Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

She picked up the card handed to her as she slid a cup of coffee on the kitchen table in front of him. “Taylor Eloise Page and Sean Marcus Gayle request the pleasure of your company and their, heart, wedding, heart.” Eyes softening, she looked at her table mate. “Are you going to go?” Instead of answering her question, he handed her another card. “Hey, Jake! Got an important question. Will you be my groomsman? Call me to say you will!” Biting her bottom lip, she stifled a laugh. “Wow.” Taking a sip of her coffee, she looked at him with narrowed eyes. “Are you going to do it?”

“Stand there and witness one of my best friends marry my ex-wife?” The term ‘good friend’ was used loosely as he’d seen Sean occasionally since being cleared by the military and moving back to the continental US. His only friends were his family and the gang that he’d survived LA Huerta with. As for ‘ex-wife’, despite the hand-fasting ceremony on the island, they’d never legally gotten married. Didn’t matter to him, though, he’d loved her all the same. Still loved her. Shooting her a sly smile, he asked, “Wanna be my date?”

Rolling her eyes, she let out a laugh. “No, Jake. You are not taking your sister to, I think you called her, your soulmate’s wedding.” Getting up from her chair, she walked behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a hug. “Besides, aren’t you seeing that woman?”

“Depends on your definition of ‘seeing’, Becks.”

“Do what you have to do. Get some closure. Just take care of yourself, okay?” Nodding, he patted Rebecca’s arm and she released him. Glancing at her watch, her eyes widened and she grabbed her badge. “Can’t be late for work! Mandatory training today. You know where the keys are, leave whenever!”

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Rebecca’s iPad was still unlocked. Normally, he wouldn’t have thought much of his sister’s uncharacteristic carelessness but his eyes caught on the picture which was displayed on her Facebook page.

There was Taylor, holding a football, slung over Sean’s shoulder. A huge, open mouth smile on her face, like she was laughing. Sean was looking back at her, beaming. Her long, blond hair hung down, shining brighter than the visible sun rays. Jake could feel her positive energy radiate through the picture. Upon further inspection, the noted the name of the album was ‘Taylor Eloise 💕 Sean Marcus - Engagement Pictures’.

Jake was slightly tempted to look through the rest of the engagement pictures but took a deep breath and instead, locked the screen of the tablet. Leaning back in his chair, he picked up the invitation and studied it again while thinking of that particular day.

***
Early morning sunlight streamed into the small, slightly cramped bedroom of their beachside hut. His arm rested behind his head, propping it up, as he absentmindedly grazed his fingers up and down his wife’s bare back. He kept his gaze focused out the window, on the waves crashing against the boulders on the shore.

Her lips slowly left a trail of kisses across his collar bone, up his neck, and along his jawline before she cupped his chin, pressing her mouth to his. A slight frown formed on her lips when he didn’t fervently return her kiss like he usually did. Her hands roamed over his bare chest and traveled down his torso as she tilted her head, lips still against his, in an attempt to entice him enough to grab her hips and flip her over. “Mm, Top Gun?”

Instead, Jake pulled away from her and sat up, leaning against the wall. With her eyebrows furrowed, Taylor sat next to him, pulling their blanket with her. “Is our honeymoon phase over is something bothering you?” Turning his head, he smiled at her and ran his fingers through her hair. An uneasy feeling started to creep up from her stomach towards her throat as she watched him look at her, his usually sparkling eyes dull and shimmering. A few tears streamed down his face after he slowly closed his eyes. “Jake, what’s wrong?”

Using the back of his hand, he quickly wiped his eyes. “Princess, you know I love you.” Taking a hold of her hand, he laced his fingers with hers and listened to her tell him about how she recounted all 1000 times he fell in love with her on La Huerta. Usually that story would cheer him up but he was expressionless, shifting his gaze back to the beach. The smile on her face faded and her lips moved into a slight pout, her forehead starting to crease with worry.

“Something tells me there’s a ‘but’ coming.” She pulled up her knees and wrapped her free arm around them. Taking a deep breath, she tried to block out the sound of her heart pounding. The distant look on his face wasn’t helping and it took him longer than usual to respond. “Jake, what’s going on? You’re starting to scare me.”

“I took a job.” He stated nonchalantly. She raised an eyebrow at him. “Contract work, two years. Private company that provides humanitarian relief to war ravaged areas of the world.”

“Two… what?!” Ripping her hand away from him, she scrambled out of bed, rummaging the floor to find her clothes. “Private organization? War ravaged?” Her face was starting to redden as she threw her clothes on without care. “Don’t tell me you’re working for some Lundgren-Rourke hybrid, Jake.” Taylor plopped down on his side of the bed, positioning herself into his view point. “What’s wrong with what you’re doing now? You’ve been cleared, you can go back home! Why are you doing this?”

He pushed his long hair back with both hands and gestured around the small room. “Charterin’ the rich and the spoiled ain’t doin’ much for us here, Princess. This hut isn’t even ours.” Taylor tossed her hands up. “I’ve checked this job out and it’s legit. Even had Becks look into it.”

“Why didn’t you consult with me, your wife, Jake?”

“‘Cuz of what I’m gonna say next.” When his eyes met hers again, he saw them brimming with tears. “I promised you when we got married I’d try to be the man a princess deserves.” Letting out a shaky breath, he took her hands into his and tried not to wince when her grip tightened.“I haven’t held up that promise.”

“Yes, you have!” Releasing his hands, she threw herself onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Jacob McKenzie, you are everything I could have ever wanted.”

“But not anything you’ve needed.” Getting a hold of her hips, he pulled her into his lap and kissed her forehead. “You’ve been given a chance at an actual life on Earth, Princess. I’m holding you back.” Using his thumb, he wiped the tears streaming down her face.

She shook her head stubbornly. “No, you’re not.” Her breath hitched and she pushed her face into his shoulder, her own overcome with sobs. “Two years isn’t that long!”

“It is when you’re as young and full of potential as you are.” Resting his chin on top of her head, his hand gently stroked her hair. “I ain’t being fair to you - without this job, we’re going nowhere but with this job, you’ll be here alone, nothing to do, worried about me in a danger zone.”

Lifting herself off of him, she sat back and placed her hands on his cheeks. Her eyes were starting to puff, her voice thick with tears, her nose red. “If you have to go … I’ll wait here for you. But, please, don’t go.”

“Contract’s already signed and I ain’t gonna let you squander your time waiting for me here, working for tips, alright?” Placing his hands on her shoulders, he leaned in and quickly kissed her. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this but this is your out, Taylor. Your break.”

Springing off the bed, her eyes shot wider than he thought possible. “My what?! Break?!” Mouth agape, she blinked her eyes several times to keep from crying again. “Jake … are you …?” Slowly, unable to look at her, he nodded his head. “Do I even get a say?”

“Not this time.” Taking a deep breath, he got up to sit on the edge of the bed. “I don’t leave for a few more days and I’ll help you get to wherever you need to go.”

Feeling frozen, Taylor just stared at him with disbelief. “I-I can’t believe.” After a brief pause, her shoulders slumped and she walked towards the closet. “After everything we’ve been through.” Hastily, she grabbed her clothes off their makeshift driftwood clothes rack, throwing them onto the floor. “I swear, Jake, I never thought you’d be capable of doing anything so selfish!”

Crouching down, he pulled out a suitcase from under the bed and started folding her discarded clothes. “Ain’t about me, Princess. It’s about not keeping you chained down when you have a full future ahead.” Taylor stopped for a moment, making a point to roll her eyes at him. “Believe me. In five years, you’ll be happier.”

***

Pulling out his phone, he scrolled through his contacts until he settled on Sean’s number. Tapping the card on the table, he started at the contact, trying to figure out his answer.

Honestly, it would be weird to be part of the wedding part for the man marrying the love of his life. Then again, he did enjoy himself whenever he did see Sean. Periodically, Jake would attend his football games in exchange for shuttling Sean across the country when he was available.

