On the day Sophie graduated, the Aldridge family decided to set the wedding date for a monthter. Everyone in Devonport knew that the little princess of the Russell family was about to marry the head honcho of the Aldridge n. The news outlets were all over it, each one trying to snag the front page.


    The day before the wedding, Sophie was at home, admiring her reflection with bridal makeup on, a wide smile on her face. Her mom, Damita, popped into the room, leaned in close, and said with a grin, "Our Sophie is absolutely gorgeous. You''ll be the most beautiful bride tomorrow."


    Sophie''s cheeks turned rosy, a typical reaction to her mom''spliments. "Mom, was Dad this romantic when you two got hitched?"


    Gordon had been on top of things for ages, crafting the perfect wedding. He designed the dress and took care of every little detail, so Sophie didn''t have a thing to stress about. Gordon handled it all.


    Thinking back to her own wedding with Andrew, Damita chuckled and shook her head, "Oh, don''t even get me started on your dad. He seemed all schrly and suave, but on our wedding day, he was a hot mess. He messed up the vows and was all over the ce, even called your grandpa ''Mr. James'' instead of ''Dad'' during the toast! Your grandpa was so miffed he nearly stormed out. And with your dad''s low tolerance for booze, he was out like a light by the end of the night..." Damita was getting more animated and a bit exasperated recounting the story. Right then, Andrew stood at the door, looking unsure if he shoulde in or make a run for it. "Dad?" Sophie''s voice gave him away.


    Hearing his sweet daughter call him, Andrew cleared his throat, trying to y it cool. "Well! With the big day tomorrow, I wanted to see my darling daughter onest time."


    "Do I look pretty, Dad?"


    "Beautiful! Just like your mom back in the day, though... I gotta say, not quite as stunning as her."


    Andrew, eager to stay out of trouble, moved next to Damita and whispered, "Damita, our girl''s all grown up. Can you maybe stop airing my past mistakes to her?"


    Damita shot him a look, "Well, it''s all thanks to your antics back then. Can''t I talk about it?"


    Andrew quickly waved his hands, "I wouldn''t dare... wouldn''t dare."


    Sophie watched her parents, so in sync and happy, and couldn''t help but wonder about her future with


    Gordon. Her brother was worr


    swamped with work; she worried


    about settling into married life. She hoped they''d be as blissful as her folks.  swnovel


    That night, Sophiey in bed and drifted into a dreamy haze. In her dream, she was getting married to someone she loved dearly. She couldn''t see his face clearly, but even in the dream, she felt his warmth.  swnovel


    SV


    When she woke up, it was still dark outside, but the house was buzzing. Jenna had already arrived, and makeup artist and stylist were


    knocking at her door. Her phool


    showed it was already four-thirty in the morning.  swnovel


    Jenna saw Sophie still in bed and hastily said, "Come on, girl, no time for


    snoozing! It''s your wedding day, wake up!"


    “Jenna... I''m exhausted. Why can''t weddings be in the evening?"


    Getting up so early for a wedding felt like a real ordeal.