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creativeashproductions · 1 year

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Hung the Galaxy // Jake Seresin

IN WHICH: Your fiancé's betrayal sets on a course to meeting someone new after fleeing your wedding. Years later you return to LA with a new fiance

Pairing: Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x f!reader, ex!Evan Buckley x ex!reader

Warnings: Swearing, cheating/affair (not Jake), reader and Jake have a child but can be read as non-biological child, angst, and fluff

Words: 2.3k

A/N: Hi. I love doing crossovers, so I'll probably do a lot of these.

Masterlist

Los Angeles, California, 2020

The bulky planner that had become a staple on your kitchen island would be retiring to a storage bucket. It had served its purpose and would become a momentum of this big step in your relationship. Wedding planning was stressful when your fiancé was a firefighter.

Your hand glided over the material of your wedding dress. Tailored perfectly to your body and the dream dress when you thought of walking down the aisle. You were incredibly excited to get the dress professionally cleaned and stored away.

You also were excited for the two-week honeymoon Buck had planned to relax after months of intense planning. Buck had been tight-lipped about the honeymoon itinerary other than letting you know it was in Bali. However, he’d gotten discounts after having lived and worked there shortly.

“You’re gonna be gorgeous.” Your eyes lifted from the dress to Athena standing at the entrance. You knew from the beginning you wanted her to be part of getting ready for the day, partially because of how calm and levelheaded she was.

“I hope so.” You murmured, stepping across the room barefoot to hug her tight, “It took a lot of planning. Buck and I didn’t get to spend much time together with him working and all the appointments for planning.”

“At least Taylor’s photographer friend agreed to a discount.” Athena nodded, “Which reminds me, I need to make sure May’s got the Polaroids ready to go.”

You grinned, “I have to meet Taylor with the photographer, and then it’s officially time to begin the process of that dress.”

Taylor Kelly had been the roommate of a friend from college, and when your friend had to drop out unexpectedly, you’d asked Taylor. She’s been a great help in keeping track of everything, and you considered her a close friend; she’d joined game nights with Buck, Albert and Josh. She was a good friend and support to both Buck and you. Had even been your shoulder to cry on when communication had suffered in your relationship with Buck. Had offered sage advice.

The sound of the wedding march you hummed brought a smirk to your lips on the trip to the meeting room. Finally, you had time before your aunt and uncle arrived from San Diego for the wedding. Beau had juggled work around at the naval base to make it in time to walk you down the aisle. Not that they would miss this for the world with how deeply involved they were in your life.

“-married Buck. She’s my friend!” Taylor’s voice snapped through the crack of the door. Your hand hesitated in pushing it, “I can’t believe we’ve done this.”

“We’ve been-“

“Having communication problems? I’m aware of that, Buckley. I’m a bridesmaid in your fucking wedding. Sure, we haven’t slept together, but arguably we’ve done worse!”

“It’s not an affair.” Buck was firm in his response, and you could just imagine the crinkle in the skin between his eyebrows as he said that.

“Look up an emotional affair.”

It was silent for a moment other than the sound of Buck tapping away on his phone, “Okay, well, we’ll just stop or take time away to get over- “

Your heart shattered because even in the face of his wrongdoing Buck still wanted her in his life long-term. Your mind slingshot through the last year with how distant he had gotten and how Taylor behaved when you brought him up. She sidestepped the conversation when it came to her love life.

“That’s the thing, Buck. I don’t want to. I don’t want you waiting at the end of the aisle, and maybe that makes me the biggest bitch.”

You didn’t comprehend shoving the door open to reveal the two of them standing so close together, “Absolutely hilarious. The groom is being seduced by the bridesmaid! Tell her she’s delusional. That you wouldn’t waste thousands of dollars and peoples time for a selfish bitch looking to stomp on anyone for a news story.”

Your eyes focused on your fiancé. His blue eyes struggle to stay on your form.

“I can’t.” Buck quietly responded, shrinking in on himself, “I love her too.”

In the crisp morning air flowing in from the open French doors your heart audibly and cruelly shattered. Your soul shrivelled up, and you stumbled back, unable to look away from the wreckage of your relationship. Sure, Buck had always been immature and cowardly indecisive, but a cheater? You’d never expected that.

It took everything in you to tug the ring from your finger, “Fine. But you can march out to the room full of guests and tell them the wedding is off. That you decided that the redhead skank that took advantage of the 118 for a story is the reason you threw away a life with someone you love.”

You could read devastation in his eyes, but at the core of it, Evan Buckley, staunchly and often at the risk of self-destruction, yearned for respect and acceptance. And who was firmly in the centre of that? Bobby Nash.

“Bobby is going to be disgusted by your actions. And thank god we used your credit card, and everything is non-refundable.” You sweetly told your very much now ex-fiancé and turned to the bitch, “You seemed like such a pretty and smart woman Taylor, but your mind does not seem to work well. Must be lonely being the type of person you are to make games of destroying relationships.”

You had even fully turned on your feel when your eyes caught the group of surprised people just outside the French doors. Your lips quirked, noticing Hen and Karen’s son had been very obviously recording the scene.

“Enjoy the food and the open door on Buck and Taylor! But, unfortunately, I have a wedding dress to burn and an emergency appointment for STD testing.”

You strode through the crowd finding Athena holding up the duffle bag of your things, “I thought it was best I grab this and keep Buckley from attempting to stop you.”

“Thank you, Athena.” You murmured, squeezing her arm on your way to where your Aunt Lizzie and Uncle Beau were waiting. You heard the whispers of people as Buck attempted to move through the crowd.

The wall of firefighters kept him from making it to the car pulling from the curb. The moment the car turned the corner, the strong front you’d had splintered in the arms of your aunt.

