Back to Basics chapter 189
Neither Mike or AJ are needed for Smackdown this week. They make faces at each other upon learning this on Tuesday but Mike quickly moves past it, drawing her closer as he presses a kiss against her hair. "Let's go home to California," he tells her quietly, gently tickling her side. She stares up at him, smiling, and nods. Ever since she had said yes, his mind had been racing with everything that is in front of them- his movie, Wrestlemania, their general day to day lives. The proposal had been as abrupt as actually buying the ring that day in December, and the actual thought of trying to plan a wedding and the thousands of little steps leading to that day leaves him a bit beyond overwhelmed. Reminding himself to breath, he waits until they're off of the plane and back at his house, biting his tongue patiently until they've dropped their bags, changed into something more comfortable- tank tops and shorts- and settled into a lawnchair in Mike's backyard, enjoying the warm wind brushing against their flesh as AJ curls up against her fiance.
"I love you," she whispers against his arm, kissing the soft skin there.
"I love you too," he answers immediately, those thoughts returning with a vengeance. He tangles his fingers in her hair and sighs softly, staring at her through half-lidded eyes. "This may be a bit presumptuous... but when am I not presumptuous?" She giggles and he takes a breath. "When you picture our wedding... what do you see?" She tenses against his side as he looks down at her, worried. "AJ?"
After a moment, she pulls away and sits up, staring at him. "What do I see when I picture the day I become your wife?" She licks her lips, looking thoughtful while she trails her fingers over the soft cotton of his shirt. "Well... I... guess something... lowkey..." He looks a little surprised and she ducks her head, resting her hand against his midsection, feeling as he breathes in and out. "I'm sure you don't want to remember that day, but... when Daniel and I were supposed to get married, WWE staff planned most of it. It was... outrageous, and gaudy and I didn't really... like it. I mean, it was gorgeous, but if I had planned it, it would've been nothing like that."
"How would it have been?" he asks, trying to catch her eye. "What's your dream wedding, AJ?"
She takes in a soft breath and releases it shakily, glancing around his backyard. "I... Simple. Intimate. The people I care about most supporting me and my husband as we exchange vows and dedicate ourselves to each other. Warm, sunny, maybe the ocean nearby..."
He smiles. "You want a beach wedding, sweetheart?" She looks up at him and nods shyly, flushing slightly. His grin grows. "Well, we're in a very convenient place for that kind of thing." He strokes her hair, thinking for a few minutes. "What would you say if I said I was researching that kind of thing?"
"Really?"
"Yep." He draws her closer, letting her hover over his lips as he stares up at her intently. "I know this is moving fast... but you know I don't have much patience for waiting. And with filming for Marine 4 coming up, I won't have a lot of time to plan for this with you." She nods, frowning slightly. "What do you say to a March wedding?"
"Mike-" she gasps, her eyes widening. He chuckles and finally pulls her the rest of the way down against him, kissing her speechless even more than his suggestion already had. "That's... only a few weeks. How can we make that work?" she asks as soon as she can speak again, her dark eyes locked on his.
"I've been looking into it," he tells her softly, his hands warm on the small of her back. "A permit to have a beach wedding takes a month. We can apply for one and have it in time. I'm thinking... we get married on the beach off of Morrison's apartment... and we have the reception either at his place, or mine, depending on how long the guest list actually ends up being."
Her eyes gleam as she considers his thoughts. "Hmm, then all we'd need to do is figure out food... and flowers... and the dress... music..."
"Vows."
Her list stutters to a stop as she looks at him, yet again amazed that she's marrying the one man who would actually suggest such things. "You'd want us to write our own vows?" He nods and she rests her head on his chest, kissing the sun warmed skin there. "I love all of this. When can we get started?"
He hums and sits up, tangling his legs in hers as he holds her close. "Whenever you're ready," he tells her softly, kissing her on the side of the mouth. "But first..." He runs his hands up her tank top and sighs, letting his mouth trail lazily down her throat. She giggles, all thoughts of wedding plans leaving her as he lifts her up, standing up and walking away from the patio to lay her gently in the dewy grass, sinking down against her. "You're going to make such a beautiful bride, Mrs. Mizanin..."
