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Post by Madison Benson on Dec 22, 2015 23:47:09 GMT
Madison knew that it was silly. She had spent almost the entire last year planning for this one day and trying to make sure that every little detail was perfect. Working diligently off of the multiple lists she had created, she had been able to arrange the venue, catering, and floral arrangements relatively easily, and with the advice of some very fashion-forward friends, she had pulled together bridesmaid dresses that looked much more Fashion Week than they did "bridesmaid at a crappy wedding". Crossing her dress off her list had been her favorite, not only because it lifted a huge weight off of her shoulders, but also because she had never worn an article of clothing that made her feel so elegant, so sophisticated, and so sexy all at once. When she had picked it out in the bridal salon she had beamed ear-to-ear, nearly refusing to take it off on the sheer president that she loved the way that she felt in it. After that, it had been easy to find the perfect flower girl dress for Melanie, and with the five-year-old's blessing, Maddy had felt like her perfect wedding had finally come together. The best part, she knew, was the man that she was going to be walking down the aisle to. With all of the stories that she had read and all of the fairy tale romances that she grew up on, she knew that she had high expectations for him, and since they had begun dating, Cooper not only met those expectations, he had been prone to exceed them far beyond her wildest dreams. It was the thought of him that kept her grin firmly planted on her face all throughout the wedding planning process, even when the caterer had called with a shortage of the fish that they had selected and the florist called to inform her that they hadn't been able to procure her favorite flower. The truth was, as long as she got to marry Cooper at the end of it all, she was prepared for the worst that they could throw at her. Thankfully, when it came down to it, she hadn't been aware of her surroundings as she sipped a mimosa while getting dressed, played with Melanie before hair and makeup, and practiced her vows one last time before finally walking down the aisle. Now, at their reception, she couldn't even remember the entire ceremony. And quite frankly, she didn't think that it mattered. Holding on to Cooper's hand as they made their way through the large crowd of attendees, she was pleased when they finally had a moment to stop and catch their breath. "Hi," she said to him with a wide smile. "Are you having fun?" |
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Post by Cooper Benson on Dec 23, 2015 0:45:56 GMT
Cooper knew that things were different with Madison than they had been before the brunette came into his life. While it hadn't been his first time down the aisle, he knew that when he'd gotten married six years ago, it had been under very different circumstances. He'd been young and naive and he hadn't had any idea what he was getting into or even taken the time to figure out if his ex's priorities lined up with his own. He'd quickly found that they hadn't. While his relationship with Maddy had also been a whirlwind, it had felt much different. The way they'd dated, talked, and related had been so much different for him this time around and, especially after seeing the way Melanie had taken to Maddy, he knew that he saw himself spending his life with her. He'd examined the possibilities from all angles and the truth was, he only wanted a future that also involved her.
Now that they'd taken their walk down the aisle, he was happy to have her on his arm as his wife. He hadn't gotten too involved in the plans, allowing Madison to plan the day as she wanted it. He wanted nothing more than to give her the perfect wedding. And she certainly had planned the perfect one.
He smiled down at her. While he was grateful for their friends and family, he was glad to have a moment with his new wife. "I'm having a great time. You certainly know how to throw a party, Mrs. Benson."
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Post by Madison Benson on Dec 23, 2015 1:02:09 GMT
Maddy laughed at his compliment, feeling as though it was still incredibly strange to hear herself referred to as his wife, or as Mrs. Benson. While the logical side of her mind reminded her that nothing was official until she filled out the paperwork to change her social security card and her driver's license, she had really enjoyed signing her new married name on the marriage license. "Don't get too used to it," she warned. "I'm absolutely exhausted. It's a lot of work planning a party like this," she teased, leaning up on her toes to press a quick kiss to his lips.
Looking out at the party that she had planned, she grinned brightly at her best friend and her husband, Riley looking absolutely gorgeous in the black lace gown that she had selected for her wedding party. Not far from them she noted her other bridesmaid and her boyfriend, Amber looking unfairly beautiful - especially when one considered that she had just had a baby in July.
Turning back to her new husband, she beamed at him, "Melanie seems to be enjoying herself too. She looks like a little princess," she complimented. "It's absolutely adorable."
