j a i m e e

+

"It's time."

Shit

My heart races dangerously inside my chest as I pull my wedding dress up, moving to stand in formation.

Libbie stands in front of me, a giddy smile embracing her warm features as she stands perfectly in the dress that matches the pink undertones of her hair. My ivory dress looked so elegant when next to the baby pink, I never doubted for a second that I needed that color for my bridesmaid dresses.

Starr looks so beautiful too. It'd taken weeks to persuade Remi to let Libbie dye the tips of his daughter's hair pink to match the dress but it eventually worked, and she looked like an angel.

"You ready, hermanita?" Remi asks beside me. I nod my head, afraid that if I speak aloud my voice might break or, worse, I'd start crying.

(translation: little sister)

Today was the day that I'd marry the love of my life.

How could I have guessed that I'd end up here?

The song we had chosen begins to play softly, and the moment I hear the gentle sound is the moment I begin to relax. Out of all the songs it could've been, Shayden had decided on the classic Oasis song, Live Forever, but just the instrumental. I could've killed him for picking a rock song but it was the only control I'd let him have.

He said it symbolized us, and how our love would be eternal. Just as it always was.

Before I even realize what's happening, my feet are moving forward and I spot Shayden instantly. Taylor and Tory stand tall by his side. The cuban boy sends me a dazzling grin, and then taps his best friend's shoulder.

The moment Shayden's eyes meet mine, I feel like I'm 13 years old again. The raven eyes meeting my own, the warmth and raw love in them rendering me speechless.

His suit is entirely black, save for the pink tie, matching everyone else's. Libbie promised me that she'd make our wedding attire perfect and seeing Shayden look so breathtakingly beautiful makes me so glad that her choices were flawless.

When we reach the end of the aisle, Remi hugs me quickly and plants a small kiss on my forehead. He leans down and whispers in my ear. "I'm so proud of you, little sister. Mom and Dad would be too."

He takes my hand and guides me to Shayden. Both Tory and Taylor do the same thing, kissing my cheek and then my forehead and whispering sweet consolations in my ear.

Shayden and I stare at each other. Soft grins forming on our faces. Any anxiety that I was feeling before this exact moment dissipated. This was it.

"You look absolutely sensational, my love." He whispers.

"Welcome, friends and family of the bride and groom, and thank you for joining us on this important day. Today we have gathered to witness and bless the joining of marriage between Jaimee Mendoza and Shayden Nkosi."

This is really happening. Butterflies flutter around my stomach.

I tuned out the rest of the Priest's words, focusing only on the man before me. The man who defended me without question, my sole support system, the man whose loyalty has never faltered despite all the reasons I gave him.

I love him so fucking much.

I was so shattered, and vulnerable, and bitter when we met each other again. So irreparably broken that I never believed I could be fixed.

We mended each other.

Pushing him away was the worst decision I ever made, but I guess our love story truly does prove that we go back to those who we're meant to be with.

And now we were together, and making a vow to love each other forever.

The Priest's voice interrupted my mental rambling, his words instantly hitting me on a deeper level. "You promised each other eternal love and friendship You promised to stay beside and support each other. This is your time to do your vows."

My eyes scan around the room, meeting that of each of my family members. Tory and Libbie attempt to wipe their tears subtly, as Taylor stares up at me with pride. Remi sits with Starr perched onto his lap, the soft but sad smile on his face reminding me of why he had three empty chairs next to him on the front row.

For our parents: Tenaiya, Antonio and Shania.

"I'd like to invite both Jaimee and Shayden to read the vows that they have written for one another."

Shayden's hand disappeared inside his suit jacket, and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Libbie pushed mine into my hand, squeezing my forearm before moving to sit back down.

Shayden unfolds his page, smoothing the creases out with his shaky hands. "Me first?"

The celebrant nodded.

"From the moment I met you, I knew who we were and who we could be to each other." He begins, his voice soft and shaky. "We were young and anyone would've told us that we were too young to know anything about life, too young to know things like love. But I'd happily argue with every single one of them because I swear I knew. You came into my life unexpectedly, like a hurricane. You defended me before you even knew me, and the more we spoke the more I wanted to know everything about you. I fell in love with you relentlessly and I knew that there would never be anyone else for me. You are my happiness, my light, my person. It's always been us against the world. I never need to worry about what the next day will bring because, as long as you're beside me, I know we can get through it. You taught me to love without conditions. You are the love of my life, Jaimee Mendoza. And I promise I will love you for the rest of my life, and most likely after that too."

