all the wrong reasons Episode 38

?ALL THE WRONG REASONS?
?EPISODE THIRTY-EIGHT?

Adrienne didn’t want to feel emotional, but feeling
Justin’s ti-ght embr@ce on her, and seeing the tears in his
eyes also made her want to cry.
At first, she thought it could be something that she ate. It
could be fatigue catching up with her. It could even be Abi.
But looking at Justin’s teary eyes and hearing him say that
his insurance just came throu-gh… Adrienne remembered
that amidst all the chaos that happened to her in the last
few weeks, she forgot that she didn’t have her period at all.
And that night when Justin first told her that he loved her…
he made love to her without protection…without
reservation. And the following nights after that, they were
both caught up in his problem with his parents, and the
thought that their days together were numbered, they just
didn’t bother much on using protection.
Adrienne pulled away from him. “Justin…” she
whispered. “Did you…plan this?” An accusation hung in her
voice.
For the first time, she saw Justin actually unsure of
himself. Like he suddenly got scared of her.
“Not really plan…like ‘hatching-an-evil-plan’ kind of
plan,” he said, uncertainty was all over his voice.
She raised a brow at him. “So what kind of plan is this
plan?”
He took a dee-p breath. “More like… ‘counting-on-it’
kind of plan.” He tried to smile at her, as if hoping she would
find him cute, she wouldn’t actually get mad.
She gro-an ed. “Justin!” She pushed him away from her.
But he held on to her, refusing to let her go.
“Hit me. Slap me. Punch me.” he said. “Do you think I
care right now?” He still smiled this hu-ge, stupid grin.
“Nothing can wipe this smile off my face, honey. Nor take
away the joy that I feel right now!”
“Really?” she asked in a challenging tone. “What if I
say that the wedding is off?”
His face immediately turned sober. “Except for that.”
He shook his head. “Don’t say that. Please…don’t say that.”
She pushed him away and walked into the be-droom.
He was on her heels right away.
“Adrienne…honey…”
She sat on the be-d, refusing to look at him. She didn’t
know whether to be mad or happy. Sure, she would really
feel ecstatic if it were true.
She’s twenty-five years old. She may be too young to
be a mother. She may be too young to be a wife. But she
never grew up with a mother who nurtured her or gave her
love. The only way she could truly replace those memories…
is if she created new ones… good ones. If she nurtured her
own child and gave it the love she never had.
She wasn’t sure whether she was really pregnant. She
might not be.
The thought that she might not be… actually made
her sad. That’s when she realized that she wanted to be.
Then she looked at Justin, who was kneeling in front of
her, looking at her pleadingly. Suddenly, she had this
sudden de-sire to slap him on the face… just for the thought
that he could have planned this all along without telling her.
She gro-an ed. That’s like three different emotions in a
space of one minute.
I am so pregnant!
And she realized, she was happy.
“Insurance?” she asked him. “This baby is just an
insurance to you?”
He gro-an ed. “No! No! No!”
“But you said it is!”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” he said. “At the time…I was
so desperate to stay with you. I sought all sorts of reasons
to marry you. Reasons that not only you would accept…but
also my parents. I wanted this, Adrienne. I wanted this more
than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life. I wanted a family
with you. And back then, when I thought my parents might
take this dream away from me, I just…wanted to…fast
forward time…I would give anything and everything just to
be…where we are now. Pregnant and getting married.” His
eyes were pleading now.
“What about me?” She asked him. “What if I wasn’t
re-ady?”
He looked down and ki-ssed both of her hands. When
he looked up at her, his eyes were full of emotions. “I fell in
love with you because you have a big heart, Adrienne. You
give yourself completely to the ones that you love, and I am
so lucky you fell in love with me. When you first told me you
love me…I knew that if heaven wills that we get pregnant…
you will give your heart and soul into starting a family with
me.
“The last nights we were together, we both weren’t
trying to be safe. We knew you could get pregnant. I knew
that you wanted this as much as I did. I knew that you
would be re-ady. And even if you weren’t… I was. I was
always re-ady. And I will take care of you.” He reached
forward and to-uched her abdomen gently. “Both of you.
Just…leave it all to me.”
