“Yes, I am. I mean I’m married now, and it all worked out in the end. Wow, let’s go break the news to Sienna.” We head back to our table. At least now, I can reassure Sienna that none of this was her fault. She didn’t make any mistakes.
“We thought you guys fell in,” Cole says when we return.
Abby and I explain what happened with Elizabeth to Sienna and the guys. Sienna’s eyes get huge, but then she admits she’s not that surprised.
“I should have known, especially with how Carrie was acting at the wedding.” She shakes her head. “Madie, Cole, I’m so sorry; this was because of me all along.”
“You don’t need to apologize. We really don’t know the full story. We don’t know if this is all because of Carrie or Stephy. In the end, it all worked out fine, and our wedding was wonderful.” I wrap my arm around her.
I wonder if Ellie knew about this all along. She really had me convinced that she was sincerely trying. I feel like a complete idiot, and now I don’t know what to believe.
The rest of the night is really fun despite the turn of events in the restroom. On a positive note, I really think that things are finally progressing for Sienna and Ace. He got up to take a work phone call, and she grabbed his hand before he walked away. Abby looks at me with exhilaration in her eyes.
When Cole and I get home, we light a fire in our new fireplace and curl up on the couch. I’m still preoccupied with the Carrie-Stephy-wedding thing. I have this nagging feeling that I have to make a few phone calls tomorrow. I tell Cole how I’m feeling.
“Don’t you think it would be better to just move forward?” he asks. “Maybe it’s better not to bring up old stuff.”
“It’s not old stuff; it all just happened.” Ugh, men!
“Fine. But can we just forget about it? At least for tonight?” He starts rubbing my back underneath my shirt. I hit him.
He’s right. I will deal with it tomorrow.
The next day I’m bouncing off the wall with excitement. The countdown is on, and we leave in eight hours for Hawaii. I spend most of the morning unpacking boxes and packing suitcases. Cole and his dad have been hanging pictures and organizing the garage while Susan has unpacked my kitchen and made it “user-friendly.” I didn’t know a kitchen could be user-friendly, but I guess it can. Pots and pans near the oven and dishes near the sink. I never thought about any of this before. I also send Marie Peterson an email letting her know that I would be very interested in having my cookies featured in her bakery.
I tell Susan about what happened at Venice and how we found out that Carrie and Stephy were the ones behind the Four Season’s cancellation. I tell her how confused I feel about my cousins and how I don’t know what to believe.
“Goodness. You were right all along?”
“Maybe? I mean, I accused Ellie and she swore up and down that she was innocent. She never mentioned Stephy.” I leave my mother-in-law to continue to unpack my stuff (How lucky am I?) and go to make my phone call.
“”Ellenor Smith.”
“Hi, Ellie. It’s Madie. Sorry to bother you at work.”
“It’s fine. Did you talk to Sienna about my wedding?” she asks eagerly.
Crap! I forgot that she might ask me about that.
“I did. She says she will have to check her schedule; she’s pretty busy right now. But that’s not why I’m calling. I, um, I want to ask you something.” I decide to go about this in a different manner than I did the first time around.
She’s completely silent, so I cut to the chase.
“Did you know that Stephy has a new business endeavor?” I ask.
She doesn’t say anything.
“And did you know that she also happens to be new partners with Carrie Anderstone and Elizabeth, um . . .” Crap, I can’t remember her last name.
She still doesn’t say anything.
“And did you know that they also happened to be behind my Four Seasons wedding falling through?”
Silence.
“Ellie, are you still there?”
“Yes, I’m here,” she answers. “Madie, I told you the truth when I said I didn’t have anything to do with that.”
“OK, but what about Stephy?”
She doesn’t say anything at first. “I knew she was partnering up with Elizabeth. They have known each other for a while, but I had no idea about Carrie and that connection until recently.” She pauses. “Believe me, I’m not happy about this either, especially with Luke and Carrie’s history.”
Oh yeah. Totally forgot about that.
“Stephy has changed a lot over the past year or so. Everyone thinks she’s so nice and innocent. She has everyone fooled, even I feel like I don’t know her anymore.”
What’s this? Tension between these two?
“So, did Stephy do all of this on purpose?” I ask.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I asked her, but she denies it. I really think it was both of them, meaning Carrie and Stephy.”
“Hmm.” That makes sense.
“I wanted to tell you the other day, but . . . well, things have been getting better, and I didn’t know how to do it.”
When I hang up the phone, I feel relieved despite this new realization. Shockingly, that has to be one of the best, if not the best, conversations I have ever had with Ellie. I feel like we were real—no pretending or trying to force a conversation. I don’t think we will be best friends any time soon, but I think that in time our relationship will be better than it has been. I know I need to confront Stephy and get to the bottom of all of this, but maybe now is not the time, and it’s not going to change anything. I’m so proud of how much I have grown up. I’m a few hours away from my dream honeymoon with my husband. I will focus on that after I make one more phone call.
