Chapter 54 WEDDING PREPARATIONS

Chapter 54 WEDDING PREPARATIONS


Adeline's POV

The bridal boutique was everything Belle had dreamed of—elegant, intimate, with floor-to-ceiling mirrors and soft lighting that made everything look romantic and ethereal.

"Ms. Cornelia?" A consultant approached with a warm smile. "And you must be the maid of honor?"

"Sister," I corrected. "Adeline."

"Wonderful! We have several dresses pulled for you, Ms. Cornelia. Your fiancé was very specific about your preferences."

Belle's face lit up. "He called yesterday. Isn't that sweet?"

"Very thoughtful," the consultant agreed.

"He knew your size, your preferred designers, even mentioned you love off-shoulder styles. Not many grooms are that attentive."

"Grey's special," Belle said, squeezing my hand. "He pays attention to everything."

We were led to a private fitting room where at least fifteen gowns hung waiting. Each one was stunning, and each one was exactly Belle's style, romantic without being too traditional, elegant without being stuffy.

"He really does know you," I admitted, running my fingers over the delicate lace of one dress.

"I told you he listens. Really listens." Belle turned to me, her eyes suddenly serious.

"Thank you for being here. For trying. I know this isn't easy for you."

"You're my sister. There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

"Liar." But she was smiling.

"You'd rather be anywhere that doesn't involve tulle and decisions about veil lengths. But I appreciate you pretending."

"Okay, maybe a little bit of a lie. But I am happy for you, Belle. I want you to know that."

"I do know. And I know you're worried but Addy, I promise I'm okay. Better than okay. I'm happy."

The consultant returned with champagne. "Shall we start trying on dresses?"

For the next two hours, I watched Belle transform. Each dress was beautiful, but it wasn't until the seventh one that everything changed.

The dress was ivory with delicate off-shoulder lace sleeves, a fitted bodice, and a flowing skirt that moved like water. Simple. Elegant. Perfectly Belle.

She stepped onto the platform, looked at herself in the three-way mirror, and her eyes filled with tears.

"Belle? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. Everything's right. This is it. This is my dress." She turned to me, mascara running. "Do you see it? Do you see me?"

I did. I saw my baby sister, all grown up, radiant and beautiful and so happy it hurt to look at her.

"You're stunning," I whispered.

"Grey's going to die when he sees me in this."

"He's not allowed to see it before the wedding. That's bad luck."

"I know, I know. But Addy, I wish Mom was here. I wish she could see this."

My chest tightened. Our parents, the lie I'd told Belle about them dying in a plane crash. The truth I couldn't share about why they'd really abandoned us.

"She would've loved it," I said, moving to stand beside her. "She would've been so proud of you."

"Do you think about them? Mom and Dad?"

"Sometimes."

"I do. All the time, especially lately." Belle wiped her eyes.

"I keep thinking about how Mom used to say she'd help me pick my wedding dress someday. And now she's not here, and I'm so happy but also so sad and I don't know how to feel both things at once."

"You just do. That's what it means to be human. To hold joy and grief in the same moment."

"When did you get so wise?"

"When I had to raise a stubborn little sister who asked too many questions."

She laughed, the sadness lifting slightly. "I'm glad I have you. Even when you're overprotective and paranoid."

"Especially then."

The consultant returned with a veil that was simple, elegant, with delicate embroidered edges that perfectly complemented the dress.

Belle took one look and nodded. "Yes. That's the one."

"You're sure?" the consultant asked. "We have several other options—"

"I'm sure. This is perfect. All of it."

We left the boutique three hours later, Belle's dress ordered and scheduled for final fitting in four weeks. She was practically glowing, couldn't stop talking about the wedding, about Paris, about the future.

"He wants to buy a little apartment in Montmartre," she said as we drove to lunch. "One of those cute places with a balcony and flower boxes. Can you imagine? Me, living in Paris?"

"It sounds beautiful."

"You'll visit, right? You and Kayden? We can show you all the best spots, the hidden cafes that only locals know about."

"Of course we'll visit."

"And when we have kids, not right away, but eventually, they'll have the best aunt in the world. You'll teach them all your secret skills."

"My secret skills?"

"You know, self-defense and how to read people and all that mysterious stuff you do that you never fully explain."

I smiled, thinking about all the skills I actually had that I could never teach anyone. "Sure. I'll teach them self-defense."

We settled into a small bistro near Belle's apartment, the kind of place with checkered tablecloths and handwritten menus. Belle ordered her usual, Caesar salad with extra croutons, and I got a chicken wrap.

"Can I ask you something?" Belle said after the waiter left.

"Always."

"Do you love Kayden?"

The question caught me off guard. "What?"

"Do you love him? Really love him? Not just the contract marriage thing, but actual love?"

I thought about Kayden. About how he made me coffee exactly how I liked it. About how he never pushed me to talk when I needed silence. About how he'd held me last night while I struggled with doubt and fear.

"Yes," I said quietly. "I really love him."

"I knew it!" Belle clapped her hands together. "I could tell. The way you look at him, the way he looks at you. It's real."

"It wasn't supposed to be. The marriage was supposed to be temporary…business."

"But it became more."

"Yeah. It became everything."

