Chapter 250

Ella

The reception was in full swing, the air filled with the soft sound of music, the clinking of cutlery and champagne glasses, and the pleasant murmur of guests. It was the perfect night, too; the sun had set, and the air outside had cooled to a pleasant temperature as the crickets and cicadas sang.

Walking hand in hand with Logan, we approached the multi-tiered wedding cake. It was unbelievably tall, adorned with carefully piped flowers and leaves. There were two little figures at the top: a bride and a groom. They looked exactly like us, and I knew that we would save them forever.

It was time to cut the cake, and all of the guests had begun to gather in anticipation. Nearby, the little flower girl was licking her adorable lips hungrily as her father held her up so she could see.

“Ready to make the first cut?” Logan whispered, his eyes sparkling with mirth. We were both a little tipsy from the champagne, but that just made the night feel even better.

“I’ve been ready since we first walked in here,” I replied, smiling up at him.

Logan laughed. “You and your sweet tooth.”

Together, we held the knife, gently slicing through the soft cake, our movements synchronized. The knife slid through the layers of cake like butter, and we placed a thin slice on a plate. The guests clapped and cheered as we fed each other the first bites, the sweet flavor of the cake—plain with just a hint of vanilla and not too sweet, my favorite—mirroring the sweetness of the moment.

Before I knew it, we were caught in another whirlwind of activity. The night had gone much like this, with one thing after another, rushing by all too quickly. But it was perfect, really. I tossed the bouquet, which Clara caught and blushed a deep shade of red, and Logan tossed my garter, which one of his groomsmen caught. As per tradition, Clara and the groomsman danced together, and I could see how she giggled when he spoke to her. They were smitten.

After the dance, Clara scurried over to me and took my hands in hers.

“He was cute,” she cooed, glancing over her shoulder one last time at the tall, broad-shouldered young man who was looking at her very much in the same way.

I smirked. “You should get his number. It’s good luck.”

Clara’s blush somehow managed to deepen even more than it already had. She had always been a bit of a hopeless romantic, something that I had often teased her for when we were growing up; but now that it was my wedding day, I finally understood how she felt. Maybe I had always been a hopeless romantic, too, and I had just never let myself see it.

“Hey,” Clara said, putting her arm around my shoulders as we walked together, “we haven’t had much of a chance to talk, just the two of us.”

I nodded and looped my arm around her waist. “No, we haven’t,” I said. “It’s been a hell of a day. How are you holding up?”

Clara paused, turning to look at me. “I’ve been thinking a lot lately,” she said. “About what we talked about the last time you came to visit.”

“About mates?” I asked.

She nodded. “I realized that I was… disillusioned, for lack of a better word,” she explained. “I guess I had this idea in my head that love needs to be perfect, and seamless, and… easy. And when you told me that you and Logan weren’t really together, that changed things for me.”

“Oh, Clara, I’m sorry—”

“No, don’t apologize,” she interrupted. “Ella, I’m glad we had that discussion. Because… well, it’s made me think about what I want in life, and I realized that I don’t want perfection. I just want happiness. So I wanted to thank you for making me realize that.”

“What are you saying?” I asked softly.

Clara took a deep breath. “What I’m saying is… I’ve always had this idea in my head that things have to go a certain way. You meet someone, it’s love at first sight, you get married, you have some kids, you retire. That’s it. But I don’t want that. So this past year, I’ve been seriously thinking about making a change. A big, huge, life-altering change.”

“Clara—”

“I want to be a single mom,” Clara said quickly, her eyes widening as she said it aloud as though she surprised even herself.

I was speechless. Clara, a single mom? She had always been good with kids, and we would often volunteer at the orphanage once we were in high school, but she had never mentioned this.

“Look,” she continued, “I know it sounds crazy, but it’s what I want. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, and of course there’s still a lot I’d need to prepare. But I want you there. In my life, in the kid’s life.”

I felt my heart clench at her words. “Clara,” I said softly, squeezing her hands, “I’m so happy for you, and I trust your judgment. But I just bought a house here, and I’ve got the law firm, and…”

Clara shook her head. “That’s not what I meant,” she said. “I was thinking that I might want to try living here for a bit before I make any decisions. See how I like it here, you know? And then, if I still want to be here after six months, I think I’m gonna stay. Put down roots here, like you did. And besides, I… I miss you.”

As Clara spoke, my stomach began to flutter. The thought of my childhood best friend being here, so close to me in this city, and starting a family here, made me not only filled with anxiety for her sake—but also joy.

“Oh, Clara.” Without another word, I threw my arms around her neck, pulling her close. We hugged like that for a while, holding each other close. And in those moments, there was still so much ahead of her, ahead of us; but one thing was for sure.

I couldn’t have been happier.

For a long time, Clara and I sat and talked about the possibilities; about where she would live, whether she would transfer her banking job to the branch here or try out a new career path, what sort of mother she wanted to be. It was all so exciting, and I was so happy to be there for my friend.

“Hmm,” Ema said thoughtfully. “Auntie… That would be nice, wouldn’t it?”

“It sure would, Ema,” I replied, already picturing watching my best friend’s little one grow up. “It sure would.”

Eventually, the DJ announced the next dance, and I excused myself to rejoin Logan. As I walked back to him, I felt a newfound lightness in my chest that I hoped would never go away. It felt as if there was a world of possibilities ahead of us, like a million different doors had opened up, all of them ready and waiting to be explored.

Logan held out his hand, his smile as captivating as ever. “May I have this dance, Mrs. Barrett?” he asked, his voice warm and inviting.

I smiled. “You may, Mr. Barrett,” I replied, placing my hand in his. We stepped onto the dance floor, the soft music enveloping us.

As we danced, Logan’s eyes never left mine, his gaze filled with pure and unadulterated adoration. We moved effortlessly, our bodies in perfect harmony. The world around us faded away, leaving only the two of us in our own little universe.

“You make me the happiest man alive,” Logan whispered, his voice barely audible above the music.

“And you make me the happiest woman,” I murmured in response.

“Even though I’m a dirty, no-good mobster?” he asked.

I grinned and opened my mouth to respond—but before I could, I was being swept off of my feet, and a gasp escaped my mouth where words were supposed to be. Logan dipped me low, his face mere inches from mine.

In that moment, everything else faded away—everything except for us, our wolves, and the spinning lights overhead.

“Well?” he whispered.

I nodded. “Yes,” I replied breathlessly, cupping his face in my hands. “Even though you’re a dirty, no-good mobster.”

“Good.”

The words had barely left our tongues before Logan pressed his lips to mine in a tender, passionate kiss that left me reeling.

And it was a kiss that I would never forget.

-End-