Chapter 223 - Wedding Plans

"Does that mean I'll get someone to play with?!" Pumpkin cheered, breaking the silence as he jumped out of his seat and ran over to Natalie.

Natalie looked at the little boy and nodded her head. She then glanced up at Sean again and noticed an expression of disbelief on his face. 

Was he happy with the news? Was it too soon? Was he ready?

Who knew she'd fall pregnant so easily? They had only slept together once!

After a brief moment of silence, a smile appeared on Sean's face. "1 month," he said.

He then turned his head and looked at the parents around the table. "We will have our wedding in 1 month," he announced.

Mother Du immediately jumped up in excitement and ran to Natalie's side, "I know some wedding dress designers, let me give them a call for you! It can be my gift!"

"I'll contact some chefs, I have some connections in the food industry," Father Du offered as he joined his wife.

"I will provide the alcohol and venue for the night. Leave that with me," Father Feng chimed in beside Natalie.

"Oh, Sally works in floristry! I'll ask her to do the bouquets and floral arrangements!" Mother Shu added as she hugged her daughter.

While the other parents were jumping around in excitement and surrounding Natalie, Father Shu leaned over calmly and whispered to Sean, "I'll come with you to find a suit. Welcome to the family."

Sean smiled and nodded his head.

...

It didn't take long before Halia received a phone call from Natalie to notify her of everything that was happening.

"What? You're pregnant and you're getting married in one month?!" Halia exclaimed.

"Sean sure knows how to stake his claim!" she laughed. As Halia said this, she felt relieved that she and Jackson didn't act impulsively in Munich without any contraception. Natalie proved how easy it could be to fall pregnant and Halia was definitely not ready for a child. 

"Don't tease me. Everything just fell into place and it feels so right," Natalie said with a smile.

"Do you need help organizing anything?" Halia asked.

"No, I'm fine. The parents are already helping, so you don't need to worry."

"Parents? Even Sean's parents are helping?"

"Yes, they are helping us with the invites and finding a wedding photographer." 

"Wow, you're so lucky that everyone is so accepting..." Halia admired. "If only every relationship ran that smoothly." She was engaged too, but she and Jackson were struggling to even be in the same city, let alone plan a wedding. On top of that, his family was still trying to come to terms with the fact that she was Jackson's girlfriend, not Emerson's, and Jackson was never with Amelie, she was with Alexander...it was a complete mess...

Natalie knew what her best friend was referring to, so she quickly comforted her, "Don't worry. After you guys get over this hurdle, you have a whole lifetime ahead of you to spend together."

Halia nodded in agreement, "Yes, you're right."

"By the way, Haili...can you be my bridesmaid/maid of honor?" Natalie suddenly asked in seriousness. "You have always been my best friend, I can't think of anyone else that's more suited to the role."

Halia smiled and replied, "Of course, I would love to."

...

2 weeks wasn't a long time, but when it came to missing something, it could feel like forever.

For Halia, it was Jackson, but for Jaclyn it was heroin.

"How does it feel to finally leave this place and return to normal life?" Mia asked as she watched Jaclyn pack her belongings.

Jaclyn had successfully completed her rehabilitation program with John and she was finally being reintroduced into society, but she was staying in Munich for another 2 weeks under observation in case she relapsed.

"It feels good, I couldn't have done it without you guys," Jaclyn replied. "How about you? How's your alcohol addiction?" 

"I haven't had a drop since I met you," Mia replied.

Jaclyn smiled. Even though John never followed her instructions in pursuing Mia, she had watched the two bond and grow closer over the past few weeks. Perhaps, that was how Mia managed to quit alcohol; maybe she was in love. After all, love could change a person and give them the strength to do things they never imagined.

Watching the two grow closer made Jaclyn question a lot of things. It made her question her ideas on love and what she expected from a partner. Perhaps, she had been too unrealistic. But, most importantly, it made her question her present feelings. Every time she saw the two together, she would feel a sting in her heart that she couldn't explain. John had never been her idea of an ideal partner: he wasn't cold and dominant, he had never given her a back hug, he had never pinned her against the wall, and he had never forcefully kissed her. In fact, he hadn't done anything that she had seen in dramas. But, she couldn't help her feelings of jealousy when she saw him with Mia.

Just as she was deep in thought, John walked into the room and helped her grab her suitcase. "Ready to go?" he asked with a charming smile. Jaclyn looked around the room one last time and nodded her head. 

Since Mia's brother was thrown into jail, Mia had a spare room in her house, so she invited Jaclyn to stay with her for the next two weeks.

"My car's just across the road, let me drive you girls there," John offered as he began to cross the road with Jaclyn's suitcase. Jaclyn smiled, he was quite the gentleman. Perhaps, this was the reason why Mia liked him and why she felt jealous seeing them together; she must like him for the same reason too.

As she looked at the man with curiosity, Jaclyn began to cross the road as well. But suddenly, Mia screamed behind her, "Car!!!!"

Jaclyn gasped as she looked to her left and saw a car speeding towards her.

Before she knew it, Jaclyn felt Mia grab her hand and pull her back, just as the car beeped and zoomed past.

"Why didn't you look properly before crossing?" Mia yelled worriedly.

Jaclyn looked at the woman in shock as her heart raced. She had almost been run over by a car because she was too busy thinking about John and Mia.

"S-Sorry, I'm used to cars driving on the other side of the road so I didn't look properly," Jaclyn explained. 

Mia sighed and held onto Jaclyn's hand. She then looked left and right and led her across the road carefully while Jaclyn tried to calm her beating heart. If not for Mia, she could have died.