“Hello, Grandmother. It’s Madison.” Grandmother has always expected us to speak well and politely when on the phone.
“Madison, I thought you were traveling to Hawaii?”
“Yes, we are; we leave in a few hours.”
She spends the next several minutes reminding me of airport safety and washing my hands after touching everything. Sometimes I thinks she forgets that I’m not a little girl anymore.
I interrupt Grandmother and tell her that I just had a good conversation with Ellie, conveniently leaving out the Stephy situation. (Really, what’s the point?)
“I just wanted you to know that I’m trying and hopefully this will be a new beginning for us,” I say.
“Thank you, dear. That makes me happier than you will ever know.” Her voice cracks.
“I also wanted to thank you again for the gorgeous bracelet. I promise you that I will treasure and take very special care of it.”
Before I get off the phone, I tell her I love her.
“I love you, too, my dear, very much,” she says before she hangs up the phone.
I don’t move for a few minutes. I look around my new home, and I’m reminded of how blessed I am. No matter what the future holds with my cousins, we are family and we always will be. I’m no longer that little girl who feels left out. I’m a married woman with two successful careers and wonderful friends.
“Everything OK, babe?” Cole asks when he joins me in the room.
“Yes, everything is good! Let’s go to Hawaii!”
“That’s what I’ve been saying all along,” he says, wrapping his arms around me.
Epilogue
Our honeymoon was everything we expected and more. Cole even surprised me with a private little wedding ceremony on the beach. So in the end, he did get his wish, and we even danced alone on the white sand as we had envisioned.
When we arrived home from Hawaii, I was surprised to receive a message from Bev who asked me to do a small cookie display for her Christmas rush. I guess she heard that Sugar*Sugar*Sugar had contacted me to do a feature, and apparently Bev and Marie are frenemies. So with the holidays around the corner Cookies by Madie is going to be very busy. I still haven’t come up with that new cute and clever
name for the business, so for now I guess Cookies by Madie will have to do.
After several attempts, I finally did confront Stephy. She insisted that it was all Carrie, and she claims that she was not involved in anything having to do with my wedding. I told her that I didn’t believe her, and she told me she would never come back to my salon again. Not that I care. I haven’t spoken with her since, and according to Ellie, she’s “devastated” that I don’t believe her. I know Ellie doesn’t believe her either, but she hasn’t come out and said it. I’ve come to accept that there will always be haters in life (even in families), but it’s just best to rise above them and be the better person.
Ellie and Luke decided to go with a different event planner, and Sienna is relieved that she’s making another planner miserable. Ellie is a horrible bridezilla, much worse than I ever was. Much to my surprise, she asked me to be a bridesmaid, to which I accepted. Of course, we are all wearing matching dresses. Even after everything that happened with Stephy, she actually dated Jeff for about five minutes but ditched him at another event she attended. Poor Jeff says he refuses to date anyone else related to me. Go figure, Cole wants me to set him up with Caycee from my salon. I’m trying very hard to get out of that one.
Sheer Happiness is still in business and business is booming. The rumors that were circulating have come to a sudden stop. Sienna is convinced that Carrie was behind that, and after everything that has happened, I don’t disagree. Sienna and her team are successfully planning the Grazian’s wedding, which will end up being the social event of the year and is going to be held at the Four Seasons. Craig is planning his own luau for his thirtieth birthday and is planning on having the fire dancers for the entertainment.
Sienna is busier than ever and happier than ever. She and Ace have “officially” become a couple. Abby and I are expecting an engagement announcement any day. Of course, we haven’t told Sienna this yet, but we know she is expecting it also. To Sienna’s delight, Allyson was moved back to the Scotland. Apparently, Ace said she was too high maintenance and had her transferred back. I’m pretty sure Sienna had something to do with that.
Abby announced that baby Ace is going become a big brother in April. I knew that wasn’t far in the future, and she keeps asking me to give her second child a best friend. Both Cole’s and my parents are begging for this as well. We have no intention of becoming parents just yet and want to enjoy being newlyweds.
I somehow managed to get out of joining the garden club due to my increasingly busy schedule and my upcoming frequent travel with Cole for most of his shows. Susan was not happy, but I promised her that I would be a “guest” from time to time. Grandmother and Mrs. Wilson did, however, join the garden club and are loving it. They have become best friends with Susan, and every time I see Grandmother now, she is wearing pearls.
Christmas is around the corner and we are hosting a big family and friends’ dinner at our new home. Susan is thankfully providing all of the food, and of course, I’m providing the cookies. It will be a fun and crazy night, and as I said once before, you can’t pick your family. But I’m thankful for the family I have.
The End
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Wedding Haters (Event to Remember Series-Book 2) Page 17