A tear slides down his face, and I lean over and plant a gentle kiss on it before I can stop myself. The fluid in my eyes threatens to spill but I refuse to let it, reminding myself that Libbie will literally hit me if I ruin my makeup.

"How am I supposed to follow that?" I let out a scoff of laughter. My face starts to ache as my smile doesn't fade. "You're my best friend. Through heaven and highwater. There aren't enough words to articulate how much I love every ounce of the being you are. It feels surreal to have a love so brutally honest and unconditional as I never thought I deserved anything as pure as you in my life. I love loving you, Shayden. You stuck by my side through every storm and tornado that came my way. You fought for us and you loved me when I didn't have the strength to love myself. You always knew who we were and who we could be. My home, my heaven, my heart. There's no one like you, my love. I am eternally thankful to you and for you. Out of all the choices I've ever made, all the things I've done, you truly are the only thing I've got right. I promise to stay by your side, I promise to share my heart with you until the moment this world ceases to exist. S.N and J.M forever."

I hold my pinky finger out expectantly. The look of amazement on his face makes my stomach twist as he joins our pinkies.

"Forever." He pledges.

"Can I have the rings?"

Starr toddles up to the altar, handing us the ring box. Shayden goes to ruffle her hair but she dodges it quickly, sending him a quick glare before walking back to her dad.

We exchange the rings and, at that moment, I understand whole-heartedly why rings are used.

Rings have no end. They're unconditional, like my love and oath to Shay.

They represented us, as husband and wife.

"I now proudly pronounce you as husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Shayden's hand carcasses my cheek, and I can't help but think about how delicate and affectionate he is with me, even after all this time. His eyes search mine for consent and our lips meet. 

"Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Nkosi-Mendoza."

I like the sound of that.

+

Just like our wedding, our first dance was truly magical.

The gentle harmonies of 5 Seconds of Summer's Best Years echo throughout the room, and my heart swoons as Shayden's still hesitant hands wrap around my waist. Butterflies flutter uncontrollably in my stomach, and it suddenly reminds me of just how far we have come.

When I proposed to him, he asked if this could be our wedding song. So when Libbie asked me about my plan for the first dance, there was no hesitation in my mind at what song it would be too.

"You make me so happy." My voice comes out as a whisper, and my eyes water as I stare into his.

"You are my world." He brushes my hair out of my face, cradling my cheek in his palm while the other stays on my waist. "Everyone who tried to break us lost. They tried to ruin us, destroy the love we have for one another. But they didn't realize that love like ours can't be broken easily."

'You've got a million reasons to hesitate

But darling, the future is better than yesterday'

"I'm so lucky to have you as my best friend and my husband." I chuckle as I stay the last word. I gesture to the tears running down my face, probably smudging my makeup. "Libbie's going to kill me but it's so worth it."

'I wanna hold your hand while we're growing up

But I'll build a house out of the mess and all of the broken pieces

I'll make up for all of your tears'

"I'm the lucky one," He kisses my forehead and I melt into his embrace, resting my head on his shoulder as our bodies move together as one. "I couldn't ask for anyone better to spend the rest of my life with."

'I promise, darling, you won't regret

I'll give you the best years'

He truly is the love of my life.

Everything we went through brought us right here. To this exact moment. Where we stand next to each other, loving each other, at the same time.

I wouldn't change it for the world.

++

He opens his birthday card, laughing at the array of photographs scattered across the front page. He opens it and I hold my breath.

Them beautiful black eyes flicker as he looks at the sonogram, before reading my words quickly.

"Mendoza," He chokes up, voice cracking as he looks up to me with fluid in his eyes. "Are we...Are you...?"

My hand slammed across my mouth, nodding my head silently at his question.

"You're pregnant." He breathes out, dropping the card onto the floor as he stands. "Fuck, Jai. We're gonna...We're gonna have a baby?"

It sounds like a question, so I nod again. His voice was thick with emotion, shaky beyond belief as uncensored joy and love consumed his features.

A tearful laugh escapes my lips as he picks me up, swinging me around in his arms and smothering my face with kisses. Putting me down, I almost let out a sob when I saw the tears rolling down his face. My fingers trace his cheekbones.

He drops to his knees, pecking every part of my stomach with tiny kisses. I sank to my knees in front of him, engulfing him in another hug as he buried his face in the crook of my neck. The two of us were a mess of excited tears and blissful sensations that we only found within each other. We were everything to one another, and now our love just spread to a part of both of us. Something entirely different but so fucking beautiful in the same manner.

+++

"I promise you, little man, I'm going to show you the world. I'll take you to Disneyworld and England and we can go to Kenya and Dubai."

