One Last Chance

by Hollowed, Beverley

  “Stop worrying,” Cole whispered into Ally’s ear. She looked up at him and he gave her a reassuring smile. Ally instantly felt better.

  The night went smoothly and Ally couldn’t help but smile at Nan, who had a huge smile on her face. She knew Nan was impressed. She and Pop were simple folk. They were not used to the finer things in life. But Ally knew Nan was enjoying living the high life for a couple of days. This made Ally love her even more than she thought it was possible.

  And that’s how the rest of the week went. Running around during the day doing wedding stuff, and each night taking Nan and Pop out to see the best of what London had to offer.

  By the time Thursday came, Ally was feeling tired. Hannah, Caitlin, Nathan and Sid arrived at lunchtime and it was planned that everyone would go to dinner. Then Ally would return to the Penthouse with the girls and her grandparents. Sid was staying there too. Cole and Nathan were to spend the night in Cole’s parent’s home.

  Cole had also arranged for Ally’s uncles and their families, along with Gus and his family to meet up at the restaurant too.

  Ally dressed in a cream chiffon tunic style dress and nude colour shoes. She kept her hair down in soft curls that framed her face. She stood in the walk in wardrobe and stared at her reflection but she didn’t see herself. She was miles away in her mind.

  Tomorrow she was marrying someone she had barely known 5 months. She was having his baby and she had never loved another person more than she loved him.

  “There you are!” Cole exclaimed with a huge smile, as he appeared in the doorway of the wardrobe. When Ally turned to face him, his smile faded. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she said as she walked slowly towards him. She slipped her arms around him, leaned up and kissed his mouth softly. “You know I love you, right?”

  “I know,” Cole replied and looked at Ally strangely. “Is something wrong, my gorgeous girl?”

  “I just want you to know I love you,” Ally said, looking directly into his eyes. “And just you.”

  “Ally, where has this come from?” He asked confused by her remark. Then it suddenly hit him. “This is because of El, isn’t it?”

  “I just wanted you to know,” Ally said not breaking her eyes from his. “You are enough for me.”

  “I know,” Cole said reaching down and kissing her tenderly. Then taking her hand he smiled and lead her out of the wardrobe and to the bed.

  He guided her to sit on the bed. She looked up at him expectantly as he reached into his pocket and pulled a small velvet box from inside it.

  “Tomorrow you are making me the happiest man alive,” Cole said, holding the small box tightly in his hands. “Ally, you have my heart completely. I never want you to forget that. So I want you to have this.”

  He opened the small box to reveal the most beautiful heart shaped diamond pendant she had ever seen.

  “Oh my God, Cole this is beautiful,” Ally gasped as she stared down at the pendant. “But you really didn’t have to do this.”

  “I wanted to,” he replied quickly. “I want you to remember just how special you are to me. You hold my heart. I never want you to forget that.”

  He slipped the pendant from the box and carefully placed it around Ally’s neck.

  “Cole it’s perfect,” Ally said, looking down at the pendant hanging from her neck. She reached up and tentatively touched the heart. “I love it.”

  “I love you more,” he replied as he leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. “Now come on, our public awaits, my gorgeous girl.”

  Ally linked the arm Cole held out to her, he led her from the bedroom out to where Nan and Pop were waiting and soon they were on their way to The Belvedere Restaurant in Holland Park. Cole had booked the mezzanine level for the dinner, so they could spend a nice relaxing evening with their family and friends.

  The night was perfect and everyone seemed to be having a ball. The food was exquisite and Cole ensured there was plenty of fine wine and champagne. It couldn’t have gone any better.

  As the waiters served the tea and coffee, Ally excused herself and made her way to the ladies room.

  When she was finished in the cubicle, she opened the door and was surprised to find El leaning against the vanity unit.

  “Hi,” Ally said, feeling suddenly nervous and uncomfortable but she didn’t know why.

  “Hi,” El replied, holding her gaze as Ally washed her hands. “I think we need to talk, don’t you.”

