194|First Day Of The Rest Your Life

194|First Day Of The Rest Your Life
Wedding fever hit town as soon as the press release about Eden and Liam's impending nuptials went out.

For days the announcement, posted on Anderson Logistics website and all the company's socials, was the number #1 trending topic on all social media platforms.

The internet was in disbelief.

Thousands of Liam's adoring fans couldn't accept that the day they had dreaded was finally upon them, and the Three-Month Prince was officially off the market. Well, almost off the market.

Like most people who have an unhealthy obsession with their idols, they had to share their outrage and sadness with strangers on the internet.

Overnight, Eden became the villainess, the woman who had ruined all their fantasies, and they couldn't understand why, out of all the beauties in the universe ready to fall at his feet, Liam would choose her.

She had to have used some kind of witchcraft or love spell on him, they said.

And when Sienna's exposé on their fairytale romance hit Dirt magazine, and the world found out about Aiden, it confirmed everyone's suspicions. Opinions became facts, and the shotgun wedding made sense—Eden had obviously saddled Liam with the baby because in their worlds, safely hidden behind laptop screens and cellphones, billionaires simply didn't fall in love with regular plain Janes. Hell, they never dated outside their social circles.

It never occurred to any of them that the couple could genuinely be happy and in love.

Eden read the comments—lapping them all up with the same enthusiasm she used to gobble down her dry Froot Loops.

Most pregnant women craved spicy chicken wings and other nice things. Not her. She wanted Froot Loops every day and all day while she obsessed over all the nonsense written about her.

Eden became so compulsive in her internet crawling, Liam had to take her phone away from her for a little while before she lost her mind.

Thankfully there was one thing she didn't have to obsess over—the wedding planning.

She had wanted a small, intimate do, with just under fifty guests at most, and if it was up to her, she and Liam would have skipped the whole fanfare and gone straight to the courthouse.

But Erica and Lois had made it very clear they would not be cheated out of their one chance to throw the grandest, poshest wedding Rock Castle had ever seen. They were determined to make their special day the talk of the town for centuries to come.

So with just under three weeks to put together the mother of all weddings, they rolled up their sleeves, roped in Eden's friends and Liam's sisters, and got down to work.

There was so much to do in those three weeks. But between her freelance work projects for Anderson Logistics and her painting side hustle for Fugue, Eden had very little time on her hands, and she was probably the most uninvolved bride in the history of all brides.

But even if she did have the time to plan her big day, Liam would never have allowed it. He was taking Dr Emily's orders about reducing stress in her life very seriously. If he could have, he would have also gone and bought the wedding dress for her. But it was the only thing Eden insisted on taking an interest in.

She spent days scouring bridal boutiques in Rock Castle, but everything they saw didn't scream 'first-time' bride to her. Most of the dresses were too modern and risqué, or too old fashioned and boring.

At some point, her bridesmaids wanted to pull out of the wedding, and a massive fight broke out because she couldn't make up her mind.

But just when they were all about to give up and dress her in an old potato sack, Eden finally found her dream dress— a sweetheart beaded A-Line ball gown with a tulle overlay and cathedral train.

"This one!" She announced, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "This is it."

And her friends agreed when she tried it out and pranced around the store.

It had a whimsical elegance that screamed of romance and happily ever afters. A perfect dress for a special day two years and too long in the making.

When the countdown to the wedding day hit the one week mark, the days began to blur into each other, and time seemed to slip away quickly.

After a mildly entertaining hen party, the maid of honour had quickly put together, and an equally uninspiring bachelor party Julian had tried his best to breathe some life into, the day Eden and Liam had been waiting for finally arrived, bringing with it grey clouds, lightning and thunderstorms.

The drive from Green Point to the wedding venue, the Oakhampton castle on the outskirts of town, was incredibly long, made more so by the atrocious weather and slippery roads. But with Cassandra's steady driving, they managed to make it in record time.

While they waited for the torrential downpour to ease up a little since none of them had thought to bring an umbrella, they sat in stunned silence and took in the red-brick castle with its oversized stained glass windows, majestic arches and conical roofs.

Set against the backdrop of the moody sky and surrounded by tree-clad gardens and breathtaking views, the guest lodge was indeed a sight to behold, and the thousands of photos Eden had seen of the place on their website did not do it justice.

But if she thought the outside was incredible, the inside of the adjoining quaint chapel where the ceremony would be held was breathtaking.

