The Carrero Effect - Falling for the Boss (Billionaire CEO) novel Chapter 277

I smooth my hands down my ivory wedding dress. It’s classy elegance and understated top is lined with a simple sleeveless fitted bodice and tiny pearl detailing. It has a full wispy floating skirt, and layers and layers of chiffon puffing out to a full-length cloud of loveliness. It’s a fairy-tale princess dress and matches beautifully with the elegant engagement ring twinkling on my hand, sparkling in all its shining glory.

I admire my flawless natural make-up in the mirror, touching up my nude lipstick. My tawny hair is wild and curled in its loose romantic style, tiny tendrils hang around my face and I appraise my reflection with pride.

I look beautiful! I feel beautiful and serene. There is no fear whatsoever.

I look like a woman hopelessly in love, about to marry the man of her dreams.

I am that woman.

I slide on my satin ivory stilettos that almost mirror the shoes I used to adore so much. It feels weird to be back in heels after so long and I turn around, hearing movement from the room behind me, alerting me to tropical blue

eyes catching mine in the reflection as I straighten up.

“Oh, my God, Ems … God, you look stunning,” Sarah holds back a tear, touching her eyes with a tissue and waving her hands to save her mascara from running, as I watch

her in the mirror behind me. She’s wearing her fitted

aqua bridesmaid dress and her messy blonde short hair is pinned up in a loose half up style like mine and I’m overcome with a huge surge of love. Her bright blue eyes are heavy with emotion as she’s watches me intensely in a way that has my heart lifting with excitement.

“It’s happening, Sarah.” I smile widely, a tremor of passion rippling through me. My nerves are tingling, my stomach is fluttering, and my knees are turning to mush. I spin around lifting my delicate veil and let my eyes skim that flawless silhouette in the mirror, flat stomach once more and a body that looks like it never changed. I’ hit with that familiar tug of emptiness at no longer feeling her life growing within me.

The vacuum of emptiness inside never leaves me, but I smile to myself, weakly, and push it down, lifting my chin defiantly, looking like old PA Emma, yet so different in so many ways. This is my happy day; no tears unless they are ones of joy. I remind myself that I’m not going to cloud this day with running make-up and emotional breakdowns unless they’re related to taking my vows.

“Oh, my God, Emma.” Leila bursts into tears when she sees me, sliding into the room behind Sarah. They only left me for a few minutes, so I could step into my dress, yet they’re acting like this is the first time they’ve seen it too, even though they’re the ones who helped me choose it.

It took me endless shopping trips to find the perfect one and constant boring fittings with selfies that Leila just had to litter over Instagram. I banned Jake from using any social media the entire time we were planning the big day, for fear of trending posts giving away ideas of which shops I was heading into and people snapping sneaky photos of me trying on gowns in shops. Leila saw them, on more than one occasion and promptly chased them off, but still, pictures would still find themselves all over the social media sites. The world still loves their Carrero hotty after all and his hashtag on anything wedding related seemed to top the bill on a weekly basis.

“You’re ruining your make-up.” I chide Leila softly, but she shakes her head and smiles back through a wave of tears. Her eyeliner is already making a quick exit down her face.

“Daniel likes me looking like a train wreck nowadays … Will just turn him on seeing me with mascara down my chin yet again.” She sniffs, and Sarah starts fussing with the hankies, cleaning Leila’s face up in a desperate attempt to salvage her perfected make-up. Leila is so hopelessly cute when she cries, and I agree with her on the Daniel point. The boy clucks around her like a mother hen anytime she burst into tears. Daniel is turning as hopeless as Jake nowadays and never far from his lady’s side; gone is the Hunter of old who partied and messed around with women galore. Leila is his world.

“I think the fact that you’ve done nothing but cry non-stop since he got you pregnant means he has no choice but to love that train wreck … Invest in waterproof mascara.” Sarah chides, and I watch as Leila runs a hand over her bulging bump. I am hit with another hint of rising tears and a small tug of envy. Her growing bump is twins, much to Daniel’s shock when they found out she was even carrying. That day I really thought we needed an ambulance for him since he literally passed out in the doctor’s office.