Chapter 189
Mercedes was staring at her engagement ring. The more she looked at it, she felt it was familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere. She tried to rack her brain to remember where she could have seen the ring. Nothing came to mind. She couldn't remember, and it bothered her a lot because she had a nagging feeling. When she lost hope and thought she should forget about it, it all came flooding back.
It was a dream she had. In that dream, she was already married to Felix and they had two kids. Their son Horace and a daughter, Celine. The bane sounded familiar as well, but she couldn't remember who had the bane Celine before they named their daughter. Even though she didn't remember who the name belonged to, she felt that name was important and meaningful to her.
How could the dream she had been so accurate? It could only mean that it was not a dream but a premonition she had about her future. Just the thought of such a future made a smile spread across her face. She placed her hand on her chest. In just a few days, she was going to get married. Even though Felix wanted to give her a wedding of every girl's dreams, Mercedes didn't want a grand affair. She wanted something small and simple with only the people who loved them around. She even hated the idea of a grand wedding that would take time and waste money on unnecessary things she didn't want.
The only thing that could be considered expensive was her wedding dress. Crystal refused to negotiate on that one. Her dress was like one out of a fairy tail. They went dress shopping, and it was the only one that Mercedes fell in love with at first sight. She didn't waste any time and chose it for herself. The dress was a stunning floor-length gown in a soft shade of ivory. The dress has a sweetheart neckline with delicate cap sleeves. The bodice had intricate hand embroidered snowflake patterns on it. The skirt was long and flowy with a subtle train that trailed behind. The lace of the dress had sparkling embellishments like stardust on it. It was enchanting to look at. Mercedes knew that it was the dress she wanted to get married in. When she tried it on, Crystal couldn't help but agree with her choice. She knew that everyone else would be stunned by her ethereal presence when she wore it on her wedding day.
“ Hey, what are you thinking about so deeply?” Crystal snapped her out of her thoughts.
Mercedes shook her head with a smile.
“ Nothing. I am just thinking about the wedding. Everything is happening so fast, I just want everything to be perfect. Even though it is a small wedding, there is still a lot to do.”
“ Oh,” Crystal said with a smile on her face.
“ You are worried about nothing then. Everyone is willing to lend a helping hand. In fact, they are already helping to set up the decorations outside. The only thing that should be on your mind is how you will look on the day. The rest of it all, you can just leave it to your people. You are their Luna after all, and they are willing to do anything.”
What Crystal said put Mercedes's mind at ease.
“ What about the guys? Did they get their suits already? Felix wouldn't tell me, saying it was a surprise since I wouldn't show him my dress either. He can be silly sometimes.”
“ Yes. Their suites are ready. I made sure of it. Everything is going smoothly.”
Mercedes nodded her head, satisfied with Crystal's answer. She was supposed to have a bachelorette party, but Mercedes refused to have one. She didn't even want to entertain the thought of other men, so she shut the whole idea down. The only thing she agreed to settle for was the pajama party with the girls. Crystal was the one who organized. She didn't mind, and she was happy to handle everything. Mercedes didn't like the thought of her burdening herself with her matters, but Crystal told her that she was happy to do everything that she was doing for her. She didn't mind and Mercedes was convinced by her words.
The pajama party was a few nights back. Alexa, Isadora, Yuna and a friend of hers attended. The guys were kicked out of the house, so it was just a ladies' night. Mercedes was pleasantly surprised to see Yuna getting along with someone else. She didn't have any friends before and she had one. She had changed for the better and learned to let others in. It was good.
Alexa was so happy for Mercedes she even cried. It was an emotional moment for her. As Felix's guardian, she gave Mercedes a blessing for her marriage.
“ I can't believe that both of you will be tying the knot. You have come so far. I am so happy for you two,” Alexa said with tears in her eyes. No matter his hard she tried, she couldn't stop crying as she embraced Mercedes.
“ I've never had the time to thank you, Alexa. I wouldn't have gotten this fair without your support. I want to thank you for blessing me as well.”
“ You are the one my dear boy chose and nothing matters more than both of your happiness. It's time to start anew and let the past go. That way, you both can live a happy and prosperous life. That is all I want.”
After all the tears, the girls gathered in the living room, where Crystal had set pillows and blankets. Mercedes was wearing a short strappy champagne-colored nightdress with a crown on top of her head and a bride-to-be sash on her body. The rest of them wore pink ones. Crystal set up a DIY station in the corner of the room for face mask, nail polishes, makeup and other activities for the ladies to enjoy. Isadora opened her bag and took out a bottle of wine that she had brought with her.
“ I hope you don't mind. I brought a bottle of the finest wine in Vaughnorths with me. A congratulatory drink is in order,” Isadora said. They opened the bottle and poured a glass for each other. The atmosphere was lively and relaxed. The room was filled with nothing but laughter and chatter as the ladies had a great time. Mercedes was happy, and it was one of the best nights of her life.
That's when Isadora and Alexa took the chance to announce their relationship to the girls. Alexa was shy and Isadora helped her hand.
“ There is something we have yet to tell you guys. It's good news,” Isadora began. Everyone looked at their intertwined hands, and it was already obvious what they were about to say. Only Crystal and Yuna’s friend Sara were clueless for a moment.
“ Alexa and I are in a relationship. We have been together for a while now, and we wanted to keep things to ourselves until we were sure. Now, we are certain that we want to be together and be in a committed relationship.”
Everyone stayed silent for a minute before Mercedes spoke out.
“ Well, it's about time! I thought you planned on being a secret relationship forever even though it was barely a secret,” she teased them with a mischievous smirk on her face. Alexa looked at her in confusion.
“ Come on. Did you seriously think that your secret was a secret? The love you have for each other was so obvious, and you were not doing a great job keeping it a secret. I'm sure everyone back in Vaughnorths is aware of your relationship as well,” Mercedes and Alexa's eyes widened in surprise. She wasn't aware that they were that obvious, and they didn't realize it while lost in their feelings for each other.
Yuna sighed.
“ Yes mom. Mercedes is right. We just all pretended not to see anything, but the secret has been out for a long time. I wanted to tell you about it, but I just thought to let it be. I didn't want to put you on the spot.”
Isadora and Alexa laughed in disbelief. They couldn't believe that they were so bad at keeping a secret and all this time they thought everything was under control. Now that the car was out of the bag, there was no point in pretending anymore.
“ I'm happy for you, Alexa. I have known you for a while and I never thought I would see you this happy. I can see that you no longer wear dark clothes like before. You are shedding your skin and become someone livelier. It must be because of your love, ey,” Crystal said, making everyone laugh. Alexa's face flushed with embarrassment. The ladies celebrated the joys in their lives and had a great time that night. Mercedes laughed, and her eyes sparkled with happiness. It was the beginning of a wonderful time of her life after getting through all the hardships.