Make This Go On Forever

Parker was scheduled to shoot his family shots in a couple of days so he had been spending the day working on his company while he was not in front of the camera. He had been engrossed in the work he was in the middle of so he hadn’t noticed anybody coming in until he happened to turn to see Andie and he got a huge smile on his face. He waved and watched her sign. “It was okay. Just got some business done. What about your day with your family?” He replied, hoping that she would understand everything he signed. He knew she was still learning so he kept his phone near him. He honestly couldn’t believe that she had done so much to learn the language that he spoke and it made him fall even more in love with her every day.

Though he had once had his doubts in the show and how successful it would be, Parker found himself head over heels in love. He set his work down and stood from his spot on the bed, going over towards Andie. He wrapped his arms around her in a hug and leaned in for a kiss.

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Andie’s brows furrowed in concentration as she tried to figure out what Parker had signed to her. Despite having jumped in and taken various online courses and signed up for in-person classes once the show was over, she was still struggling to really understand but each day she was getting better. Laughing, she looked sheepishly at her husband. “I understood about half of that.” She told me, making sure that he was watching her as she spoke. She knew he asked something about family, that much she had made out. “It went as well as expected. I told you some of my family doesn’t agree with this because of our faith so it was a bit hard to deal with that.” Andie signed what she could and spoke at the same time. “It’ll get better.”

Owen tilted his head to the side, looking at Andie as he listened to her. He couldn’t believe he had never spoken about Rose or Olivia before and it left him scratching his head. “Wait…a reality show? What kind of show is that?” He asked, getting distracted for a moment. “I’m okay…I mean, a bit of pain and now really confused but okay.” He said and shrugged. “I mean, she’s been great. Taking care of me, making sure I’m taking it easy and taking my meds, she’s been amazing.”

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Lincoln had been struggling with his injuries and trying to be independent. He wanted to be able to get around an take care of himself but with both a broken leg and arm, it was nearly impossible to push himself around in the wheelchair let alone do anything that required more then just sitting there. He had called for an uber that could fit his wheelchair and had them take him to a park, wanting some fresh air. He was dropped off and the driver was nice enough to push him next to a bench in a nice area and he pulled out his phone, sitting there letting the fresh air get to his head. Ever since the accident, Lincoln had been feeling a little depressed about everything and he tried to hide it from everyone but it was getting to the point he couldn’t hold it in any longer. 

Feeling a tear start to fall from his eyes, Lincoln just let them go. He had never been much of a crier, especially in public but he didn’t care anymore. He needed to let it out. After a few moments, he sniffled, trying to get it together. He went to check his phone and ended up dropping it. “Shit.” He said as he tried his best to reach down and grab it but he couldn’t quite reach the ground to pick it up. 

@andie-morales​

Andie walked through the park, earbuds in, as she enjoyed the bright and warm day. Parker was supposed to be meeting her soon, to spend some time together before they met with the other couples. Sometimes those couple gatherings were such nuances simply because of the drama. She rounded the corner of the path when she saw a man struggling to reach his phone. 

As she approached him, Andie began to recognize Lincoln. Her niece took lessons on Luke’s farm and she had visited before, a few times. “Lincoln?” She asked, finally reaching him and bending down to pick up his phone for him. “What happened?” Concerned laced each word as she handed him his phone.

Owen tilted his head to the side, looking at Andie as he listened to her. He couldn’t believe he had never spoken about Rose or Olivia before and it left him scratching his head. “Wait…a reality show? What kind of show is that?” He asked, getting distracted for a moment. “I’m okay…I mean, a bit of pain and now really confused but okay.” He said and shrugged. “I mean, she’s been great. Taking care of me, making sure I’m taking it easy and taking my meds, she’s been amazing.”

 “Marriage at First Sight. We literally get legally married at first sight. I didn’t see my husband until I was at the altar with him.” Andie explains, briefly distracted from the more pressing matter. “It’s nerve-wracking but it’s been so good, even with having to learn ASL.” Tuning back to Owen, Andie frowned. She was happy that it didn’t seem bad and that Rose was helping him out but it still left her uneasy. “I’m glad she sounds good…but maybe just talk to her. Blame it on me, but I just don’t want someone taking advantage of you, Owen. You’re too sweet for that.”