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Post by Cooper Benson on Dec 23, 2015 1:16:30 GMT
Cooper laughed a bit, glancing around the party. "Well, I won't expect something like this every weekend then," he joked. "You look beautiful, by the way." He turned his attention to their bridal party, glad that they hadn't imploded. "I'm glad everyone behaved, I suppose they've all grown up more than I gave them credit for." He had run into a bit of an issue with his younger cousin, Erin - who had once been one of his closest friends. But she'd already made herself comfortable at a table and was effectively avoiding the likes of Amber, Brandon, and Adam. Turning back to their friends, he grinned when he spotted Melanie, talking animatedly to Riley and Amber, gesturing wildly with her hands and then twirling around in her dress.
"She was really excited to be a flower girl," he told her. "And for the wedding in general." Cooper nodded, placing his hand on the small of her back and led her over in that direction. He grinned when Riley looked up, immediately breaking into a broad smile of her own.
Riley bounced over to Madison, quite literally. "You're married!" she exclaimed, before pulling her best friend into a tight hug.
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Post by Madison Benson on Dec 23, 2015 1:29:04 GMT
Unable to stop grinning brightly at him, at their friends, at the entire wedding, Maddy nodded her agreement that their friends had all behaved better than expected. She had never really anticipated that Amber and Riley would have gotten into it, but the same couldn't be said for Adam and Brandon. She wasn't sure exactly what was behind that tension, but she did feel as though it had been slowly fading away over the last year or so. She was glad - in her perfect world, she loved the idea of all of them being able to spend time together whether it was at events, dinners, or eventual play dates if they all ended up having children.
Smiling down at Melanie and waving at her, Maddy quickly felt her best friend embracing her in a tight hug. "I am," she laughed. "And you look absolutely beautiful - I don't know if I've told you that enough today. Thank you for being such an amazing matron of honor today, I don't know that I would have kept my sanity without you."
Adam smiled at his wife as she embraced her friend, shaking his head softly at the nature of women and their relationships. Despite having seen Cooper not long enough, he still felt like he owed him a proper greeting for someone who had just gotten married. "Congratulations again," he said. "We're really happy for you both."
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Post by Cooper Benson on Dec 23, 2015 1:52:41 GMT
Cooper grinned at Adam, "Thanks, man," he nodded. "And thank you for being a part of it." He had known Adam when they were both younger, but it had taken coming back to New York and getting to know him better through Riley and Maddy's friendship to really allow him the chance to get to know the other man better. Perhaps even stranger was the fact that he'd become so close with Brandon Finn. Over a decade ago, he hadn't been too keen on Brandon or Amber. But now he considered them two of his closest friends and he was glad Maddy and Amber seemed to get on pretty well too. It seemed that their little makeshift family worked better than he thought it would.
Riley grinned at Maddy. "I'm glad I could help," she nodded, though when it came to certain things - she'd deferred particular duties to Amber Jacobs. While she hadn't always been the warmest on her friend Brandon's girlfriend, the two of them had put aside whatever odd differences they had to help make Maddy's wedding planning experience go as smoothly as possible. She reached for Adam's hand, smiling at him and then taking a sip of her water. Her doctors had told her that avoiding alcohol might slightly improve their chances of getting pregnant now that they were trying IVF, and while they were keeping that to themselves, she wanted to do everything they could to put the odds statistically in their favor.
Amber smiled down at Melanie who was twirling around in her dress and talking to her and Brandon about being a flower girl, as though the two of them hadn't witnessed it themselves. Melanie had already asked where Brody was and Amber had to admit she missed their son more than she cared to admit. But she was determined to enjoy a night out with her boyfriend - and they had the sitter for the entire night. She grinned up at Cooper and Maddy as they approached, letting Riley and Maddy take the time to celebrate, even as Melanie skipped over to her dad and Madison.
