Chapter 247

Ella

“Are you nervous, Ella?” the makeup artist, Jenna, asked as she selected a palette of soft, natural colors that complemented my skin tone.

Nervous would have been an understatement. It was the morning of my wedding; the day had finally come, after what had somehow felt like both an eternity and no time at all at the same time.

I was sitting in front of the makeup artist’s vanity, and the sun had just begun to warm the air outside. In just a few hours, I would be exchanging my vows with Logan. I still couldn’t believe it.

I smiled at her reflection in the mirror. “Very,” I admitted. “It feels silly to be so nervous, though.”

Jenna chuckled. “I was so nervous on my wedding day that I threw up, if that makes you feel any better,” she said.

I quirked an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.” She nodded as she began wiping my face with a gentle cleansing cloth. “So, keep that in mind; it could always be worse.”

As Jenna began getting to work on my makeup, her words resonated with me. She was right; it could be worse. A lot worse, as I had learned over the past year. But lately, things had felt strikingly normal. There was no drama, no fear, no danger; just me and Logan and the people we loved, starting a new chapter together.

Soon enough, I found myself daydreaming about the future while Jenna worked. “I just can’t believe this is really happening,” I said aloud, more to myself than anyone else. “And so fast, too.”

“Well, you’d better believe it,” Clara, who was sitting in a plush armchair nearby with a cup of coffee in her hands, said with a smirk.

“It’s not too fast, is it?” I found myself asking.

Clara’s smirk grew. “I think it’s a little late for those kinds of questions, Ella.”

“Yeah. You’re right.”

Jenna kept working her magic, blending and contouring, while the hairstylist, Lisa, began curling my hair into elegant, flowing waves. I had picked out a feminine half-up and half-down hairstyle with little braids that would wind through the bun. My veil was supposed to clip right into the bun with a little halo of flowers around it—perfect for a summer wedding.

“So, any plans for after the wedding?” Jenna asked. “Where’s the honeymoon?”

“We’re going to Paris, actually,” I said, blushing a bit. “I haven’t gone in so long.”

“Ooh,” Lisa chimed in. “Paris is so romantic. I went once a couple of years ago and it was wonderful.”

Clara glanced up from her magazine with a teasing smile. “What about after Paris?” she teased. “I’m just counting down the days until I’m an auntie.”

My cheeks warmed at the thought. If I was being honest, it had been crossing my mind lately. Logan and I were both of the sentiment that if it happened, then it happened. It would be a happy accident, that’s all. But we weren’t planning on it just yet.

“Maybe,” I admitted, feeling a flutter in my stomach. “But not for a few years at least. We both want to enjoy our time together first.”

“A little pup or two would be nice, though,” Ema said, her voice echoing in the back of my mind. “Although, with yours and Logan’s blood coursing through their veins, they’d be a handful.”

I almost scoffed out loud before I replied mentally. “Trust me; I know.”

As Lisa finished my hair, pinning it in place with the delicate floral hairpins I had picked out, I couldn’t help but admire the work they had done. My hair framed my face perfectly, cascading down in soft waves. It was perfect.

After that, Jenna finished my makeup with a few final touches, adding a gentle highlight to my cheeks and a soft pink color to my lips, which matched the slight pink hue in my gown. “And… There,” she said, stepping back to admire her work. “You look stunning, Ella.”

I turned toward the mirror, taking in my appearance one more time. It was exactly what I had wanted; simple, but elegant. Now, it was just time for the dress, and I knew that Daisy, Sarah, and my mom would be arriving at any minute.

Jenna and Lisa got to work on Clara’s hair and makeup after that, another simple look with a simple updo that Clara had picked.

Clara, Sarah, and Daisy were my bridesmaids, but I had been loose with the dress options. I wanted them each to pick what they liked the most, so long as their dresses were within the same family of sage green to match the wedding theme.

Clara, being my closest friend since childhood, was the maid of honor, so she got the first seat this morning when it came to hair and makeup.

Just then, Moana and Daisy entered the room, their eyes lighting up as they saw me. “There’s the blushing bride,” Moana said, making her way across the room to pull me in for a hug. “You look beautiful already. Where’s your dress?”

I pointed to the bag containing my dress, which was hanging on a nearby rack, and we got to work. The seamstress had altered it perfectly, changing tiny details here and there so that it fit my body like a glove; this also meant that it was a bit more difficult to slip into, but Moana worked seamlessly as though she had done this a million times before.