Later that night, after some business handled at the courthouse, they walk side by side in the surf, watching as the sun sinks in the distance, red and orange bleeding against the skyline, lighting up the water. AJ squeezes Mike's hand as she kicks at the waves licking at her feet, her eyes gleaming in the half-light. "I love you."
He grins down at her, pulling her close against his side. "I love you too." They walk sedatedly for a few minutes longer until he lifts her up and spins her around just to drop her into a deeper part of the water with a laugh as she splutters and pushes at him. "Sorry," he singsongs until she grabs him and pulls him down next to her in kind, gasping as he wraps his arms around her and holds her close until another wave washes over them, plastering their hair to their flesh and leaving them soaked through. He laughs harder as she stands and splashes more water at him, the two of them playing in the sand until she tires and flops down on top of him, breathing heavily against his chest. "Come on," he says once she's caught her breath and is just laying there calmly, listening to his heart beating. She sits up and stares at him curiously as he stands and reaches out for her, smiling as she takes his hand and allows herself to be pulled up.
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see," he beams, pressing a kiss to her mouth before dragging her through the sand to cross the path to the shadow of the apartments just visible in the growing twilight.
"Wait, but- Mike! We're soaked!" she gasps as he tries to draw her inside.
He laughs and turns back to her. "It's California, by the beach. Everyone's soaked, sweetheart. Come on." Pushing the doors open, he leads her inside and smiles as she gazes around as if it's their first time here, which... well, it technically is as an engaged couple, so he allows her a few moments. "Come on, race you." She gasps and chases him up the flights of stairs to Morrison's floor, Mike pausing outside of the door to knock as they had left their phones and keys back at his house so they could have time to themselves to examine where they'd be getting married as soon as the permits were cleared.
A few moments pass and he starts to wonder if John isn't home after all, but finally he hears locks being turned, grinning down at AJ as his best friend finally answers the door, eyes shifting from Mike to AJ and back before his lips twitch up in a grin. "Hey! Come in, come in. You two look... freezing, and wet. I'll get you some towels." He bustles off to do that and Mike laughs as he leads AJ into the kitchen to wait. When he returns, he passes the towels first to AJ, then to Mike, giving them a minute to dry their hair and skin off before stepping forward. "Congratulations, man," he breathes, tugging his best friend close and hugging him. "It's about time someone made you settle down."
Mike laughs against him, glad that John's finally back in LA to properly hear the story of their engagement and everything else that'd been going on. Alex had been great, and Ricardo too of course, but John has always been his grounding point, helping him to sort out his thoughts and feelings, or at least distract him from them, and to not have that option while they were on different timezones while he'd been filming his movie... He sighs. "Thanks, John."
After a few moments, they pull apart and John glances down at AJ, who stares up at him quietly, patting her shoulders dry with the towel before she holds her hand out to him, letting him see the ring that she had put back on her finger after they'd finished playing in the ocean. He stares at it with a small smile, glancing over at Miz. "Keeping up with the theme from her charm bracelet, huh?" Mike nods, stepping back to watch his best friend and fiancee interact one-on-one for the first time. "You have great taste, Mike." AJ's face lights up and Miz grins too as John steps forward and hugs AJ. "Thanks for making him so happy. I know he's not easy to deal with all the time... but it's worth it."
She nods, hugging him back after a moment, with no lack of surprise. "Yes, it definitely is," she whispers, peering over John's shoulder to smile at Mike. He grins back at her before the two most important people in his life separate, John taking the towels from them.
"I'll put these up, you two find somewhere to sit and I'll be back... then we'll discuss these wedding plans so I can fix whatever faux pas Mike has thought up while I was gone." He smirks at the slightly annoyed look on his former tag partner's face before ducking into the bathroom to do just that, Mike taking AJ's hand and leading her into the living room, looking forward to seeing John's face when he mentions the most important thing.
"So, what are you two thinking about doing?" John asks, brushing his hands off as he joins them, sitting down on a chair across from them. "March is right around the corner, so I'm guessing some lavish affair isn't an option."
"No," Mike says. "It's part of the reason we're here. We talked about it and..." He smiles over at AJ, wrapping his fingers around her hand. "We're going to have a beach wedding. You know, that strip of sand across the street?" John glances out of his window at the darkening ocean and makes a soft "huh" sound. "So we need a couple of things from you."
