lifeline ⇾ kai parker

34┃a string of fate

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

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THROUGH THE MIRROR, MILA watched Josie's nimble fingers attach her veil to the sparkling hair clip centered at the back of her head. Her highlighted hair was styled up, set in place by countless of pins, and even had a braid woven in to accent the elegant bun; a few strands were purposely left untucked to frame her face.

Drifting away from her perfected hair and painted face, she examined her chosen dress for the millionth time. The gentle swoop of the neckline coincided with the silky fabric that was altered to compliment all the curves and edges of her body. The sleeves transitioned into lace at her wrists, the same intricate patterns found on her back where dress became see-through. She liked that it made her collarbone and shoulderblades stand out.

"You look beautiful," Josie told her with a heartfelt smile. It matched the bright glints in her warm brown eyes.

Mila returned her gaze back to the girl who was about to become her actual niece soon. She smiled her closed-lip, fond smile — the kind the showed the faintest dips of her dimples. Eyeshadow the color of champagne enchanced the specs of amber in her green eyes, adding to her overall radiance.

"So do you. I know I only found out a half an hour ago that I was even having bridesmaids, but Lizzie sure does know how to pick a good bridesmaid dress," Mila commented, fawning over how the flowy material twinkled in the sunlight that poured in through the twins' shared bedroom.

The blue-gray hue of her dress reminded Mila of Kai's eyes. It was the color of a sky that you never knew was going to clear up or darken into a storm. Josie looked mystical, mysterious, and undeniably breathtaking.

Josie glanced down bashfully, tucking a piece of straightened hair behind her ear. "I know she inserted herself and took over everything, but Lizzie just wanted you to have a perfect day. In her own crazy way, it's a thank you."

"I know. I'm not mad. I actually think it's impossible for me to be anything but happy today."

"When I first met Kai, I thought... I thought he was nothing but pure evil." Josie nodded in rhythm with her carefully spoken words but then cringed at how blunt she ended up sounding.

"Yeah, he gives that impression a lot," Mila chuckled slightly.

"What I mean to say is, I'm glad I was wrong. I've never seen you more happy and Kai, with you, is-"

"A complete Care Bear."

"Yeah, it's a freaky 180."

The two of them laugh in unison, cherishing that they both had something to celebrate after all of the trauma and complications as of late. Josie, although taking a step back from magic, was now in a better place. And Mila, she was adding the last few stitches to something that she thought could never be mended. She was sealing the bindings of a fate that used to be considered a fantasy. She was marrying the only man she's ever truly loved.

Josie's phone buzzed, and she picked it up from off the bed. Mila flattened out nonexistent wrinkles and wiggled her pinched toes inside the pointed tips of her high heels.

"Lizzie wants me outside. I'll see you down there?" Her doe-eyed stare hinted at her hesitance. She didn't want to leave if she was still needed.