awkwardly to the less than slow tempo song that was filtering through the emptying tent. The catering crew was finishing the last of their clean up duties and the happy couple’s parents were keeping the remaining guests in check, most of which were close friends, family, members of respective bands and the like. The lights were dimming as Ana made her way through the maze of tables and chairs, still graciously taking compliments as she hurried through with one thing on her mind.

He met her half way across the tent, in the middle of the dance floor as a slower song began drifting from the speakers. With his hand extended like the perfect gentleman, a smile spread on his highly insured lips, “Would you grace me with a dance, Mrs. Stump?”

Ana smiled happily, more naturally than she had all night as she took his hand, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as he held her close, leading them in a gentle sway to the beat of the music. “I missed you” It sounded strained, her voice was overworked from the pointless conversations she found herself engulfed in from table to table with faces she would likely never see again.

“I missed you too” He confessed quietly, lightly brushing away a strand of hair that had fallen lazily from her once perfectly curled and sprayed creation. “I had almost forgotten how I was going to get home.”

“Real nice, Trick, thanks.” Ana smirked as they held each other close, the anxious feeling inside slowing taking over Ana’s emotions. “How was your evening?”

He chuckled lightly as their arms switched places, hers around his waist now as he wrapped his around her shoulders, holding her close and confessing quietly as his lips placed a kiss on top of her head. “Lonely without you; but I had fun. Chloe re-laced my shoes with the ribbon from the centerpiece and I’ve got more baby drool on my tie than normal detergent is going to remove.”

Ana wanted to chuckle lightly, sharing in his amusement but the end of road had arrived and it was now or never, so with her head against his chest as they swayed slowly to the music, she jumped; in the most subtle way possible. “That’s something you’re definitely going to have to get use to.”

“Oh, yeah?” His voice was light and airy as his chin rested on her head, the smell of her shampoo putting his senses in a tizzy.

“Yeah” Subtly didn’t work immediately, but her matter of fact answer was hesitant and sounded odd to Patrick’s highly trained ears. A moment of silence passed before Patrick dropped his arms and stepped back, his eyebrows furrowed together as he dipped his head to get a good look at the expression on her face.

With a deep breath and a relaxed sigh, she took the leap, “I’m pregnant.”

There was hesitation in his expression but it was justified and expected; it just seemed to good to be true, but the twitching at the corners of his lips gave away his secret, that he was dying for it to be a fact.

With a nod, she clarified, “Over 12 weeks; in 3 days we’ll be in the clear.”

There would never be words to adequately describe Patrick’s reaction, from the look on his face, one of pure shock, awe and joy to the way he kissed her, with more love and passion than either of them ever thought possible. His hands were gripping her face as his lips expressed every feeling he couldn’t find the words to convey and Ana was nearly positive her knees were going to give in if she didn’t catch a breathe at any moment. The voice beaming behind her back was what made her pull her lips from his, still lingering inches apart as his hands held her face with such tender care; their eyes searching each others for the answers to the questions they couldn’t quiet voice.

“Hey, Travie!” Pete’s exclamation was louder than necessary because Ana knew for a fact that Travis wasn’t more than 3 table lengths away, “It’s outta the bag, yo!”

“Yeaaah, mama.” Travis cheered just under the sound of the oncoming song, something happier, more upbeat.

Ana sighed, this time in pure happiness as the smile refused to falter from her lips. Turning from Patrick’s gleaming, beautifully thankful gaze Ana found more than a few eyes on them; the friends that had stuck around all waiting to find out what all the fuss was about but Ana was almost speechless as she surveyed the anxious eyes of her closest friends.

“She’s pregnant” Pete confessed, nearly flabbergasted that they would try to keep it a secret any longer, “for real this time.”

Janelle’s excited shriek could have nearly cracked the glasses that still remained scattered across a few tables and in the blink of an eye her arms were around Ana in the warmest embrace the two had ever shared, a hug that Ana more than happily returned because if Janelle wasn’t upset about something bigger than her wedding happening today then maybe they did deserve the attention. After all, they were one big family, always there for the lows, so why not celebrate the highs, for once?

Pete was at Patrick’s side before he could even realize Ana was no longer under the touch of his finger tips; with a hearty pat on the back Pete congratulated his best friend on his most worldly accomplishment, knowing full well how much this meant to him, to have a family and finally feel whole. Patrick embraced Pete in a hug, because a pat on the back didn’t suffice to fill the connection he needed at that moment; he needed someone who knew, to share in his joy.

“I’m so happy for you, man.” Pete confessed as he returned Patrick’s enthusiastic embrace, “You deserve this, you really do. It’s unbelievable and I can’t wait until you finally feel it.”

Ana was half-way across the reception tent when Patrick turned from Pete, sharing hugs and kisses with their close friends and the remaining members of families who couldn’t be happier that the couple were finally getting everything they had ever hoped for. Gabe was next to shake Patrick’s hand, Travis, Joe and Janelle’s father and mother, all ecstatic to congratulate him on something he had wished so frantically to conceive.

Ana was back in Janelle’s arms then, tears streaming down both of their faces and they muttered to each other, lost in a sea of hair, running mascara and happiness.

“I’m sorry” Ana apologized, “It’s your wedding day, I didn’t want it to be today, it’s your day and I’m sorry for stealing it.”