Despite technically letting Taylor go, they still kept in contact. During his two-year commitment with PC-AIR, Jake had attempted to send her half of his generous salary. Every time he sent a transaction, she would politely decline his money as she was taking out student loans - Taylor was, at the time, finishing her sophomore year at Hartfeld in a chemical engineering major. Despite Zahra being able to hack her into the school system as a Senior like everyone else, Taylor wanted the full college experience.

After his commitment had ended, Jake re-signed with the company for three more years, this time helping with aid to disaster in the US. During year two of his time, he had missed a call while taking a nap in his parked plane. Checking his phone, he noted it was from Taylor.

***

“Tay’s running a little late.” After checking his smartwatch, Diego took a drink of his martini. It was just him and Jake sitting at a table of his favorite bar in Northbridge. Diego was in graduate school at Hartfeld and was writing a book.

“Typical Princess.” Jake smirked before lifting his bottle to his mouth, finishing his Imperial beer.

Diego toyed with a mini pretzel. “When was the last time you saw her? That day she left Costa Rica?”

Jake nodded slowly, scowling at the memory of her angry, tear stained face, declaring for the last time that she would have waited for him, as she boarded a private plane. He was sure he’d never see or hear from her again. Until he attempted the first PayPal payment, prompting her to send a message to an email address that he rarely ever checked. Jake started using it more often when she sent him a random email with the subject ‘saw something funny yesterday’.

It wasn’t actually funny but it still made him laugh. She had seen a shirt of a squirrel with the caption ‘excuse me but your bird feeder is empty’. Once, when he was visiting Rebecca, he had found that shirt in a convenience store. He bought it and the next day, sent it via priority shipping in the mail. Three days later, she sent him a picture of her wearing it.

“Yep.” Jake leaned back in his seat, arms behind his head.

“Nervous?” Diego leaned in, tossing a piece of popcorn in mouth. His question was met with a shrug despite Jake’s palms feeling damp. The last time he was that nervous was when he awaited the verdict of his military trial. “You know, she’s doing really well, Jake. Top five percent of her class. Already lined up a post-graduation job. And she’s President of the —“

“Dungeons and Dragons club.” Jake’s eyes were fixated on the bottle wrapper, smiling to himself. “Andromeda, the chained Princess. Kickin’ ass like I knew she would.” Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse her through the window. It was brief and it was dark outside but he could recognize that honey colored hair anywhere.

“She’s here!” With bated breath, Jake watched the entrance of the bar, ignoring Diego who was leaning in and talking. Maybe he was saying something important but Jake didn’t care. A gold aura surrounded her when she walked in and he did all he could to keep his composure.

It was like she was moving in slow motion - her hips, curvier than before, swayed and were outlined by a tight, off the shoulder, dark green dress. With a large smile, her white teeth shining, she flipped her long, voluminous hair behind her shoulder and scanned the room looking for her friends. Her sparkling eyes met his at the table and she gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.

“Did you get all that?” Jake didn’t answer Diego, getting up to walk towards Taylor.

“Jake.” Her voice barely registered as a whisper, more like an exhale. Standing inches in front of her, unsure what to do with his hands, he hooked his thumbs in his belt loops and studied her. Gone were the sun kissed freckles on her nose and shoulders, her soft skin instead milky and smooth. Her hair was like silk as it cascaded down her neck and shoulders, landing mid back - no longer bleached by the sun rays or rough from the sea water.

She’d been doing the same with him and hesitated with her hand placement as well. After sharing a look with him, Taylor placed her hands on his biceps and slid them up and around his neck, pressing against him in a hug. Taking her cue, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in. Though they hadn’t touched each other for years, their bodies still easily fit together. Briefly, he rested his chin on the top of her head and deeply inhaled. The citrus and floral scent of her hair from years ago was now replaced by an intoxicating musky sandalwood, the smell causing him to give her a squeeze. “Princess.”

Tilting her head up, her lips moved into a slight frown. “Please don’t call me that.” He grimaced, forgetting for a moment she had made that request the day before their split. Sighing, she moved her hands down and placed them on his chest. The corners of her mouth tugged into a smile. “I’m so glad you’re here.” Leaning back a bit, she took another good look at him. “You’ve been taking care of yourself. Just as handsome as ever.”

As she had leaned back, he was able to catch a glimpse of the jewelry around her neck.“You still got this, Tay?” He used index finger to lift the thin silver chain holding a ring. The ring he proposed with.

Nervously, she let go of him and stepped back, red blotches starting to form in her chest. “Good luck charm.” Her hand closed around the ring. “Wore it when I aced my first finals.”

Nodding, he put his hands back in his pockets. With a smirk, he stated, “You’re so god damn beautiful tonight.”

The red blotches intensified on her exposed skin as his gaze bore through her. “Hey, did Diego get the chance to tell you—“

“Jake!” They both whipped their heads behind them, surprised by Sean who had just walked in the door. He walked over to Jake and enveloped him in a hug.

“Hey, Cap. Good to see ya.” Jake shot Taylor a look as he wasn’t expecting Sean to be there. She mouthed a ‘sorry’ before Sean turned around and hugged her, picking her up and twirling her.

Mouth slightly open, Jake watched the scene unfold in front of him. Taylor squealed when Sean lifted her up to kiss her. After setting her back down, she pulled away from him, a large smile on her face as she sidled into Sean’s torso and hooked an arm around his waist. Eyes wide, Jake turned to Diego, who threw his hands up and shrugged, realizing he should have paid attention to what he was saying earlier.

“Come on, I’m hungry.” Taking Sean’s hand in hers, she led the three of them back to the table. Over the two hours, the four had eaten dinner, had drinks, and discussed their lives. Taylor was one semester from graduation and was set to start working with a top pharmaceutical company. Sean had renewed a hefty, multi-year contract with a national football team in the city Taylor would be working in. During their dinner, Jake tried to focus on the conversation but was distracted by how she and Sean leaned into each other, laughed at inside jokes, and Sean tucking her hair behind her ear.

Glancing at her watch, Taylor whined. “I have an early meeting tomorrow.” Grabbing her purse, she huffed and stood up and right as she was motioning for Jake to walk out with her, Sean gently put his hand on her wrist. Raising an eyebrow, she sat back down.

“I was going to wait until you graduated but …” Diego, shoving popcorn in his mouth, despite just talking about how full he was, darted his eyes between Sean, Taylor, and Jake. Sean was grinning ear-to-ear, Taylor’s eyes were wide with anticipation, and Jake calmly had his eyes fixated on the space between his ex-wife and his friend. With a slight chuckle, Sean pulled out a long box from the inside of his jacket. There was a collective exhale as everyone realized the item wasn’t in the shape of a ring box. “So proud of you, baby. Thought you’d like this.”

Taylor opened the box and stared, dazed, at the string of South Sea Pearls sitting in front of her. Quickly, she undid the simple necklace she’d been wearing for so long and replaced it with the new piece of jewelry. It sat several inches below the base of her neck and it complimented her dress nicely. “Oh, thank you!” She threw herself onto Sean, hugging him and and kissing his cheek. “I love it!”

Clenching and unclenching his fist under the table, Jake tried to not show any emotion. Especially when she was ecstatic, happier than he’d ever seen her. His eyes briefly met Diego’s who shot him a sympathetic look. He needed to leave but didn’t want to do so at that moment. Finally, Taylor’s watch beeped and she stood up. After saying goodnight to Sean and Diego, she turned to Jake and asked him to walk her out.

“There’s something I wanted to ask you.” Taylor leaned back against her car, wrapping Jake’s jacket around her shoulders in an effort to stave off the coolness of the evening. Crossing his arms, he leaned next to her as well, looking up at the sky and noting the brilliance of the stars.

“Shoot.”

She waited for him to glance back down at her again and smiled. Turning her body to face him, she asked, “Will you come to my graduation? It’d mean the world to me.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the anything, Tay.” With a grateful look on her face, she bit her lip in hesitation before giving in and hugging her ex-husband. They stood for a few moments before she stepped back, looking up at him through her lashes. Just as he leaned down, she got up on her toes so their faces were close enough to share the same air. Jake wanted to kiss her so damn badly, to leave her breathless, to show her how much he still needed her.