Parker was scheduled to shoot his family shots in a couple of days so he had been spending the day working on his company while he was not in front of the camera. He had been engrossed in the work he was in the middle of so he hadn’t noticed anybody coming in until he happened to turn to see Andie and he got a huge smile on his face. He waved and watched her sign. “It was okay. Just got some business done. What about your day with your family?” He replied, hoping that she would understand everything he signed. He knew she was still learning so he kept his phone near him. He honestly couldn’t believe that she had done so much to learn the language that he spoke and it made him fall even more in love with her every day.

Though he had once had his doubts in the show and how successful it would be, Parker found himself head over heels in love. He set his work down and stood from his spot on the bed, going over towards Andie. He wrapped his arms around her in a hug and leaned in for a kiss.

Andie squinted her eyes, a habit she did whenever she tried to focus, as Parker signed back to her. She missed a few here and there but she understood enough to make out what he was saying. Andie shrugged at his question, kicking off her heels and dropping her keys on the hook. “It was fine. Mom is still not okay with all of this and believes it’s a….” She paused signing, stuck on what she wanted to say… or more so how to say it. Finally, she huffed in frustration. “She still believes this is a betrayal to real marriage.” She spoke when she couldn’t think of the sign, wrapping her arms around her husband when he approached her. Andie hummed contently when he leaned down to kiss her, her heart soaring at the love she could see shining in his eyes. The same love that was reflected in hers and with that, she knew how wrong her mother was. 

When they pulled away, the brunette shrugged, looking up at Parker. “She’ll come around because this is too real for her not to believe.” When Andie signed up for the show, she didn’t think she’d fall in love so fast but it just proved to her how right this marriage was.  Walking forward, Andie was leading them backwards until the back of Parker’s knees hit the edge of the bed and they tumbled down on it, causing her to laugh freely. She fixed herself, moving to straddle her husband’s waist and looked down at him. “What do you want to do for dinner?” She asked, going back to signing before she leaned down and kissed him again.

Putting her things down, Andie signed “Hi, how was your day?” It’d been a couple of weeks and she was slowly picking up some of the signs. Between him teaching her and the classes she had taken, she was getting there. She could hold somewhat of a conversation but she still often forgot signs or messed them up or didn’t understand him. She approached Parker, wrapping her arms around him and pressing a kiss to his lips. @parkerxwheeler​

Owen didn’t get the vibe that this Andie person would lie to him, but his memories were just not there, so he had no clue what was even happening right now. “What? No, I’m sure I would talk about them all the time. I mean who doesn’t talk about their family? Especially their kid…” He mused, head tilted to the side slightly before looking back towards the other. “That can’t be right…I mean…I just don’t remember and….what…” He ended his sentance. There was a million things going through his mind. He didn’t know what to believe because he had literally just met this person but what motivation would she have to lie to him about something like that, but on the other hand, Rose had told him something else and why would she lie about that. He moved to sit down, running a hand through his hair. “I just..I’m confused right now.”

“Well, exactly, Owen, people usually talk about their families.”  Andie pointed out, chewing on her nail anxiously. She was trying to make sense of it all but this just wasn’t adding up to her. “I mean, I got married on a reality show and here I am running to tell you. And we’ve known each other a while; I’d figured I know that you had a wife and kid.” Andie sighed, picking one of the toys on the couch and tinkered with it. “I’m just worried about you, Owen and I want to make sure that you’re okay.” She bit her lip, lifting her eyes to meet her friends. “Are you okay? How is this Rose?”

Owen closed the door behind the other and went to sit on the couch with her, looking around at all the stuff that had been laying around. He had meant to clean up a bit while the girls were out and he was still planning to, but he was being a bit lazy. “Oh, it’s Olivia’s stuff. I was supposed to clean it up a bit but I’ve been a bit lazy.” He said and offered a smile. “She and Rose are out at the moment.” He said. “With everything that’s happened, Rose has been amazing and understanding and I just don’t know how she does it all but she does.” He said as he messed with the hem of his shirt. He could feel an odd vibe as if something was wrong. He turned towards Andie. “Is there something the matter? I mean, I would assume you would know about my kid?”

