Chapter 120: Weddings

Goddess’ Note: The part about Stephanie’s wedding was actually written by Steph. I changed the POV and added some, but the details are hers 

The rest of the summer passed in a blur. David shuttled between NYC and home, and Hath spent lots of time at Chez Bongiovi. Whenever Jon would have to leave for something or another, Hath would pack a bag and go stay with Sam and Lyndsay. Sam told Hath stories about Jon taking care of the baby, and just how wonderful he was in making sure that she had everything she needed.

"I'm sure David will be just the same," Sam said, handing her daughter to her friend. Hath cuddled the little baby close, inhaling the sweet smell of the innocent.

"He'd better be twice as good as Jon," Hath commented. "There are two of them to help with!" The two women shared a laugh. "Seriously though," Hath said, "David's been great. He's been dealing with his stuff in the city, and coming back home to take care of me. I don't think my feet have EVER been rubbed quite so much."

Sam laughed. "I remember that," she said.

Lyndsay started to fuss, and Hath handed her back to Sam. "I think she's hungry," Hath said.

Sam took the baby and expertly put her to breast. Hath sighed, and Sam frowned. "What's wrong, Hath?"

"How the hell am I supposed to nurse two babies?" she asked. "I am not that coordinated."

Sam had to laugh at her friend's expression. "Hath, don't worry. You just do one at a time. Have David take the other for a while, then switch. It'll be fine, I promise."

That's how the weeks went through the rest of July. Hath worked from her house, but with the tour wrapped, there wasn't much for her to coordinate. There were a few stray appointments and appearances to deal with, but for the most part, she was left to her own devices. She spent a lot of time out in the yard getting sun and relaxing, and napped far more than she wanted to. To stave off the boredom, she called Tico and tried to talk him into letting her do work for his Rock Star Baby line, but he said no way.

"Querida, I would love to have your help, but David would kill me. You just rest."

Hath had grumbled something about if one more person told her to just rest, she would kill someone.

In August, Hath spent quite a bit of time on the phone with Lucy, who was getting more and more excited by the minute -- she and Richie were getting married in the middle of the month, and she was counting in hours rather than days. She was concerned about Hath traveling, though.

"Are you sure that you should be flying across the country?" Hath could practically see her friend's worry lines form between her eyebrows.

"Luce, it'll be fine, I promise," Hath said. "The doctor said I can travel, and hell, it won't be any worse than jetting all over freaking Europe."

"Yeah, but you're so close to being due!"

"Bite your tongue, woman! I still have a couple of months to go. Anyway, it'll be fine. So, how are YOU coming on the baby thing?" Lucy had confided to the other girls that she and Richie were trying for a child of their own.

Lucy started laughing. "Nothing yet, but we are having a hell of a lot of fun practicing. He's really, uh, shall we say committed to making a child."

"I'll just bet he is," Hath said.

"So when are you coming out?"

Hath checked her calendar. "We're flying out the Tuesday before, so we can relax a little before the wedding. Are you sure you don't need us to do anything?"

"Positive. Ava and Joan have just been wonderful in helping me get things done, and now there's nothing left to do except wait for the honeymoon!"

"Hah!" Hath said. "Sounds like you're already on your honeymoon, what with all the 'practicing' going on." She sighed. "I wish D and I had had the chance to go on a longer trip together."

"Oh I'm sure you'll manage to get away."

"Yeah, in another eighteen years!"

Lucy laughed. "Oh shut up. You're so excited to be a mother you can't stand it. You're not fooling anyone."

"Yeah, I know." Hath paused for a moment. "Alright, Lucy, I need to go. John is sitting on my bladder again."

Lucy chuckled. "You know, when you talk about your son, I always think you're talking about Jon."

"That'll make interesting conversation once we're talking about nursing and poopy diapers and his cute little winkie."


Three weeks later, Hath and David were on their way to LA to watch their friends get married. The flight was uneventful if not uncomfortable, and every time she had to go to the lav, Hath blushed as she remembered the last time she and David had flown together. "No chance of that now," she said to herself as she tried to maneuver around the little cubby. "We both wouldn't fit this time around!"

Richie and Lucy absolutely refused to let their friends stay at a hotel, so their house was full. Lucy’s mother, David and Hath, Stephanie, Matt, and Michael, Jon, Sam, and Lyndsay, and Tico, Alejandra, and Hector were all in residence by Thursday afternoon. Friday afternoon, the group loaded up into vans, cars, and SUVs and headed out to the beach for the rehearsal. Lucy had always wanted to get married on the beach, and Richie indulged her. They met the minister who told them what was going to happen and where and when. They had opted for a small wedding; just family and close friends. Neither wanted a huge splashy Hollywood 'do.

