All the Ways

xxxiv

Johnny woke up and reached his hand out to hold Paige's. However, all he felt was the mattress. He shot up to see one of the hotel notepads on the nightstand.

He squinted at the notepad that had Paige's half-cursive handwriting sprawled across the small page.

John,
I went to get my hair and makeup done for tonight. There's breakfast on the ground floor but if you don't want to walk, there are granola bars in my suitcase. 

See you later
-Paige

He laughed at the note. Was she his girlfriend or his mom? Johnny shuffled out of bed and reached for the front pocket of Paige's suitcase. As promised, there was a plethora of granola bars. Again: girlfriend or mom?

While Johnny sat in bed watching SportsCenter and eating all of Paige's snacks, the door shuffled open. Paige entered the room, her hair in a curly updo, and her makeup all done. She wore a strapless forest green gown that had a sweetheart neckline.

"Hey," She smiled, "I see you saw the note." Paige sat on the edge of the bed.

"Yeah. Thank you. You look beautiful." Johnny leaned forward to give her a kiss.

"Go get ready." She pushed him towards the bathroom, "Two more hours until it starts."

Johnny got ready, wearing his classic black and white suit. Him and Paige took a mirror selfie in the hotel room; Johnny took the picture, standing tall, and Paige kissed him on the cheek. He posted it on Instagram.

@johngaudreau03: We love weddings 👰🏻 @paige_ellis

Within a few minutes, their friends were already poking fun. Amber posted the funniest comment.

@a_reins: Y'all eloped? 👫

Sam, Viv, and Sean all simply commented ^ signifying that they agreed with her.

/////

Johnny sat with Paige's parents at the ceremony, while Paige stood by her sister's side. He admired her; how her eyes sparkled when Payton said her vows, how she fidgeted with the bouquet in her hand, and how her mouth would open in joy when her sister Payton, and her new husband Ryan, kissed and made their marital status official.

The two sat together at the reception, eating everything in sight and playing with Paige's younger cousins. Johnny admired her there as well; she would dance with the kids from time to time, as well as seating them on her lap at the table and making funny faces. Paige's parents took a photo of the couple standing on a balcony outside, which overlooked Napa. Paige smiled as she edited it and posted it.

@paige_ellis: All I could think about in Napa was The Parent Trap. Happy wedding SZN 👰🏻 #CongratsPay #CongratsRy #CongratsForBeingMyBFJohn

It was time for the newlyweds' dance, and the couple had the most elaborate and non-traditional dance, which reflected the both of them perfectly. Johnny and Paige would end up tearing it up on the dance floor that night as well.

Paige took advantage of the open bar at the reception, drinking enough to have fun, but not too much, so she didn't look trashy. The festivities died down, and her and Johnny walked back up to their room. He noticed she was a bit quiet and pouty, but he assumed that it was only because of the alcohol. They got to their room, and upon entering, Paige shed her dress and her makeup and crawled into bed, all without speaking.

"What's bothering you?" Johnny whispered, attempting to pull her in, but she just scooted away.

"Nothing. I don't know. It's stupid." She sat up and rubbed her eyes.

He sat up as well, "Something's bothering you, and I don't know what it is. If it's about getting married, it's too early for that. I'm sorry, but--"

She cut him off, "I don't want to marry you, John. At least, not right now. It's not in my agenda. I don't know."

"You do know, because you always do that when you're upset and trying to justify why you're angry in your head," He looked at her as she just looked at the wall, "Just tell me, Paige."

Paige sighed, "I'm just... I don't know. I'm just so in love with you, John. Looking at Payton tonight, god damn. She is so in love. And I feel like that. And it scares me."

Johnny pulled her in, and she rested her head on his shoulder as she sniffles. "For what it's worth, I'm in love with you too, Paige. Everything about you and this relationship is a dream. I know it's hard for you to open up to me, but thank you for letting me experience this weekend, and these past few months with you."

Paige kissed him, "I love you." She laid back down, and let Johnny pull her in this time.

He piped up, "Now if we aren't getting married? Then who is?" 

She chuckled, "Not Sean and Amber, that's for sure. She'd literally kill him with her bare hands. At the ceremony. The reception would be his funeral."

"Sam and Viv?"

"18 year old Sam Bennett?"

Johnny scoffed, "C'mon. They're practically married."

"Let's focus on the older team members before moving on to the youngins, John. Goodnight. I love you."