EPILOGUE TWO
Ella
W edding dress shopping is supposed to be fun. No, a ball. The bomb. The shopping event every woman dreams of. Not for me, since I can’t wear my mother’s dress.
“Let’s find something that looks similar,” Jillian says, fingering dresses on a rack while I stand idly by in a short, white satin robe.
She came with me when my two besties were both busy. Odd.
Hannah and Val came to visit me at Balor’s house, stunned at what happened. But they support my decision to marry him.
“I don’t want to love something other than my mother’s gown. It feels like a betrayal,” I whine.
And I want Balor right now. But I’ve slowly gotten used to being alone while he’s at work. And I’ve even been going out alone, walking around Astoria and enjoying the warm spring we’re having.
The other day, I walked to Katya’s dance studio and worked with Lia some more.
I glance around the dress shop, considering Jillian’s suggestion. I need to pick something. I’m keeping her from Eoghan, which means that psycho stalker husband of hers will show up any minute.
A monstrosity of a dress, a ballgown overload, catches my eye. It can’t be any further from my mother’s dress, and it’s so gaudy, so loud, so over the top, it will get all the attention, and no one will really see me.
Perfect.
“How about that one?” I motion to it.
Jillian looks horrified. “Here. How about this one? It looks vintage.”
My heart rate ticks up and a shred of excitement skitters across my skin for the first time.
I unzip the crisp, white garment bag and take out the dress.
Pure murderous rage floods my veins.
“Wait. This...” I look up at the sales lady nearby. “Where did you get this? This belongs to me. It was stolen, it was—”
Jillian spins me around. “Ella, look.”
Balor stands at the entrance, leaning on a column. His legs are crossed at the ankle and he’s smiling at me.
Has he been watching me the whole time?
“Hello, butterfly.”
“You... You did this?” I look down at my mother’s dress. “How?”
“I contacted the person who bought your house.” He struts toward me.
“Mama’s dress was still there?”
“Oh no.” Balor shakes his head with regret. “I dug further into your father’s emails. He contacted a Goodwill near your house and dumped everything there.”
“You went to a Goodwill?” I hold my stomach.
“With Eoghan and Lachlan,” Jillian whispers. “Closed down the place for the day so they could go through the entire inventory.”
“You tore apart the place?” I go breathless.
“I’ll tear apart the world for you.” Balor takes the dress from Jillian. “Come on, butterfly. Let’s see how this looks on you.”
“You’re not supposed to see the bride’s dress before the big day.”
My mother’s satin dress is the color of the snow that fell the night of my parents’ wedding, she’d always told me. I also found out Snow wasn’t my father’s real name. And it could be the reason he didn’t want my mother and me to use it .
The dress’s high neck design with three-quarter sleeves, a slim waist, and a straight skirt with pearl trim sewn into the lace is breathtaking.
“This won’t fit me for very long.” Although anything can be altered these days.
“Then you agree, we shouldn’t wait,” Balor says, wearing his best suit, something rare for him.
“Wait...”
Outside the large store’s plate glass window, a black limo sits idling.
The driver opens the rear door, and...
Hannah and Val get out, holding bouquets! They’re in deep purple satin dresses.
“Balor, what’s going on?”
“Can’t you tell? I don’t want to wait one more day for you to be my wife.”
And it hits me.
Today.
Today is my wedding day.
I glance around. “Your brothers...”
“Eoghan’s at the city council office right now filing the marriage certificate. Kieran, Isabella, the twins, Riordan, Priscilla and their baby, Lachlan, Katya, Darragh and Ana are all there. Waiting for you. For us.”
“What about Shea?”
He points back to the limo and a third bridesmaid steps out.
“Shea!” I clutch my chest and turn around. “Jillian, do you have a long satin gown stashed somewhere?”
“No.” She waves me off. “I wanted to make this happen for you.”
“What do you say, butterfly?” Balor kisses me. “Get your sweet ass in that dress and marry me already!”