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I grunt, acknowledging I heard her, and pause. “My boot laces are untied. A moment.” I drop to a crouch and pretend to fuss with my boots, adjusting knots and all the while scanning for the pale head of S’brina. When I see her, she gives me a thumbs-up gesture that I am told means good things to humans. The feast is in place, then. Everyone is gathered.
Getting to my feet, I straighten. F’lor is at my side, a relaxed look upon her pretty face. “Are you ready?”
She blinks up at me in surprise. “Ready for what?”
I scoop her into my arms, into what S’brina says is a “bridal carry” and haul her across the sands. S’brina says it will be a romantic gesture and F’lor will love it, so I carry my mate, even though it seems a bit foolish to me. I do not know how carrying another is romantic. Will they not just think she is tired or ill?
But F’lor squeals, laughing with delight as one hand goes to my neck. “What are you doing, I’rec?”
“I am carrying my ride to her ding-ding feast.” I frown to myself as I stride across the sands. “I am sure I said that wrong. Do not tell Leezh.”
She does not respond, and I glance down at my mate to see her eyes are filled with tears. “A wedding feast?” she chokes out. “You remembered?”
“I remember everything you tell me, my F’lordeliza. No one is more important to me than you.”
A hand goes to her mouth and she presses her fingertips to her lips, tears spilling down her face. “This is the best,” she whispers. “Oh, I’rec.”
I smile, pleased at her response. I am even more pleased when we arrive at the main fire and R’ven shakes her music instrument and U’dron bangs his drum.
“Welcome to your wedding feast,” S’brina cries out, bounding over to us. “While we don’t have a lot of your traditional foods, I hope you will enjoy the ice planet versions of lechon, pancit, and three kinds of not-rice for dinner. And afterwards, a treat of hraku halo-halo!”
F’lor makes a high-pitched squeal again. “You dork! You were totally in on this! That’s why you were quizzing me about pinoy foods!”
“Of course! It was all I’rec’s idea, though.” S’brina gives me a smug look. “I just made it happen. He—”
There’s a loud crash at one of the nearby fires. “Shit!” B’shit cries. “One of the rice pots broke! I’m sorry!”
F’lor bursts into fresh tears, burying her face against my chest.
B’shit looks over at us, aghast. “Is it that bad? We still have more not-rice. I just…I hope that’s not bad luck.”
Against my skin, F’lor sobs. “S’good luck,” she manages between bouts of weeping. “Breaking a dish…good luck.” She tucks herself closer to me, as if she is trying to burrow against my skin. “I’m so happy. Thank you, I’rec. This is the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
I just press a kiss atop her head and take a seat near the fire, with my mate cradled in my arms. This might be the best thing anyone has ever done for her, but the best thing that ever happened to me was resonating to her.
Truly, there is no greater luck than mine. I squeeze my mate against my chest and whisper into her ear. “You should eat.”
Her laughter rings out through the camp.
