red↳ thomas shelby

- XXVIII. -

[ A r r o w H o u s e , 1 9 2 4 ]

"Why am I nervous? I feel like I shouldn't be nervous."

Zara King paced back and forth across the floor of her bedroom.

"Everyone gets nervous on their wedding day, Zar." Ada Thorne said, fixing Zara's tangled veil behind her.

It was finally Zara and Tommy's wedding day, and the couple was very nervous. Between the birth of their child and expanding Shelby Company Ltd, the wedding was pushed onto the backburner for another two years. However, now that the business was in a good place in both Small Heath and London, Tommy and Zara decided that they had waited long enough and planned a small wedding at their new estate.

When Tommy brought her to Arrow House for the first time Zara was amazed. It was a beautiful house with lots of land for their kids, and stables for horses. Although Tommy's decorating skills left much to be desired, Zara knew that in time she would liven the dismal house up, and create a cozy environment for their new family.

"Where's my beautiful bride?" John Shelby burst into the room, carrying his own crying child in one arm and Zara's in the other. She took her baby from John's arms and glared at her best friend.

"There there, Thea. No reason to cry." She cooed at her baby, trying to calm her down.

Thea Elizabeth Shelby-King was undoubtedly a beautiful baby girl born in June of 1922. Much to Tommy's relief, she was not a twin. She was the spitting image of her father with the piercing blue eyes and sharp features, but with Zara's deeper skin tone and thick dark hair. Polly had told them that Thea was their beacon of light in their world full of darkness and the couple felt extremely blessed with their daughter.

"Are you ready, love? Tommy's standing up there about to shit himself." John snickered.

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm ready." She looked down at her daughter. "Don't want to keep your father waiting, now do we?"

Zara took a deep breath as she linked arms with John, handing Thea to Ada. She couldn't believe that after two years of engagement, her and Tommy were finally getting married. Nothing could ruin today, she decided.

Thomas Shelby's hands shook as he waited for his fiancee to walk down the makeshift aisle on their estate. He couldn't tell if it was from nerves, or the cold weather of January. He had no reason to be nervous, right? At this point they had been together for four years, if Zara didn't want to marry him surely she wouldn't have stayed for that long.

Arthur noticed his brother's tense state, and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Any minute now, Tom."

Tommy grimaced at his brother and best man and tried to shake off his nervousness. He smiled brightly at his sister who brought his daughter down the aisle, marking the beginning of the ceremony. Ada tried to help Thea throw various wildflowers down the aisle, but his daughter just kept trying to put the flowers in her aunt's hair, making everyone laugh. As they reached the altar, Ada passed Thea to him. Tommy lightly bounced her in his arms as they waited for Zara.

The music changed, and Zara began the walk to Tommy. John pretended to trip her, making Zara elbow him in the ribs harshly, making the Shelbys chuckle at their antics. When choosing the wedding party, Zara had immediately known that she wanted John to act as her maid of honor. In another life it would have been his first wife, Martha, and John was happy to act in her place and help his friend.

Theo was one of Tommy's groomsmen, standing behind Arthur and tearing up as he watched his sister come closer. He looked to his own wife, Grace, who surprisingly was one of Zara's bridesmaids, to find her already looking at him with a soft smile making his heart soar.