Her Fairy-Tale Life

Chapter 17.

"You've probably been using this a bit more than I would have liked," Doctor Allan Kruger frowned at Maggie as she sat in his office on Monday morning.

"I haven't been able to do anything. Kaeden wouldn't even let me go home to the farm to check on things there," Maggie shook her head, denying his assessment.

"I'm sure it's the things he's been encouraging you to do that have caused the damage," Allan chuckled and looked at Kaeden as Maggie blushed. "Started the honeymoon early?" He raised an eyebrow at Kaeden.

"Aww, come on, can you blame me? She's irresistible. I've been careful, it's not like we were swinging from the chandeliers or anything," he laughed.

"Maybe raise her shoulders with a pillow or something, so the weight is carried down through her hips rather than putting extra stress on her shoulders and the wound," he advised Kaeden, as Maggie almost died of embarrassment having this conversation with her doctor. "You need to be more aware of the pressure on your shoulders, no matter how distracting your new husband is," he lectured Maggie.

"That's easier said than done," she admitted, blushing deeply and glancing at Kaeden.

"Talk to the physio or occupational therapist about it. You have an appointment after this one, I believe," Allan suggested. "With the wedding tomorrow, it's important you don't overdo it. If your pain increases, or you get tingling or numbness in that arm, you need to come straight back into the hospital, no if's or buts. All going well, and that not happening, I will see you next Monday."

"Maybe I should stay and see the therapists with you," Kaeden said, sounding concerned that he had possibly damaged her recovery but not willing to give up their physicality without putting up an argument.

"Don't be silly, go to work. I will take notes and tell you all about it," Maggie laughed, still feeling the heat of her blush fill her face. "Claire's picking me up afterwards, and we are going for the final fitting of my dress, which you definitely can't come to, that's my responsibility, remember?" She smiled at his concerned look. "You won't tell me any of the other plans you've made, or even what time we're leaving. You are definitely not seeing the dress before the wedding."

"All will be revealed tomorrow," he grinned, enjoying her new found curiosity about the wedding.

Kaeden stayed at the hospital with her until her therapists took her for the appointment. He left, promising to see her for dinner. Maggie was glad he hadn't been there for an embarrassingly intimate talk with her therapists as they ran through some simple strategies that would prevent any harm to her healing shoulder and arm. She had two deep wounds that had damaged muscle and tendons, as well as a major artery in her arm, and, unlike her doctor, the therapists sympathised that she would be getting married and having a honeymoon while having her range of movement severely compromised.

They had suggested a variety of different shaped pillows, positions, and even a sex swing, which boggled her mind and made her blush even deeper as they explained it to her. The therapists that she saw in the private offices attached to the hospital were a husband and wife team, who seem to have no inhibitions at all when it came to talking about their sex life in relation to how to protect various areas of the body. Maggie became worried that they were going to demonstrate some of the suggestions for her; such was the atmosphere as the appointment went on.

"Tell you what," the physiotherapist suggested. "I can see your a little uncomfortable discussing this, so I'll give Kaeden a call when we're done and run him through some of the suggestions."

"Oh god, don't tell him about the swing!" she said in a panic, thinking of what Kaeden would do with all of this information. "He'll put one in every room and say that it was doctors' orders!" The therapists were still laughing when the receptionist informed them that Claire had arrived to pick her up.

*****

"So, think of this as a dress rehearsal," Claire said enthusiastically as they walked into the boutique store and up to a private fitting area. "We changed the design a little to accommodate your injuries, and Lilly and I have a few idea's about the Disney princess theme."

"This is so exciting! You're going to get married tomorrow!" Lilly bubbled with excitement.

"About time someone made an honest man out of that boy," Anne said as they entered the fitting room. "How are you feeling today, Maggie?"

"Nervous," she admitted, looking around and seeing all five of Kaeden's sisters in the room. "I didn't realise you'd all be here. Fiona, you must be exhausted with your new little one. You shouldn't have come all this way just for a fitting."

"Don't be silly, I wasn't going to miss this. Do you know how many times I have had to watch Tangled and Frozen lately? I need to be part of this whole fairy godmother thing you're letting us do for you," Fiona said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"After you had talked to us on Saturday we went to see Ann and Fiona because they have girls and know all about Disney princesses. We then called Jill, because she has the skill to bring our idea's together, and, considering the dress that was already being made, we narrowed down the options to three. We all have a favourite, but the final choice is yours, "Claire explained.

