House of Cards (10 page)

Chapter
17: The second best day of my life.

Daxton
’s POV

Avalynn and I go on many dates after that first one. So many that I’ve lost track. We try and go out together at least three times a week. Faith completely supports us and watches Abby with no questions asked. My feelings for her have quickly gotten strong and I feel like its love, but I don’t want to tell her just yet. I want to make sure that she feels the same way.

I’ve noticed that she still wears the ring on her finger, except she has it on the wrong hand. Sometimes I want to tell her to put it back on the
correct finger, but it’s hard to do that when it seems like we’ve only just met. We are re-learning each other in some senses and in others, I already feel completely in tune with her. She told me all about how I proposed to her. I wish that I could remember that day if nothing else because her face completely lights up when she talks about it. She doesn’t talk a whole lot about her past and it’s probably for good reason. According to Gram she didn’t have life all that easy before her and I met. It makes no sense to me because she’s such a beautiful and intelligent woman. It’s hard for me to fathom her being any other way.

Tonight’s
the talent show and I’m going to meet Ava up at the school. I’m going to sit a couple rows back when it’s Abby’s turn to go on stage, though, since I don’t want to take the chance of her noticing me. I respect Ava’s decision to keep us apart until things are more definite. I only hope that it is sooner than later. Tripp decides to head up with me so I don’t have to go to it alone and I’m thankful for that. It’ll be hard with Ava being so close and me not being able to go sit with her like a normal couple. When we arrive, we find a seat in the back. We’re way early; I must have been a bit overzealous about coming. When Avalynn walks in, Abby in tow, I duck down in my chair. They both look so adorable. Abby is the spitting image of Avalynn. They both go behind the stage, just Ava coming out after a couple of minutes. She scans the room, I’m assuming in search of me. I stand up and wave her over. She comes over to us with a huge smile on her face.

“So glad you could make it
,” she says fluidly. I wouldn’t miss it for the world, but I think the excitement written all over my face mirrors that fact.

“I’m excited to see what she’s going to do
,” I respond. Avalynn hugs Tripp and I see some unspoken communication pass between the two of them. He helped out my girl when I wasn’t able to. Avalynn told me all about her break down and I regret not being in the right state of mind to be there for her. She reminded me that I saved Abby’s life and that is more than she could ever ask for, but still.

“She’s going to be playing the guitar and singing. She’ll never play for me, though
, so this will be the first time I’ve heard it.” She looks at me sadly and lowers her eyes like she said too much. Tripp speaks up for her.

“She only plays for you
, dude.” He says like it’s no big deal when, in fact, it’s a huge fucking deal. It hurts me deep down in my core.

“Well
, she’s playing tonight, for all of us. That’s all that matters. She’s been doing a lot better,” Avalynn tries to be reassuring. She knows I feel like shit, even though I have no control over what I can remember and what I can’t. Small things have been popping into my head, but I’m still having a hard time fully remembering Avalynn pre-accident, or Abby. I can remember nearly everything else, though. I have hope it’ll all come back eventually. I’m just being patient. I’m thankful to have Ava by my side through it all. Every time I remember something, the headaches put me down and out for hours.

The lights in the room dim and the curtains open. Everyone in the auditorium gets really quiet.

“I’ve got to get back to my seat. Abby will be looking for me in the front row. I’ll call you later babe.” With that, she kisses me and heads back to the front row. I instantly miss her. I sit down and the show starts with a bang. The talent of some of these kids is just out of this world. There are dancers, comedians, and musicians. Out of about fifteen kids, Abby is last. I’m anxiously shaking my leg - I can’t wait to see what I taught this little girl.

When it’s her turn up, she walks on to the stage confidently. I’m shocked by how well she works the crowd, not appearing to be even a little bit fazed. She sits down on a little chair, set specifically up there for her
. She pulls a pink, little acoustic guitar onto her lap and begins to strum quietly. I strain my ears to hear and it doesn’t sound familiar at first. She begins to sing into the microphone effortlessly. Her voice is beyond the level that it should be for a kid of her age; she is too good for words. I sub-consciously begin to sing along. I don’t even realize I’m doing it until Tripp elbows me in the side.

