Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
“What about this one?” Elise twirled in front of the mirror as Amber lounged on her bed.
This was now the eighth dress Elise had tried on but tonight had to be perfect. It was Aiden’s birthday, the first one since they’d started dating.
And she needed everything to be just right.
Aiden had made so many sacrifices for her and their relationship. He was now living on the island and although it was at least in part so that he was able to film his movie there, Elise knew he’d moved heaven and earth to get this movie to happen just the way that it had. So that he could live near Elise. And beyond that, he was already talking about moving to Whisling forever.
He’d said he’d put in his time in Hollywood and people were now asking him to star in their movies. He could get those requests anywhere. Yes, he’d have to be gone for the actual filming of every movie but that was the life of an actor. Choosing his home base as Whisling meant everything to her. It meant they could have a future together.
They’d even been talking about the big M word in recent days and, incredibly, her plans for the future now included both of them.
“The dress looks amazing. Just like the last seven have. You look amazing. Elise, I know you’re feeling all of this crazy pressure you’re putting on yourself but the party is going to be incredible. The best birthday Aiden has ever had,” Amber tried to assure her sister but Elise was skeptical.
Aiden had been thrown parties by Hollywood’s elite. Elise’s little bash on the lawn of their inn wouldn’t be spectacular. It would be fun. Elise didn’t doubt that. But it wouldn’t be glamorous. Granted, Aiden wasn’t really into glamorous but maybe that was because he had glamorous all the time and he didn’t know what a party was like without glamorous. Or he wouldn’t until tonight.
Elise blew out a breath, her newly cut blonde bangs floating into the air.
“You flew in his freaking family, Elise. Who else would do that?” Amber asked as she readjusted herself on Elise’s pillows and then scratched her exposed shoulder.
Amber had put on her yellow sundress hours before, the bright color a perfect contrast to her complexion. She’d defined her curls that now fell just to her shoulders and wore hardly a stitch of makeup. Elise had more than once wished she could look more like her naturally beautiful sister.
Not that Elise was a troll or anything. She knew she had her attributes. But she would always feel more beautiful with a full face of makeup and her hair curled. Not as much makeup as she’d had to wear at the gala she’d attended with Aiden, but some. An average, everyday, good amount.
And now she was mentally rambling.
In order to stop, she moved her thoughts right back to stressing about the party.
Once her dress was on, her long prep day would be over and it would be time to party. Elise had spent hundreds of hours planning that evening and most of the hours of that very day setting up.
She’d spent so much time scouring Pinterest trying to find the perfect aesthetic since she knew Aiden’s Hollywood friends would be taking dozens of pictures and posting those to their millions of followers.
She just really wanted to do Aiden proud.
And she was pretty sure she had . . . but what if she hadn’t?
And now she was rambling about her stress.
Elise glanced back to the mirror, hating the dress she had on her body. She’d bought all eight of those dresses she’d been trying on just for this night. When she’d tried them on a few days before she’d loved them. But tonight? She needed . . . something perfect. But she was pretty sure perfection didn’t lie within her closet.
But she decided to search anyway. Was there anything that could work?
Amber got up with a huff, and Elise knew her sister was annoyed, clearly thinking Elise should be satisfied. Amber saw Elise through rose-colored glasses and always thought she was beautiful. But what Amber couldn’t quite get was that after Elise spent so much time and effort on this party, she couldn’t fumble with the final piece of the puzzle now.
Elise thumbed through each and every dress option in her closet, her anxiety rising as she mentally dismissed each choice. She was kind of a shopping addict so she had no shortage of beautiful outfits, but nothing would work with the standards she’d set for tonight.
“I’m just not going to go,” Elise groaned loud enough for Amber to hear her from wherever she was in their little cottage.
“You can’t not show up to the surprise party you planned for your boyfriend’s birthday,” Amber yelled back.
Couldn’t she? This was her party and she could cry if she wanted to. Though the phrase might not work for her, considering it wasn’t exactly her party. She was throwing the party but tonight was about Aiden. And Aiden couldn’t care less what Elise wore. He always told her she was gorgeous in anything.
So Elise knew this was about her and her pride. She wanted to look good on Aiden’s arm. She didn’t want anyone claiming she wasn’t good enough for Aiden. Then again, no matter who she was or what she wore, someone would find something to critique.