John turns his attention back to the couple and shrugs. "Alright, what? Mi casa es su casa, you know this, Mike."
"I'm glad you confirmed that," Mike grins, eyes shining. "Because so far, it's going to be really intimate, so the guest list is pretty short... and we were wondering if you'd mind us having the reception here after the wedding. If not, I understand, we can have it at my house but-"
"What the hell, man, you don't even have to ask, of course you can have the reception here. I'll be honored to host that, and whatever else you need from me." John grins as AJ leans against Miz, resting her head on his chest as more pieces of their marriage comes together.
"Well, there is one more thing," he says, pressing a kiss to the top of AJ's head before facing his best friend once more. "We're slowly figuring it all out... flowers, officiant, the permits... but you can help with something."
"Like what?"
"I need a best man," Mike shrugs. "I have a long list of guys who would probably be eager to step up and support the Most Must See Superstar of the 21st Century as he gets married, but I haven't quite decided yet... Maybe you can help me narrow it down." He barely takes one glance at the other before losing it, laughing as John glowers at him, biting at his knuckle. "Dammit, man," he wheezes. "I was trying to hold onto it for a little longer than that. Crap." Wiping at his eyes, he smirks. "As I was saying... John, would you be my best man?"
"Idiot," he shakes his head, rolling his eyes. "I don't know why after that nonsense, but yes, yes I will be your best man."
Mike grins. "You can never say no to me."
"Shut up." John huffs, crossing his arms over his chest for a few moments. Finally he clears his throat, some of the overexaggerated annoyance fading from his expression. "Well, now that that's straightened out. Let's go out and celebrate. Dinner's on me."
"If you insist," Mike laughs, standing up. "Come here." They hug again, Mike slapping him on the back. "Come on, as if I could ever find a better man than you to have my back when I take the biggest step of my life."
"I didn't think so," he grumbles with a smirk.
The couple spends a few more days wrapped up in each other, coming up for air sometimes for meals with John, all three of them finding plenty to talk about- wedding plans, John's upcoming movie projects, Mike's own Marine 4, AJ's first Wrestlemania as Diva's champion... So much is going on, when it's time to actually face reality, leave behind the near paradise state of California and travel to the snow covered state of Minnesota, even Mike has a bit of a pout going as he hugs his former tag partner at the airport. "It's been great seeing you, man. We'll talk soon, yeah?"
"Damn well better if you're really getting married in a couple of weeks," he chuckles, squeezing his best friend's shoulders before pulling away. "Take good care of him." AJ nods at him, smiling as she smoothly slips her hand into Mike's, the two of them waving at him as they head for security to get onto the plane.
"It's been years but it still sucks, leaving him behind," Mike mutters, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles, closing his eyes as she stands up on her tippytoes and kisses him softly, not minding who's watching. "I keep hoping every time there's change in administration, no matter how little, that someone will look and say, oh hey, we should rehire John Morrison, but... I guess it's just yet another thing deemed not best for business." He can't keep the bitterness out of his voice and she cards her fingers through his hair, drawing him closer for a deeper kiss, trying to sooth him. "Thanks," he murmurs as she pulls away, resting his forehead against hers as they stare into each other's eyes, not paying the crowd of people around them any mind while they draw strength from each other. "I love you, AJ."
"I love you too," she says softly, the words barely audible over the noisy bustle of the airport, but they are already etched in Mike's memory, in his soul, and he smiles.
But their troubles are far from over, Mike grimly having to face another harsh truth as soon as they get off of the airplane: The Total Divas think that he's still engaged to Maryse- or, considering the rumor he had Alex spread, they might think he's already married to her- and AJ had pointed out that perhaps it would be worthwhile to keep the lie going a little longer, leave the catty women in a false sense of security, so when they had found themselves in a jewelry store, scoping out wedding ring styles and all, she had pointed out a simple, inexpensive band that could cover as his wedding ring with Maryse. He feels dirty wearing it, but after everything he'd put AJ through, this is the least he can do for her. And he puts on a pretty good act, if he says so himself. Goes on about being a newlywed when he's on the preshow panel, flashing the ring for the camera, and grinning sharply as Josh talks about it for a moment.
