colinhughes

[colinhughes]

Norah didn’t know what to say. She stood in silence just staring at the three tests. She heard Colin speaking, but wasn’t able to parse what he was saying. Of course it would be fine, eventually. Everything tuned out fine in the end, but it was the present Norah worried about the most. “I don’t–I don’t know the first thing about being someone’s mom, Colin. I–I don’t have one. How–” she stopped and took a deep breath. “I think I need to go to bed. Maybe if I go to bed everything will be fine and–” she walked over to her bed and threw the covers over herself before peeking out from under them. “Will you just hold me? I–I feel like I’m going to have–have a meltdown and my weighted blanket is back home and I–” she swallowed hard. “I need you.”

“I know... I know, love. I don’t know how to be a dad, but we’re going to figure this out together.” he got into the bed with her and wrapped his arms around her tight. “I’m not going anywhere, Norah. Never. I will always be here for you. Let’s just sleep, okay?”

fin

[colinhughes]

“I–drank a lot of water earlier,” she laughed a little. The timer on her phone went off. “I’ll go–I’ll grab them,” she jumped off the bed and walked quickly to the bathroom. Okay, okay. Let’s–let’s do this. Norah grabbed the tests and took them back out to the room. “I’m scared to look–” she closed her eyes and the tests up to her direct eye line before opening them just a peek to see. The first had two bright pink lines, the second had one blue positive symbol, and the last just read the word Pregnant. “Oh–” Norah took a deep breath. “It’s positive, Colin.”

“Apparently,” he chuckled a little. The two minutes was the slowest of his life, and when the timer went off, he jumped a little. “Me too,” he said and looked at them. All three were positive. “Shit,” he said. “Well... it’s okay. It is all going to be okay. We’re going to be parents. That’s the most terrifying part of this. But the good news is that we’re both financially stable. And the baby will be born into a family that will love them so much.” He kissed Norah’s forehead. “I promise it will be okay.”

[colinhughes]

Norah stood up straight and walked into the en suite bathroom. She disappeared for a few minutes and returned to sit on the bed beside Colin “Okay, we have–” Norah took a look at the timer on her phone, “two minutes” Norah swallowed hard. “I didn’t know which one to do so I did them all. That might have been overkill.”

“You did them all? That’s honestly really impressive that you were able to pee that much,” he chuckled a little, trying to diffuse some of the tension. “Two minutes and then we’ll know if we’re having a baby. At least as much as you can know without a doctor confirming it,” he said and wrapped his arms around her as they waited.

[colinhughes]

Norah, decked out in her finest pajamas–an old college sweatshirt and pair of  flannel pants, lead Colin down the aisle of CVS with the pregnancy tests and condoms. “I never understood why they put those together–surely it’s a bit late for a condom if you need a pregnancy test,” she joked. She grabbed a First Response one (and several others, just to be sure) and walked quickly up to the cashier. Once they got back to the car, Norah took a huge breath. “It says what it says,” Norah shrugged, “radical acceptance and all that.” Norah hopped out of the car and headed into the house. Everyone had dispersed by now, the catering company had come and collected their things, the band had gone home, and Norah’s dad had gone to bed. She led Colin quietly up the stairs, refusing to let go of his hand the whole time. “I’m scared.”

“Oh, honestly. It’s a bad place for them,” he chuckled a little. When they got into the car, he held his wife’s hand and squeezed it tight. “Radical acceptance,” he nodded. He didn’t remember most of the drive back. His mind was too occupied on the thoughts about whether he was going to be a dad soon. When they got upstairs, he looked at Norah. “I know. I’m scared, too. But we have each other no matter what. I promise it’s going to be okay.” He pecked her and let her use the bathroom to take the test. “And now we wait.”

[colinhughes]

“I’m glad we came home too,” Norah smiled. She grabbed her husband’s hand and lead him over to the cake table where the adults had started to circle around. As Colin took the knife, Norah placed her hand on his and helped him guide it down the first layer of the cake, cutting away to reveal a vanilla base layer and raspberry jam. Norah took a piece of cake and placed it in Colin’s mouth as they interconnected their arms, but only after getting a little bit of frosting on his nose. “Sorry, I couldn’t help it–” she chuckled. 

