The Feminine Mesquite: The Complete Series

by Sable Sylvan

  Savina had no time to think about that. It was the day of the wedding and Alice’s bedroom had been transformed into a bridal suite, as it was larger than the guest bedrooms, which Alice and Herb had slept in that week in preparation of the bridal suite preparations. Savina showered and headed over to the bridal suite, where she and her sisters would be getting into their dresses before having makeup and hair done by professionals. There would be food and drink in the bridal suite, just as there was in the men’s suite, where Mason was helping his brothers get ready for their wedding day.

  “Lucky bastards,” said Savina to herself as she walked over to Alice’s bedroom, which was on the opposite side of the manor. “All they have to do is slip on a suit and a frikkin’ ring.”

  Savina got to the bridal suite. Inside, all her sisters were already ready, in their blush pink gowns, and were looking in the mirror, turning every which way to ensure their curves were covered properly but sexily, that their figures were flattered by their dresses, and that no last minute alterations would be needed.

  “Wow, you four look great,” said Savina. “Those dresses are perfect for y’all.”

  “I love the blush,” said Cayenne. “Do you think Basil will like it?”

  “Girl, he doesn’t care about the dress or its color,” said Addison. “He just cares about the gal inside it.”

  “Ugh, don’t make me cry, Addy,” said Cayenne. “I’m trying to have a stiff upper lip today. You know once these waterworks start, they won’t stop.”

  “Then shouldn’t you get the tears out now, before the makeup goes on?” asked Abigail.

  “Tears work in mysterious ways,” said Cayenne. “I’m so emotional. It’s that dang art studio. I’ll never forgive Basil for that.”

  “Boo-hoo, my husband made me a nice art studio, wah,” teased Addison.

  “It’s like you two have swapped places,” said Alice. “Addy, you’re so sassy now, and Kai, feeling an emotion? Well, I never!”

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” asked Savina.

  “Your dress is behind the privacy screen,” said Alice. “It’s all ready for you.” Alice pointed to the lacquered wood folding screen.

  “Oh, okay, got it,” said Savina. “Be back in a jiffy.”

  As Savina walked to the screen, three of the sisters left the room, but she didn’t notice. Savina wasn’t concentrating but when she saw the dress on the rack, she was confused at first. She was supposed to be wearing a pastel dress with a floral pattern, not a big pinkish dress with a skirt, a big blush colored dress that, the last time she’d seen it, had sent her head spinning and thinking of things she shouldn’t have been thinking about.

  “Uh, Alice?” called Savina. “I think there’s been a mistake with the dresses. Did the company give us the wrong dresses in the garment bags or something?”

  “There’s no mistake,” said a familiar voice, a male voice, a deep voice that had cracked slightly in its response to Savina’s question.

  Savina walked out from the screen. In the bridal suite, there were only two people: her eldest sister, the new matriarch of the Quincy family, Alice soon-to-be Scoville, and in a black tux, Mason frikkin’ Scoville.

  “What’s going on?” asked Savina, looking at Mason, then to Alice.

  “I think this young man has something he’d like to ask you,” said Alice, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

  “I don’t understand,” said Savina.

  “Maybe take a seat then, dear,” said Alice. “Now, Mason, what was it you’d like to ask my sister?”

  “Wait, wait,” said Savina. “Alice, I know what he’s going to ask me. I just don’t get what’s going on.”

  “What’s there to get?” asked Alice.

  “Alice, if he asks me to marry him, I’m going to have to refuse him again,” said Savina.

  “And why is that?” asked Alice. “Is there something wrong with him? If so, let me know.”

  “Because it’s your frikkin’ wedding! It’s Abby and Addy’s frikkin’ wedding! It’s Kai’s frikkin wedding!” said Savina.

  “I don’t see what that has to do with you two,” said Alice, a smirk on her lips and her arms crossed over her curves.

  “It’d steal your thunder,” said Savina. “I know how important this wedding is.”