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Post by Madison Benson on Dec 23, 2015 2:21:02 GMT
Adam nodded, "Thank you for letting me be part of it." After everything that Maddy had done to help himself and Riley plan their own perfect destination wedding, he had been more than happy to help Cooper out in this way. He really had come to appreciate the couple's friendship, and despite everything that had happened in the past, he felt like their little group of six had suddenly started growing up in the right way. "Do you have any plans as a married couple yet?" He supposed that his curiosity was rooted in the fact that not only was he sure that they had a honeymoon planned, as he and Riley did by touring Europe for two weeks after their own wedding, but also because he very firmly had babies planted on the brain now that he and Riley had started trying to have a baby.
Maddy grinned at her friend, "You were amazing," she repeated. Being the only friend that Maddy had that had already gone through the entire ordeal of a wedding and all that came with it, Riley's advice had truly been invaluable, despite the fact that she and Adam had only been married a few months. Looking over at her new step-daughter twirling around in her dress, Maddy couldn't help but keep the grin firmly planted on her lips.
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Post by Cooper Benson on Dec 23, 2015 2:39:45 GMT
Cooper smiled at Adam, shrugging his shoulders up. "Well, we're heading down to the Virgin Islands. Enjoy a bit of sun, sand, and peace and quiet," he said with a grin. "And then, I'm of the opinion that we could spend some time traveling over the next couple years, maybe pick out a nice place to spend summers out of the city."
Melanie ran over to Madison with a bright smile, hugging her tightly. "Maddy! Maddy! Are you going to dance with me?" the little girl asked excitedly before turning to smile at Riley and Adam. "I practiced a whole lot so that I wouldn't run out of flower petals earlier," she told them very seriously.
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Post by Madison Benson on Dec 23, 2015 15:35:36 GMT
Adam grinned, "That sounds great." The idea of spending some time traveling was truly appealing, he had to admit, though it did still seem to pale in comparison to the idea that he and Riley could become parents within the next year. Hearing Brandon and Amber gush over Brody did nothing but remind him of how much he and Riley were hoping that IVF had worked. It seemed almost silly to figuratively and literally put all of their eggs in one basket, but they had agreed very quickly that this was something that they desperately wanted. And truthfully, Adam was dreading what would happen if it didn't work. He wasn't sure that he could watch Riley become so upset again.
Beaming at her new step-daughter, Maddy nodded enthusiastically. "Of course I will! And you did wonderfully. The absolute best flower girl there ever was."
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Post by Brandon Finn on Feb 5, 2016 3:09:52 GMT
Brandon grinned at his girlfriend, reaching for her hand as he could sense that she had already begun to miss their son. He had to admit that in the short amount of time that they had included Brody into their lives, he had been accustomed to having the infant around and it was strange to be in a situation where they were surrounded by nothing but adults. It had seemed like their lives had fallen into a comfortable pattern concerning the baby though he certainly wasn't against the idea that they were able to have any sort of time together. Time, he lamented, which wasn't quite as private as he would have liked.
"Would you like to go mingle?" he offered while it seemed that Madison and Cooper were occupied with Riley and Adam Tyler for the moment. It had barely occurred to him to be worried that Cooper's cousin Erin was in attendance.
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Feb 5, 2016 3:39:33 GMT
Amber smiled at Brandon when he seemed to pull her out of her train of thought. Watching Melanie interact with Madison currently had her thinking about their son. She also, however, had been thinking about something Cooper had mentioned to her almost in passing at the end of the ceremony when she'd hugged him in congratulations just before pictures were taken of the bridal party. Still, she pushed that from her mind and instead took his hand. "Mingle?" she asked, lifting her eyebrows. "I was thinking perhaps we could find some place a bit private," she suggested with a soft chuckle. "We do have the night to ourselves - a sitter for the whole night," she reminded him with a bright smile.
Amber was about to lean up to kiss him when a throat cleared behind them and she found herself staring face to face with Erin - her former best friend and Brandon's other on-again off-again girlfriend from high school. "Erin," she greeted stiffly, forcing a smile onto her face. "Well, isn't this just a blast from the past."
"Hey, A," Erin greeted, her voice so superficially bright that it made Amber cringe. "God the last time I heard, you were marrying some guy in California old enough to be your dad. But here you are - with Brandon. Some things never change. Does you husband know?" she asked with a light chuckle. "Besides, I see your other boy toy is busy," Erin nodded, gesturing over to where Adam was standing with his arm around some redhead girl that Erin didn't recognize. "Anyway, it's so good to see you both. Brandon, I was thinking about you the other day, actually."
