Flightless
5 in the morning (er, evening) it all comes out pouring.
**Jordan's POV**
"Can you believe we're actually here baby?" I kissed my fiancée, very soon to be wife, as the city below us came into view.
Touching down in Las Vegas nervous energy started to appear. This was what I'd been waiting for. Two months ago, to the day, my world had been rocked. I'd met the most gorgeous, amazing woman who reluctantly accepted my proposal the very next day. It had only been two months, but already she had helped me through some hard times and been with me for the pinnacle of my young career. I couldn't even try to imagine having won the Cup without Rayne by my side, cheering me on and keeping my spirits up when they threatened to disappear.
On the flip side, I hoped I'd been as important to her as she was to me. Letting me take care of her when she broke down over her parent's deaths with the reminder of Lucy's accident was a huge moment for us. If I'd had any doubts before then (which I hadn't), they would have been nullified by the strength of protectiveness that consumed me as she fell apart in front of Kris and I. All I want is to never see Ray cry again - not a simple task by any means, considering I'm a guy and destined to fuck up, but one I intend to try my hardest to achieve.
When Rayne told me it was up to me when exactly we had the ceremony, I wanted to head to a chapel straight from the airport. Getting married as soon as we could was the mission. When she pointed out the significance of the dates though, I knew exactly what to do.
Midnight.
Well, just before actually. If we started the ceremony on the 17th we'd be honouring the day we met (and the day I fell in love with her), while being pronounced husband and wife on the 18th would mark the anniversary of my first proposal.
The other two tasks I'd been assigned were a little harder. First off was finding our wedding bands. When I'd been looking at engagement rings I knew which one to buy as soon as I saw it, but this was a little harder. Now I had to find something to match, or at least compliment the diamonds and onyx, and something I'd be happy having on my own hand for the rest of my life. After several days browsing, in the little spare time I'd had between celebrations of the Cup triumph, I found the winners. Ray's would have small diamonds and onyx studded around the band while mine had one diamond flanked by onyx either side. I thought they looked pretty good, so hopefully Rayne would approve.
The last of my responsibilities was to arrange our honeymoon. There were so many options! Ultimately I wanted to visit her homeland, meet my new family and get to understand her heritage a little more. She'd said that her sister saw us on the ice together after winning the Cup and approved our relationship. It meant a lot that her closest family could see that we were in love from the other side of the world, especially when mine were seemingly blinded to the facts in front of them.
But really, taking her 'home' wouldn't be a true honeymoon. We needed somewhere romantic, preferably tropical, where I could show Rayne just how appreciative I was of her coming into my life. I know there's no way to truly explain it, but a little time in paradise could maybe get close.
x
"Come on Jor, it's time to head downstairs," Rayne announced just after eleven. After checking in to our room we'd quickly gotten into the spirit of this trip, barely sending the bellhop away before clothes started flying. We had to make sure the bed (and shower) was suitable for consummating this marriage, not that we planned on spending too much time in it. There were plenty of other surfaces to take advantage of as we celebrated our union.
This was nowhere near a traditional wedding by any means, so the whole not seeing the bride that day was first on the list of 'rules' to be broken. Rayne had refused to let me pack more than my suit for the NHL Awards the next day, insisting that we just be ourselves as we got hitched. Since her family wouldn't be there, neither would mine, and though it'd been impossible for me to keep this event from the team, those who were heading out with the Cup weren't scheduled to land until tomorrow morning... at least as far as Rayne knew.
While she'd been secretive about the details and refused to let me pay for anything, I harboured a few tricks up my sleeve too. It had taken little convincing to get the guys, Lucy and Vero to head out early, and I'd even managed to secret Rayne's friends Anna and Deanna along for the weekend. Brenda was invited as well, but had her kids to look after so she declined.
Wondering why we were going to the chapel so early, Rayne just kissed me quickly and said I'd find out in a few minutes. I barely had time to send a message to Tanger, telling him we were on our way down and for them to start heading over from their hotel, while grabbing the rings out of my bag before Rayne was literally dragging me out of the room.
"Calm down babe, we've got heaps of time."
Laughing, she let me fall into step beside her as we made the short journey to the elevator. "I thought you were the one wanting to get married as soon as possible? What happened to that?"