The beep of Taylor’s watch broke their tension and they separated, both taking deep breaths to calm their nerves. “Sorry. Something about tomorrow’s meeting.” She shrugged off Jake’s jacket and handed it to him. Before turning around to enter her car, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for coming tonight. Will you let me know when you get home?”

***

Putting the phone up to his ear, the line rang several times and Jake hoped it would go to voicemail, not really in the mood to talk to Sean. Before he could leave a message, he hung up. Getting out of his chair, Jake paced around the kitchen with his warm cup of coffee in his hands. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his jacket sitting on the back of a chair and remembered what was resting in the inside pocket.

Liquid courage was exactly what he needed to get through this phone call. Grabbing his jacket, he searched for his ‘emergency’ flask and quickly undid the cap. He poured out a bit of whisky in his coffee and ran a hand through his hair before taking a sip of his mixed drink.

After finishing his coffee and taking some time to allow the effects of alcohol to settle in, he looked at his phone again and picked it up. He tried the number again and this time, it was answered on the second ring. “My man. Please tell me you’re calling to say yes to being a groomsman.”

“Uh. Yeah. You sure about this? Ain’t it a little weird?”

“Nah. You’re my friend. I want all of our group to be involved in the wedding. Besides, Tay specifically asked for you to be a groomsman.” Jake ran a hand down his face then massaged his forehead. “Please say you’re in. Promise it won’t be awkward.”

“Sure. I’m in.” Jake and Sean said their goodbyes and he tapped the ‘end call’ button on his phone. “Sure it won’t be awkward, Cap. You’re not the one watching someone else marry your girl.” His voice grumbled under his breath as he put his coffee cup away and walked into Rebecca’s living room to lay on her couch.

***
The second floor of the Science Museum, the venue booked for Taylor’s graduation party, was crowded with party-goers mingling, eating, drinking, and laughing. There happened to be one high top table unoccupied which Jake found and took a seat in, a glass tumbler with two fingers of his favorite whiskey in his hand. Paying attention to the wall, his eyes focused on a particular framed picture on the wall. Of course, of anything that could have caught his attention, it had to be a picture of the Andromeda Galaxy - reminding him of Taylor’s constellation. Shaking his head, he took a sip of his drink and quickly scanned the crowd. He was aware his friends were at this party and honestly, he wasn’t up to seeking them out.

“Fancy seeing you here.” The chair next to him pulled out and a glass of white wine was set on the table. Jake turned his attention to to his right and smirked at Taylor who sat down next to him.

“If it ain’t the graduate.” Placing a hand on her shoulder, he rubbed her back as she took a long sip of her wine. “How does it feel, Taylor? To be done with it all?”

She had pressed back into his hand, eyes closed and enjoying the moment. Upon hearing her name by someone walking up to her, she opened an eye and looked to the side. “Just a sec, Jake.” Following the faint smell of lilacs, a beautiful woman with brown hair tied up in a loose chignon and striking green eyes came up to the table and resting an elbow on it. Jake took a quick note of her black dress with a plunging neckline and high slit.

“There’s the girl of the hour!” The woman shot her friend a dazzling smile before narrowing her eyes at Jake, running her tongue across her lower lip. “Who’s this?” After a brief introduction, Jake found out that her name was Annie and she was a close college friend of Sean’s. “Oh! So this is Jake.”

“In the flesh.” Annie took his outstretched hand and shook it. “Nice to meet you.”

Taylor looked between her two companions who were maintaining eye contact longer than she had expected. Her watch beeped and she read the message displayed on it. “It’s Sean. Needs to see me.” She looked at Jake and placed a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll catch up later, okay?”

“You’ll know where to find me, Tay.” Taking another sip of his drink, he watched her disappear into the crowd.

“So you’re the infamous ex-husband.” Annie pushed Taylor’s chair next to Jake and sat down in, taking a sip of the cosmopolitan in her hand. “Sean never told me how hot you were.”

“Guilty.” He watched as she draped herself onto the back of his chair and that smell of lilac filled his senses. The pair engaged in small talk, discussing her job as an accountant while he told her some of his stock flying stories. Annie was boisterous and forward, the opposite of Taylor.

Just as he was about to get up to get them another drink, there was a hush among the room as Sean’s voice boomed via microphone through the room. Briefly glancing at Annie, Jake noted an excited look on her face, as if she was about to burst. Luckily, from his vantage point, he could see Sean and Taylor at the front of the room. Taylor noticed him looking at her, a pensive look on her face as everyone had their attention on her, and gave him a small wave.

“I want to thank everyone for coming out here tonight. We are all proud of our Taylor.” Sean put his hand on her shoulder. “A little over four years ago, you arrived in Hartfeld. With just a suitcase and a dream.” The blush on Taylor’s face was deepening with every second. “Everyone in here is an awe of you, baby.” She waved her hand in front of her face, playfully rolling her eyes. “So with that, I’d like to ask you to take on a new adventure with me.” A collective gasp rippled through the room as he got down on knee and pulled a ring box out of his pocket. “Taylor Eloise Page, will you make me the luckiest man in the world and be my wife?”

Mouth agape, Taylor stood, stunned at his proposal. Wringing her hands, she briefly scanned the room, looking for Jake again. Their eyes met and hers gave him a helpless look, almost asking for his approval. With a deep exhale in the moment that could change everything for him for a yet another time in his life, he gave her a thumbs up. Tears wet her eyes as she turned back to her boyfriend and nodded, blubbering a ‘yes’. Applause erupted as Sean slipped the ring onto her finger and wrapped her up in a hug.

Trying his best not to seem too despondent, Jake turned his attention to Annie who had a knowing look on her face. She was about to say something but he put his hand up, reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone which had vibrated with an alert. There was a text from Taylor reading ‘please don’t leave until I see you’.

Scowling, he finished the last of his drink and looked at Annie whose face had softened with sympathy. “Will you be okay? Want to talk about it, Jake?”

He looked at her hand which was now resting on his forearm then shifted his gaze back up at her intense stare. “I’m dandy, Ms. Annie. Drinks are on the house and I feel like gettin’ drunk. You in, Lilac?” She raised an eyebrow, questioning the last word he uttered. “Nicknames. It’s a thing I do.” Putting a hand on her elbow, he led the two of them to the bar.

Several shots and two glasses of bourbon between the two of them later, Jake had Annie pinned against the wall of a secluded hallway. His tongue was in her mouth and her hands were under his untucked button down shirt as they shared a long, heated kiss. One of her legs wrapped around his hip, pressing him in as closely as she could. Moving his hands up the side of her head, he clutched some of her hair and tilted her head back as he broke away. He kissed down her neck, eliciting a content sigh from her as she caught her breath.

A shriek followed by a gasp and an apology interrupted them. “Oh! Sorry!” Groaning against Annie’s neck, he stood back up and pulled his shirt down. “Jake?!” Wincing, he looked over to see none other than Taylor, her mouth open in surprise.

“I’ll catch up with you, Lilac.” He whispered in Annie’s ear before smoothing down her hair and helping to adjust her dress.

“Hyatt at the Marina, 241. I’m calling an Uber in 15 minutes if you wanna join me.” Annie said in a low voice still loud enough for Taylor to hear as she ran her finger under his chin and sauntered out of the hallway, waving her fingers in a ‘goodbye’. “Congratulations, baby girl.”

Leaning against the wall, he tucked his shirt back into his pants, not looking at Taylor who had her arms crossed. Moments later, she joined him against the wall and took a hold of his wrist. “You know, if you go down this hall a little further, there’s a door to a private balcony. Join me?”

Running a hand through his long hair, he looked down at her hand on his wrist, catching the sparkling diamond on her left hand. It was large, the at least two karat round cut diamond sat on a platinum band, overwhelming her small hand. “Don’t have to ask me twice.” Silently, they walked out to the balcony, closing the door behind them.

