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“Go!” she yelled back, and I left her room with a grin on my face. My life with Veronica would never be boring, that was for sure.
Chapter 16.
VERONICA.
An array of dresses my mom had assembled for me to choose from were laid out on her bed. “What do you think, sweetheart?” Her voice held excitement. Clearly, I’d made her, and Dad too no doubt, very happy.
Hell, I was happy. I couldn’t wait to marry my mate!
I assessed the dresses and pointed. “Great choices, Mom. But I’m thinking... this one. What do you think?”
I picked up the long flowing gown embellished with embroidered flowers and beads. It wasn’t my usual style, but it called to me somehow.
Mom put her hand over her mouth like she was about to burst into tears.
“You okay?” I asked.
She nodded, and took her hand away from her mouth. “Oh, yes. I just... didn’t think you’d like that one. I almost didn’t put it out. But it’s my favorite, for you.”
I glanced over at the other plainer choices. Mom had been thoughtful in her selection, choosing dresses in a range of colors as well as white.
I smiled at her. “No. This is the best. I love it.”
The seamstress rushed over and slipped it out of my hands, a big smile on her face. “This won’t take long to adjust to your size, Princess. You’re the same build as your mother when she wore it, and almost exactly the same age.”
My mouth dropped open and I turned to Mom, stunned. It was my turn to almost burst into tears. “Is this your wedding dress, Mom? It’s beautiful. Why haven’t I seen it before?”
She reached out an arm to me and I grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “You were never interested in such things before,” she said. “You wanted to be out in the farmlands with your father. While I...”
Her eyes were swimming with tears and I rushed into her arms to hug her tight. “I love you, Mom. Thank you for throwing this crazy wedding together for me.”
She laughed and squeezed me back. “Crazy is right. A day to prepare! Though I don’t blame Iain for wanting to rush. He adores you, and doesn’t want to give you a chance to get away again.”
When I pulled back and looked up at her, there were tears on her cheeks. “Why are you so emotional today, Mom? Because of the wedding?”
Her lower lip quivered a little as she inhaled deeply, obviously trying to get herself together. “Yes, and no. This is the start of the rest of your life, baby girl. And I’m just so... relieved.”
I laughed as the seamstress began to pull my clothes off to get me into my mother’s dress. “Why? Were you worried that no-one would ever have me?”
I wouldn’t have been surprised if she said yes.
“Oh no.” Mom helped me pull up the sleeves and began doing up the tiny buttons at my back, while the seamstress pulled out a tape measure and a little tub of pins. “It’s not that. It was just... I knew that you would be uncompromising in love. That only a fated mate would do. Like your father and I.”
The last of the buttons were done up and I shuffled over to the mirror, wanting to get a better look. The woman who stared back at me was someone I didn’t recognize.
“Wow.” I couldn’t believe how beautiful the dress was. It transformed me into someone far more elegant than I usually felt. “Mom, I love it.”
She kissed my hair and smiled at my reflection. “And I love you.”
The seamstress fluttered her hands at my mother and she fell back to allow pins to be stuck in various places so the dress would fit me like a glove when the little alterations were done.
I took a deep breath to calm down and let the intensity of emotions caused by the beautiful dress dissipate. My mom hadn’t always been super affectionate, but her love for me had always been there. Behind the words I’d taken as lectures, she’d always tried to keep me safe.
“Thank you for my life, Mom.” I met her surprised gaze in the mirror. “If I’m half the mother you are, one day, my children will be blessed.”
The queen’s eyes suddenly became very glossy once again, and she didn’t say a word. Instead her mouth wobbled, and then she nodded, squeezed my hand and quickly left the room.
I glanced down at the seamstress, who was pinning the hem. I was a little shorter than my mom, obviously. “Did I just make her cry again?”