Saturday morning was beautiful. Not a single hint of a cloud dared mar the beautiful blue sky. Hath woke up with David wrapped around her, his arms cradling their children. His fingers were laced together, and Hath had to wake him up in order to slip from his grasp.

"D, let go," Hath said, turning her head to kiss her husband's cheek. "I need to get up."

"Don't wanna let go," he mumbled, nuzzling her hair.

"You have to let me up. Your daughter is seeing to that."

“Tell her to knock it off,” he muttered, kissing her neck.

Hath laughed. “Yeah, like she’s gonna listen to me.” She kissed David. “She’s totally going to be a Daddy’s girl. You tell her.”

David chuckled and shifted until his mouth was against Laura’s tiny fist which poking out. “Sweetheart, get off Mommy’s bladder. I want to kiss her for a while.”

Hath waited a minute before shaking her head. “Nope, she’s not listening to you either.”

“Laura, honey,” David said, “If you stop, I’ll buy you a pony…”

“Cut that out!” Hath said swatting at her husband’s head. “Nice lesson you’re teaching her. Now get off me before I pee the bed.”

She managed to get herself out of bed, and lumbered into the bathroom. After finishing her business, she drew on her robe and went back to the bedroom. “When are you guys leaving?” The men were going to a hotel for the day. Lucy had insisted that Richie not see her before the wedding, so he had spent the night at a nearby hotel. The rest of the men refused to leave their women, so after the rehearsal dinner, Richie headed off to the hotel, and the rest of them headed back to Richie’s house.

Now, the men were gathering their stuff and spending the day with Richie while the girls took care of whatever they had to do. David looked at his wife, and wished he didn’t have to go. He checked his watch. “We’re leaving in an hour or so,” he said. “Plenty of time for a little see-ya-later-sex.” He threw back the sheet and climbed out of bed. As he crossed the room, there was a pounding on the door.

“You up yet?” Jon called through.

David laughed. “Yeah, yeah.”

“You decent?”

“She is, I’m not,” David called back.

The door cracked open an inch. “Hath, Lucy is looking for you, and sent me to collect you.”

“Gimme a minute to get dressed, boss, and I’ll be right out.”

“Don’t make me come back for you,” Jon warned. “I won’t knock next time.”

Hath chuckled. “How does he do that?” she asked.

“You mean have the worst timing ever?” David shook his head and took his wife in his arms. “Years of practice.” He kissed her soundly. “You’d better go see what Lucy wants, and I should get dressed and go rescue Richie from his loneliness.”

They showered and dressed, and came down to the sitting room hand-in-hand.

“’Just a minute’, Jeeves?” Jon said, raising an eyebrow. “That was way more than just a minute.”

“What can I say,” Hath said, leaning into David. “He distracts me SO well.” She tilted her head up for a kiss. The twins chose that moment to start to fight. “Oh!” she said, breaking the kiss and putting her hands on either side of her belly. “They’re fighting again.”

Lucy came over to feel the children bumping and pushing in there. “Doesn’t that hurt?” she asked.

“Only when they get their fingers stuck in my ribs,” Hath answered. “Otherwise, it just feels a little weird, that’s all. Where’s Sam and Lyndsay?”

Lucy stayed with her hands glued to the twins until they settled down. “They’re in the sunroom, I think. Jon, Dave, you guys better get going. We have girly stuff to do, and Richie needs some company.”

David laughed. “You’re not going to get anything done with your hands wrapped around my kids,” he said.

“Yeah, yeah,” Lucy said, smiling. “Just go.”

When the men were gone, the women went to take their showers and get dressed. Lucy had arranged for them to have their hair and makeup done at Ava’s favorite salon, and once Ava and Joan arrived at the house, the girls all set out. They spent the morning laughing and talking, getting manicured, pedicured, primped and prettied. They had lunch brought into the salon, and by the time they were done, they all looked like they were ready for fashion magazines.

They got back to Lucy and Richie’s house by mid-afternoon; in plenty of time to dress for the early evening beach wedding. Hath struggled to get into her dress and had to have Stephanie zip it for her. “I can’t believe how freaking BIG I look in this thing,” she groused. “Seriously, this was NOT made for a pregnant woman.” The gray silk sheath was darted generously in the front to leave room for her abdomen. It hung to the floor and looked great -- from the back. “Ugh, and look, my boobs are practically falling out of this thing.”

Stephanie clucked and patted Hath’s shoulder. “Now you know damned well you look like a beautiful pregnant woman, and this dress is fine. It is not too revealing, though David will surely appreciate the generous cleavage. Now suck it up. This is Lucy’s day.”