Shayden traces circles onto my round stomach, his soft words pulling me out of my slumber. My sleepy gaze lands on my husband as he coos over my stomach. Apparently it was 'hot' seeing my body mould together for our son.

Our son. Fuck, it was still so crazy to me that I have an actual human life growing within me. My own flesh and blood, a part of Shayden.

My husband was laying stomach down in his boxers, his face directly facing my own stomach as he leaned closer and placed a kiss on my stretched skin.

"Shay...Come back here. What are you doing?" I asked with a sleepy chuckle, shifting so I was leaning up on my elbows so I could see his cheeky grin perfectly.

God, I hope our son looks like him. He'll be breaking girls and boys hearts alike.

At my question, Shay's eyes flickered to mine and, if it was even possible, his smile widened further. "I'm telling our son about all the awesome trips we're going to take him on. Uncle Remi has already promised he's paying for Columbia so.."

"He's going to Harvard. My baby isn't moving to New York." I warn him, already feeling physically sick at the idea.

"Aw is my baby mama getting flustered?" He teases, "Don't worry, my Queen, we're going with him."

"That sounds more like it." I grin back, I should've known he'd be one step ahead of me.

"Baby Saint Joseph Nkosi-Mendoza will be President and I can't wait."

My smile softened, my hands cradling Shayden's as we traced the stretch marks on my stomach, the marks that symbolized my son's existence. They were so beautiful, and I couldn't wait to see him too.

He lets out a little kick, almost pushing both our holds off my stomach as I let out a little wince. Reaching out, I cradle Shayden's cheek in my palm. "He's a strong one, just like his Papa."

"And his Mami." Shayden shifts his head, kissing the palm of my hand. "You are my home, Jaimee Mendoza and I can't wait to have a little Kingdom with you."

++++

"Saint, you can't have McDonalds for breakfast again!" I shout sternly, making my eight year old son pout at me.

"But Dad said we could!"

My glare turns to Shayden, "Stop corrupting my son!"

"I think we should have McDonalds for breakfast, Mami." Shaydens voice practically drips with lust as his eyes rake over my tight navy-blue dress, his black eyes suggestive as heat creeps up my neck at the reminder of our late night activities.

"We can't be late for this appointment."

Shayden just rolls his eyes, picking Saint up over his shoulder and leaning down to kiss my lips gently.

"Ready?" He mumbles against my lips, his hand moving down to my round stomach.

"As I'll ever be."

We met Taylor outside our home, giving him a hug before climbing into his car. Remi, Tory and Libbie were meeting us at the hospital.

Tory had moved in with Remi following my wedding, after forming an unlikely but strong friendship. It helped that Starr still adored him nearly 10 years later, and 16 year old's don't adore anybody. He was the only person who could convince her to babysit Libbie and Taylor's four year old daughter, Amber, while they accompanied us to our ultrasound.

We all greet each other as we wait for my name to be called and, once it is, Shayden's grip on my hand tightens. He ruffles Saint's hair as he sits on his Uncle Taylor's lap.

He was confident that we were going to have another little Prince.

"How are you feeling this morning?" The doctor asks me. She measured my bump and wrote some things down, before preparing the wand.

"I'm okay, just tired." I chuckle, "He's been up all night kicking me." And interrupting something important.

Shayden laughs too, he spent all night claiming that this kid was already a major cockblocker.

I bunch my dress up over my stomach, tucking it under my breasts as I feel the doctor applying cool gel to my stomach.

I smiled as Shayden grasped my hand. I could feel his excitement, nervousness as his eyes stayed glued onto the screen. This was our second scan, for our second baby, but Shayden's giddiness was everlasting.

The doctor pointed to the screen, both our eyes following her finger and my breath caught at the sight of the small fetus that would be with me in just four months time. He was still small, but definitely a lot bigger than he was at my 12 week scan. You could barely see anything and now our baby was there, clearly visible. Mine and Shayden's baby.

I turned my head just a bit to look at Shayden, watching his features change as his dark eyes began glassing over. The grasp his hand had on mine grew tighter, as if he was trying to ground himself from the overwhelming situation. Lost in the knowledge of how our lives would become so much more magical with the addition to our family.

The idea of having a second child was enough to make me speechless on it's own, but watching Shayden get emotional over it brought tears to my eyes. The raw adoration in his expression, the utter happiness and wonder that he held so unapologetically was priceless.

And then we heard it.

Faint, but so strong. The unmistakable echo of our baby's heartbeat came from the ultrasound machine and I swear I could physically feel my own racing inside my chest.

