Chapter 245

Ella

As I walked into the bridal boutique with my entourage, the little bell on the door chimed and I was immediately greeted with the scent of lavender and the smile of a bridal assistant.

Daisy, Moana, Clara, and Sarah were with me; it was just a couple of days after the housewarming party, and our new house felt full to the brim with my family and Clara staying for a while. Not that I minded, though. It was fun having them here, and I was glad to have them all by my side as I tried on gowns.

“I wish Selina could be here,” I muttered to Moana as we walked in. “I’d like her opinion on the dress.”

Moana sighed and gave my hand a squeeze. “She’s here in spirit,” she said. “Flying isn’t so easy for her these days, but she’ll be at your wedding, that’s for sure.”

“I’ll show her lots of pictures,” Daisy added with a grin. “Even if she tells me to stop.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Our old housekeeper was never the biggest on technology, and had always gotten frustrated with smartphones.

There was no doubt in my mind, though, that Daisy constantly bombarded her with pictures and videos, and the thought of it made me smile—especially knowing that Selina was secretly a big softie who would probably try to hide her fawning over my dress, but would be thinking about it for weeks, or even longer.

“Hello,” the assistant said as she walked up to us. “You must be Ella.”

I nodded and followed the assistant around the shop, picking out various gowns. We had already had a phone consultation a couple of weeks prior, so she had some dresses picked out for me already.

But I couldn’t say no to the suggestions that Clara, Moana, and Sarah threw my way. I especially couldn’t say no to Daisy, even when she picked out a garish baby pink dress that practically made my eyes bleed.

I tried it on for her though, just to make her happy, and we all got a good laugh out of it.

An hour later, as I gazed at my reflection in the full-length mirror, adjusting what felt like the millionth gown I had tried on, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of frustration. “I don’t know, guys,” I sighed, turning to face them. “This one’s beautiful, but it just doesn’t feel like... me.”

Moana, sitting comfortably on a plush sofa, clapped her hands together. “Ella, darling, you’ll know the right dress when you find it,” she said softly. “There’s no pressure.”

“Yeah,” Daisy said, her mouth full of one of the cookies that the sales attendant had set out for us. “No pressure at all. Not as long as I’ve got cookies.”

Moana smacked her in the arm. “Don’t be rude, young lady.”

Sarah, ever the practical one, chimed in as I was giggling. “Remember, it has to be something you can move in,” she said. “Knowing you, there’s bound to be some spontaneous dancing.”

I laughed, acknowledging the truth in her words. My eyes then drifted to Clara, who was flipping through a bridal magazine with wide-eyed wonder. “What do you think, Clara?”

Clara looked up, her eyes sparkling. She was the quietest out of the bunch, but that was okay. I still appreciated her opinion, maybe even more so than the others, seeing as how we had been friends for almost two decades now. “You look like a princess in all of them, but you need something... fiercer,” she said.

I quirked an eyebrow. “Fierce?”

She nodded, then stood, setting her magazine aside as she came over to me. We looked in the mirror together for a few moments before she spoke. “Your figure is hiding in this gown,” she said, poking at my waist and tugging on the fabric. “And you’re a long sleeves kind of woman. Not strapless.”

Her words made realization dawn on me. “You’re right,” I said, turning this way and that in the mirror before turning to the sales attendant. “Do you have anything a bit slimmer, and with long sleeves? Maybe something a little more simple, too?”

The sales attendant thought for a moment. “Hmm…” she muttered, tapping her chin. But then recognition washed over her face, and she scurried away. She returned a few moments later with a gown in a hanging bag, and gestured for me to follow.

“Let’s try this one,” she said. “I think you’ll love it.”

With a nod, I followed the sales attendant to the fitting room. She helped me out of the rather gaudy ballgown I was wearing and into the sleeker, silkier gown she had picked out. It felt right on my skin, but I didn’t look in the mirror. I wanted it to be a surprise, even for myself. I didn’t even look down at it, but instead closed my eyes as the assistant helped me get dressed.

And as I stepped out of the changing room a few minutes later, the reactions were instantaneous. Moana’s hand flew to her mouth, her eyes brimming with tears. “Oh, my baby,” she whispered.

Sarah clapped her hands in delight. “Ella, you look stunning!”

Clara nodded in agreement, her eyes shining. “That’s the one. It’s so you.”

Daisy bounced on her toes, grinning from ear to ear. She was having a sugar high, but I didn’t mind. “Yes, Ella! You have to get that one.”

Taking a deep breath, I stepped up onto the podium and turned.

The reflection staring back at me from the mirror was one I barely recognized. The dress was perfect; the sleeves were long and carefully beaded, with a sweetheart neckline and a bodice that laced up in the back.

The skirt was smooth and silky, hugging my hips but also flaring out just the smallest amount. It twirled and floated when I turned, and I knew that it would look perfect when I danced.

And it wasn’t a pure white color, but rather the faintest shade of dusky pink; a beautiful color, and a slight nod to the girlish hue that Daisy had been dead set on me trying.

“It’s… It’s perfect,” I whispered.

Tears welled up in my eyes as the reality of the moment hit me. I was going to marry Logan, my fated mate. An ex-mobster, no less! The path to this moment had been filled with twists and turns, fears and triumphs. And now, here I was, about to start a new chapter with him. With my family. With my sister, who would someday walk down the aisle herself.

“Ella, honey, are you crying?” Moana asked, her voice soft.

I nodded, unable to speak as the tears spilled over. Moana rushed forward, enveloping me in a warm hug. “It’s okay, honey,” she soothed. “These are happy tears. I cried when I found my dress, too.”

Clara and Daisy joined in, and soon we were a huddle of emotions, laughing and crying all at once. Sarah, standing a bit apart, wiped a tear from her own eye before finally joining the group hug.

Pulling back after a moment, I looked at each of them—my mother, my sister, and my two best friends. “You’ve all been my rocks.”

“And we always will be,” Clara said, squeezing my hand.

As we stepped out of the boutique, the dress carefully packed away and ready for alterations, I felt a sense of completeness. Everything was falling into place, piece by piece. The challenges we had faced, the fears we had overcome, they had all led us to this moment.

The cool evening air greeted us as we stepped outside, the city lights beginning to twinkle in the early twilight. A new chapter was about to begin, and I was ready.

Ready to be Ella Barrett.