"That's how I feel about Grey," Belle said softly. "Like he's my everything. My best friend and my partner and my future all wrapped into one person. Does that sound crazy?"

"No. It sounds like love."

"When did you know? With Kayden? When did you realize it was real?"

I thought about it. "I think... I think it was gradual. Little moments that added up. The way he defended me in meetings. How he always checked if I'd eaten. The way he'd reach for my hand without thinking." I paused.

"But there was this one night, maybe a month ago, when I woke up from a nightmare. And he was just there. He didn't ask questions, didn't push. Just held me until I fell back asleep. And I remember thinking, 'This is what home feels like.'"

Belle's eyes were shining. "That's beautiful, Addy."

"What about you? When did you know with Grey?"

"On our third date. We went to this tiny art gallery, and there was this painting, abstract, kind of chaotic, lots of blues and greys. And Grey stood there for like ten minutes just staring at it. Then he said,

'This is what anxiety looks like. Like drowning in color.' And I realized he understood. He got what it was like to struggle, to feel overwhelmed. He wasn't perfect or pretending to be. He was just... real."

The way she talked about him with such tenderness and certainty, made my chest ache. This wasn't infatuation. This was real love.

Our food arrived, and we ate while Belle showed me photos on her phone, the garden venue, flower arrangements she was considering, bridesmaid dress options.

"I was thinking maybe a dusty blue for your dress?" she said.

"It would look amazing with your eyes and the blue in your hair."

"Whatever you want. It's your day."

"Our day. I want you to feel beautiful too."

My phone buzzed with a text from Grey.

"How's dress shopping going? Belle's been texting me non-stop about how perfect everything is. Thank you for being there with her. I know it means the world to her."

I showed Belle the message.

"See? He's so thoughtful. Always checking in, making sure I'm okay." She grinned.

"I'm texting him right now to tell him we found THE dress."

"Don't tell him what it looks like."

"I won't, I won't. But I have to tell him something. He'll be dying to know."

I watched her type furiously, her face lit up with happiness.

When was the last time I'd seen her this carefree? This joyful?

Maybe Kayden was right. Maybe I had been so focused on potential danger that I couldn't see the good right in front of me.

We finished lunch and spent another hour walking through a nearby park. Belle wanted to show me where she and Grey had their first kiss, a bench under a willow tree overlooking a small pond.

"He was so nervous," she said, laughing at the memory. "His hands were shaking when he reached for mine. And then he asked, 'Can I kiss you?' Like a perfect gentleman. And I just said yes."

"That's sweet."

"It was. It really was." She sat on the bench, patted the spot next to her. "Sit with me for a minute?"

I sat, and we watched ducks paddle across the pond. The afternoon sun was warm, the breeze gentle. It was peaceful.

"I'm scared," Belle said suddenly.

"Of what?"

"Of Paris…..of leaving you, of being so far away." She looked at me. "You've always been my safety net. My person. What if I need you and you're an ocean away?"

"Then I'll get on a plane. Belle, distance doesn't change the fact that I'm always here for you."

"Promise?"

"I Promise, always."

She leaned her head on my shoulder. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"I'll miss you too. But Belle, this is good. This is you growing up, building your own life. It's what's supposed to happen."

"I know but it doesn't make it less scary."

"Being scared is okay. It means you're doing something important. Something that matters."

We sat there for a while longer, just sisters being sisters, before Belle's phone buzzed.

"Grey's asking if I want to get dinner with him tonight," she said. "Do you mind if I cut our day short?"

"Of course not. Go and have fun."

"You're the best." She hugged me tight.

"Thank you for today. For everything. For trying to get along with Grey. I know it's not easy, but it means so much to me."

"I love you, Belle. Your happiness matters to me. That's all."

"I love you too."

I drove back to the mansion, my mind full of everything I'd seen and heard today. Belle in her dress. Her face when she talked about Grey. The certainty in her voice when she said she loved him.

Either I'd been completely wrong about Grey, or he was the best actor I'd ever encountered.

Kayden was in his study when I got home, papers spread across his desk.

"How'd it go?" he asked, looking up.

"She found her dress. She looks like a princess."

"And?"

"And I watched my baby sister plan her future with someone she loves. It was beautiful and terrifying and I still don't know what to think."

Kayden stood, came around the desk to pull me close. "That's okay. You don't have to know everything right now."

"I'm supposed to protect her."

"You are protecting her. By being there. By supporting her. By not letting your fear make her decisions for her."

I buried my face in his chest. "When did you get so wise?"

"When I fell in love with a woman who taught me that strength isn't about control. It's about trust."

We stood there for a moment, just holding each other. Then my phone buzzed.

Text from Grey.

"Adeline, do you have a minute to talk? I want to ask you something."

I showed Kayden.

"You going to answer?"

"Yeah. Let's see what he wants."

I texted back: "Sure. What's up?"

The response came quickly: "I want to plan something special for Belle. A surprise before the wedding. Would you help me? I know it's asking a lot, but you know her better than anyone. I want it to be perfect."i

I stared at the message.

He was asking for my help. He's reaching out, trying to include me.

It was... thoughtful. Genuine, even.

Another text: "I know you've had doubts about me. And I get it. But I love your sister. And I want us to be family. Real family. So will you help me?"