Ricardo is doing Spanish commentary again, and Del Rio is lurking around backstage, waiting for his match against Batista, wearing a neckbrace and hobbling around with a crutch, looking like a ridiculous version of Tiny Tim. With AJ and Tamina also around, things almost feel normal again... except for the cold band around his finger, it clearly not belonging there. Not yet, until AJ is the one to put it on his finger. He sighs and shrugs it off, knowing that it's just temporary until their wedding day. He hopes by then they can drop all pretenses and he can wear his real ring proudly.
Either way, it feels good to get back into things, debating with Mark Henry and Rey Mysterio what he thinks will happen with the event, all of them fixated on The Shield vs Wyatt Family match. He bites his lip slightly when Seth Rollins is chokeslammed through the Spanish announcers table, but Ricardo seems ok, if annoyed at the early loss of his table, so he turns his focus back to the match, watching as Reigns is overwhelmed by the family and left to eat the pin. "Wow," he mutters. Even after all of his time in the business, matches like that still amazes him sometimes.
AJ stews as she walks out of Vickie Guerrero's office, staring at Tamina. "She wants me to defend my divas title," she tells the enforcer with a grim look in her eyes. "Against who, I have no idea. Come on." They walk side by side to the gorilla, AJ waiting for her music to cue up before skipping down to the ring. She glances up and over and catches sight of Miz with the rest of the panel, smiling slightly as she slips through the ropes. Deciding to pass time until her opponent shows themselves, she mocks the other divas and makes fun of Naomi's eye injury until- Cameron comes out, her disparaging attitude fading away as she looks down at the woman who had caused so much grief for her and Mike the past month.
She wants so badly to get her hands on the other woman, make her pay for everything, that it makes her sloppy. She gets caught up in too many 2 counts to be comfortable, and she flushes in disgust when she realizes that Mike is watching every moment of this overhead, her failure at getting any substantial offense against the other woman probably embarrassing him. Tamina senses this too apparently, and tries to help, entering the ring to kick Cameron, just for her to move and... AJ, standing directly behind her, can do nothing but watch as her friend's boot impacts with her face, leaving her sprawled out on the mat, vulnerable and dazed, head throbbing. Tamina tries to rectify what she did in the end, however, breaking up the pin attempt that follows and clotheslining Cameron so that the match goes by DQ, which isn't perfect, AJ still smarting and annoyed as she gingerly sits up, but she's still champion, and that's the important thing.
It's far from the decisive victory AJ wanted, but she's still got Mike's ring- not on her finger, here, now, but with her- and the butterfly belt is still hers, so she tries to cling to that, not wanting to drown in anger and frustration. Not now. Not tonight. Tamina looks sheepish and a little worried anyway as the trainer looks the divas champion over, finding nothing seriously wrong with her. As he bustles off to get some ice, just as a precaution, AJ turns to face her enforcer. "Well."
Tamina grimaces. "I'm sorry, AJ. It was a mistake. I really didn't mean to hurt you. I know you want revenge against her, and I figured I'd try to help in some way, but she moved and I couldn't stop in time..."
AJ stares at her, listens to her words, then looks down at her title belt with more adoration than she feels for probably anything and anyone in her life except for Miz. "Fine, I know... you had good intentions, things just fell apart. But thanks to you, I didn't lose so here we are." She looks up with a faint smile, releasing a cleansing breath in an attempt to let all of it go. Morrison's meditation practices are somewhat addictive, after all. "Now that we're alone, I have a question for you."
Tamina swallows, looking a little pensive. "Oh. Alright, what is it?"
AJ rests her hand on the cool plates of her title, sighing softly before she faces her enforcer, smiling. "Would you be my maid of honor when I marry Mike?"
Tamina gapes at her, her dark eyes wide in shock as she digests this request. Realizing that she's just been staring the last few minutes, she nods. "Yes, of course I will be, AJ. It'd, it'd be my honor." AJ grins and reaches out for her, the two of them hugging as she takes it all in, thinking only ten minutes earlier that AJ had been beyond furious with her for kicking her, but this... was definitely the last thing the tall woman had considered. "Thank you."
"No, thank you. I know you were only trying to help me earlier," AJ tells her, tired of waiting for the trainer. "I'm still champion, and that's the important thing. Now come on, let's go watch the rest of the show in my locker room until Mike can leave."