  “Do you remember what I told Abigail last Christmas when Clove proposed to her?” asked Alice.

  “I can’t say I do,” said Savina.

  “I told her that every thunderstorm has more than one thunder clap. It’s something Grandma Quiggly told us growing up,” said Alice. “She was worried about stealing our thunder, way back at Christmas, and every single one of your sisters has expressed that concern to me privately as well. However, each of them will be up there with me today. The question is, do you want to be to be up there, too?”

  “I do, but I was afraid of hurting you all,” said Savina.

  “I know, and you don’t need to be afraid, baby girl,” said Alice. “You spend so much time protecting everyone else’s feelings that you don’t protect your own.”

  “There’s something inside of me that tells me you’re right,” said Savina. “I think it’s the same thing that’s been pulling me close to Mason.”

  “That thing’s called your heart, honey,” said Alice. “You need to listen to that heart of yours, Savina. I know you’ve got a big one. You have so much love in your heart for all of us, your sisters, but you need to direct some of that love at you. You need to love yourself and let yourself love.

  “No offense, Mason, but my sister will always come first, and I know you understand that. I want you to be brave today, Savina, and love yourself, enough to either accept Mason’s proposal…or to reject it. I want you to make yourself happy. Don’t worry about making me happy, or your other sisters, or Mason. Make yourself happy. I can do so much for you because I not only love you, but I love myself. However, I can’t tell you what to do today. I can’t make this decision for you.

  “This isn’t the Sunday sundae special at the ice cream parlor where any choice is a good choice. You gotta make your own choice today. All I can tell you to do is listen to your heart. I’ve talked to your sisters about this ever since Mason came to Herb and me after your rejected his first proposal. We all worked hard to keep this proposal a secret, to get you a dress, to make sure this moment happens. We kept it a secret because we knew that you were nervous, that you were scared of the wedding getting messed up. This is our gift to you, a second chance to say yes to Mason…or to say no, if that’s what you really, really want. Just know that no matter what, this wedding is going off without a hitch. I just want you to be happy with whatever place you take up there, whether it’s as a bridesmaid or as a bride. Now, I’m gonna go chat with your sisters and give you two some privacy.”

  Alice got up and left the room.

  “I can’t believe you managed to pull it off,” said Savina.

  “I’m sorry I had to lie to you,” said Mason. “I told my brother, and he encouraged me to talk everyone else about what was going on. Every single person in this family worked hard to make sure I had a second shot at asking you to marry me. Savina, you can say yes, or, you can say no. I won’t bother you again if you don’t want me in your life. You’re my fated mate, but I know that for you, the connection isn’t the same. I want you to be happy, no matter what, even if that means rejecting me. Savina Quincy, I need to ask you one last time, just one more time, if you’ll do me the great honor of marrying me, today or sometime in the future.”

  Mason got down on one knee in front of Savina, who was seated on the velvet dressing room bench.

  “Savina Quincy, this ring is a symbol of what brought us together in the first place,” said Mason. He pulled out a ring box and opened it. Inside was a diamond ring. The brilliant cut diamond was flanked on either side by a heart cut ruby with two marquise emeralds on top that formed a sort of apple with leaves.

  “The diamond is a symbol of my promise to ne
ver keep a secret from you again, to always be transparent and committed to this relationship,” said Mason. “The savina peppers on either side are a symbol of your heritage, of your inner fire, and what brought us together in the first place, not only the hot sauce competition, but this crazy thing called The Feminine Mesquite. I don’t have much to offer you as the omega of the clan. I promise to both take you on amazing adventures and to protect from all the harm in the world. I promise to support you, to provide for you, and to care for you, as well as to challenge you to push your limits and do things you never dreamed you could do. I promise never to let the fire between us go out. You light my fire, baby.” Mason put his free hand on his chest.

  “But Mason, why did your mark stop glowing?” asked Savina.