But why did Elise care about any of them?
She blew out another breath and decided it was time to grow up and stop throwing her fit. She could do this. She would do this. And the party would be wonderful. Aiden would love it. And that was all that mattered.
“What about this?” Amber threw a white jumpsuit onto Elise’s bed.
Elise glanced over the ensemble, critiquing each part. Slightly flowy sleeves. The dresses she’d tried on had either been sleeveless or the sleeves were too tight or too loose. This hit that perfect in between. She could tell from the cut, that it would go in right at her waist but be forgiving to her hips. The neckline was dropped but nothing too low that she’d be worried about spilling out. And pants! Why hadn’t she considered pants?! It was quite literally the perfect outfit.
“Amber,” Elise breathed, knowing her tantrum was supposed to be over but feeling like she’d been kind of rewarded for throwing it. “Where did you find this?”
“I saw it when I was out running errands for you yesterday and thought it might be helpful if we encountered an emotional breakdown like the one you just epically pitched.”
“It wasn’t that bad,” Elise tried to defend herself even though she knew Amber was right. But sisters didn’t give in so easily. Especially sisters who lived and worked together.
“It wasn’t good either,” Amber said with a raised eyebrow, but Elise hardly noticed because she’d turned all of her attention to the lovely jumpsuit.
The top portion had a corset with lace overlay that flowed into the wide leg satin pants. Not only did the material look amazing, but she had a feeling it was going to fit like a glove. How had Amber known?
She had to get this on her body immediately.
Amber had fallen silent but gasped when Elise finished dressing.
“It’s better than I imagined,” Amber said and she suddenly turned away from her sister.
“Are you crying?” Elise asked, laughter in her voice. Amber tended to be emotional but this was a bit much, even for her.
“No,” Amber pouted.
Elise laughed harder as Amber came behind her, pulling the laces on her corset a bit tighter than they needed to be.
“You are stunning. Even if you are a snot,” Amber said as she finished tying the bow and twirled Elise in front of her.
Elise finished her spin facing the mirror and had to agree with her sister. The jumpsuit was exactly the outfit she’d needed. Count on her sister to have come in clutch.
“Thank you, seriously. I was debating showing up naked before you’d saved the day.”
Amber chuckled. “That would have been quite the look. It would have surely gotten you on the first page of the tabloids.”
Elise smiled as she nodded. “My dream come true.”
Amber shook her head because they both knew that was nowhere near the truth.
“So, are you ready now?” Amber asked hopefully.
“Thanks to you, yes. Though you could have showed up with this impeccable piece of fashion before I’d endured eight dress try-ons.” Elise pumped her eyebrows as she spoke.
“Nah. You wouldn’t have been nearly as grateful if it hadn’t been for all of the failed attempts.”
Amber wasn’t wrong.
“You’re right . . . as well as the best sister in the world.” Elise admitted because Amber deserved that praise and so much more.
“And don’t you forget it,” Amber said, nudging her sister before taking her by the shoulders. “We have just enough time to add some body shimmer to your collarbones and then walk down to the lawn to par-tay.”
Elise laughed, watching as Amber took a compact of body highlight as well as a large makeup brush, finishing off Elise’s look before the two walked out into the refreshing late spring evening, just as the sun was beginning to set.
With the outfit fiasco under control, Elise was free to stress about everything else once more. She knew she was being silly and she should just relax and enjoy the beautiful evening, but she couldn’t help but go back into party planning mode. Even though Elise had hired an actual event planner—as a former party planner she’d known this was the best move—and she should leave everything to her, Elise couldn’t help but go through her own mental checklist. Just in case the party planner forgot something . . . not at all because Elise was a control freak.
Elise glanced down the bright green grassy hill toward the setup for the evening. Instead of a party tent, thanks to the good weather, Elise had decided to go with the metal framing of a tent but then strung twinkle lights as well as white gauzy fabric over the entire tops and sides so that lights and sheer fabric created the structure of a tent but allowed the sky to show through. Under the tent was a giant lounge area with a dozen couches as well as tables and lounge chairs so that people could mix and mingle in comfort. Along the back was a buffet station and next to it were a few high tables for the guests who wanted an actual table on which to place their food. Next to those tables a small dance floor had been set up, along with a small stage for the three-piece band Elise had hired for the night.
