Chapter Twenty-Two
ELLA
M y ivory dress is simple but beautiful. It’s form-fitting at the top, with cap sleeves and a sweetheart neckline, but then flares out at my waist, the hemming stopping just below my knees. I had planned on wearing a close-to-white sundress or something, but then this morning, Liam texted me to check outside my apartment. We had decided to sleep separately last night as a fun little way to build anticipation, and when I opened the door I was met with a box on the floor, with the name of a designer I don’t even want to think about the cost of. Inside was this simplistically beautiful dress that seemed to fit me perfectly.
I turn slightly to see the back of the dress in the mirror in the little waiting room at the courthouse. Technically, they call it a “bridal suite,” but it’s a room with a mirror and two chairs.
“Mommy, you’re so bootiful!” Macie looks at me with stars in her eyes as Mom finishes pinning up her hair.
Brynn fusses over a stray piece of my own hair for a second, which is done in a pinned back, half-up style, and I smile as I answer her. “So do you, baby girl!”
Her white dress is a miniature version of mine, also thanks to Liam, and she looks adorable with her little basket of flowers.
“You both look amazing,” Brynn confirms, stepping back. She finally got her cast off yesterday, so no more clunky hand knocking into everything—like my head. She looks just as gorgeous as she always does, her pink hair in loose waves, a lavender dress hugging her curves.
A knock on the door has us all turning our heads, and Dad, Nolan, and Jayce walk in, dressed up in button-up shirts and ties. All three sets of eyes land on me, and their expressions melt. Well, Dad’s and Nolan’s do. Jayce just softens up a little.
That’s practically sobbing for him, though.
“PopPop!” Macie yells, immediately running into him and lifting her arms for him to pick her up. He lifts her immediately, setting her in the crook of his arm.
“Well, look at my beautiful granddaughter!” He presses a kiss to Macie’s cheek before shooting a wink in Mom’s direction. “Don’t think I forgot about you, Celine, because you look just as gorgeous as the day I married you.”
Her cheeks turn a little pink as she waves him off. She does look beautiful though, with her silvery gray hair swept into a French twist, and the dress that she’s wearing is a pretty blue that makes her eyes pop.
“Oh, you. This is Ella’s day, don’t try to go all suave on me.”
Jayce and Nolan’s good-natured groans fade into the background as the reality of the situation hits me then.
This is really happening.
I’m about to get married… and I couldn’t be happier.
“You do look absolutely stunning, Ella,” Dad says quietly, his honey-brown eyes shining with emotion as the mood turns a little bittersweet. My family has always been there for me. After the accident, after finding out I was pregnant, when I made the switch from vet school to my vet tech certificate… I’ve been able to depend on them. I’ve been able to rest easy with the knowledge that Macie was taken care of, whether I was at school or work. I don’t even want to think about where Macie and I would be without them.
Now, even though I know they’ll still always be there for me, they’re handing both Macie and me off to Liam’s care.
Blinking away my own tears, I offer a watery smile. “Thanks, Dad.”
“He’s right, Ell. You do look beautiful.” Nolan runs a hand through his shoulder-length dirty blonde hair as walks up next to me and gently elbows my arm. I laugh, shaking my head at the show of “brotherly affection.”
“I think we all know how great Ella looks,” Jayce says pointedly, looking around the room. With his buzzed hair and tie, he looks all business. “The reason we came in, though, is because Liam’s friend Rhett just got here.”
“And the doctor that Liam hired has the results,” Nolan adds, throwing an arm around my shoulder.
“You’re going to mess up her hair!” Brynn chides, swatting him away.
He winces as he lifts his arm off my freshly curled hair, which I’m sure is a little wonky now.
“Oops. Sorry, Ells.” Nolan grimaces. He lifts a few curls and fluffs them. “There. Good as new.”
“Huh.” Brynn peers around him, checking his handiwork. “Not bad, Parsons.”
“Alright!” I step away from Brynn and Nolan, shaking myself to refocus on the plan. “It’s good the doctor is here.” I nod, looking around the room at my family. “That means it’s show time. Time for part one of the plan.”