“I know, you’re right, I’m just being silly.” She squared her shoulders, thrusting her ample chest forward. “Let’s go wait with the others.”

The bridesmaids were all together in the foyer, waiting on Lucy. “Aunt Hath, the twins are so big!” Ava said shyly. Her eyes got wide. “And they’re moving!”

“Want to feel?” Hath asked. At Ava’s nod, Hath put the girl’s hands on her stomach.

A few minutes later, Lucy’s mother called down to them. “Here she comes, ready or not!”

The women all sucked in a breath as Lucy descended the staircase. Her dress was a simple sheath like theirs, but of the purest white. It had a short train in the back, and drifted down a few steps behind her. Her hair was piled on top of her head, and her veil floated around her shoulders like a delicate cloud. Around her neck was a simple string of pearls; a wedding gift from her soon-to-be husband. Lucy’s mother trailed down the stairs behind her, gently blotting a tear from her eye.

“Lucy, you look stunning!” Alejandra called to her. “Simply beautiful.”

Ava smiled. “Daddy won’t know what hit him.”

And he didn’t.

When Richie, resplendent in a dove-gray tuxedo, saw his bride-to-be walking down the beach toward him, his heart stopped. He couldn’t believe that this gorgeous creature agreed to be his. He thought he was the luckiest man on the planet. When she said “I do”, and he slid the diamond-crusted band on her ring finger, and accepted a matching band on his, he thanked every god he’d ever prayed to for the day Lucia walked into his life.

That night, as David took the pins out of Hath’s up-do and brushed out her hair for her, she wistful. “It really was a gorgeous day.”

David swept Hath’s hair to one side and kissed her shoulder. “You were beautiful today.”

Hath rolled her eyes. “I was bloated and swollen, and looked like a frump next to Steph and Sam.”

“You looked pregnant and glowing and MINE,” David gently corrected. “Like I said; beautiful.”

Hath stood and wrapped her husband in a hug. “Have I told you today that I love you?”

“Only a dozen times, I think it’s time for another one.” He smiled and kissed her lips softly.

“I love you,” Hath said, closing her eyes and drawing him deeper into the kiss.

In September, it was Stephanie and Matt’s turn. If Hath thought she was huge before, by the first week of September, she was enormous. She was worried that she was going to be too big for anything, much less standing up for one of her closest friends. But Hath was up in Stephanie’s room, helping her thread small white flowers through her curls. The last one in, Hath had Stephanie turn for her, to make sure everything was perfect.

“Well?” Stephanie said. Stephanie’s pale silver dress shimmered in the late afternoon light that was streaming in through the window. She had matching peep-toe sandals that poked out from under the dress’ hem. “You look gorgeous,” Hath proclaimed. She leaned in to give her a peck on the cheek. “You’re going to knock Matt on his ass.”

Steph laughed. “That was my intention,” she said. Stephanie ran her hands over Hath’s swollen belly, “I’m so glad you could be here Hath. I wasn’t sure you’d want to travel so far given how close to your due date you are.”

Hath smiled and took Steph’s hands again, “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world, Steph.” They hugged again. “Besides, David keeps telling me he can’t wait to kiss the bride.”

Smiling, Stephanie moved to the window and looked out over the lawn. Lucie and Richie, Jon, Sam and Lindsay, David; she had been surprised when they all said that they would come. David had given her such a pout. “We always take care of family,” he had said, making Stephanie tear up. The guys looked so handsome in their suits and the girls were stunning in their summer dresses. It was the perfect late summer day; blue skies and sunshine and most importantly, not too hot.

A knock at the door startled Stephanie from her musings, and she watched Hath walk slowly across the room to open it. Hath had chosen a pale peach dress with tiny flowers along the hem and was barefoot; shoes were simply too uncomfortable to her now. It was Michael, ready to escort her mother down the aisle. Hath blew Stephanie a kiss and went back to join David on the lawn.

“Ready mom?” he asked. Stephanie wondered when her little boy had gotten to be all grown up.

“I’m ready, are you?”

Michael nodded and took her hand, “Let’s go.”

“Is that the last one before the babies come?” Hath asked later that evening, holed up in their hotel room. “I don’t think I can stand squishing into one more fancy dress. It’s huge t-shirts and baggy maternity shorts from here on out.

David laughed. “That should be it for now,” he said. “When we get home, you can wear whatever you want. Hell wear nothing if you want.”

Hath chuckled. “Yeah, you’d like that, wouldn’t you. Not gonna happen.”

David took Hath into his arms. “Can’t fault a guy for trying,” he said.

“No, I surely can’t.” She kissed his mouth. “I just wish they’d hurry up and come already.”

David put his hands on her abdomen. “Me too,” he said. “I can’t wait to meet them.”