Pulling her into my chest as we waited for the lift, I couldn't stop the smile tugging at my lips. "I'm about to marry the most amazing woman I've ever met and you're gunna be stuck with me forever. I don't think two more minutes will make a lot of difference."
After meeting the Concierge at the doors to the chapel, I was sent off to a room to get ready. Not knowing what there was left to do, I wasn't exactly surprised to find a note from my bride carefully stuck to the dark grey tuxedo handed to me by an attendant.
Not that you don't already look sexy,
But it's time to dress up.
You're irresistible in a suit.
xxx Rayne
There was an ice blue vest, with a matching boutonnière to contrast against the white shirt she'd organised for me. So sneaky, yet another attribute to add to the long list of reasons I loved Rayne.
x
Seeing her face when she walked down the aisle to the bridal march, Rayne looked even more beautiful than I could've imagined. A simple strapless, floor length, white satin dress with short train, her hair up in a ponytail with a few loose waves to frame her face and a bouquet of white roses and some sort of star shaped ice blue flowers that matched the one on my lapel had me breathless.
The shock on her face as she took in our friends lining her way towards me soon faded as we locked eyes, a small blush gracing her cheeks only adding to her allure.
This was it. The rest of our lives together started now.
To be honest, I have no idea what the celebrant said until he announced that it was time for the vows. "I'd like to use our own vows," I cut him off as he was starting.
"What?" Rayne was surprised, eyes wide in confusion at my latest surprise for her.
Smiling, I reassured her, "Don't worry baby, you know them."
There was no doubt Rayne would be able to recite the words I'd chosen. I'd first heard them when I forced her to join me for my pregame nap, but not really noticed how well they fit until a week or so ago when she'd lent me her mp3 player to take on the road to Detroit, to keep my routine the same. After waking I listened to whatever came up on random, but this particular Atreyu song was soon put on repeat.
"I swear to you, on everything I am.
And I dedicate to you all that I am.
I promise you that I'll stand right by your side,
Forever and always, until the day I die."
Sliding the ring onto her finger as I spoke, my heart swelled at the recognition and love in her eyes. This Flesh A Tomb may not sound like a typical romantic song, but the sentiments it spoke were every bit relevant.
A solitary tear fell as Rayne repeated the words back to me, sliding on my own ring as I brushed the drop from her cheek. I could faintly hear someone sob in the background, but there was no chance I was looking away from the woman before me unless I absolutely had to.
Pulling out the marriage license we'd gotten on our way from the airport when it was time to sign, I finally took in what was happening in the rest of the room. Flower and a tearful Vero were huddled together, Max and Lucy were taking the small break in proceedings to whisper to each other and share soft kisses. Geno and Sid were both smiling and gave me a thumbs up and grin respectively as they noticed me looking their way. Kris and Anna were signing as witnesses while Deanna talked quickly with Rayne, watching on.
Getting back into the swing of things, "I do" flowed from each of our lips and we were pronounced man and wife. I couldn't even wait for the guy to tell me I was allowed to finally kiss her, dipping Rayne backwards as I ravished her despite her squeal of surprise.
Champagne was popped, hugs and handshakes came from every direction, and for the first time I noticed the photographer and videographer recording the events for us to remember forever. The obligatory posing session didn't faze us, the celebration too big to be dulled by anything.
x
Slightly hungover, crazily overtired, but still incredibly elated, Rayne and I made our way down the red carpet outside The Palms. She looked stunning in a knee length blood red cocktail dress that showed off her curves. Flashes were everywhere as the photographers made sure to capture every person filing past.
Various media crews were set up along the way, hauling players in for a quick chat as they went by. We were three quarters of the way down the carpet when my name got called and I pulled Ray along for the ride. Letting her hide out of view, at arms length but with our hands still clasped, I answered questions about winning the Cup, if I had any plans yet for my day with it, and lastly came, "And who is this young lady with you today?"
Knowing word would get out sooner or later, and not caring about the backlash from my family, I pulled Rayne to my side, tucking her under my arm as I quickly pressed a kiss to her temple. Smiling proudly back at the interviewer, I made the most important announcement of my life. "My date today is my beautiful wife, Rayne."
"Can you believe we're actually here baby?" I kissed my fiancée, very soon to be wife, as the city below us came into view.