Later that night, Mike rests his hand gently on the side of her face, examining her skin for any marks from Tamina's boot, shaking his head softly. "Poor sweetheart," he mumbles, leaning in to kiss his way from her forehead to her mouth, lingering over her lips before he claims them in a deep, intense kiss that leaves them both clinging to the other just to remain on their feet, AJ gasping as he abruptly lifts her up and braces her against the wall, her legs wrapping around his waist as he licks, kisses and nibbles his way down her throat, resting his nose against her collarbone, breathing lightly against her flushed skin. She looks down at him, growing worried the longer he doesn't move, when he speaks again, the soft rumble of his voice rocking through her and leaving her even more dazed. "Are you happy, AJ?"
It takes a moment for the words to register with her and her heart aches for him, finally realizing why he's acting this way. He had thrown the fake ring off of his finger as soon as they were back here, in their hotel room, acting as though it'd burnt his skin, and she has to wonder just what it's taking out of him to continue this lie as well, when both of them should be able to scream to the world that they're in love and they're getting married and no vicious rumor could take that away from them. Trusting in him to keep her stable, she removes her hands from his shoulder and cups his jaw, making him look up at her. As soon as his blue eyes are all that she can see, she smiles brightly. "Yes, Mike. I am so happy... and I'll be even happier once I'm AJ Mizanin."
This seems to work, some of the angst easing out of his gaze as he cups her hand and presses it to the wall, following it with her other hand as he presses against her, kissing her flesh tenderly. She sighs, closing her eyes and absorbing his thorough ministrations, until he leans up and seizes her lips once more, the girl never feeling this safe, or this close, to someone before in her entire life. As though, should Mike let her go, she'd never be able to recover fully again. When their eyes lock, there's a similar look of vulnerability in his dark blue eyes, and she swallows harshly, wanting to reassure him, but unsure how to when she's on the very same precipice as well. "AJ," he breathes out, tangling his fingers in her hair as she digs her knees into his sides, relieved when he finally moves, sandwiching her against the wall so that all she can feel is his warmth blanketing her, hear his heart beating, smell his aftershave.
This more than anything proves to her just how hard the last month had been for him as well, the lingering pain etched across his face rivaling her own as she cups his jaw and kisses him, allowing herself to trust in him completely for perhaps the first time since they'd gotten together, accepting fully that he won't hurt her or abandon her as so many had over the years. "Mike," she mutters, staring him in the eye with a clear gaze, smiling lovingly as he looks up at her, his own doubts finally easing away, lulled by the deep affection in her expression. "I'm yours, forever and ever."
He grins and nods, eyes shining with love for the girl still wrapped up in his arms. "And you're stuck with me, for as long as I'm breathing," he whispers against her lips, his hands trailing teasingly against her sides. "Speaking of that, I know exactly when I want to prove to all of our closest friends and family how I feel about you..."
She hums as his fingers press against her hips, pressing openmouthed kisses down her neck to her shoulder. "When?" she breathes, voice sounding funny to her own ears as he moves lower, breathing the answer against her skin. She swallows thickly and drops her head back against the wall, taking in his words, the feel of his warmth spreading throughout her body, how carefully he's bracing her so she doesn't fall. "That's perfect," she finally finds the strength to whisper, her body trembling against him.
The next day, Mike stands in the hallway, looking unimpressed as he searches for his name on the match board for Raw and comes up short. "Hmph," he mumbles, rolling his eyes at it before turning to find AJ, who also hadn't been listed on the board. They have to be more discreet now, as the lie they're telling still has some life to it, so he has to sneak around whenever he wants to go see her in her locker room. Their main good luck lies in the fact that the Total Divas have their own locker room, and are generally distracted with filming the show and whatever else it is that they do beyond that.
"Hey," he greets her with a soft kiss once he's safely in her locker room, stroking her hair as she rests her head on his shoulder, smiling faintly. "Saw you don't have a match tonight..."
"And I saw you don't either," she says, pouting faintly as she trails circles against his chest. "But I guess that's ok, gives us time to complete the next step of our wedding plans, huh?" He nods, kissing the top of her head. "I'm amazed you haven't asked who I've selected yet..."
Mike hums against her and shrugs. "Well, Tamina was an easy guess for Maid of Honor..."
"And Morrison was blatantly obvious as Best Man."
