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This union had been twenty years coming. And now that Will was her husband and Ella was Will’s wife, the next chapter of their lives could begin. Ella had no idea what would happen next. But she was ready for it.
As they turned to walk back down the aisle to guide their guests to the beautiful outdoor reception, they waved toward Laura and Danny, who walked alongside them, smiling from ear to ear. It was every kid’s greatest dream that their separated parents got back together. Ella knew this because she’d watched Greta and Bernard get back together only a few months back. You never really got over the first love you ever knew— and that, she supposed, was the love between your parents. You wanted it to last forever. You wanted to believe in it above everything.
ChapterTwenty-Three
The reception outside the White Elephant Hotel was like something out of a bridal magazine— which Aurora had probably only perused at a doctor’s office once. Wordless, Aurora walked alongside Brooks, watching the people as they chatted over another round of cocktails, all immaculately dressed, their hair styled wonderfully, their skin perfectly tanned from sailing expeditions. Aurora had never been around these kinds of people before. The contrast between them and those at the psychiatric facility was staggering, and it made her feel a bit out of her element. If Brooks hadn’t been beside her, holding her hand, she would have run out of there.
“Look! It’s our table.” Brooks pointed at two place settings with their names on them, right next to one another. The sight of Aurora’s name electrified her. It made her feel even more that she existed within the world. That people cared about her.
“That was incredible, Aurora!” Andy from the artist residency approached to congratulate her, carrying a cocktail. “I heard a rumor that you wrote that song in your head?”
Aurora nodded. It seemed normal to her to write songs in her head. She had been doing it for as long as she could remember.
“That’s incredible,” Andy said. “Tom does that to a degree, don’t you, Tom?”
Tom, the other musician at the residency, approached and nodded, smiling. “Not as well as you do, Aurora. Plus, you have to write lyrics on top of it all. I just do experimental music.”
Aurora’s heart lifted. During the weeks she’d spent at the residency, she’d hardly chatted to these guys at all nor shown an active interest in their work. All this time, they’d probably wanted to be friends with her, to talk about music and art.Did she have it in her to forge friendships with such accomplished people? Maybe.
“I’d really love to hear your music,” Aurora said.
“It’s important that you watch the film, as well,” Tom said, pointing to Andy, his partner. “I wrote the music to go along with it.”
“And you two had never met before this residency?” Brooks asked.
Andy and Tom shook their heads, eyeing one another mischievously. It was clear this would be a promising partnership— one they would probably follow for years.
“You’ll have to tell me when you premier the film,” Aurora said.
“We’re going to show it at the end of July,” Tom said. “Just to the people at The Copperfield House, though.”
“All one thousand of you,” Andy joked.
Aurora laughed.
“Because you are coming back, aren’t you?” Tom asked.
Aurora wondered if she should be annoyed or embarrassed by the question, as it alluded to the fact that she was in a psychiatric facility. But she remembered something Dr. Winston told her: that she didn’t have to feel anything she didn’t want to feel, that she didn’t have to be embarrassed about anything if it didn’t serve her. It had felt freeing when he’d said it.
“I’m definitely coming back,” Aurora said, squeezing Brooks’ hand again. “I have so much more work to do.”
“Damn right, you do,” Tom said. “That painting is insane.”
“I have many more planned,” Aurora said, surprised to hear the truth in her voice.
After they sat, Brooks went to fetch himself a beer and Aurora a glass of water as the servers came around with the first course, a French-inspired salad that Greta had raved about on the drive from the facility that morning. Aurora thanked Brooks for her water, then dove into the salad, surprised at the brightness of the flavors. It was true that the psychiatric facility’s food wasn’t the most inspiring. She decided to savor every bite.
After the first four courses, before dessert and the cutting of the cake, Ella and Will made the rounds and eventually reached their table. Eager to speak to the beautiful Ella, Aurora jumped up with more energy she’d felt in a while and threw her arms around her.
“You were spectacular,” Ella said mid-hug.
“Thank you for giving me yet another opportunity,” Aurora said. “I don’t deserve it.”
Ella pulled back and looked her in the eye. She was wearing a lot more makeup than usual, and she looked fiery and gorgeous, much more like the woman who had graced magazine covers back in the 2000s than the forty-something woman with kids and responsibilities Aurora now knew. Still, she’d been this woman all along. Aurora knew that.
“You do deserve it,” Ella told her. “Practice reminding yourself of that. Okay?”
Aurora’s throat was tight. She knew that Ella wouldn’t let her off the hook until she agreed, so she nodded, unable to speak.
