FOUR YEARS LATER
(warning: this is very long)
(but also very good)
- () -
Two weeks until the wedding.
I twist my engagement ring around my finger, a recent nervous habit, and look out the tinted window. The beginnings of the hotel poke out from the horizon as our stretch limo rolls up the driveway.
"Peyton, open the windows," Melody nudges me with her shoulder. "We want to take pictures."
I press a button and all of the sixteen windows roll down. Florida air, hot and sticky, breezes through the window. Everybody, including me, sticks their head out to get a better look.
Florence Estates is a celebrity among wedding venues. Based on the arched gates and rolling green fields, I can tell why. It looks more like a palace than it does a hotel. Palm trees rustle and and the faint scent of rose petals lingers in the air. Cream-colored towers, polished and proud, raise up to the cloud sky. I half-expect to see a princess running through the fields.
"Wow," Melody clicks her camera rapidly, trying to get every angle. "This is already so romantic."
"Just imagine getting married here," A girl behind me muses.
"I wish it were me," Says another.
"Me too."
"Bettie's such a lucky girl."
Everybody sighs in agreement.
"I can't believe her luck," May, a bridesmaid that I recognize, says. "Not only does she become a famous writer, but she gets the one of the hottest and richest man in the world? So jealous."
"So jealous," The rest repeat.
My phone dings.
I lean back into the limo and swipe the screen to see that one of my coworkers, Minnie, has texted me to confirm a recent case we want to take on. I reply in a couple of brief sentences and put it back on my purse just in time for us to arrive at the front steps.
Bettie and her fiancee, Damien, wait at the top.
Their friends rush out of the limo as soon as the driver opens the door. I'm the last one to exit, thanking the driver before I walk up the steps. Everybody crowds around the groom and bride, chattering excitedly.
I consider escaping.
Maybe I can go through the back door or something. But then Damien catches my eye.
Damn.
I wait until most of the crowd disperses before walking up the steps.
Bettie offers me a strained smile. A little queasy, I return it. Don't look down, I tell myself, but can't help it. I try not to look down, but I can't help it. In just eight months, her belly has swelled up to the size of a watermelon. She has her hands rested around the curve, the diamond ring glinting brightly, and smiles at me through her Gucci sunglasses.
"Hey Peyton. You can meet my eye, you know," Her brunette curls fall to her waist, shifting with every small movement she makes. "I'm pregnant, not poisonous."
"I know," That doesn't mean that the sight doesn't make me uncomfortable. "Um. How's the baby doing?"
"Babies, actually. We're having twin boys," She leans next to her husband. To complete the perfect picture, he kisses the top of her head. "And they're doing just fine, last time we checked. I just hope they wait until after the honeymoon to be born."
Twin boys? In that belly?
"Where's Archer?" Damien says.
Damien is a CEO of a large company, on the Top 50 of Forbes Hottest Males list, and can play three different instruments. He's a catch, I guess. His family, on the other hand, is party of one of New York's deadliest mafias. Damien and Archer met during one of his art exhibits and unsurprisingly, they became fast friends - to the point to where Damien invited Archer to be one of his groomsmen.
"New York," I say.
"Still?"
"Yeah."
The bride and groom glare at me.
Unlike Archer, I had never really gotten along with Damien. He's too commanding and condescending for my taste. When we first met, he thought that I was Archer's secretary. Usually Archer helps me contain some of my temper, but he's not here right now.
I sigh and try to rein myself in. "He's meeting with some investors. Don't worry. He'll be here the morning of the wedding."
"The morning of the wedding?" Damien repeats, frowning, and tightens his grip around Bettie's waist. "He's going to miss the bachelor party - but I suppose that doesn't matter, as long as he's here for the main event."
"I'm sure he can manage."
"Still with that feisty attitude, I see," Damien lets out a soft breath of laughter. " As Archer's fiancee, you don't upset that he's not here with you."
"I'm a big girl. I can handle two weeks without Archer."
Annoyed, I brush past them and walk into the hotel lobby. Damien's comment irks me, which is why I guess he said it, a lot more than it should. But I wasn't lying. I can handle two weeks without seeing Archer.
That doesn't mean I don't miss him already.
- () -
Peyton: I'm going stab Damien's father in the neck.