The breeze from the nearby river cooled their skin and ruffled their hair. Jake leaned on the railing, keeping his focus on a distant outdoor lamp as he tried to keep steady. “Double congratulations are in order, Ms. Taylor.” His speech was slightly slurred and his Louisiana drawl came through. “I’m happy for you and Cap.”

Admiring the ring on her finger, her mouth curled into a small smile. “Thank you.” She put her head in her hands and took several deep breaths. “You know how much I hate crowds, I needed to get some air.”

“But still in need of some company?” With a lopsided grin on his face, he turned towards Taylor. “Not that I mind.”

“You’re not mad at me for interrupting?” He shook his head. “Gotta say I’m a bit surprised at what was going on back there.”

“S’pose you didn’t know the Jake McKenzie before he crash landed you on La Huerta. Making out with a beautiful, random stranger was my modus operandi.” Shaking her head, Taylor gave him a playful swat on the arm.

Pulling him towards her, she caught him as he slightly stumbled. Taylor placed her hands on Jake’s cheeks and looked up at him with her bright blue eyes. “Are you going to be okay with this, Jake?”

Drunk, but not drunk enough to tell her the complete truth, he flashed her a smile. “Like I said, Taylor, I’m happy for you. Go, get married, and live the wonderful life that you deserve.” Letting out a deep breath, Taylor moved her arms under his, giving him a hug.

“God, Jake.” She rested her head against his chest. “You have no idea what that means to me.” He enveloped her with his arms and pulled her in tight. Exhaling into his shirt, she nuzzled her nose into him before lifting her head up. “I have a question.”

“Yeah?” Just then, his phone beeped. “Hold on.” Jake reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone, reading the text message on the screen. “Uh, sorry Taylor… Annie’s Uber is here.”

Taken aback, she pulled away from him. “You should go, Jake. Strike that iron while it’s hot.”

“I can tell her to wait or I can call another Uber. What’s your question?”

Waving her hand then taking his, Taylor plastered the biggest smile she could muster and started to drag him back inside. “Don’t worry about it. I can ask you another time.”

Chapter Text

“What do you think? Want to share a ribeye?” Annie called over her shoulder from her spot on the bed, lying down on her stomach, as she thumbed through the Hyatt’s room service menu. No response. “Has Jack Daniel’s A-1 sauce, I bet you’ll like that.” Again, Jake didn’t acknowledge her. “I’ll let you eat it off me.”

Rolling onto her side, she noticed him sprawled on the room’s couch, chuckling at something on his phone. He was completely engrossed with the device in his hand, typing away as quickly as he could. “Mac, are you phubbing me?”

“Huh?” He glanced briefly at her before turning back to his phone. “Yeah, give me another half an hour to recover, alright, Miss Annie?”

“I meant food, McKenzie, I’m hungry. Worked up an appetite.” She let out a sharp exhale as he continued to ignore her, laughing at something on his phone. Getting up, Annie tossed the booklet onto the bed and kneeled in front of the couch. Leaning over, she peered over to look at his phone screen. “Are you getting a play by play of the bachelor party?”

To kick off the three-day ‘wedding extravaganza’, as Sean called it, both he and Taylor had their bachelor and bachelorette parties on night one. Night two was the rehearsal dinner followed by the wedding on day three. Jake, finishing his second glass of whiskey at a burlesque club, wasn’t in the mood to celebrate anything and sent Annie a text to see if she’d be willing to ditch the party and meet him back at their hotel. Within a few minutes, they had both gotten an Uber.

After the two had met at the graduation party, Jake would make an extra stop to see her whenever he completed a disaster relief missions. Working for Hyatt, Annie was able to get them a comped room for a night, maybe two, depending on their availability. Their communication was otherwise infrequent. Jake liked Annie just fine, enough to look forward to the end of his missions - mainly because she filled a need for him, something he’d missed for the four years since his separation from Taylor. Annie was well aware of his intentions and looked forward to his visits for the same reason.

“Nah. Getting a play by play of the bachelorette party.” Still amused, he flipped his phone so she could see the screen with a picture of Quinn doing a body shot off of Grace. A new image flashed across the screen, a blurry selfie of Taylor and Estela.

For reasons to do with Sean’s schedule, the engagement period was only six months. It wasn’t much time to prepare for a large wedding involving an athlete with a rising profile. Originally out of nerves, Taylor had started sending Jake occasional text messages and before long, they found themselves talking almost every night. Including the nights he was with Annie.

“Got a new one from Taylor.” Annie rolled her eyes, pushing the phone away from her face. “Looks pretty far gone which I’m sure is hilarious.” Placing her hands on his chest, she leaned over and kissed him briefly. “But I definitely made the right decision to back here. They’re about one more drink until the crying phase of the night and I wouldn’t have been in the mood to babysit.”

Looking at the picture, Jake smiled before putting the phone down next to him. Turning towards Annie, he smirked at her and patted her shoulder. “Said you were hungry, huh? Let’s blow the food here and go across the corner, best late night shrimp po’boys outside of Louisiana. They’ll knock your socks off.”

Sticking her tongue out, Annie made a face. “Oh, God, no. I hate shrimp.” She was met with a shrug. “Besides, if we go together, it’s a date and we don’t do that.”

“Wasn’t askin’ you on a date, Lilac.” Chuckling, he got up and walked to the dresser, pulling out some clothes. “Was telling you about some of the best food you’ll ever eat. You can come with me and pick up food or you can stay here and eat the same thing you always eat. Your choice.”

She sat down on the previously occupied couch, crossing her legs, making no point to move. “Let’s meet halfway: get me a roast beef sandwich and a root beer if they have it.”

“Yes, ma’am.” With that, Jake left the room in pursuit of food.

By the time Jake arrived back to the hotel, the noise level of the lobby had increased ten-fold. He’d forgotten that Annie had secured Taylor’s bachelorette party a suite in the same hotel and they had all just gotten back. Jake hadn’t physically seen Taylor, save a few Facetime calls, since her graduation party and while he wanted to see her, he wasn’t sure about dealing with a drunk Taylor.

“Top gun!” Bouncing up next to him, Taylor threw her weight on Jake, almost knocking him off his feet. Steadying himself, he tried to keep a straight face as he took her in. A tiara somehow balanced on her head and her blond hair was disheveled. Eye makeup was smudged across her bleary eyes. Reaching over, he tore off the sash reading ‘Bride!’ which was held together by two thin threads upon her shoulder.

“Well hello, Ms. Taylor.” Jake shifted the bag of food under his arm as he handed the sash back to her. “Had a good night?”

Pointing to her tiara, she straightened up and flashed him a smile. “Princess. Call me that, I miss you calling me that.” Knowing better than to protest, he nodded. Hearing the sharp sounds of heels hitting the floor, he noticed Michelle walking over to them. “Meech! My maid of honor!” Taylor’s lips pushed into a pout as Michelle gave Jake a quick ‘hello’ before turning her attention to Taylor. “Why do I have so many bridesmaids, anyway? I only wanted the island girls.”

Trying to keep a straight face, Jake watched Michelle try to convince a stubborn Taylor to head back to the suite so they could get some rest. After some back and forth between the two women, he cleared his throat. “Leave her with me, Maybelline, I won’t keep her up late.” Putting her hands on her hips, Michelle raised an eyebrow at him. “Promise.”

“Alright.” Michelle took Taylor’s sash and looked pointedly at Jake. “Have her back by one am, she has to be up by eight.” In response, he held up the boy scout salute. “Okay. Thanks.” Relaxing her shoulders, Michelle started to leave before turning around and giving Jake a grateful smile.

“Come on, Princess.” Leading Taylor towards the lounge of the hotel’s coffee shop, he felt a wave of familiarity, reminiscing over the times he’d taken care of his drunk wife. Taylor laid back on a couch, propping her feet up on Jake’s thigh after he sat down next to her. “Let’s get some food in ya.” Reaching into his back, he pulled out the sandwich and bottle of water he had purchased for himself. “Have you had some water?”

Taylor propped herself up on her elbows and took the bottle of water from his hands, unscrewing the cap and taking a large drink. “Yes. Dr. Meech made sure I had water in between every drink. I’ve had to pee, like, a hundred times.” She pointed her chin towards him. “What’s that?”