Touching down in Las Vegas nervous energy started to appear. This was what I'd been waiting for. Two months ago, to the day, my world had been rocked. I'd met the most gorgeous, amazing woman who reluctantly accepted my proposal the very next day. It had only been two months, but already she had helped me through some hard times and been with me for the pinnacle of my young career. I couldn't even try to imagine having won the Cup without Rayne by my side, cheering me on and keeping my spirits up when they threatened to disappear.
On the flip side, I hoped I'd been as important to her as she was to me. Letting me take care of her when she broke down over her parent's deaths with the reminder of Lucy's accident was a huge moment for us. If I'd had any doubts before then (which I hadn't), they would have been nullified by the strength of protectiveness that consumed me as she fell apart in front of Kris and I. All I want is to never see Ray cry again - not a simple task by any means, considering I'm a guy and destined to fuck up, but one I intend to try my hardest to achieve.
When Rayne told me it was up to me when exactly we had the ceremony, I wanted to head to a chapel straight from the airport. Getting married as soon as we could was the mission. When she pointed out the significance of the dates though, I knew exactly what to do.
Midnight.
Well, just before actually. If we started the ceremony on the 17th we'd be honouring the day we met (and the day I fell in love with her), while being pronounced husband and wife on the 18th would mark the anniversary of my first proposal.
The other two tasks I'd been assigned were a little harder. First off was finding our wedding bands. When I'd been looking at engagement rings I knew which one to buy as soon as I saw it, but this was a little harder. Now I had to find something to match, or at least compliment the diamonds and onyx, and something I'd be happy having on my own hand for the rest of my life. After several days browsing, in the little spare time I'd had between celebrations of the Cup triumph, I found the winners. Ray's would have small diamonds and onyx studded around the band while mine had one diamond flanked by onyx either side. I thought they looked pretty good, so hopefully Rayne would approve.
The last of my responsibilities was to arrange our honeymoon. There were so many options! Ultimately I wanted to visit her homeland, meet my new family and get to understand her heritage a little more. She'd said that her sister saw us on the ice together after winning the Cup and approved our relationship. It meant a lot that her closest family could see that we were in love from the other side of the world, especially when mine were seemingly blinded to the facts in front of them.
But really, taking her 'home' wouldn't be a true honeymoon. We needed somewhere romantic, preferably tropical, where I could show Rayne just how appreciative I was of her coming into my life. I know there's no way to truly explain it, but a little time in paradise could maybe get close.
x
"Come on Jor, it's time to head downstairs," Rayne announced just after eleven. After checking in to our room we'd quickly gotten into the spirit of this trip, barely sending the bellhop away before clothes started flying. We had to make sure the bed (and shower) was suitable for consummating this marriage, not that we planned on spending too much time in it. There were plenty of other surfaces to take advantage of as we celebrated our union.
This was nowhere near a traditional wedding by any means, so the whole not seeing the bride that day was first on the list of 'rules' to be broken. Rayne had refused to let me pack more than my suit for the NHL Awards the next day, insisting that we just be ourselves as we got hitched. Since her family wouldn't be there, neither would mine, and though it'd been impossible for me to keep this event from the team, those who were heading out with the Cup weren't scheduled to land until tomorrow morning... at least as far as Rayne knew.
While she'd been secretive about the details and refused to let me pay for anything, I harboured a few tricks up my sleeve too. It had taken little convincing to get the guys, Lucy and Vero to head out early, and I'd even managed to secret Rayne's friends Anna and Deanna along for the weekend. Brenda was invited as well, but had her kids to look after so she declined.
Wondering why we were going to the chapel so early, Rayne just kissed me quickly and said I'd find out in a few minutes. I barely had time to send a message to Tanger, telling him we were on our way down and for them to start heading over from their hotel, while grabbing the rings out of my bag before Rayne was literally dragging me out of the room.
"Calm down babe, we've got heaps of time."
Laughing, she let me fall into step beside her as we made the short journey to the elevator. "I thought you were the one wanting to get married as soon as possible? What happened to that?"
Pulling her into my chest as we waited for the lift, I couldn't stop the smile tugging at my lips. "I'm about to marry the most amazing woman I've ever met and you're gunna be stuck with me forever. I don't think two more minutes will make a lot of difference."