“What the fuck dude?! Do you remember this song?” He questions me excitedly. The grin on his face is undeniable. I stare at him in shock. I don’t respond. I just want to listen.

When her voice hits the chorus, tears spring to my eyes. I remember. I remember teaching her how to play this song, one that we made up together. I remember her little fingers gliding over the acoustic guitar like it was an appendage she never knew she had.

My little girl, way up high

The pedestal will hold you.

Don’t ever be afraid to fly,

Remember what Daddy told you.

Your wings…they’re larger than life.

Your eyes…they’re brighter than all the stars up in the sky.

Your worth…is more than anyone will ever realize.

Nobody will ever be enough…

Remember that when life
gets rough

I’ll be at the bottom, in case you fall

I’ll struggle when you don’t at all.

But I’ll still proudly point up in the sky

Watching as you fly so high

I’ll tell the whole world

That’s my…perfect little girl.

I remember my fiancé. I remember proposing. I remember the accident. I remember my babies, my loves. I rush from my chair and make my way to the stage. Abby stops singing and whips her guitar from her back. She lays it ever so gently on the stage. I lift my arms and she comes running. She jumps into me and I catch her easily. I never had a doubt in my mind. I’ll always be here to catch her. Avalynn comes over, tears in her eyes.

“I remember
, babe, I remember. My girls.” I can’t get full sentences out, emotion strangling them from my throat. But all they need to know is that I’m here and I’m never going anywhere again. The auditorium erupts in cheer.

“Daddy…our song…” Abby states matter of
fatly. Her confidence never leaves her.

“Yes little one. Our song brought me back to you. Thank you for having enough courage to get up on stage and sing it.” I’m not sure how much she can possibly understand, but this means the world to me. I hug my girls to my chest, never wanting to let them go.

“I’d do anything for you and Mommy, just like you would do anything for me. Even when you were away, I knew you would come back. I just knew it.” Her little voice sounds so assured. It makes me smile to know that she never gave up hope on me returning to them, even though it would be easiest for her to do. The beauty of a child is the hope that they encompass. It’s unwavering and unable to be broken by even the grimmest of circumstances. I lift Abby into my arms and it feels like everything is the way it is supposed to be. My life has fallen back into place and I don’t dwell on the fucked up year it’s been and all of the important stuff I’ve missed for even a second longer.

I take Ava’s hand in mine. I slide her ring off the wrong finger and waste no time putting it where it belongs. We will be married like I intended
; I’ll carry Ava down the aisle caveman style if I have to. Judging by the smile on her face, I doubt she’s going to put up much of a fight.

We walk out of that auditorium as a family, a happy one.
To some it seemed like a sudden what-he-fuck moment. How can these people just act like nothing ever happened? Simply because we’ve spent too long dwelling on what did happen. Too long losing ourselves and being away from each other. Too long not being able to be together; I’m not going to let that shit happen for another fucking second.

I’m claiming my family, I’m taking them back. The fact that they let me back into their lives without questioning anything just proves to me all the more that this is exactly where the fuck I need to be. Because that’s what family does. They know you fuck up
; they harp on you about it. They are the most judgmental when it comes to your faults. But they still love you anyway. They will always still love you anyway.

The only thing that matters to me is the right here and right now…the present. As a family, we are no longer going to dwell in the past. We are also no longer going to try and rush to the future. There is no greater gift in life than living…I mean actually
living -
every single day like it’s your last.

Chapter 18
:

T
he Beginning of Forever.