It was large enough to house all hundred guests but cosy enough to create an intimate atmosphere.

The marbled floors, stone pillars and dripping chandelier gave the place an air of elegance and timelessness, but the thousands of fairy lights hanging from the ceiling added a sense of romance and magic.

It was the daffodils, though, scattered throughout the room and on the red carpet trailing from the entrance, alongside gorgeously draped pews, that did it for Eden. Well aware of their symbolism and the man behind them, she burst into tears and sobbed.

As much as he had tried not to be involved in planning their wedding, Liam had added a sentimental touch to their day, and she couldn't have loved him more.

Her phone buzzed in her bag, and she pulled it out, sobbing even louder when she saw the caller ID.

"What's wrong?" Liam asked as soon as she picked up.

"Nothing, everything is so perfect, that's all."

"And that's making you cry?"

"Yeah," Eden nodded as if he could see her.

"Hey, wipe those tears, and hurry up and get ready because I can't wait to make you mine."

He was close by, inside one of the numerous rooms in this sprawling castle, but when Eden heard the smile in his voice, she couldn't help but miss him something awful, and she didn't know how she would survive the next two hours.

"Don't you miss me?" She asked, hoping they can sneak in a quick kiss or two.

"We already have shitty weather; I'd rather not chance it."

"What are you talking about?" She asked as she followed her friends to their guest suite to start getting ready.

"Don't you know it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding?" Liam said.

"I never thought you're the superstitious type." Eden smiled when she heard her son and his uncles howling with laughter in the background, and she wondered what mischief they were up to.

"I'm not," Liam said seriously. "But I waited a very long time for this day. I'm not doing anything to fuck it up."

"Okay," she agreed with his reasoning; they'd come too far to tempt fate. "And I love the flowers."

"You still remember what they mean?"

"How can I forget?"

"Good," he chuckled. "This is the first day of the rest of our lives."

"Our new start." She added.

"Yeah, our new start. And I love you, Mrs Anderson."

"Hey, I'm still Ms McBride, you know."

"Only for the next two hours. See you soon."

And for the next two hours, Eden was poked and pulled and pushed while the makeup artist, Franco, and a whole other pamper specialists worked their magic to get her ready.

With thirty minutes to spare before the ceremony began, the pulling and prodding finally stopped, and Eden could breathe again.

Her friends, too, were ready to rock and roll in their mismatched, blush pink bridesmaid dresses, matching nude Louboutins and dripping diamond earrings, their hair swept up in romantic updos.

"You guys look amazing," Eden told them as she took a few snaps of the trio and sent them to Lydia for her vlog.

"And you look like a dream come true, Edie," Sienna gushed as she hugged her, tears shimmering brightly in her eyes. "I hope you're blessed with wisdom and strength and patience to brace this shitty weather and all other storms with your one true love."

"And I wish you a lifetime of amazing orgasms," Lydia chimed in and finished off her mimosa. "And you were right. All those other dresses we saw paled in comparison."

"And I—" Cassandra said as she stepped out of the ensuite bathroom with an apron over her gorgeous, a-line halter dress. "—I wish you and Liam a lifetime of happiness, Edie. No one deserves it more than you."

"Oh, you guys, stop it," Eden cried, blinking back her tears, willing herself not to cry because if she did, she'd ruin her makeup. It was waterproof, but she no longer trusted anything claiming to be technologically advanced after her implant debacle.

"And I hope you'll always be in my life, the three of you were the only constant thing, and I cannot imagine my life without you." She added when the lump cutting off her words in her throat had melted away.

They huddled together, shared a group hug, and asked one of the hotel's housekeeping staff to take a few photos of them.

While Cassandra dashed across the courtyard to check on her catering staff, Sienna went to chat with her colleague assigned to help her cover the wedding for a follow-up story to the exposé she had done just weeks earlier.

Lydia couldn't sit still either. She went to check on the guests and make sure they had all the champagne their hearts desired.

Eden found herself completely alone for the first time that day. But not for long, though.

A double knock sounded on the door and, Erica, dressed in a grey off the shoulder midi lace dress and matching silver pumps, strolled in.

"Oh Edie, you look so beautiful," Erica pulled her in for their first hug in several years. The last time they hugged was at Eden's graduation, and even then, it was very brief.

"You and Liam and your babies are going to be so happy," Erica sighed in her hair. "And I'm so happy for you, Edie. All I've ever wanted was to see you happy, and I know I never told you often, but I am so proud of the amazing woman you've become."

