His hold on me tightens, head bowing slightly to rest against my shoulder, and this has to be the most human I’ve ever seen Julian. I still don’t really know much about Julian since heprefers to keep to himself and never opens up, but one thing I’m certain of is that his coldness isn’t just a choice, it’s a shield.
If I had to guess, Julian has been depraved of affection for so long that now he feels it’s necessary to withdraw himself and doesn’t know how to respond when someone is willing to open their arms to him. He doesn’t mean to be harsh or distant; he just doesn’t remember how not to be.
“I swear, the more days that pass, the less I recognize him,” Jason chuckles in his usual deep voice. “I think your motherboard is experiencing some technical difficulties again, brother.”
Julian quickly straightens and I step back, understanding our moment is over. “Yes, it would appear so.” He clears his throat and walks off like he didn’t just need that hug as much as I did.
Chapter thirty-five
Aubrey
Well… that didn’t go as planned.
~ Wedding Day ~
I stand in front of the huge stand-up mirror before me, letting my finger glide over my baby bump and along the material of my dress. I’m in awe with what Libby has created especially for me. I had seen similar wedding dresses when I was shopping, but none were made to accommodate my rounded belly. How Libby managed to do it is beyond me, but I’m in love with it.
My dress is a beautiful white sheath-style gown, made of stretch crepe, with a heart-shaped neckline and lace off-the-shoulder long sleeves. It hugs my body from the top, all the way to my hips, then falls straight down, with a plunging lace back that contains a row of buttons throughout the skirt and train.
I feel like I’ve been floating on a cloud since my baby shower. After opening all the gifts, most of the guests left, leaving us with just our close friends and family to end the night. We then gathered outside with the kids and the pups for a barbeque dinner and a few fun games. It may not have been the traditional bachelor-bachelorette party, but it was perfect for us.
I did end up having the time to call Octavia and see how her and her mom were doing. She informed me that her mother had wandered off during the middle of the night and fallen into a ditch, breaking her ankle. They only found her the next morning and brought her into the hospital right away.
She felt terrible that she missed my shower and would most likely not be able to attend the wedding either. But I reassured her that it was completely fine, that she should stay by her mother’s side until she got better. Well, her ankle, the Alzheimer’s just seems to be getting worse every time I talk to Tavie.
Poor girl, only nineteen years old and having to deal with all of this on her own…
The next day, Shane showered me with love from sunrise to nightfall in every way imaginable. Then yesterday, Shane and I, as well as the bridal and groom’s party arrived at the castle for the rehearsal dinner.
I still have no idea what my wedding will look like. All the decorations were being set up this morning, and yesterday the wedding coordinator was under strict orders to give us as little information as possible. She only showed us where we would walk, what cues we would need to wait for, and how the weddingwould progress. The only clue I have up to now is that everyone in the dressing room are in lavender-colored dresses, and my bouquet of flowers is a combination of lavender, deep purple, and white roses.
My hair has been gracefully curled, with the top half held up by pins with flower details. I’m also wearing makeup, which is not something I usually do, but I told the makeup artist to keep it as simple and natural as possible. So we went with some golden-light pink eyeshadow, a very thin winged line of eyeliner, mascara, and a nude-soft pink lipstick.
She also applied a very small hint of blush, which I told her was really not necessary with how red I turn constantly. There was also some much-needed concealer added under my eyes, which is something I really didn’t want because it would hide my freckles, and I know how much Shane loves them. But after last night, the bags under my eyes were way too noticeable. Yet somehow, she worked her magic and hid them perfectly, without obscuring my freckles too much.
Now back to last night… It was terrible.
I woke up at one in the morning in horrible pain. These contractions were a lot worse than the previous ones I’ve been having, and nothing seemed to help pass them. Shane was practically freaking out the whole time because he didn’t know how to help and what to do.
The castle is two hours away from where I’m supposed to give birth, so this was not the ideal situation for us. Finally, Shane called the maternity ward to find out if we should be coming in or not. They told us to time the contractions and try to take a warm bath and see if it helps pass them. That if they are real ones and I’m in actual labor, they won’t fade and just get closer and worse. But the bath did the trick, and they slowly faded out until I was no longer in pain.
All I kept thinking was that if those were, as they call it, ‘fake contractions’, I’ll never make it through the real ones. All that being the reason behind why Shane and I were up for a total of four hours during the night and are now beyond exhausted with bags under our eyes.
It’s okay, though, we’re getting married today. We’ll be able to rest tomorrow.
Cecilia comes up beside me with a loving smile gracing her lips. “You look breathtaking, Aubrey.”
Shane and I each have four people in our wedding party. Cecilia, Emma, and Morgan were chosen as my bridesmaids, while Ronnie received the title of maid of honor. Shane chose Julian as his best man, with Jason, Jessie, and Hailey as his groomsmen. Although I think Hailey being a woman would make her a groomswoman.
“Thank you,” I whisper, my natural blush shining through my makeup.
“I can’t believe how much has changed since we first met. Who knew this is how our lives would play out? That you’d attend my wedding as the new addition to our group, then four and a half years later, I’d get to be a part of yours.”
I take her hand in mine and turn to face her as I start to get emotional.Oh, who am I kidding? I’ve been emotional all morning.“I don’t think I’ve ever repaid you properly for bringing me into your life. You, Emma, and Morgan. I don’t think a ‘thank you’ will ever be enough.”
“You don’t need to repay us in any way, Brey. You’re family. You being in our lives is the greatest gift we could ask for.” She squeezes my hand, then whispers something unexpected, something I didn’t think she remembered. “Do you have any doubts?”
It’s the same question I asked her the night before her wedding, when I was still unsure if marriage was something thatI wanted in my life. She had told me that she knew, from the very beginning, that Silas was the one for her, and that if that man ever came along in my life, I would know it too.
