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I blink. “The what?”
“Oh,” Sophia says quietly. I don’t like that response. I don’t like that at all. “I’ll… be right back.”
Sophia turns and walks quickly out of the changing room before I have a chance to stop her. The ceremony starts in exactly eighteen minutes, this is the worst possible moment not to have my maid of honor with me! I grip the edge of the vanity and walk myself through some more deep breathing exercises.
The squirrel thing! Of course! Of course there’s some strange demon culture tradition I know nothing about that involves tree rats for some reason. Finn and I discussed all kinds of different traditions that we would use, blend, or discard but there was never, ever a single mention of a squirrel! My mind goes through an entire photo album of worst case scenarios. Why didn’t Finn mention the squirrel thing?
Right as I’m about to break down completely, Sophia walks back in and quickly closes the door behind her. “Good news!” she exclaims. “You don’t have to worry about the squirrel thing.” Sophia puts her fists on her hips and beams proudly, like she just saved my life instead of giving me a five minute anxiety spiral.
“Are you screwing with me?” I ask. “Because that’s really not okay right now!”
Sophia stifles a laugh and pats me on the back. “I’ll explain it later.”
After she does some detail work on my makeup, and helps me center myself back in the moment, Sophia walks me out of the dressing room and towards the main event. I can already hear the music playing. It’s not the traditional demon drums that played at Sophia’s wedding. Finn expressed his dislike for the noise early on, and told his parents not to expect it.
They were shockingly okay with this. Probably because they already got their perfect wedding for their first son, Damien. Thus, Finn and I had more freedom to craft the ceremony we wanted ourselves. By the time Luc is ready to get hitched, he’ll probably be able to elope in Vegas without any issue!
“Ready?” my dad asks, a sparkle of tears in his eyes.
“Don’t do that!” I say. “You’re going to make me cry!”
“I’m not fixing her makeup a third time,” Sophia states as she readies the flower girl in front. The music swells to our cue, and the doors open. “Aaaand, go!”
The toddler waddles down the aisle, dropping one single rose petal at a time. She’s only briefly distracted by her mother in the audience, who frantically encourages her to finish her task. Everyone has a nice chuckle when the girl turns her basket upside down, creating a little rose petal pile at the altar.
The brief humor perks up my mood, and just in time. I’m ready. We march down the aisle, towards the altar where Finn is waiting. He looks incredible, and I’m relieved he decided to wear a tuxedo instead of the traditional velvet robes of his forefathers. Heiswearing the silver bracers befitting a second son. They peek out from under his tuxedo jacket and I do have to admit, it looks nice. I’m glad he chose to honor his ancestry this way.
The ceremony goes by in a blur. We have a candle lighting ceremony that blends the human version with something similar in demon tradition. The flame is green, tinged with magic, that represents fertility and long life. Finn had reassured me that no actual spells were being cast, other than turning the fire a lovely jade color.
We light the large, black candle with both of ours, and the priest says some words in both Demonic and English. “I now pronounce you husband wife, mated for life. You may kiss the bride.”
Finn wastes no time, having his lips on mine before the priest has finished his statement. It’s strange hearing people applaud our kiss, but the sound and light soon drowns out as I become consumed in this moment. Husband and wife. I smile against Finn’s lips, feeling complete satisfaction with where my life has led me.
It was a difficult path, but I’m happy with where it’s led.
After an hour or so of posing for photographs outside of the cathedral, surrounded by a beautiful flower garden, we head to the reception in Finn’s car. He insisted it be just us; a small moment together amidst this chaotic day. It’s a relief to pull my dress into the passenger seat and close the door. The silence is a small reprieve before the big party starts.
Finn reaches across the shift knob and takes my hand. He squeezes me slightly and smiles. “Ready, Mrs. Blackwell?” he asks.
My cheeks burn red hot at being addressed this way for the first time,
“Very much so, Mr. Blackwell.” But as we pull into the even hall’s parking lot, something is still itching at the back of my mind. “So, Sophia said there was a… squirrel thing?”
Finn’s eyebrows knit together in concern. “Oh. I didn’t think you’d want that at our wedding. Did you?”
My mouth falls open. “So thereisa squirrel thing?”
Finn sighs in relief. “Oh, good, you didn’t.”
After he finally explains the ancient tradition of sacrificing a squirrel, and I finally get all of that tension out in a loud and deep laugh, we share a simple kiss.
“No,” I say. “I did not want that.”
“Good, neither did I.”
We leave the car and enter the event hall, where our many guests greet us with a loud and boisterous cheer. All thoughts of nerves, squirrels, and jilted sirens melts away with nothing but love and partying left.
Finn dances with me, and we’re like a figure skating pair with how in sync we are with each other. He holds me close around my waist, leading me in time with the rhythm. I trust him enough to let him, and he doesn’t let me down.
