Page 172 of Begin Again, Part 2

FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE

Wedding fever hit town as soon as the press release about Eden and Liam's impending nuptials went out. For days, the announcement, posted on Anderson Logistics' website and all the company's socials, was the number #1 trending topic on all social media platforms.

The internet was in disbelief. Thousands of Liam's adoring fans couldn't accept that the day they dreaded had finally come, and the Three-Month Prince was officially off the market. Well, almost off the market.

Like most people with an unhealthy obsession with their idols, they had to share their outrage and sadness with strangers on the internet. Overnight, Eden became the villain, the woman who had ruined all their fantasies, and they couldn't understand why, out of all the beauties in the universe ready to fall at his feet, Liam would choose her. She had to have used some witchcraft or love spell on him, they said.

When Sienna's exposé on their fairy tale romance hit Dirt magazine, and the world found out about Aiden, it confirmed everyone's suspicions. Opinions became facts, and the shotgun wedding made sense. Eden had obviously saddled Liam with the baby because in their worlds, safely hidden behind laptop screens and cell phones, billionaires simply didn't fall in love with regular plain Janes. Hell, they didn't even date outside their social circles. It never occurred to any of them that the couple could be happy and in love.

Eden read the comments, lapping them up with the same enthusiasm she used to gobble down her dry Froot Loops. Most pregnant women craved spicy chicken wings and other nice things. Not her. She wanted Froot Loops every day, all day, while she obsessed over all the nonsense written about her.

She became so compulsive in her internet crawling that Liam had to take her phone away for a little while before she lost her mind.

Thankfully, the wedding planning was one thing Eden didn't have to obsess over. She'd wanted a small, intimate do with just under fifty guests. Heck, if it was up to her, she and Liam would have skipped the whole fanfare and gone straight to the courthouse. But Erica and Lois had made it clear they wouldn't be cheated out of their one chance to throw the grandest, poshest wedding Rock Castle had ever seen. They were determined to make their special day the talk of the town for centuries to come. So with just under three weeks to plan the mother of all weddings, they rolled up their sleeves, roped in Eden's friends and Liam's sisters, and got down to work.

There was so much to do in those three weeks. But between Eden's freelance work projects for Anderson Logistics and her painting side hustle at Fugue, she had very little time on her hands, and she was probably the most uninvolved bride in the history of all brides.

Even if she had the time to plan her big day, Liam would never have allowed it. He took Dr Emily's orders about reducing stress in her life seriously. He would have also bought the wedding dress for her if he could have. But it was the only thing Eden insisted on taking an interest in.

She spent days scouring bridal boutiques in Rock Castle, but everything they saw didn't scream 'first-time' bride to her. Most of the dresses were too modern and risqué, or too old fashioned and boring. At some point, her bridesmaids wanted to pull out of the wedding, and a massive fight broke out because she couldn't make up her mind. But just when they were about to give up and dress her in an old potato sack, Eden finally found her dream dress—a sweetheart beaded A-Line ball gown with a tulle overlay and cathedral train.

"This is it!" she announced, her eyes sparkling with excitement,

Her friends agreed when she put it on and pranced around the store. It had a whimsical elegance that screamed of romance and happily-ever-after. A perfect dress for a special day two years and too long in the making.

When the countdown to the wedding day hit the one week mark, the days began to blur into each other, and time seemed to slip away quickly. After a mildly entertaining hen party, the maid of honour had quickly put together, and an equally uninspiring bachelor party Julian had tried his best to breathe life into, the day Eden and Liam had been waiting for finally arrived, bringing grey clouds, lightning and thunderstorms.

The drive from Green Point to the wedding venue, the Oakhampton Castle on the outskirts of town, was incredibly long, made more so by the atrocious weather and slippery roads. But with Cassandra's steady driving, they managed to make it in record time. While they waited for the torrential downpour to ease up since none of them had thought to bring an umbrella, they sat in stunned silence and took in the red-brick castle with its oversized stained glass windows, majestic arches and conical roofs.

Set against the backdrop of the moody sky and surrounded by tree-clad gardens and breathtaking views, the guest lodge was indeed a sight to behold, and the hundreds of photos Eden had seen of the place on its website did not do it justice. But if she thought the exterior was incredible, the interior of the adjoining quaint chapel where the ceremony would be held was as breathtaking.

The chapel was large enough to house all hundred guests, but cosy enough to create an intimate atmosphere. The marble floors, stone pillars and dripping chandelier gave the place an air of elegance and timelessness, but the thousands of fairy lights dripping from the ceiling added a sense of romance and magic. It was the daffodils scattered throughout the room and on the red carpet trailing from the entrance, alongside gorgeously draped pews, that did it for Eden. Well aware of their symbolism and the man behind them, she almost burst into tears when she saw them. As much as Liam had tried not to be involved in planning their wedding, he'd added a sentimental touch to their day, and she couldn't have loved him more.

Her phone buzzed in her bag, and when she pulled it out and saw the caller ID, Eden couldn't hold back her tears.

"What's wrong?" Liam asked as soon as she picked up.

"Nothing, everything is so perfect, that's all."

"And that's making you cry?"

"Yeah." Eden nodded, forgetting he couldn't see her.

"Hey, wipe those tears, and hurry up and get ready because I can't wait to make you mine."

He was close by, inside one of the numerous rooms in this sprawling castle. But when Eden heard the smile in his voice, she couldn't help but miss him something awful. She didn't know how she'd survive the next two hours. She asked, hoping they could sneak in a quick kiss or two, "don't you miss me?"

"We already have shitty weather; I'd rather not chance it."

"What are you talking about?" Eden followed her friends to their guest suite to get ready.

"Don't you know it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding?" Liam asked.

"I didn't think you were the superstitious type." Eden smiled, wondering what her son and his cousins were up to when she heard their howling laughter in the background.

"I'm not," Liam said seriously. "But I waited a long time for this day. I'm not doing anything to mess it up."

"Okay," she agreed with his logic. They'd come too far to tempt fate. "And I love the flowers."

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