Norah led him over to the cake he baked for their wedding, and he took the knife and cut through it with his love. He opened his mouth and ate the cake. “Mmm... I am sure you couldn’t,” he said and put a dab of icing on her nose before he fed her a bite. “I must say I outdid myself,” he chuckled. “I don’t eat my own cakes very often, but this one is delicious. I think it’s because you helped me mix the batter,” he smiled.

~~time jump~~

After the ceremony, they went upstairs to change into more comfortable clothes. Colin didn’t drink much because he knew they had to go to CVS after. They managed to sneak out of the house fairly easily. Even if they didn’t get out unnoticed, they would just say they had to pick Norah something up for her stomach ache. They picked up a few different kinds of tests. “I don’t know what I want them to say. I’m nervous either way,” he told her once they got back into the car after paying.

[colinhughes]

“You look handsome, too. I cried when I saw you–but I was already crying from excitement–I’m glad I went with waterproof mascara,” she chuckled. “It might not even be positive–I could just be overthinking.” Something told her though that wasn’t the case. “Whatever it says, it says.” The music changed and the band began playing a cover of an Ed Sheeran song one of the younger kids at the wedding had requested, but Norah just stood there for a moment, holding on to Colin.

“Yes, it’s a good thing,” he chuckled. “Could be. No matter what it says, we will be okay,” he promised and kissed her. The music changed and more people joined them on the dance floor, but he held onto his wife. “I love you, Norah. Coming home for the wedding was such a good choice.”

[colinhughes]

“I have pajamas upstairs I can change into, it’s no big deal–I’m glad you like my dress. Your mom helped me pick it out. She said I looked like a fairy–I’m ashamed to say that’s what sold me on it,” she laughed a bit. “Oh, no it’s–it’s not ruining my night or anything,” she placed her hand on his cheek, “I’m just nervous, that’s all. Things happen. Life laughs at those who make plans, etc” she placed a kiss on his cheek. “We’ll just get–get a head start is all. You and I aren’t really good at doing things at a normal pace, are we?” She paused before breaking out into laughter, “I guess that means no Guinness for me in Dublin, huh?”

“I absolutely love your dress. You look so beautiful. It’s why I cried when I saw you walking down the aisle toward me. I am the luckiest guy in the world,” he smiled and looked at her. “I am nervous, too. But life doesn’t happen as planned. We certainly didn’t plan on reuniting the way we did. And you’re right about us not going a normal pace,” he chuckled.

[colinhughes]

“No, late for another event–” she paused, “like late-late. Like, should have come to visit last week late,” Norah swallowed hard. “This doesn’t happen to me–I mean, I’m not usually great at keeping track but–it makes sense. I mean, we did you know and now I’m late by a week. This–isn’t,” she paused. “Maybe I’m not though–maybe I’m just adding wrong. You’re right–we can stop by CVS later. It’s open 24 hours and I’m sure they’ve seen people in weirder outfits come in to buy,” she swallowed again, “pregnancy tests.” She rested her head on his shoulder for a minute, trying to collect herself. “What–” she paused, taking a deep breath, “we didn’t really, uh, think this through, did we?”

“Shit... I... yeah, we’ll go to the store after. We’ll have time to change so you aren’t wearing this beautiful dress when we go,’ he said and kissed her cheek. “No, we didn’t. We weren’t as careful as we should have been. I’m sorry, Norah,” he muttered. “We won’t let this ruin our night, though. If you are.. what’s done is done. We can’t erase it.”

[colinhughes]

Norah nodded along as Colin was speaking, “You’ve been the only one for me,” she smiled. “I love you most.” Still, Norah had not stopped thinking about what could possibly be wrong with her. Catching something on the plane seemed likely, but she’d scrubbed herself down as soon as the plane touched down in Boston. Anxiety wasn’t out of the ordinary for her, but her physical symptoms of anxiety were usually headaches or chest pain. Norah started counting back how many weeks it had been since she and Colin met at her apartment for dinner and it hit her. She stood on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear, not loud enough for any of those surrounding her to be able to hear. “Colin, I’m late.”

“I love you most,” he grinned and they danced. He decided against any fancy flourishing or spinning, knowing Norah still wasn’t feeling amazing. When she leaned up and whispered in his ear, he furrowed his eyebrows. “Late? What do you mean by late?” he asked. And then it hit him after a few beats. “Like... late-late? Late for your period?” he muttered. If that was the case, it would explain why she hadn’t been feeling well. It wasn’t what he had in mind for their first year of marriage, but if Norah was pregnant, they would have to adjust their plans. “You should take a test,” he whispered in her ear.