Adrienne couldn’t help the tears that ran down her
cheeks. She stared at Justin’s teary eyes and smiled. “I love
you, too,” she said. “I wanna kill you for planning this
without me. But I still love you!”
Justin laughed. He sat on the be-d and pulled her so
she could sit on his lap. “Okay…then you can punish me for
the rest of our lives,” he said. “The wedding is still on, right?
What you said back there…you were only kidding, right?”
“I meant it,” she replied, a mischievous smile pasted
on her face. His eyes wi-dened. “But now…it’s on again.”
Then she shrugged. “Too bad. We had this rule of no
slee-ping with each other because we were actually getting
married. If we weren’t, then…we could…make love, right?
But now…the wedding is on again. So the no-s-x-before-
marriage rule is also back on. I’m sorry you missed your
five-minute window.” She batted her eyelashes, curved her
l-ips downward and tried to look sorry for him.
Justin looked shocked, as if he didn’t know what hit
him. Then he gro-an ed. “You are so unfair! Come on! Let’s
call it off again. Sixty minutes and then I’ll propose to you
again!”
Adrienne laughed. “Sorry, chief. That ship has sailed.
It’s bad luck to break the engagement twice.”
“Third time’s a charm, remember?” he argued.
She shook her head. “It’s now or never. And besides…
I’m the one who could be carrying your baby in my tummy.
So, I’ll be making the rules.”
Justin narrowed his eyes at her. “I’ve been letting you
make the rules since the first night we met, honey,” he
whispered, wrapping his arms around her wa-ist.
Adrienne blinked back at him. “That’s not true!”
“Is too,” he said, hu-gging her to him again. “And it’s
okay. I like it. For once…there’s one person in this world who
has complete power over me.”
Adrienne laughed. “Now there could be…two.”
Justin sighed, contentment and happiness were
evident in his voice. “Yes. Now there are two of you.”
“Justin…” Adrienne whispered. “We aren’t sure yet.
Let’s check tomorrow, okay?”
“I would do it now if it wasn’t too late,” Justin stated.
Justin insisted on slee-ping in Adrienne’s room that
night. “I don’t care about the rules, honey. I will not attempt
to make love to you until the wedding night. But I will stay
here with you. If only to make sure your nee-ds are taken care of. And that you’ll be safe. And tomorrow, first thing in
the morning, I’ll get some of those kits we could use to
test.”
The next day, when Adrienne woke up, Justin was no
longer in be-d with her. Sunlight came into the room from the
windows. Adrienne didn’t feel like getting up yet. Like her
b©dy wanted to remain in be-d some more. But she knew Abi
would be breathing down her ne-ck if she didn’t head
downstairs in an hour so she willed herself to get up.
The door opened and Justin came inside the room.
“Good morning,” he said, leaning down and giving her
a peck on the l-ips. “sle-pt well?”
She nodded. “Where were you?”
He waved a bag in front of her. “I got you some things.
You want to confirm what we alre-ady know?”
Adrienne smiled excitedly at him. She gra-bbe-d the
bag from him and went into the bathroom. Justin gave her a
few minutes of privacy before he went inside the bathroom.
He sat on the edge of the tub and she sat on his leg while
they waited for three minutes to go to the sink to check the
results.
“You know there’s a hu-ge chance that we are, right?”
Justin asked her.
“I know,” she replied. “Do we tell the guys?”
“I wanna tell everyb©dy!” Justin said, his eyes
dancing.
Adrienne remembered her family. She would have
loved to share this information with her mother first.
“Justin…our parents…”
“Would be ecstatic about the news.”
“I know. I just wish…” she trailed off. “They would be
mad at us if they find out we did all this without them.”
“I know. My father’s been calling me non-stop. He’s
se-nt me about a thousand ‘Where are yous?’ but so far no,
‘I’m sorry I tried to control your life.’”
“Is that what you wanted to hear from them?”
“I wanted them to say that they will accept you and
love you as a daughter-in-law…before they found out who
you really are. And before they find out you are carrying the
fourth-generation heir of Adams Industries. I want them to
accept you… simply because I chose you. Because I love
you.”
Adrienne nodded. “If I am pregnant… I want my family
to be the first to know.”
Justin nodded. “Okay,” he replied. “Let’s not tell
anyb©dy yet until we tell our parents. It’s bad enough
they’re not going to be at the wedding.”
