Eden and Bennett turn to look at the Minister as he started speaking. “We are gathered here today in the sight of God, and the presence of friends and loved ones, to celebrate one of life’s greatest moments. We are here to give recognition to the worth and beauty of love, and to add our best wishes and blessings to the words that will unite Eden Brown and Bennett Mason in holy matrimony.”Bennett gave Eden a slight glance. She could feel him looking at her but refused to five any kind of reaction and stared directly ahead at the Minister.“Love is always patient and kind. It is never jealous. Love is never boastful or conceited, it is never rude or selfish, it does not take offense and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s faults but delights in the truth. It is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope. It is always ready to endure whatever comes. True love does not come to an end.”As the Minister gave his speech, Eden thought about his words. It is always read
Bennett and Eden were officially husband and wife. They decided not to attend the reception and headed straight home, Bennett’s home. The reception was nothing fancy, just a small buffet with limited, but luxurious menu options. Many thought that the bride and groom wanted to leave early so they could be alone together faster, but Grace, Sophia, Natalia, and Theo knew that they just wanted all of the pretense to be over.Bennett and Eden walked over to the car, not saying a word. Eden looked back and smiled and waved before getting into the car. Both their smiles vanished when they got inside the car.“Glad that it's finally over,” Bennett said.“Yeah,” said Eden.Bennett loosened his tie and sat back comfortably, and Eden took out her phone from her purse and started scrolling Twitter, neither of them wanting to have an uncomfortable conversation. Eden knew what she had to do. She had to keep her emotions out of the entire situation, she knew better than to get her feelings hurt once
Bennett looked at Eden, shocked, and asked, “How did this happen?”Eden mentally kicked herself for forgetting to cover it up. She had to make an excuse, “I just slipped in the shower and my face hit the sink, it’s nothing.”“You’re a terrible liar, do you know that?” said Bennett as he came walked over to her and sat on the couch next to her. “Is this why you were flinching earlier? At the altar?”“What are you talking about? I never flinched,” Eden replied, looking at Bennett like he had said the most ridiculous thing.“If you can just stop pretending to be so tough once, we can deal with this issue. Please tell me who did this,” Bennett pleaded, placing his arm on Eden’s knee.Eden looked at his hand and moved away from his reach, snapping at him, “Well, it’s not your issue to deal with, is it?”Bennett looked at Eden as he backed away, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. He said, “Was it really an accident?”“Yes,” said Eden without missing a beat. Bennett knew that she was lyi
“Your classes will start in two weeks. We’ll be back from Italy long before that,” said Bennett.Eden was not sure how she felt about this trip. Noticing Eden’s uncertainty, Bennett said, “You can bring any friends of yours on this trip, or you can go and have fun alone in the city. What I am saying is that you don’t have to be with me the entire time. We have no reason to stay together there.”Eden thinks about what he said for a while, then looks at him and says, “Are you bringing any friend with you?”“No.”“I suppose it can be a good break from all this mess,” said Eden. She had never been to Italy before, but she had always dreamt of visiting the Baptistry of San Giovanni in Florence. It was said that the ceiling of that place is so beautiful that it is physically impossible for one to not look up when they enter. Eden was not sure about spending time with Bennett in Italy, she thought she could use a break. She decided that she would plan her own trip there and Bennett can do a
Eden didn’t need to pack, she already had a suitcase packed with things she needed. She wasn’t the type of person to overpack and think too much about what she takes on a trip. She had a few fancy dresses, a few casual, and a couple of nightwear. After dinner, the entire family sat in the living room at night, chatting and deciding what movie to watch. They could never decide on a movie, they spent the whole time arguing about what to watch. Eden had never had a family to spend time or laugh with. The friendly and open atmosphere at the Mason house was just what Eden needed. Although, she was still not okay with how things were going with Bennett. She wished that they could at least be friends so they could spend some time together without being awkward around each other.“Say, Eden. Your father is an interesting man,” said Chester out of the blue.Eden was unsure about how to reply. He certainly was an interesting man. “Oh, haha. What makes you say that?”“At the reception, after yo
Eden wanted to pull the hem of her gown from below so that her thighs were properly covered, but she decided not to, in case Bennett was watching her, she didn’t want him to think that his gaze intimidated her.She felt relief as soon as she got inside the bathroom. She quickly washed off the makeup, thinking that she would directly go to bed and sleep without thinking or looking at anything or anyone. She walked back to the room and saw that Bennett still had not put on a shirt. His back was against her while he sat and looked at something on his phone. He was not watching her, and she had all the time to look at him, to admire him. She looked at his chiseled and muscular back, slim waist, and tanned skin. Eden, once again, found herself thinking about things that she did not want to think about. Bennett’s head turned to look at Eden, who was standing still looking at him. Eden was caught off guard and said whatever came to her mind, “Y-you’re going to sleep like that?” Eden asked.
