I feel a sense of anxiety as I make my way to the airport. I haven't been back in England, or seen my mother or Jacob in nine months. I have avoided their phone calls. I've avoided Christian's phone calls. I just dove into my work, and left well enough alone.
Hailey sits beside me on the plane and Rachel and Amanda are across the isle. I try to stay focused on the picture outside the window of the plane, but my mind races since all I see is an endless ocean. I think of the yelling and the fighting the last time I was here. The rejection I felt from my step-father. The hurt I saw in Christian's eyes. Then my memories get interrupted.
"You doing okay?" Hailey asks me in a hushed voice.
"I'll be fine." I say back to her.
"He's on tour, you know." I look at her. "So, he won't be there. He's in New York for his Fairytale tour."
"Yeah, mom told me." I say, quietly.
I sit in silence the rest of the flight. The plane touches down and I feel like my heart jumped up in my throat. The closer we get to the Eastman Estate, the more nervous and noxious I feel. We get into a limo and drive to Jacob's house. We go through the gate, and I get out of the car. I let out a long, shaky breath. This is it, I thought.
We join my mom and Jacob in the dining room for dinner. They ask about my travels and the things I've experienced. As I am talking, we hear the front door open and close. Heavy footsteps echo in the hallway as the person makes their approach. Christian comes into view.
"Hey." He says. He finds my eyes and is surprised to see me. "I thought you said she wasn't coming?"
"I thought you said he was in New York for a tour?"
We asked over top of each other. My mother takes my hand and Jacob asks him to sit down. Hailey, Rachel and Amanda excuse themselves and leave the dining room.
"I'm sorry we tricked you both, but we felt this was the only way you two would ever talk to each other again." My mom says to me. "Jacob and I have exhausted ourselves in conversation regarding the two of you."
"There is two of us anymore."
"Don't interrupt please." Jacob says to me. "Christian, I am sorry for how I handled things. I was in shock, I was angry, and I was concerned. I shouldn't have reacted the way that I did. I shouldn't have threatened to cut you off. That was wrong of me." He clears his throat.
They continue speaking with us about what they've talked about over the last nine months. My mom said that she found the video of us talking on the stage and she heard the love that was in our voices. She understood what it meant to fall in love with someone that didn't make sense. Jacob says that he watched the videos too and saw the pictures well after he calmed down, and he assured us that he is no longer angry at us, but at himself for denying our right to love who we love.
"It's still a little bit weird to say, but you two aren't siblings." My adds. "You were right when you said it wasn't like you grew up together. So, I guess that makes this a little less awkward. But if I'm being totally honest, I still find it weird."
"So, you two are saying you're okay with us being together?" I ask, timidly.
Jacob and my mom look at each other for a moment, then Jacob pipes up, "We are allowing you to see each other, but not under our roof. Take it somewhere else, please." He laughs.
Rachel, Amanda and Hailey come running in, squealing. They must have been listening in on the conversation. There was just one problem, Christian and I haven't agreed to anything yet. He gets up from the table and I walk after him. He walks out the door, and starts heading to his car.
"Christian wait!" I call after him.
He sighs, and stands at his open door. He looks over his shoulder, "What?"
"Can't we talk about this?"
"I've done nothing but try to talk to you for the last nine months!" He yells. "How could you do that me? How could you say you love me, then three days later leave me without a word?" He chokes back tears.
"I'm sorry, okay? You were terrified that your dad was going to cut you off. You told me as much. I didn't want to have to ask you to choose something like that, so I left. I thought I was doing the right thing." I yelled back.
"Well, you thought wrong." He slams his car door shut and leans against it. He runs his hand through his, now, blonde hair.
"You dyed your hair again." I state. He raises his eyebrows. "I heard your song you wrote for me on the radio too. I was surprised to hear it."
"Yeah, after you left, I decided to take my life back. I went to the record label and cut the contract. I started managing myself and putting my real songs out there. I took out the ear piercing and dyed my hair back to blonde a few months ago."
I walk over to him. "I'm proud of you. That must have taken a lot of guts." He chuckles.
We catch up on a few things, and then he finally asks, "So... if our parents are fine with this, what does that mean for us?" He turns his whole body to face me.
"I don't know. I think we should just take it slow. Start over. You know, get to know each other again. Deal?"
"Deal." He shakes my hand and then pulls me in for a kiss.
Behind us, cheers erupt and we turn to see Rachel, Hailey, Amanda, Jacob, mom and the staff all clapping and cheering for us. Christians starts laughing, and I join in too.
Three Years Later:
"Hey, you better hurry up, Christian is up there waiting, very handsomely, for you!" My mother yells through the cracked door.
"Yes, I know, I'm just adjusting the hair pin."
My mom walks in and adjusts the gold and diamond hair pin in my hair. She puts her hands on my shoulders and gives me a squeeze. "Are you ready?" She asks with a wide smile plastered on her face.
I let out a long breath. I pick up the picture of Trevor on my nightstand, blow him a kiss, "I'm ready."
"He'd be happy for you, you know that right?"
"I know. I just hope he won't be too upset that I'm wearing his mother's hairpin in my hair and getting married to someone else." I let out a soft chuckle.
"May gave you her blessing. She loves Christian. Now, come on. You're going to be late!"
I set Trevor's picture down, adjusted my gown and walked out into the backyard of the Eastman Estate. There are hundreds of people standing and waiting on me as my mother takes my arm. But there's only one pair of eyes I search for. He finds my eyes, and we both tear up. I walk down the aisle, arm in arm with my mother, preparing myself to become Mrs. April Fogherty-Eastman.