San Diego, California, Present Day

You hadn’t stepped in Los Angeles since the day your life fell apart, all thanks to a two-faced bitch and weak fiancé. You cut off contact with the friends you’d made with Buck and build a new life. You had changed your phone number, blocked Buck on everything and removed a lot of people from your social media.

You knew through the grapevine the short-lived relationship with Taylor had ended. May had mentioned roughly the last time you spoke to her a year ago that Taylor had reported on a story Buck had confided her on.

Your response to her was indifferent to the breakup news, and you only asked if Hen and Chim were okay. You refused to answer any personal questions and hesitantly agreed to consider having May visit during the summer.

You had worked hard with a therapist to navigate grieving for the life you had thought you’d have with Buck. You’d slowly put yourself back with the support of your family. And what you attested to be kismet stumbled into someone a year after settling into Miramar.

You huffed, stumbling into a solid form and scrunched your eyes closed, waiting to hit the deck, but it didn’t come. Cautiously your eyes opened to meet the jade-green ones of a lieutenant aviator going off from the gold wings pinned to his shirt.

“Whoa. Sorry there.” The husky voice caused the breath to catch in the back of your throat. You could hear the subtle but unmistakable drawl of a Southern accent.

“It’s okay.” You softly murmured, releasing your grip on his arms when he levelled you back on your feet, “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“Jake.” The stranger offered both his name and hand. His grip was firm but not suffocating as he shook your hand, “Can I help you?”

“My uncle Beau forgot his phone at home. So I was sent with it. I was barely walking the last time I was here.”

It took a while for Jake to wear both you and Beau down to take you out on a date, and the rest is what they call history. He was everything you wanted and weren’t looking for. His emotional maturity was astounding, and his firm expectancy of honesty and talking things through was welcomed.

Honestly, it was the healthiest relationship you’d ever been in.

So it wasn’t a surprise when a year later, you’d gotten engaged and moved in together. Being with Jake was easy, and it wasn’t just because of how steady and solid he was, like the Allegheny River you visited not that long ago. You adored everything about him. From the old hand-me-down Bible, his grandpa gave him the day he got the Naval Academy acceptance letter to his weekly phone call with his parents.

You were ever grateful for how supportive Jake was when he cleared his schedule to join you in LA when Eddie invited you. Usually, you would have said no to your old friend, but he’d gotten crafty by having Chris ask you.

“You got this,” Jake murmured against your temple. Then, like it was second nature, you guided Jake around the house’s side to the backyard’s open gate.

The entire area was flooded with friends and family of the Diaz duo. You could see every one of the 118 and felt more than saw Chris slam into you.

“You’re here!” Chris beamed as you pushed one of his curls off his forehead, “I didn’t think you’d come!”

“And miss watching your dad’s existential crisis at you becoming a teenager? Never.” You joked, kissing his head, “Chris, I’d like you to meet Jake and Ellie.”

Chris’s inquisitive eyes moved to the tall stranger standing with one hand on your lower back and the infant cradled on his chest. Chris had a feeling that Buck’s plan would burst into flames with how close you and this Jake guy were standing.

“Oh,” Chris murmured, looking over his shoulder to where Buck was chatting with Maddie and Chim.

Your smile softened at the blue tone, “I know it’s weird that I left LA after being with Buck and came back with someone new. I get that and take all the time you need, but you are still important to me, Christopher.”

Athena quickly snagged you from Jake’s side and dragged you to Hen and Karen beaming at you. Jake had already fallen into a conversation with Eddie about everything to do with Texas. You had a feeling football would be brought up.

“I’d ask who he is, but I feel he’s not just a friend.” Buck had taken the first opportunity to approach you. You’d volunteered to get more napkins from the kitchen, and Buck had used a flimsy excuse.

“Hello, Evan.” You declared from behind the open cabinet door to the cupboard above the stove. Your eyes caught the blue napkins of Chris’ favourite show at the moment.

“How’re you?”

You leaned back from the coverage of the cabinet to stare at him, stumped at his sudden question.

“Are you expecting me to burst out in song and dance to confess some sort of undying love for you?” You inquired, looking between his blue irises that made you uncomfortable with their evident love, “Because Buck. I don’t love you. I don’t even hate you, to be honest. I’ve moved past what happened.”

Buck couldn’t help but perk up when you admitted to not hating him like he had anticipated. He glossed over the part of your words, saying you didn’t have feelings for him because that tiny little hope fanned.

“If I had to put a name to what I feel when the odd time you’re brought up, it would be indifference. I have more important things now.” You informed your ex-fiancé with a perfectly timed movement to close the cabinet. It revealed the new ring sitting where the one he gave you used to sit.

Buck’s stomach dropped.

“Sweets?” Jake called as he entered the room. He barely gave Buck a glance because what did it matter? Jake had no reason to feel threatened by him, “Ellie-belly here is down for the count. We should head for the hotel and rest before we fly out.”

“My sweet girl.” You cooed leaning into the baby cradled on Jake’s hip to kiss her chubby cheek, “We’ll say our rounds and give Chris his present.”

You shot Buck a smile on your way back out to Eddie’s backyard to find the birthday boy in the mass. Jake split off back to Eddie while you made the rounds to the people you used to see almost every day. Your eyes fluttered back to him, listening to Eddie and cooing at your daughter.

“You look happy, Kid,” Bobby spoke upon joining Athena. His words brought your attention back to him, “You look at him like he hung the moon. And he looks like you did the same for him.”

Your lips quirked, “You say he hung the moon, but Bobby, I’d say he hung the galaxy.”