Olivia? The name ran through Andrea’s mind, over and over, trying to connect it but no connection ever came. Owen and her weren’t best of friends or anything, but they knew each other long enough and well enough that she’d like to think that she would know if Owen had a kid. Especially, given their conversations about dating and the single life and how desperate Andie had gotten and signed up for Married at First Sight. The confusion etched on her features became even more apparent at the mention of a Rose. “Rose?” She asked quizzically, now becoming concerned because it sounded like Owen had entered into a totally different world since losing his memories. Who were these people? She should probably work on her poker face cause it was obvious that she didn’t hide it very well when Owen asked her. Sighing, Andie wrung her hands in her lap, toying with her new wedding band as she tried to figure out what to say to him. “That’s the thing, Owen...” she started, pausing as she let her gaze meet his. “As far as I know and I think anyone else does... you don’t have a kid. I don’t even know who Rose is.”

Parker nodded as he read her lips. ‘of course’ he signed and then typed it into the app, letting the voice speak for him. He could feel the happiness radiating through him as she told him that she wanted him to teach her sign language. It meant a lot that she wanted to learn as he had met some people who didn’t even try to learn or show any interest, expecting him to adapt to them instead of the other way around. He took the glass and signed ‘thank you’, hoping it would be obvious before watching her lips once more, nodding his head in agreement. When she asked about the sign of kiss me, he couldn’t help but smirk slightly, giving her the sign before leaning forward, pressing his lips against hers. He pulled back after a moment and looked into her eyes. He could feel the connection that they already seemed to have and he pressed his lips against hers again, setting the glass down as he let his hands fall to rest on her sides.

There was a happiness that came over Parker’s feature when Andie asked to be taught sign language and she wondered how many people had disregarded that or hadn’t even tried to learn to communicate with him in his life. She would have to ask him more later on. The smirk on his lips caused one of her own to form as nerves began to ebb through her. It had been a forward question and she was just happy that he was okay with it. They were complete strangers but they were married now and there was a real connection between them, it seemed. Plus, it didn’t hurt that her husband was attractive as hell. She observed the sign, committing it to memory before Parker moved forward to kiss her. She smiled into it, only opening her eyes when he pulled back slightly. The connection between them was palpable, the air charged and she couldn’t help but think how right the experts had been to pair them together. Despite the obvious differences, it already seemed like such a good match. Andrea hummed happily as he kissed her again, her hands trailed up his arms and curled around his shoulders, her teeth nipping at his lip teasingly before she broke away. There was a big smile on her lips as they parted, and Andrea rested her forehead against Parker’s. Her eyes stayed close for a few seconds before she opened them, one hand cupping his jaw as she pressed another gentle kiss to his lips. “We should probably get some rest. Big day tomorrow.” She said once Parker was looking at her so he could understand what she was saying. Tomorrow, the show was flying them out to their honeymoon and it was sure to be an exhausting day. 

Parker couldn’t believe he was actually, legally married. There were a lot of things he thought he would be feeling but honestly, all he could feel was happy. Even though he knew next to nothing about his new wife and sure, they were going to have to figure out how to communicate effectively, he was still happy. He had followed Andie into the honeymoon suite and offered her a smile as he watched her lips move, glad he ha been facing her. He pulled his phone out and opened up an app that his organization helped develop. He typed into it, letting the voice come out from the phone. 

‘I can read lips, just make sure to talk slowly and let me know when you are saying something so I know.’ Parker looked up once he had typed the last word, waiting for her to say something back to him. He could feel the energy of the room, the nerves hanging in the air. He reached out and took one of her hands in his and he tried to calm any nerves that she had. ‘So, this is a nice room. Looks like there is some champagne over there.’ He typed out, not wanting to push anything onto her as far as traditional wedding night activities.

Andie watched on curiously as Parker pulled out his cell phone and understanding flooded her features as a automated voice flowed from his cell, speaking what he couldn’t so that she could understand him. It caused her to grin and though she didn’t want this to be their permanent way of communication, she was thankful they had a interim solution. “Okay, I will...but I’d like you to teach me some sign language.” She confessed, the urge to be able to communicate with him in his language  deep and convicting. She didn’t want to rely on technology to be their source of communication and she would do her best to learn ASL for him, for them. 

