Begin Again novel Chapter 229

Wedding fever hit town as soon as the press release about Eden and Liam's impending nuptials went out.

For days the announcement, posted on Anderson Logistics website and all the company's socials, was the number #1 trending topic on all social media platforms.

The internet was in disbelief.

Thousands of Liam's adoring fans couldn't accept that the day they had dreaded was finally upon them, and the Three-Month Prince was officially off the market. Well, almost off the market.

Like most people who have an unhealthy obsession with their idols, they had to share their outrage and sadness with strangers on the internet.

Overnight, Eden became the villainess, the woman who had ruined all their fantasies, and they couldn't understand why, out of all the beauties in the universe ready to fall at his feet, Liam would choose her.

She had to have used some kind of witchcraft or love spell on him, they said.

And when Sienna's exposé on their fairytale romance hit Dirt magazine, and the world found out about Aiden, it confirmed everyone's suspicions. Opinions became facts, and the shotgun wedding made sense—Eden had obviously saddled Liam with the baby because in their worlds, safely hidden behind laptop screens and cellphones, billionaires simply didn't fall in love with regular plain Janes. Hell, they never dated outside their social circles.

It never occurred to any of them that the couple could genuinely be happy and in love.

Eden read the comments—lapping them all up with the same enthusiasm she used to gobble down her dry Froot Loops.

Most pregnant women craved spicy chicken wings and other nice things. Not her. She wanted Froot Loops every day and all day while she obsessed over all the nonsense written about her.

Eden became so compulsive in her internet crawling, Liam had to take her phone away from her for a little while before she lost her mind.

Thankfully there was one thing she didn't have to obsess over—the wedding planning.

She had wanted a small, intimate do, with just under fifty guests at most, and if it was up to her, she and Liam would have skipped the whole fanfare and gone straight to the courthouse.

But Erica and Lois had made it very clear they would not be cheated out of their one chance to throw the grandest, poshest wedding Rock Castle had ever seen. They were determined to make their special day the talk of the town for centuries to come.

So with just under three weeks to put together the mother of all weddings, they rolled up their sleeves, roped in Eden's friends and Liam's sisters, and got down to work.

There was so much to do in those three weeks. But between her freelance work projects for Anderson Logistics and her painting side hustle for Fugue, Eden had very little time on her hands, and she was probably the most uninvolved bride in the history of all brides.

But even if she did have the time to plan her big day, Liam would never have allowed it. He was taking Dr Emily's orders about reducing stress in her life very seriously. If he could have, he would have also gone and bought the wedding dress for her. But it was the only thing Eden insisted on taking an interest in.

She spent days scouring bridal boutiques in Rock Castle, but everything they saw didn't scream 'first-time' bride to her. Most of the dresses were too modern and risqué, or too old fashioned and boring.

At some point, her bridesmaids wanted to pull out of the wedding, and a massive fight broke out because she couldn't make up her mind.

But just when they were all about to give up and dress her in an old potato sack, Eden finally found her dream dress— a sweetheart beaded A-Line ball gown with a tulle overlay and cathedral train.

"This one!" She announced, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "This is it."

And her friends agreed when she tried it out and pranced around the store.

It had a whimsical elegance that screamed of romance and happily ever afters. A perfect dress for a special day two years and too long in the making.

When the countdown to the wedding day hit the one week mark, the days began to blur into each other, and time seemed to slip away quickly.

After a mildly entertaining hen party, the maid of honour had quickly put together, and an equally uninspiring bachelor party Julian had tried his best to breathe some life into, the day Eden and Liam had been waiting for finally arrived, bringing with it grey clouds, lightning and thunderstorms.

The drive from Green Point to the wedding venue, the Oakhampton castle on the outskirts of town, was incredibly long, made more so by the atrocious weather and slippery roads. But with Cassandra's steady driving, they managed to make it in record time.

While they waited for the torrential downpour to ease up a little since none of them had thought to bring an umbrella, they sat in stunned silence and took in the red-brick castle with its oversized stained glass windows, majestic arches and conical roofs.

Set against the backdrop of the moody sky and surrounded by tree-clad gardens and breathtaking views, the guest lodge was indeed a sight to behold, and the thousands of photos Eden had seen of the place on their website did not do it justice.

But if she thought the outside was incredible, the inside of the adjoining quaint chapel where the ceremony would be held was breathtaking.

It was large enough to house all hundred guests but cosy enough to create an intimate atmosphere.

The marbled floors, stone pillars and dripping chandelier gave the place an air of elegance and timelessness, but the thousands of fairy lights hanging from the ceiling added a sense of romance and magic.

It was the daffodils, though, scattered throughout the room and on the red carpet trailing from the entrance, alongside gorgeously draped pews, that did it for Eden. Well aware of their symbolism and the man behind them, she burst into tears and sobbed.

As much as he had tried not to be involved in planning their wedding, Liam had added a sentimental touch to their day, and she couldn't have loved him more.

Her phone buzzed in her bag, and she pulled it out, sobbing even louder when she saw the caller ID.

"What's wrong?" Liam asked as soon as she picked up.

"Nothing, everything is so perfect, that's all."

"And that's making you cry?"

"Yeah," Eden nodded as if he could see her.

"Hey, wipe those tears, and hurry up and get ready because I can't wait to make you mine."

He was close by, inside one of the numerous rooms in this sprawling castle, but when Eden heard the smile in his voice, she couldn't help but miss him something awful, and she didn't know how she would survive the next two hours.

"Don't you miss me?" She asked, hoping they can sneak in a quick kiss or two.

"We already have shitty weather; I'd rather not chance it."

"What are you talking about?" She asked as she followed her friends to their guest suite to start getting ready.

"Don't you know it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding?" Liam said.

"I never thought you're the superstitious type." Eden smiled when she heard her son and his uncles howling with laughter in the background, and she wondered what mischief they were up to.

"I'm not," Liam said seriously. "But I waited a very long time for this day. I'm not doing anything to fuck it up."

"Okay," she agreed with his reasoning; they'd come too far to tempt fate. "And I love the flowers."

"You still remember what they mean?"

"How can I forget?"

"Good," he chuckled. "This is the first day of the rest of our lives."

"Our new start." She added.

"Yeah, our new start. And I love you, Mrs Anderson."

"Hey, I'm still Ms McBride, you know."