“I couldn’t help but notice the bling.” Karen grinned, gesturing to the ring on your finger, “When did that happen?”

“A little over a year ago. We were in the middle of planning when Ellie came around, so we’re having a small wedding in Jake’s hometown. We fly out from LAX tomorrow. So you should all come down to San Diego for the party our friends are throwing us.”

With a hug from Athena and Bobby and a long one with Chris, you leaned against the car door as Jake carefully juggled your daughter into her car seat. It was quiet. It was peaceful. It was perfect.

Tag List:

@websterss

#jake hangman seresin x reader #jake hangman seresin x female reader #top gun imagines #911 imagines #caitsy and ash productions

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callsign-magnolia · 1 year

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I Hope You Dance // Ch. 41

MATURE CONTENT (18+)

A/N: This is cross posted to my Wattpad, so if this seems familiar that is why!

TW: Mental abuse, emotional abuse, slight physical abuse, death and loss.

Description: When Caila meets Rooster, sparks fly. But, she's already married, to a man who she thought loved her, and won't let her go. Rooster will fight for her, he just has to convince Caila to fight for herself.

Word Count: 7.0k

Chapter 40 | Masterlist

It was a warm and sunny day in San Diego, perfect for viewing venues. I pulled the Bronco up next to Penny’s Porsche, her and Mav leaning against it and talking. “There she is! The Bride-to-be!” Mav yelled as I got out, wrapping me up in a hug. Once he let go, Penny hugged me. “So, how’d you find this place?” She asked, turning to look at the victorian home in front of us. “Passed it on the way back home from looking at that last hotel.” She nodded as we walked onto the porch. I caught sight of the Kingston Estate as I sat in traffic coming back from the last venue I checked out. When I looked online they had a garden in the back, as well as a hillside that gave you a view of the ocean, perfect to get married in front of. We walked inside as a woman in a suit walked up to us. “Hi, you must be Miss Motley.” I nodded, shaking her hand. “I’m Margaret, will your fiancé be joining us?” I shook my head. “He’s currently deployed. He’ll come back in April.” She smiled and nodded. “Well here. These have our package options, we offer catering, a photographer and videographer, and we can even make your cake in house.” I raised my brows as she went over everything they did, and the prices on the sheet weren’t that bad.

“Now let me show you the ballroom.” “Oh, can we actually see the garden and the outdoor space first?” She nodded, having us follow her outside. We walked out a large set of gorgeous french doors, leading into a large open space. “Now this is where you would have the ceremony outside. We supply chairs as well as an archway that you can decorate as you, please. If it is too windy that day, we can move it inside, but hopefully we wouldn’t have too.” It was so open and spacious out here, the grass was soft and green, and you could smell the flowers from the garden when a breeze blew by. “You think Bradley will like it?” I turned to Mav who nodded. “Oh yeah, this is something he’d enjoy.” I smiled, nodding. “Okay, let me show you the garden.” We followed her around the corner and all kinds of flowers in many different colors invaded my vision. “Oh wow!” Penny gasped as we walked around. Rows on rows of flowers were everywhere, and there was even a small pond with fish inside. “I really really like this.” The smile wouldn’t leave my face and my muscles were aching. “Would you like to see the inside now?” I nodded and we followed behind her. “Okay, this is our main ballroom.” She opened the double doors to reveal a large room with white and black tiled floor. Tall windows allowed for the sunlight to pour in which made the room seem so warm.

“This is where your reception would be. We provide tables, chairs, a screen for pictures or videos, and space for a band or DJ. We can decorate however you wish. A lot of people these days like the bright neons, but we do have some warm yellow lights that we can hang.” I nodded. “Warm lighting for sure, I’m not a fan of a club element at weddings and neither is Roo.” She nodded. “We have a list of bands and DJ’s that have worked with us, and we recommend as well.” I nodded, just amazed at the room. “Against this wall here we have the bar. You don’t have to use it but if you do you have the option of an open bar or guests paying.” I nodded still mesmerized by the room. The gold chandelier hung over the center of the floor, the morning sunlight bouncing off it. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to our bridal suite and our grooms suite.” We followed her up the grand staircase, the windows showing a beautiful view of the ocean. She took us to the right, towards the groom’s suite, swinging the door open and allowing us into the large room. There was a pool table, a wet bar, a large bathroom with a shower, darts, a large couch and a few chairs and a tv. “There is a bedroom through here, many grooms decide to stay here the night before.” She opened the door to see a smaller bedroom that had a queen size bed. I nodded, as we looked around. “We also have a large closet with a steamer for tuxedos.”

It was nice, nicest I had seen yet and the best price for what we were getting. “Now, the bridal suite.” I was excited to see this, almost skipping behind Margaret on the way over. She swung the door open, and I gasped. Everything was white, bright and beautiful. Tall windows like the rest of the house with sheer white curtains around them, plush white carpet, a wet bar, tv, a living room set up, and a few vanities spread throughout the room. “The bathroom has everything the groom’s suite does, as well as a king-sized bed in that room.” We walked over and it looked so plush and soft, white blankets making it look crisp and clean. “Here we have a hook that you can hang the dress on, a lot of women love to have pictures of just the dress. These are bow windows, and they look beautiful at any time of day, and they make for great pictures.” The excitement was building in my chest. “What do we think?” I asked, turning to Mav and Penny. “Rooster is obviously going to like whatever you like,” Mav said as he tossed his arm over my shoulder. “But I genuinely think he will love this.” I nodded as Penny stepped up next to him. “This screams you guys. It’s classic but not super formal, I can see you guys getting married out there.” I nodded and we followed Margaret down to her office.