  “It takes a lot of energy for the mark to glow,” said Mason. “I don’t control it. Fate does. It’s rare for a mark to glow so many times. Herb’s mark glowed twice, but that was because of the extraordinary circumstances that tore him and Alice apart and tossed them back together again.”

  “I’m your fated mate? Your one and only?” asked Savina.

  “That’s right, babe,” said Mason.

  “And you forgive me?” asked Savina. “For rejecting you?”

  “Of course I forgive you,” said Mason. “I understand what was going on inside of you, in your heart. I know what it’s like to be driven by something that tells you to do one thing one day, another the next. After all, I am a shifter. You know how many times my polar has told me to either not push you so hard or to chase you down like my prey? I’ve felt conflicted, driven toward you and away from you by the thing inside me, too. We can play this game of cat and mouse, of the polar bear and the curvy girl, or…we can end it now, with you walking away, or with you walking down that aisle. Savina Quincy, will you do me the great honor of marrying me?”

  “Yes, Mason, of course I will,” said Savina.

  Mason slipped the ring on Savina’s finger and lifted her up into the air to kiss her deeply. Savina wrapped her thick thighs around his waist, her calves meeting around his lower back, as Mason held her up in his arms, holding her tightly but kissing her gently, and then all of a sudden, switching, to hold her gently and kiss her like a great storm kisses the Norwegian fjords. A flood of emotions broke through Savina’s wall and finally, she let herself love the man who she had loved the whole time.

  Mason carefully lowered Savina back to the floor.

  “You’ve made me the happiest man in the world,” said Mason.

  “Well, not quite yet,” said Savina. “I need you to get out.”

  “Why?” asked Mason.

  “Get out…so I can get changed,” said Savina with a smile. “After all, you can’t see me in my wedding dress until we get to the altar.”

  Chapter Fifty-Eight

  Savina’s sisters came back into the bridal suite.

  “Will you be wearing the dress?” asked Alice. “Or…”

  “This is my dress,” said Savina. “I can’t believe you all managed to keep this a secret from me!”

  “Girl, trust me, it was hard,” said Cayenne. “Alice bought the dress on the same day we tried them all on in case you ended up liking Mason.”

  “We don’t have time to talk about it,” said Abigail. “We’ve got to get you into that dress so you can start walking down the aisle.”

  “I have the dress, the shoes, but…I need the rest,” said Savina. “What about the bouquet? What about the something old, the something new, the something borrowed, and the something blue?”

  “We’ve got you covered,” said Addison.

  “Something old,” said Alice, pulling Savina’s red hoodie out of the closet.

  “A hoodie? At a wedding?” asked Savina.

  “At your wedding,” said Alice. “After all, you are our Little Red Riding Hoodie, aren’t you? Trust me. You’ll want something comforting when you’re at the end of that aisle. This is practically your safety blanket.”

  “You’re right,” said Savina. “I’ll frikkin’ wear it.”

  “Something new,” said Abigail, opening a box on the accessories chest. Inside the box was a necklace that matched the ring that Savina had been given by Mason.

  “No frikkin’ way,” asked Savina. “You got that for me?”

  “We all pitched in,” said Abigail. “After all, it’s not like Mason was the only one proposing to you. We helped. We want you to be part of this brand new crazy family.”

  “It’s perfect,” said Savina.

  “Something borrowed,” said Addison, passing Savina a bouquet. The four sisters had come up with their own ideas for bouquets. Addison had taken parts of each bouquet to make one mixed bag bouquet that was a beautiful mess of different species and colors of flowers and the other decorative elements from the bouquets.

  “Really?” asked Savina. “You’ll let me borrow it? I know how excited you were to make your bouquets. This won’t ruin the bouquets for the rest of y’all?”

  “Of course we will,” said Addison. “Our bouquets are so big that nobody will notice that they’re missing some flowers.”

  “And finally, something blue,” said Cayenne. She pulled something out of the accessories chest. It was a robin’s egg blue wedding garter.

  “We all have matching ones,” said Alice. She lifted her skirt to show Savina and the others lifted their skirts as well.

