Chapter 249

Ella

The reception hall was filled with the soft, warm glow of hundreds of candles, and the sound of gentle music filled the space. It really was everything that we had wanted. The wedding planner had outdone herself.

“What do you think?” Logan asked, holding my hand as we meandered around the room. “Quite the party, huh?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s putting it lightly,” I said as I took in the beautiful flowers—bright yellow sunflowers and dark red roses, matching my bridal bouquet—and the long strands of streamers hanging from the ceiling.

The streamers swayed in the breeze that was coming in through the huge double doors that let out onto a patio, where there was an open bar. Tables were scattered around, laden with all kinds of delectable hors d’oeuvres and chocolate fountains. Just looking at the fragrant food made my mouth water.

“Yeah,” Logan said with a laugh, stopping to stab a nearby strawberry with a toothpick. I watched as he held it under the chocolate fountain and then held it out to me.

“For me?” I asked, my eyes widening with greedy anticipation.

He nodded. “Mhm.”

Logan held the chocolate strawberry out to me, and I opened my mouth to take a bite—but before I could, Logan popped it into his own mouth.

“Hey!” I chided, scrunching up my nose at him. “Not nice!”

Logan chuckled as he held another strawberry under the constant stream of warm, dark chocolate. “I had to,” he teased.

I rolled my eyes, although there was no real heat in the gesture. “I guess I’ve got this to look forward to for the rest of my life, huh?”

“Yup.” He held the second strawberry out, and this time, he actually let me take a bite. It was warm and sweet, although I was terrified of getting chocolate on my wedding gown. “You’re stuck with me,” he said.

As we continued to move through the crowd, still feeling like we were floating on a cloud after the beautiful and emotional ceremony, I caught sight of my father standing near the dance floor.

Our eyes met, and he beckoned me over with a warm smile. “Looks like your dad wants you,” Logan said, releasing his grip on my hand. “Go ahead. I was hoping to talk to Moana, actually.”

I raised an eyebrow and was about to ask Logan what he needed to talk to my mother about, but it was already too late; he was weaving his way back through the crowd toward the bar, where my mother was leaning. I navigated my way through the guests toward my father, my wedding dress rustling softly with each step.

When I reached him, his gray eyes beamed with excitement.

“May I have this dance?” he asked, extending his hand towards me.

I nodded, feeling a rush of emotions as I placed my hand in his. I remembered how big his hands had seemed when I was a kid; they were still big now, but he had seemed so impossibly tall and enormous when I was little. It had taken me a long time to realize that he was just a man and not a god. Although sometimes, I still had my moments. He was my dad, after all—a superhero in my eyes.

The band began to play a slow, sweet song, one that brought back memories of my childhood. I rested my head on my dad’s chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart as we swayed gently to the music.

“You’ve made me so proud, Ella,” he whispered. “Seeing you so—”

“Dad, you’re being all mushy again,” I teased, poking him.

My dad, usually the perfect picture of stoicism, smirked down at me. “I’m allowed to be. It’s my daughter’s wedding day.”

I let out a soft sigh of contentment and let him continue. “I’m sorry. Go on, dad.”

He took a deep breath. “It’s just that, well… Seeing you so happy with Logan... it’s all a father could ever wish for. I know I wasn’t the most supportive at first, so I just wanted to say that.”

“I don’t blame you, you know,” I said, looking up at him. “He was the son of a mobster, after all.”

My father paused, pursing his lips as he thought for a moment. His eyes wandered across the crowd, and I followed them; they eventually landed on my mother and Logan, who were leaning against the bar. They seemed to be having an animated conversation. I wondered what they were talking about.

“He wasn’t,” my dad finally said. “Not really.”

“What?” I asked, returning my gaze to my dad.

My dad shrugged; it was a gesture that I rarely saw him make. He was usually so decisive. “He was never meant for that world,” he said softly. “I think he was just put there to find you, that’s all. And now that he has, it’s all behind you. Despite everything.”