Archer: try to resist the temptation
Peyton: He keeps calling me "sweetiepie" and asking about when my "beau" will be coming here and if I "miss you" and that if you ever have any money troubles, just let him know and he can "shoot the banker"
Peyton:Â Then he laughed and said he was kidding.
Archer: hes not really kidding
Peyton: I know. He's even nosier than Aunt Sue.
Archer: poor cub is aunt sue bothering you again
Peyton: She keeps asking me when you and I are going to set a date for the wedding. And then she goes on and on about how Bettie is a real part of Damien's family, like they're not some group of dangerous criminals or something
Archer: do you want me to call her
Peyton:Â NO I told you to never do that again.
Archer: I can call damien
Peyton: DONT CALL ANYBODY
Peyton: I M;;EAN IT ARCHER
Peyton: ARCHER
Archer: lol ok I wont
Peyton: I be;t you u just wantd me to freak out on puprose because you th thoughtt it would be funny or somehting.
Archer: haha you're so cute I can imagine your freaking-out face right now
Peyton: You suck.
Archer: at least now youre not thinking about stabbing damiens father in the neck
Peyton: Now I just want to stab you.
Archer: love you bear cub
Peyton: Love you too.
- () -
Time ticks by at a slower pace without Archer to keep me company. I make myself busy by helping with the wedding preparations by organizing the seating chart (apparently Damien's family has a lot of drama) and talking with the caterers. Damien catches me as I'm carrying Bettie's wedding dress up to her dressing room and stops me.
"There you are," He says. "I was just looking for you. A friend of yours has arrived."
"Which one?"
"Can't you guess? There aren't that many," Damien grins when I scowl. "Irene, come on in!"
"Irene?"
I turn around.
"Surprise!" Irene sings, embracing me into a hug.
With a half-laugh, I return it. "What are you doing here?"
"I'll leave you two to it," Damien walks away. "Make sure to deliver that dress to Bettie."
"Who do you think made the wedding dress? Archer told Damien about me and all of a sudden, I'm getting paid to create one-of-a-kind ballgown for the party," She pulls back and hooks elbows with me. "He even said I could bring Andrew and Jake."
"Wow," I blink. "Your dress must have been really good for him to let you bring those two."
"Oh it is. Did you see how much Damien paid me for it? I had to make this dress an absolute miracle to make up for it," She hooks elbows with me. "So, a famous writer hooking up with a billionaire - did you ever see it coming?"
"Of course I did. It's a total cliche."
"Huh. Do you think it's OutsideMyWindow trying to make fun of the Wattpad authors who couple off brunette writers to hot billionaires as a form of self-fantasy?" Irene questions, causing me to give her an annoyed look. "What?"
"Another fourth-wall break?"
"We can't have two in one story?"
"Not in the epilogue," I sigh and roll my eyes. "Whatever, it's too late to take it back now. But I was thinking that she was making more fun of Fifty Shades of - oh, I mean the book-that-shall-not-be-named."
"Could be both," Irene says.
"Could be both," I agree.
We reach the dressing room, which the hotel specifically provided for her. It contains everything a bride could want, from the carpeted white rugs to the columns of high-end makeup. The bridesmaids have already gathered, sitting on the cushioned seats provided for them.
Bettie stands on the circular podium, scowling. "Do we have to do this now? Can't we just put on the dress during - oh, I don't know - the actual wedding day?"
"We have to make sure it fits," Irene takes the ballgown from my hands and zips open the covering sheet. "Besides, I designed this dress just for you and your two cute little sons. It's a one-of-a-kind Irene Belmonte."
"Try it on, Bettie," Aunt Sue encourages. "Peyton, go help her."
Damn it.
I'm going to have to get near the belly.
Doing my best not to squirm at Bettie's very pregnant figure, I help her out of the floral sundress she's currently wearing. Irene holds the ballgown up and everybody gasps in delight (Melody the loudest).
"See," Irene chirps. "Isn't it gorgeous? Damien gave me a massive budget so I was able to import the fabric from this boutique in Paris. And see the designs on the hem? I purposely chose them to match your engagement ring. Look."
Irene takes Bettie's hand and holds it up for us to see.