“Uhm, I just forgot the time when we’re leaving,” said Eden, while looking at a shirtless, sweaty Bennett, who was now facing her. As Bennett stepped closer and closer to her, Eden felt her breathing getting stuck in her throat but managed to remain emotionless. Finally, he reached the door and opened it wider to talk to her. Eden struggled to keep her eyes fixated on his face only, no matter how appealing the rest of his body seemed.“I think I told you last night,” said Bennett, panting. “At 9:30, but we have to leave at 8, so be ready.” Bennett turned around and walked toward the weight sets. “Close the door on your way back.”Eden complied, quickly closing the door and hurrying back to the room. At this point, Eden was not sure what to do about Bennett’s images in her mind. Suddenly, she was struck with an idea. She thought if she found someone nice and decent in Italy, who showed interest in spending time with her, maybe she could take things further to satisfy her need, and mayb
The flight landed at Milan Airport. It was 7 AM there since Los Angeles is 9 hours behind Milan. Eden and Bennett, jet-lagged from the travel, took a cab and headed straight to the hotel. When they reached, the receptionist checked them in and they were escorted by a bellboy to the room. As Eden and Bennett walked into the suite, they saw a huge hall with a big TV and a comfortable couch and a steel bucket with ice and champagne. It was just what Eden expected a five-star hotel in Milan to look like. It was beautiful and elegant. To their disappointment, they found that there was only one bedroom. Eden thought that it was foolish to think that Bennett’s mother would make a reservation for a suite with two rooms. “I’ll move to another room,” said Bennett, as he walked towards the door.Eden stopped him and said, “No, you should stay here, I’ll get a room for the night, it's just for tonight, I will leave tomorrow anyway.”“No, I’ll go. Please, I insist,” said Bennett firmly, and Eden
Eden let out a monstrous scream as Bennett held her hand. He could feel her nails digging into his skin but he knew he couldn't let go. "PUSH!" the doctor screamed at Eden. "PUSH! IT'S ALMOST OUT! PUSH HARDER!" Eden let out one last loud scream before it was over and she could finally take a breath. Her grip loosened on Bennett's hand and she fell limp on the bed. She heard the sound of crying and suddenly all her energy was back. Three years after their wedding, Bennett and Eden's daughter was born. The baby was wrapped into a clean towel and handed to Eden. There was still some blood on her body but Eden wanted to hold her before the nurses took her for a bath. "Emily," Eden whispered. "Her name is Emily." Bennett leaned in next to Eden with his eyes full of tears. He looked at his little baby girl like he had never seen something so delicate and precious. Eden's heart raced faster than ever when she saw Bennett pick Emily up in his arms. When she saw his tears and the smile
Three years later: Grace woke up and noticed something weighing down on her stomach. She turned her head around to see Theo sleeping peacefully next to her. The droof falling from his mouth and onto the pillow made her smile. She quietly reached for her phone on the nightstand and clicked a picture of him before kissing his forehead. She was up 10 minutes before her alarm went off so she turned it off and walked to the bathroom to get fresh, hoping Theo would get a few minutes more to sleep. When Grace walked out of the bathroom she saw Theo sitting up on the bed with his phone in his hands and his eyes wide open with shock. "Woah, that drooling picture isn't that good," said Grace. Theo didn't look away from the phone and kept staring at it. Grace got concerned and asked, "What's wrong?" "Nothing's wrong. I'm going to be an uncle," said Theo, his voice monotonous. "Wait. Wait. Wait. What are you talking about?" Grace walked over to him and sat next to him on the bed. "Theo." "E
Theo's PoV Theo looked at Eden and Bennett suspiciously as he stared at the ticket they handed him. "This doesn't make sense. You want me to come to your honeymoon?" "Yeah, of course. It's so much more fun when you're there too," said Eden. "I mean, yeah sure, I'll go. But are you sure you're okay with this?" Theo asked. "Theo, it's not like we're asking you to stay in the same hotel suite as us too," Bennett reasoned. "Alright. I could use a vacation after the last few days happened," said Theo and put the ticket in his pocket. "But promise me you're not going to make me feel like a third-wheel?" "Yes, yes we promise. Also, your ticket was a last minute idea so we couldn't get it in the same flight as us, but the landing time is only two hours apart so we'll see you there when we land," said Eden. "I know we're all thinking it but I'm gonna say it, this is all sounding very suspicious and weird but I've heard some good things about the nightclubs in Paris so I'm not going to co