“So, what do we think?” I nodded. “I like it, a lot. It’s just screaming at me, but I do have to talk to my fiancé before I book anything.” She nodded, clicking around on her computer. “Okay, well we book out fast and far. When do you talk to him next?” I looked at my phone, looking for the date. “Tomorrow actually.” She nodded, looking up at the clock. “I have four more couples who are looking today. If they all book with us, this can book us out another five months because we already have stuff booked for next year.” My face fell at her words, I was worried we wouldn’t have the short engagement we wanted. “Is there any way I can hold a spot?” She pursed her lips, looking at her computer. “I’m not supposed to, but I’ll tell you what. The next available day we have for a wedding is Saturday December thirty-first. If you put down a deposit on that day, I won’t let anyone else book it. You can talk to your fiancé and call me, but if you don’t call me by Monday, you won’t get that deposit back.” I nodded, whipping out the cash I kept in case I found a venue. “If you do book on the 31st and hang around till midnight there will be fireworks.” I smiled as I handed her the money, nodding. “Thank you so much, Margaret.”

As we got outside, I couldn’t help but do a little dance. “Ah! I found a venue!” Penny and Mav laughed. “It’s really great, Magnolia.” Mav said and I couldn’t help the sigh that escaped me. “I know, and I can’t wait to talk to Rooster about it! I’m gonna go home and email him all the info!” They smiled as I got into the Bronco, tearing down the road, joyful as ever. I was surprised when I got home to find a small SUV in the driveway and an older woman standing on the porch. As I pulled in, she turned to me, her facial expression being unreadable as she did so. “Hi, can I help you?” I asked slowly, a little nervous as to why she was here. “Is Bradley here?” She was snippy, rude even. “No, he’s not. But I’m his fiancé, can I help you?” Attitude was dripping from every word as I crossed my arms over my chest and my hip popped out. “You-you’re the fiancé?” She asked, pointing a chubby finger at me. “I am. And you are?” My eyebrow raised as she seemed to huff. “I’m his aunt Matilda, but he calls me Tilly.” So this was his aunt Tilly, I haven’t seen pictures but she was not what I was expecting. “Well, why don’t you come in and I’ll make lunch.” I said as I walked by her, unlocking the door. She seemed a little stunned at my actions but soon turned and followed me.

The dogs were happy I was home, but they were even more excited that Tilly was here. “Oh! Oh! Good doggy.” She said slowly backing away from Dahlia. “Dahlia. Bed.” She slowly turned, ambling over to her bed before flopping down on her side. Sadie had herself propped up on Tilly’s leg, expecting attention. “Sadie.” She got down, looking at me with a side eye before crawling into Dahlia’s bed and curling up next to her. “I’m sorry. Everyone is so used to them that I forget that some people aren’t fond of dogs.” She seemed to calm down once the dogs did, her shoulders visibly relaxing. “Mangy mutts.” She muttered, making me stop, and turn around. “I’m sorry?” She gave me the fakest smile I had ever seen. “Beautiful dogs.” I huffed, getting fed up with this woman already. “Thank you. Bradley has quite the relationship with them, especially Sadie. The little one.” She followed me into the kitchen, a confused look on her face. “Oh no, my Brad Brad is scared of dogs.” I cringed at ‘my Brad Brad’, pulling out some chicken to cook. “Mm, no he’s not. At least if he is he has an odd way of showing it seeing as the dogs’ sleep in the bed with us.” I was getting frustrated wit her. She shows up to our house, being rude and acting like she knows everything.

“Sleep with you? Do you live here?” It sounded incredulous. I nodded as I pulled out some veggies. “Yes, I do. Bradley and I share a house, a bed. We live together and we love it.” She scoffed, leaning back from the island that she leaned on. “In this house? My sister’s house? Which doesn’t even look like her house anymore! Bradley would never make these changes so I can only assume you pushed it on him! Disrespecting my sister and brother in laws memory!” I slammed my knife down, turning to her as she jumped in surprise. “Shut up! The renovation was Bradley’s idea and yeah, I had some input, but for the most part this was him! And disrespecting their memory?” I stormed back out to the living room, pointing to the pictures placed around the house. “Does this look disrespectful to you? Putting pictures of them and Bradley around the house so he can always see them? I dug these out, making sure that they had a special place in this house.” I stormed over to the fireplace. “Their wedding picture, this is Bradley’s favorite and I wanted him to be able to see it whenever he wanted. So don’t come into our house and start talking shit about how we’ve done things.” She seemed taken aback by my words.

“I can’t believe you would talk to me like this! Bradley wouldn’t stand for it!” “Oh, I know all about your relationship. How you shamed him for following his mother’s wishes and all but abandoning him at seventeen. You’re a piece of fucking work and at this point, you’re not welcome in my house.” She was shocked at my words. “I told him not to marry you! You broke his heart too many times! I don’t trust you!” I laughed as I swung the front door open. “I don’t give a fuck if you don’t trust me. Bradley knows I’m not going anywhere. Now, leave.” She huffed before walking outside. “I’ll just come back when he’s home. I had some stuff to give him anyway.” She was fuming as she stormed towards the car. “Well then see you in April, he’s deployed.” She glared at me before huffing. We stared each other down for a minute before she sighed. “Can I at least leave this stuff here? It’s the rest of his mom and dad’s stuff that was at my house.” I pursed my lips. I couldn’t let my feelings towards her keep Roo from getting stuff that means a lot to him. “Of course.” I helped her tote everything in before setting it in the living room. “Thank you.” I nodded at her. “I’d never stand in the way of what he wants.” She sighed, standing up straight. She turned towards the door, grabbing the door handle and swinging it open, gasping when she saw Maverick standing on the other side with his fist up. They stared at each other for a moment before she spoke up. “Pete.” There was so much malice in her voice, it almost made my skin crawl.