But the best part of it all Elise had nothing to do with. The entire party would be overlooking the inn’s stunning and dramatic sea cliff. Typically, they wouldn’t hold a party so close to the edge, but Elise and Amber had recently taken on the expense of redoing the barrier. Now their guests could be close to the breathtaking view of the ocean below while staying safe.
Elise suddenly felt a bit more of a pep in her step. Everything was on its way to being just how she wanted it to be. And when the setup was complete? It would be perfection. Who cared what the Hollywood elite thought? Elise loved it all and she was sure Aiden would too.
But even with all going according to plan, there was still so much to be done on Elise’s checklist. First, she needed to make sure the lights on the tent had withstood the past few hours and everything was still in place. Speaking of in place, next to the sea cliff the wind was pretty crazy so Elise had opted for no tablecloths but she did have some flowers with heavy stone vases as centerpieces. She was pretty sure they wouldn’t have moved but . . . no, the very first thing she needed to do was to check in on Aiden’s family.
The surprise for Aiden was still half an hour off but she wanted to make sure his family was front and center when the birthday guy arrived. Wait, no, she needed to check in on the guests. What if people had already shown up? They had told people to come fifteen minutes before but some might come early since it was a surprise party. Oh, and had she reminded the valet crew not to park at all along the east side of the entrance? Aiden would be coming in that way and if he recognized any cars? Granted, most of the guests of the party were also guests of the inn so that might not be an issue but she didn’t want anything spoiling this surprise.
“Calm down, girl,” Amber said as she fell into step beside Elise. “Your brain is going a million miles a minute.”
Elise nodded as she tried to take in a deep breath but ended up coughing instead.
“I did this for a living too,” Amber reminded her sister, her former party planning partner. “Let me be the one to take care of the last-minute details. I’ll check in with Cora and I’m sure she’ll have everything under control.”
Elise didn’t doubt that. Cora was the best event planner on the island, but there were always those small details that just got overlooked and this was supposed to be Elise’s perfect night. Wait, no. She meant Aiden’s perfect night.
“Okay, you check in with Cora and I’ll go get Aiden’s parents,” Elise said, ticking things off of her mental checklist.
“How about I do both of those things and you go to the party site and greet any early guests?” Amber offered.
Elise nodded once more. That was exactly what she should do. Hadn’t she just been worrying about the guests? And yet she’d already forgotten. It was like her brain wasn’t quite connecting.
Why was she so freaking nervous?
Elise began to walk toward the sea cliff when Amber called back to her, “Hey Elise?”
Elise turned to look at her sister.
“Tonight will truly be perfect,” Amber promised.
The complete sincerity that came through Amber’s tone told Elise that what she said would come to pass. It had to. Because Amber had never been wrong about these things in the past. So tonight would be perfect.
Elise’s heart and body settled as she walked, taking in a deep breath of sea air. She would never, ever be sick of living right on the ocean. It was something she hadn’t experienced for the first twenty plus years of her life but now she couldn’t see herself living anywhere other than Whisling.
As Elise drew closer to the structure she’d envisioned, she saw that the lights were all still on, casting a beautiful glow as the sun set behind it. All of the work Elise had done to set things up had come together like a vision and Amber was right. Tonight would be perfect.
And it was only after seeing everything in place that Elise realized the true reason everything would be perfect. Not because Elise had thought through every detail, but because she was going to get to celebrate the man she loved with the people he loved most. Hadn’t she learned over the duration of their dating that Aiden cared about nothing more than relationships? The man had enough money to buy almost anything in the world and yet the only splurges he’d ever made were on those he loved.
And that was what Elise had given him. His family on his special day. All he wanted. All Elise wanted as well. They’d always been similar in that way.
And yet Elise had somehow gotten hung up on the stuff that didn’t matter to either of them. Amber would be calling her a fool, so Elise would do it for her sister.
As Elise drew closer to the makeshift party site, she saw that it was deserted, and panic began to fill her chest.
She’d been worried about all of the wrong things. This was literal worst case scenario. All Aiden cared about were people. And people weren’t showing up for him. Sure, his family and Amber would be coming out at some point. Cora and the others who’d been hired to attend would be here, but what if no one else came?