  “If you have something to say to me Ella,” Ally said, trying to sound calm and confident. “By all means, go right ahead.”

  “I am sure you are a lovely girl,” El began as she crossed her arms across her chest. “And I am sure that you think you are in love with my brother. But do you really think some ordinary grease monkey from Dublin can keep him satisfied? I mean look at him. And look at you.”

  “And tell me El,” Ally said, summoning up every bit of strength she could find deep inside her. “What will make him happy? A lying, cheating tart like your friend Charlie, so he can have his heart ripped out time and time again? Or maybe he needs a spoiled, pampered, princess, who thinks the world owes them something like you?”

  El’s face dropped in shocked with Ally’s reply and Ally knew she hadn’t expected the grease monkey to bite back.

  “You don’t have the first clue what he is like,” Ally continued. “You may have once upon a time, but you and Charlie and even Steph have changed him. We are happy and we love each other. And you or any other social climbing wannabes are never going to change that, So get used to it. Because this is happening with or without your blessing.”

  Without waiting for a reply, Ally picked up her clutch from the vanity unit and headed straight for the door.

  She couldn’t help but smile to herself as she made her way back to Cole.

  When he spotted her walking across the restaurant, he smiled and came to meet her. When he reached her, he pulled her into an embrace and kissed her softly on the lips then looked down at her once again.

  “Are you doing okay, gorgeous girl?” He asked with a look of contentment on his face. “Are you happy?”

  “I couldn’t be happier,” Ally said honestly.

  “No doubts about tomorrow?” He asked her nervously.

  “Not one,” she reassured him.

  “I love you, Ally Brody,” he said as he leaned in to kiss her once more.

  “I love you too, Cole Thomas,” she grinned against his mouth before she kissed him once again.

  El appeared from the direction of the ladies room and quietly returned to her seat. Ally knew El realised now she was not the pushover she had obviously thought she was. Ally didn’t hear another peep from El for the rest of the evening.

  Twenty minutes later she kissed Cole once more before she climbed into the awaiting car to take her and her grandparents back to Cole’s apartment.

  She hated she couldn’t spend the night with him. It would be their first night apart since Cole brought her back to his house on New Year’s Eve.

  But tomorrow she would become Mrs. Cole Thomas and they would never have to spend another night apart again.

  As Ally slid down beneath the covers of their bed, she could smell Cole’s aftershave and it made her smile.

  Suddenly her phone pinged on the nightstand. She reached for it and smiled when she saw the message was from Cole.

  “Goodnight gorgeous girl, sweet dreams, See you tomorrow in the church. I will be the one up front in the monkey suit, wearing the biggest smile you have ever seen. Love Cx”

  Ally smiled as she typed in her reply.

  “Good night Cole, I promise I won’t be late,

  Yours always, A x”

  She drifted off sleep with thoughts of Cole and their big day filling her mind.

  Chapter 10

  Ally awoke to Hannah’s high pitched squeal as she and Caitlin both jumped on her bed.

  “OH MY GOD!” Hannah yelled excitedly. “YOU ARE GE
TTING MARRIED TODAY.”

  “Calm down,” Ally laughed as she dragged herself up in the bed. Just then, Nan appeared at the door with a beautiful bouquet of long stemmed red roses.

  “You have a delivery pet,” Nan announced as she beamed at Ally in delight. “And it’s time you were getting up. Your hairdresser called and he said he would be here soon.

  “Thanks Nan,” Ally said as she took the flowers from her grandmother and slipped the card from them to read.

  “My Gorgeous Girl,

  Thank you for making me the happiest man alive, I will hold my breath till I see you walk down that aisle and know you haven’t seen sense and took the first plane back to Dublin. I love you Ally, see you at 2 o’clock.

  Your Cole, always xx”

  Ally smiled as she inhaled the glorious scent of the roses. She handed them to Hannah, who was grinning like a crazy person, and climbed out of bed.

