Abbey nods, squinting at our reflection.‘We’ve definitely looked worse.’
Enter Gloria, her iPad raised as if she’s about to take attendance and bless us simultaneously.
‘Oh my, you girls look divine!’She beams, snapping photos at high speed.
We smile through the flashes, then shuffle back into Ella’s room.
‘Wow, Ella,’ Abbey breathes, stepping aside as the photographer lifts his camera.‘You look – Jesus.Wow.’
She does.Her hair’s swept up, her face is glowing, and the dress … it’s all lace and perfectly tailored drama.Grace Kelly, if she ditched the palace and married someone hotter.
‘You look beautiful,’ I say, and mean it.
Steven dabs at his eyes and slips out of the room, possibly worried someone might see him feeling things.
Gloria looks up from her iPad, eyes softening the second she sees Ella.She walks over, wraps her in a hug and murmurs, ‘You’re perfect, darling.’
Ella looks around and smiles, but it’s a little shaky.‘Guys, I’m nervous.’Her voice is small, and it cuts through the room – surprising and oddly vulnerable.
‘What?’Abbey says.‘You’ve been dreaming of this day since we were kids.’
Ella doesn’t laugh.Instead, she turns to the mirror and stares at her reflection as if it’s about to blink first.
I step closer and rest a hand on her shoulder.‘Remember whenHilary Duff was scared to sing “What Dreams Are Made Of ”, but then Hilary Duff helped Hilary Duff, and then Hilary Duff sang a duet with Hilary Duff?’
Silence.
‘Don’t act like you can’t rememberThe Lizzie McGuire Movie.The point is,’ I clarify, ‘you’ve got this.’
She lets out a breath.‘Thanks, I think,’ she says softly and smiles, a genuine one this time.And just like that, any tension in the room breaks like a plate at a Greek wedding.
Abbey holds up a tray of freshly poured mimosas.‘Alright, one last cheers to the single trio.’
‘I’m fine,’ Ella says brightly.
Abbey raises a brow.‘Oh, come on.Just one sip before you walk down the aisle.It’s basically a rite of passage.’
Ella glances quickly at Gloria, who waves her hand and offers sweetly, ‘I’ll have Ella’s glass.’
I look between mother and daughter and my chest squeezes.At the welcome drinks yesterday, she was holding a champagne for the speeches, sure, but did she drink it?
I try to rewind the night in my brain.The flute in her hand.The toasts.The laughter.The way she smiled with her glowing skin and shiny hair.
Glowing.
My eyes snap to her now – the skin, the hair.Ella blushes.I lean in and whisper, just loud enough for her to hear.‘Are you …?’
Ella meets my eyes, says nothing.Just gives the tiniest nod.
I squeal.The sound is somewhere between a dolphin and a boiling kettle as I throw my arms around her.‘You’re joking!You’re actually—’
Abbey blinks.‘What?What am I missing?’
Ella nods again.Gloria dabs delicately at the corners of her eyes.
‘Can someone please tell me what is happening right now?’Abbey yelps.
Ella and I pull apart, laughing.