“Matilda.” There was just as much venom in his voice. “What are you doing here?” She asked, her hand on her hip. “He came to discuss wedding stuff with me. He’s been a big help since Bradley is deployed.” She huffed, looking up at him. “You will never be able to replace Nicholas.” Mav seemed shocked, so I stepped in. “Okay. First off, he’s not. Rooster asked for him to assist with the wedding while he was gone. No one could ever replace his dad and Maverick is not trying to.” “You don’t know what he did while my sister was sick.” It was taking a lot to bite back my anger at this point. “You mean like how he took care of Bradley while you bitched about Carol’s wishes?” I asked as I took the door from her. “You don’t know anything!” She yelled. “I know enough. Now, please leave. I don’t want to have to force you out.” She stormed past Mav, almost knocking him over in the process. “Have a nice day, Matilda.” Mav yelled after her. She just gave him the middle finger before tearing out of the driveway. We just laughed as I let him in. “Why was she here?” He asked and I motioned to the boxes. “She wanted to drop the rest of the Nick and Carol’s stuff off for Roo. I don’t know what’s in here.” I said as I walked over and opened the top box, gasping when I saw what was inside. “Carol’s wedding dress.” Mav looked at it as tears sprung to his eyes. I grabbed the pile of tulle on top, lace lining it on the outside. “This is her veil.” It was soft and Mav helped me pull it out completely. “I forgot how long it was.” He chuckled before wiping his cheeks. “You think Rooster would let me wear it?” Mav seemed surprised by my question, but a soft smile graced his features. “I think he’d love that.”

Mav originally came over to retrieve a pair of shoes Penny had loaned me, and he stayed to help me hash out a few small wedding details. It was nice to spend this time with him, I’ve known Mav my whole life, but since being out here he really feels like family. The next morning, I sat at the island, my computer in front of me as I sipped my coffee. I emailed Rooster all of the information on the venue yesterday in hopes he got to read it, and now we were about to finalize a few decisions on this call. I opened the kitchen windows while I sat here to let the warm breeze in as well as listen to the waves crash on the beach just out back. The call was loading, all Rooster had to do was pick up on his end. After a few minutes, the constant swirling circle on the screen disappeared and the face of my handsome fiancé replaced it. “Hey, pretty girl!” The screen was a little grainy but I could tell his smile overtook his face and his eyes had a certain glimmer to them. “Hi honey!” I said excitedly. “How’s your morning?” I smiled, picking up my laptop to show him the windows. “I have the windows open, there’s a warm breeze, and I can hear the waves crashing on the beach. Perfect for a Sunday morning!” He gave me a dopey smile, resting his face in his hands. “God, I love you.” I giggled as I sipped my coffee. “I love you too.” I grinned. “So, I did get to look at the venue and the pictures look amazing.” I nodded excitedly, grabbing the paperwork. "It’s even more amazing in person! They have Bridal and Groom’s suites so if one of us wanted to stay there the night before, we could. The ballroom is beautiful, with room for everything. The gardens are magical almost, I figured we could sneak in there right after the ceremony for a few minutes. Just to take a breather and be with each other for a minute before we dive back into the madness.”

He nodded, listening intently to me. “I think that’s a great idea.” I nodded, writing it down. “Okay, so she told me she would hold the one available date they had if I put down a deposit. I can call her after I talk to you, and if we want it it’s ours, and if we don’t she said she would refund us. She’s not supposed to do that but she’s making an exception.” He nodded. “So, what’s the date?” I sighed, not sure he would be on board with it. “December thirty-first.” I bit my lip, staring at him. “Of this year?” I nodded. “Book it! Take it!” He yelled out, making me giggle. “We wanna get married on December thirty-first of this year?” He nodded, and I jotted it down on the notepad in front of me. “I know it’s not the shortest engagement like you wanted, but I’m excited to get to marry you this year.” I shook my head. “I’ll wait a hundred if it means I get to marry you in the end.” His hand flew to his chest, clutching his heart as he leaned back. “It’s so sweet, I’m gonna die.” I laughed as I looked at the paper with notes I took with Mav last night. “So, you know how we were trying to figure out a second color for the wedding?” He nodded. “I was talking with Mav yesterday and I mentioned that, and he had quite the idea.” He raised an eyebrow. “What about Navy and Champagne?” He raised a brow in surprise. “Mav came up with that?” I nodded. “Sure did.” He chuckled. “I’m impressed, and I really like those color ideas.” I nodded. “So, JJ is gonna be the ring bearer.” I nodded, my bottom lip jutting out. “He’ll be able to walk by then.” Roo mimicked my face before laughing. “I don’t know how you can look so cute like that.” I shrugged with a grin at his words.

“I considered asking Amber and Kim if Anita and Isabella could be flower girls.” He sighed. “The only thing is, Anita is super shy. How’s she gonna act if all these strangers are staring at her?” I pursed my lips. “I had thought about that. Maybe have Jake sit up in the front row, that way if she gets overwhelmed, she can run to him. These ceremonies can be long for kids, so I don’t really expect them to stand with us. They can go sit in the front row if they want.” He nodded. “I considered having Jake be a groomsman.” I raised a brow. “I know you guys are getting on a lot better now, but I didn’t expect that.” He shrugged. “We’ve been emailing back and forth while I’ve been deployed, and we’ve just been getting closer.” I nodded. “Either way, he’ll be at the end of the aisle if Anita gets overwhelmed.” He nodded. “You know, I joked with Coyote, Bob and Payback that they would be flowers boys.” I laughed out. “I think Harvard, Yale, Fritz, and Omaha would be a better fit for that. I was gonna ask Coyote, Bob and Payback to be groomsmen.” I pursed my lips. “Who says we can’t have flower girls and flower boys?” He laughed. “We’ll work that out closer to time.” I nodded. “Okay, so I think that’s it. We will figure out food, flowers, photographers and everything when you come home.” He nodded. “But I was thinking we could do the engagement party not long after you get home. Do you have an idea of when you’ll be home?” He shook his head. “Just April. That’s all I know.” I nodded, my smile falling slightly. “Well then, we’ll just plan it for the first weekend in May to be on the safe side! Penny offered up the bar for anything we needed, and I may take her up on that for this party.”

