Page 182 of Dancing for the Minotaur

Cody groaned.

“Mom’s not a Disney Princess!”

Lisa jutted her chin stubbornly.

“Maybe not, but she can look as pretty as one!”

“Children,” Lucy said warningly. “If you want to come in here, you have to stay still and behave. This is a grownup place, and they won’t let you in if you fight or shout.”

Lisa hung her head.

“Okay, we’ll be good,” she promised, and Cody nodded in silent agreement.

“Now, we’re just looking at dresses—I’m not saying I’ll buy one,” Terra warned them. She didn’t want the two of them to get their hopes up. They were only there to add to the veracity of the scene. If Detective Ramirez or any other police officer ever questioned them, they could honestly say that they went wedding dress shopping with their mom and Taurex.

“Mom is still going to look like a princess, though,” Lisa said.

“She will not!” Cody muttered.

“Will too!” His sister put a hand on her hip, reminding Terra of herself.

Taurex, who had been listening quietly, leaned toward Cody, who was about to continue the argument.

“I have learned that arguing with your sister when she believes herself correct is rarely productive,” he rumbled.

Cody grinned.

“You figured that out already?”

The big Monstrum nodded.

“I am an experienced negotiator. Also, your sister reminds me very much of your mother.”

His words were so much like what she had just been thinking, Terra couldn’t help laughing.

Taurex was smiling back at her—God, she loved that smile! In fact, she loved him. All eight feet of him, golden eyes and horns included. He was the one she wanted to be with forever.

The realization came so easily and naturally it almost surprised her. She had probably loved him for longer than she wanted to admit, even before the Mother Ship and the terrible misunderstanding that drove them apart, she thought.

The problem wasn’t knowing how she felt. The problem was that she had become increasingly convinced Taurex had accepted her rejection so completely that he no longer believed there was any possibility of anything real between them.

Well, at least she had today. Even if she never had a real wedding, she was going to try on wedding dresses with her mother and children beside her and Taurex watching. That was something.

They entered the store and were soon greeted by a bridal consultant named Jenna, a friendly woman with dark curls, bright pink glasses and the kind of cheerful energy Terra assumed was probably required for someone whose job involved women crying over tulle and agonizing over the exact cut of the perfect dress for eight hours a day.

Jenna did a quick double take when she saw Taurex, but recovered almost immediately and turned back to Terra.

“Welcome! You must be Terra.”

“That’s me.” Terra nodded, smiling.

“And this is your crew?”

“My mother, Lucy, my son Cody, my daughter Lisa and…” Terra hesitated for the smallest fraction of a second before looking at Taurex. “My fiancé, Taurex.”

The word did something warm and painful to her chest that she didn’t want to examine too closely.

Taurex’s golden eyes flicked toward her.