Page 29 of Past

"It can be your something new,"I say and pull out another little box.

"I actually love it. Sebastian will go crazy," Maisy says with her whole face going red.

"I like that, too, you'll have to show me where you got it from," Izzy says, admiring the little lacy set before Maisy puts it back, and I nod at her.

“This is something else. It’s a little different, but I knew you would understand,” I say, feeling nervous about this one.

“Allie, how the hell did you get this?” Maisy pulls out a silver bracelet with little blue flowers. When Maisy was younger, she wore it to school once. We were only twelve, and she said it was her grandmother’s. When her mum picked her up, she went mad that Maisy had taken it out of her jewellery box. I spoke to Maisy’s dad and asked him if he could get it back for her wedding. I know she was really close to her grandmother, and her dad sorted it. I don’t know how, but he got it last week and gave it to me to give to her.

“It’s something blue. It’s actually from your dad and me. I thought you would want something from your grandmother at your wedding. I remember you saying how you wished your grandmother had left you that bracelet.”

“She always wore it; it was a gift from her mother, my great-grandmother, on her wedding day. Oh, Allie, I don’t know how to thank you.” Maisy throws her arms around me as I try not to fall over.

“It can be your something blue and old. So Allie has done the something new with the underwear, so I get the something borrowed,” Izzy says, and Maisy pulls away as she wipes her eyes.

“I know, you can borrow my mother’s necklace. I was told it belonged to my father’s mother before my own. I would love for you to wear it. It’s a sapphire, so it will match your colour theme.”

“You sure?” Maisy asks as she hugs Izzy, and I sit on the stool, taking off the shoes.

“Positive.” She grins.

"Right, back to another thing we need to sort before the wedding. Allie, why haven't you spoken to Elliot? What did he do?" Maisy asks, putting the box aside and speaking in her mum voice, which makes me cringe.

"No reason. It just doesn't work for us," I say, putting the shoes in the box and putting on my own flats.

"I'm having these," I say, picking up the box with the black shoes inside, and Izzy glances at me with a look I know too well.

"I love you, Allie, but something is going on, and I wish you would trust us,"Izzy says.

"I can't. Not this time. Please leave it," I say, getting up and walking outside the shop for some air. It's bad enough that I've lost Elliot. The boy I have always wanted since I first saw him, and after I got a taste of the man he has become . . . I can't have him.

"Hey, you okay?" Maisy comes next to me with a worried face.

"Boys suck, Maisybear." I grin at her when she shakes her head.

"My grandmother used to say ‘nothing good is ever easy in this world.’ I think she was right. Seb and I getting to this point wasn’t easy, but it’s so good. It was worth all the pain and the struggle to get here,"she tells me.

"Your grandmother was a smart lady,"I tell her, and she nods, looking over the shop centre through the windows.

"I haven't told Sebastian about my inheritance yet. I don't think he knows we will be millionaires in a year," she tells me.

"He won't care; he is just as rich as you will be. The Kings never cared about the money they already have, it’s hardly made them happy,"I reply.

"So are you. We are all having stupid amounts of family money that we don’t need," Maisy points out, talking about my inheritance. I actually have little idea of how much I have, but from my interest payments, it must be a lot. Tristan is good with numbers and money; he sorted all our investments out when he turned sixteen. I know it sounds like a lot of responsibility at sixteen, but we grew up fast when we were alone all the time.

"You know I don't like to touch that money. I feel like it's an 'I’m sorry your mother is a bitch’ present. She was meant to call yesterday, and I finally have something to talk to her about. You know her one call a year, and she forgot. Like she has every year since I was thirteen, but some stupid part of me keeps hoping. She should be winning awards for being a shitty mother. It’s worse now that I know what my dad is like. She left me and Tris with him, what is wrong with her?" I ask, but I don’t expect an answer Maisy can’t give me. I shake my head as my blond hair falls past my shoulders. The dark-brown underneath is looking lighter by the day, and I need a haircut soon.

"Sorry, I know parents can be a let-down, but you have a family. Tris is there for you, and I’m always here." She smiles, wrapping an arm around me.

"Even if you don’t date my annoying, broody brother, you are already family to us," Izzy says, coming to stand next to me.

"Thanks," I whisper, trying to rid my parents from my thoughts.

"So, we should get back," I say, taking some bags from Izzy, which have our shoes inside.

Maisy walks on, and I wink at Izzy, who grins. Maisy doesn't realise that we have a surprise ‘hen do’ at her home set up by Emilia and Harley. Sebastian has taken Jake out for the day. Jake is staying overnight at Harley’s with his dad so Maisy can relax. It took over half an hour to persuade Seb that Maisy would be okay on her own with us for a night. Sebastian has been very over-protective since Jake’s birth, but no one can blame him.

We all chat as I drive us back to her home and pull up in front of her amazing, barn-conversion house. Sebastian really picked well when he bought this house for her.The outside looks like a barn with massive windows, and it has two floors. The house has kept a lot of the original wood work, and it has a lovely, massive field in the back for Jake to play.

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