Adrienne’s phone beeped, signaling that the three
minutes of waiting had p@$$ed.
They were about to stand up and look but Adrienne
stopped Justin. “Wait.” She looked at him nervously. “What
if…I’m not?”
Justin grinned at her impishly. “Then you probably will
be…by the end of next month.”
“You’re keen on starting a family quite early, aren’t
you?”
“Keen on starting a big family,” he admitted. “I was an
only child. It got a bit lonely sometimes.”
Adrienne smiled. “My God, I’m going to grow big.”
Justin chuckled. “And you’ll always be a fox to me,
honey.” He ki-ssed the tip of her nose. “Shall we?”
Adrienne stood up. Justin stood behind her and
wrapped his arms around her wa-ist. He gently pushed her
towards the sink and they stared at the three different
tests… all saying the same thing.
They stood still for a moment. Then Adrienne felt
Justin gently turn her around so she could face him. He let
out what sounded like a howl of triumph before he lifted her
off her feet and spun her around.
“Justin, put me down!” Adrienne said, giggling. Tears
ran down her cheeks.
When Justin settled her down on her feet, she reached
up and hu-gged him.
“Happy now?” she asked him.
He leaned down and when his l-ips were an inch away
from hers, he said, “Bliss.”

***

Adrienne sat inside the limousine nervously. It was four in
the afternoon. She had spent probably the whole day with
Jill and Yuan, getting all dolled up.
Her gown appeared impeccable. She found it
absolutely stunning. A stylist tied her hair at the top of her
head in a bun. Tendrils were cascading all the way to her
shoulders with little white flowers cl-ipped into her hair,
making her look like a garden deity. Her makeup was light
but it seemed to make her glow. Well…she knew what else
caused at least some of that glow, too.
Photographers and videographers surrounded her,
doc-umenting her every movement.
The road they were travelling were surrounded with
tall trees, as if they were going further into the woods.
Justin, Mason and Abi were alre-ady at the venue a few hours
earlier. Adrienne learned it was about an hour’s drive from
their hotel.
“We’re in the middle of nowhere,” Yuan remarked.
“Didn’t know Justin could be creepy.”
Adrienne raised a brow at him. She knew she may
come off as moody to her friends lately, but she hadn’t told
them she was pregnant and that her patience over the
following months would grow really short.
Finally, they stopped in front of a wall covered with
green gr@$$. Adrienne was now more curious about what lay
behind the very high wall that no thief would actually
attempt to climb.
Finally, the vine-covered steel gate opened slowly and
their limousine went in. Tall pots with white and pink roses
formed dual lines from the gate up to the entrance of the
most magnificent façade that Adrienne had ever seen in her
life.
“Holy crap!” Yuan shouted. “You’re getting married in
a freaking… castle?”
Adrienne almost forgot to breathe. The structure they
approached looked like a well-resto-red historic medieval
Tuscan castle. Now, she was glad she let Abi change her
mind about her dress. Her original choice would not fit this
venue at all. She suddenly felt like Cinderella, about to meet
her Prince at the altar.
Their limousine stopped at the separate entrance near
the side of the castle. Jill and Yuan came out and Abi
instantly greeted them, giving out instructions, not even
letting the two breathe and enjoy the scenery before them.
It took only about five minutes and booms and camera
equipment were set up on standby in front of them, waiting
for Abi to signal Adrienne to come out of the vehicle.
Adrienne clutched her bouquet with one hand, and
she ca-ressed her tummy with her other hand. Since
yesterday, when she confirmed her pregnancy, she started
developing this habit of to-uching her tummy gently, as if
imagining holding her baby in her arms.
Soon, Abi approached her limousine and she knew it
was time for her to come out.
“This is it, Baby J,” she whispered. “Mommy’s going to
make Daddy a very happy man.”
Abi slowly opened the door of the car and Adrienne
felt the camera flashes around her. She took a dee-p breath.
This is it! I’m going to be Adrienne Adams in an hour!
With that thought in mind, a permanent smile slowly
carved itself on her face.
Yuan took her hand and Jill quickly picked up her train
as she walked into the private garden entrance at the side of the castle. The path seemed to be covered with pink and
white roses. It led them to a steel gate where Adrienne
could hear music pla-ying. Her heart pounded inside her
ribcage wildly.