I looked up, to see he had that dopey smile back on his face. “You’re so cute when you talk about our wedding.” A laugh escaped me, loud as I threw my head back. “You’re so cute with that dopey smile on your face.” He chuckled as Dahlia padded over, propping her legs in my lap so she could see the computer. “What is it? You hear daddy?” Her large nose almost covered the screen as she sniffed it, very confused as to why she could see and hear him but he wasn’t here. “Say that again.” I raised a brow. “What? Daddy?” A large grin grew on his face as mine heated up, the blush creeping up my neck. “Rooster, you’re nasty.” He shook his head with a laugh. “I mean, I was the one thinking about how when we have kids that’ll be my new title. You’re the one who made it dirty.” It’s like someone turned up the heat, I started feeling even hotter at his words. “Speaking of daddy.” I said as I reached behind the computer, grabbing the stick. I held it up, showing him the bold negative in the tiny window. “Wait, did you think you were pregnant?” I nodded. “I had the flu this past week and some of my symptoms could’ve been pregnancy related. Natasha was the one who suggested I take a test.” He sighed, leaning back. “I wanted to talk to you about it though. I think we should stop trying.” His face fell in surprise. “Not permanently. Just until after the wedding. I don’t wanna have to move our wedding around if I do get pregnant because I’m not walking down the aisle with a baby bump.” He nodded, still looking sad. “I also don’t think I’m ready to give up flying yet. My eye doctor told me I’d be lucky to fly after thirty-five anyway, and I want to do it as long as I can.” He bit his lip, looking down at his hands that were folded in front of him. “I forgot about your eyesight deteriorating.” I nodded. “I’m just not ready to give it up, Roo.”

“And I’d never ask you too. But if we did have kids, we would make it work. But I agree, maybe we should stop trying until after the wedding.” I nodded with a sigh as I propped my head on my hand. “So back to condoms, and I’m gonna get on birth control. I have a gynecologist appointment in a few weeks, so I’ll ask then.” He nodded. “Sounds good, pretty girl.” He looked just behind his computer sighing. “One minute.” I pursed my lips. “I love you, and I’ll see you on our next call. One more and then you’re home.” He nodded. “I know, I can’t wait.” I bit my lip. “You know when you come home, we’re gonna be in bed most of the time.” He nodded. “Oh, I know, trust me. It’s all I think about some days.” I smiled at him. “Bye, Roo. I love you.” He gave me a big smile, leaning back in his chair. “I love you too, pretty girl.” With that the call ended. A few tears slipped from my eyes as the call ended. “Fuck.” I muttered, wiping my eyes. Dahlia whined as she propped her head on my leg. “I know, baby. I miss him too.” I said as I pet her head and played with her ears. “Okay, now to call and confirm the venue.” The words alone made my excited. I paced the kitchen as I called Margaret who was ecstatic that we were booking for the thirty-first. As soon as I hung up, it settled in me. I was actually getting married to Bradley Bradshaw. The excitement was so much, I thought my chest would burst open. “I’M GETTING MARRIED!” I screamed as I danced around the kitchen. “I’M GONNA BE MRS. BRADHSAW! FUCK YEAH!”

That week I called mom, telling her we had a date and a venue, which she raved about. Almost more excited than me. I told the rest of the team the date, and they were excited as well. “We should grill out to celebrate.” Payback said as he stood from his seat. “We can do it at my place, tonight. I have all the food.” They nodded. “But we’re cooking. You shouldn’t cook for your own party.” I held my hands up in surrender. “I’m a-okay with that.” After we all finished our hops for the day, we went to the locker rooms, showering and changing into more comfortable clothes before heading out. “We’re all gonna drive back to our places and just ride in one car, so we’ll be behind you.” Payback said and I nodded. “Well, Coyote, Bob and Phoenix rode with me this morning.” Jake said just as I pulled the Bronco door open. “Well, if any of y’all wanna ride with me, you’re more than welcome too.” Phoenix immediately crawled into the backseat as Bob took passenger. “I see how it is.” Hangman huffed as I cranked the engine. “I love you, baby.” Phoenix said, blowing him a kiss. We pulled out and off base, taking in all the warm air that whipped around us. As we went down the road, Hangman passed us, blowing his horn as Coyote waved from the passenger seat.

“Guess they’re gonna wait in the driveway.” Bob chuckled. “Nah, we have a key. Rooster gave it to me just before he left for Texas. It’s on Hangman’s key ring.” I nodded. “They’ll probably let themselves inside, raid my cabinets for anything to cook.” The rest of the drive was spent with the radio filling the silence between us. Some seventies station Rooster keeps it on. As we pulled into the driveway, we saw Hangman and Coyote standing on the porch, staring at the front door. I furrowed my brows, getting out and grabbing my bag. “Figured you two would’ve been inside already.” As they turned around, I saw the door was open. “Did you open that?” Jake shook his head. “It was open when we got here.” My heart was racing. I probably didn’t shut it all the way, that had to be what happened. I stepped onto the porch reaching for the door handle when Hangman stopped me. “Hey, Magnolia, you don’t wanna go in there.” I furrowed my brows in concern. “It’s not pretty and the police are on their way.” My heart was thumping around in my chest. “Hangman I need to go in there. My dogs are-“ I stopped, realizing how quiet it was. “Oh my god.” I dropped my bag and shoved the door open. There was glass everywhere, pictures were smashed, the teddy bear Rooster sent me for Valentine’s Day was shredded and all over the floor. “Dahlia?!” My voice cracked, worried I was gonna walk up on my dog dead in the floor somewhere.