When Parker grabbed her hand, the tension that had riddled her body eased and she found herself relaxing, squeezing his hand back. It was unspoken, but she understood. It was his way of assuring her that he didn’t expect anything of tonight. While Andie wasn’t opposed to it if things happened organically, it was nice to know that there was no pressure, married or not. They did just know each other for a few hours, after all. She hummed at his words, before remembering that he wouldn’t be able to hear her. “Do you want some?” She asked, making sure to speak slowly and clearly so that he would understand her before tugging on his hand and leading him to champagne. After the champagne was poured, she held up her glass for a toast, smiling at her husband. “It a surreal day and to the adventure that will be our marriage.” She toasted, the smile on her lips growing into a bright grin as they clinked glasses and took a sip. She let her chocolate gaze find his, captivated for a second before she inhaled sharply, dipping her eyes down to his mouth and back up to his eyes. “How do you sign kiss me?” She asked, pink dusting along her cheeks as she spoke but not wanting to take her question back. 

Owen heard the doorbell ring. He knew Rose and Olivia were out so he carefully pushed himself up from the couch and made his way to the door. He hadn’t been expecting anyone so he had no clue who it was at the door. He pulled it open and tilted his head to the side slightly as it wasn’t anyone he had re-met in the past few weeks. “Uh..hi?” He asked curiously. “Which bakery? Uh sorry…maybe they didn’t tell you that I lost my memory?” He questioned as he moved to the side. “Did you want to come in?” He asked curiously, closing the door behind them. “Maybe you can help me since you seem to know some stuff about me?” He moved to sit back on the couch, making sure to move some of Olivia’s stuff out of the way before he did sit down.

Andie’s brows furrowed in confusion as Owen opened the door and questioned her. The missing pieces finally clicked together and she remembered Chase mentioning that Owen had lost his memories but she had assumed that perhaps they would have been back by now. “Shoot, I thought they had come back.” She winced apologetically, following him into his house. “But yeah, of course, I’ll help as much as I can....” She trailed off, eyeing the living room. There traces of all over the place of a baby. Toys, bottles, and everything in between. It wouldn’t have been odd but Andrea was positive that Owen did not have a child. “Are you babysitting or something?” She asked curiously, picking up a toy as she sat down next to him. It seemed odd that he would be given his attack and the fact that he had no memories. “What’s up with all the baby stuff?”

When the door opened, Andie smiled at her friend, her gaze sweeping over Owen’s body to examine the extent of damage that the incident had cause. “Hey stranger. I stopped by the bakery and Chase told me you were still home bound. How are you? I heard what happened – are you alright?” @owen-samuels​

Parker knew going into this endeavor, this marriage, that it would be hard no matter what, but even more challenging because he can’t hear her and she most likely didn’t know sign language but he was determined to make it work. He looked at Mike as she said her vows and he couldn’t help but smile, looking towards her once the vows were done. He couldn’t help but smile from the beautiful words and the beautiful woman that was standing in front of him, trusting him to be in this with her and to work on building a relationship. He didn’t know why he was so confident with this marriage working but somewhere deep down, he believed that they could make it, that the process was going to work. He looked over as the rings were brought forward before looking back towards his bride. He looked into her eyes, reaching forward and grabbing her hands, he gave them a gentle squeeze, trying to get her to understand that he was here and he wasn’t going anywhere. He offered her a smile, trying to reassure her before turning back to the officiant and taking the ring he had picked out for her. 

Looking back to Andie, Parker slid the ring onto her ring finger and then signed the words back to Mike and smiled back to his bride, giving her hands another gentle squeeze. He watched Mike as she did the same as he had just done and he grinned, the officiant saying for him to kiss the bride and he gave her a look, as if asking permission from her give her a kiss. He slowly leaned in, pressing his lips to hers for just a moment, eyes closed as he felt fireworks going off somewhere as if this was the person that he was meant to find. He pulled away a moment later, looking her in the eyes for just a moment more before he turned to face the gathering of people. He took her hand and carefully led her down the isle, 

And just like that, they were officially married. 

The reception went by in a blur and Andrea was still spinning from all that happened in a span of hours. Memories of the night played through her mind -- everything from dancing with Parker for the first time, to eating the cake and watching their families interact and get to know each other.  It was crazy to think that just yesterday she was single and alone and now...well, now she was entering a honeymoon suite she was about to share with her husband. 

The door of their suite closed and snapped Andie from her thoughts and with the camera crew finally leaving for the night, Andie turned over to look at Parker. The energy around her was nervous and she felt jittery around him because now they were alone. There was no Mike to interpret for them. There were distractions. No camera crews. It was just them. And Andrea had no idea what to do or say.”I...I can’t believe that this is our wedding night.” Andrea sighed, looking at her husband to try and see if he could even make out what she was saying. How was this supposed to work. “I’m sorry, I know I’m really awkward right now but can you... can you understand what I’m saying.” She winced as she said it because it could be taken the wrong way and she didn’t want to make him feel bad but this was entirely new to her and she wanted to figure out how he wanted to communicate.

