After the death of Belle's parents in Solace, Belle doesn't think anything else could possibly go so wrong in her life. Despite her booming business, flourishing relationship with Harry, and overall happiness with her life, Belle can't quite escape...
Chapter Song: Video Games (cover) by Trixie Mattel
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
~ same day ~
⪻⪻⪼⪼
To say I had a good night's sleep last night would be an understatement. Harry really does know me more than I know myself. I'm quite sure he's some type of sorcerer or something. Let's just say his skills as a doctor aren't the only skills he possesses, which he clearly reminded me of this morning as well. And as much as I love rolling around in bed with him, I knew we had to get going so I wouldn't be late.
Unfortunately for me, Harry doesn't quite grasp the concept of a time crunch, which is why I'm walking into brunch fifteen minutes late with wobbly legs and flushed cheeks. To make things more awkward, I'm not just meeting some girlfriends, oh no, I'm meeting Harry's family.
"I'm here, I'm here; sorry I'm late," I exclaim, practically out of breath as I rush towards the large circular table at the edge of the restaurant where my friends and, well, family for lack thereof a better name, sat.
The lucky ladies joining me today were most of the bridal party and all the important women in my life. Anne had driven from Holmes Chapel early this morning, assuring me that even the early hours wouldn't keep her from being here with me on such a special day.
Juliette, Nathalie, and Leigh-Anne were staying in the three-bedroom terraced house they owned here in the city centre, after their arrival yesterday. Harry's father and Juliette had purchased the million-dollar place not long after I had met them, claiming they wanted to be closer for not only their son but for Edward and me too, which just begged the question of how wealthy they are, but I wasn't one to ask.
Gemma couldn't make it, and she felt terrible, but I assured her that we'd FaceTime with her if she had time during her work trip so she could see the dress. That just left Ruby, who I couldn't possibly find a dress without.
"Not to worry, dear. Never hurt anyone to be fashionably late." Anne says, standing and giving me a tight squeeze. It'd been about a month since I'd last seen her, which is quite unusual for us, but she'd been busy with her charity work and visiting Gemma in London. "We'd heard you had a big event last night."
"Still feel terrible, event or not," I mumble, greeting everyone else with hugs and the occasional cheek kiss. After our brief introduction, I take my seat in between Ruby and Anne, quickly thanking Ruby for her help yesterday and asking if she had gotten home okay. Our quick chatter is cut short by Leigh-Anne pointing out one of the most obvious truths about myself.
"You look exhausted -" She points out, most likely noticing the dark rings under my eyes. No amount of concealer could hide that evidence, unfortunately.
"Late night?" Nathalie points out, peering over her menu to give me a knowing wink.
My face turns about ten shades redder than usual. Leave it to Nathalie to embarrass me, the little minx, in front of the whole family. She's like the sister I've never had, teasing me about boys, only it's awkward because my boy is also her step-brother.
