So tell me what you want to hear
Something that will light those ears
Sick of all the insincere
So I'm gonna give all my secrets away
-OneRepublic
Grace sat down and smiled. It felt good to be back home. Her mother, in typical Aimee Miller fashion, went above and beyond whenever Grace journeyed home. She had prepared all of Grace's favorite breakfast foods. The large dining room table held several dishes including sausages, eggs, French toast, regular toast, fruit, porridge, waffles, and several pitchers of orange juice.
"Mum, are you feeding the entire neighborhood?" Grace said with a small laugh before she began serving herself.
"Where's William?" Aimee asked as she piled her own plate with food.
"Showering," Grace replied as she buttered her toast. "He'll be down soon."
The truth was Aimee was loads better than she had been several years ago. Divorcing Grace and Henry's dad had been one of the best things to happen to her. She no longer had to drown her pain in alcohol and live a life of lies as her husband continued an affair with his receptionist. Once Jim Rhodes had moved out and officially signed the divorce papers, Aimee slowly started to revert back to her old self again. She was once again the doting mum that baked too many cookies and kept her home spotless. Aimee no longer spent her day in stained pajamas and smelling vaguely of whiskey. Aimee once again dressed in her finest robes, her pearl necklace rested beautifully around her neck, and her hair was always pulled into an elegant bun.
Aimee had even found love once more in Mateo Sanchez. Mateo was several years younger than Aimee and worked for Spain's Ministry of Magic. Grace had initially been wary of the new man in her mother's life, but she quickly saw how much Mateo adored Aimee.
Mateo was good to Aimee. He didn't mind that she didn't want any more kids and was happy to marry her anyway. He took her out often on romantic getaways, bought her flowers and jewelry often, treated Henry and Grace as if they were his own kids, and didn't mind putting up with all the town gossip about them. Mateo was an angel, really.
"Ah, my two beautiful girls!" Mateo said happily, joining them at the breakfast table. He gave Aimee a quick peck on the cheek before grabbing a plate for himself. "Gracie," he said happily, "it is so good to have you home."
"No kidding," Grace replied, rubbing her stomach. "I reckon I'll gain fifty pounds before the wedding at this rate."
Aimee smiled. "You're still meeting up with the girls today?" she asked.
Grace nodded. "Yeah! Exciting, isn't it?"
"William is a fantastic young man," Mateo told her sincerely. "You two will be very happy."
"I hope so," Grace said with a small smile. Grace loved William, but sometimes she wondered if she was too young to be getting married. After all, she was only twenty-one, roughly the same age as her parents were when they married. Clearly, their marriage hadn't worked out.
"Morning," William said a moment later as he sat in the chair beside Grace. William was classically handsome. He had a pale complexion, broad forehead, and a strong bone structure. He had a straight nose and dark brown eyes. His hair was short, straight, and sandy brown. He usually kept it neatly gelled back. William also donned glasses often, usually when he was working. He eyed all the food before him. "Merlin, how many people are coming for breakfast?"
"Mum got a bit carried away," Grace told him with a small laugh.
Aimee smiled happily at her family. "It's just nice to have everybody under one roof again. I can't wait until Henry comes back from Hogwarts! You know, I reckon this summer will be the last time everybody will be living together."
"What do you mean?" Grace frowned.
"Well, once you and William get married, you'll most likely buy your own house or flat. You won't be needing to stay here anymore." Her eyes widened. "It'll be just Henry and he's gone most of the year for school! Merlin, should I think about downsizing?"
William nodded. "She's got a point, Gracie. We've got that appointment with the real estate agent next week."
"You're already looking for a home?" Mateo asked, intrigued. "Where?"
"Grace is insisting on London. We've also looked at a few places in New York and Paris." William shrugged.
"Well, London makes the most sense," Grace said slowly, "if I decide to take that job at St. Mungo's."
"What job at St. Mungo's?" Aimee asked sharply.
"You didn't tell her," William asked.
"I must've forgotten," Grace said with a shrug.
"St. Mungo's offered Gracie a job as a researcher for antidotes," William said proudly. "She's still deciding whether or not to take it."
Aimee gasped. "Well, why wouldn't you take it? You know, I've always hated that you have to travel so much for work."
"Well, it'd be nice now that we're getting married to settle down somewhere. Especially if we intend to start a family in a few years…" Grace said thoughtfully.
"So, what's holding you back?" Aimee demanded.
Grace and William exchanged looks. "We love the traveling," William admitted.
"It's fun getting to see the world and researching all these old magical artifacts," Grace said with a dreamy sigh.
Mateo frowned. "How exactly did the two of you manage to get off work for four months?" he asked.