[colinhughes]

“Dad’s got us covered–he wants us to have fun and knows we’re not exactly…social butterflies,” she chuckled. Colin’s answer made her a bit nervous. She assumed her nausea was caused by jet lag, as that’d been the case in the past–but it never lasted this long. “Oh, maybe I have a stomach bug or something. I’ve also been wicked tired. It’s weird, I don’t get sick that often. At least sick to my stomach.” Norah’s brow furrowed. “Oh, they’re calling for us–we have to go dance now,” she pulled Colin by the hand and lead him to the dance floor. The crowd around them built as the first notes of their song began to play. 

“Your dad and my parents are a god send, honestly,” he grinned, grateful for them talking to people they didn’t know that well. “Maybe that’s it. I always get sick when I’m on planes. So maybe you got sick while flying or something,” he shrugged a little. When they were called onto the dance floor, he pulled Norah close to him and they swayed to their song. “I am so in love with you, Norah. I am so happy I got to show everyone how much today. You have always been the love of my life.”

[colinhughes]

“This is the best wedding I’ve ever been too,” she laughed. “Not too many people, not too noisy–everyone already knows each other which makes the atmosphere less chaotic. Everyone’s talking to one another and getting along–it’s really sweet. Everyone is so excited for us. You’re right about people swinging by for cake–I’m sure the neighbors will come by tomorrow and help us finish it off, especially because you made it.” Norah laughed. “I’ve felt sick all week–I figured it was all just nerves. Maybe I’m still a bit jet-lagged.”

“It’s the best wedding I’ve been to, too,” he smiled, knowing they were completely biased. “It looks like everyone is having a good time. Your dad is doing a great job entertaining people so we really don’t have to,” he smiled widely. “Are you sure that’s jet lag? Because I haven’t been feeling sick, even with the lack of sleep the last couple nights as we were finishing things up.”

[colinhughes]

“You’re stuck with me forever, kid,” Norah squeezed his hand. “It’s so weird to see how many people have come–I mean, on kind of short notice. Did you hear what Mrs. Wyatt had to say–that she expected this to have happened a long time ago? People really don’t forget things in small towns, do they?” she laughed. “How are you feeling? Were you nervous this morning? I felt like my stomach was doing flips for most of the morning.”

“There is nobody in the world I would rather be stuck with,” he smiled and pecked her cheek. “It’s weird, but I’m not surprised. Some of our old friends are here along with some of our parents’ friends. So it’s a pretty big party. And I won’t be surprised if more people swing by later, hoping for some free food and cake,” he laughed. “I didn’t hear that she said that, but I’m not shocked by it. People really don’t forget these things. And I’m feeling really good. Happy. I wasn’t so nervous this morning. I just had a lot of energy and I was really excited for this.”

[colinhughes]

Colin couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have amazing family and friends who helped him put together this wedding in a few short weeks. It was nothing short of a miracle that it came together in time, especially right after stay-at-home orders were lifted. What he was happiest about was showing dozens of family members and friends how much he still loved Norah. He wouldn’t have been so interested in making the wedding this wonderful if it was with a random person he only knew for six weeks. But with Norah, he wanted the ceremony and reception as perfect as they could manage.

They exchanged vows, promising to love each other until death do they part, and he meant every word. He never wanted to let Norah out of his sight again. She was his forever, and he wouldn’t let anything get in their way. He put a yellow gold band with small diamonds in it on her slender finger and was pronounced married by the priest. He kissed her sweetly, letting his lips linger on hers as long as was socially acceptable before pulling back and taking her hand as they walked up the aisle together.

~~let’s do the time warp again~~

“I can’t believe it either,” he chuckled and gently squeezed her hand as they went around. “I know. I feel the same way. Like the last decade of my life was just a blur without you in it. This is absolutely the way things are meant to be. You and me together forever. I have never been happier, Norah. You are it for me. You always have been.”

i ell-oh-vee-ee why-oh-you; norah and colin

Standing before fifty of their closest friends and family, Norah and Colin stood hand in hand. The priest, the same priest that had christened Norah years ago, stood aside them reciting the final blessing before dismissing them as a newly married couple. While their reunion was not how she had expected it to happen; it wasn’t meeting again in a coffee shop, making eyes with one another from across the room until someone had the courage to say hello–it wasn’t running into one another on a busy street or whatever movie cliche she’d dreamt of while lying in bed at night; it didn’t matter. 