"Now these are a little rough because of the time constraints, so bear with me," Jill said, moving to where she had set up her laptop. "The final three are more finished, and if you don't agree with our final picks, you can change it, because the dress stays relatively the same, it's just the makeup and hair that will have to change."

"Okay," Maggie said uncertainly, astounded by the amount of work they had put into this makeover. She watched the screen as Jill flicked through at least a dozen half-finished sketches of Princess that had obviously been rejected. The final three were as good as professional drawings, and Maggie wondered what Jill did as a career, as she sat in amazement, staring at herself reimagined as a Disney princess.

The five other women had chatted through each drawing explaining what they liked and disliked about the character and why they had rejected it. Maggie had listened mildly amused and very bemused by their ideas about her and Kaeden's relationship as she slipped on the dress and the designer, Rochelle circled her, making last minute alterations to the skirt and bodice of her dress.

"It's beautiful, but I don't think I can grow my hair that long within twenty-four hours," she laughed.

"Your hair is very long already, and with a few extensions to thicken it out a bit you could totally pull off that style," Selena said softly, "It's not very Cinderella, you'll hardly see the bandages as you walk down the aisle."

"I didn't want to be Cinderella or Rapunzel," she looked up at the screen. "I guess I just wanted to be me, but more princess-like. The dress is beautiful but simple, I was thinking maybe a little glitter and a tiara, I do like the idea of the Rapunzel hair though, and having flowers instead of a tiara, but I have to have a veil. I promised Kaeden." Maggie spoke as if unsure of herself.

"Okay, I'm under a bit of time pressure here," Rochelle interrupted their conversation. "Now that you've overwhelmed the bride to be and me with all your ideas, why don't you ladies go and have lunch and come back in a few hours and we'll have a finished product with the best of the idea's all put together."

"I'm sorry, we didn't mean to overwhelm you," Claire said to Maggie. "It's just that we love having you in the family, I forget that you're a bit shy, and get carried away."

"Don't be sorry, I asked you to do this," Maggie laughed. "I can't believe you all put so much effort and time into what I thought would be a simple thing. I'm very grateful and just need a little time to take it all in."

"Lunch sounds good, how about we send you something nice to pick at while you do the last minute zshoozshing," Anne suggested.

"I still have to find a Valentine's day gift for Tobe," Fiona said, "It's nice to be out with just the baby, so I'm in no hurry to get home, we can eat and then shop."

"I should probably stay. I'm doing the hair and makeup, and I can probably help a bit," Selena said quietly, not wanting to leave Maggie alone here. "Ravi can bring my makeup case, and I can try out a few things."

"Alright," Lilly said reluctantly. "But just a couple of hours, and we'll be close by if you need us." The five McConnell women left the upper floor of the boutique and Rochelle let out a heavy sigh.

"I love Claire to bits, but even I thought that presentation was a bit over the top," Rochelle laughed. "Now, Princess Magnolia Rose, what is it you want?"

"I just want to be worthy of all this fuss," she said with a sigh of her own as she looked up at the final image on the screen.

*****

Kaeden had left the hospital mid-morning and sped down to the farm. He had asked Claire and Lilly to keep Maggie occupied and in town for the afternoon. He wanted what he had done on the farm to be a surprise. It had been difficult for him to manage the preparations from the city over the weekend after being able to be here ever day during the week.

Bob walked up from the greenhouse where the last of the orders were being packed onto trucks and Kaeden's brothers, Jack and Toby, approached from behind the farm house. He smiled at the men. He wouldn't have been able to pull this off without them. Bob had kept the flower farm in business with the help of his mates, and Jack had pulled the considerable expertise of his civil engineering firm and made miracles happen with Toby's design for the orchard chapel behind the farmhouse.

The airstrip had been graded and returfed. Kaeden's broken plane still sat at the far end as a reminder of how he met the woman he loved. Beyond that was the orchard Maggie had refused to give up, despite it being overgrown and partially dead, because it had been her mother's. He'd had an army of landscapers there saving the trees they could and replacing the dead wood with mature living trees, including the pale pink magnolia's she had been named for. The orchard was where they would say their vows with the spirit of her parents in attendance. He worried about the emotional impact this would have on her, but felt confident he'd made the right choice.

