~Beckett

Fuck!

I was such an idiot... a fucked up moron who got mad at his wife for letting her ex-husband kiss her when I'd cheated on her multiple times during my press tour.

Drunken nights, bad decisions.

I needed to blow off steam and my wife wasn't exactly close by.

I had no right to be mad a one kiss initiated by that idiot when I'd done so much worse in so little time. But seeing the woman I loved so close to another man who wasn't me when we were married and legally allowed to be together was very hard to process.

My reaction was sick and so fucked up, and now to fucked it up, even more, as she was in the hospital after passing out, leaving me pacing up and down in frustration as her shit face of an ex-husband sat against the wall of the private ward.

"Relax will you," he hissed in annoyance. "You're making me fucking dizzy."

"Shut the fuck up" I hissed back.

He looked away and I sighed, groaning a little as the hours ticked by.

"This is all my fault," I muttered.

Please be okay.

Riccardo rolled his eyes and pushed himself off the wall.

"I'm glad you accept it. I'll have you know that if anything happens to my child, I'll send a thousand lawsuits down your throat."

His child?! It could be mine too.

"You know, this wouldn't have happened if you hadn't walked into our home to stick your tongue down her throat."

"I saw an invitation to be the man she truly needs and it's not my fault you'll never live up to me or be half the man I am. But you know what is your fault? You being such a shitty husband."

"You motherfucker!"

I came charging at him again, prepared to take a swing but he grabbed my arm and slammed me against the wall with his hand pressed against my chest.

"I let you hit me once, it won't be happening again. And the only reason why I haven't twisted your fucking wrists and beaten you to a pulp is because I don't want Aubree going through the troubles of treating your bruises. Know your place, Lewis."

He let me go and smoothened my shirt, just about when the door sprung open to reveal a nurse in blue scrubs. Her green orbs glanced between us, not failing to notice the brewing rippling tension.

"Are you family?"

I cleared my throat but Riccardo beat me to it.

"I'm her husband."

"Ex" I corrected, stepping in front of him.

I turned to the nurse.

"I'm her husband, I'll go in to see her."

"She conceived my child on all fours, begging me to spank her" Riccardo gruffed, nudging me aside. "I think I'm more qualified than he'll ever be. I'll go in to see her."

The look on the nurse's face was that of pure horror. She smiled nervously, watching as we glared down at each other like we were about to brawl.

"Why don't you both go in, she's awake now."

"Can the dog come? He means a lot to her" Riccardo asked.

"Of course."

Exchanging scowls, we both walked into the room. I walked in right after Riccardo did and caught sight of Aubree sitting on the bed with an IV adjoined to her hand. She suddenly took on a pale look, as if she'd been painted with whitewash, even her lips were barely there.

When she spotted the dog, she grinned and patted her side. Taking it as 'permission granted' Dash hopped on the bed and curled at her side, dropping his head on her bump lovingly and protectively.

A wave of relief washed over me. I was worried sick for both her and the baby. Riccardo moved up to her side.

"Isa, I'm so sorry" He apologized, staring her up and down.

She smiled sickly, waving him off, and then her eyes swung my way.

"You're here."

I folded my arms crossed over my chest.

"Was I supposed to not be?"

The Nolan's family doctor, Doctor Seagate chose that moment to walk in and momentarily spared us from the grilling silence.

"Gentlemen. Hello old boy Dash" He greeted and then turned his attention to my wife. "How are you feeling?"

"There's a sudden pressure in my belly that I don't understand" She ran her palm across her belly as Dash shifted slightly. "Is anything wrong with the baby?"

"Thankfully no. Nothing out of the ordinary" he said and walked up to her, whilst placing his stethoscope in the center of her chest. "Take a deep breath for me" he urged quietly.

Aubree did as she was told. She breathed in through her nose and exhaled. He pulled away right after and placed the stethoscope around his neck.

"I do want to take a moment to talk with you about your blood pressure."

