Chapter Forty-Five
Liv
One Month Later
We sat in the bridal shop, me and Effy on the sofas on one side of the curtain as Emily chatted to us from the other side while she put her wedding dress on. It was just the three of us today. Emily had wanted it that way. Three best friends who’d been through everything together, school, boyfriends, family dramas that beggared belief. But today, we were here because Emily wanted us to be the first to see the wedding dress she’d chosen. This was a special moment for her, for all of us really.
“If you hate it, you will tell me, won’t you?” she asked as we heard the swishing sounds of the fabric as she climbed into her dress.
“As if you’d ever choose something we wouldn’t love,” I told her.
“You look beautiful in everything you wear,” Effy added, and we both smiled at each other.
“Okay, well, here goes nothing.”
The sales lady opened the curtain and we both gasped at Emily stood in front of us, wearing the most stunning wedding dress I’d ever seen. It was perfect, and so her. The strapless bodice fit her like a glove, and pearls and crystals shone as she swayed from side to side. The skirt was full and billowing, making her look like a Disney princess, and on her head, she had the most stunning diamond tiara that twinkled and complemented her long chocolate-brown curls perfectly.
I heard Effy start to sniffle and she reached down to her handbag to grab a tissue. I wasn’t one to cry on occasions like this, or so I thought, but even I had a tear in my eye. I was so proud of my best friend. So honoured that she’d asked us both to come here today and share this special moment with her. No one else, just us. And watching her tear up too and smile, seeing the love radiate from her, it was everything. She’d been through so much; she’d fought like all of us had to get to her happy ever after and I couldn’t be more pleased for her. It all meant so much to Emily, to be the first one to fall in love, the first to become engaged, and now, she was going to be the first one to get married.
Only, she wasn’t.
Because yesterday, Adam and I had stood in front of a registrar and said our own vows. Me, wearing a silk white sundress, and him in a suit for the first time ever. He’d told me I could invite my friends to our wedding, but I said no. I told him he could have the soldiers to stand with him, but he refused. The day was ours, and even though I missed my best friends being there–and I felt guilty that I hadn’t told them–I didn’t regret my decision. If they’d been there, I’d have heard whispers of, ‘Does she know what she’s doing?’ or, ‘Is he really right for her?’ and I didn’t need to hear that, because he was right for me. He was the one. There’d never be anyone else, and even though they didn’t particularly like Adam, it didn’t bother me. They didn’t know him like I did. Maybe one day they’d get to know him better. But the history he had with the guys, Emily’s fiancé, Ryan, and Effy’s boyfriend, Finn, it was complicated, and I couldn’t see that changing anytime soon.
Maybe one day, Adam and I would tell people what we’d done. Or maybe we’d just throw a massive wedding of our own in a few months and pretend it was our first time. Whatever we did, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that we were each other’s world, and yesterday, we’d made it official.
Liv Cooper didn’t exist anymore.
I was Olivia Noble, and I couldn’t be more proud to have that name.
I put my hand on my chest, feeling my wedding ring that sat on the same chain as my shell pendant, hidden underneath the high neck of my sweater, and I blinked back my tears. What kind of friend would I be if I blurted out my news and took the shine off my best friend on a day that meant so much to her? Because what were friends for if not to lift you up? I would never dull her sparkle. This was her day and she deserved this.
“Em, you look stunning,” I said, fighting back my tears. “If I were to trawl through these racks and look at every wedding dress in this shop, I wouldn’t find a single one that’d suit you better. He is going to lose his shit when he sees you walk down the aisle in that.”
“Do you really think so?” she asked.
“I know so,” I replied, cocking my head to the side and giving her my ‘you-know-I-always-speak-the-truth’ look.
She smoothed her hands down the front of her dress and then sighed, shaking her hips gently like a little girl and smiling to herself as she watched the skirt swirl around her.
“I can’t wait to walk down that aisle.” She looked up at us and grinned. “I can’t wait to be Mrs Hardy, and you two will look amazing in your bridesmaid dresses too.”
“Hell yeah we will,” I said, smirking as I bumped my shoulder into Effy’s.
“You can invite Adam to come to the wedding… if you’re still together,” Em said sheepishly, and the fact she’d insinuated that we might’ve broken up by then made my back go up, but I didn’t show it.
Instead, I sat back, smiled and said, “I don’t think Ryan, Brandon, or Finn are going to want to see Adam there. But it’s fine, he’ll find a way to sneak in and watch from a corner, somewhere hidden, so he doesn’t upset anyone.”
“That doesn’t sound like much fun for you though?” Emily said, frowning. “Maybe we can start laying down some groundwork, talking to the lads about accepting the fact that you and Adam are a thing now? Who knows, we might actually get them all in the same room together without wanting to kill each other.”
“Meh.” I shrugged. “I can’t see that happening anytime soon, but it’s a nice thought. Thanks, Em.”
Emily nodded and went back to staring down at her dress in a daze. Effy put her hand on my knee then leant into me and whispered, “I know Adam and Finn have a bad history, and I know what Adam did to Finn was awful. But if it makes you feel any better, I know Finn doesn’t hold grudges. He’s the most forgiving person I know, and in time, he’ll let it pass. If Adam is the one, we’ll be here for you.”
That tear I’d been holding back fell free now, trickling down my cheek as I put my hand over Effy’s.
“Thank you, Eff. That means a lot. And yes, he is the one.”
She gave me a knowing smile.
“I thought so. I’ve never seen you look so happy. You’re glowing just as much as Emily is today.”
And I bit my tongue, desperately wanting to tell her why I was glowing, but knowing I couldn’t.
A warmth spread through me as I held my best friend’s hand and watched my other best friend as she danced in front of us, lost in her little bubble of happiness.
Emily and Ryan had a love that looked perfect, idyllic to everyone on the outside. But love meant different things to different people. It wasn’t always picture perfect, sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes, it was chaos and confusion. Passion that tore out your soul. Love could be beautiful, but it could also be messy, ugly, and hard fucking work, but boy was it worth it, because waking up every day, knowing that you’re going to spend the rest of your life with your soul mate, that was the stuff of dreams. That was priceless.
Our story wasn’t like the movies or the books. It was rough around the edges and came with more ups and downs than most rollercoasters, but it was our story and I loved it. From broken shells and a broken boy, to a psycho who thought he could wear me down. A stalker who watched my every move, to a man who knew me and saw me for who I really was. I found my happy ever after. My crazy, insane, slightly psychotic and ridiculously overbearing, but totally heart-stopping, soul-crushing, fit as fuck man was all I’d ever need. He was mine forever.
My Adam.
My husband.
My life.
The End.