Chapter 1288 - In The Girls' Tent

Sarah is in a daze, sitting on a chair in the huge tent with Sophia braiding her hair while JoAnna is painting her nails and Tiffany is doing something with her face.

Sarah is aware of the noise around her and excited chatter, but she can't make out any words.

Oh, God! It is happening!

Stella peeked in the tent and smiled gently while looking at Sarah.

"Status?", JoAnna's question was directed at Stella even though she didn't lift her head from doing Sarah's nails.

Stella bobbed her head excitedly. "Outside, we are ready for you."

"How about the guys?", JoAnna asked her next question.

Stella's eyes flashed and she exited the tent while saying: "I need to check that." 

They don't have a schedule set for this event, so when everyone is ready, the ceremony can start.

Bridgette made her way into the tent and placed a wonderful bouquet of white roses mixed with purple and rose wildflowers on the desk in front of Sarah. "At least I got to do one thing as the maid of honor."

JoAnna rolled her eyes. "You helped plan the party at their house."

Bridgette pursed her lips. "I'm not sure how much that counts…"

Ellie walked into the tent with Paulette, Ashley and Anita, each carrying huge garment bags which obviously had dresses inside them.

"Who is ready to dress up?", Ellie asked.

"Me!", Bridgette raised her hand excitedly.

They had dresses for the bridesmaids and the bride. Others were already wearing their fancy-outfits.

Sarah looked at Ellie. "Aren't you on your honeymoon?"

Ellie grinned. "Yup. But we were in the neighborhood and stopped by." Ellie made a dramatic pause and rolled her eyes. "Come on, do you really think that a honeymoon will prevent me from attending your wedding? I also got presents! As my wedding gifts, I made you your wedding dress, and the dress for the after-party. And your dashing groom has outfits to match you. How I see it, your wedding would not be very jazzy without my presence."

JoAnna stifled a laugh and said teasingly: "You can just send the outfits. No need for your presence."

Ellie wanted to return a snarky remark at JoAnna, but she heard Sophia say dejectedly: "I am the only Hill sister who didn't get a wedding dress from you…"

"Don't worry. Next time when you get married, I will make you one.", Ellie said jokingly.

JoAnna burst into laugh. "If Felix hears you, he will have a heart attack."

Sarah looked at Ellie in a daze. "A wedding dress? Can I see it?"

"You will be done in two minutes.", Sophia told Sarah to be patient.

"I need at least five.", Tiffany informed them. "Don't move so much… close your eyes…", Tiffany instructed Sarah before applying eyeshadow. "Look at you. How can you have such a great skin? You barely need any makeup…"

"She is still a baby. Only twenty years old.", Sophia said lovingly.

"I will be twenty-one tomorrow.", Sarah responded.

"Eh…", Tiffany sighed. "Twenty or twenty-one, you will be glowing at the altar, exchanging vows of forever with Aiden."

Suddenly, Sarah felt that she is running out of oxygen. "Vows? What vows?"

"Oh, oh…", Sophia waved JoAnna to get her attention on Sarah. "We have a situation."

JoAnna observed Sarah who was getting paler by the second. "Breathe… breathe…"

Sophia cringed. She knows that JoAnna's 'breathe, breathe' was for Sarah, but somehow, Sophia was reminded of her delivery experience and Felix going 'hee-hee, hoo-hoo' all the time. And to make things worse, soon she will go through that again!

Sarah took rapid shallow breaths. "Vows? I don't have any!"

JoAnna glanced at Bridgette who was undressing, in order to change into her bridesmaid's dress. "Get us the panic box."

"Panic box?", Ellie asked JoAnna while her eyes didn't leave Sarah who looked like she is about to hyperventilate.

JoAnna nodded at Ellie in confirmation and grabbed the box which Bridgette handed her. JoAnna opened it and there was a number of envelopes. She was flipping them and reading the labels: "Cold feet… Too soon… Bridesmaids… Dresses… Too many people… No vows… Found it!"

JoAnna gave the envelope to Sarah who took it with a confusion obvious on her face while having difficulty breathing.

"Aiden predicted that you will panic for various reasons and prepared this box for you.", JoAnna explained.

Sarah opened the envelope and pulled the paper which read: "Don't worry love, I don't have any vows either."

Sarah read it few times and laughed weakly. How did he know? She sighed. Aiden knows her best. He was able to predict various situations she will freak about, because this whole thing is a surprise. He is amazing like that.

Sarah's eyes moved back to the box before she glanced at JoAnna. "You said that there is one for cold feet?"