Unwrapping his sandwich, he silently said goodbye to the food he’d been craving all day and handed it to her. “It’s a po’boy.”

“From that place across the street!” Taylor’s eyes lit up and she sat up quickly, a bit too fast. Holding her head and wincing, she took another drink of her water. Immediately after taking the sandwich, Taylor bit into the bread and fell back into the couch. “Oh, God. It’s so good.” Though her mouth was full, she took another bite and continued, “Remember that time you made us these back in Costa Rica? You were on the phone with your Mom for an hour!” Giggling, she swallowed then took another bite before realizing she had gone through half of the sandwich.

“Yeah. They turned out pretty okay.” Stretching his arms around on the couch cushion behind him and putting his feet on the coffee table, he got comfortable and watched Taylor inhale his sandwich. Usually, Taylor tried to be a polite eater but when she drank, she ate with reckless abandon.

Wiping some sauce and tomato juice off the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, she looked over at Jake who was smirking at her, amused. “That was your sandwich, wasn’t it?” Slowly, he nodded. Laughing, she crumpled up the wrapping and tossed it on the floor. After taking a sip of water to wash down the food, she sat up straight and fluffed her long hair.

He watched her flip her hair over her shoulder and bat her eyelashes at him, a pair of faux eyelashes starting to come loose on her right eye. Getting on her hands and knees, Taylor slowly crawled over to him, getting close enough to hover her mouth around his neck. Shivers crept down his spine as he felt her warm breath on the skin behind his ear and caught the smell of her perfume. The blend of warm spices, flowers, and wood reminded him of a very memorable birthday of his years ago. Thickly swallowing, he tilted his head towards her, rolling his eye to meet the half closed ones staring back at him. “What’s goin’ on in there, Princess?”

“I heard of a country in Europe tonight.” Blinking rapidly as the eyelashes started to come off, she sat back momentarily to pull them off. Letting out his breath, he was grateful for the break and shifted, trying to relieve the growing tightness in his pants. His rational side was telling him that he needed to get her back to her room. His irrational side, the side that wanted to take her right there, kept him frozen in his seat. “Anyway. In this country,” she continued, running a finger up his arm. “Sometimes people have a final fling before they get married.” Biting her lip, her eyes scanned down from his face down to his lap and up to his face again. As her hand moved over his pocket, she felt his phone vibrate, interrupting her.

Arching his head back, he let out a sigh of relief. The idea of a ‘final fling’ sounded so damn good to him but was outweighed by the situation at hand. Before he realized what she was doing, Taylor had taken out his phone, her face falling when she read the screen. She got up, wobbling a bit and handed the phone to him. Quickly, he glanced at the message from Annie. “Where are you, Mac? I’m hungry and horny.”

Silently cursing to himself, Jake tried to avoid Taylor’s reaction and busied himself with cleaning up the light mess around them. Taylor, meanwhile, kept her gaze on her feet and rubbed her eyes, leaving wet streaks of mascara on her thumbs. Looking down at her, Jake’s heart sank and he put his hands on her shoulders, bending down to her eye level. “Talk to me, Tay.”

Taylor sniffed as he wiped the dark tears from her eyes. “I’m sleepy. Will you take me to my room?” Nodding, he slung an arm around her shoulders and they headed towards the elevator.

***

“How long have you had this suit?” Annie circled Jake as he absentmindedly fiddled with this gray and black striped tie. Standing in front of him, she ran her hands down the front of his vest. “I mean, it looks brand new and it fits perfectly! You’ve really had it for over five years?”

“It’s my only suit.” Temporarily forgoing his tie, he adjusted his belt. “First, I didn’t have the money for a new one and then I didn’t have the time to get something tailored. This works and if it ain’t broke …” What Jake failed to mention was that it was the suit he’d swiped from the Winter Lodge on La Huerta, the same one he wore when he married Taylor. “I’m surprised you’re surprised, I became an adult in the Navy. I know how to take care of a uniform. Look at how shiny my shoes are, Lilac.”

“My cousin was in the Air Force, those shoes come shiny. Still can’t believe you have them.” Annie sat up on the counter of the bathroom vanity and observed him continue to fiddle with his tie. “Need help there, Mac? Can’t tie a tie?”

“Hm?” Blinking, he looked down at his hands, seemingly forgetting what he was doing. “I’m a self taught expert in knots. Learned to tie a knot in –”

“The Navy. I know.” Annie crossed her legs, watching him finally tie the cursed accessory. “You know, I wouldn’t be opposed to you using your expertise in other ways.” Scooting back against the mirror, she pulled the skirt of her dress up her thigh and ran her tongue across her upper lip. Jake had moved on to her his hair, keeping his focus on the mirror. “We have some time and I’m not wearing anything under this dress.”

After distributing some pomade through his hair, he glanced over at Annie who was making bedroom eyes at him and slowly bending one of her knees. “Are we sharing an Uber to this rehearsal dinner or are you still weird about us going places together?”

Furrowing her brows at him, she decided to try again. Running her hand along her exposed thigh, she spoke in a breathy voice. “There’s no rush, Mac. Why don’t you show me your knot skills?” Not paying her attention, he started rolling up his sleeves. Sliding off the counter, she pressed her chest against his, running her hands down his torso. “I’m sure Taylor isn’t going to care if we’re fashionably late.” Just as she had suspected, Jake perked up at the mention of his ex-wife’s name and smiled at Annie.

After finishing with his sleeves, he stepped back to admire the woman in front of him. Her dark hair, with large curls, grazed her shoulders and brought the deep jade color of her eyes. Her sparkling, gold dress covered one of those shoulders and hugged her hips tight, ending just above her knees, brilliant against her tan skin. “Have I told you how sexy you look tonight?”

Grabbing a hold of her hips, he pulled Annie towards him and twirled a strand of her hair in between his fingers. Closing her eyes, she let out a shuddering breath when she felt his lips on the crook of her neck.

“Hold on.” Gently, she pushed him off and looked him directly in the eyes. He returned her glare with a quizzical look. “No, McKenzie, you haven’t told me that because you’ve been so distracted. Even more so than usual.” Cocking her head to the side, she motioned for them to walk into the living room of the suite.

Annie hopped onto the suite’s desk and motioned for Jake to sit in the chair in front of her. “I’m going to be straight with you.” He sank into the chair and waited for her to continue. “Last night I had the best sex of my entire life.” Instantly, she regretted telling him that as his mouth stretched into a large, cocky grin.

“Didn’t I guarantee that after we took that third shot?”

“You did. My only issue was that your head wasn’t in it.” His eyes narrowed, curious where she was headed with that statement. “I know you were thinking about Taylor the entire time.”

His cheeks started to feel warm. He’d gotten so worked up by Taylor the night before and subconsciously unleashed that energy on Annie, making her grip the bed sheets, scream his name, and even forget where she was. The entire time, however, he could only envision Taylor. He groaned, she was correct.

The silence she was met with confirmed her assumption. Nudging him with her foot, she got his attention again. “I have truly enjoyed fucking you, Mac. Thing is, I don’t want to continue doing so with a man still hung up on his ex-wife. Who’s getting married in less than 24 hours to one of my friends.” He opened his mouth to protest but put a finger up to stop him. “It’s obviously she hasn’t gotten over you, either. I won’t get into details but her face lights up like a damn Christmas tree anytime someone mentions you. At the bachelorette party, she talked about you more than her own fiancée.”

Straightening up, he reached back to rub his neck, trying to figure out what to tell her. Stubbornly, he shook his head. “If you’re telling me to confess anything, I ain’t gonna do it. I’ve known her a long time and I’ve never seen her look this happy before.” Jake could almost hear Annie roll her eyes, not accepting what he was saying. “Just gotta get through tomorrow and I’ll be fine. Close the book on that part of my life and start a new one.”