Avalynn
’s POV

I’m sitting in front of a gorgeous cherry wood vanity, staring back at a reflection I hardly recognize. The mirror doesn’t feel all too intimidating to me in this moment because all I see in it is happiness. I am not envisioning any horrible memories or harboring any negative emotions. Not today, this is the start to the rest of our lives. The only flashbacks I have are euphoric, never awful like the ones that used to occupy my mind. It’s been a year since Daxton’s accident, but only a month since his memory returned. He wouldn’t wait any longer to be married. He wanted to do it immediately. Go off and get eloped, but Gram would never allow that. She wanted us to have a church wedding.

I’m in the most beautiful dress I’d ever seen. I knew as soon as I put it on that I had to have it, price be damned. There’s one thing that they say almost all little girls dream about and that is their wedding. Well, for me…I never had a chance to dream about mine. But
, it’s been better thus far than I could have ever imagined and I know that as soon as I get down the aisle and connect hands with the man of my dreams, it’s only going to get better.

Butterflies are anxiously in flight in the pit of my stomach
as I finish putting my make up on. I keep it light, just the way Daxton likes. He never stops commenting on my natural beauty and even on days when I don’t see it, he still makes me feel it. I stand up slowly and turn around. The room is filled with my loved ones: Faith, my maid of honor, and the cutest mini-bride that anyone could ask for, Abby, and Gram, my stand-in to walk me down the aisle. She’s the closest thing that I have to a parent and she’s taken Abby and I in like her own. Sickness has sadly taken over her body and the doctors have only given her a year or two to live, no definite answer. Usually there is none with the C word, Cancer. She doesn’t let it bring her down and makes us all be strong for her, even if it is pretend. She’s been steadily crossing things off of her bucket list. The admiration I have for this woman goes above and beyond anything I could put into words. I am just lucky to have her in my life, if only for a short time. She comes over to me, walking gracefully in the silver mother of the bride dress that we picked out together. She shines brighter than any star in the night sky. She grabs my hand and brings it to her soft lips, placing a gentle kiss on the top of my hand.

“You look absolutely beautiful, Avalynn
,” she says simply. It’s taken a long time for me to take any compliment to heart, to trust. But today, I believe her words.

“So do you
,” I respond. She grabs my veil from the vanity and I bend down so that she can pin it in my hair. I decided to leave my hair down in curls and Abby’s matches mine perfectly. After Gram is done, I look into the mirror one last time and walk over to stand behind the girls in preparation to walk down the aisle. There is a firm knock on the door, that of a males.

“If that’s Daxton, I swear I’ll tan his hide
,” Gram states seriously and I can’t help but giggle. Daxton has been anxiously sending me text messages and attempting to call since the girls took my phone away from me last night. I tried to reassure him the day before that it was only one night apart, but he insisted that even one was too many. Some may find this completely smothering, but, to me, it’s endearing and I wouldn’t have him any other way. The door opens with a start so I jump behind the girls, hoping to shield myself at least a little bit if it is Daxton. But it’s not. Gabe stands in the doorway, looking as handsome as I’ve even seen him in his tux with red tie. The whistles commence, mostly from Faith, and I can’t help but smile. It’s nice to see her a little bit happy, if only for a moment. She’s been a complete wreck since her and Tripp breaking up. I miss her playfulness more than I’ll ever admit. She can be a lot for one person to take in, but she means well; I’m lucky to call her my best friend. Gabe walks over to me and places a chaste kiss on my cheek.

“Wow. You’re breathtaking. Daxton better treat you well or I might have to snatch you up.” I hear a gasp and notice Gram’s face an
eerie white. I can’t help, but laugh. I know that Gabe is only kidding, but because of the past that he has faced with Daxton and his women…I have a feeling Gram doesn’t find it as funny as I do.

“Any girl will be lucky to have you, but nobody in this room is suitable for you. I promise I’ve invited many single girls to the reception. You look very handsome yourself.” I attempt to cut the tension in the room and it works effortlessly. Gabe pulls a piece of blue paper from his pocket. It’s small and folded in half, very simply.