Elise hadn’t even considered the possibility because it had seemed so far out of the realm. Everyone loved Aiden. Everyone would want to be there for him. She’d been worried about too many people showing up. She’d never considered no one showing.
Scratch that, there was one person under the tent. A waiter in his suit was arranging the buffet station.
But there were no guests. Not a single one. Granted, it was still a little early, but still.
Even though the surprise was a good twenty minutes off, Elise had been sure there’d be quite a few party guests already mingling. This just didn’t make any sense. Everyone loved Aiden.
What if Elise had put the wrong time or day on the invite? She’d checked the thing over and over but what if she had gotten that one major thing wrong and no one was here when Aiden arrived in twenty minutes? Just this party setup and Elise standing all alone, looking ridiculous in the midst of a huge party setup?
Visions of that very scene played out in Elise’s mind. She couldn’t let that happen.
She stopped just outside of the lights when something about the waiter’s movement caught her attention. It felt familiar. A lot like . . .
The waiter turned around.
Elise felt her eyes go wide and she froze in place.
He couldn’t already be here. She’d been about to text him, telling him to come later, after Elise had cajoled all of the other partygoers into arriving. Who arrived at their surprise party first?
Where was all of the staff?
Where were their friends?
Aiden jogged to meet Elise where she stood. “It’s okay. I promise, everything is okay.”
Elise shook her head. But it wasn’t.
Wait, maybe she could lie? She didn’t want to lie to the man she loved but she’d do anything to keep him from the pain of knowing no one showed up to his surprise party.
The party was for Amber? For her? For Cora? For anyone other than Aiden and then he wouldn’t be hurt.
Wait, why was he already here? She must have gotten the time on the invitation wrong. Had she told Aiden the half an hour earlier time and written the later time on the invites? That seemed unlikely but the only explanation. She’d messed up so big time . . .
“Breathe, Elise,” Aiden spoke softly and Elise did as she’d been directed.
“Smile, Elise.”
Again, Elise had to do what she’d been told. How could she be in Aiden’s presence and not smile?
“You planned a beautiful event,” Aiden said, looking back at the tent.
So he knew.
Well, he knew it was a party Elise had planned. Did he know it was for him? How could Elise get that out of him without letting him know she was fishing?
“I hope you don’t mind that I’m going to highjack it for a minute,” Aiden continued.
Highjack it?
Elise furrowed her brow, forgetting all of her other questions as she puzzled over his statement.
Aiden chuckled. “I didn’t think we’d pull it off but you really have no idea, do you?”
Elise shook her head. She hadn’t even known she had no idea until Aiden had just told her.
Aiden grinned. “I’m proposing, Elise.”
Elise’s stomach tumbled right down that sea cliff next to them as Aiden took her hands and guided her toward the barrier.
This couldn’t be happening. She had told Amber and Aiden the most important thing to her was that she be surprised, but this was beyond surprising. This party was supposed to be for Aiden. A surprise party . . . had she just . . .
“You had me plan my own proposal!” Elise accused as she and Aiden stopped right at the edge of the cliff. The view down to the water was majestic and right now with the sun just dipping into the horizon? No one could help catching their breath when they saw it. Although Elise was a little too distracted to enjoy the view.
Wait, she was supposed to be annoyed.
“I was so stressed!” she complained.
“I know. I felt so badly. I saw you taking all those secret calls and emails and you were so tense and I knew you were freaking out about every little detail. But Amber and I have been planning this for months and she told me I couldn’t back out now.”
Months? They’d been planning this for months?
“We knew if there was any big event, you’d see right through it. But we also knew if your family and my family weren’t here you’d be so sad. I also knew you’d want to have your nails and hair done. As well as the perfect outfit.”
Elise glanced down at the perfect outfit and a few things fell into place in her mind.
“Amber didn’t just find this yesterday, did she?” Elise asked.
“I had it made by one of my costume designer friends. Amber and I worked together to plan it.”
Of course they had. Not only did it fit her like a glove, but everything about the outfit screamed Elise.
Tears began to develop in her eyes.
No, she couldn’t cry. She was still annoyed.
