Cameron sniffled, and I thought for a second he was crying about my wedding. To hide his emotions, he quickly added, “Wish I’d have gotten a wedding as lovely as this. Your mother and I had to get married in secret, so we never got the big celebration.”
There it was. Of fuckingcoursehe had to make this about himself. My father wasjealous, and he had to make sure I knew it. I wasn’t going to let him ruin this special day, though.
“Didn’t you and Drea have a royal wedding?” I asked, trying to keep the harshness out of my tone.
“Yes, but it wasn’t the same,” Cameron admitted. He wasn’t going to drop it.
“Yeah, well, I wouldn’t have all this if it wasn’t for myseanari,” I said. I left it at that, then turned away and led Ava up to the head table.
“What a prick,” she mumbled under his breath. “So he didn’t have the wedding he wanted. Doesn’t mean he has to ruin it for us. He could suck it up for a night.”
I pushed her chair in at the table. “Don’t worry, love. This isourspecial day, and nothing he can say will ruin it.”
I took a seat next to Ava, and Oberi hopped onto a chair beside me that was reserved especially for him. He sniffed the air, then licked his lips loudly. He was practically panting.I smell meat!
Servants came around with our first course, which was a Greek salad made with fresh tomatoes and bell peppers tossed with delicious feta cheese. Ava ate all of her salad, which was a good sign. She was feeling well today. I was worried she’d have a flare-up on this most important of days, but we’d gotten lucky, because she was thankfully at her best.
Oberi turned up his nose. In his words;salad is what real food eats.
As the servants came around with platters of food for our main course, my stomach rumbled at the delicious smell of lamb and roasted veggies. The perfect blend of basil and garlic burst across my taste buds when I took a bite. I tried to slow down and savor every bite, but it was difficult when it was so damn good.
Ava gave a slight sigh and whispered under her breath, “I wish I had gotten my way on this one.”
“It’s my grandfather’s favorite. We had to compromise on something,” I offered.
“I don’t mind eating meat, but I’m not a fan of consuming innocent little babies. It feels like we’re offering up a sacrificial lamb,” Ava argued. “The Warden would probably love this meal.”
“Then it’s the only thing he and I will ever agree on,” I said, and I greedily took a second helping, because I couldn’t get enough. This was great.
“You can have it, but I’m not eating it. There’s plenty of other food here, like these delicious rolls,” Ava said happily.
Oberi scarfed down his lamb chops and barked at a server to bring him more. They came back with a plate piled so high I could feel the heat coming off it. I had no doubt Oberi would eat each and every item on his plate.
“Oberi, mind your manners, please,” Ava said as she gently sliced her vegetables. “This is aroyal occasion.”
As the royal pup, I can do whatever I want,Oberi stated proudly.I request that the kitchen save all the leftovers and deliver them to my room promptly when the party ends.
I sighed heavily. “Whatever you say,royal pup.”
Ava snickered.
Someone clinked their glass, and the chatter in the room died down. Liam cleared his throat, then stood. “I’d like to thank you all for being here today to celebrate my daughter’s marriage. I cannot thank Emperor Cassiel enough for his hospitality, and for hosting such a wonderful celebration.”
Liam paused to contemplate. “I love my little girl. I think that’s clear to everyone who’s ever seen me with her. I’ve adored Ava from the moment I found out my wife and I were going to have a girl over twenty years ago. She’s the best of my life, and the light of my world. Years ago, she gave me a reason to keep fighting when I didn’t think there was anything left to fight for. I swore the day she was born there’d never be anyone for her, because no one would love her as much as I did. I didn’t ever want to give her away, because she was just too precious, and too special. But then I met Charlie, and I realized how wrong I was.”
I was shocked. I didn’t think Liam would say anything about me in his speech, and if he did, I didn’t think it wouldbe anything good. But Liam went on. “Charlie, you’re a good person. I’ve seen you be a good husband, even when Ava’s pushing your buttons. At first, I didn’t think the two of you fit together, but after seeing how you interact together, I know now that there were never two people that were better meant for each other. You take care of her in a way that I never could, and you understand her better than anyone else in this world. Our family is more than happy to welcome you as our son.”
Despite trying to hold my emotions back, I found myself choking up. It was really nice that Liam supported me and accepted me for who I was. Ava put a hand on my arm, sounding teary-eyed herself.
“My wife and I are here to support you both, and we will until we join the ancestors, and even beyond,” Liam stated. “You two have been married for a year now, so you already know how it is. Marriage isn’t simply a piece of paper, or a legal arrangement. It’s a commitment to be the best you can be for one person for the rest of your lifetime. It changes the fundamental makeup of who you are, for better or worse. Marriage is easy, it’s hard, and everything in between. If I can leave you both with one piece of advice, it is this; The world will never stop throwing things at you, and things will always change, but what's important is that your love remains consistent and something you both can count on. As long as you have each other, you can face anything together. To Ava and Charlie.”
“To Ava and Charlie,” the crowd toasted. They didn’t address us by our official titles, which was nice, because it meant we were surrounded by friends. These people knew us on a personal level, and it was everything I’d dreamed of to have them here today.
My father stood next. “That was a lovely speech, Liam. I suppose now it’s my turn.”
“Aw, fuck,” I mumbled under my breath.Here we go. I reached for Ava’s hand under the table and squeezed it. She held onto me tightly. I’d told her Cameron couldn’t ruin our wedding, but I had a feeling he was about to prove me wrong.
“What can I say?” Cameron started.