"Wow, that's the prettiest ring I've ever seen in my life," April, one of the more romantic bridesmaid, sings. "It must have cost Damien a fortune."
"Thanks," Bettie's cheeks flush as I tug her into the dress. Irene nudges me aside to tie up the laces of the corset. I take a step back to let her finish. "And it actually belonged to Damien's grandmother."
"How adorable," May, the maid of honor, leans forward to see it closer.
"Even sweeter than buying any old ring of the market, in my opinion," Aunt Sue declares, accompanied by mummers of agreement. "Most men are materialistic fools, spending all their salary on the biggest diamond they can buy. Not Damien. He thinks of family first."
"I thought it was Archer's idea to use his grandmother's ring," Melody says innocently.
"Please," Aunt Sue cheeks flush an angry red. "Don't discredit Damien by - "
"No, it's true," Bettie twists her body to the left and right, checking her reflection from different angles. "Damien told me that he was looking at expensive jewelries before Archer gave him the idea to use the family heirloom."
"So sweet," April pulls up her knees and rests her chin on them, as if she's listening to Bettie tell a story. "Who's Archer?"
"He's one of Damien's groomsmen," May says. "I saw him on the list."
"What's his full name?"
"Archer. Archer Raine," Comes a new voice. It's June, Damien's younger sister and Melody's bridesmaid. She enters the room with a wine of red glass and, with everybody's eyes on her, sits down with a smug smile. "He's an artist. Don't tell me you haven't heard of him? He's actually quite famous."
"Well, I - "
"I bought one of his paintings myself," She takes a sip of the wine, tinting her lips maroon. "So did daddy. We're both very big fans."
"People say he's pretty attractive," Melody adds, pretending to examine her nails. From besides me, Irene chuckles.
"Really?"
"Oh my god, another hot groomsmen? My heart can't take it."
"Is he really handsome, June?"
"Well, let me think," June puts a finger on her chin. "He has tattoos - "
Everybody gasps.
"And grey eyes. You should see the way he smirks. It's sweet and mischievous all at once, especially when it's aimed at you," June fans herself. "Really, really sexy. Actually, I think I might have a picture of us."
June takes out her phone. All the girls besides Melody run over to see. Irene is giggling at my side. Aunt Sue's left eye is twitching.
"You don't want to tell them that you're engaged?" Bettie asks me.
"Nah," I say. "Let them have their fun."
Irene tucks the veil into Bettie's bun and calls everybody to attention. I take a step back just as Aunt Sue, overcome by emotions, runs to embrace Bettie in her wedding gown. June puts away her phone and everybody forms a circle around Bettie.
I take a step back and look down at my own engagement ring.
Archer proposed to me on the day of we graduated from college, but lost the ring. We searched for it for several hours, only to find that Lucky stole it and took it back to her little cat bed. It's a simple black band, with golden words engraved on inside.
It reads:Â Forever rebelling, you and I - AR
- () -
Archer: (1 attachment)
Archer: peyton check out this cloud I found doesn't it look like a kangaroo eating a watermelon
Peyton: Looks more like a fancy duck to me. Hey, do you ever smirk?
Archer: occasionally
Archer: why
Peyton: This girl named June says you smirk a lot.
Archer: I know June shes one of my friends
Peyton: She says it's hot.
Archer: yeah?
Peyton: You never smirk at me.
Archer: im too busy smiling at you
Archer: and kissing you
Archer: and making love to you
Peyton: OKAY I GET IT.
Archer: now I'm smirking
- () -
Since Bettie's pregnant, Aunt Sue declared that none of the bridesmaids can drink at the bachelorette party. Somehow, Irene manages to sneak ten bottles of tequila and we all get drunk anyways.
I'm in the middle of the light-up dance floor as Single Ladies blasts from the speakers. I manage to gather a group of women in the middle and show them pictures of the animals I've rescued on my cellphone while we try to perform the dance.
"S-see, this is Paw-Paw," I say, swaying my hips to the beat.
"Hi, Paw-Paw!" The bridesmaids chant.
"Paw-Paw is so nice. He's a baby panther and his - his mommy got murdered by some panthers and so he became an orphan," I swipe the screen to show another photo. "This is - hang on, this is Paw-Paw drinking from his baby bottle."