"We didn't. We're still working. I'll be in the lab most days that I'm not planning the wedding." Grace glanced at William. "And Will is going to be traveling back and forth a lot. They still need him in Cuzco a bit, so he'll be gone quite a bit until the wedding draws closer."
"Well, you can't raise a family while traveling all around the world. Kids need stability. And to be close to their grandparents!" Aimee insisted.
Grace rolled her eyes. "Let's get through the actual wedding first before we start talking about kids."
Grace smoothed out her dress and took a sip of her tea. Her friends were all late, of course. Not that Grace expected anything different.
Sienna was the first to arrive. Grace could tell it was her by all the commotion it caused outside the little restaurant. She could hear people yelling her name and the sound of cameras clicking and sure enough a moment later Sienna stepped inside the restaurant, looking irritated and slightly out of breath. Her pale blonde hair had been left loose and wavy. She wore a thin long, white dress that came down to her ankles and golden sandals to match the gold bracelets on her wrists.
"Sienna, over here!" Grace called eagerly, jumping out of her seat.
"Gracie!" Sienna squealed, running forward.
"More tea, miss?" The pimply waiter had returned and was staring at Sienna in awe.
"Yes, please!" Sienna told him as she took a seat across from Grace.
"L-loved your latest album, by the way," the waiter said nervously before taking off into the kitchens.
"So, when did you get here?" Sienna asked Grace with a wide grin.
"Late last night," Grace replied. "You've been back for about a month now, yeah?"
"Yeah, it's been great. I didn't realize how much I missed Dumb and Dumber," she said.
"How are Teddy and Finn?" Grace said with a small laugh.
"They're good. Teddy's been grumpy ever since he heard Vic's coming home, but other than that they're fine."
"I still can't believe they're broken up," Grace said, shaking her head.
Sienna narrowed her eyes at Grace. "You haven't asked me about Luke."
Grace hesitated. "What's he been up to?"
"Same old, same old. Still playing for the Chudley Cannons. Still heartbreakingly handsome."
"Well, good. I'm glad." She paused. "He's…happy?"
"As far as I can tell."
"And I reckon he knows about the wedding by now?"
Sienna smiled. "He's definitely aware, despite not receiving an invitation."
"S, come on. I couldn't invite him!" Grace looked aghast. "He's my ex-boyfriend!"
"I know, but it still feels wrong. Excluding him, I mean. Especially since the rest of us will all be together."
"Somehow, I think he'll live." Grace snorted. "I doubt he wants to go to his ex-girlfriend's wedding."
"He's going to be at the Burrow tonight, you know."
"Yeah, I figured."
Sienna looked at her. "Are you coming?"
"I reckon I'll have to see him at some point. Might as well get it over with." Grace sighed.
"You sound like Teddy."
"He doesn't want to see Vic?"
"Not really," Sienna said. "He's not over her."
Grace looked past Sienna and noticed a tall girl with dirty blonde hair walk inside. She had on a pair of oversized sunglasses that hid most of her face. Her hair had been straightened and it had grown several inches since the last time Grace saw her. She was dressed in a short dark green skirt that showed off her long, toned legs and a tight black top that revealed a sliver of her stomach. Skylar spotted Grace and Sienna immediately. She beamed and began to stride over to them, hardly bothered by the large heels she was wearing.
"You look comfortable," Grace muttered sarcastically as Skylar engulfed her in a tight hug.
"Thanks!" Skylar said cheerfully before hugging Sienna. "So, what are we talking about?"
"Teddy and Victoire," Sienna informed her. "And how Teddy's clearly still in love with her."
Skylar's smile fell for an instant. "Yeah, me and Luke were talking about that last night—"
Grace frowned. "Why were you with Luke last night?"
"Oh, right! I forgot you didn't know. We live together!"
"What?" Grace nearly choked on her tea.
"Here's your tea, S-Sienna," the waiter said, nervously setting down the small cup in front of Sienna. He looked at Skylar, blushing. "Anything for you, Miss?"
"Coffee, please!" Skylar said cheerfully, flipping her long hair back.
"Right away!" The waiter scribbled down her order and scurried off.
Sienna looked at Skylar. "I like that skirt? Did you get it New York?"
"Yeah, I bought it at this cute little boutique—"
"You live with Luke," Grace interrupted once more, her startling green eyes wide with shock.
"Well, yeah." Skylar frowned. "That doesn't bother you, does it?"
"Nope, not at all," Grace replied, her voice high-pitched. She cleared her throat. "How did this come about?"
"It's what happens when somebody packs their bags and decides to move to another country overnight," Sienna said with a snort. "She nearly gave Teddy a heart attack."
"Yeah, well, Teddy's been a real stick in the mud lately," Skylar grumbled.
"They've been arguing over Skylars…erm…lax approach toward security." Sienna's lips twitched.
