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I ducked my head. “I wish she could be.”
After a pause, Camille said, “Well, the rest of us are. And we’ll have to do. Father, why don’t you tell her your surprise? I almost spilled the beans.”
He shook his head. “Your vernacular never ceases to amaze me.” Then he turned to me. “I told you I had a gift for you. When I found out you were engaged, I began to search for someone with talent. As a wedding gift, please allow me…I hired an artist to paint the two of you. He’s brilliant, and does quick work, and tomorrow night, you and Nerissa will sit for him here, by the lake. He can work all night long and then be able to finish up over the next few days on his own. So you’ll have a wedding portrait.”
I stared at him, uncertain what to say. Finally, because I was almost out of words for my feelings, I just said, “Thank you…so much.”
“I just wanted you and your wife to be happy.” He glanced around. “I’d best be getting to my post. I’ll see you at the altar, my daughter.”
Before he could turn, I jumped up and grabbed his arm. “I really mean it, Father. Thank you.”
“I know…” He ducked out of the tent as Camille tugged on my arm, yanking me back into the chair.
“If you do that again, I’m going to stick a mascara brush in your eye.” Scolding or not, she was smiling, too.
When we were ready, we headed out of the tent. There, by the side of the lake, our father waited. As befitting his office in Y’Elestrial, he would be legally able to preside. And since we were married in Otherworld, our marriage would be counted as legal over Earthside—that had been a mutual agreement when the portals first opened up. Marriages on either side of the fence would be recognized.
As I waited, the flap to Nerissa’s tent opened and she stepped out, gorgeous and glowing in her plum-colored gown. Her eyes lit up as she saw me.
Camille pressed a bouquet of white roses, deep purple lilies, and sparkling green fern fronds into my hands. Delilah handed Nerissa her matching bouquet, and then the two of them, along with Iris and Aunt Rythwar, joined the men who were standing near the lake, where my father waited.
Venus, who was escorting us to the altar, stood between Nerissa and me. He crooked his arms, and we lightly rested our hands on his elbows as we waited for the signal to begin.
As the drummers began to beat out a rhythm, an elfin singer began to chant in the night, and we moved forward, step by step, until we were standing in the circle of roses that surrounded Father. The dais behind him held a glimmering array of candles and the handfasting cord.
“We stand in the presence of Erulizi, Goddess of the Falls, Mother of Passion, as we join these women in marriage under the watchful eyes of the Moon Mother.”
He paused as Delilah stepped forward and took our bouquets, as Camille wrapped our hands with the handfasting cord.
I glanced at my beloved Nerissa, whose smile was as brilliant as the silver moon overhead. “Are you happy, my love?” I whispered.
“More than you can ever know.” She grasped my hand tighter.
I shivered as I realized just how much I loved her and what a huge step we were taking. But there was no doubt in my heart that we were meant for each other. Men came and went, but Nerissa and I would endure.
My sisters and I would continue the fight. Friends would enter our lives, and some would leave—either in tragedy or for other adventures. But we would continue, as our family of choice grew.
A whiff of untahstar tree caught my attention, and I realized that yes, I truly was happy to be home—if only for a few days. This was where my life had begun, where it had ended, and where it had begun again. Now, I was reclaiming my joy and ability to love in my new life, with the woman I loved.
As the ceremony continued into the night, I caught my father’s gaze. And for the first time since I’d been turned, the look he gave me welcomed me back into his heart. It might be fleeting, it might be fragile, but for the moment, we were a family again.