Parker had no clue how he was supposed to let her know he was deaf before she got up to the alter so he just let her walk up. He smiled nervously as he watched her for just a moment, reaching out to shake her hand when she had offered it. He looked passed her for just a moment to see what his translator was signing and nodded as he signed back, the translator saying out loud what he was signing. ‘Hi, I’m Parker. It’s nice to meet you too. I’m deaf, this is my translator Mike. He comes along for special occasions.’ He signed, waiting for Mike to finish talking and he looked at Andrea, hoping she wasn’t freaked out or anything. He knew it could take someone off guard, especially if they knew nothing of deaf culture or how to interact with someone who was deaf and here she was about to be married to someone who couldn’t hear a word she said. He watched her for a moment, looking up to the person doing the ceremony for a moment before he looked back to his bride. 

The adrenaline was coursing through his veins as Parker cleared his throat, rocking slightly on his tip toes and heels. The officiant started the ceremony, Mike signing all the words and Parker watched, taking in every word. It became time for vows and Parker looked straight at Andrea, signing his vows to Mike could say them. ‘Wow. What to say to the person you are to marry but have never met. There are so many things people say in these things but they’ve known each other for a long time. I’m rambling, sorry, bad habit. I promise to take care of you, to learn, to show you the world and everything it has to offer. I promise to prove to you how good of a husband I can be. I promise to do my best to be good for you.’ He finished. He had never been a good writer so he hoped that she liked the vows that he had managed to come up with having not known her before.

There was sincere shock that covered her features when it dawned on her that the man before her, the man she was supposed to be spending the rest of her life with, was deaf. She turned to look at the interpreter as he spoke, translating the signs that Parker was making before her eyes landed back on him. For a moment, panic welled inside of her. Communicating in a marriage was hard enough when both parties could speak to each other but how were her and Parker supposed to communicate when they couldn’t understand each other? She didn’t know ASL and he couldn’t hear her. How was this supposed to work? But the panic lessened momentarily when she caught the eyes of her father, soft and patient and sure. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had to trust that the experts had put them together for a reason, that God’s hand was in all of this.They would figure it out. With a smile on her face, she opened her eyes and let them meet Parker’s with a small nod, hoping to communicate silently that while yes, she was nervous, she was also okay with this. She wasn’t going to run or back away. She was ready to figure this out with him.

The ceremony continued and Andrea paid close attention to each word being spoken, taking in everything that was being shared because this is was important. This was the marriage they were cementing. When it was time for the vows, Andie faced Parker. Though Mike was speaking, Andrea was giving Parker her full attention, watching his signs as he spoke to her and laughing at his comment about rambling. And as he finished, Andrea smiled at him and offered him her hands for  him to grab. When it was her turn, she took a deep breath before starting to speak, keeping her focus on him even as she watched his gaze drift to see what his translator was signing. “I’ve had vows in my head since I was old enough to understand the concept of love and marriage but that all seems so fantastical now that I’m standing here…ready to marry a stranger. Marriage is hard and it’s going to be harder for us because we know nothing about each other, so I won’t promise you a fairy tale or anything of the sort. I do promise to stick by your side, through the hard times and the bad times. To learn with you and figure out how we can make this work. Supporting, caring, helping each other as we learn about each other, this marriage and where we fit in this crazy world. I promise to make you laugh, and I promise to make you cry. I promise to make you smile and make you ask yourself why you go into this’.” She chuckled, flashing him a grin at the poor joke she made before sobering up and looking sincerely and genuinely at him. “I promise to try my very best to be a good wife and your best friend.” She finished, hoping he had liked her vows as much as she had appreciated his. 

As she finished, the officiant started speaking again, coming to the point where they exchanged rings. As per tradition, the officiant addressed Parker first, introducing the exchange of the rings that was about to happen. The nerves that had never quite left her were  building in strength. She fidgeted, hoping that he wouldn’t back out in the last seconds, that he wouldn’t care that she didn’t know his culture or his world or that they were going to have a hell of time communicating but would rather choose to stick through this and work on it together.