Chapter Eleven
Ella
As the sun settles lower in the sky, the temperatures drop. I”m glad we”re back at the house and currently enjoying the spa bath on the main deck. Nearby is an outdoor firepit, its flames casting a warm, flickering light on our faces.
The guys prepared a scrumptious barbecue, all of us ravenous after this afternoon”s exertion.
It still stings that we kind of had the solution to our mud problem the entire time and wasted hours scrubbing when the mud just slid off once the oil was applied. But hey, at least we know for next time, right?
”Now, bestie,” Rhia says, throwing her arms around my shoulders. ”You realize I can”t let you spend your last unmarried night with your fiancé. Tradition demands it.””When have you… or I, for that matter, ever done anything the traditional way?”She taps her fingers against her chin. ”Probably never, but this is not negotiable. You and I are going to spend the night together.”
”Sounds saucy,” I tease. ”Are you going to wear pajamas?”
”Nah, where would the fun be in that?”
”Then I have to politely decline. I”m not sleeping with you in the same bed if you”re naked. I don”t need you rubbing all over me in your sleep, thinking I”m Lex.”
”I could never think you”re Lex. You”re too skinny.”
”It hasn”t stopped you in the past.”
”That was a long time ago.”
”It was a jarring experience,” I joke.
”Girls,” Lex interrupts us. ”Please behave.”
”Tell that to your girlfriend,” I laugh.
”Trouble, you will wear something tonight.” He points to his shirt hanging over a chair. ”It will remind you of me.”
”Aww. You two are so cute.”
Ade grins at me and points to his shirt ”You can have the shirt off my back too, Sunshine.”
I smile back at him and blow him a kiss.
For us, this is nothing new. If I”m not sleeping naked because Ade ravished me all night, I always wear one of his shirts to bed. It”s usually the one he wore during the day… if it”s not too smelly, of course. It”s a fact, I sleep better with his scent on me.
Ade pokes the fire with a long stick. ”So, did you know that in ancient Rome, brides wore flame-colored veils to scare off evil spirits?”
I laugh, leaning against him. ”Flame-colored veils? That sounds like something out of a fantasy novel.”
Rhia chimes in, her eyes sparkling with mischief. ”You should have told us before the trip. Then we could have gotten El an orange or red veil, just in case. It would have gone great with the bonfire theme.”
Ade chuckles, shaking his head. ”Imagine you walking down the beach with a bright orange veil. You”d look like you”re on fire.”
”Very fitting for a fiery personality,” Lex teases.
”Umm… you”re confusing me with your girlfriend,” I laugh.
”Oh, there”s plenty of fire in you, lucida,” Ade is quick to add, his eyes heating up. And it has nothing to do with the fire beside us.
And of course, I blush. That”s a heat I can happily do without.
I roll my eyes playfully. ”Thanks, guys. I”ll stick to my simple white dress, though.”
Rhia raises an eyebrow. ”Speaking of wedding traditions, did you know that in Sweden, if the groom leaves the room during the reception, all the male guests get to kiss the bride?”
Ade”s eyes widen. ”No way! Good thing we didn”t elope to Sweden.”
”Have you been brushing up on your random wedding facts, Rhi?” I ask her.
It”s not like her to come out with fun trivia. That”s usually Ade”s and my department.
”I sure did,” she says proudly. ”It was a given you two would regale us with random facts. You always do.”
We all burst into laughter, the sound blending with the soothing bubbling of the spa and the crackling of the fire. The banter continues, light-hearted and fun, easing away the earlier tensions.
The night feels magical, filled with the warmth and love of dear friends, the perfect prelude to our special day.
Rhia lifts her glass, her expression turning sincere. ”To tomorrow, and to a beautiful start of your happily ever after.”
We clink our glasses together, the sound ringing out into the night. As the fire continues to burn brightly, we bask in the glow of friendship and anticipation, knowing that tomorrow will be perfect, no matter what.
The guys retired to the guest hut half an hour ago, and us girls are sprawled out on the bedroom floor, surrounded by old wedding plans and scrapbook albums.
”We made these when we were ten. Where did you even find them?””I didn”t, Mom did, in the attic. Seems like she throws nothing away.”
Giggling, she flips through an old scrapbook. ”Remember how much fun we had planning our dream weddings?”
”Gosh, yes! That was before you declared you”d never get married. So glad you changed your mind.” I laugh, nudging her shoulder.
”I”m not married yet,” she retorts.
”It won”t be long. Once you”ve asked Lex, I bet he”ll want to elope right away.”