JoAnna confirmed. "If you plan on bailing out of the wedding, then you can read it."

Sarah has no intention of leaving, but she was curious. "Give it to me."

A second later, Sarah burst into laugh. The note inside read: "Don't even think about it!", and there was an angry emoji below it.

Sarah put the notes back into envelopes and gave them to JoAnna. "Please keep this safe. I want to preserve them, as memories."

"Let me keep them!", Bridgette volunteered. "As your maid of honor, I get to do these things."

Oni and Nala peeked into the tent, both wearing lovely dresses which are wedding appropriate. Nala is in a light purple knee length dress with lace sleeves and a flowy skirt. Oni is in a sleeveless blue dress which ends above her knees, has a wide sash at her waist and the dress has crystal beading at the bust and an A-line skirt. Both girls wore matching flat silver sandals.

"You two look amazing!", Sarah praised them and asked them to turn so that she can see them from the back.

JoAnna and Sophia exchanged smug glances.

"We took all your kids shopping.", JoAnna said.

"Felix went with the boys.", Sophia added.

"Thank you." Sarah smiled gratefully. She is the one who usually takes her girls shopping when there is some occasion, and Aiden takes the boys.

"You are still not dressed up?", Nala asked when she observed that Sarah is wearing a robe.

"I am almost done!", Tiffany squeezed through her teeth, making JoAnna and Sophia laugh.

Sarah looked at Oni in the mirror. "How are you doing?"

"Great. My feet are almost healed, there are no more open sores.", Oni responded.

"How are things with Michael?", Sarah probed.

"Who is Michael?", JoAnna butted in.

"Jesse.", Sarah responded and waved her hand for JoAnna to be patient.

Oni fidgeted for a second. She had a feeling that everyone is looking at her. Even Nala was observing her curiously and waiting for Oni to speak. Oni wanted to tell Nala what happened in the Chateau and then in Frankfurt, but there was no time to talk in private and she can't talk in front of Michael.

"Things are OK.", Oni responded.

"Do you want to resume doing missions with him?", Sarah asked Oni.

Oni bit her lower lip while wondering how to answer this question. Of course, she wants to continue doing missions with Michael. She wants to spend her every moment close to him, but… she is haunted by the image of him and Marija walking down the hallway, and the sound of their flirty voices coming from the kitchen and… Oni feels like her heart is cracking all over again.

As much as Oni wants to pour her heart out and share her grief, she knows that other than listening, Sarah can't do much. No one can, unless there is a magic wand to erase that part of Oni's memory or maybe to return the time to Saturday evening and to make Jesse not go to the kitchen that night, or at least to prevent Oni from going after him. But that is not possible.

Oni knows how the only thing that can mend her broken heart is when the time makes her memory fuzzier, and her pain duller and maybe, just maybe one day she can look at Michael and feel that pure joy she used to feel when she was near him... before Saturday.

"That… I am not sure. Is it OK if we keep everything how we agreed on Sunday?"

Sarah nodded in confirmation. "Sure. I was curious. Sorry if it's an uncomfortable topic."

"No, no…", Oni said with urgency and slowed down with her explanation: "It's just that… I am still not sure what I want to do, and I don't want to rush it one way or another. Michael and I are OK, capable of holding a conversation, and you don't need to worry that there are any problems. Let's talk when you return from your… vacation."

Sarah looked at Oni and pressed her lips into a line. Oni is only sixteen, but she acts very mature. Part of Sarah admires Oni for that quality, and the other part of Sarah feels sorry that Oni is not a carefree sixteen years old girl.

"OK. We will talk when I get back. That will give you time to sort your thoughts. As for the vacation, at this point it's safe to call it a honeymoon."

Sarah looked at Oni, Nala, JoAnna and Sophia and asked: "For how long do you know that Aiden is preparing this?"

"I think Haru is calling.", Nala said and rushed out of the tent.

"Yup. Someone is calling me also." Oni was two steps behind Nala.

JoAnna and Sophia laughed.

"Your kids bailed on you.", JoAnna said through laugh. "But if you want to know who found out first, talk to the designer lady."

Ellie waved her hands defensively. "Why did you pick me? I am on my honeymoon… The maid of honor should answer."

Bridgette opened her blue eyes so wide that they looked like full circles. "I… just… got… the flowers.", she said robotically.

They all laughed.

Sarah confirmed that they are all in this together.

"Come on… time for a wedding dress!", Ellie exclaimed while her eyes sparkled toward Sarah.

"Wedding dress? It seems that I am on time...", Emma said with a big smile when she entered the tent.

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