His mother had taken it upon herself to work with a wedding planner to create the perfect outdoor chapel in the orchard and have a marquee standing by in case the weather decided to turn. Kaeden felt superfluous to the activity going on around him, but he was pleased with all that had been accomplished over the weekend. It was exactly how he'd envisioned it, and he was filled with nervous excitement about her reaction to the fairytale wedding she had asked for in not so many words on Saturday morning after admitting that she loved him and believed that he loved her.

"We've hit a snag with the new neighbours at the back there," Jack said. "The guy said he'd only negotiate the landing of the helicopter with the owner of the property."

"What? I'm not bringing Maggie down here the day before the wedding to talk to some overbearing developer who is just going to try and encroach on her land!" Kaeden exploded. "He can deal with me! Is he here?" Kaeden started marching toward the property boundary beyond the orchard and the marquee, swearing acidly under his breath. He knew things were running too smoothly, and now he had another freaking developer to deal with. If it was Mike McMahon, he was going to blow a gasket. Kaeden came around the marquee and stopped in his tracks. He knew the man leaning on the rotting wooden fence, and he knew the woman standing beside him gazing out over the land.

"Dad?" he questioned. "You said you couldn't make it until tomorrow night," Kaeden said, all of the fight draining out of him. "I've got to deal with the neighbours, but then I'll show you around."

"So, deal," Brian McConnell said in a gruff voice.

"Where is the guy?" Kaeden asked Jack, not understanding what his father was saying.

"Right there, and don' look at me, I've never won an argument against either of them," Jack chuckled as realisation dawned on Kaeden's face.

"You bought that place?" Kaeden's head swung back to where his father stood.

"Yeah, I hear the neighbour is nice enough, but I've yet to meet her," Brian looked around as if Maggie might materialise.

"Why? I mean, Thanks. But why? You don't like it down here, even this close to the city. Plus, you have a city place for when you have to come down, even though you never use it and just stay with one of us kids." Kaeden frowned at his father.

"Your mother refused to let me buy you a new plane as a wedding present," he smiled lopsidedly in the same way his son did. "I told her you wouldn't take so many risks once you were married, but you know how she worries."

"So, you bought me this instead?" Kaeden indicated the neighbouring land. He was gob-smacked knowing how much the land around here was worth to the developers.

"I did, but then your mother changed my mind. We like it here. It's close enough to the city to commute and still has that country feel. We're going to build out here. We're going to be your new neighbours," he chuckled.

"That's great. Maggie will be happy to know it's not being developed," Kaeden moved forward to embrace his father. "Now we can park the helicopter and not worry about the neighbours."

"And that, my son, is your wedding present," Brian said, looking pleased with himself. "that, and the small strip of undeveloped land on the east side of Maggie's property beside the new development. Mike was only too happy to part with it for a reasonable price."

"You talked to Mike?" Kaeden said in astonishment.

"I played golf with him this morning and told him of my plans. He regrets the deal he did with the Dorians, and he wanted to make amends," Brian chuckled. "I'm looking forward to meeting this young woman tonight. Mum says she's lovely, but I want to hear why you love her," Brian put his arm around Kaeden's shoulder and walked back toward the marquee and orchard, leaving Jack, Toby and Hannah to continue with the preparations as he had a long overdue father and son talk.

*****

Maggie stood in the middle of the space as Selena finally stepped back, holding her hands up as if scared that the whole image would fall apart and she would have to rush in and fix it.

"We could modify..." Rochelle began to talk again, but Maggie stopped her.

"No, it's perfect, honestly. It's more than I could ever have imagined. I don't look like a farm girl anymore; that's for sure," Maggie said, staring at the beautiful woman in the mirror. She knew it was all an illusion cleverly crafted by Rochelle and Selena, but she felt like a real princess, for the first time in her life. Not like a girl pretending to fit into the glamorous world of the man that she loved, but a real princess who was worthy of Kaeden's love.

"Shall we call the ladies back, or would you like to leave it as a surprise for them tomorrow?" Rochelle asked with a cheeky smile.

