Chapter 804 Wedding Preparations
Desmond walked into the bedroom he shared with his wife to see if she was ready for them to leave, and just as he opened his mouth to complain about her delaying them, he paused when he noticed that she was wiping her eyes.
"Are you alright, Eve?" He asked as he drew closer to her, and she sniffled as she bobbed her head.
"I'm fine. I'm just very happy. I just can't get over the fact that one of our babies are getting married," she said with a shaky smile and Desmond smiled.
"Well, the man you're referring to as your baby is about to give you a grandbaby, so he isn't much of a baby anymore," he said and she laughed softly.
"I know that, silly. But where did all the time go, Des? It feels like just yesterday when he wouldn't go to bed without being cuddled, and now he is about to start his own family," she said and he shrugged.
"I guess time does fly when you're doing something you love, and you did love raising them. And I think the time went to you monitoring their lives and trying to make sure they all lived decently, even though you failed woefully with Bryan until Sonia showed up and made a decent man out of him," Desmond said with a chuckle when Evelyn scowled at him playfully.
Evelyn was glad that despite how sad Desmond had been following the death of his father, he was better now and his laughter touched his eyes without the sadness hovering around it.
Spending the last couple of weeks alone with him on a vacation had been wonderful and it had felt like they were on a honeymoon and not just an old couple traveling the world for fun.
It seemed like once she had removed her children from the top place in her mind, and set herself and her husband there, she had rediscovered her youth and passion for life.
"Are you ready to leave now? Andrew and Janet are waiting downstairs," Desmond said and she nodded as she rose.
"Yes, I'm ready. What about Tom?"
"He left a short while ago. Adolf is driving us."
"Alright. Let's go officially welcome another daughter," she said, and he smiled.
"That's the spirit," he said as he held out an arm to her, but instead of taking his hand, Evelyn looked him over.
"By the wa did, you look dashing, Des," she said and he grinned.
"I do, don't I?" He asked as he gazed down at the navy blue tuxedo.
"You sure do," she said as she drew closer to him and adjusted the collar of his shirt.
"You look beautiful. I fear you might outshine the bride and all the young ladies there. I'm glad our son is the groom, else I would have feared he might abandon his bride and propose to you," he said, admiring his wife's radiant beauty, he couldn't help but feel a surge of pride and admiration.
Evelyn, an epitome of grace and elegance in her ensemble, giggled.
She wore a floor-length gown in a rich shade of midnight blue, its flowing silhouette accentuating her figure and graceful curves.
"Let's act like I believe you. Thanks," she said as he brushed his lips against hers.
"Let's not keep Janet and Andrew waiting," Evelyn said and with a final adjustment to his tie and a loving glance exchanged between them, Desmond offered Evelyn his arm, and together they made their way downstairs.
Away from there, in Bryan and Sonia's house, the atmosphere was no less electric as the bridal party prepared for the momentous occasion.
Sonia was surrounded by Lucy, Mia, and the rest of the girls as they helped her with the finishing touches of her bridal ensemble since they were all dressed themselves.
They all bustled around her, their laughter filling the room as they prepared for the momentous occasion ahead.
The strands of Sonia's golden blonde hair, was deftly woven into an intricate braided crown that cascaded down her back in a waterfall of curls.
The makeup artist outdid herself by making Sonia's makeup very subtle yet made sure she accentuated Sonia's striking green eyes with a touch of shimmering eyeshadow and adding a hint of rosy blush to her cheeks.
Andy and Candace helped Sonia into her gown of delicate ivory lace, its flowing silhouette accentuating Sonia's slender frame and graceful curves.
As Sonia slipped into the gown, she felt a surge of emotion wash over her, the weight of the moment finally sinking in.
Lucy, ever the voice of reason, stepped back to admire the finished look, her eyes sparkling with admiration. "You look absolutely stunning, Sony. You are the most beautiful bride I've ever set eyes on," she exclaimed, her voice filled with genuine admiration.
"Bryan won't know what hit him when he sees you walking down the aisle," Andy said and Sonia smiled, her heart swelling with gratitude for her friends' unwavering support.
"Thank you, everyone," she said, her voice choked with emotion. "I couldn't have asked for a better group of friends to share this day with."
"No, no. No tears. You can't ruin your makeup. Look upwards and blink," Candace ordered, and Sonia laughed as she did as Candace instructed.
"Is my bump obvious?" Sonia asked and they all shook their heads after looking her over.
"Not at all. You don't look pregnant. As long as you're able to manage the spits, you're good," Lucy assured her.
"Jade? You've been awfully quiet, are you alright?" Sonia asked and Jade nodded.
"Sure," she said, and then glanced at Andy before looking at Sonia and Lucy.
"I'm sorry about last night," she said and Sonia frowned.
"Is that why you seem moody? I already forgot about that," Sonia assured her.
"I'm sorry you felt I was picking on you," Lucy said and Jade nodded.
"Thanks. I should probably go check on Bryan since we are done here," Jade said and excused herself.
"She is not okay, is she?" Sonia asked with a concerned frown.