Grace didn't regret her decision of sleeping with Theo, and after all he said to her she didn't think that it didn't mean anything to him. She just felt embarrassed that even after trying to show Theo her resolve, it only took one kiss for her to give in. "I didn't think you'd want to avoid me after what happened this morning," said Theo. He came closer to Grace and whispered in her ear, "I want you more than ever now." A chill ran down Grace's spine. She stopped herself from shuddering and looked away, trying to ignore the feeling. She didn't want Theo to think that she would fall for him again so easily, he needed to know that she can't forgive him this fast after everything that happened. "Yes, I guess too much stress can make people do or say certain things they wouldn't do under normal circumstances," Grace replied with a cold voice. Theo seemed to have taken offense to that. He shifted away from Grace and looked out the window, not saying a single word to her again througho
Grace's PoV: "The bride and groom may kiss now," the pastor announced and Bennett and Eden kissed each other. Grace watched them with tears in her eyes, she felt so happy that her best friend was finally happy. Of course she felt guilty for being late for bringing the dress. She remembered why she was late and quickly pushed the thought out of her mind. She looked over to the groom's side at the altar and saw his best man, Theo, standing next to him and smiling at Grace. She quickly averted her gaze and started clapping for Bennett and Eden. Everyone left the chapel to attend the reception ceremony at a different venue. Eden had forgotten her phone and asked Grace to bring it to the reception. When she walked out all the cars were filled up with only one left, but someone was already inside it. Grace thought she had already had a rough day, that person can squeeze one more passenger in the car. Grace opened the door and stepped inside the car, closing the door behind her. "I'm so
Eden paced around the room while her make up artist tried to get her to settle down. Grace was still not done with the dress and Eden was considering getting a readymade dress. It was an hour before Eden had to walk down the aisle with Buddy. He had offered to walk with her since there was no other father figure present. Eden picked up her phone and dialed Grace and it went straight to voicemail. She sat back down on her chair hyperventilating when she suddenly heard the door burst open. It was Grace standing with a dress bag and heavily breathing like she was just running. "Oh my God, Eden I'm so sorry. Something happened and I-" "It's fine, it's all fine. Thank God you're finally here, I was just about to go and buy a last minute resort," Eden said as she stood up and walked quickly towards Grace. "Can I see it now?" "No, close your eyes. We'll put it on you and then you get to see it," Grace smiled with excitement. "That wouldn't be very convenient but okay," said Eden. "Let's
"Okay, so we got the guest list done. Invitations will be sent out tomorrow morning, the venue is booked, flowers are decided and the caterers have been taken care of," said Grace. "Now there's only one thing left to do." "Grace, I really wish you didn't bother yourself, Sophia and Natalie with all these tasks. We have help doing all of those things. You should focus on your store," said Eden as she buried her nose in her laptop, staring at the previous year finance reports. "And I really wish you would stop working for just a couple of days so you could enjoy your wedding preparations," Grace urged. "You've done nothing but work since Bennett announced the date of your wedding." Eden sighed and looked up. "I've been working so hard because I'm going to get off work a day before the wedding, the day of the wedding and the day after. That's three days going without work, and I need to prove to everyone I care about the business too." "Eden, I know this is important to you, but no on
Eden wore a beautiful cream gown that went down all the way to her ankle with a slit that reached up her left knee. It had a heart shaped neckline and thin shoulder straps. Grace was wearing the same dress as her since both of them were bridesmaids at Sophia and Natalie's wedding. They waited at the altar as both their father's walked them down the aisle. Eden couldn't help but get teary as she saw the wedding happen. She didn't remember what happened the night they got wasted at Grace's house and she didn't remember saying anything to Bennett, or even calling him. "The brides may kiss now." Natalie and Sophie kissed each other and the applause erupted from the guests. Eden and Grace hugged them tightly before congratulating them. After the wedding, all the guests made their way over to the reception. Eden saw Grace getting in the car with Theo while holding his hand and smiled at the thought of them finally making up. Eden got in her car with Bennett and smiled at him when she
Eden's PoV Eden got back from a tiring day of work and went through the mail to see if she received any. She saw a purple letter that caught her eye. It said that it was for both Bennett and her. When she opened it, a wave of happiness washed over her. It was an invitation for a wedding. Sophia and Natalie's wedding invitation. Eden almost started jumping around with happiness and squealing with excitement. She picked up the phone and immediately called Grace to ask her if she received the invitation. Grace picked up the phone and started screaming loudly on the phone. Eden couldn't contain her excitement and started screaming too. She heard the door open and the sound of footsteps running towards her. "What's wrong?! Eden?!" Bennett yelled as he ran over to Eden and saw her grinning ear to ear with eyes full of tears. "Wha- what? I don't understand? What's going on?" "NATALIE AND SOPHIA ARE GETTING MARRIED!" Eden yelled. "I can't believe this. Oh my god of my god oh my god." R