  “I am going to take a shower,” she said as she made her way to the bathroom followed closely my Hannah and Caitlin. Stopping, she laughed as she turned around stopping both the two girls in their tracks. “And I am doing it alone. Go torment Sid or Pops. I won’t be long.”

  Ally laughed to herself as she finally climbed beneath the water of the shower. She closed her eyes and she could see Cole’s face. She couldn’t wait to see him today. She hated spending the night without him. She was so used to having him with her. He was her comfort and strength.

  When she finally emerged from the bathroom, Hannah and Caitlin were sitting patiently waiting on the end of her bed. They both looked up at her expectantly when they saw her appear in the door way.

  “Okay, you too are creeping me out,” she laughed as she made her way to the wardrobe.

  “What are you doing?” Caitlin asked as they both followed her.

  “Uh… getting dressed,” she replied like it was the most obvious answer in the world.

  “Don’t!” Hannah exclaimed. “You should just put on some underwear and stay in your dressing gown. That way you won’t mess up your hair stripping later.”

  “She is right,” Caitlin agreed nodding her head as Ally sighed.

  “Okay, okay,” she agreed as she pulled some underwear out from her drawer, turned and looked at her two friends who were still standing watching her. “Can you at least wait outside while I put the underwear my on?”

  “Oh, yeah, right,” Caitlin laughed as she guided Hannah out of the walk in wardrobe.

  When Ally was finally alone, she laughed to herself as she slipped on her underwear, she then ran her brush through her damp hair before she caught it up in a hair grip and she slipped her dressing gown back on then returned to the bedroom to her friends.

  Just as she did, Nan appeared at the bedroom door once again.

  “You’re breakfasts are ready,” she informed the girls before she added. “The man for your hair is also here and asked where to set up. I told him to use mine and Pop’s room, hope that’s ok?”

  “That is perfect,” Ally smiled at her grandmother as she and her two friends followed her grandmother to the kitchen to where Annette had a breakfast banquet waiting for them. She handed both Caitlin and Hannah a glass of bucks fizz then turned to Ally and handed her a glass and gave her a half smile. “I am afraid it’s only plain old orange juice for you.”

  “I tell you something,” Ally said as she took the glass from the young woman. “When this baby is born, I am getting so wasted as soon as I can.”

  “Girls weekend!” Caitlin exclaimed excitedly.

  “You girls behave,” Pop said as he appeared at the kitchen door. “I swear, once the men are out of ear shot, the trouble starts.”

  “Not all the men are out of earshot,” Sid said as he followed Pop into the kitchen. “And we can all have a weekend away. You forget I know what you three are like and a girl’s weekend away is definitely a bad idea.”

  “Spoil sport,” Hannah groaned, as she playfully slapped his arm.

  “Blame your friend with the loose lips that told me all your deep dark secrets,” he said as he winked at Ally.

  “Who has the loose lips now?” Ally replied rolling her eyes at Sid as he burst out laughing.

  Ally had only managed a couple of mouthfuls when Rob, the hair stylist appeared at the doorway to the kitchen.

  “Who do I have to bum for a cup of coffee around here?” He exclaimed dramatically as he slumped on to one of the high stools at the breakfast counter. Then he turned to Ally and added with a big grin. “Don’t worry baby, once I have my caffeine hit, I will make you only gorgeous.”

  Ally and the two girls laughed, Nan and Annette shot each other a look of amusement, Sid rolled his eyes and Pop nearly choked on his cup of tea, which only made the girls laugh harder.

  Annette quickly began to bang Pop on the back until he held up his arm and confirmed he was okay. She then went to the cupboard and pulled a mug out to get Rob his coffee.

  Once he had finished, he took Ally by the hand and ushered her back to Nan and Pop’s room where all his equipment was set up.

  “Now baby,” he said as he placed his hands on Ally’s shoulders. “Tell me what magic do you want Robbie to preform today?”

  “Well I was thinking,” Ally began nervously. “Of maybe bringing the sides up and catching them at the back in curls leaving the rest hanging in soft curls.”