"She is okay," Andy assured her.
"I should go check on her," Candace said and Andy gave her a pointed look.
"Let her be. If she says she is okay, then she is fine. If you don't want her acting like a baby, stop treating her like one," Andy said firmly and Sonia raised a brow.
"Did something happen?"
"Yes. Love happened to Sonia and Bryan, and that's why we are all here today," Andy said with a sweet smile making everyone laugh.
"Good. Let's focus on the reason we are here," she said taking the attention away from Jade back to Sonia.
They turned to the door when a knock sounded on it, and Lucy answered it, "Evelyn! Mom!" Lucy exclaimed happily as she embraced Evelyn and then her mom.
"Where is my soon-to-be daughter in-law?" Evelyn asked, and Sonia smiled brightly as she rose to face Evelyn.
"Oh, my darling! You look exquisite, Sony," Evelyn said with a wide smile as she embraced Sonia.
"Thanks, Evelyn. I thought you'd both come over yesterday," she said and Evelyn smiled.
"Well, yesterday was for you young ones to have fun. We had our own fun. How are you doing? And how is my grand baby?" Evelyn asked and Sonia smiled.
"We are fine. I've missed you. Where is Desmond?" She asked, and Evelyn jerked her head outside.
"He's checking on Bryan. I came to see how you're doing," Evelyn said and while she was talking to Sonia, Janet and Lucy were talking until Janet glanced at Candace and she held out her hand to Candace.
"How are you doing? How is my Jamal?" Janet asked as she embraced Candace.
"I'm fine, and Jamal is okay. We left him behind with his grandfather," Candace explained and Lucy took Andy's hand and pulled her over.
"Mom, meet Andy, your other niece," Lucy said and Janet's eyes lit up.
"Andy? I've heard a lot about you from Lucy," Janet said as she embraced Andy.
"Really? What did she say?" Andy asked curiously and Janet laughed.
"She said I was going to love you when I meet you, and I do love you already," Janet said and Andy smiled.
"I love you too, aunt," Andy said while Candace watched, amused by how easy it was for Andy to bond with everyone.
Here she was, still feeling awkward and struggling with all the new relationships but Andy was already calling Janet, aunt, when she was till having a hard time doing that.
Perhaps it was so easy for Andy because she wasn't directly related to them, Candace thought.
After they had exchanged pleasantries with everyone in the room, Evelyn and Janet excused them, and just as they stepped into the living room, Lucas walked in with Tyler and Jeff, and Janet screeched happily.
"LUCAS!" She cried as she hurried over to embrace Lucas who was laughing.
"When did you get here? Why didn't you tell me you were coming? Tyler? You look all grown now," Janet said, looking from Lucas to Tyler happily.
"Lucas is grown too," Tyler said and they all laughed just as Andrew and Desmond stepped into the living room and saw him.
"Lucas?" Andrew called in surprise.
"Why do you both look so surprised. You don't expect me to miss Sony's wedding, do you? She is my second sister after all," Lucas said as he embraced his father.
"Lucas, you look much better now than you were the last time," Evelyn said as she embraced him.
While they were all talking to Lucas, Jeff left to go meet Bryan while Tyler decided to look around if he would see Mia.
He met Jade who was coming out of Bryan's bedroom, and when he asked of Mia, she directed him to Sonia's bedroom, and Tyler headed there.
He knocked on the door, and Lucy opened, "Hey, Tyler!" She said, and immediately Mia and Sonia heard her, they exchanged a look when they heard him ask for Mia.
"Why is he asking for Mia when you're the one he kissed?" Candace whispered Andy and she rolled her eyes.
"We only kissed, not exchange vows," Andy whispered back.
"Lu, let him come in," Sonia said, and Lucy held out the door to let him in.
"Can you girls excuse us, please?" Sonia asked, and without asking her what was going on, Lucy, Candace and Andy left the room, leaving her alone with Mia and Tyler.
"Sony, I want to speak with her alone," Tyler said and Sonia shook her head.
"No, Ty. Say whatever you want to say to her in front of me, and then when you're done I have something to say to you," Sonia said and Tyler sighed.
"I know who you are…."
"Who you thought I was. Not who I am. You don't know anything about me," Mia cut in quietly.
"Ty, Mia is a very close friend of mine. As a matter of fact, I consider her my sister. I don't know what you think you know about her, but I will appreciate it if you keep it to yourself," Sonia said and Tyler sighed.
"That is the reason I wanted to talk to her. I may have mentioned to my colleague that I saw someone like her…."
"You may have or you did?" Sonia asked when Mia went pale.
"I did. I'm not sure if he took me seriously or not. But I thought I should let her know. I'm sorry. I don't mean to cause any problems for you, and maybe because of my curiosity I might have made you uncomfortable. I apologize," Tyler said to Mia.
"How much did you tell your colleague?" Sonia asked, seeing as Mia was frozen and not saying anything.
"Just that I saw someone that really looked like her in Ludus working for Bryan Hank," Tyler said and Sonia sighed deeply.
That was more than enough information as far as Sonia was concerned.
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