Skylar shrugged. "I couldn't stay at my dad's according to Teddy and Melissa. And Luke had a spare bedroom and said I could stay as long as I wanted. Besides, split amongst two people the rent isn't so bad and Sienna lives right across the hall!"
"It's true," Sienna said with a nod.
Grace blinked. "Well, that does sound like a sensible thing to do…if he has a spare bedroom…"
"I reckon that's Victoire!" Skylar said suddenly. She pointed to the front of the restaurant where the double doors were opening. Sure enough, a tall and willowy woman stepped inside. She had long silvery blonde hair, deep blue eyes, and fair skin. She was breathtakingly beautiful and everybody stopped and stared as she walked past them. In fact, she walked with such an air of grace that she seemed to be gliding toward her friends.
"Victoire!" Sienna nearly shrieked as she hugged her tightly.
"It's so good to see all of you!" Victoire said sincerely before allowing her two other friends to hug her.
"Did you know Skylar was living with Luke?" Grace hissed as soon as Victoire sat down.
Victoire looked mildly surprised. "Really? Well, I reckon that makes sense. Luke does have that spare room."
"Well, what's it like living with Luke?" Grace asked.
Skylar thought about it. "It's brilliant, actually. He's so fun to live with. Plus, he's a really good cook."
Victoire nodded. "He makes the best pasta." She sighed sadly. "Godric, I miss him. Is he coming by the Burrow tonight for the party?" she asked Skylar.
Skylar shrugged. "No idea. I haven't seen him today. He was gone by the time I got home."
Sienna frowned. "What do you mean?"
Skylar froze. "Erm…nothing…"
Grace narrowed her eyes at Skylar, who was blushing fiercely now. "What time did you get home?"
"Erm…pretty late..."
"And by late you mean?" Grace pressed.
Skylar rolled her eyes. "About an hour ago."
Sienna snorted. "Who'd you go home with last night?"
Skylar hesitated. "Alexander," she said quietly.
Victoire nearly dropped the water the waiter had brought her. "As in the Alexander?"
"He's living in London now apparently," Skylar told them. "I ran into him last night after the guys left."
"How does he look?" Victoire asked eagerly. "Still gorgeous?"
Skylar felt her face burn. "You have no idea…"
Grace gaped at her. "Any more bombshells you want to drop on us, Skye?"
Skylar considered it. "No…you guys know I've moved back, you know I'm living with Luke, you guys know about Alex now…I think we're good…"
Grace glared at her friends. "Anybody else?"
Sienna thought about it. "You guys do know my relationship is fake, right?"
"Really?" Victoire said, sounding mildly disappointed. "Aw, I thought you guys were cute together."
"What's next?" Grace said in disbelief. "Are you going to tell me you're back together with Finn?"
"No, we're not back together," Sienna said with an eye-roll.
"But there is something going on?" Grace pressed, her senses in overdrive.
Sienna shrugged. "We fuck around sometimes when we're both in the same city. That's it, really. I mean, we're still friends, though."
Victoire stared at her. "You do realize that your relationship with Findley has come full circle."
Sienna turned bright pink. "Bloody hell, you're right. It's like I'm seventeen all over again."
Grace rounded on Victoire. "What about you?"
"What about me?"
Grace threw her hands up in frustration. "This is ridiculous! It's like I know nothing about your lives and you three are supposedly my bridesmaids!"
"Well, to be fair, we do live very far away from each other," Sienna said.
"That's no excuse! We're supposed to be friends! Best friends!" Grace glared at all of them. "How did this happen?"
"Well, Gracie, we grew up," Victoire said quietly. "We moved on and our lives changed."
"It was easier when we were kids and all shared a bedroom," Skylar said softly. "We're all on opposite ends of the world. Sienna's on tour most of the time. Vic's in Egypt. I was in New York. You were in Peru for over a year for Godric's sake! It's not as easy to know every detail of each other's lives."
"Well, I hardly think any of you tried," Grace snapped. "I mean, I don't recall receiving an owl about you and Solomon breaking up."
Skylar gulped. "Yeah, well, I didn't really feel like talking about it."
"And I heard it from my mum, not you, Victoire, when you and Teddy broke up," Grace said loudly.
Victoire stared at her. "Gracie, that was months ago!"
"And," Grace continued, even louder, "I had to read all about you and Davis in the tabloids, Sienna!"
"In my defense, it is a fake relationship," Sienna muttered.
"Doesn't matter! I should know you're in a fake relationship! We all should!"
"Okay, okay, we get your point, Gracie," Skylar said with a grin.
"Yeah, from now on, we'll do a better job about staying in touch," Victoire reassured her.
"Okay, good," Grace said with a huff. "Should we start planning my wedding now?"
"I reckon that'd be a good idea," Skylar said.