My chest tightened.

"Her blood pressure?" Riccardo repeated, already on high alert. "How is it? What's wrong?"

"Let him finish" I interposed with a gruff even though I was anxious to death myself.

"It's high" Doctor Seagate affirmed. "Much higher than I'd like it to be and If it gets any higher than this you might put your life and the baby's, at risk. I don't need to remind you that until the child is safely delivered, a lot of things can go wrong with the pregnancy... no matter how far along you are."

Aubree swallowed visibly.

"I'm aware."

He continued.

"I'll have my nurse leave you with a list of activities you might consider pursuing and staying away from."

He looked down at his clipboard.

"Overall I'm encouraged by the baby's health. That being said, do be sure to take steps to monitor your pressure and destress your life even more. I look forward to seeing you a few weeks from now."

"Thank you" She forced a smile.

He nodded toward me and walked out, giving room to a depressing amount of silence.

"When will you be released," Riccardo asked, breaking the verbal void.

"They aren't keeping me overnight so I'll be free to go in a few hours."

He nodded.

"I'll take you back to my place."

My brow spiked up as I watched him. Aubree frowned.

"And why the hell would you do that?"

He narrowed his gaze.

"It's not safe for you to be alone, you heard Seagate. Your blood pressure is very high."

"And that's why as her husband, I've got her," I stepped close to the head of the bed. "She's coming with me."

Riccardo scrunched his nose and looked up at me.

"Why? So you can sleep with her as a method of helping her de-stress?"

"I believe the damage is already done" I deadpanned, leaning closer to meet his determined gaze. "She'll be safe with me, worry about taking care of your family."

"Thank God you mentioned family because I don't recall you being part of mine."

His expression morphed back to furious.

"So stay the fuck away from us, Beck. She's coming to my place to be with our son."

"That's my baby she's carrying, which makes her my responsibility! Call it whatever you want but she comes with me."

"Like hell, she will," he snorted, straightening his shoulders as if preparing for a fight. "That baby could as well as be mine!"

"Both of you stop!" Aubree bellowed, placing both her hands on our chest and pushing us away from each other. "I am not a kid. I can take care of myself and I already asked the nurse to call my parents. Emmett's coming to take me home."

Riccardo swung his gaze to her.

"Great then. But I'm going with you."

She frowned.

"Weren't you listening to anything I said?"

"I listened, but that doesn't mean I agree. I'm going with you. I can't let him near you. I took my eyes off you for just once and he lured you into sleeping with him at the cost of everything. Who knows what might happen next?"

"Well, I certainly can't get her pregnant twice" I bit.

Riccardo whipped his head to glare at me.

"But you can fuck her more than twice."

I balled my fists.

"You piece of-"

"Enough!" Aubree exclaimed, sensing another duel brewing between us. "I don't want to be near any of you right now. You both make me sick and I don't care how much you wanna play bodyguard over me. I just want to get my pressure under control and birth this child because this feels like the longest pregnancy ever and I'm exhausted."

Dash yawned.

"You two aren't good for me right now so it'll be best if you kept your distance from me."

It took a moment for her words to sink in and when they did, I nodded.

"Whatever you need to make you feel better."

"Yes, Aubree. Good choice," Riccardo spoke, but his intense stare was on me. "I can understand how you don't want him around. But if asking me to stay away too so you'll not hurt his feelings then I'm all for it."

I rolled my eyes.

"And when the baby's born, we can do a DNA test and find out its paternity."

My mouth suddenly went dry and I glared at Riccardo who had a smug look on his face.

Bastard!

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

~Aubree

Emmett poured me a glass of vitamin water and handed it to me.

"How'd you sleep today?" he asked.

I propped my elbows on the kitchen counter and took a large gulp.

"I feel sick. I just want this baby to come out already... just not today. This is Birdie's big day and it has to be perfect."

He smiled.