"Aw, Paw-Paw," They cheer. "We love you."
We twirl and clap our hands to the beat before returning to the screen.
"Show us more," April, with tears (of joy?), streaming down her cheeks. "I want to see more Paw-Paw."
"Okay. This is Paw-Paw on the swing set."
"Aw!"
The door to the Florence Hotel Club slams open. Melody, beaming, skips into the middle of the dance floor and embraces all of us in a hug.
"Melody," Happy to see my sister, I kiss her on the cheek. "Why are you so happy?"
"Archer's here!"
April gasps. "What?"
"Archer's here," Melody plants a kiss on my cheek too. "His meeting ended early so Damien sent his private jet to get him. I got a text from Andrew. He says that Archer's at the bachelor party this very second."
Archer?
Not my Archer?
"Archer?" June, who was previously dancing on the surface of the bartop, jumps down and slams her bottle of tequila of the floor. It shatters, grabbing everybody's attention. "Archer? He's here? I have to go see him and say hello."
"Yes, June! Take us with you!" April jumps up and down, the Single Ladies dance completely forgotten. "You said you would introduce us!"
"I did, didn't I?" She holds up an arm. "Who wants to meet Archer, the famous artist?"
Everybody cheers.
I stick my hand up in the air, "I want to meet Archer!"
"Me too!"
"Me three!"
"Good," June puts her hands on her hips and assumes a military pose. "Ladies, we're use going to have to use our combined to strength to sneak into Damien's bachelor party. Does anybody have suggestions?"
"Me, me!" I wave my hand.
"You, the girl with the pink hair," June points to me. "What's up?"
"My name is Peyton Monroe," I announce. "And I have a plan."
Peyton's Plan to Sneak into the Bachelor Party and Meet Archer Raine
1)Â Wake up Bettie, who is taking a nap on the sofa right now, and convince her to give us Damien's hotel room key.
2) Get into Damien's hotel room and steal the extra tickets to his bachelor party on the floor above us.
3) Pretend to be strippers so they let us in.
4) Hunt down Archer and let him know that we're not really strippers, but just big fans that really wanted to meet him.
June says, "That's a great plan."
Irene says, "I can't believe you still refer to yourself in third person."
Melody says, "You guys are all so drunk. This is going to be hilarious."
June says, "Come on, girls!"
We march to Bettie. I shake her shoulder until she wakes up. She blinks, rubs her eyes, and sits up with such a fierce glare that it makes all of us step back in fear.
"What?" She snaps.
"Let me handle this," I whisper, shushing everybody, and clear my throat. "Excuse me, dearest Bettie, may we pretty please have Damien's room key card?"
"No."
"But don't you want to meet Archer, the famous artist?"
"I already know him. Now don't bother me. I'm going back to sleep," Bettie says and goes back to sleep.
"Shit," I turn back to the ladies. "What now?"
"Don't ask me," June says. "I'm bad at coming up with plans. You come with another one, Peyton."
Peyton's Plan to Sneak into the Bachelor Party and Meet Archer Raine
1) Sneak in through the window
June says, "Shit, that's an even better plan the last one."
Irene says, "Maybe I should call up Dr. Robinson and check to see if speaking to yourself in third person classifies as clinically insane."
Melody says, "Okay, now I'm getting worried."
June says, "Come on, girls!"
We march outside. April breaks into storage closet and gets a ladder. We put it up to the windowsill and look up. It reaches the bachelor party window, but just barely. I volunteer to go first, just because I want to meet Archer really badly.
Everybody cheers me on as I climb the ladder. This reminds of something, but I can't remember what.
I reach the top and look down, "I've reached the top!"
They cheer for me.
I look into the window.
Gold and silver lights dance inside the party. I see the blurred images of men in suits, hear their laughter, and smell the dizzying amount of alcohol from inside. I see Andrew and Jake, head-bopping to Call Me Baby, and then I see Damien and -
Archer!
I knock on the window frantically.
Jake and Andrew jerk in surprise. I wave to them and their mouths drop open. Jake runs over to the window and pushes it open. Andrew grabs my elbows and pulls me inside. And then, both of them are yelling at me.
"What were you thinking?"
"How did you even get the ladder?"
"How drunk are you?"
