Epilogue
“You are so much calmer than I was on my wedding day.” Caroline shook her head, her blonde curls bouncing as she zipped up Maribelle's dress. “I was an anxious mess.”
Maribelle laughed. “What could I possibly have to worry about? Juliette has everything handled.” They had a lot of hoops to jump through to get married in France, and their wedding planner, Juliette, had been an absolute Godsend to help them navigate it all. “That woman should be put in charge of world crises. She'd have them sorted out in two days.”
“Sorry, I'm late,” Eleanor called as she entered the large master bedroom of the enormous villa that was Francesca and Victor's wedding gift. “Dominic was out for the count in three seconds, but Vanessa refused to go down for her nap. I know she will give me problems when she's older; she’s already as stubborn as a mule.”
“I wouldn't worry too much about it.” Lila didn't look up from the magazine she was flicking through. “Mira just finished. Rene is tidying up a bit, and he'll be ready for you.”
“Oh, perfect.” Eleanor disappeared down the short hall to the bathroom where a temporary hair salon had been set up so Rene could do their hair.
“It's not just making sure everything is ready, although I fully admit to wishing I had a Juliette when I got married; it was the idea of getting married at all.” Caroline continued her conversation as she stepped back and looked Mirabelle over with a critical eye before smiling. “Perfect.”
Mirabelle smoothed down the sides of her simple, white silk slip dress. It was identical to the ones her bridesmaids wore, except theirs was in a powder blue. “Bast and I belong together; this is decades in the making, so nope, not concerned at all.” She slipped on her white ballet flats. Getting married on the beach meant heels were impossible, not that anyone had complained.
“Mirabelle! It is time for the first look!” Juliette came bustling into the room. “When Eleanor is finished, we will need you all in the tent by the entrance. So, help her get ready as quickly as possible, no?”
“Will do.” Marie appeared behind Juliette, holding an armful of bouquets. “The groomsman are all ready to go and waiting for us as well.”
“Excellent!” Juliette’s eyes sparkled as she took in Mirabelle’s dress. “Your mother is getting dressed, and Victor and Francesca have already gone down to the tent.” She checked her watch and gestured for Mirabelle to follow her. “Come, we must go.”
“Ready when you are,” Mirabelle said easily. Taking her bouquet from Marie as she passed and followed Juliette from the villa and down the short path toward the private beach. The last year and a half had been a whirlwind of divorces as the fallout from Eddie and Casey's disastrous wedding hit. Bastian and Mirabelle represented seven different women who were impacted by the evidence. Most of them had been settled out of court, but Jillian had asked for what was now called the Eddie Special, and Zeke had fought back hard, doing his damnedest to win her back. They had come close; Jillian had almost forgiven him, but then the baby was his, and she immediately ramped things up to have it all finalized as quickly as possible.
Eddie moved to California and passed the bar there. He cut contact entirely with most of his family, and they only got occasional updates from a second cousin out there who would grab a beer with him now and then. He was seeing a woman in her fifties and was, by all accounts, a mostly a kept man on a very short and tight leash.
Casey was living in Michigan with her father. Her stepmother had demanded a divorce after she gave birth because of how he responded to Casey's threat to make her and the baby's life hell if she went into labour on her wedding day. Zeke had primary custody as Casey was proven too unstable to be a mother, or so they heard from their clients.
Mirabelle smiled as she saw Bastian facing away from her, watching the waves. He was wearing beige cotton pants and a white shirt. Juliette adjusted her bouquet of white roses and stepped back. Mirabelle walked up behind Bastian and reached out, tapping his shoulder. He turned around, and his face lit up when he saw her standing in her wedding dress.
“You look stunning, Mira.” He took her hand and twirled her. “Fucking incredible.” He leaned down and kissed her. “Are you ready to be my wife?”
“I’ve been ready to be your wife since we were sixteen.” She grinned at him. “You look amazing.”
“Then let's do this; I've waited long enough.”