”Oh no! We”re not eloping. If Lex and I are doing this against all odds, it”s going to be a party to remember.” Then she”s quiet for a moment, seemingly lost in thoughts.
”Only with Lex, though. No other man could ever make me want to give up being a wild spinster.”
”Doesn”t a spinster mean no men at all?”
”Okay… wild hoe, then.”
”Well, I don”t miss you hooking up with a new guy every month. It was hard to keep track sometimes.”
”Gosh, El. That seems like lifetimes ago.”
”In a way, it is. Now we just have to work on your proposal to Lex. It”s taken an unnecessary backseat.”
”We”ll get to that when you”re back from your honeymoon. Tonight is all about you.”
She goes to the kitchen and comes back with champagne and two glasses. While she opens the bottle, I reach for one of the scrapbooks and flick through it.
”Oh God, Rhi, I wanted to marry a prince, ride to the church on a pet unicorn, and wear a dress made entirely of glitter.”
”And I remember the reception was going to be in a castle!” Rhia adds, her eyes sparkling with joy. ”We were so imaginative.”
”Or delusional,” I tease, nudging her with my elbow. ”But you were going to be my maid of honor, even back then. That part came true.”
Rhia pretends to wipe a tear from her eye. ”I”m honored, really. But seriously, look at us now. Your wedding may not have a castle or a glitter dress, but it”s even better. Could anything beat getting married on your own fricking private island and in that stunning lace dress we found?”
I nod, feeling a warm surge of emotion. ”Yeah, this is better than what I dreamed up. And while it”s different in so many ways, the love is exactly what we imagined. Even more, actually.”
Rhia smiles and hands me a glass of bubbly champagne. ”I knew you”d find your happily ever after. Even if the journey to get here was bumpy—”
”Understatement of the century,” I chuckle, interrupting her.
This time, a real tear descends Rhia”s cheek. ”I could have lost you so many times since August last year. Your daring escape attempts from Tiero, his enemies taking you, and then your dire heart diagnosis. And the heart transplant”s success was never a given either.”
”Wasn”t it though?” I ask, pulling my friend into an embrace and burying my face in her fiery red hair. ”Given the deep connection I had with Tiero and he with me, there never was a chance that my body would have rejected his heart.”
Rhia pulls away slightly to study me. ”I think you”re right.”
I feel myself tearing up. Stop it! This is not the time for tears. So I change the subject.
”And hey, I might not be marrying an actual prince in a castle, but at least Ade”s last name means that.”
”Burg?”
”Yep. It”s German for castle.”
”Neat. That counts for ticking one of the boxes.”
Rhia takes my hand and squeezes it. I grin, so happy to have my best friend by my side.
”I”m so happy for you, really. Seeing you this happy is all I ever wanted for you,” she says, her eyes glistening watery all over again.
”And me for you,” I say, my throat a little tight. ”We both found our happily ever after. I can”t wait to see what the future has in store for us.”
”To a bright future.” Rhia raises her glass in a toast.
”To a bright future,” I repeat, and we clink our glasses together.
”Oh, before I forget. I”ve got something for you.” She reaches into her bag and pulls out a small box. ”Remember this?” She holds it out to me, her eyes shining with a mixture of nostalgia and love.
”Oh my God! Is this what I think it is?” I gasp, my hand flying to my mouth.
I lift the lid of the papier-maché box Rhia and I made all those years ago. And sure enough, a familiar silver chain-art belt lies nestled in amongst tissue paper.
”This was the first piece you ever made,” I say in awe, letting my fingers glide over the delicate chain structure.
Rhia got into making chain art when we were teenagers. She”s so freaking talented, and even her first piece looked like a professional had made it.
”I told you it was yours on your wedding day. You didn”t think I would forget, did you?”
Tears well up in my eyes, and I can”t hold them back.
”No, but I had… until now, anyway,” I whisper, my voice choked with emotion. ”I can”t believe you still have this.”
”Of course I do,” she replies, her voice warm and comforting. ”It”s always been yours. I knew this day would come. And I”m beyond thrilled that it”s with someone as wonderful as Ade.”
I take the belt from her, feeling its cool, familiar weight in my hands. The memories flood back—of childhood dreams, teenage plans, and the unwavering support Rhia has always given me.
”Thank you,” I manage to say, my voice trembling. ”This means the world to me.”
Rhia wraps her arms around me in a tight hug. ”You mean the world to me,” she whispers back.
We stay like that for a long moment, then we go back to the scrapbooks, laughing at the outlandish ideas our ten-year-old selves came up with.