“Look is the keyword, Jake.” His blue eyes had turned dull and he gave her a pitiful smile after she rubbed her foot against his thigh to indicate no hard feelings. Taking a deep breath, Annie scanned the room, noticing her phone was also on the desk. “Alright, you pathetic puppy. I’ll get an Uber and we can even share it.”

***
Jake’s stomach grumbled as he looked down at his glass, swirling it and making a face at the carbonated water. Between Annie confronting him, not hearing from Taylor since he dropped her off at her hotel room, and Sean’s toast - “The first thing Taylor ever said to me was that she saw me in a dream. I cannot wait to give her the life that she’s always dreamt of. The life that she’s always deserved.” - he couldn’t get himself to eat the chicken picatta on his plate. The glass of bourbon in front of him was, for the first time that he could remember, left untouched.

After dinner, everyone gathered around the groom’s cake and Jake took the opportunity to slip out of the dining hall. Eventually, he found an empty lounge in the fancy restaurant hosting the rehearsal dinner and sat down on a red, plush couch. Laying down on the couch and resting his head on the armrest, he pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. Quickly scanning the wedding schedule, he found his name next to Quinn’s. Closing his eyes, he thought about how he hadn’t seen Quinn in some time.

“Why is it every time I find you alone, you’re taking a nap?” Opening an eye, he saw Taylor’s silhouette against the cream colored wall behind her. Her silver sheath dress cinched at her waist and the collar was decorated with lace flowers. The dress shifted with her as she walked and shimmered when it caught the light.

Slowly sitting up, he watched her approach him and a sense of déjà vu overcame him. He sidled up to the edge of the couch and patted the space next to her. With a smirk on his face, he countered, “Don’tcha know it’s rude to interrupt someone takin’ a nap, Princess?”

Taylor sat down next to Jake and stuck her tongue out at him as she offered a plate stacked with crackers, cheese, fruit, and a thick slice of cake. “You didn’t eat anything.” Studying the plate, he picked up a raspberry and popped it in his mouth before ruffling her hair as a ‘thank you’, taking care not to mess her loose ponytail.

The pair sat in silence for a few minutes, picking at the food on the plate, taking a few bites here and there. Licking cake frosting off her finger, Taylor looked at Jake’s tie thoughtfully an reached over to untuck it. “I can’t believe you wore this tonight, Jake.” Tugging on his tie, the deep breath she took came out shaky. Noticing her grip tightening, Jake undid his tie and handed it to her.

“Here you go, Ms. Taylor. Somethin’ old.” Taylor wrapped the tie around her wrist and he chuckled, causing her to look up at him. Lowering his voice, he tilted his head towards her and winked. “Now don’t go getting any ideas but if you do, you can have my belt, too.”

A hot blush crept up Taylor’s face and her eyes widened. “Jake!” He tried to suppress a laugh by drinking his water but failed, accidentally spitting some of it out onto her dress.

“Ah hell, sorry.” Picking up the napkin Taylor brought with her, he blotted the wet spots on her dress which happened to be on her chest and knees. Keeping his hand pressed on her, he stopped and gave Taylor a long glance. “You know, this dress looks familiar.” Jake raised his eyebrows when he came to a realization. “This looks just like your handfasting dress.”

“I’ve been thinking about all of it tonight, Jake. The New Year’s party, your belt and tie, getting handfasted. Ever since you walked through the door, wearing that suit with that tie and your sleeves rolled up.” Slumping back into the couch, Taylor covered her face with her hands, embarrassed by what she had said.

Tempted to confess that he thought about the same things every single time he thought of her, he opened his mouth but quickly shut it. Taylor was going to be a married woman in less than a day and the realization that it was too late to say anything weighed heavily on him. Cracking another joke would probably make things worse. “Princess…” Expecting her to scowl, he noticed instead Taylor’s shoulders relax. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with your fiancée or bridesmaids tonight?”

Putting down her hands, Taylor made a whining sound and darted her eyes towards Jake. “Why isn’t this easy? I’m getting married to a perfectly nice, perfectly good, perfectly perfect man tomorrow and I want to be here with you instead of home with him.” Without thinking, he scooted closer, resting his elbow on the back of the couch, leaning over her. He could feel his heartbeat quickening, wondering what she’d say but not wanting to get his hopes up. Taylor didn’t say anything else and instead started rubbing her arms.

The tension between them made the air feel thick and Jake unbuttoned the top button of his shirt in an attempt to breathe easier. “Tay this just sounds like a classic case of cold feet. Everything will be fine in the morning, I promise.”

“Niala’rei.” Taylor picked up his tie and slowly weaved it through her fingers. Jake thought for a moment and remembered the Vaanti celebration of marriage. “I didn’t hesitate, not for one second, about marrying you.” She quickly glanced at him before turning her attention back to the item in her hands. “It was so easy then. Why is this different?”

They both knew the answer. Jake blurted out the second thing that came into his head. “We were in a different world. Young and dumb. Living on adrenaline.”

Taylor hung her head, seemingly feeling defeated. “So that’s why you married me? An adrenaline rush guiding a rash decision?”

Audibly exhaling, Jake pulled a despondent Taylor into him, wrapping his arms around her. “I didn’t mean it that way and you know that ain’t true. I married you because I loved you, Princess.”

“Loved me.” Pressing her face and rubbing her nose into his chest, she took in the scent of his cologne. Tilting her head up, she cleared her throat and waited for Jake’s eyes to meet hers. “Remember when I had that question?” That question was constantly in the back of Jake’s mind since she posed it six months earlier. Despite talking on most days, they never brought it up. Jake nodded and Taylor straightened up and sat back against the couch. “Would you have done it differently?”

Jake searched her eager eyes, confused by her questions. “Done what differently?”

“When you took that job and broke up with me.” Taylor paused, trying to steady her voice which was starting to tremble. When her hands moved towards his, he grabbed them and laced their fingers together. “Would you have done that again?”

Chewing his bottom lip, he looked down at their hands, unable to meet her eyes. That question had eaten at him for the past few years, especially when he was flying for hours over international waters. Taylor let out a soft gasp when he shook his head ‘no’. What Taylor needed that night was closure and it was about time he told her how he felt about his decision. “I would have taken that job again because it has done a lot for me.”

“So you would have done it again.” Tears started to fill her eyes and she tried not to close them to keep the tears from flowing.

Tipping her chin up, he searched her glistening blue eyes. “I would have done that again, yes.” Tears started escaping her eyes and he wiped them away with this thumbs. “What I would have done different was include you in the decision making process.”

“Maybe I wouldn’t have let you go.” Her voice was soft and she turned her face away from him.

“Not that decision, Princess.” Taylor winced again. “Sorry, Taylor. We would have figured out what you were going to do in the meantime. Until I came home to you.”

Tears were streaming down her cheeks and she wiped them with the back of her hand. “I would have talked to Diego, Jake, and enrolled in Hartfeld. I would have been half way done by the time you got back.” Her brows creased and her eyes darted up to him again. “Do you regret it?”

Taking a moment to figure out how to answer her question, he shrugged. “Look at where you are now, Taylor. I don’t regret how successful you’ve been and will be.” Taylor abruptly got up, her wet face a mixture of anger and sadness. Running his hand through his hair, he got up and followed her to the wall she was standing against.

Her usually soft and sweet voice was steely and cool as she pushed her finger into his chest. “You acted out of ego and this primal need to take care of me, Jake. You may have forgotten two things about me.” Flattening her hand, she pressed her palms on his chest. “One, I know how to take care of myself. I would have figured something out to make not just you but me proud. Two, whether on the island or in college, I would have waited two, four, even ten years for you.”

Putting his arm on the wall next to her, he hung his head. In the silence, he could only hear the sound of Taylor’s breathing as he fought the urge to tell her he still loved her, wanted her to cancel her wedding, and take her home so he could show her just how much he missed her. It was too late. His name escaping her lips brought up back to reality and he looked at her concerned face. “That part I regret. I underestimated you. You’ve done nothing but prove how incredible and capable you are.” His lips pressed together. “I would have hated you worrying about me and waiting for me. I regret that I wasn’t able to countdown the days until I came home to be with you again.”