Okay, she wasn’t annoyed at all. This was all too perfect. Just like Amber had predicted. Elise had been stressed but she’d been stressed doing one of her favorite things. She loved planning parties and ever since their main job had become running the inn, she’d been missing it. Hadn’t she told Amber and Aiden just how much she wanted to plan another big to-do? They’d given her that chance.
And on top of that everything about the setup for her proposal was just what she would have wanted . . . because she’d chosen it, even if she’d been choosing for someone else.
Elise thought back to how this day had come to be. “The surprise party was Amber’s idea. She told me it was a way I could let you know how grateful I am for the sacrifice you’ve made to live here.” Elise pondered. It really had been months in the making.
“And she pushed me to make the night about things we both liked,” Elise continued.
Aiden smiled.
“And you knew the whole time?” Elise asked.
“I kind of had Amber reporting every last detail to me,” Aiden admitted shyly, his blue eyes full of mischief.
At first Elise had thought Aiden had taken the easy way out, letting someone else handle all the meticulous details, but this was the most in-depth, thought out, tailored-to-her proposal any man could have ever given her. Only the man she was supposed to be with could have come up with exactly what he had. With Amber’s help.
“I want to kill you two. But I also want to kiss you,” Elise said.
Aiden’s eyes lit. “How about we start with the kissing and see how you feel after that?”
Elise slugged Aiden in his arm.
The man had the audacity to smirk at her and she was just about to be annoyed once more when he dropped to his knee.
Elise’s breath caught. This was it.
Aiden’s wavy hair blew in the breeze as he brought a ring box out of his pocket and held it up toward Elise.
He drew in a deep breath before meeting Elise’s eyes and taking them hostage. Elise couldn’t have looked away even if she wanted; no sunset could compete with Aiden’s gaze. “I remember while I was growing up my dad told me something would happen one day. Someday I’d be hit with the same magic he’d felt when he first met my mom. My first thought was, ew, but my second was that it seemed unbelievable. Magic didn’t exist. And even it if did, why would it show up in my life like that? So I went on to be a punk teenager, grew up a bit, kind of made something of myself, and then, when I was least expecting it, that magic struck. At Genevieve’s wedding of all places. The most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen was seated a whole table away and I could not stop staring.”
Elise felt those tears prick once more but she didn’t want to cry. She didn’t want to miss a single second of this.
“And I’m not kidding, El, that magic hit. Right here.” Aiden put a fist over his heart. “I was gone. So since then, I’ve been yours. But what my dad didn’t warn me about? That each day I get to spend with you, speak to you, touch you . . . ”
Elise tingled from head to toe.
“I find more to love, more to hold onto, more to dream about. I love you with everything that I am, Elise Mitchell. Will you marry me?”
The tears began flowing. Elise couldn’t help it.
Aiden opened the ring box and the most brilliant square diamond glistened in the waning sunlight.
Elise’s mouth dropped open. It was too big.
Not that she would say no to the ring—she wasn’t crazy—but it was too big.
Aiden took one of Elise’s hands into his.
“Are you still considering?” he teased.
“Oh my gosh! Yes, of course, yes!” Elise screeched and then pulled Aiden up, all thoughts of the ring forgotten as she kissed her fiancé. Her fiancé!
Cheers sounded from behind them and Elise realized every person she’d invited and more had somehow crept up behind them while Elise had been mesmerized by her man. He’d literally thought of everything.
“I love you,” she squealed as she kissed him again.
“So do we get to see that ring?” Amber asked from a few steps away.
Elise laughed as she pulled away. Her poor brain was totally on the fritz. The ring.
She glanced down to see Aiden slipping it onto her finger and Elise spun around to show Amber her new bling.
“It’s stunning,” exclaimed a voice Elise hadn’t been expecting.
“Mom?” Now the tears were in full force.
Tabby laughed as she hugged her baby girl and then they were pulled into a bigger hug with her dad and Amber.
Elise looked over her mom’s shoulder to see Aiden being hugged by his own parents and her smile could not be stopped.
After all of that worrying, the night that had barely begun was absolutely perfect. The best of her life. Not because of any of her own plans or work but because she was starting forever with the man she loved more than she could have ever dreamed.
Aiden met her eyes as he hugged his mother.
Yup, absolutely perfect.