"Where is - Irene -" Jake rushes to the window just as Irene swings a leg over the side. "What were you two thinking?"
"Jake, I missed you," She leans on her toes and gives him a big kiss. Behind her, June climbs through the window and lands on the floor with a surprising amount of grace. April pokes her head through the window.
"Christ," Andrew mutters, running over to help. "How many of them are you?"
I search the crowd, searching for him.
"You wait here," June says, stumbling over. "I'm going to find my brother. He'll probably know where Archer is. You keep looking."
"Okay."
I stand at the front of the crowd, barely listening as Jake and Andrew scold Irene and Melody for following such a dumb plan, and search for him. But fog drifts over the dance floor and the lights flash too fast for me to figure out any of the faces.
Two hands wrap around my waist, "You really shouldn't be climbing through windows, cub. It's dangerous for your health."
I turn around and smile. "Archer!"
There he is!
I could recognize those storm cloud eyes anywhere, especially when they twinkle with humor at seeing me. His hair, brown and soft, falls in front his face as he leans down. His muscular arms, tattooed all over in colorful ink, tighten around me even further. And his lips are just as soft as I remember, welcoming mine into their embrace.
"Wow, you guys work fast," Says June from behind me.
Archer laughs, his breath tickling me, and pulls away. "Hello June. Damien, I see you found your sister."
"Yes," Damien grumbles. "As well as all of these other imbeciles."
"Move aside, Damien," June elbows Damien in the ribs and pushes herself to the front. "Archer, I'd like you to meet my new friend, Peyton."
"It's nice to meet you, Archer," I say, taking his hand and shaking it.
He's grinning. "Nice to meet you too, Peyton Monroe."
"Wow," June gasps, clapping her hands on her cheeks. "He knows your last name too? You guys really must have hit it off if he's able to read your mind."
"That's it. You're going to bed," Damien takes June by the arm and hauls her away.
Archer laughs again and turns me around so that I'm properly facing him. "My poor, sweet, little bear cub, I don't think I've ever seen you this drunk."
"I missed you so much I couldn't take it. So I got drunk."
"How drunk?"
"Like a six out of ten."
"And how much did you miss me?"
"Ten out of ten."
"Well, I missed you eleven out of ten."
"Then, I missed you twenty out of ten! No, twenty million out of ten! Like twenty million blue whales, which is a lot, because blue whales are the largest animal on the planet except we're not really sure because the ocean..."
"Is a vast space that has barely been explored, I know," Archer chuckles and kisses me again, making my thoughts spin. "It's good to have you back."
- () -
Peyton: lok at at LUcky slpepping!! Isn''t she so cute?
Peyton: (3 attachments)
Archer: I know cub I'm sleeping right next to you remember
Peyton: yeahh I rememember
Archer: go to sleep
Peyton: ok go d night
Archer: good night
- () -
"I can't believe you forgot to tell me that Archer was your fiancee," June slumps down next to me. "You even let me introduce you to him."
"The heat of the moment got to me," I squint in the afternoon sunlight. "I guess I just forgot."
"You forgot you were engaged."
"I guess," I groan. "I usually never drink that much."
"Clearly."
Both of us sigh.
We sit out on the balcony, looking at the wedding venue.
Most of the audience has arrived by now. Almost three hundred people in total have gathered for Bettie and Damien's wedding. It's a pleasant day for a wedding. The sun shines. Bird chirps. A gentle breeze blows. The ocean waves sway along the shore lazily. Looking at this, it makes me want to get married too.
May bursts into the dressing room. "Bettie's in labor."
Everybody turns.
"What?"
"Now?"
"But she's a month early!"
"I know, I know," May wails. "But her water just broke and she needs to go the hospital as soon as possible. June, call her mom. Peyton, tell Damien. And the rest of you, go to the venue and try to stall the ceremony."
We stare her, stunned.
"Go!"
Jerking in surprise, we scatter.
I rush out in the hallway and to the men's dressing room, my thoughts running a million per a minute. Bettie's in labor? What will this mean for the wedding? Is she going to be okay? How are the guests going to take this? How is she going to take this?
I slam open the dressing room door.
A group of half-dressed men greet me. Some of the shriek and cover their chests. Other just gawk at me, a girl in the men's room. Archer and Damien, who were previously lounging on one of the leather sofas, stand up at the sight of me.
