Chapter 80

Chapter 80They are all there
Gazing calmly at her reflection in the mirror, Peach just stared, trying to find words to describe what she
was feeling as she smiled softly, whispering, “I’m getting married…”
Many mixed emotions were running through her mind, and some of them seemed a little too loud for
her to be silent, but she was happy, ecstatic even.
For so long, it felt like this would be a day that would never come, marrying Elijah was something she
never really thought would happen, but here she was, about to wed him.
“Why am I so shaky?” She giggled out nervously, not knowing how to handle the rush of emotions
flowing through her as her heartbeat raised. “Peach, honey,” Miss Grace’s sudden voice echoed from
outside her bedroom door, causing her to flinch slightly. “Can I come in?”
“Yes, mama,” Peach called out, looking back at her door frame.
A second later, Miss Grace came inside, closing the door behind her with a smile on her face, crying
softly, “My baby.”
Since Albert died, it had just been her and her daughter, against the world without the comfort and
protection of her husband, and now that Peach was about to get married too, she couldn’t help but
worry, feel sad, and yet, she was overjoyed. “Mama, I am going to cry if you start sobbing,” Peach
muttered, turning to look at her reflection once again and laughing softly as she wiped her tears away.
Silence took over as Miss Grace walked over to her daughter, hugging her from the back, and resting
her head gently on Peach’s hair, smiling at her reflection. “Do you think papa will be proud of me is… if
he was with… Umm, if he was right here beside you and me?” Peach whispered, tears slowly starting
to form in her eyes, her heart breaking as she looked at her mother who was sobbing silently. “Of
course, he will be, my dear,” Miss Grace replied, kissing Peach’s hair softly. “If anyone is capable ofbeing proud of you right now, more than I am, it’ll be your father.” A calming silence took over as both
mother and daughter uttered no words, and yet, a lot was said through raw emotion and silent tears.
After a moment passed, Peach pulled away from her mother’s embrace, wiping her tears away and
smiling brightly, but she felt a great sense of embarrassment as she chuckled nervously, mumbling,
“How did you stay married to papa for so long… and how did you make him have eyes… only for you,
umm… Also, how did you know papa still loved you after so many years of being together.”
Averting her eyes away from her mother, for a moment, she continued to laugh awkwardly and scratch
the back of her head shyly, and mumbled, “When he got mad at you, how did you keep the peace? Did
he ever get sick of being together with you?” “Peach, honey,” Miss Grace giggled, placing one hand on
Peach’s cheek and rubbing her thumb over her skin gently, wiping away any stray tears before smiling
lovingly at her daughter “There is only so much you can do as a wife. Marriage depends on both sides
to inake the relationship work.”
“But you made it work for years, mama, didn’t you?” “Of course… I and your papa made it work.”
It grew quiet again as they stared into each other’s eyes, neither daring to break eye contact and then
Peach sighed out sadly and looked down, biting her lip before whispering, “I wish papa was here. He
could’ve told me what made him stay with…”
With all the love she could muster, Miss Grace wrapped her arms around her daughter, pulling her
close and whispering reassuringly, “Marriage is not a simple thing you can control, Peach, but I have
seen you and Elijah, and I know you two can make it work.”
A gentle knock sounded on the bedroom door, interrupting their conversation, and Peach’s eyes
immediately widened when she heard Elijah’s voice, “Miss Grace, the stylists, and makeup artist want
to know if Peach is ready for them.” “Yeah, I am.” Peach blurted out quickly, wiping off the last traces oftears. Even though Elijah had been standing at the door longer than he intended and had heard more
than he should, he smiled faintly, and his voice softened as he said, “Hey… umm… Are you nervous?”
“A bit,” Peach let out, staring straight at the door.
“Honestly, I am nervous too, like a lot.” “Really?” “Yeah, but I also can’t wait for you to meet me down
the aisle…” Just like that, those words caused a small giggle to leave Peach’s mouth and she laughed
lightly, feeling a warmth spread throughout her chest as she nodded, saying, “Me too!”