On Abi’s cue, Jill stepped in front of Adrienne.
Adrienne thought she looked beautiful.
“Well, it’s an honor to give you away to your Prince
Charming, sweetheart,” Yuan said to her.
Adrienne blinked back the tears that were starting to
form in her eyes.
“I love you guys,” she whispered.
“We both love you, too.” Yuan responded.
The gate in front of them opened, revea-ling the
picturesque garden where their ceremony was going to be
held. There was a veiling curtain in front of them. It was
probably placed there to obscure the view of the bride.
Adrienne could still clearly see what came in front of her.
Pillars and walls covered with green vines enclosed
the garden. Paths formed by small white stones were
accented with well-trimmed bushes that formed shapes of
hearts and squares along its four walls. Gr@$$ covered the
center space and white linen-covered chairs dotted the area
on both sides.
The center aisle featured a white carpet with the
initials J&A inscribe-d in a golden, medieval script. The carpet
ended in the canopy situated at the end of the garden. Its
four pillars were wrapped in white and pink roses. Inside the
canopy sat a makeshift altar and two gold-accented chairs
before it. On both sides of the canopy an orche-stra sat and
pla-yed Pachelbel’s Canon.
At the entrance of the canopy, Adrienne saw him. He
stood there dressed in a magnificent white tux. His hair
looked like it was gelled at first but then he didn’t like the
hairstyle so he decided to comb it with his fin-gers instead.
And on him, it looked s-xy. Behind him stood Mason, whose
every hair appeared to be in place, shining from a w£t gel.
Adrienne had to suppress her laughter. She thought she
knew exactly what happened there. Abi must have been
giving instructions even on hairstyles.
Finally, the curtain p@rtially opened and Abi cued Jill to
walk to the front. Jill took her time in the sp-otlight. She was,
after all, the Maid of Honor, and no bridesmaid.
Finally, Abi signaled that it was Adrienne’s turn to
come out.
The music suddenly changed to the familiar tune of
“Here Comes the Bride.” Then the veil curtain in front of
them completely opened, finally revea-ling Adrienne to her
groom.
Adrienne held on to Yuan’s arm as they slowly walked
towards the altar. She felt giddy…everything seemed
surreal.
A couple of months ago… she was unpacking her stuff
in an ap@rtment she bought to impress her parents and
sister. And now…she was walking into a fairy-tale wedding
with her Prince Charming in a Tuscan castle. Her wildest
dreams couldn’t even reach this far!
She slowly walked towards the altar, still clutching
Yuan’s arm ti-ghtly.
She felt the weight of Justin’s gaze on her. He looked
at her intensely. When she finally stood in front of him, she
looked up and saw his eyes had become watery, just like
hers.
“You’re a fox,” he mouthed and she couldn’t help
giggling at that.
Justin finally took her hand from Yuan and then he led
her to the chairs in front of the priest.
They intertwined their fin-gers all throu-ghout the
ceremony.
Justin chose a pair of Cartier platinum wedding bands
with the signature screw motif, studded with tiny diamonds.
Their names were engraved on the outside of the band in
the center.
Her ring said “Justin’s.” His ring said “Adrienne’s.”
“Adrienne…I love you. I think from the very first
moment I la-id my eyes on you…the universe started leading
me to you…my soul mate, my kismet, my other half. I hope
you remember what I have been trying to tell you and show
you since the day I met you… from the very first days I
spent with you…you…are worth fighting for. And I will never
stop fighting for you…I will never stop protecting you…
taking care of you…most importantly… I will never stop
loving you. Forever, and always…you are the only woman
for me. Today. Tomorrow. Until eternity. In this life and all the
others after.”
Adrienne couldn’t help crying when she heard those
words from Justin. Her fin-gers shook when he put the ring on
her fin-ger.
“Justin…I didn’t know how much my life would change
the night I met you. Even now…when I look back, I still can’t
believe that all this is happening to me. That you are
happening to me. Thank you. Because you showed me a
side of myself that I never knew existed before. Because
you taught me how to appreciate myself, how to love
myself, how to fight for myself. Until I met you…I never
knew that love could be worth a million fights…and a
thousand prayers. I promise I will take care of you…and all
the children that we will bring together in this world. I will
nurture you and our family with love, affection, appreciation,
trust and respect. I will stand with you, support you and love
you…for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health…in this
life…and all the others after this.”
