God as his witness, Edison never had any intention of abandoning her.
After all, Jenny was spectacular in every regard; their personalities might clash, but they clicked effortlessly where it mattered.
Aside from the fact that she wasn't originally from Solenia, there were absolutely zero issues between them.
Why would he ever want her to get an abortion?
He had purely been terrified that she would resent giving up her freedom for motherhood.
He knew Western women sometimes viewed independence and family planning differently than traditional Solenians.
Who could have predicted that Jenny had every intention of keeping the baby?
She even boldly declared that if he refused to take responsibility, she would raise the child all by herself as a single powerhouse mother.
Edison had been completely speechless!
If she was fully on board to be a mother, he was absolutely going to step up and be a husband!
"We've actually already signed the papers. We just haven't had a spare second to host the ceremony, which is why it got pushed to the holidays."
His explanation made perfect logical sense.
Claire let out an understanding "Oh."
She couldn't really fault his reasoning.
As for why they were strapped for time?
Because Jenny had been out ruthlessly conquering the Solenian market.
She had already aggressively expanded SUNNY's reach, launching their third and fourth flagship stores in prime coastal cities.
Jenny was hell-bent on milking every last second of productivity before the baby arrived, and no one could stop her.
Getting married and having a child certainly wasn't going to dull her edge in the boardroom.
Knowing Jenny, her empire would always reign supreme, even with a ring on her finger.
Claire wasn't the least bit worried about her abandoning her career.
If Jenny had married a civilian, Claire might have worried about her job ruining her marriage.
But she was marrying her own uncle!
There was absolutely zero need to stress over that dynamic.
Edison practically lived in his office too; he'd definitely understand her hustle, right?
"Didn't you want a classic Western church wedding, Jenny?"
They definitely couldn't pull one of those off out in the village.
"We talked it over, and I actually prefer a traditional heritage wedding," Jenny chimed in brightly.
"Having a loud, bustling celebration
in the village sounds perfect. Plus heard some incredibly talented
artisans there hand-crafted a
bespoke gown just for me."
"I am dying to see how stunning I look in a traditional bridal dress."
Edison smoothly threw in a compliment. "You're going to look breathtaking."
The villagers had been frantically working on her custom bridal attire the literal second Edison called home to announce his engagement.
The village boasted several master seamstresses, and Pandora was one of the best.
The other elder women were all highly skilled with a needle as well.
Driven by their fiercely united spirit, the locals had poured their hearts into the preparations months in advance.
They were practically holding their breath for him to return and tie the knot.
Even though the wedding wasn't until the third day, a massive crowd had already flocked back to the village.
They were home for the holidays, but sticking around for Edison's legendary wedding was the main event.
Even Pearce's son, Dewitt, had made his triumphant return.
As Claire's car pulled up to the village entrance, they spotted a
fiercely cool guy perched on a net
massive boulder, commanding the local kids in a chaotic game of tag.
Claire stared at the man, finding him incredibly familiar.
That was, until Dewitt finally locked eyes on their car.
"Edison," Dewitt called out, instantly recognizing his uncle and strolling right over.
The memory clicked this was Dewitt, the cousin she had briefly met during her travels.
He was clearly doing well for himself. Even wrapped in a ridiculously thick, brightly patterned winter coat, he still oozed raw, untouchable swagger.
"Dewitt!" Claire greeted him with a bright, syrupy smile.
Dewitt shot her a warm, easy grin.
Back when they had crossed paths near the border, he had instantly noted that this
girl was not just gorgeous, but razor-sharp.
Her ability to adapt under pressure was off the charts.
"Come on, let's head to the house together."
The paved road used to cut off right at the village entrance, but Pandora had recently funneled massive funds
into repaving the entire route just to make her granddaughter's life easier.
Now, every single house had direct driveway access.
Because of this, Claire and the group didn't have to haul their luggage from the
gates; they cruised straight up to their front door.