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Post by Brandon Finn on Feb 5, 2016 4:00:56 GMT
Brandon had grinned at her, glad that she was looking at their night away from home as the same sort of opportunity that he had been looking at it as well. He had almost started looking forward to a night alone with his girlfriend before he found them being interrupted by what he could only consider as a blast from the past. Trying to stifle whatever sort of lingering resentment he felt for the woman in front of them, he pasted a false smile on his lips. In all honesty, he wasn't sure what state he had left things in with Erin, having never given much consideration to her once they had passed their high school lives. It seemed like it was an entire lifetime away and at the moment he truly just resented her for keeping him from spending time alone with his girlfriend.
"You were?" Despite the question, he knew that he didn't care what her answer was. "I'm sure you've heard that things have changed, though," he added, "Considering the fact that Amber's here now and we actually just had a baby." He wasn't sure why he felt the need to brag about it, or assert the facts with her, but at the moment it seemed important.
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Feb 5, 2016 4:23:44 GMT
Erin's eyebrows lifted. "Oh, when Cooper told me that you two had a baby, I thought he was just joking." She took a sip of her drink and then eyed Amber. "That does totally explain why A's looking a bit curvier than she used to. I knew it was either that or plastic surgery," she laughed. She smiled at Brandon. "Still, as much as things have changed - I can tell that some things haven't," she said knowingly.
Amber fidgeted a bit uncomfortably, reaching for Brandon's hand again. "Brandon," she said gently. "Maybe we should go get some fresh drinks," she attempted. She hated the fact that she was staring down Erin of all people - the girl that had dated Brandon before she had. During high school, she'd always felt as though she came in second to Erin and knew that she was the one Brandon had come to when things with Erin went south. Even though things had worked out, Amber still hated being confronted by her past.
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Post by Brandon Finn on Feb 5, 2016 4:31:18 GMT
Given the opportunity, Brandon was sure that he would have pulled the proud new dad card and started scrolling through the photos of Brody and Amber that he had accumulated on his phone, but when Amber sought out his hand he refrained from doing so. He hadn't expected that Amber's presence would have gotten to her as much as it seemed to be doing, and he certainly hadn't expected as much awkwardness as they all seemed to be feeling. Momentarily ignoring his girlfriend, he gripped her hand and turned to Erin, "No, it's no joke. And honestly, I think that Amber looks more beautiful than ever. Though I suppose that's what happens when the woman that you love gives birth to your son," he smiled politely at her.
"But she's right," he added. "We should grab a drink and allow you to continue saying hello to the rest of your family."
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Feb 7, 2016 1:59:07 GMT
Erin pursed her lips and smirked at Brandon. "You used to defend her when she was around all the time when we were younger too. But you still always found a way back to my bed when you were done with her." The other woman nodded, smiling at him.
Amber smiled a bit at Brandon, leaning in a bit closer to him and kissing his cheek. She had no desire to have any sort of conversation with Erin. While at one point she'd frequently referred to the redhead at her best friend, she knew it had been a lie. In truth, the person holding her hand had been her best friend for as long as she could remember. Erin and Amber had really more coexisted in school. Erin had been dramatic and demanding for attention and while Amber hadn't exactly been calm, Erin had used her tendencies to seek power while Amber had just wanted to have fun. Still, the breaking of their friendship over the man standing with them had happened quite sometime ago but it seemed the wound was still a bit fresh for both of them. Amber knew that Erin had really been one of the first girls that Brandon dated back when the two of them had really only been friends. He'd taken Erin out on actual dates but had always found his way back to Amber. After a while, Erin was the main choice to make Amber jealous when the two of them would fight, but along the line Amber was never able to figure out why Erin was the one he would take out and she was the one he'd bring into his bed. Pushing away the memories, she squeezed Brandon's hand and shook her head at him. "We should just go."
"Just like Amber - always wanting to run away. Brandon, remember a few years ago when I came back to see my family for Christmas and you and I ran into each other?" Erin smirked a bit, licking her lips. "You certainly didn't seem very concerned about her then. Then again, we kept pretty busy."
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