Chapter Sixty-Eight: Wedding Shopping (Or: How Many Outfits Can One Couple Need?)
The morning after the hickey incident, Jay woke determined to have a normal day.
No video calls. No embarrassing exposures. Just wedding shopping with her fiancé.
Simple. Peaceful. Perfect.
She checked her neck in the mirror. The mark had faded. Barely visible.
"Thank God," she whispered.
Keifer appeared behind her. "Ready?"
"So ready. No interruptions. No chaos. Just us."
He kissed her shoulder. "I love you."
"I love you too. Let's go before someone finds us."
---
They almost made it out.
Almost.
As they reached the door, Keiran appeared.
"MAMMA! PAPPA! WHERE YOU GOING?"
Jay knelt. "Wedding shopping, baby. We need to find clothes for the big day."
"Rex wants to come!"
"Rex can stay with Keigan today."
Keiran considered this. Then nodded. "Rex says okay. But you bring back something for Rex?"
"What does Rex need?"
"TINY BOW TIE! FOR WEDDING!"
Jay laughed. "Rex will get a tiny bow tie."
"GANESHA TOO!"
"Ganesha too."
Keiran hugged them both. "Best Mamma and Pappa ever!"
---
They escaped.
Jay leaned against Keifer in the car. "We made it."
"Don't jinx it."
"We're actually alone."
"For now."
She kissed his cheek. "Let's enjoy it."
---
The mall was huge.
Glittering. Full of shops. Overwhelming.
Jay stared at the directory. "Where do we even start?"
Keifer pointed. "Men's wear on three. Bridal on four. Accessories on two."
"You researched?"
"I'm efficient."
She laughed. "My efficient fiancé."
"Your everything fiancé."
---
They started with men's wear.
Keifer tried on approximately seventeen suits.
Jay sat in the comfortable chair, rating each one.
"Too dark."
"Too light."
"Makes you look like a penguin."
"That one's good but the jacket's wrong."
Keifer emerged in the eighteenth suit. Charcoal grey. Perfectly fitted. Devastatingly handsome.
Jay's jaw dropped.
"That's the one," she whispered.
"Yeah?"
"That's absolutely the one."
He looked in the mirror. Smiled. "I like it too."
The saleswoman beamed. "Excellent choice, sir. Will you be needing accessories as well?"
"Cufflinks," Jay said. "Something elegant. Not flashy."
"I know just the thing."
---
Bridal wear was... overwhelming.
Jay had never seen so much white in her life.
Dresses everywhere. Lace, satin, tulle, silk. Long trains, short trains, no trains. Veils of every length.
She stood in the middle of the bridal salon, spinning slowly.
Keifer sat in the husband chair (all bridal shops had one—the uncomfortable chair where future husbands waited).
"Find anything you like?"
"There's too much. I can't decide."
"Try some on. I'll wait."
She disappeared into the dressing room.
---
First dress: Ball gown. Massive skirt. Lots of lace.
Jay emerged. "Thoughts?"
Keifer's eyes went wide. "You look... like a princess."
"Too much?"
"A little."
She nodded. "Yeah. Next."
---
Second dress: Mermaid style. Fitted through the body, flared at the bottom.
Jay walked out slowly. "This one's... different."
Keifer's expression was carefully neutral. "It's... nice."
"You hate it."
"I don't HATE it."
"Your face says you hate it."
"...It's not my favorite."
She laughed. "Next."
---
Third dress: Simple sheath. Elegant. Minimal lace.
Jay stood before him. "This one feels right."
He stood, walking around her. "It's beautiful. You're beautiful."
"But?"
"No but. I think this is the one."
She looked in the mirror. Turned. Studied herself.
"Yeah," she whispered. "I think so too."
The saleswoman appeared. "Excellent choice, ma'am. Shall we discuss alterations?"
---
They left the bridal salon an hour later, dress ordered, veil chosen, shoes picked.
Jay was glowing. "I have a wedding dress."
"You have a wedding dress."
"WE have a wedding dress."
"I'm not wearing it."
"You know what I mean."
He pulled her close. "I know. And you're going to be the most beautiful bride in history."
"That's cheesy."
"Your cheesy."
---
Accessories next.
Cufflinks for Keifer (simple gold, elegant). Jewelry for Jay (pearls, borrowed from Tita Gemma). Shoes for both.