"Bettie's going into labor," I blurt out.
"What?"
"Right now?"
"Where is she?"
The last one comes from Damien.
"In her room," I jerk my head to the hallway. "Come on."
Damien, nearly in a sprint, rushes past me.
Archer pulls on his shirt and follows him, buttoning it up on the way. "How bad is it?"
"Pretty bad."
The three of us hurry upstairs the Bettie's bedroom. We find her in her wedding dress, lying down on her bed with her curls stuck to her face and her parents next to her. Damien kneels besides the bed and places a hand on her forehead. When she turns to Damien, her eyes fill with tears.
The three of us rush upstairs into her room. Bettie's lying down on her bed, hair stuck to her head, with her parents next to her. Damien kneels next to her and when she looks at him, her eyes are filled with tears.
"I'm sorry," She says.
He pulls the hair out of her face. "No need to be. The ambulance is going to be here any moment, alright?"
"But I'm going to ruin everything," She whimpers and attempts to sit before Damien pushes her down. "Come on, I can hold it in. Let's just get this over with. I can go down the aisle with a wheelchair or something."
"You are in no condition to. Don't argue with me," He adds angrily when Bettie opens her mouth again. "Think of our boys. Do you really want to put them in that kind of danger?"
She sighs. "I guess not. But what about your wedding? Your father, some of the others, they all have flights tomorrow morning."
"Don't worry about them. Worry about you."
"But they spent so much money coming out to here to Florida! We can't just send them back without a proper wedding."
For a moment, everybody's silent. Damien hesitate, then looks over his shoulder to meet Archer's eyes. In return, Archer raises an eyebrow. They share something that I can't understand and whatever it is, it can't be good.
"What?" I demand. "What's with that look?"
Archer turns to me. And completely serious, he says, "We could get married."
"What?" I let out a disbelieving laugh. "What? No way."
"Why not?"
"We don't know half of these people!"
"So? My family is here. Your family is here. Our friends here. Sebastian and Kya live just twenty minutes away, so we could just call them. And with that, everybody we wanted to be at our wedding would be here."
"We'd still take care of the wedding expensive," Damien says. "All we have to do is change some of the seating arrangements and the names on the cake and everything would be set. Even the photographer would take photos of you two."
"I - but - "
"Nobody would be upset, Peyton," April points out. "Your wedding would still be better than no wedding."
"Think of all the presents you would get," June folds her arms, a small smirk on her face. No doubt that she thinks that this is payback for last night. "There's got to be at least a couple of millionaires in the audience. Not to mention my father affinity for giving decorated knives as wedding presents."
"You'll never have to hear mom or dad ask about your wedding date," Melody says, her eyes glittering excitedly. "And grandmother would nearly have a heart attack when she sees you walking down the aisle instead of Bettie."
"I can't believe I'm actually considering this," I groan, putting my face in my hands.
Archer takes my hand and pulls it down so that I'm directly looking at him. His eyes are gentle, but playful, when he says, "Think of all the money you could save. We could fund another rescue shelter."
I look at all the face, friends and strangers, and sigh.
"Fine," I say. "Let's get married."
- () -
"You look beautiful, honey," Mom beams at me.
Irene tosses the veil over my shoulders. The fabric, shimmering like rose gold, brushes over my skin like a seductive lover. My dress, a simple peach-tinted A-line, catches the light when I step off the podium. I turn to face the circle of bridesmaids. I didn't want to "fire" any one of Bettie's bridesmaids, so I just combined them with my own.
"I second that motion," Melody's smile is equally wide. "You're an actual blushing bride right now."
"Especially the blushing part," Kya pokes my cheek playfully.
"Shut up," I say. "I'm not blushing."
"No way," Irene hands me my bouquet of tulips, a colorful display of pink, orange and red. "Her cheeks are red-hot right now. Just watch. Any second now, Peyton will burst into tears and we'll have to clean up the running eyeliner off her cheeks."
"I am not going to burst into tears."
Everybody laughs.
Somebody knocks on the door. Mom swings it open to reveal the groomsmen and my father, who have come to match up with their respective partners before they go down the aisle.