“Daxton wasn’t sure if you had your something blue and something borrowed. He already knew you had something new. Granted, he wouldn’t elaborate on that. He just winked at me when I asked and told me to mind my own business.” I smile to myself. I know exactly what Daxton is talking about. He went with me to help pick out my brand new red undergarments. The matching lace bra and panty set - not complete without tie on sides. We had a fun time in the dressing room picking these out. I can feel my face heat up, not much has changed. Everyone in the room laughs at my embarrassment.

Trying
to distract myself and get my skin tone back to normal, I gently unfold the blue paper. Written on it, in Daxton’s unmistakable chicken scratch it reads, “Good Morning Beautiful,” largely at the top. A single tear slides down my cheek, happy memories coming easily into my mind. This man will never cease to amaze me. Things with him will never get tired, never get old or boring. He is my forever love. Further down towards the bottom it continues, “Something blue-the paper, something borrowed-the phrase, something new- ;). With all of these things, you should be prepared with all the luck in the world on our wedding day. I hope this will help you to walk a little quicker down the aisle, my love. Because you are the only luck I need. Love, your beautiful stranger.” I fold the note up gently and look around for a place to keep it. Abby comes over to me, gives me a small hug, and holds out her little white purse. I open the clasp at the top and tuck it inside, knowing that it will be safe until I can retrieve it.

“Don’t cry
, Mama. Your face will get ruined.” I smile at her words and dry up all my tears, even though they are finally happy ones. Gram ushers Gabe out of the room and I can hear the piano start playing. My nerves are getting even more intense. Everyone begins to file out one by one, out of my comfort zone and down the aisle where my future husband awaits me. Gram locks her arm with mine, needing me to steady her. When the piano begins to play my song, we walk to the beginning of the aisle. Everyone stands up and turns to face me. I can see Daxton, the light at the end of my very dark tunnel; I have to force myself to slow down, as I’m practically dragging poor Gram down the aisle. We just about reach the end of the aisle when Daxton races forward and takes my hands.

“I couldn’t wait any longer
.” he states and shrugs his shoulders. Everyone in the room begins to laugh, expecting nothing less. Gram kisses us both on our cheeks and gives me away. My nerves have subsided and only excitement stands in its place.

We say our vows, exchange rings
, and kiss each other with every ounce of love in our hearts. The ceremony seems to fly by and we are finally introduced as Mr. And Mrs. Daxton James. When we go up to file our official name change papers, Abby’s adoption papers will be filed as well. Daxton has always been a dad to her, but that will make it official. After family pictures, we make way to the limo that is idling on the curb for us. Everyone blows bubbles at us on our way and snaps pictures. I don’t even care how goofy they probably look like, my perma-grin ever present. Daxton climbs in to the limo first, me right after him. Before rolling up the privacy windows, Daxton tells the driver, “A couple times around the block. I need to kiss my wife.” He states the last part proudly, my smile only growing wider. The driver responds with a sly nod of his head and smile. Daxton handles all of the privacy windows and turns the radio up a bit. He puts in a CD mix that he had to have put in here before the wedding, which has all of our favorite songs on it. He pulls my legs up into his lap.

“Hi
, Mrs. James,” he says, with his face only a couple of inches from my mine. He’s so close, that I can smell the mint on his breath. I can’t resist reaching over and kissing his lips, first slowly but quickly turning hungry. I pull away briefly to catch my breath.

“Wow, who knew this could get better.” I say out loud what I’m thinking. Daxton gets his familiar shit eating grin. He trail
s his hands briskly underneath my dress, finding my brand new panties. Lace gets me wet all on its own, but with the help of Daxton’s skilled fingers, I’m a goner.

“Not her.
” I say breathlessly. We are due to arrive at the reception any minute.

“They can wait
.” He quickly says before taking my lips in his once more. He slides his fingers along my top of my panty line and I moan into his mouth. I instinctively bring my hips up to meet his hand. I couldn’t stop myself from making that movement if I wanted to. My body has always been completely in tune with Daxton’s; he has complete control of me. Lucky for him, I’m only wearing a thin mermaid dress instead of the one of the princess ones that Gram wanted me to buy. They were all beautiful, but this one hugs my curves in all of the right places - I feel both elegant and sexy in it. When he finally reaches the tie sides, he unties the left hand side.