We make our way to the small little ceremony hall, Dad linking his elbow through mine and Brynn walking on my other side. Mom holds Macie’s hand as they walk in front of us, Nolan and Jayce flank our little formation. I almost feel like I’m in the middle of a little entourage.
An employee of the courthouse is waiting outside the ceremony hall for us and gives a small smile. “Are we all ready to go? The groom is ready for you.”
My heart pounds in my chest, the nerves finally getting to me. I’m not worried about marrying Liam, not for a second. But what if the plan doesn’t work? What if it doesn’t change anything and we still have to deal with the vultures that make up the media? What if his mom never acknowledges Macie as her granddaughter?
Brynn, Mom, Macie, Nolan, and Jayce all file into the room, until all that’s left in the hallway are Dad and me.
“Are you ready, Ellie?” Dad asks, patting my hand with his. Taking a deep breath, I nod, willing the pounding of my heart to calm down.
“Let’s do this.”
Dad opens the door for me, and I quickly scan the row of faces that have turned toward me at the front of the room. Mom, Jayce, Nolan, Brynn, and the guy who must be Liam’s friend Rhett all smile at me. Macie, situated in Mom’s lap, whisper-yells, “Hi, Mommy!”
Giving her a little finger wave, I turn my attention to Liam, who is in a damn fine charcoal gray suit. It’s not fair that he looks so good, and I have a feeling he feels the same way about me, because his eyes nearly pop out of his head when he turns my way.
My cheeks hurt from smiling so hard as Dad guides me down the aisle to a piano rendition of “Here Comes the Bride.”
All I can see is Liam. His sandy blond hair is pushed back, and his ocean-storm eyes, the same eyes he gave to our daughter, stay trained on me as I approach, and my stomach flips with anticipation as Dad and I finally reach him.
Dad lifts my hand, kissing my cheek.
“All these years later and you’re still my little girl. I love you so much, Ella, and I’m so proud of you.” His voice cracks with emotion, and I’m reminded that even though Dad can be a little flippant and silly sometimes, he still cares with his whole heart.
When he takes Liam’s hand in his other hand and joins us together, my heart clenches at the tenderness of the gesture. He doesn’t say anything.
Liam’s hand tightens in mine as we turn to face each other, the officiant next to us. He mouths the words to me, “I belong to you.”
Then the officiant starts speaking. “Friends and family, we are gathered here today…”
* * *
We did it. Liam and I are officially a married couple. Now time for the next part of the plan—the press conference. After we had sealed our vows with a kiss, making Macie squeal and cheer, “Yay! Mommy and Daddy are married!” and making everyone laugh, my parents took her out the back of the building to keep her away from the cameras.
Stepping down the front steps of the courthouse, where there’s a podium and cameras waiting for us, Liam and I approach together as Nolan, Jayce, Brynn, and Liam’s friend Rhett trail behind us. The sound of screeching tires has us all looking to the curb, where a harried-looking Mayor Allison Stokes is stomping out of her car.
“Oh look, right on time.” Liam smirks and winks at me, and I can’t help but feel giddy with anticipation.
It was a calculated risk, leaking the information about the wedding and press conference to his mom. Of course, he made sure to give her the wrong time so she wouldn’t show up to ruin the wedding, and arrive right on time for the press conference. She’s been leaving voicemails and texts the last few days, trying to “talk sense” into him. As if he could be talked out of being a father to his child. He never answered her, but I know the messages took a toll on him.
“Thank you all for coming,” Liam says into the microphone, not waiting for his mom as he addresses the reporters surrounding us. “We’ve called you all here today to put to rest the rest of the rumors surrounding me and my wife, Ella Stokes.”
“William, what are you doing, sweetie?” Allison asks through a fake smile as she joins us on the steps, coming over to Liam’s other side. Movement from the middle of the crowd catches my attention, and I spot Harvey as he separates himself from the gaggle of reporters, an envelope clutched in his hand. His look of derision would’ve been enough to set my teeth on edge with anxiety only a few months ago, but now all I feel is satisfaction. He’ll get what’s coming to him.