“Okay, I will leave you to do your thing because according to popular superstitions, it’s bad luck for the
groom to see the bride before the wedding. So I can’t do what I really want to do right now…” Elijah
teased, staring hard at the wooden door frame.
“Okay then, see you at the altar,” Peach let out, smiling widely and blushing, wishing she could rush out
of the room and stare into his eyes, wanting to see how beautiful they would look when he gazes into
hers.
“I’ll be waiting.” Elijah uttered with a smirk before walking away.
When he got into the lobby, a sense of relief settled down in him, feeling glad that he didn’t pressure
Peach when she turned down the offer to do her set-up for today at some pompous hotel because after
hearing what she said to her mother, her excuse was valid.
This motel is something that holds most of her memories with her father, the good and sad times, and
her getting ready in place should give her that sense of Albert’s presence and love. “She’s available for
you guys,” Elijah said calmly, looking at the stylists and makeup artist in front of him
Al one fifteen, the room door burst open as James, Matt, Ryan, and Rookie walked in on Elijah,
admiring him, wearing a dark grey slim-fit tuxedo three piece suit.“Wow, you are really going through with this!” James uttered, staring at Elijah’s outfit “Yep.” Elijah
replied as he put on a light pink flower lapel on his blazer, smiling softly to
himself.
Then after he got done, he looked at his men and smirked at how sharp they were dressed, Ryan and
Matt, wearing Pink suits, and James and Rookie in grey “I have never been a bridesmaid before…”
Matt playfully, chuckling under his breath. “Well, I can say, we both make one damn good-looking
bridesmaid,” Ryan responded confidently, earning a laugh from all of them.
Suddenly Elijah’s phone interrupted them, making everyone go quiet as he picked it off the table and
answered, “J, how are things looking over there?”
“We got eyes on the beach and the motel, and so far, everything seems to be going smoothly, but…”
Jerome replied on the other line, and Elijah could tell he was stressed, especially from his tone. “The
Hayes is here… umm… all of them.” “Seriously?!”
“Yes, boss, even Melina.”
Since Peach only had her mother, the wedding guests were mostly thugs that were invited by Elijah to
bring a plus one with them to fill up the seats, so Peach won’t feel sad over the empty spaces…
Because honestly, Elijah thought that the Hayes was not going to show up for her, not when she was
literally going against them by marrying him. “Keep an eye on their every move, and do not let them out
of your sight!” Elijah commanded, feeling frustrated that he knew that something was odd about the
Hayes’ attendance and yet, not knowing what it could possibly mean.
“Will do, boss,” Jerome replied before ending the call. The look of stress that suddenly clouded their
boss’ face made Matt, Ryan, and Rookie exchange looks with each other, wondering why he looked soagitated. “They are there,” Elijah spoke slowly, sighing heavily as he placed the phone back onto the
table. “They’re all at the beach.” “The Hayes?” Jame asked, raising an eyebrow at Elijah. “Yes,”
“That’s not a good sign.”
novelbin“I know, James… I know.”
A frown crossed Elijah’s face as he looked at Matt and said, “Today, you are not only Peach
Bridesmaid, but also her bodyguard… Your eyes should never leave her side, got it?”
“Understood, boss,” Matt said, nodding at Elijah, feeling the atmosphere in the room quickly shifting
into something more serious. “I don’t know why they have all gathered there, but we can not let our
guard down… so I need you two to stand watch over Peach and keep an eye out for anything
suspicious, alright?” Elijah continued, staring at Matt and Ryan.
Even though he feared interrupting in such a tense atmosphere, James cleared his throat and said,
“Elijah. we should probably leave right now, if you don’t want your bride to arrive ahead of you.”
A deep sigh left his lips as Elijah ran a hand through his hair and muttered, “Damn it… Okay… okay.
Umm, Rookie and James, you two are with me.”
Then he eyed Ryan and Matt for a second, his eyes telling them how much he was counting on them
before he looked back at James and said, “Let’s go.”