"I'm sorry, you feel sick, Aubs. But you should take it easy okay? Birdie's big day or not."

I sighed and took another chug at my water.

"Yeah, you're right."

He pulled out the chair next to me and sat.

"But don't you think it's best to skip your maid-of-honor duties if you don't feel good? You need to be resting full time."

I shook my head.

"It's fine. I can manage. And besides, Brie is a maid-of-honor too."

"I'm talking about being with Riccardo and having him at your side the entire time through the wedding with Beck in the crowd watching."

A sinking feeling weighed heavily in my belly and I sighed a little. It'd been a week since we last saw or spoke to each other.

"I'll be fine. I'll just try all I can to not get extremely close to him and Beck knows this is for Dove so."

He nodded.

"If you think you can go through with this then okay. Just let me know if any of them make you feel uncomfortable."

I nodded.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine, I can handle seeing them both."

I honestly hoped I could. After that kiss and Riccardo's reaction, as well as everything Beckett said that day, I was starting to rethink a lot of things.

"We might have had our differences, but I care for you, Aubree. You're my little sister and I want what's best for you."

I smiled.

"I know you do."

"Yes I do and I also know you're not completely in love with Beck. You married him because you felt you needed to. You feel you owe it to this baby, which is wrong because truthfully speaking, this child could even be Rick's like he's claiming. But if you're going to go through with this, you need to figure out your shit and where you stand before your child is born because things just get complicated from there and I wouldn't want my nephew-"

"Or niece," I added with a meek chuckle.

He smiled.

"I wouldn't want my niece or nephew to witness how miserable you would be."

I reached out to place my hands on his.

"Thanks, Em."

"You're welcome. Now finish your drink and lemme take you to Birdie's. You've got a wedding to slay."

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

~Brie

"Oh Birdie, you look so beautiful," Nia said, squeezing her hand as if she was being careful not to touch the wedding dress.

"The perfect bride," Aubree agreed.

"Shut up, you're going to make me cry," Dove said, playfully swatting at everyone who was taking turns making sure she looked perfect. "And I don't want my makeup to run."

Yet.

I was sure it would later. She'd almost cried a few times today.

"You're officially going to be my sister," Carmen smiled. "Finally. Took you two long enough, huh?" She gave Dove a little playful wink.

The bridesmaids wore short blush pink dresses as Aubree and I... as co-maids-of-honour, wore long, blush pink colored chiffon dresses with fur shawls around our shoulders. Luckily, we'd only be outside during the actual ceremony part and for photos. During the happy hour and the reception, we'd be in the heated tent that Zach's mom had rented.

"No cold feet?" I asked her, and she shook her head.

"I mean, my feet will probably be cold when we get out there," she said, trying to be funny. "It is like eight degrees out there, you know."

"Why did you think a winter wedding was a good idea again?" Nia chuckled.

I looked out the window and smiled.

"That's why" I responded.

It had snowed for her wedding day. It wasn't super thick, but it coated the ground, like a white blanket dusting the outside world, so everything sparkled when the sun hit it.

"At least you have sleeves" Nia joked.

"Don't be a sour spot, Nia. They heated the reception tent. It should be nice and cozy" Dove chuckled.

Nia laughed.

"She's just messing with you, Birdie. We'll be fine" Aubree says.

"You should just be grateful it's not going to be a long ceremony because the moment Zach sees her, he's going to want to get to the I do part immediately," I said.

"Or maybe even elope" Carmen shrugged.

"When I've worked so hard at this? No way" Aubree groaned.

Dove chuckled.

"It's going to be a great day!" Carmen giggled.

"And an open bar at the end" Nia wiggled her eyebrows.

"Hope no one forgets their birth control tonight," Aubree muttered.

"Shut up," Nia said, rolling her eyes with a smile.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

~Aiden

Emmett patted Zach on his shoulder, giving him one big smile before he turned towards the house, to where his bride was waiting on the other side.