Then they found the children's section.
Keiran needed an outfit. And Rex needed a bow tie. And Ganesha needed one too.
Jay spent twenty minutes in the toddler section, cooing over tiny suits.
"This one! Look at this one!"
Keifer held up a miniature tuxedo. "This. Absolutely this."
"He'll look ADORABLE."
"The most adorable ring bearer in history."
They bought it. And a tiny bow tie for Rex. And a slightly larger one for Ganesha.
---
Lunch was peaceful.
A quiet café. Good food. Just the two of them.
Jay held his hand across the table. "This is nice."
"The best."
"No interruptions. No chaos. No video calls."
"Don't jinx it."
"Too late."
Her phone buzzed.
Percy: WHERE ARE YOU? WE'RE COMING TO JOIN!
Jay: NO. STAY AWAY.
Percy: TOO LATE! AKSHI SENT US YOUR LOCATION!
Jay: HOW DOES AKSHI HAVE MY LOCATION?
Percy: SHE HACKED YOUR PHONE!
Jay: SHE DID NOT!
Percy: SHE ABSOLUTELY DID! WE'RE FIVE MINUTES AWAY!
Jay looked at Keifer. "Percy's coming. With Akshi's help."
"Of course he is."
"Should we run?"
"Too late."
---
Percy arrived in a whirlwind, Honey in tow.
Behind them—C.N. and Rakii.
Behind THEM—David and Freya.
Then Mica and Calix.
Then Felix and Bridget.
Then Aries and Ella.
Then Yuri, already filming.
"WEDDING SHOPPING! WE'RE HERE TO HELP!"
Jay stared at the crowd. "How did you all get here so fast?"
C.N. shrugged. "We were already at the mall. Percy texted."
"Of course he did."
Rakii raised her camera. "We need photos. Of everything. For the wedding album."
Mica grabbed Jay's arm. "Show us the dress! I need to see the dress!"
"You can't see the dress! It's bad luck!"
"I don't believe in luck!"
"It's TRADITION!"
---
The chaos continued.
They moved from shop to shop, the crowd growing.
Percy tried on ridiculous hats. C.N. found a bookstore and disappeared for twenty minutes. Rakii photographed everything. Yuri filmed everything.
Mica found a shop with sparkly things and nearly bought everything. Calix gently steered her away.
Felix and Bridget found a quiet corner and simply enjoyed the chaos.
Aries and Ella held hands, watching the madness.
David attempted to try on a mannequin's outfit. Freya stopped him.
Jay and Keifer watched their family—their chaotic, beautiful, overwhelming family—and smiled.
"Remember when it was just us?" Jay asked.
"Vaguely."
"Now look at us."
He pulled her close. "Look at us. Surrounded by love."
"The best kind of chaos."
---
At the end of the day, they gathered for dinner at a restaurant in the mall.
Twenty people. One long table. Endless laughter.
Percy stood, raising his glass. "To Jay and Keifer! May their wedding be as chaotic as their life!"
"HEAR HEAR!"
Jay laughed. "That's not a normal toast."
"NOTHING ABOUT YOU IS NORMAL!"
"Fair point."
Keifer stood, raising his own glass. "To family. To chaos. To all of you. Thank you for being part of our story."
Everyone cheered.
Keiran, sitting between Akshi and Shreya on the video call, held up Rex. "REX TOO! REX IS PART OF STORY!"
"Rex too," Keifer agreed. "Always Rex."
---
That night, at home, Jay and Keifer collapsed onto the couch.
"We survived."
"We did."
"All our shopping is done."
"Most of it."
She leaned into him. "I love you."
"I love you too." He kissed her forehead. "Can't wait to marry you."
"Can't wait to marry you too."
Keiran appeared, sleepy, Rex in one hand, Ganesha in the other. "Mamma? Pappa?"
"Yes, baby?"
"Rex wants to know if his bow tie matches his eyes."
Jay laughed. "Rex's eyes are buttons. Anything matches buttons."
"Rex says good."
She lifted him onto the couch between them. "Best day?"
"Best day. Shopping and chaos and everyone."
"The best kind of day."
Keiran snuggled between them. "Love you, Mamma. Love you, Pappa."
"Love you too, baby."
They sat together, the three of them, surrounded by bags and memories and love.
Perfect.
---
End of Chapter Sixty-Eight