Work of Fate (Dual Court Kiss Book 2)
Page 24
“Of course,” Sara allowed, a happy grin glued to her face. “We just didn’t know when you would actually do it. I thought you might wait until after finishing your residency.”
Gwen smiled as she remembered the events leading up to the happy day.
Following her reunion with Kalan, after he rescued her and Aeron from Lord Leo’s prison, Gwen and the prince decided to move to the Human Realm together. Thanks to Ian’s glamouring of the school’s dean, Gwen was able to jump back into her second year of medical school the following Fall semester. Gwen finally graduated with her medical degree from the University of Colorado one month earlier.
Kalan was more than supportive of his lifemate fulfilling her dreams, and he turned out to be an endless source of strength and companionship throughout the trials Gwen experienced while finishing her academic work, clinical rotations, and matching for residency. The process of applying and interviewing for programs was so stressful, Gwen barely had time to think about planning for her wedding.
Once again, Kalan came through for her. Her fiancée (with Ian’s help) arranged and managed most of the fine details concerning their wedding. Gwen participated in the big stuff like cake tastings, flower arrangements, and choosing the bridal party’s outfits. However, when it came to interacting with the various vendors on the fine details, Kalan handled everything. It was just one more of a long list of reasons Gwen knew she wanted to be with him forever.
The bride smiled as she thought of her prince during the wedding planning process. In addition to helping to ease the burden from Gwen, she believed Kalan truly enjoyed his increased role regarding the wedding. Being a Fae who grew up in the Fae Realm, her fiancée never experienced a human-style wedding.
Gwen remembered the bonding ceremony in Eirie. The couple performed the Fae ritual only weeks after the prince rescued his love from Lord Leo’s Winter Court dungeon. While Kalan and Gwen were okay with not immediately taking part of the ceremony, both Fae Courts’ monarchs strongly suggested the couple perform it sooner rather than later. The royals believed showing the lifemate bond of the two dual-court fae would go far in alleviating certain citizens’ fears over the unprecedented situation. Gwen and Kalan were not yet called upon to rule over either one of the Courts, but everyone knew it was only a matter of time.
Gwen’s mind whirled with images of the ceremony. The occasion had been a spectacle. Innumerable Summer and Winter Court citizens were in attendance. The couple exchanged bonding vows in front of the crowd and, then, spent the evening enjoying a banquet held in their honor. Gwen supposed the banquet was comparable to a reception at a human wedding, but there were none of the small traditions which made weddings so much fun–to her, at least.
Her fiancée quickly became a fan of human weddings. Kalan grew more and more excited with every new tradition he learned of; he was especially fond of the one involving the lacy garter currently on her thigh.
The thought brought a faint color to Gwen’s cheeks; a reaction she feared she would never outgrow.
A light knock sounded at the door of the bridal suite. It opened slightly, and a pair of brown eyes peeked through to check the surroundings.
“Slide to the left, Gwen,” Penny’s soft voice instructed from the crack in the door. “I do not want anyone to catch a peek at you.”
Gwen picked up her skirts and shifted the direction Penny instructed. Very carefully, Gwen’s third bridesmaid slipped into the room with a box full of flowers. She promptly shut the door behind her.
With excited eyes, Penny turned and assessed Gwen. “By Fate,” she sighed. “You are gorgeous. I do not believe you could have picked a more flattering gown.”
Gwen smiled and thanked Penny for the compliment. She saw the sisters exchange confused glances following Penny’s opening expression, but Gwen knew they would not say anything.
Penny became a regular visitor in the Human Realm after Gwen and Kalan moved there, and the Roberts sisters met the Winter Fae many times. Both Kate and Sara seemed to decide to warmly welcome the young girl into the friend group and keep their thoughts on her oddness to themselves.
Gwen turned back to the mirror and, once again, took in her appearance. She chose an elegant and regal style for her wedding dress. The ivory fabric hugged her curves down to just below her hip bones. There, the material fanned out to an A-line until it met with the floor. The sweetheart neckline was overlaid with lace which traveled in a v-formation over her shoulders and down the length of her arms.
The dress would have been too hot for Texas in June, but the wedding was taking place on a mountain lakefront outside of Denver. Gwen and Kalan chose the location for the similarities it shared with both the Avalon Mountains and the waterfront in the Winter Palace gardens; both elicited sentimental memories for the couple.
Behind her, the bridesmaids began to fuss with her veil. They straightened out the lace-scalloped, sheer, material from where it hung from the hook on the wall.
Gwen was watching them in amusement when another knock caused her to look away. Ian had his eyes covered as he entered the room, clumsily shutting the door once he was inside.
“Is everyone decent?” He asked, inching forward slowly. “The ceremony is about to start, and I believe I am supposed to be escorting the bride down the aisle.”
Kate rolled her eyes, but smiled. “Shouldn’t you have asked that question before coming in here?”
Sara playfully nudged her sister. “Yes, Ian. We are decent. You can uncover your eyes.”