“It’s time you realized the truth, Mom. It’s time everybody knew the truth. Doctor Lockwood?” With that, from the crowd in front of us, steps Mayor Allison Stoke’s most trusted doctor, holding a manilla envelope.
“Lockwood, what’s going on?” She asks as the man makes his way next to us.
“Mom, I called up Doctor Lockwood a few days ago,” Liam speaks into the mic so everyone can hear him. “Just like you asked, we have irrefutable proof regarding the parentage of mine and Ella’s daughter. Right now, in his hand, are the still sealed results of the paternity test we voluntarily submitted.” He nods at Doctor Lockwood. “Would you like to do the honors?”
Doctor Lockwood sighs, clearly wondering if he gets paid enough to deal with this circus, but starts to break the seal on the results just the same.
For some reason Harvey looks just as smug as ever, that envelope still clutched in his hand and I have to wonder… does he genuinely believe that Liam isn’t the father? It’s either that, or he really thinks he is. Either way, I am so ready to have the fucking insanity that is Harvey Kohan out of my life.
Allison looks on with bated breath, and despite the fact that I know the truth, my stomach clenches with the intensity of the moment.
The doctor pulls the paperwork out of the folder, speaking clearly into the microphone. “In my hands are the paternity test results for William Stokes and Macie Parsons. The test says… they are a match. William Stokes is the father of Macie Parsons.”
Liam sweeps me into a breath-stealing kiss as the reporters clamor over each other, and the flashing of cameras go off. We break the kiss with a smile, and I catch a glimpse of Harvey’s pale face, while Liam’s mom just looks speechless.
“No.” Harvey shakes his head, denial clear in his tone as he approaches the podium. He has to know that he’s not Macie’s father, but it’s obvious now he was expecting them to not be a match. “No, it’s not true.” His voice pitches higher, and his face starts to pinken as he takes a step forward. “It can’t be true. I have my own proof!” He holds up the envelope in his hand. “Ella still belongs with me. We were together for so long, we?—”
“Nuh, uh, uh, Harvey,” Nolan speaks up, walking closer with a grin. Camera flashes are still going off, reporters still muttering amongst themselves. “Whatever paperwork you forged can go straight into the garbage. No more lying. We’ve been doing a little bit of digging of our own, and we know you’ve been a bad boy.”
If possible, Harvey gets even whiter. Harvey knows just how good my brothers are with computers, and what kind of information you can find if you know where to look.
Jayce takes a step forward. “We thought it was strange that you were at the hospital on the day you saw our mom, not to mention how often you’ve been in town when you don’t even live here. Then, a little birdy overheard an interesting conversation. Tell us, why have you been snooping around your aunt’s house, looking for a list of financial assets? And why is it that Great-Aunt Rosa, a patient over at UVM, thinks she doesn’t have any money for medical treatment? How does five thousand dollars miraculously go missing from her bank account on the very same days you visit her? And you’ve visited her a lot, Harvey. Makes me want to check the images of the checks that have been cashed from her account to see who they’re made out to.”
Harvey sneers. “They’re made out to cash, it won’t?—”
Then, as if realizing just how colossally he fucked up, he snaps his mouth shut. That admission, combined with the fact one of the news outlets has revealed the source of the leaked photos and therefore who was stalking us—spoiler alert, it was Harvey—he now has a mountain of evidence against him.
“Please, continue, we’re getting it all on camera.” Nolan smirks, motioning to the crowd of reporters. “We’ve already handed all the files off to the police… Oh look, here they are now.”
Harvey turns just in time to see two officers approaching, which makes him set off running. Less than five seconds later, he’s tackled right on the steps of the courthouse, one officer reading him his rights while the other cuffs him, muttering, “Why do they always fucking run…”
Liam grins and turns back to the microphone. “Well, folks, that’s all we have for you today. In short, Ella and I are married, Macie is officially verified as my biological daughter, and we got this guy,” he points a thumb over to Harvey, “arrested for elder abuse and theft with the help of my really cool, really single brothers-in-law. Please, enjoy the rest of your day.”