After meeting the Concierge at the doors to the chapel, I was sent off to a room to get ready. Not knowing what there was left to do, I wasn't exactly surprised to find a note from my bride carefully stuck to the dark grey tuxedo handed to me by an attendant.
Not that you don't already look sexy,
But it's time to dress up.
You're irresistible in a suit.
xxx Rayne
There was an ice blue vest, with a matching boutonnière to contrast against the white shirt she'd organised for me. So sneaky, yet another attribute to add to the long list of reasons I loved Rayne.
x
Seeing her face when she walked down the aisle to the bridal march, Rayne looked even more beautiful than I could've imagined. A simple strapless, floor length, white satin dress with short train, her hair up in a ponytail with a few loose waves to frame her face and a bouquet of white roses and some sort of star shaped ice blue flowers that matched the one on my lapel had me breathless.
The shock on her face as she took in our friends lining her way towards me soon faded as we locked eyes, a small blush gracing her cheeks only adding to her allure.
This was it. The rest of our lives together started now.
To be honest, I have no idea what the celebrant said until he announced that it was time for the vows. "I'd like to use our own vows," I cut him off as he was starting.
"What?" Rayne was surprised, eyes wide in confusion at my latest surprise for her.
Smiling, I reassured her, "Don't worry baby, you know them."
There was no doubt Rayne would be able to recite the words I'd chosen. I'd first heard them when I forced her to join me for my pregame nap, but not really noticed how well they fit until a week or so ago when she'd lent me her mp3 player to take on the road to Detroit, to keep my routine the same. After waking I listened to whatever came up on random, but this particular Atreyu song was soon put on repeat.
"I swear to you, on everything I am.
And I dedicate to you all that I am.
I promise you that I'll stand right by your side,
Forever and always, until the day I die."
Sliding the ring onto her finger as I spoke, my heart swelled at the recognition and love in her eyes. This Flesh A Tomb may not sound like a typical romantic song, but the sentiments it spoke were every bit relevant.
A solitary tear fell as Rayne repeated the words back to me, sliding on my own ring as I brushed the drop from her cheek. I could faintly hear someone sob in the background, but there was no chance I was looking away from the woman before me unless I absolutely had to.
Pulling out the marriage license we'd gotten on our way from the airport when it was time to sign, I finally took in what was happening in the rest of the room. Flower and a tearful Vero were huddled together, Max and Lucy were taking the small break in proceedings to whisper to each other and share soft kisses. Geno and Sid were both smiling and gave me a thumbs up and grin respectively as they noticed me looking their way. Kris and Anna were signing as witnesses while Deanna talked quickly with Rayne, watching on.
Getting back into the swing of things, "I do" flowed from each of our lips and we were pronounced man and wife. I couldn't even wait for the guy to tell me I was allowed to finally kiss her, dipping Rayne backwards as I ravished her despite her squeal of surprise.
Champagne was popped, hugs and handshakes came from every direction, and for the first time I noticed the photographer and videographer recording the events for us to remember forever. The obligatory posing session didn't faze us, the celebration too big to be dulled by anything.
x
Slightly hungover, crazily overtired, but still incredibly elated, Rayne and I made our way down the red carpet outside The Palms. She looked stunning in a knee length blood red cocktail dress that showed off her curves. Flashes were everywhere as the photographers made sure to capture every person filing past.
Various media crews were set up along the way, hauling players in for a quick chat as they went by. We were three quarters of the way down the carpet when my name got called and I pulled Ray along for the ride. Letting her hide out of view, at arms length but with our hands still clasped, I answered questions about winning the Cup, if I had any plans yet for my day with it, and lastly came, "And who is this young lady with you today?"
Knowing word would get out sooner or later, and not caring about the backlash from my family, I pulled Rayne to my side, tucking her under my arm as I quickly pressed a kiss to her temple. Smiling proudly back at the interviewer, I made the most important announcement of my life. "My date today is my beautiful wife, Rayne."
Notes
There ya have it!Hope you enjoyed the change in perspective, Jordan just really flowed a lot easier when I was writing this and it seemed only right to let him take charge of the story he usurped.
Thanks to those of you who commented ans voted - virtual hugs are flying towards you right now!
Thanks for your comment! I'm seriously flattered that you like my writing =] Hope you like my other stories too!
1/16/13