“I love you,” Justin mouthed at her when she finished
speaking her vows. She sl-ipped his ring on his fin-ger.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may ki-ss
the bride.”
Justin slowly lifted her veil. His eyes were teary when
he smiled down at her.
“Mrs. Adrienne Adams,” he whispered.
She giggled in spite of her tears. Her heart warmed at
the first mention of her new name.
Justin’s face descended towards hers. He ki-ssed her
gently. One ki-ss and it felt like it lasted forever. Justin pulled
away and looked into her face again.
“I love you,” he whispered. “Mrs. Adams.”
She laughed. “I love you, too, Mr. Adams.”
He leaned forward and ki-ssed her again. This time, he
ki-ssed her more p@$$ionately. He wrapped his arms around
her wai-stand pulled her to him ti-ghtly.
The people cheered around them and they reluctantly
pulled away from each other.
All of their friends hu-gged them and congratulated
them one by one. They posed for pictures with the priest
and then with all five of their guests.
A new guy there that Adrienne hadn’t seen before
approached them. He was good-looking, with dark blond
hair and startling green eyes. Adrienne remembered seeing
two guys behind Justin as he waited for her at the altar. She
just didn’t give it much thought because all her attention
was focused on Justin.
“Honey, I’d like you meet one of my closest friends,
River Jefferson,” Justin said. “We are friends since Harvard.”
River extended his hand to hers and grinned at her
wi-dely. “When Justin said he was getting married, I thought I
was getting Punk’d. Seriously, I was waiting for Ashton
Kutcher to come out anytime. But when you came out and
walked down the aisle, I realized he wasn’t joking. And why
would he? If I find a beauty like you, I’d also rush you to the
altar.” With that, he bent forward and ki-ssed Adrienne’s
hand.
River turned to Justin. “I un-derstand why you had to
wait until the last minute to introduce us, huh?” Justin
actually hit River pla-yfully in the stomach. River laughed.
“Kidding!” he added.
They were interrupted by Abi who said that it was
time for their wedding photos around the venue. It was also
time for Adrienne to take a tour of the castle.
“I can’t believe we got married in a castle,” she sighed
dreamily.
He grinned at her. “Did you like the surprise?”
She laughed. “I do! Justin…this is wonderful! I never
imagined I’d get married like a princess.”
He leaned forward and ki-ssed her l-ips. All around
them, the cameras never ceased to take footage of their
time together. They doc-umented their every move.
Adrienne looked at Abi with a raised brow.
She smiled at them re@$$uringly. “Go ahead. Pretend
they’re not even around you. You guys are in love. You don’t
have to act. Just be yourselves, talk, laugh, hu-g, ki-ss. We’ll
be catching everything on video and photos. Trust me! One
day, you will thank me for this!”
Justin grinned at Adrienne. He leaned forward and
nipped her ear-lobe. “I can’t wait for tonight,” he whispered
to her. And Adrienne couldn’t help giggling. She knew
exactly what he was talking about. “It’s been too long!”
“I know. And the waiting ends tonight,” she said.
“I’d be making royal love to you,” he tea-sed. “Might
as well make our wedding night historic, don’t you think?”
“What if I got be too tired after all the wedding
hoopla,” she tea-sed back.
He shook his head. “Nope. No excuses this time.” He
leaned forward and whispered to her ear. “I seem to
remember you were a vixen in be-d.”
Her eyes wi-dened at what he just said. She pinched
him on the side. He let out a yelp and then he laughed,
p-ulling her to him. His face descended towards hers and he
ki-ssed her thorou-ghly, Adrienne almost forgot they weren’t
alone.
When she pulled away from him, she thought for sure
that her face was crimson. She walked ahead of him, smiling wi-dely, and bi-ting her lower l-ip, trying to contain all the
giddy feelings inside her.
They toured the estate, well, at least half of it. It had a
rose garden, a mini labyrinth, an orcha-rd, another garden
featuring four hu-ge fountains and a vineyard at the back.
After an hour, Justin told Abi that Adrienne nee-ded to
rest. “I think you took more than enough pictures. My bride
is exhausted,” he said in a firm voice. Abi didn’t argue.