  “There’s just one thing I’m missing,” said Savina.

  “What?” asked Abigail.

  “A wedding veil,” said Savina. “We wouldn’t happen to have one of those spare, would we?”

  “One step ahead of you,” said Cayenne. “Remember the penis veil from the bachelorette party?”

  “There’s no frikkin’ way I can wear that,” said Savina.

  “Just kidding,” said Cayenne. “Of course we got you a frikkin’ veil. This is the one that goes with your gown.” Cayenne pulled a box out of the closet. There was a veil, wrapped in tissue paper. It was plain and blush-toned, sheer with a pewter-toned comb. The only glitzy details were the dew-like drops of glitter around the sides of the veil.

  Addison carefully put Savina’s hair into a quick messy up-do, put in the pin, and finally, put on the veil, which was attached to Savina’s bun via the comb.

  “I can’t believe it,” said Savina. “I’m gonna do this. I’m gonna frikkin’ marry Mason.”

  “You want to, right?” asked Alice. “If you don’t, we still have your bridesmaid dress. You can get in that and walk down the aisle, and we’ll all pretend this didn’t happen.”

  “No, I want to,” said Savina. “I can’t believe it’s happening because it’s just so…amazing. But, you four wouldn’t happen to have a spare set of vows, would you? I don’t exactly have anything written.”

  “There’s no time to write,” said Abigail. “You need to get changed. We’re expected, you know.”

  “Just speak from the heart,” said Addison. “It worked for all of us. It’ll work for you.”

  Less than half an hour later, Savina was in her fairytale gown, the blue garter on her leg, the borrowed bouquet in her hands, the new necklace framing her curved neck and shoulders, with her hoodie wrapped around her

  The sisters assembled near the exit to the backyard. They were going to go in the standard order, eldest to youngest. Alice was out first, then Abigail and Addison, leaving Cayenne with Savina.

  “You’re coming with us, right?” asked Cayenne, before she left.

  “I am,” said Savina. “I just need a second.”

  “Okay, hun,” said Cayenne. She gave Savina a side hug before leaving to take her walk down the aisle.

  Savina turned and looked at herself in the mirror that had been rolled out to the exit for finishing touches. In a wedding gown, wearing a worn red hoodie, a fancy necklace, a blue garter underneath her voluminous skirts, and holding a bouquet of borrowed flowers. It was not a cohesive look like that of her sisters, but she didn’t care. She just needed to tak
e one last deep breath and then she headed out.

  Savina’s dad was right there, in his suit, waiting for her. There were glossy tears in his eyes and a smile on his face.

  “You look beautiful, princess,” said Savina’s dad. He gave her a big hug.

  “Dad, you’re going to walk me down the aisle?” asked Savina.

  “Of course I am,” said Savina’s dad. “If I didn’t, what kind of a father would I be?”

  “You’re okay with me marrying Mason?” asked Savina.

  “Listen. You’ll never ever find the ‘right’ time to marry someone,” said Savina’s dad. “If this isn’t it, let me know, and you and I can leave this joint and grab some burgers. If this is it, well…I’ll be by your side every step of the way, from the moment we walk down the aisle to your fiftieth anniversary party.”

  “Dad, you’re gonna make me cry,” said Savina.

  “I’d tell you to let it out, but I’m sure Kai would have my head for letting you smudge your makeup,” said Savina’s dad. “Now…is there gonna be a fifth bride, or do you wanna get your burgers?”

  “Let’s do this crazy thing,” said Savina. She took her dad’s arm, and they walked down the aisle as the string quartet continued to play the wedding march.

  She heard people involuntarily gasp as they saw her walk down the aisle. They hadn’t been expecting her to appear in a wedding dress. She hadn’t been expecting it either until around an hour beforehand, so nobody was as shocked as her. She just focused on her sisters, at the end of the aisle, and walked down the green carpet that had been rolled out onto the lawn, to take her place next to her sisters and across from her future husband.