⇢ CHAPTER 78

go." Holly groaned, pulling the bedcovers over her head as Jackson opened the curtains, allowing the sunshine to pour into their room nicely.

Jackson released a small chuckle before he walked over to their closet and reached in, grabbing a sweater out and placing it on himself as he voiced, "Holl," He sighed in sympathy before walking over to the bed to sit next to her, "Sweetheart," Holly peaked her eyes out of the covers at the nickname, causing Jackson's face to grace a smile, "it's just for a small while–"

"Ugh." Holly groaned again, pushing the covers off of her as she sat up and faced her boyfriend, "I hate April."

Jackson frowned his eyebrows, having assumed the last piece of her sentence would be 'Libby, Kimmie, and Alice' and not the one sister she was close to, "Why?"

Holly pouted as she recalled, "When April got her duck, she was feeling super confident and said he would waddle faster than any other pig could, so they bet that one of the pigs could beat her duck from one corner of the fence to the other– and if she lost," Holly sighed heavily, placing her head on Jackson's shoulder as she resumed, "she'd have to make them her bridesmaids."

"Oh." Jackson pursed his lips, thinking of an idea to save her from the  breakfast with her sisters, "Well," He grinned, "you could ditch them and hang out in my O.R. while I do a rhinoplasty."

Holly smiled, lifting her head from his shoulder as she asked, "Really?"

Jackson shrugged, "Of course–"

"Thank you!" Holly cheered, tackling Jackson as they fell back onto the bed from the force before she was practically straddling his waist as she kissed him, eternally grateful that he was saving her from having to spend time with her horrible sisters.

"Maybe I should invite you to my O.R.'s more often if I'm gonna get kissed like this." Jackson joked, bringing a hand up to Holly's face as she reddened.

"We're– " Libby, Kimmie, and Alice gasped as they opened the door– immediately, Holly scrambled off of her boyfriend as he raised his hands in surrender.

"I'm sorry!" April apologized, rushing into the room, "They–"

Holly's face was mortified, unsure why her sisters were in  room, "W-W-What–?"

"Go bother Matthew some more." April instructed, waving them away to the kitchen before she yelled a warning to her fiancé as they walked away, "Sorry!"

Jackson lifted himself up to a seated position, clearly in shock as he blinked and asked, "So you used the key to our place to infiltrate us with your sisters?"

"They wouldn't stop asking where you two were." April groaned, bringing a hand to her head as she felt a migraine begin to settle, "I swear, they keep interrogating Matthew to see if there's something  with him for marrying me and after I sent Matthew to get something from the kitchen, they immediately asked," April brought her voice to a nasally point to impersonate her sisters, "'Where's Holly?' and 'Oh, where's Jackson'–" She returned her voice to normal, "it all got too annoying that I brought them here thinking you would have breakfast or something and... well..." April chuckled, "you clearly weren't."

Holly squinted at her sister, still feeling embarrassed by the event, "N-Not the t-t-time."

"!" Alice called out, giggling as she spoke, ""

Holly rolled her eyes before she face planted onto a pillow and released a loud groan, making Jackson reach out and rub her back in support as she did so. 

"So..." April trailed off, lacing her fingers together as she attempted to convince her sister, "can you get ready to hang out with us?"

Holly lifted her face and squinted at her sister, "Why–?"

"." April begged, grabbing onto Holly's hands, "They're horrible and I don't want to scare Matthew away– I want to show him that at least  family member isn't bad."

Holly frowned before sitting him, grumbling, "Why couldn't you invite Mom and Dad?"

"They're coming for the wedding– Mom didn't want to take too many days off of word, and Dad, too..." April brought the corner of her lips upwards in hope, "does this mean–?"

"Yes, I'll go." Holly assured, standing from the bed as she gestured April to leave, "Give me ten minutes and I'll be ready."

April smiled, "Yay!"

"So," Jackson stood up, bringing his hands to Holly's waist as he spoke, "I guess this means you're  joining me for surgery."

"Nope." Holly shook her head, turning around to face him as she rested her head on his chest and smiled, "But I  be spamming your phone with updates and cries for help."

Jackson smiled before kissing her lightly, whispering as he pulled away, "Can't wait."

✧

"Here's to our little Duckie finally getting married." Libby smiled, raising a toast to April as the group sat comfortably in a small breakfast cafe.

"To Duckie and Matthew!" Libby, Kimmie, and Alice chorused, raising their glasses filled with Mimosas as April, Holly, and Matthew, who were all drinking orange juice, joined in with April and Holly giving each other a look as Matthew frowned his eyebrows.

Clearing his throat, he leaned close to his fiancée, "Duckie?" 

Holly and April shook their heads, raising the glass to their lips as they spoke, "Don't ask."

Matthew, knowing better, nodding his head, "Noted."

"We thought for sure you were gonna be a spinster for life." Kimmie admitted, grabbing another champagne bottle to fill her glass as she already wanted to forget the day surrounded by people with faithful partners, "Along with Star."

"Star?" Matthew questioned again, making April and Holly shake their heads at him, "Got it."

"We'll tell you later." April assured Matthew in a whisper before bobbing her head towards her other sisters, "They're gonna make a big deal about it if we tell you now."

Matthew nodded his head again as Alice commented, "Maybe take it a little easy on the mimosas, Kimmie."

"Oh, leave her be." Libby excused as Alice smiled brightly at Matthew, clearly swoon with his attractive appearance, "She's celebrating–" Libby gestured at the two doctors and paramedic, "you could stand to add a little champagne to that O.J."

"We're on call." Matthew informed, pointing to their glasses.

"Ohh." Alice smiled, leaning an inch closer to Matthew, "He is such a dreamboat. Responsible, handsome."