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“So, you told her?”
“So, I told her everything.” He plants a sneaky kiss on my cheek as we approach the entrance to the garden. There is a small table where my bouquet is waiting along with a boutonniere for him.
The flowers gathered with a matching lace ribbon are colorful wildflowers. There are yellows and oranges and pinks and blues and whites, and they’re heartbreakingly perfect.
“These are the same flowers…” I trail off, unable to stop looking at them.
“The same flowers that followed your every step the first time we made love in the meadow.”
Our eyes meet, and I know I’m already crying. Today, this man has given me our love story in little slices. The first time we made love, I was a bundle of nerves because I knew he was much more experienced. We had gone out, a bottle of Dion’s new wine in our hands, and I’d insisted we take a nice, long walk to the meadow where I like to test new flowers. My nerves created a trail of wildflowers with every step I took, but Essos never commented. He didn’t comment when I laid the blanket out for our picnic, and he didn’t say anything when I pulled the strings that bound the front of my dress before letting it slide off my shoulders and then my body.
The touch of his eyes on my skin made me feel like I might burst into flame before he even touched me. It wasn’t the first time he and I had done something sexual, but it was the first time we were taking this monumental step.
As I pulled his shirt off, tentatively, Essos asked if I was sure. He asked again as I worked his pants off, and again when the tree above us exploded with flowers and fruits. He never stopped making sure I was okay. He watched me closely, letting me set the pace and try what I wanted with no judgement. There was no judgement either when the field filled with wildflowers and our walk home was littered with different types with every step I took.
Now, with a smile, Essos places a peony on his lapel before kissing away my tears. “Shall we?” He doesn’t offer me his arm but his hand, because, when we do this, we will be hand in hand.
The maze leading us to the center of the gardens grows with each step. Essos doesn’t take his eyes from me, and I wish I could read his mind, see what it is he sees that has him grinning like a damned fool.
Before we turn what I expect to be our last corner, Essos stops me. “Sybil and Estelle are going to perform the ceremony. I wanted everyone else to enjoy themselves. It’s not often we get to appreciate a wedding without the unnecessary trappings.” Dave and Shadow are sitting there, waiting to lead the way down the aisle. While I wish Spot was here too, I know he’s doing something equally important.
I squeeze his hand. “Are you going to leave me now to go to the altar?”
He shakes his head. “Not unless you want me to.”
“I don’t,” I assure him.
“Then we do this like everything else—together. Whenever you’re ready.”
“I was ready yesterday,” I blurt out with a laugh.
His lips slant over mine for a stolen kiss before we walk around that last corner and face all those we love.
Our group is small, but it doesn’t feel lacking. Everyone we need is right here.
We walk down the aisle hand in hand, my bouquet clutched close to my heart as Essos and I approach Sybil and Estelle. The dogs walk ahead of us, their heads held high. Dave has little necktie on while Shadow wears a collar of the same wildflowers that make up my bouquet.
Flower petals start to fall from the sky above us. I look up with a laugh, my heart so, so full. I hand my bouquet off to Cat before stopping in front of the Fates.
Sybil starts off, “I don’t think that anyone is surprised by the love that these two share. I know that in terms of everyone here, aside from Cat and Zara, I never got to see the deep love that Essos and Daphne shared before their worlds were—ahem—changed.” Sybil gives the group a wry smile, and I have to laugh, because the only alternative would be to cry. If I cry on my third wedding day, it’s going to be only happy tears.
“I got to see it,” Estelle interrupts, “on mornings when Essos would wake early to bring Daphne breakfast, and on nights when they would kick me out of their kitchens to make food themselves. It was and still is obvious to anyone who sees them just how deep their love for each other runs.”
Sybil looks around at the group. I turn to take in each person seated around us. They’re in a semicircle so that everyone can clearly see. Directly opposite Cat is Xavier, who alternates looking at us and looking at her. Zara sits beside her in a matching lavender dress.
My gaze snags on an unexpected pair—my mortal biological parents, Ron and Linda. It’s been odd reconciling the two lives that I’ve lived, one a life where I grew up a goddess, the other where I grew up a mortal who had a childhood on earth and went to human college and did things like binge drink and study calculus. My mother, with her head of dark brown curls that match mine, is actively crying and clutching my father’s hand. My father looks like he’s attempting to stay stoic, but his eyes are teary and his nose is red. They’re only half of my earthly parents, but their presence here matters to me. Essos follows my gaze, twisting so he sees what it is I’m looking at.
He releases my hand so he can cup my cheek and soothe away my tears. I use my free hand to swipe at the other tears, because I know once the waterworks start, I won’t stop.
“At this time, we’re going to pause so the bride and groom can say their vows to each other,” Sybil tells the crowd, turning to Essos.
“No,” he says, his tone not short.
“No?” Sybil asks, confused.
“No, my wife and I will express our vows to only each other, tonight,” Essos confirms, giving me a full smile.
“In some cultures, they just call that getting laid,” Finn says with a little laugh.