A smile tugged on her lips and her face brightened. “I regret not having this conversation sooner.” Reaching out, she cupped his face in her hands. “Please, answer this honestly. As the bride, this is the only gift I want from you.” He nodded and chuckled to himself, thinking about Rebecca going through Taylor’s wedding registry for him and finding a gift to send. “Do … Are … Jake ….” She let out a deep breath. “Do you still love me?”

His mouth felt dry, scanning her maybe hopeful but increasingly confused face. Over the past years, he had missed opportunities to tell her the truth. Instead of staying behind and insisting they had this conversation on the day of her engagement, he’d opted to give into a night of passion in hopes of moving on. He’d missed all his chances to tell her how he felt. Slowly, he shook his head to indicate ‘no’.

Her face sunk and she pushed herself off the wall. Throwing up her hands in frustration, she shook her head and started walking backwards towards the door. “Jake, you have always been a bad liar.” Taylor, being met with just a sad smile from her ex-husband, turned on her heel and walked out the door.

Alone in the room, Jake cursed under his breath and picked up what was left on the couch. She had left his tie behind and he stuffed it in his pocket. He leaned in the doorway and put his hands on his face, groaning. He really was an idiot. Not noticing that Taylor was just around the corner, walking back towards the room, he did something he rarely did - speak out loud to himself, not caring who was around. “McKenzie, you fucking moron, what you should have said was that you still love her.’”

He lifted his phone out of his pocket to get an Uber back to the hotel and walked out of the room. Jake still hadn’t seen Taylor standing close by, mouth on her hand as she processed what she had overheard him say.

Chapter Text

Ignoring the buzz around him, Jake ambled through the wedding venue with his hand securely fastened around a flask of whiskey in his slacks pocket. He hadn’t been able to sleep the night before, opting for tossing on the couch instead of sharing a bed with Annie. Yet another dumb decision he made, one to lie to Taylor, kept his mind racing and he had checked his phone at least once every thirty minutes to see if she’d return his call or text message.  

Stopping at the entrance of the wedding aisle, he leaned against the doorway and ran a finger down the flask, trying to stave off the need to take a sip. Instead, he focused on the the narrow marble floor that led up to a podium surrounded by vases of white garden roses and mainly bare branches peppered with small flowers. The aisle itself was surrounded by rows of white padded folding chairs.

A four string quartet was setting up, holding his attention when he heard his phone alert him. Lifting his phone out of his pocket, he saw the “SOS! Please report to the bridal suite ASAP, PDQ, STAT.” message from Diego and sent an acknowledgement before making his way to the basement.

“Where’s the fire, short stuff?” Diego had just exited the bridal suite and let out a sigh of relief when he saw Jake walking up to him.

“Taylor needs to see you. Alone. Right now.” Jake attempted to ask a follow up question but was ushered into the room by Diego. The bridal suite had two vintage, comfortable love seats with a coffee table littered with empty champagne flutes. Satin robes were strewn across the room, some on hangers and some draped over furniture.

Walking in, Jake noticed that no one else was in the large suite. There were two connecting rooms and he stopped in his tracks when he peered into the second one, noticing Taylor hunched in a chair in front of a mirror, her forehead resting on her elbows. Her blonde hair was in a mess of curls and pinned up high on the back of her head while the rest of her her was hidden in a sea of tulle. He lightly rapped on the open door. “Princess?”

His eyes widened and he was taken aback when she lifted her head up, eyebrows furrowed with an angry look on her face. The area of her forearms in which she had rested her head was stained with makeup. Eyeshadow and mascara streaked across her face. Putting her hands on the vanity, she pushed herself up to a standing position, teetering as the weight of the dress overcame her. “How many times do I have to ask you to stop calling me that?”

“Sorry, ma’am.” He walked over to her and took the disheveled sight of her in. Taylor’s petite frame was overtaken by a heavily embellished satin corset attached to textured layered tulle skirt. Curled tendrils were out of place and fell along her face. For as long as he’d known her, including the times they were fighting for their lives on the island, he’d never seen her so unkempt. On her wedding day of all days.  “Taylor, you look …”

“Shut up. I know how I look.” Hands on her hips, she marched over to him and in an instant there was a thawp! heard and felt on his right cheek. He yelled out a surprised, high pitched yelp as his hand instantly flew to where she had slapped him. “God, that felt good!”

“Jesus Christ, Taylor!” He turned, stunned, watching her exit the room towards a bucket full of ice and champagne bottles. Following, he continued, “I know I deserved that but what has gotten into you?” Taking a washcloth full of ice from Taylor to cool his hot cheek, he gestured at her with his free hand. “Why do you look like a mess? You’re getting married in a few hours!”

Reaching up into her hair, she started taking out the pins that were holding the curls up. “Do you know I sleep in that squirrel shirt every night, Jake?” Thinking for a moment, he recalled seeing the unmistakable teal color of the shirt whenever they would Facetime before she’d go to bed. “Every day during this whirlwind of an engagement, I woke up thinking about you first before Sean. I couldn’t sleep unless I knew that you were okay.” With all the hair pins on the floor, she shook her hair out and continued pacing around the room.

Rushing over to her, Jake took a hold of her shoulders and leaned down to look into her crazed eyes. This was the worst case of cold feet he’d ever heard of and was surprised it was coming from Taylor, who had kept a cool head in more dire situations. Silently, he kept her gaze and took a deep breath, prompting her to do the same. It was a technique he’d learned helped her out when they were staring down the business end of a sea monster. Eventually, she calmed down, the red areas of her chest starting to fade away. “Now. Talk to me.”

Placing her hands on his arms, she took in one last deep breath and closed her eyes. Opening them slowly, her eyes softened as she stared into his, her body relaxing. “I could handle you not being in love with me anymore. I’ve moved on with Sean and clearly, you’ve moved on with Annie.” Jake held up a hand indicating wanting to say something but she shook her head. “Please, don’t. She likes to brag about you to Sean.” Taylor made a face and shook her shoulders to relieve herself of the mental image. “What I can’t handle, Jake, is you pushing me away and lying to me.”

Taylor could always read him well and no matter how many walls he put up around her, she always managed to crumble them. With a heavy sigh, he let go of her and led her to the couch. “I don’t know what you want me to say, Taylor. Besides that I’m happy for you? Wish you luck on your marriage with Sean? I’ll say anything you want me to say.”

They were covered in tulle when they sat down next to each other. Taylor avoided looking at him and patted the fabric down. “I want you to tell me how hideous this dress is.” She smiled when she heard him chuckle. “I actually have another dress that I’d rather wear down the aisle.” Messing with the tulle some more, being careful not to tear the dress, she sighed. “Certain members of the bridal party insisted I wear this but I hate it.” Clearing her throat, she looked at Jake again. “I want the truth. I want you to tell me what you didn’t tell me yesterday. Please. I need to know so I can finally move on.”

Tilting his head, he gave her a lop sided grin. “Your dress is hideous.” She rolled her eyes and gently laughed, still messing with the tulle. Her big blue eyes lifted up to his again, imploring that he be honest with her. Chewing on his bottom lip, he quickly contemplated what to do next and decided that this was his absolutely last opportunity to tell her how he felt. “Darlin …” She nodded in anticipation. “… I am still in love with you.”

A small smile formed on her lips and she shifted closer to him, not caring if if she crushed the fabric and wrapped her arms around him in a hug, nestling her head on his chest.They paid no mind to her make up rubbing off on his suit jacket. “I pushed you away because I don’t deserve someone as incredible as you. You need to be with someone worth your salt.”

Pulling back from him, she frowned. “I can’t believe after all these years you still believe that.” Her eyes closed half way and and she focused on his lips while running her tongue along her own. With a breathy voice, she added, “You need to stop telling yourself that.” Taylor mumbled a few more words before she fully closed her eyes and touched her lips to his.

There was a jolt of electricity between their lips as she kissed him, bringing him closer to her as he returned the kiss, slowly at first then with increasing intensity. Years of longing overtook them, her hands removing his jacket before running through his hair as his found their way to her dress zipper, attempting to tug it down. Breaking away, Taylor arched her head back, giving him access to her neck. Acting on impulse while his mouth worked its way down to her collar bone, he muttered, “Don’t marry him.”