Tears welled up in my eyes as I clung to my father. “I love you, Dad,” I managed to say, my voice catching in my throat. “Thank you. For being open, and understanding, and… the best dad ever.”

He hugged me tighter, and for a moment, we were lost in the music, the world around us fading away.

As the song ended, I gave my father one last hug before stepping away. I glanced around the room, searching for Logan and Moana. I spotted them near the entrance now rather than near the bar, pacing around the room as they were still engaged in their deep conversation.

With my curiosity now fully piqued, I made my way towards them. I couldn’t hold back any longer.

“What are you two talking about?” I asked as I approached. “You’ve been yapping away for ages now.”

Logan and Moana turned to me, and Logan smiled, a hint of excitement in his eyes. “Ella. I was just about to come and look for you.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

My mother smiled. “Logan has something she needs to tell you,” she said, already taking some steps backwards. “I’ll leave you to it.”

As my mother walked away, I furrowed my brow and met Logan’s gaze again. “What was all that about?” I asked.

“The vault,” he said.

My eyes widened. “The vault? You went?”

He nodded and took a deep breath before continuing. “It was filled with gold and jewels, Ella,” he said. “An incredible fortune.”

I gasped, surprised by the revelation. “You’re joking. Seriously?”

“Dead serious,” he said.

There was a brief silence between us. I was too stunned to speak; how had Logan’s mother hidden a vault full of gold and jewels for all these years? And if he had visited, why was I only just now hearing about it?

Suddenly, however, my expectations were blown away once again when Logan continued to speak. “And I’ve decided not to keep it.”

“What?!” I exclaimed.

Logan nodded. “I want to donate it; that’s why I was talking to your mom. I wanted her guidance on how to get started on donating the money, and she suggested some scholarships, foundations, that sort of thing. It’ll be a long process, but we’ll hopefully get started within the next year or so.”

I was still stunned. “Logan, that’s…”

“But that’s not all,” Logan interrupted one last time. “I’m not a fool, and I do plan on saving some of it—investing it, putting it in trust funds, that sort of thing. For our future children.”

He paused, licking his lips as a faraway expression came over his face. “I went through hell fighting for money,” he whispered then. “I don’t want that for our future kids. I want to make sure that they’ll never have to fight over money like my family did. Whatever they want, they’ll have it. No competitions, no hatred, no ultimatums. The way family should be.”

I couldn’t believe it; even my wolf was astounded. Without even thinking, though, I suddenly threw my arms around him and buried my face in his neck.

“Logan, I’m so proud of you,” I murmured as we pulled away just enough to look at each other. “Whatever you want to do with the fortune, I’ll support you. But this plan… I think it’s solid.”

He grinned, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. “Oh, and there’s one more thing,” he said, opening the box to reveal a beautiful silver locket. “This is for you.”

My breath caught as I saw the delicate piece of jewelry shining up at me. “For me?” I whispered, looking up to meet his bright blue eyes.

“Mhm. It belonged to my mother,” Logan explained. “I found it in the vault. I wanted you to have it, as a wedding gift.”

Tears filled my eyes as I took in the locket, feeling a deep connection to the woman I had never met but who had played such a significant role in Logan’s life. I turned it over in my hands to see that there was a little engraving on the back that read: “To my dearest, with all my love.”

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered.

Logan carefully placed the locket around my neck, his fingers lingering for a moment as he fastened the clasp. “She would have loved you, Ella,” he said, looking into my eyes. “Just as I do.”

Tears filled my eyes for what felt like the millionth time that day. I smiled, standing up on my tiptoes to plant a warm, soft kiss on Logan’s lips. I felt his arm loop around my waist, pulling me close as the rest of the world faded away.

When we finally pulled apart, Logan smiled at me, his eyes shining with the kind of love that I never would have expected from the man who I had met just a year ago.

“Now come on. Let’s go enjoy our reception, Mrs. Barrett,” he said, taking my hand and leading me back into the crowd.