Meant to Be

Preparations

It was March 10th, and Gabe and Noemi had returned to Butterfly Bay, hoping to see if there was anything to make Mirabel miserable and get revenge on her for what she did before leaving Vega City.

"Well, here's Butterfly Graphic Arts," Gabe said. "Mirabel should be working here now."

"Looks like she's getting off for the day," Noemi said, pointing to an entrance.

Mirabel was exiting the building, having finished for the day, and she was on the phone with Enrique. "Oh, that's too bad," she sighed. "No, it's okay, cariño—I understand. We still have dinner for St. Patrick's Day next week with our family, and we can get together on the 18th for our first anniversary together. Okay, feel better." Then she hung up.

"Mirabel!" Noemi exclaimed.

Mirabel jumped at the sound of Noemi's voice. "Noemi? Gabe?" she gasped. "Are you on vacation?"

"Something like that," Gabe said. "So, was that Enrique you were talking to? What did he say?"

"Yes, we had a date tonight, and he can't make it because he's sick," Mirabel replied.

"You see that?" Gabe smirked. "I told you so."

Mirabel was shocked. "Told me so what?" she asked.

"Enrique isn't the best man for you," Gabe smirked. "He just cancelled a date with you."

"That's because he's sick—I just told you that," Mirabel frowned.

"Oh, so you can get mad at me for cancelling on you, but you're not mad at Enrique when he cancels?" Gabe asked.

"At least he cancelled for a better reason than you ever did," Mirabel huffed. "Gabe, you're not jealous of Enrique, are you?"

Gabe was shocked. "Me, jealous?" he asked defensively. "Now why would I ever be jealous of Enrique?"

"Because you're complaining about how he makes me happier than you ever did," Mirabel replied. "Well, I guess I have a free night now since my parents will be out tonight, and so will my sister and brother-in-law. Good day to you both." Then she went off to her car, leaving Gabe in disbelief.

"I can't believe she loves Enrique more than she ever did me," Gabe huffed. "What makes him so special?"

When Mirabel made it home, she told her parents that she and Enrique had cancelled their plans for the night.

"Oh, I'm sorry that happened, mija," Rosa apologized.

"Sí, I know you were looking forward to getting together with him tonight," Esteban said.

"No importa," Mirabel shrugged. "I can't complain. He said he didn't want me to catch his cold."

"Then he did the right thing, unlike Gabe Hogg," Esteban sniffed.

"Well, you'll have the house to yourself for the night," Rosa said. "Maybe you'll have the chance to see what wedding dress designs you like. We'll go shopping for one on the 19th."

"I'll let the bridesmaids know," Mirabel smiled.

The rest of the week went by, and now it was St. Patrick's Day. Mirabel's and Enrique's families got together at Patrick's Shamrock for dinner, and they were having the time of their lives. Enrique was sharing a good joke.

"And so, the leprechaun says, 'Well, I can see your sham can really rock!'"

That's when the two families laughed together.

"Ah, Enrique, you never fail to make us laugh," Felix smiled.

"Gracias," Enrique smiled back.

"So, how are things for you at work?" Mirabel asked.

"Oh, just fine," Enrique replied. "What about you?"

"Great," Mirabel smiled. "I've been brainstorming a lot of ideas for greeting cards."

"And we've seen your designs in the stores," Julieta smiled.

"At least before they sell out," Felix chimed in.

"Maybe one day, you'll be running your own graphic design company," Enrique said.

"Well, I don't know about that," Mirabel shrugged.

"You never know, Miraboo," Esteban smiled.

Mirabel never did dream of running her own graphic design company, but while it could be tedious, it sounded just as fun.

The next evening, Mirabel and Enrique got together for a date to celebrate their first anniversary together. They'd been working so hard at their jobs and on the wedding that they felt like this was a great way to calm their nerves.

"This is a great way to relax and have fun, eh, corazón?" Enrique asked.

"Sí, the best," Mirabel smiled. "I won't lie, I'm looking forward to getting married already, but I've been pretty swamped with work and all the planning."

"Me, too," Enrique said. "But once we tie the knot, it'll all be worth it."

"I know it will," Mirabel smiled lovingly. She was tired from working so hard, but she was sure to be happy when she and Enrique get married. After all, the reason she met him is because she moved back into town over a year ago.

The next day, Noemi and Gabe went around town—they were still in town, wondering what was going on with Mirabel.

"It's been a week since we saw Mirabel," Gabe remarked. "I wonder what's going on."

"Probably crying her eyes out because Enrique isn't the man she thought he was," Noemi scoffed.

"Yes, it serves her right for what she did to me," Gabe said. He turned and said, "There she is now."

But Mirabel wasn't sad at all—she was with her mother, bridesmaids, and future mother-in-law, and they were all entering a bridal shop.

"Why is she entering the bridal shop?" Noemi asked. "They sell wedding dresses—why would she need a wedding dress?" She and Gabe went to the window of the shop to find the women looking at the dresses. "I can't believe she still hasn't broken up with Enrique."

The bridesmaids looked around, and they'd found a great dress: a strapless lavender dress with gauze ruffle around the waist. Mirabel was looking at the wedding dresses, and she tried on a few that she'd found. But none of them were her cup of tea, especially the 3059-dress designed by Lazaro. Mirabel continued looking, and she was near the window, so when she turned, she'd seen Noemi. Noemi was shocked that Mirabel had just about caught her, and she ran away just before Mirabel went up to the window. Mirabel couldn't believe what she had seen...or at least barely.

"What's wrong, Mirabel?" Julieta asked.

"I thought I saw Noemi spying on me through the window," Mirabel replied.

"You're just nervous about the wedding, Mira," Rosa said. "Seeing your ex-friends from Vega City last month is really messing with your head. How about this?" She held up a beautiful dress with a straight neckline, off-shoulder straps, a thin purple belt around the waist, and noticeable stitching underneath the breasts.

"Let me see how it looks," Mirabel said. She went back into her fitting room and came out, wearing the dress her mother suggested. "This is perfect—I love it."

"How about opera gloves for the bride?" Lupe suggested.

"And this tiara," Julieta chimed in.

"Oh, I like it," Mirabel smiled.

Meanwhile, Noemi met up with Gabe, and she told him what happened.

"I swear, she practically saw me spying on her," Noemi gasped. "If I had stayed any longer, she would've caught me."

"Wow, that Mirabel is really something," Gabe said.