"I couldn't do that. They've all been so good to me," Maggie laughed. "Selena, can you go down and tell them I am ready and thank them for waiting so long?"

The babbling chatter came to an abrupt halt as the women reached the top of the stairs and walked into the open loft space where Maggie stood. "It's perfect," Fiona said in a croaky voice. "Don't mind me, I'm still hormonal," she fanned her face and sniffed as she became teary eyed.

"Maggie, you look even more stunning than usual," Claire took her hand. "Kaeden isn't going to know what hit him," she grinned.

"I think most of the people who see her tomorrow will do a double take. I know I did when I saw her," Jill said, fishing her phone out of her bag and taking a small video of Maggie as she walked around her.

"I sure hope Kaeden's thought about what he is wearing, because Maggie needs a prince in this dress," Ann nodded. "I might call Mum and see if she can drop a subtle hint that he maybe needs to put some extra effort in instead of just a regular suit."

"Is it too much?" Maggie asked, worried now that she had pushed the princess thing too far.

"Hell no!" Jill said emphatically.

"Every bride should feel like a princess," Fiona said, still teary eyed.

"And every bride deserves a prince. We're just going to make sure your prince looks the part," Ann said.

"I know we can get a little carried away," Claire said gently. "It's only because we love Kaeden and you, and we want tomorrow to be the perfect day for you both. What happens after tomorrow is all on you, but we'll be here if you need us."

"Trust me, they won't need no help with what to do on the honeymoon," Selena giggled, making them all look at her. "What I will have to do is redo her hair so many times in a day because Kaeden messed it up!"

Lilly burst out into a giggle-snort. "Well, we weren't offering to help with that!"

"I'm sorry, Maggie, I have to run," Jill said suddenly. "Lilly, get Hannah to send me through that other stuff we talked about as soon as possible." She leant in to blow an air kiss onto Maggie's cheek and disappeared down the stairs calling out her farewells.

"I guess that's my cue too," Ann said. "I'll give you a lift home, Fi," she said easily. "I think Toby is going to be running late from work this afternoon."

"Why don't we get you out of this dress now so I can make the changes permanent for tomorrow," Rochelle said, stepping forward.

"We'll help, and then we'll take you for a drink," Claire said. "Scott and Neil are doing some secret squirrel business today, so that they won't be missing us," she smiled.

*****

"Selena? I thought you had gone out for the evening?" Maggie called, walking towards the sound of the elevator closing in the foyer.

"Selena has gone," Kaeden said easily walking through to meet her. "How was your day?" He took her in his arms and pulled her close to kiss her.

"Better, now that you're home," she smiled.

"Are you going to hold her like that all night, or can we say hello?" Hannah said, startling Maggie who had thought Kaeden had arrived alone.

"I'm sorry, Hannah, I didn't see you arrive," Maggie immediately moved away from Kaeden who chuckled.

"Maggie, this is my Dad, Brian," he introduced his father.

"You don't look like an angel," Brian frowned at her. "Where's your halo?"

"Getting polished for tomorrow. It's hard to keep it clean when your son's around," she sighed and rolled her eyes in Kaeden's direction.

"Ah," he nodded with a perfectly straight face. "And your wings?"

"I don't like to show off, and everyone has a camera these days," she said it as if it was a perfectly reasonable excuse. "You don't look like a wealthy mining mogul.Where's your pick and shovel?" She asked boldly as the giant Brian McConnell smiled in the same lopsided way as his son.

"Warned you about me, did he?" He chuckled.

"Kaeden never said a word," she said truthfully, glancing at Hannah.

"Well then, you seem to be at an advantage. You have heard tales about me, but I don't know you at all, except that you live on a farm and that my son loves you, which is a fairly high recommendation, I have to admit," Brian said looking at Kaeden with an approving smile.

"I'm sure that's not true," she laughed, "Maybe we can run through the media headlines over dinner."

"I thought those were the headlines," he laughed with her. "The only headlines I care about anyway."

Maggie found herself liking Brian McConnell. He was tall and larger than life, and even with her height and stature she felt dwarfed by him. His personality was as large as his physique, and it was clear to Maggie by the end of the night that he was very much in love with his wife and each of his children. She found he could talk readily about each of them and their lives and, while he lived hundreds of kilometres to the west, he knew them well.