  “Fabulous baby,” he said in an exaggerated tone then he turned to Caitlin and Hannah and spoke. “And if one of you two hot mamas could be a doll and go get the head dress and veil, it would be fab.”

  Hannah jumped up and headed straight to Ally’s room to get what he asked for as he set to work on Ally.

  First he blow-dried her hair and then placed some big thick curlers in it and asked her to take a seat on the bed while he began to work on the girls.

  Both girls had their hair swept up on top of their heads and Rob used his wand curling tongs to curl their hair. Once he was done with each girl’s hair, he attached the diamond clip into their hair. The clip was a smaller version of what Ally had chosen for herself.

  Then it was Ally’s turn back in to the seat. As Rob worked on Ally, he had the girls howling with laughter talking about a date he had the night before with a hot fireman.

  Ally felt happy and relaxed, nothing like the Bridezillas she had always heard so much about.

  “That’s because you are in love baby girl,” Rob said when she told him she wasn’t nervous at all. “And also, that man of yours is one hot peace of ass. I won’t lie. I was gutted when I heard he was off the market.”

  All Ally could do was laugh once again.

  Finally, she was ready. When Rob finished her hair, his assistant Lola did Ally’s make up before Rob took Ally’s hand and lead her to the full-length mirror on the wardrobe door.

  “Ta da!” He said dramatically as he stepped out of her view and let her catch a first glimpse of her hair and make-up.

  “OH GOD!” Ally exclaimed as the tears welled in her eyes.

  “Oh no you don’t missy,” Rob demanded as he took hold of Ally by the arms. “That mascara may be water proof, but we don’t want any streaks on the gorgeous face. Now, go with your girlies here, get into the dress and give me a sneak peek. And remember this, that hot man of yours is also a very lucky man.”

  “Thank you.” Ally said as she blinked back her tears.

  She turned around to Caitlin and Hannah, who were now both dressed in their bridesmaid’s dresses. Ally had let them pick their dresses and after a few disagreements, they had both settled on a knee length grey chiffon, goddess style dress.

  When Ally saw her two best friends standing there in front of her in their dresses, she could feel the tears well again and laughed to herself. She knew this was going to be one emotional day.

  Caitlin took hold of her hand and squeezed it gently.

  “Let’s get you dressed and get you to that man of yours,” Caitlin said with a smile. “I know he thinks he is never going to see hi
s bride.

  “Okay,” Ally nodded and allowed her friend to lead her to her bedroom.

  *******************************************

  Cole paced up and down the hall of his parents’ home. He was running over his vows in his head again and again. He wanted them to be perfect for his gorgeous girl.

  “How are you doing son?” James said as he walked down the stairs dressed in his grey pinstriped trousers, black morning jacket, grey waistcoat and matching cravat.

  Cole himself had the same trousers and jacket but his waist coat and cravat were silver.

  He looked at his father and smiled. This was going to be the best day of his life. He would be surrounded by family and friends as he would promise to love his Ally, his gorgeous girl, for the rest of their lives.

  “I’m good Dad,” Cole said with a broad smile. “I am really good.”

  “I know you are son,” James said as he patted his son on the shoulder. “She is a wonderful girl. I have no doubt you two will be very happy, like your mother and myself. You have a good one there.”

  “Thanks Dad.” Cole said as he heard a noise behind him. He turned to see El walking through the front door.

  “Cole,” she said with a smug look on her face. “There is someone outside that wants to talk to you.”

  “Who is it?” Cole asked.

  “Oh I think you had better see for yourself,” she replied and something in her tone told Cole whatever was going on was not going to be good.

  He quickly walked past El and out through the front door. His heart sank to see Steph standing there next to a taxi, holding a screaming Ben in her arms.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” Cole snapped as he hurried towards her, grabbing hold of her arm and directing her back towards the door of the taxi.

  “COLE, STOP!” She protested. “You’re hurting me.”

  “I don’t give a toss about you,” he growled angrily through his teeth. “You have no business showing up here.”