“You didn’t steal it, you silly girl” Janelle assured her, pulling away from their embrace to wipe away dripping tears and pooling mascara. “We’re sharing it. Today is a happy day, for us all, it doesn’t have to just be about me or Gabe; we’re one big family and we can all be happy together.”

Gabe linked his arm around Janelle’s waist and held her close as everyone shared a sigh because she was right; it was a day for everyone to be happy for each other. “I couldn’t be happier that you told us today, now I share a wedding day with one of the happiest days in your life. The look on Patrick’s face is the most precious site I’ll ever see, I’m glad it’s here and now and we can all share it.”

Ana sighed happily as Gabe embraced his wife and the group of life-long friends continued sharing in such glorified chatter. Patrick shuffled past a few bodies to make it back to Ana, his voice persistent as he requested to have her back from everyone else’s arms.

“Excuse me, can I have that back?” He interrupted Joe’s embrace to request to have his wife returned to his side. “I believe she belongs to me.”

Joe shared a warm smile before he and Patrick shared a loving embrace, Ana’s eyes dancing happily at a sight she had just noticed moments ago. As Patrick took her hand to lead her away, back to the dance floor, Ana called back in a sing song voice, breaking the ice she knew the couple was skating on and catching their attention.

“Hey Alex, I like your ring.” The smirk on her face was undying as she noted the new jewelry adorning Joe’s girlfriend’s finger, “We’re sharing the day, you shouldn’t keep such happy secret to yourself.”

Claps and cheers erupted from the other half of his band and ¾ of the guests around them as Patrick led her back to the dance floor, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and holding her close, the smile on his face never changing form. A sigh escaped past Ana’s lips as they swayed lightly again, in sync with each others every movement but unable to voice the feelings that they both shared.

Ana rested her head against Patrick’s chest again, taking in every detail of this moment, from the feeling of excitement that hung in the air to the sound of his heart beating in a soothing rhythm as she held him close. The vibration of his words tickled the side of her face as he spoke, the words falling from his lips so naturally that neither of them would be taken by surprise by the ease of the conversation. “Aurora Marie.”

It wasn’t a question, it was a suggestion; one he had hoped would stick for the remainder of their anxious wait. Ana agreed almost immediately, much to his surprise with a simple and quiet “okay” nearly incoherent as she mumbled against his chest.

“Want to know why?” He rested his chin on top of her head as they swayed together so delicately, they still had 3 days left until safety was in reach and to Patrick, there was no such thing as too careful.

“Sure” Ana agreed quietly, content in the moment they were sharing.

Patrick sighed, a smile spreading on his lips at the memory he was about to reveal, “Your dad took us to the mall in Aurora freshman year, I saw you kiss Sean Paxten in the food court and I knew at that moment that I was going to need to fight for you, but it would be worth it in the end. I named our children when we were 14.”

Ana laughed, lightly at first but then increasingly louder as she buried her face deeper into his coat jacket when the laughter settled, “You’re such a dork and I’m so glad you fought. Even when I didn’t deserve you, you keep on fighting and now, everything is perfect.”

There wasn’t a response brewing in his head, because he could do nothing but agree, for the most part. To him she was always worth it, even when she had given up, he pushed ahead and in the end, it paid off; she became his wife and is finally going to bare his child, it was everything he ever dreamed of.

“What about a boy?” Her inquisition caught him by surprise, and he bit his lip as his mind grinded through the options.

“I had one picked out, but I just changed my mind to Evan Michael.”

“Make it Evan Martin and we have a deal.”

“You’re always so stubborn.” It was something he loved about her since the first temper tantrum she threw when they were 5.

“Why did you change your mind?”

Patrick bit his lip, before explaining his logic carefully, “Because if its just over 12 weeks, it was that night in Denver when we fought about watching Evan Almighty and decided to have sex on the hotel balcony instead.”

Ana blushed wildly at the mention of that night, her lips curling into a wicked grin as she glanced up at the expression on his face before settling her head back against his chest. His lips were pressing a kiss on to the top of her head again as she raised another query. “What was your first choice?”

“It doesn’t matter” Patrick shrugged casually.

“Why not?”

“Because it’s a girl.” Patrick answered in such a matter-of-fact tone it pulled at all of the emotion in Ana’s heart, “She’ll be a beautiful little miracle, just as perfect as you.”

Ana didn’t want to doubt the sincerity she felt in his voice and luckily she never had to, because 6 months later Aurora Marie Stump was born, the perfect little miracle her parents dreamed she would be.

Uncle Gabe and Aunt Janelle would always be her favorite god-parents because they let her share their day and Uncle Pete would forever be nagging her as a teenager, trying to convince her that a girl group would be a great new venture. Aurora had the voice of an angel, good genes were playing in her favor but Patrick would shrug it off because at the age of 6 she found her mother’s old camera and the walls of their house have been plastered with her pictures ever since.

Ana and Patrick couldn’t conceive again but it didn’t matter much to them, they had everything they ever dreamed of and more. On the day they were given the famous Stumotrolazera compound, somewhere around Aurora’s 8th birthday they took her to the bench by the river where they shared their first kiss because it was her turn to make the memories and their time to revel in their own; but Patrick vowed that day that she wasn’t allowed near Mason Trohman or his electric blue guitar because there was no way his daughter was ever dating a musician, they only lead to trouble.