Dove's bridesmaids were already standing on the other side of us, dressed in blush pink dresses, each carrying bouquets of white and pink roses with baby's breath. As to where they got baby breath in the middle of winter, I didn't even want to know because it was nearly impossible.

Each of the guys had their eyes glued to the girls. They were all spectacular women, but I only had eyes for one girl. The door opened, and there she was. Standing side by side with her sister, with the bride and her father behind them.

Ever so gracefully, she practically floated towards me, the sun behind her making it look like she had a halo against her soft blonde curls. And she didn't take her eyes off of me for one breath.
There was no chance that I would ever look away.
I was misty-eyed before she'd even taken the first step, but the closer she got to me, the more choked up I was.

She smiled and my heart fluttered. Her dress clung to her skin, with a corseted bodice, and the skirt flowed down to her feet with a high slit.

The bride pressed a kiss against her dad's cheek before he settled down in the row with his family.
Dove passed her bouquet to Aubree as Breanna stepped up to join us.

"Hi," I whispered as she stood beside me.

"Hi."

A few loose curls framed her face, and I resisted the urge to touch them. To touch her.

God, has she always been this beautiful?

Breanna's thumb came up to my face and brushed against my eye.

"Eyelash," she whispered, holding up her finger with my one lash on it. "Make a wish."

I closed my eyes, made a wish, and blew on it. I opened my eyes and she was smiling at me.

"I know I'm not supposed to ask but what did you wish for?"

"To be making you my wife right now."

"Aiden..."

"I know. It's your best friend's big day," I whispered. "It's just that..." I sucked in a breath. "You're so beautiful right now, my love. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me and I want to officially make you all mine... last name and all."

She tilted her eyes down as if she could hide her adorable blush. It was one of my favorite things about her in the world. When the officiant started the ceremony, Breanna's hands slipped into mine.

"I can't wait to marry you too."

I smiled.

"Family and friends, thank you all for coming today to share in this wonderful occasion. Today, we are gathered together to unite Zachary James Hart and Dove Olivia Quincy in marriage."

Breanna pressed her body to mine through the whole speech the officiant gave.

"Zachary, do you take Dove to be your wife? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and keep her, in sickness and in health, in good times and bad times, for richer or poorer, to have and to hold, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?"

He caught Breanna's eye and she chuckled and gave him a thumbs. A few people who saw them chuckled.

"I do."

"Dove, do you take Zachary to be your husband? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and keep him, in sickness and in health, in good times and bad times, for richer or poorer, to have and to hold, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?"

She caught Aubree's eyes and she pinched-together her index finger and thumb at her to go ahead. Everyone chuckled.

"I do."

The officiant cleared his throat once again, bringing everyone's attention back to him.

"Zachary and Dove have chosen rings to exchange with each other as a symbol of their unending love."

Zach turned to Emmett who signaled at someone in the crowd and then we heard a bark. Dash was trotting down the aisle with the rings tied to the bow he wore around his neck. Several 'Awwes' erupted in the crowd and Breanna laughed beside me.

Zach bent down to untie the rings and nodded at the dog.

"Thanks, man."

Dash barked in return and trotted to sit at Aubree's feet not before brushing himself at Breanna's feet.

"Zachary, please take the ring you have selected for Dove. And as you place it on her finger, repeat after me."

He repeated everything after the officiant and she did the same. Zach smiled excitedly at her and I caught him muttering excitedly, "Here we go."

"By the power vested in me by the state of Virginia, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

He pulled her into his arms, dipped her down, and kissed her like his life depended on it. Everyone cheered and clapped. Zachary and Dove's siblings stepped up to the newlyweds and blew two confetti cannons, startling Aubree a bit as she cradled her bump.

Breanna laughed and I tugged her gently close to me a kissed the tip of her nose.

"Shall we?"

She grinned and pressed a light kiss to my lips.

"Let's go, my love."

Thank you so much for reading! ✨