Callie

“Mom." I whispered. She spoke a mile a minute since she picked up and she wouldn't hear me if I spoke at full volume anyway.

"I had a paparazzi call me in my hotel room." Mom continued. "It was kind of exciting, but then I couldn't tell them anything even if I wanted to. I didn't know anything. You didn't even tell me you were engaged."

"Mom." I yelled this time. She had broken through my med buzz and I wasn't in the mood. "We just got engaged a few days ago and I wanted to get used to it before we told everyone."

"And now the world knows."

"I know." I held my hand in my head. I sat up when Noah walked into the room.

“You okay.” He mouthed.

I pointed at the phone and rolled my eyes.

"Mom."

My mother continued talking. I put the phone on speaker and threw it in the middle of the bed.

"What's the hurry anyway?" My mother asked. "Oh god. You don't have to get married do you?"

Noah covered his mouth to keep from laughing.

"Mother." I crawled over the bed on my knees towards Noah. "I'm not pregnant. It's just a perfect place." I hugged Noah to me. He buried his head in my neck. "The weather's perfect."

Noah hugged me tight. When he held me all the happy endorphins masked the pain.

"Okay." She sighed. "We'll be there on Thursday to help out."

"Okay."

"We have to go." Noah lifted me off the bed.

"Mom, no talking to the paparazzi."

"If they ask me a question, I don't want to be rude."

"Politely say no comment with all the southern charm you can muster." I picked up the phone. "I have to get dressed. The doctor wants to check me out again. Just a precaution."

"Make sure you invite him to the wedding." Mom said. "After all, he did save your life."

"I hit my head on a rock." I shook my head. "I wasn't going to die. Bye mom."

I hung up the phone before she could say anymore.

"This is why we're getting married so quick. I'm not putting up with that for any longer than I have ..." I stopped and stared at Noah in the reflection in the mirror. He had his arms crossed leaning against the doorframe. His face sullen and sad. He looked down.

"Noah."

He didn't look up.

"I thought you were gone." Noah said.

"Baby." I placed my hands on his arms.

He blinked away tears.

"I've never been so scared in my life." He tilted his head. "I just keep thinking if I lost you before I could tell you, show you..."

"Hey," I unfolded his arms and wrapped them around my waist. "You didn't lose me. I'm not going anywhere."

"Callie." He turned away and went over towards the bed and plopped down. He sat with his head in his hands. "We have to talk about it sometime. Before we do this."

I held on to the door, ran my hand down the smooth painted wood.

"I want to be with you, but I can't live up to what every fantasy you have in your brain about what our life is supposed to be like."

I narrowed my eyes.

"Our life ... it's going to be amazing, but it's not always celebrity weddings and dream vacations and traveling the world all the time."

He stood up and came toward me. He grabbed my face. "Most of the time, it's like we are at home. You know, real life. I don't want to wake up in a few years and hear that I've bored you to tears."

"Noah," I grabbed his hands and held them in mine. "I don't have some fantasy built up about us or any delusions about our life together. If anything, I was afraid you were getting bored with me."

"Why would you think that?"

"I can't drop everything and go jet setting with you and your famous friends." I turned toward the bathroom. "I'm not going to be this glamozon who looks perfect all the time and acts perfect all the time."

"I never said I wanted that."

"You never said you didn't either." I caught his reflection in the mirror. "The truth is I've never been in love before. I don't know what the expectations are."

"Well, that's good." He walked up and stood nest to me. We both stared in the mirror at each other. "I've never been in love either. I've no clue what it's supposed to be like."

"How are supposed to do this if neither of us have a clue?" I shrugged my shoulders.

"You're a writer, can't you write it up and let me know."

"What I wrote in the past has us in this weird head space. I don't think that's a good idea."

"Maybe we need to write something together." Noah held out his hand. I took it and laced my fingers between his.

"Where do we start?" I asked.

"We need a good hook." Noah rubbed his chin.

I brought his hands up to my lips and kissed it. "How do two people who have no clue about love ..."

"Turn it into forever love." Noah added. “That's hot Caliente."

"Yeah it is."

Noah pulled me into his arms and held my face. He stared into my eyes for a minute, taking me in. Confirming what I knew deep down. He loved me and wanted me to feel his love.

He placed a soft kiss on my lips.

My toes tingled. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my body into his. He deepened the kiss. His urgency matched his eagerness to show me how he felt. In a way he couldn't say with words.

I felt lighter. More free, knowing all of my insecurities and doubts he had them too. One thing we knew was that we wanted to be together. We had the rest of our lives to work the rest out.

Noah hugged me to him and kissed down my cheek.

"We have to go."

I groaned. Forgetting about the doctor's appointment.

"Come on." Noah let me go. "I need the doctor to clear you so we can get married on Friday."

"Is this what it's like being in the concussion protocol? No one thinks you're sane until the doctor tells you you're okay."

"Pretty much." Noah pushed me. "Beside. We have another stop to make after your appointment."

"Oh yeah." I turned toward him. "Where?"

"Marriage license office closes at five."

"Oh, yeah." My eyes grew wide. "We're really doing this?"

"If we're going to do it, we might as well make it legal. Unless ..."

"No. I'm not backing down." I touched his arm. "Real grown up stuff, though. Right?"

"Oh yeah."