It was still surreal to think about where we came from and where we are now.

"He's perfect." I whisper, biting my lip between my teeth. My cheeks were aching from smiling so much.

"He?" The doctor repeats, eyebrows raised. "Do you want to know what you're having?"

I nod my head before Shayden gets to intervene.

She moves the wand around, the picture on the screen only changing slightly. "Well it looks like you're having a baby girl."

A gasp escapes my lips as one of my hands flies to my stomach.

A girl. A baby girl.

My own little Princess.

Shayden stayed silent, eyes glued to the screen. His fist was held to his mouth and his eyes fluttered shut. Shayden was so confident that we were having another Prince, what if he didn't want a girl?

Before I have the chance to overthink it anymore, his eyelids open as I see tears in his eyes. A small smile breaks out on his face as he leans down as plants a kiss onto my stomach. "Hey, Princess."

His words were a mere whisper but they sent my heart racing.

"We're having a baby girl, Shay." My voice breaks, thick with emotion that I can't even explain. The doctor begins to clean up, printing off a photograph and handing it to us.

"Fuck, this isn't good." He mutters, resting his chin on my stomach as I run my fingers through his curls. "She's going to be as beautiful as you and I'm going to be fighting off all the boys. She's not allowed a boyfriend until she's 40."

"Does that mean she's allowed a girlfriend?"

"You're right. You're going to have to fight off all the girls." Shayden nods his head, agreeing with me. "I'll just have to fight all their dads or brothers. Libbie and Starr can help you."

"I love how you have this all planned out." I smile as I pull my dress back down. "Let's go tell them the news. Are we sticking with our original name?"

"Of course, my Queen." He wraps his arms around me, kissing my neck sweetly before thanking the doctor and taking our photograph.

We walked out of the room. My arms opened as Saint ran up to me, peppering kisses onto my stomach just like his father always did.

"Baby boy," I kneeled down, shrugging off Shayden's concerned hand on my shoulder. Saint stared at me with widened eyes, his black eyes so awfully like his fathers that it just made me love my son even more. "You're going to have a sister."

He squealed, wrapping his arms around me and almost knocking me over in his excitement. Shayden picks him up, mumbling about how he needs to be more careful before hugging our son too.

"We need to be careful, little man." He kisses Saint's forehead, holding him up with one hand and wrapping his other around my waist. We look into the elated faces of our little family. "May I introduce Maison Shania Nkosi-Mendoza."

Libbie rushed up to me, pulling me into a hug as she practically jumped up and down. Tory followed soon after, planting a sloppy kiss onto my cheek as he laughed about how whipped Shayden would be the moment our Princess was born.

My eyebrows furrowed, eyes narrowing at Taylor's pissed expression.

"You want to tell me what's wrong before I smack you?" I warn.

"Go back in there. That doctors wrong, you're going to have a boy." Taylor snapped.

"It's definitely a girl, Ward." Shayden's eyebrows raise, biting back a smirk.

"Fuck you. No it's not."

"Give me my money, dickhead." Remi demands smugly, to which I just shake my head. I'm not even surprised.

They betted that Libbie would have a boy too and kept the gender a surprise so the moment baby Amber was born, both Remi and Taylor owed Tory 200 dollars each.

"I hate you all." Taylor mutters, pulling his phone out and pressing a few buttons. "I've sent it to you."

"How much was it this time?" I ask, curious.

This time, a half smile was on Remi's face. "Let's just say, Starr's homecoming dress is paid for."

Shayden whistles, "Damn, Ward. Seriously?"

Libbie looks fuming at Taylor, storming over and ranting about how stupid he is while Tory congratulates Remi for actually 'succeeding at something in life'.

Rolling my eyes, I can't help but be grateful for being able to experience something like this. Turning back to both my boys, I can't help but giggle as Shayden starts his pep-talk on how little Maison isn't allowed near any boys in her grade and Saint had to tell us if any are near her.

"Ignore him, little man." I feel a slight pressure on my stomach before feeling my little fighter kick me again. I take my son's hand, guiding it to my stomach. "Maison's saying hello."

At my words, Shayden's hand joins our sons as he leans his head on mine.

"Hi! I'm your big brother, Saint. I can't wait to meet you, Daddy said we only have to wait a few months for you to come home. I love you already! Do you like superheroes? I do, my favorite's Batman and I-"

Shayden's head leans down to mine, directing my attention back to him and away from our son's rambling. His breath tickles my ear and I completely relax. "We did good, didn't we Mendoza?"

"We really did." I say softly, "I love you so much, Shayden. Thank you for being my forever."