“Babe…no. We’ve
got to go in.” I notice out the tinted windows that we are fast approaching the hall where our reception is being held.

“
Shh,” he whispers. “Let me make my wife feel good.” He enunciates wife and I feel myself grow wetter. I’m over the moon in love with this man. He cups my womanhood and slides his middle finger quickly inside. He rubs my inner lips and furiously plays with my clit before slamming two of his fingers inside of me. He thrusts quickly in and out, while rubbing my clit was his thumb. My head flies back and hits the seat, my vision blurring. Daxton grips my breast hard through my dress with his other hand and squeezes roughly. I come undone, screaming in ecstasy.

“Mine
.” Daxton murmur's with authority. I will always be his. Daxton wets a paper towel with a bottle of water that was in a cooler back here and gently cleans me up. I get my sudden wind, viciously attacking his mouth. Daxton relents for a moment before backing away.

“Time to go inside
, love.” He laughs against my mouth. I groan in frustration as he ties my panties back on and slides my dress back down over my legs.

“You filthy little tease
.” I say before smacking him against the chest.

“You can get back at me later, babe. We have all night. In fact, we have the rest of our lives.” He takes my hand and I open the door to let us out.

When we walk into the hall, cheers fill my ears. I am truly blessed by all of the people that are here. I couldn’t have asked for a better turn out. We take our seats, hand in hand. Daxton doesn’t drop my hand for more than a few minutes at a time throughout the night, as if we are magnetized to each other. My perma-grin never leaves my face and for once, I’m not ashamed of it. I am too happy to care. We eat mexi-lasagna and I can’t help but laugh when I take a bite.

“Not as good as yours babe.” I lean over to tell Daxton. He smiles from ear to ear.

“Did you expect it to be?” He responds with ease. I’ll never get sick of his cockiness. It makes him.

When it comes time for toasting, I’m scared of what my drunk Maid of Honor is going to say.

“Avalynn…bitch…” She begins, instantly grabbing the attention of the crowd. I’m not in the least bit surprised.

“When we first met, I wasn’t so sure about you. You were so quiet, that you came off as such an ice queen. I thought for sure you were a stuck up, royal bitch. But I have never been more wrong. You are selfless and genuine. Your strength
out shadows every single bad thing you’ve ever been through. Even with all of the bad-assery that you had, it is nothing like now. Daxton makes you that much better. You two were truly meant for each other. I am jealous of the love that you share. I think that everyone in this room can only hope to have a forever love like that in their lifetimes. Daxton, you were meant for her. Avalynn, you were constructed for him. You two just fit. All that I have left to say is…” Faith stops, holds up her glass and looks directly into Daxton’s eyes. “You break her heart, I’ll break your face.” She smiles sweetly and turns her direction to the laughing crowd. I’m pretty sure Daxton may just be shaking with fear at this point. “Cheers, drink up bitches!” She exclaims and the hall bursts out with cheers. Gabe gave a speech, too. But he basically said good luck and good riddance before downing his glass. He’s not really the speaking type, so I’m not upset by it. I’m just happy to be a part of a family that accepts Abby and I so warmly without question.

The best moment of the night for me, with the exception of
all the sweet nothings that were whispered in my ear by my new Husband, was when he danced with Gram. The love emanated from his eyes. He walked over to her and offered his hand. He led her out to the dance floor and my eyes welled up with tears.

“You did good, son. I couldn’t have selected anyone better for you.” Gram tells him.

“I had an amazing role-model to assist in the decision making. With a woman like you in my life, how could I choose anyone less than my better half?” His eyes are twinkling with respect. I smile at their interaction. He holds her up as they dance. She gets frailer as time goes by. But she’s happy, it’s obvious. That’s worth it all. I fall more in love in this moment with my husband than my heart’s capacity is even able to hold. I feel ready to burst.