We step away from the podium as Liam pulls his phone out. “We really should take a picture to commemorate?—”
His words are cut off as he trips over one of the cords that leads to the microphone, sending his phone flying out of his hand. Allison bends over to pick it up, her eyes growing glassy at whatever she sees on the screen.
For a moment, her face is frozen in shock and Liam and I stay still, watching her reaction.
Then she bursts into tears. She quickly walks away from the cameras, and Liam chases after her, closely followed by me. I can hear Nolan and Jayce behind us, keeping the press from witnessing this private moment.
She’s just had her whole platform ripped out from under her. She had dug her heels in so deep over the paternity issue that I’m sure everyone thinks she looks ridiculous now. I can’t even find it in myself to feel sorry for her, though. She had every opportunity to just take a breath and listen…and she didn’t.
“Mom, come on. It’s over. You can’t be mad that?—”
“I’m not mad.” She lifts her tear-streaked face. “I can’t believe… I can’t believe I’ve been so blind.” She lifts the phone to face us, revealing Liam’s lock screen, which is a selfie of the three of us cuddling in bed yesterday morning. Macie’s joy-filled face as Liam and I kiss one cheek each. Her halo of brown curls lay out behind her, and her eyes, which are Liam’s eyes, sparkle with glee. “If I would have taken one… just one second to look at her, I would have seen how much she looks like you.” Her voice cracks. “And she’s so beautiful.”
Liam nods tightly as he takes his phone back from his mom. “Or if you just would have listened to me when I told you.”
“I know.” She shakes her head in shame. “I know. Instead of being the grandmother… and mother that I should have been this whole time… I was too focused on the election and how everything looked to everyone else, I forgot about what’s really important.” She turns to me. “Ella, I am so sorry for how I’ve treated you. I’ve spent so long protecting my family from the world, I thought my decisions… even if they made you unhappy, were for the best. I don’t expect your forgiveness right away… but would it be possible for me to meet her? Macie?”
Do I want her to meet Macie? I’m not sure she deserves to, after the way she villainized us and put my job at risk. But… she does seem genuinely remorseful.
Glancing at Liam, he’s looking at his mom with a heartbroken expression, but also… is that a glimmer of hope?
“Mom…” Liam chokes out, shaking his head. “All I’ve ever wanted is for you to hear me when I talk to you. This time, your resistance nearly cost the two most important people in the world to me. Do you understand that? That’s your granddaughter.”
Her eyes blink rapidly, pushing back more tears. “I know. I know, Liam, I’m so sorry?—”
“If you can’t make a promise to me right now, saying that will change, then we have no business here.” His voice is hard, but I can hear the pain behind it. He wants things to be different with her. He wants a relationship with his mom.
“I promise,” she says quickly, nodding and wiping her eyes. “I promise I’ll do better, Liam. I’ll listen, and I’m going to see you and what you want from now on. ”
Her words, as late as they are, do warm my heart and I look over at Liam again, he takes a deep breath. “Good. Because we’re going to start now. This town? I love it and I’m staying here. I don’t know if I want to give up being a doctor, but I do know that I don’t want to give up being an EMT completely. It’s what I’m most passionate about. I’ve given up too much of who I am to support you, and I nearly lost Ella because I was too afraid to tell her who I really am.” I squeeze his hand and he looks over at me briefly, unshed tears in his eyes. “She couldn’t find me because of it, and I lost out on the first precious years of Macie’s life. It was only by fate that we managed to find each other again, and I’m not going to let anyone get in the way of that.”
“I…” Allison trails off, shaking her head. “I understand, Liam. I have no intention of getting between you and your family, and if you’ll let me, I hope that I can be a part of it.”
Liam looks at me, and I know he’s giving me the choice. But, if she’s willing to change and put in the work…who am I to deny Macie another doting grandparent?
“We’re having a reception back at my parents’ place,” I tell her with a soft smile. “If you’d like to join us.”
Allison wipes her eyes again and gives a determined nod. “I would like that.”