“Justin, I’m okay,” Adrienne @$$erted. She felt so
happy that she didn’t even feel a bit tired.
He hu-gged her to him so he could whisper in her ear.
“Baby in tummy, remember?” he said gently. Then he
added, “Besides, I would rather you save your energy today,
so you can spend it well tonight.” He grinned.
“You’re not going to stop with the teasing, are you?”
she asked shaking her head.
“It’s been too long, honey,” he said. “Can’t really
blame me, can you?”
She laughed. “Oh, my poor baby.” She faked concern
in her voice. She gently ca-ressed his hair. “I am so sorry.”
He raised a brow and stared at her evenly, “Sorry
doesn’t even count anymore. You have to pay up…big
time.”
She laughed and then ca-ressed her abdomen. “Baby
in tummy, remember?” she whispered to him.
“Don’t worry. I won’t forget. But that does not mean
you’re off the hook,” he said and she laughed again. He
pulled her to him and gave her a ki-ss on the l-ips again. “I
love you, Adrienne.”
She closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of him.
“I love you, Justin.”
Suddenly, Abi told them that their guests are re-ady for
them. They nee-ded to head to their reception.
It was a good one-hundred-meter walk to the next
garden where the reception would take place. Justin bent
down and scooped Adrienne up into his arms.
“Justin, put me down. I can walk.”
“Sure, you can,” he said. “But you will get tired. And
remember, you can’t get tired.”
She raised a brow at him. “For tonight?”
He stared at her, faking a pained expression on her
face. “For the baby, of course,” he said. “Do you really think
that making love to you is on my mind all the time?”
He sounded so hurt she started to feel guilty. But she
knew him. Justin loves to make love to her and sometimes,
it was difficult to keep their hands off each other. Adrienne
couldn’t explain it sometimes. They both have this pull, like
magnets of opposite poles, they couldn’t stay away from the
other no matter how much they tried. In be-d, they were like
fireworks exploding into a million different colors. And yet…
they trusted each other more than anyb©dy else. They
found comfort in each other’s arms. They also had this bond
of friendship that stood strong on its own… completely
separate from their de-sire for each other. More than that…
they both knew they loved each other very much, and could
not, would not live without the other.
She stared up at her husband. “Actually…yes. I think
making love to me is on your mind all the time,” she
whispered to him in a challenging tone.
Justin stared at her for a moment, his eyes dancing as
he carried her in his arms. Then he grinned. “Then you know
me too well, my wife.”
She laughed and rested her head on his shoulder as
he carried her effortlessly towards the venue of the
reception. Even with her big, heavy dress, it seemed like
Justin found her light as a feather.
“My father called me last night,” he whispered.
Adrienne looked up at him with wi-de eyes, anxiously
waiting for him to continue.
He smiled at her. “He finally apologized. He told me
that he realized that my happiness is in fact more important
to them. He promised that if we come home, they will meet you and accept you as my wife…no matter who you are. In
fact… he said that you would be no one else to them, but
my fiancée.”
Adrienne smiled at him. She was truly happy. Justin
had to go throu-ghhell just to make his parents un-derstand
that he wouldn’t bend to their will. That even if the nametag
of being Adams Industries’ heir has been bestowed upon
him, his heart is still his own and he still controlled his life.
They reached the gates of the garden. Abi signaled
them to wait outside and only enter when the gates open
for their grand entrance as Mr. and Mrs. Justin Adams.
Justin settled Adrienne down on her feet and they both
straightened up their clothes. Music pla-yed on the other
side and Adrienne could hear cheers of people. To her, it
sounded like more than five people had come to the
reception.
She stared up at Justin and he grinned at her.
“I told my parents, by the way, that they shouldn’t
accept you as my fiancée…they should actually love you as
their daughter-in-law.”
“And?” Adrienne asked anxiously.
Justin shrugged. “They said as long as I am happy…
they will be happy.” Then Justin added, “With that, I didn’t
really see the point of not inviting them to the wedding. But
with the late notice, they could only make it to the
reception.
Adrienne’s eyes wi-dened. “What?”