Suddenly stopping, he froze in place, shocked at what he subconsciously said. Taylor’s hands had stopped moving and she looked down at him, mouth agape. Her eyes followed him as he sat up and gave her a sheepish grin and after a moment, her lips turned into a coy smile. “Then what?” Her hand slid down to his shoulders as she took a hold of his earlobe in between her teeth.

“I’d … “ He tried concentrating on what he’d say, aware of the tightening in his pants as her hands slowly unbuttoned his shirt. “I’d spend every waking minute making you happy.”

With a final tug, she let go of his earlobe and whispered in his ear, her warm breath against his neck causing his skin to tingle. “You already promised that, Top Gun. Now I’m marrying someone else.”

Coming back to reality, Jake gently pushed her away and he laid back against the back of he couch. His eyes rolled in her direction, noting her mouth turning downward into a frown, her eyes starting to glisten. “Just know this, Taylor, if I ever get a second chance, I’d hold on so tight. I know what it’s like to lose you and believe me, I’d rather be on the run or hell, working for Lundgren again.” Walking his fingers towards her hand, he grasped them. “Equal partnership, no more making decisions for you. I’d even quit flyin’.”

Cupping his previously slapped cheek, Taylor leaned in again and kissed him briefly. “Jake. Thank you.”

They sat in a brief silence, Taylor picking at the tulle again while Jake ran his hands up his thighs, both of them feeling awkward. “I guess I’ll see you at the altar?” Jake stood up and took her hand, helping her up.

“Yeah.” There was a quick hug goodbye and a kiss on her cheek. “Could you, uh, call Diego? We have a hair and makeup emergency.”

***

“Are you okay?” Quinn whispered out of the side of her mouth, making sure to wink at a random wedding guest as Jake escorted her down the aisle. He’d been more stoic and withdrawn than usual when the wedding planner announced that the ceremony would start an hour later than planned.

The walk down the aisle wasn’t long but it felt like an eternity and Jake lost himself in their surroundings. After a gentle nudge from Quinn, he tilted his head towards her. “I’m peachy, Ariel. This day is an auspicious one.”

“Just make sure you meet us for shots afterwards. I saved a cupcake just for you.”

Upon reaching their destination, Jake thanked her and gave Sean a quick nod, trying not to react to the grinning face looking back at him. Quinn gave his arm a reassuring squeeze before he took his place next to Raj at the end of the groomsmen lineup.

There was silence in the room in between the orchestra’s change of music. Taking the moment, he admired the room. Being in the late afternoon, the room was lit by the setting sun from the outside and large candles on the inside. At the entrance of the aisle were two cherry blossom trees and the length was bordered by hanging wisteria plants. Truly, the venue was beautiful. Too extravagant for the Taylor’s liking but worthy of her nonetheless.

With the opening note of a violin, everyone turned to the room’s entrance and those sitting stood up. On the arm of Diego, Taylor started to walk in. Her previously mussed hair had been smoothed down and her curls loosened, the smeared makeup had been cleaned up and re-applied with a much lighter layer. To his relief, she wasn’t wearing the dress she hated. Instead, she glided down the aisle in a dress with a low cut embellished illusion top sitting atop a cascading silk skirt. If possible, Jake found her more radiant than ever.

After tearing his gaze away from Taylor, he focused on the music. The orchestra wasn’t playing the wedding march as originally planned but instead ‘Moon River’. There was a pang in his heart as he remembered the the two of them, sitting on the beach in front of her hut at night time, eating cookies and drinking boxed wine as they sang the song together in a goofy fashion. They always joked about that being their song.

His felt like he was in a haze as the ceremony started, not paying attention to the words of the officiant. Anything she had to say would be generic, he figured. All he could really focus on was the smile on Taylor’s face, almost erupting into giggles as she looked at Sean. All he could see from Sean was his large hands enveloping her small ones.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Taylor was handed a microphone and she exchanged her flower bouquet for a folded piece of paper from Michelle. Straightening her shoulders, she peered down at the paper briefly and cleared her throat. After meeting Sean’s eyes, Taylor then turned her body slightly to face the groomsmen. At first, her voice trembled and hands shook but took a deep breath and steadied herself. “I believe there is truly one person out there for everyone, for any reason. Whether it’s to show someone true friendship.” Taylor gave Diego a small wave. “To show someone humility and the true, wonderful person you are on the inside.” There was a smattering of laughs as she winked at Craig before turning her attention back to Sean momentarily. “And, for one of you here in particular, to show what love truly is.”

Jake felt his cheeks flush, wondering how much more of this could take without bursting. Clenching his warm, wet hands, he looked out at the audience and noting their faces, glanced over at Taylor. She had her eyes dead set on him and gave him a faint smile. Taking a deep breath, she handed the piece of paper back to Michelle. “I once saw myself fall in love with you precisely 1000 times.” His eyes slightly widened as Taylor’s smile grew. “Recently, I found myself falling in love you for the 1001st time.” Patting her shoulder, Sean stepped aside and she mouthed a ‘thank you’ at him. “Jacob Lucas McKenzie …” Now his eyes were fully widened and he felt Raj’s grab his arm excitedly. “Will you marry me? Right here, right now?”

A collective gasp was heard through the room as all eyes turned to him. Jake felt like he was standing in cement, unable to move, mouth open in surprise. There was a chattering amongst the groomsmen, encouraging him to take Sean’s place. Taylor bit her lip, a pensive look on her face.

At that moment, he couldn’t see anything but Taylor and though the room was loud with whispers, he couldn’t hear anything as he walked towards her. Eventually, her hands found his and she pulled him into her. Jake was still dumbstruck when she whispered to him, “Darlin, I’m still in love with you, too.”

Jake couldn’t tear his eyes away from Taylor’s, tears threatening to escape as he gripped her hands. Steadying Taylor’s face, he wasn’t paying attention to anything besides the ecstatic look on Taylor’s face. After allowing the room to calm and quiet down, the wedding officiant interrupted their moment. “Jake, do you take Taylor as your wife for better or worse, sickness and in health, until death parts you?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely.”

Taylor laughed, shaking her head and was asked the same question by the officiant. “Yes! I do.”

Without waiting to be told to kiss his wife, Jake enveloped Taylor in his arms and crashed his lips onto hers. Their kiss, which lasted a little too long for everyone’s preference, ended the ceremony.

***

Watching the sun slowly rise behind the mountains, the indigo color of the sky bounced off what was left of the previous season’s snow, Jake was propped up against the pillows in the bedroom of their rental condominium. They’d finally been afforded a long weekend and settled on a different scene than their private beach. The tips of Jake’s fingers gently drew circles against Taylor’s bare back, causing goosebumps to erupt on the arm she had slung over his torso.

Lifting her head, she placed her chin on his chest and looked up at him with sleepy eyes. Her now shorter hair flopped in her face, making him chuckle as he brushed her hair back, tucking what he could behind her ear. “Can’t sleep, Princess?”

“Nope.” Having just woken up from a light sleep, her voice was thick. “Got something on my mind.” Slowly, she kissed her way up his neck and stopped at his jaw. “Something you said once.”

“Do I need to go ahead and apologize?” She shook her head and captured his lips with her own, gently and slowly kissing him.

Taking the hint, he rolled her onto her back as he adjusted onto his side. Her hands moved into his hair and down his shoulders, gently squeezing them before breaking apart. “You were right about something.” He smirked at her, amused. Taylor rarely accused him of actually being right about anything. Raising his eyebrows, he waited for the rest of her statement.

Grinning to herself, she put on a terrible mock accent, mimicking his. “Believe me, in five years you’ll be happier.” Jake nodded, glad that secondary to improved communication between the two of them, that particular day could be brought up again without hurt feelings. His eyes implored her to continue. “Well.” Taylor took a hold of his cheeks and brought his mouth down to meet hers again. “You were right.”