Ella
“Ella!” Cora shouts from the closet, her voice a little frantic. “Ella, help! Please!”
I turn quickly towards the closet, a biscuit and a cup of coffee in each of my hands and Rafe strapped to my chest in his little carrier. “What’s wrong?” I call as I hurry towards her.
But I see the problem immediately as I come to the door, with Cora wrapped up in yards of fabric and one of the stylists tugging fervently at the buttons which close the back.
“It doesn’t fit,” Cora says, her face worried.
“What?” I say, my eyes going a little wide. “But we did a fitting two days ago did you -”
“I guess I got bigger,” Cora sighs, looking down at the little baby bump that makes me so happy to see. “I don’t know – it would be a ridiculous thing to consider with a human baby, but with the way these wolves grow? In leaps and bounds?” She looks back up at me, shaking her head. “I’m sorry Ella what the hell are we going to do?”
“We’re going to use the back-up dress,” I say, grinning widely and shoving the rest of the cookie in my mouth while I put my coffee down on a shelf. Then I move for a big white box I’ve kept secretly in the corner under a pile of other big white boxes.
“Oh, thank god,” the stylist murmurs under her breath, making me laugh.
and steps away
as I take the top off the box and reveal an identical wedding gown, just one size
and carrying it over. “I remember how unpredictable it is. At
the first wedding dress as I hang up her second and begin to steam it. “This is….slightly
a little, shaking my head and glancing over my shoulder at her. “So,” I say, eager. “Are
Cora says, her voice
and turn fully to her
takes it away. ” You know that none of this has been important to me,
steamer still in my hand.
and smiles at me before dipping her head to kiss Rafe on his. He burbles up at her, happily kicking his legs, making her laugh. “You’re more comfortable in the
the coronation! I
though,” she says, raising her eyebrows at me with a smile.
grinning at her, “you just be perfectly you! And it will be
do you have a robe or something I can
I say, pointing the steamer at her and letting out a little burst of warm steam that makes
me turn away and get back to work. But even as I point to the robe hanging up in a corner of the closet and
day? I have a feeling it’s
because I didn’t want everything to look the same, and like we couldn’t make something special for Cora and Roger, but…well, it’s the biggest space
To my chagrin, he wouldn’t consent to wear his little crown today – kept taking it off his head – but…well, I suppose that’s all right. “It’s
that possible,” he laughs, looking around, “when you planned
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