But before Justin could answer the door in front of
them opened, revea-ling them to everyone. Justin took her
arm and led her into the garden that held a hu-ge canopy
with three impeccably set tables which included tall
centerpieces made of roses. Around the canopy stood more
pots full of roses that made the scene look from afar like
they stood in a sea of roses. Jeweled bu-tterflies flew over
them, too, making the setup even more surreal.
The music continued pla-ying and their guests clapped.
Adrienne realized that there were more people in the
reception than in the ceremony. River sat with Mason and
Abi along with Mike and James, Justin’s friends from New
York.
Yuan and Jill sat at another table with Jada and her
date. Beside them, Adrienne saw a familiar man, who looked
at Adrienne with tears in his eyes. She g@sped as tears
rolled down her cheeks.
Justin saw her tears and instead of heading towards
their seats, he led his wife to his father-in-law.
“Sir,” he greeted Mr. Miller and extended his hand to
his.
Adrienne’s father shook his hand. Then he looked at
his daughter and smiled.
“Daddy,” Adrienne whispered. She lunged forward and
hu-gged her father ti-ghtly. She knew she hadn’t yet forgiven
him for what he did. Her mother probably still considered
suing him. But none of that mattered now to Adrienne. She
knew she wouldn’t have it any other way. She was still glad
that her father had come to be with her…on her wedding
day.
“I’m so proud of you, Yen,” he said. “I’m sorry I wasn’t
able to make it to the wedding. Justin contacted me a
couple of days ago and se-nt me tickets so I could come
today. The flight, unfortunately, got delayed. Otherwise, I
would have walked you down the aisle myself.”
Adrienne nodded and wiped the tears in her eyes
careful not smear her makeup. “It’s okay, Daddy,” she said.
“I’m still glad you got here.”
Her father turned to Justin. “Take care of her, okay?”
Justin extended his hand to the older man again. “Yes,
sir,” he said in a serious voice.
Then Justin took her arm again. Adrienne thought he
would lead her towards their table in the front center. But he
led her to the table beside it where Justin’s parents sat.
“Mom, Dad, may I prese-nt, Adrienne Adams, my wife,”
he said.
Adrienne stared at them nervously. Christine Adams
had tears in her eyes when she lunged forward and hu-gged
Adrienne. Then she looked into her eyes and smiled at her.
“I’m sorry it took us a long time to meet you, dear. But
thank you for loving my son, and making him happy.”
Adrienne couldn’t find her voice. She just nodded and
smiled at Justin’s Mom. Justin’s Dad shook her hand, gave
her a nod of approval and said, “Welcome to the family,
child.”
“Thank you,” Adrienne said.
As if Justin found contentment that his parents had
become genuinely happy for him, he said, “Mom…Dad…” he
started. “Do you know Adrienne’s maiden name?”
Her parents looked at him blankly.
Justin grinned. “When I met her, she was called
Adrienne Miller,” he said. “But the name on her birth
certificate is actually ‘Andrea… Andrea Blanc.’”
His parents stared at him for a moment, wi-de-eyed
with disbelief. Then they blinked back and looked at
Adrienne and then back at Justin again.
“But that’s…” his mother started saying.
They were interrupted by a couple who just arrived,
heading straight towards Justin’s parents, shaking their
hands, and ki-ssing their cheeks.
“Congratulations. We’re sorry we’re late. There were
some delays in our flights,” Adrienne’s mother said to
Christine. Then she turned to Justin and shook his hand.
Her eyes caught Adrienne’s and she stopped short on
her tracks, her mouth dropping open.
“Adrienne?” she asked.
Adrienne didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as she
looked at her mother.
“Hi, Mom…” Adrienne whispered.
Her mother opened her mouth to ask her something
but at that moment, Abi announced on the microphone,
“Ladies and gentlemen. Let’s give a round of applause to
the new Mr. and Mrs. Adams as they dance for the first time
as husband and wife!”
Trust Abi to either have the best or the worst timing
on Earth.
Justin turned to their parents, who still looked like they
didn’t know what hit them. “We’ll explain later. Just have a
seat… and have fun knowing that we’re all one happy family
now…just like the way you planned it,” he said. “Meanwhile,
I nee-d to dance with my lovely wife.” Then he took
Adrienne’s arm and led her to the dance floor, leaving their
parents at their table, still staring at them in shock, with
their mouths hanging wi-de open.

Tbc