"Thank you, Mom." Eden couldn't hold back her tears; after all, she had waited her whole life to hear her mother tell her she was proud of her.

They held on to each other for a little while, and their long embrace reminded Eden of the mom from her childhood, of the woman who'd put a Band-Aid on her when she fell off her bike and skinned her knee.

"I have something for you." Erica reached inside one of the pockets of her dress Eden hadn't noticed till now and pulled out pearl studs and a side comb.

"Something old," she murmured as she placed the earrings in Eden's palm. "Grammy gave them to me on my wedding day. You don't have to wear them, though. I just thought you'd want to have a part of her with you today."

"I want to wear them." Eden quickly took off her diamond drop earrings and slipped on her grandma's pearl ones.

"And now, for something borrowed." Her mom carried on as she placed the diamante flower and leaf side comb in her hair. "When you told me about your side-swept bun, I immediately thought of this. I hope you like it."

"I love it," Eden said as she hugged her again.

"Okay, I have to go check on the groom and my grandson," Erica smiled and pinched her cheek like she used to back when Eden was little.

She had just sat down again when another knock pulled her up on her feet.

In a dress similar to Erica's but in black, Lois came in and took her hands. "You are the most beautiful bride I've ever seen. And my son is so lucky to have you, and we're even luckier to have you as part of our family."

"Thank you," Eden smiled and nodded, tears threatening to drown her again.

"I know it hasn't been long since we met, but I'm so looking forward to all the years of getting to know you, Edie," Lois added as she took out her blue monogrammed handkerchief sprinkled with white lilies along the edges. "Your something blue. I have a feeling you'll need it a lot more today."

"I love him, and I'm going to make him so happy," Eden promised her.

"You have," Lois smiled and touched her cheek gently. "Now, you have ten minutes before the big moment. Are you nervous?"

Eden shook her head. She thought she would be. But she felt oddly calm and at peace and just giddy with joy.

"Good, because Liam's anxious enough for the both of you. I've never seen him so nervous."

Eden found it incredibly hard to believe that there was something that made Liam nervous. With his larger than life personality, he was always so sure of himself, to the point of cockiness sometimes.

"See you in a bit," Lois waved over her shoulder.

Steve looking spiffy in his tuxedo, his cheeks rosy from excitement or maybe from a glass or two of whiskey, came to pick her up five minutes later, her friends following behind him.

"Your chariot awaits, princess," He bowed and linked their arms.

Sienna shoved the wedding bouquet in Eden's hand and pulled down her veil to cover her face, and Lydia and Cassandra carried her train as they made their way out of the room.

They hugged her one last time at the chapel's entrance and took their places alongside the groomsmen, who looked dashing in their grey suits, and when the orchestra broke into something moody and romantic, they began their walk down the aisle with Sienna and Matthew leading the procession.

As the ring bearer, Aiden should have followed them. But, he screeched with glee and dumped the rings tied around the small pillow on the floor when he saw her.

"Mom!" he squealed as he ran up to her.

Eden crouched to the floor and hugged him. "Hey, Aid. Did you miss me?"
"Yes," he nodded and kissed her cheek through the veil.

After a lot of convincing on her part, he finally decided to take his job seriously. He picked up the pillow and, amidst everyone's hearty laughter, ran as fast as his tiny legs could carry him to the altar where his father waited.

The flower girl, a relative of Liam's and no older than Aiden, wasn't in the mood for the slow march either. Taking a leaf from Aiden's book, she, too, bolted down the aisle and forgot to sprinkle the daffodil petals from the basket hanging loosely at her side.

The sound of the church bells drifting through the overhead speakers inside the chapel announced Eden's appearance, and all the guests rose to their feet and turned to her when the opening strains of Ave Maria resounded through the room.

The anxiety Eden hadn't felt the whole day finally kicked in when the millions of eyes zoned in on her.

Even though she was safely hidden behind her veil, she suddenly had a newfound appreciation for Aiden's plan, and if she could have run down the aisle, she would have; that's how eager she was to get out of the spotlight.

But her father wanted to take things nice and slow, explaining to her it wasn't every day his only daughter got married, and he wanted to remember every little detail.

"You look so happy, honey," he whispered as they made their way down the aisle in time with the music.

"I am, Dad. I'm so happy I feel like it's a crime."

"Soak it all in, sweetheart, because this is the first day of the rest of your life with that man," Steve said, nodding at Liam waiting at the altar.