But I was relieved to hear a deep bark from the kitchen. I sprinted over, tossing open the laundry room door and there they both were, safe and sound. “Hi girls.” Tear rolled down my cheeks as I bent down, both rushing to me. “What happened? Huh?” Dahlia licked my face as Sadie nuzzled into my hand. “Okay, come on.” They both turned for the living room, but I caught their attention and sent them out back so they wouldn’t step on the glass. “They’re okay.” I said as I walked back through the living room. There was so much glass everywhere, it looks like all the windows in the house broke. “Who the hell would do this?” I asked to myself as I walked over to the mantle. The pictures of Goose and Carol, and pictures of my parents were fine. But any picture that involved Bradley and I were destroyed. “Magnolia.” I turned to where Phoenix had walked over to the piano. She was crouched on the floor, swiping some glass away. I walked over, careful not to step on any frames on the floor. “Dammit.” I muttered as more tears streamed down my face. I bent down next to her picking up the frame with my pregnancy test in it. The test was gone, and the frame was destroyed, the picture was scratched up from the glass. I wasn’t upset anymore, I was angry. I stood up, rushing up to the bedroom, seeing the same thing in there. Pictures were destroyed, the bedding was ripped apart, even a few of his Hawaiian shirts were ruined. I quickly rifled through my jewelry box, seeing that all the jewelry he gave me was still there.

I sighed, looking around the room. It was absolutely trashed and I had no idea who could’ve done this. I walked downstairs, running my hands through my hair. “This has to be tied to Aaron somehow.” Phoenix tossed her arm over my shoulder, pulling me close. “You think so?” I nodded quickly. “If any random stranger did this, that big ass tv would be gone, all my jewelry would be gone, hell they probably even would’ve taken the dogs! But all things relating to Bradley is destroyed. A few of his shirts are torn upstairs and someone shredded the bedspread. I’m just glad I managed to put away all the stuff his aunt brought over the weekend. If it was laying out, who knows what they would’ve done if they found that stuff.” I heard a car pull up and groaned. “Is that the cops?” Jake nodded as he walked outside. “What did she bring?” Bob asked, using his foot to sweep some glass away from the door. “Mostly stuff of his and his parents. His mom’s wedding dress was in there.” I heard a low whistle and turned to see the same two officers that showed up the night I saw someone sneaking around. “Miss Motley.” They nodded at me, looking around. “So, what happened here?” It was obvious but I knew it was a question they had to ask. “We showed up and the door was open, we peeked inside and saw the place was trashed.” Jake said as the officers wrote it down. “I came home and walked in and saw everything, I’ve walked the house and our bedroom is trashed as well.” They nodded. “If you guys can wait outside, we’re going to do our own walk through.” We all nodded, walking outside as they went around the house.

“Oh my god.” I groaned as I stood in the front yard. “I can’t believe this.” It felt like one thing after another. “I’m just trying to figure out who could’ve done this for Aaron if it was him.” I shrugged. “He has so many connections, and he’s in a federal prison, so he’s probably got some free reign. I’m sure he’s gotten a hold of someone.” Jake nodded. “It’s just so violating. This creep went through the house finding anything to do with Bradley and I, and destroyed it.” I sniffled, trying to keep the tears at bay. Bob came over, hugging me tightly. “You think they took that pregnancy test?” Phoenix asked and I shrugged as I leaned back on Bob. “I don’t know. What would they want with an old positive pregnancy test?” Just as I said that the two officers came out, a manila envelope in hand. “Okay, we haven’t found any clear evidence of who did this. We have a crime scene unit coming in to dust for fingerprints and things like that. But we did find this, it was under one of the pillows on your bed.” He handed me the envelope, and I popped it open. I felt sick to my stomach at what I pulled out. Black and white photos of me leaving the house, out at the hard deck. Rooster in the Bronco, even of him pulling the airstream. There were a few of us through the windows, one of him carrying me inside after the Halloween party. This guy has been watching us for months, and that scared me.

“This person seems to have been watching you for months.” Jake snatched the stack of photos, flipping through them, his face tensing more and more with each photo. “Once the CSI team gets in here, they will take a while to go through everything. We are going to go around and ask your neighbors if they saw anything, once the team is done then we will let you back in.” I nodded. “And what about after? She has some creep stalking her and you’re just going to leave her here all alone?” Jake snapped. “We will have an unmarked patrol car parked out front of her house for a few nights, see if we see anything and we will be making rounds through here during the day.” The officer nodded. “Damn right you will.” “Okay, you’re walking away.” Phoenix said, taking his hand and pulling him over to his truck. “Now do you believe me when I say someone has been creeping around my house?” I asked. “I'm sorry. What?” I squeezed my eyes shut at Jake's voice. “Yes and we'll do our best to catch this guy.” I nodded. “Look, my suggestion would be to go and get some food. We’re gonna be here a while.” I agreed and gave the officer my number before turning and getting in the cars as Payback and Omaha drive up. “Change of plans, we’re going out to dinner.” Payback nodded before I turned. “As soon as we get to the restaurant you’re spilling everything.” Jake snapped before opening the jeep door for me. I just nodded, not wanting to argue. There was a fire in his eyes that almost scared me. I had never seen him this angry and I never want to again. I got in, Bob joining me and we took off for a restaurant. We arrived at some Mexican place that smelled divine and that's when I realized how hungry I really was. Once we got inside and sat down, that’s when the grilling started.