Nothing mattered other than seeing Colin standing in front of her, in front of her loved ones, promising to have and to hold her from this day forth. Never again would Norah let him go, she promised him her life–and she meant it. I now present for the first time Mr. and Mrs. Colin and Norah Hughes. You may now kiss the bride. Rejoice in your love for each other! God bless you now and always. Norah placed her hand on Colin’s face, pulling him closer to her and pressed her forehead against his before she kissed him. As the music played, Norah joined hands with Colin and proceeded from the church, a rain of rice and flower petals falling above them as they made their way to the car.

~~wibbly wobbly timey wimey~~

“I can’t believe we’re married, Colin. It feels–absolutely surreal,” Norah beamed, leaning her head on his shoulder as they waltzed about the yard, greeting loved ones and thanking them for spending their evening with them. “It’s funny,” she chuckled, “in a way it feels like–nothing ever happened. Like this was always how it was meant to be. As if no time passed at all.”

[colinhughes]

lover boy,‘39, flash

lover boy – are you a romantic?

I definitely think I’m a romantic. At least I hope I’m as romantic as I think I am...

‘39 – what are you afraid of?

I was afraid of never loving anyone as much as I love Norah, but I don’t have to worry about that anymore now that we’re married! Now I can mostly fear the normal things like various bugs, snakes, and be scared of losing my business.

flash – favorite movie?

That’s a really tough one. I think one of my favorite movies is North by Northwest. I love a good Hitchcock film.

[colinhughes]

♔ queen-themed asks ♔

cupboard – are you petty?

delilah – do you have any pets?

misfire – do you want any kids? if so, how many?

killer queen – what’s an outfit that makes you feel sexy?

radio gaga – top five favorite songs?

freddie – tell us about someone who has changed your life positively. 

brian – what is something you are passionate about?

john – are you a creative person?

roger – what’s a common misconception about you?

deaky – do you have any nicknames?

all dead – when was the last time you cried?

don’t stop me now – what’s your go-to happy song?

lover boy – are you a romantic?

maracas – what’s your prized possession?

bites the dust – bassists or drummers?

live aid – what’s your dream concert line-up?

clean machine – what’s your dream car?

mercury – if you could change your name, would you?

drowse – how do you spend your lazy days?

make love – what is your sexuality?

hot space – what’s an unpopular opinion you have?

‘39 – what are you afraid of?

borhap – are you happy?

jim – are you in love?

mary – are you friends with any of your exes?

mustapha – how many languages do you speak?

flash – favorite movie?

las palabras de amor – what’s the most romantic thing someone has ever done for you?

tenement funster – are you a good flirt?

rainbow – best concert you’ve ever been to?

scrabble – do you and your friends have any traditions?

seven seas – where have you always wanted to travel?

keep yourself alive – what keeps you alive?

liar – are you good at sensing when someone is lying to you?

modern times – if you could go back in time, what decade would you travel to?

japan – favorite place you’ve traveled to?

garden lodge – what’s your dream home?

disco – guilty pleasure? 

sunglasses – how’s your eyesight?

1977 – long hair or short hair?

smile – when you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

cheese toast – favorite food?

blazer – do you share your clothes?

lap of the gods – if you could meet anyone, alive or dead, who would it be and what would you tell them?

[colinhughes]

The Wedding of Colin Hughes and Norah Fitzgerald

“I can no longer listen in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope.” - Jane Austen, Persuasion

Ceremony: Immaculate Conception Parish–Newburyport, MA

Reception Venue: The Fitzgerald Home–Newburyport, MA

Number of Guests: Around 50 family and friends, as well as locals.

Musicians: Several members of Norah’s Berklee School of Music Orchestra

First Dance: Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? (Piano Cover) by Carole King

[colinhughes]

It wouldn’t be a proper bakery if I didn’t have pastries and cakes!

colinhughes‌:

I’ll have to create a punch card or something. One free loaf for every ten you buy.

Ooh I like this idea! Do you make pastries and such as well? I’m a sucker for carbs.