Ian laughed as he lowered his hand. He blinked to adjust to the bright sunlight streaming into the room and glanced around. He passed over Gwen for a moment before quickly bringing his attention back to her.
Ian’s expression grew awed and his eyes widened. He didn’t say anything. He just stared at Gwen in her wedding dress.
Feeling nervous, Gwen looked down and ran her hands down the sides of her skirt. She looked back at Ian. “Well… what do you think?”
Gwen’s eyes began to water as she noticed one tear trail from the corner of Ian’s eye. Gwen stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Ian’s neck. He returned the tight embrace.
“It’s perfect,” Ian said over her head as he hugged her. “You look perfect. I hope Kalan knows how lucky he is.”
Gwen smiled into her friend’s shoulder. She turned her head so her cheek was pressed against his tuxedo-covered chest. “I think he knows…” During their embrace, her bridesmaids noiselessly stepped out of the room to give the friends privacy.
Ian cleared his throat and took a step back to look at Gwen.
“You look so much like your mother,” Ian told her with a soft smile. “She would have loved to be here.”
A tear escaped and ran down Gwen’s cheek. Ian wiped it away.
“I’m glad Cai and Orla were able to come.” She offered in a small voice.
“They would not have missed it for the world,” Ian told her kindly. “They absolutely adore you.”
Gwen laughed and shook her head. “I think I gave them a headache or two with my insistence on living in the Human Realm.”
Ian joined her in laughter. “You are not wrong.”
The Summer King and Queen both argued against Gwen moving out of Summer Court when she went back to medical school. They tried to convince their granddaughter she could faze to school every day, and live in the safety of Summer Court borders when not attending classes. Gwen refused. Both Kalan and Gwen knew there was potential for some fae to maintain the belief dual-court fae were abominations, but the couple refused to live in fear.
In fact, an overwhelming majority of fae accepted the notion that the original interpretation of the dual-court prophecy was incorrect. When Kalan and Gwen were reunited in the Fae Realm, the weather patterns in the Human Realm returned to normal. The Wise Ones proved invaluable to the couple’s cause by making public statements regarding their new understanding of the prophecy. Queen Tanya, also, recanted her initial accusations after learning of
the truth behind her son’s bloodline. Thinking of the queen took Gwen’s thoughts to King Kheelen.
Gwen developed a more than cordial relationship with her father over the past few years. King Kheelen was kind, intelligent and funny; Gwen saw a lot of herself in him. At first, it was odd to try and develop their relationship –Gwen could not help but feel like she was becoming good friends with her boyfriend’s father. However, the unique situation stopped feeling weird and became their normal with time.
Despite knowing Aeron was his biological father, Kalan did not let the information change how he viewed or interacted with the male who raised him. Gwen would argue it seemed like her fiancée and King Kheelen grew closer after learning the truth. She mentioned her observation to Kalan once. The prince simply smiled and said it was easy to improve their relationship when Kalan no longer feared the two of them shared a father.
“Oh, yes. I nearly forgot.” Ian cleared his throat, drawing Gwen out of her thoughts. Her friend reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out an ivory envelope. “This is for you. From the groom.”
Gwen beamed, excited to read anything Kalan might write her on their wedding day. She took the note and moved to sit on the ivory chair in the corner of her dressing room.
“Gwen,
I cannot believe this day is finally here. I have been waiting for this moment my entire life; the day I get to acknowledge, to all those you hold dear, just how much I love and adore you.
It did not appear this way in the beginning, but Fate sure knew what It was doing when It brought you into my life. We have been through so much, and managed to come out even closer than we were before. You are my true heart, my soulmate, my lifemate. I cannot wait to spend my forever with you.
I know this is information you already know, so I will just end on this note:
Let’s go change that name of yours.”
The End.
Acknowledgements:
Mom, Dad, Don, and Nelly:
Most people are lucky to have loving relationships with two parents. I cannot believe I am blessed with four. The four of you support me through everything, and I hope to one day be half the parent you all are. Thank you for your constant love and support.
Robby, Dean, and Amy:
Thanks for keeping me humble while also telling me what I am doing is awesome. That is a balancing act only siblings can accomplish.
Veronica and Sarah:
I wanted to thank you two for your support by reading my book/listening to me talk about the stories in my head/giving me feedback. You are two of my best friends and I never want that to change.
My Author Friends (You Know Who You Are):
For all the likes, favorites, retweets, posts, advice, etc. – Thank you. You all gave me the confidence to keep pursuing my goals and offered valuable insight to my work. One of the best things to happen from this publishing adventure was connection with all of you. You are all amazing and I am forever grateful for you.
To My Readers:
Thank you for reading my work and offering your feedback. There is nothing better than hearing from a reader who loves my characters as much as I do. You motivate and inspire me. Thank you so much!
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Waiting for Fate, a Dual Court Kiss Novella, is available now on Amazon!
Click HERE to read Ronan and Sara’s story!