"But I know whoever you choose to be your bridesmaids will be perfect." He smiles as she looks up at him, grinning. "Though if you can't guess my groomsmen by now..."
She chuckles and trails soft kisses against the side of his mouth, pretending to be deep in thought before whispering her guesses into his ear. He nods and slowly dips her down to rest against the couch, kissing her as a reward as she giggles and trails her fingers through his hair, not letting him move away too soon.
A little later, Mike peeks out of her locker room and glances left to right before leaving quickly to conclude the next stage of their plans. He doubts his half of it will take long, and hopes that whoever she's decided to ask will accept easily. The last thing he wants for her is to suffer yet another blow on their road to being married. Especially after everything else she'd endured recently. Shaking his head to rid himself of these doubts, however, he continues wandering the hall until he spots exactly who he's looking for, conveniently enough huddled together, talking lowly at the end of the hallway. He successfully startles both Ricardo and Alex by sneaking up behind them and throwing his arms around their shoulders, pulling them in close. "Well, hello, boys. What's going on?"
The roommates exchange glances before looking at him. "Just discussing a couple of our obnoxious neighbors," Ricardo says with a grimace. "What's going on with you, Mike? You look happy."
"Well, yeah, Ricardo, I am." He smirks, whispering, "Getting married tends to do that to a guy. And while we're on that subject, I wanted to know. Do you two want to be groomsmen?"
Ricardo's eyes light up. "Si!" he exclaims, grinning at Mike, at the exact same time that Alex shrugs, muttering, "I just assumed we were defacto..." When Mike glares over at him, he laughs and pinches his former NXT pro's side. "So John is best man, huh?"
"Yeah. And Tamina is the Maid of Honor." He ignores Alex cringing at this and leans against his two friends, smiling. "It's all coming together pretty well. I mean, we're still waiting on the permit, and have to find the officiant, but I'd say... yeah, it's going to be amazing."
"Do you have an exact date for it yet?" Ricardo asks after a moment.
Mike glances at him, looking a bit uncertain suddenly. "Well, about that..."
"Wait, wait, what?" Alicia Fox asks, eyes wide. "You want... really?"
AJ isn't that surprised by her response; their friendship, as most of hers with other divas, had been rocky at best, but Alicia had had a factor in Mike figuring out it was Cameron, and from there, regaining their relationship. "Yes," she says quietly. "I want you to be my bridesmaid." Turning her attention to the phone held in her hand, speakerphone turned on, she smiles a bit wider. "You too, Layla. If you want."
The diva who had been given time off by management the past few months to deal with something personal that she's being mum about even now lets out a squeal. "I would love to, AJ! Oh my God, we have to pick out the cutest dress for you, and do your hair and-"
AJ chuckles weakly. "I think I already know what dress I'm going to be wearing, Layla. I'll send you the picture."
"You better! Bridesmaid perogative!"
Alicia giggles as AJ presses a hand to her forehead, already secondguessing her decision. "Thanks for choosing me, AJ. Whatever you want me to do in the next few weeks, just let me know."
"I will," AJ agrees, smiling back at her. "The date of the wedding is March 19th-"
"Wait, hold on?" Layla interjects this time, a bit of steel leeching into her voice. "Isn't that your birthday?" She sounds foreboding about it but Alicia takes one look at AJ's face and knows that she loves every bit of that fact. "AJ, did Mike force you into-?"
"No," she breathes into the phone, eyes shining. "It's the perfect date."
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"I wanted to propose to her on her birthday," Mike explains to his confused friends.
"But so much had happened, he didn't want to risk something else going wrong by waiting."
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"So I ended up proposing on Valentine's Day."
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"And as incredible as that was, that left his plans for my birthday ruined..."
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"So I realized there's only one gesture bigger than a proposal- and that's to actually marry her."
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"And I loved the thought of it. So here we are. March 19th, we'll be getting married with all of you surrounding us, supporting us. I can't wait," AJ beams with tears in her eyes as Alicia reaches over to hug her, Layla obviously melting at the story now that she knows all of it.
"I can't wait either, AJ," she whispers after a moment. "I wish you every happiness."
"Thank you." She laughs and hugs Alicia tighter and thinks about how, from now on, her birthday will actually be something to look forward to with the man of her dreams by her side.