Page 182 of You Found Me
“I feel like we’re in a police station having our mug shots done,” Della muttered.
Berenice shot her a sharp glance, then broke into a grin. “You know, you’re right. This isn’t good at all. Come on, ladies, let’s get more natural with this. Loosen up. Kick off the shoes and let’s take a walk.”
They left their white sneakers in a pile near the arch and set out. They walked slowly, kicking sand with their feet, while the photographer and her assistant hovered with the camera.
Della impulsively grabbed Piper and Mattie’s hands and swung them like she did as a child. “This has been the best day ever. You’re absolutely radiant, Mattie.”
“You really are,” Piper agreed.
“I think we all are.” Mattie squeezed Della’s hand. “I love your hair that color. It suits you.”
“It’s like fire,” Piper said. “Burns hot and fast, and it’s all consuming. Just like her.”
“Hey!” Della nudged her with her shoulder. “Okay, sure, maybe I’m a little impulsive.”
“A little?” Lizzie asked.
They all giggled.
“Okay, a lot. And I’ve made some, um, bad choices.” She paused. “But that’s over now.”
“Oh I hope not,” Lizzie said. She stopped walking and the four of them formed a circle. “Della, you bring joy to our lives. You always have.”
“That’s why it hurt so much when you went solo,” Mattie said. Even now, after all these years, her sister’s voice held a note of sadness whenever she spoke about The Day.
“Well, that and you didn’t seem to get how much it was going to affect all of us.” Piper’s sardonic smile took the sting out of the words.
“I was a real little shit.” Della danced ahead so she could get in front of them. “I was selfish, and self-centered, and cruel.”
“Yes,” Piper said. “You were.”
“When you were taken…when we thought we were going to really lose you…” Lizzie choked up.
“That’s over now,” Mattie said. “All of it. It’s in the past, and it’s time for a clean slate. Today is all about beginnings. So from here on, we do better. Besides, somehow, it feels like it was all just…meant to be. Because you struggled, Lizzie and Renic came together. And because I was trying to figure out who I was without, well,us, I found Adam.”
“Good point. If we hadn’t been taking a timeout,” Piper said, “I might never have tried to branch out into movies. Then I never would have met Blake. So I think everything turned out…pretty good, actually.”
Tears filled Della’s eyes. Their forgiveness meant everything. “I love you all. So much. And…I guess I might never have met my warden if you all hadn’t forgiven me, despite everything. Probably not.”
“Definitely not, because you never would have met that asshole on our movie set.” Piper’s face darkened. “I can’t believe someone we trusted betrayed us like that.”
Della grabbed Piper’s hand. “Like Mattie says, it’s over. I get to be here with all of you on Mattie’s super-special, fantastically magical day. Everything really is perfect.”
Lizzie held out her arms, and they all fell into them. “We have each other. Always. No matter what. Bell Babes forever.”
“Bell Babes forever,” they all repeated. They huddled in the group hug for several long minutes.
All the broken places had finally been mended. Della didn’t even bother to stifle the tears.
“Ladies, do you mind if the groom gets some action here?” Adam said.
Their heads swiveled in his direction. Adam stood in the waves with a big grin on his face while the water soaked the edges of his pants. The groomsmen were scattered along the beach behind him. Della couldn’t tell if they had tried to stop Adam from joining the women or if they wanted to come too and were afraid to intrude.
As far as she could tell, Adam had never met a barrier he couldn’t cross.
Mattie beamed at him and beckoned. “Group hug. Everybody’s invited.”
The photographer madly clicked and circled and offered pose suggestions while they all rehashed the ceremony and the courtship.