And before I knew it, I was standing in the mirror, looking at myself in the beautiful dress and feeling like a brand new woman.

“You’re perfect,” Moana breathed as she stepped back to look at me. “Oh, Ella, it suits you so well.”

“Thanks, mom,” I managed, my voice barely more than a whisper.

Daisy stood beside her, her eyes wide with admiration. “Ella, you look like a princess,” she said. She was all dressed up in her dress now, her hair curled in a feminine yet youthful way.

I turned to face them, taking in their expressions. “Thank you, all of you…” I began, but my voice trembled as tears threatened to come. A hush fell over the room, and my mother turned to the others, silently waving them away to give us a little privacy.

Once we were alone, my mother turned to me, taking my shoulders in her hands. “You alright, love?” she asked.

I nodded, fanning my eyes so as not to ruin my makeup with my tears. “It’s just a lot,” I muttered. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

“Oh, honey.” Moana stepped forward and brushed a stray strand of hair out of my eyes. “This will be one of the happiest days of your life. You and Logan are perfect together.”

“I know,” I whispered, taking a deep breath as I met Moana’s vibrant green eyes. “It just feels…”

“Surreal?” she asked.

I nodded.

“Come. Sit with me.”

I followed my mother over to the little loveseat that was in the room, and we sat together. She turned to me, taking both of my hands in hers. “It feels surreal for me, too, you know,” she said with a slight laugh. “All those years ago, when I first met you, I never thought I’d be here now. Not in a million years.”

“Yeah,” I said with a laugh. “Me neither.”

“But you know what?” she said. “I’m so glad that this is the outcome. Sometimes, I think to myself that although your father is my fated mate, he’s not the only reason why fate brought me to him; I think that fate also brought you and me together. And that’s just as important.”

As Moana spoke, I felt my heart twist in my chest. I blinked, thinking back on the horrifying nightmare I had had on the night that Devon took me; the things that the visage of Moana had said to me were horrible, evil, painful. They had never quite left my mind, although if I was being honest, I think they had always been there.

“You really mean that?” I whispered.

Moana nodded. “Why wouldn’t I?”

I shrugged and looked down at my lap. “Sometimes, I… I feel like I got in the way of you and dad,” I whispered. “That I was this… hitch in everyone’s lives. My biological mother didn’t want me, and I just complicated things.”

“Love,” Moana gasped, squeezing my hands even tighter, “you know that’s not true. You’re one of the biggest reasons why your father and I got together to begin with.”

“Really?” I asked, my eyes widening slightly.

“Of course,” Moana said softly. “Honey, you’re the one who pushed us together. I’ll never forget your little hands that day at the amusement park.” She paused, laughing, and the wrinkles around her eyes began to crease. “You held up our hands triumphantly, and said, ‘These are my parents!’”

Now, I was the one who laughed. “I remember that.”

“So you remember, then, how easily you fooled the employees,” she added. “And how the rest was history after that.”

I nodded, letting out a deep breath I didn’t know I had been holding. I leaned over and rested my head on Moana’s shoulder—my mother’s shoulder—and let her stroke my hair.

“Ella, you may not be my daughter by blood,” she said softly. “But you’re my daughter nonetheless. I can’t imagine life without you.”

“Neither can I,” I said softly as I looked down at our intertwined hands. “I love you, mom.”

“I love you too, Ella.”

…

As the time to walk down the aisle approached, I took a deep breath. This was it. The culmination of everything we had been through, the beginning of a lifetime together. Daisy, Sarah, my mother, Clara, and I made our way down the steps, with Daisy and Clara holding the train of my dress.

My father waited up ahead at the double doors that would lead to the chapel, and as we approached, he turned. His gray eyes flickered with something that almost looked like tears as he saw me, but he quickly blinked them away. I knew that he wouldn’t cry today; or maybe he would, but he’d just hide it extremely well.

“There’s my daughter,” he whispered, holding out his hands. I placed my hands in his palms and beamed up at him. “You look beautiful, Ella.”

“Thanks, dad.”

I took my father's arm as the music began to play and the doors opened, my bridesmaids beginning their walk down the aisle. My chest tightened, but I was ready.

My dad looked at me, his eyes shining with pride. “Ready?” he whispered.

I nodded, my heart pounding in my chest. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”