"Archer's handled the crowd, not like that's a surprise," Sebastian tells me as he offers Kya his hand. "I actually think they're excited to see you two hook up, even the ones who don't even know who you are."
"Damien's father even said that he bought a special decorative knife for the two of you," James says and meets up with his wife, Lily. "I think he's really taken a liking to you, Peyton."
Great, the mafia boss is the one I get along with.
Everybody walks out. Melody and Julia walk out first, holding Lucky (who we had to force into a princess tiara) in their arms, as the best man and maid of honor. James and Lily walk out. Kya and Sebastian walk out. Irene and Jake walk out. Andrew and June walk out. Then, Bettie's bridesmaids walk out.
Dad offers me his arm. "Ready?"
I take it. "I think I'm going to throw up."
"Try to repress it until after the vows."
And then we walk out.
The music, gentle and powerful, starts up. I feel the sound underneath my skin. Hundreds of heads turn at our entrance. An endless sapphire and rolling hills of emerald grass greets me as my father and I walk down the crystal white aisle. At the end of all the seats, I see the groom in a suit just as pink as mine.
Archer's smile is radiant.
Emotion swells up inside me. To my horror, I feel tears prick the back of my eyes.
I hardly feel dad let me go. I hardly smell the beach sea air or Archer's cologne. I hardly see Archer as I step next to him. I hardly hear the minister as he recites the vows or the taste of the words "I do" as they leave my lip.
All I'm aware of is the beating of my heart as it echoes inside of me.
"...kiss the bride."
I blink, coming back to life.
Archer tips my chin towards him and raises an eyebrow. "Are you crying?"
Damn it.
"I promised I wouldn't," I sniffle.
He laughs softly. "You never were one to follow rules, were you?""
"Your fault," I say and lean in to kiss him.
~ THE END ~
~ or maybe a new beginning? ~
- () -
PRESENTING: a cheesy author's note!
Guess how many reads Rules of a Rebel first had when IÂ published it?
...
...
(go on, guess)
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Six.
Yup, only a measly six reads the entire week. I was so crushed that I actually deleted the book. But then, I decided that I shouldn't give up and republished it.
And boy, am I glad I did.
To those who commented, I read each and every word you say (even if it scares me sometimes). To those who voted every chapter, I cherish every yellow star you've given me. To those who simply read the book, thank you! Peyton and Archer's story is alive because of all of you.
WANT MORE?
I have more books! Check them out on my profile:
raphael's castle: (horror and romance) girl wakes up in a castle with no memory of how she got there and she meets a seemingly kind stranger willing to help her out.
the bad boy is my babysitter: (contemporary romance)because desperate times call for drastic measures.
bully for you: (fantasy and romance) a girl mates with her high school bully, who also happens to have superpowers.
10 Fun Facts about RoaR!
1) The first version of RoaR was called Misunderstood. Peyton's original name was Miranda.
2) Lucky was supposed to die in the first few drafts of RoaR.
3)Â Peyton's secret favorite color is pink.
4) Archer's favorite childhood show is Blue's Clues
5) The name of every chapter is the rule Peyton breaks for that chapter.
6) I originally wasn't going to have Peyton's backstory dealt with the issue of drunk-driving instead of nudes. However, I read a story on Wattpad where the main male character sent around a girl's nude photos as revenge for their breakup. And everybody in the comments was on the male's side, saying things like "well if she didn't want them getting around, she shouldn't have been sending them" and I got so pissed off that I changed Peyton's backstory.
7) I got Archer's name after a character in Hex Hall (one of my childhood crushes)
8) Around last year, I got into my head that I should rewrite Rules of a Rebel and publish it in a whole new book. This verision had Peyton and Archer in college instead of high school and was called Rebellious. I even had the first six chapters written lol
9) Crackers is such a stupid idea. But I love him.
10) Peyton's rules were coping mechanisms. As she fell in love with Archer, Peyton's coping mechanisms weren't necessary anymore.
And that's it for now!
Thanks for all your support. I might come back one day and show you guys the very first draft of RoaR or make another Archer's pov. For now, though, I'm putting this to rest.
"..."
(0.0) - thanks for all the food!
/)....)
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And thanks for reading!
yours truly,
OutsideMyWindow
QotC: Any questions left for me? :D