“Does Rooster know someone’s been sneaking around the house?” Hangman’s questions triggered everyone else’s questions. ‘What?’ ‘When did this happen?’ ‘Should someone stay with you?’ I was grateful for their concern but I didn’t want everyone worrying about me. “No he doesn’t, and I would appreciate it if no one tells him. I’ll tell him when he comes home, cause I don’t want him worrying about me while he needs to be focusing on his mission.” I didn’t eat him to be distracted. Distractions cause accidents. “You’ve been keeping too many secrets from him.” He huffed and I scowled. “I’m telling him everything when he comes home.” Hangman crossed his arms in front of his chest. “You could’ve told him at Christmas.” I scoffed at the thought alone. “Yes, because on Christmas, after he proposed I was supposed to say, ‘Hey, by the way, your buddy Buck pinned me to the wall and kissed me and I got into a fight with him after.' No, we were enjoying our time together.” I snapped. “Look, just promise me you’ll tell him eventually and we will all make sure you’re taken care of till he comes home.” Everyone agreed, giving me soft smiles. “Okay. I’m gonna look into getting a security system as well.” Everyone agreed that was a good idea.

We had a good dinner, even had a few drinks before we went back to my house. They apparently found some finger prints but it would take time to run them through the database. Once they left I went back inside to the mess. It was now seven o'clock, and I knew I wouldn’t have this all cleaned in an hour. “Want our help?” Bob asked, leaning against the door frame. I just shook my head. “No, it’s not your responsibility.” He scoffed and I looked at him in surprise. That’s very out of character for Bob. “It’s not yours either. Someone forced their way in here, it’s not like you made this mess yourself. So let us help you.” I sighed but reluctantly agreed. Soon everyone came in. Halo helped me clean up my room while everyone else cleaned downstairs. “Whoever did this really hates Rooster.” She said as she yanked the bedding off. “Either that or they were paid to destroy everything relating to Rooster.” I said as I looked at his shirts. I wasn’t sure if I had the sowing skill to fix them. I just hoped and prayed they weren’t some of his dad’s. Halo helped me make the bed, making sure the new sheets and bedspread we put on was nice and clean. Once that was done we went downstairs to see everyone cleaning up the last of the mess. “I um, kept all the pieces of the bear he sent. I didn’t know if you’d wanna try and fix it.” I nodded. “I’m gonna try, I’m also gonna attempt to sow some of his shirts back together. My mamaw taught me well but it’s been years since I’ve had to sow anything.” She nodded before everyone plopped down onto the couch. “It’s getting late, I’m sure y’all wanna go home and get in bed.” Everyone just shook their heads. “We’re not leaving until that officer shows up.” Fanboy said and I nodded, opting to sit between Coyote and Phoenix.

I held the shredded bear in my hands, realizing I couldn’t tell what pieces attach to which. Tears sprung to my eyes as I stared at it. Phoenix ran her hand through my hair, leaning her head on my shoulder. “Let it out, Magnolia.” Her words were like an earthquake causing a dam to break. Sobs racked my body as my cheeks got soaked with salty tears. Coyote pulled me down to his shoulder as Natasha adjusted herself. Her arms wrapping around my torso and her head on my chest as Javy held me close. “Why me? I just want to live my life and people keep messing it up!” I sobbed. Javy shushed me as Natasha squeezed me. “I know, I know and I’m sorry.” Her own tears covered doused my shirt as she cried with me. After about twenty minutes I had calmed down and the officer showed up. “I’m officer Watson. I will be parked just a few houses down.” He handed me a business card. “That has my direct number on it. If you hear anything, see anything you can call me, and I will come running.” I nodded. He seemed nice enough, but he also seemed young. “Thank you.” He walked back towards his car, and I turned back to everyone. “Well, now, we will leave you.” Fritz said as he stood, pulling me into a tight hug. “We’re all going to keep our phones on tonight. So, if you need us, you can call.” I nodded as he squeezed e one last time. Soon everyone went outside except Hangman and Phoenix. “Are you sure you’re gonna be, okay?” He asked and I nodded. “I still can’t believe they didn’t believe you.” I sighed and nodded.

“Well, I had a manic episode, and I was hallucinating from lack of sleep. I’m just glad they seem to now.” He nodded. “You sure you’re gonna be okay?” Phoenix asked, taking my hands in hers. “I’ll be fine. If I need you, I’ll call.” She nodded, hugging me tightly before stepping outside. “We’re a phone call away.” Hangman said before hugging me as well. Once they left, and I shut and locked the doors, I noticed how dark and eerie the house could be. I let the dogs out one more time before double checking that all the doors and windows were locked. Once I did, we went upstairs and got ready for bed. As I laid there, staring at the ceiling, I couldn’t help but think how this creep touched my bed, how he destroyed it simply because Rooster and I share it. When I realized I wasn’t gonna sleep much that night, I grabbed my phone, pulling up my email. Quickly I typed out a very short email to Rooster. ‘I love you, and I can’t wait for you to be home.’ Once I sent it, I felt a little better, but not enough to make me sleep. “You’ll let me know if you hear anything, right Dahls?” She just huffed as I ran my fingers down her spine. “Atta girl.” With that, I laid there, hoping for sleep, knowing it may not come.

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