Aurelie. [H.S]

CHAPTER 50

23rd June 2019 

South of France

Aurelie's POV

"It's a lovely hotel, the refurbishments since I came nine years ago are amazing!" Anne stresses to my Dad, smiling at the thousands of flowers hanging from the staircase leading into the grand foyer. 

"I must admit, Ellie's wedding is the main reason that I pushed to have them done to such perfection." he laughs, fixing one of the daisies back into place, "I was so happy when Harry approached me about having the wedding here." 

"It was very generous of you to book out the whole hotel." Anne clearly doesn't know what to look at- entranced by everything. It has to be, in my eyes, one of the most extravagant weddings that I've seen in my entire life. 

"Well, these two only get married once, customers come back." he shrugs, looking a little tearful. 

"Helps when you have a billion to chuck at the event." Alice sneers under her breath, making me jab her ribs playfully. To clarify, that hotel was having a complete refurbishment, and my dad used the wedding as an excuse to go as full out as possible. He also wants to use our wedding as advertisement, and neither Harry nor I mind since he's family after all. 

"You know, my dad never put this much effort into our wedding." my brother, Archie, says to his wife. 

"That's because you two got married in flip flops two hours after getting engaged, drunk in Las Vegas. Do you not remember how pissed off he was at you?" I reminisce on the angriest I'd seen my dad, ever. Archie scowls at me, and I smile in response. 

"I can't believe that today is the day. I really can't." Anne takes my hand in hers, spinning my engagement ring around so that the diamond is facing the perfect way up. 

"Tell me about it." my dad clutches at a handkerchief, causing me to roll my eyes dramatically. 

"We're going to leave you two to get emotional by yourselves, because this one has a wedding to get ready for." Alice takes my hand and begins pulling me up the stairs, the marble steps being so clean that you can catch the odd glimpse of your reflection. I stand at the top of the stairs and just take everything in for a moment. 

"It's like that scene in Mamma Mia where Sophie looks over on everyone getting her wedding together. Like it's insane that all of this is for you." Alice joins me in my moment of awe, watching staff scuttle around like ants setting everything up. 

I don't respond in the fear that I'll cry. Instead, I push open the door to my room and sit at my dressing table, scraping my hair back so that Marcus can do my makeup. "You ready babe?" he asks, like he's done so many times before, except it feels so much more special today. 

"Ready as always." I grin as Romee hands me a shot of tequila, just one to calm any nerves. 

♡

"Oh, wow. Look at your Mommy, Anna!" my mom enters the room carrying Anaëlle, who's dressed in a pink and white laced dress, a bow resting on her head. I hate the outfit, but my mom wanted to feel in charge of something so I just let her do it. 

She approaches me once she's handed Anna to Romee, who's happy to hold her since she recently announced that she's due to become a mum herself. "You look... Just wow. You don't look like my Daughter anymore. You look like a woman, a real woman." 

I laugh sweetly. "And what was I to you before, then? A robot?" 

She shakes her head. "You know what I mean. Are you ready?"