by Flora Dare
"I was Lira's doctor after her troubles.” His deep tenor slid over her skin and she felt her cheeks warming with a blush. “I was lucky enough to meet Magda, very briefly then. Of course, this is far better circumstances, than the hospital."
Maybelle’s eyes glinted in speculation and Magda suspected the moment they left the store, the phone lines would be lit up as Maybelle spilled all to Grace. Dammit, the last thing Grayslake needed was another meddling granny. But from the way Maybelle suddenly had to run to the backroom, it seemed like there was going to be another matchmaker to contend with.
He still held her hand, intent gaze on hers and a warm sense of awareness washed over her. She was flustered and hot by the time he finished his long, penetrating look and finally released her hand. She reminded herself he was nothing but a flirt. Nothing more.
"I'm so glad Lira is doing well,” he murmured. “And that her adventures are ending up in a mating. The pack is excited for an opportunity to party." The man’s grin was way too wicked.
"The…" Magda cleared her throat, ignoring her husky tone. “The pack?”
"Oh, yes. Mia invited just about every shifter in the county. She said it's a good way to build relations, to keep positive interactions up."
An uneasy tension threaded through Magda's thoughts, past intruding on the present once more. "Sure, great idea,” she snapped. “until the young and cocky have a few too many and fights break out."
She remembered pack life, before she left. Higher ranking members lording over everyone and doing whatever they damn well pleased.
Marc shook his head. "No way the Alpha or the Itan would let that happen."
Before Magda could respond, Lira stepped out of the dressing room and spun around. "What do you think, Momma?"
She pulled her hands away from Marc and clasped them over her heart while tears welled in her eyes. Now her voice was hoarse for a different reason—love. "Oh baby, you look beautiful. Absolutely stunning."
Lira padded to Magda, pulled her into a tight hug, and whispered in her ear. "This is it. This is the dress. This is what I dreamt about, after I met Jake." She pulled back from Magda, expression suddenly wary and uncertain. "Do...do you think my mother would have liked it?"
"Oh honey,” Magda brushed her daughter’s hair out of her face like she had so many times over the years. “Deirdre would have been over the moon for you to have found your mate. She wouldn't have cared if you got married in a burlap sack." She squeezed her adoptive daughter's hands. "But she would have wept with joy over how absolutely perfect this dress is for you. Spin again for me."
Lira twirled and Magda's heart was heavy. She wished Deirdre could have been here. Her best friend had always known what to do in any situation. She held back the tears that threatened to spill, wanting to wail at the unfairness of it all, and suddenly a square of fabric was pressed into her hand.
On instinct, she grabbed it and turned to find its owner. Only to see Dr. Lincoln at her side, looking a bit misty-eyed.
Magda had expected to see Maybelle and in the moment had forgotten he was even there. She muttered, "Thanks." And pressed the cloth to her eyes.
"It's hard to hit milestones when you are missing people." A haunted expression passed over his face for a split-second and then he shook his head as he took a step back. "I'm intruding, I apologize. I was checking in on Maybelle. She won't come to see me often enough."
Magda nodded her good byes as they watched Lira flitting around in the dress. A vision of her long lost love, Stuart flashed behind her eyes. The entire reason she was alone was stupid pack politics. She wasn't going to let that happen to Lira.
Chapter Four
The faintest rays of dawn penetrated Magda's room and she bounced out of bed. Excited flutters in her stomach drove her to the window and she looked out at the soft peach streaks in the sky.
"Deidre, I wish you were here right now. I've done everything I can think of to launch Lira into the world. Now she's getting married and not to that asshat, Ethan. He's a nice boy, a bear. The Grayslake clan has changed. What we went through? It wouldn't happen now.” Memories of what happened back then tried to intrude and she pushed them away. “Now I better hit the shower before it gets too crazy."
Magda didn't often talk directly to Lira's mother and her best friend, she'd been gone for so long. Sometimes, Magda felt like she had to, just in case Deidre was listening.
She slipped through the shower and into a casual outfit. She wouldn't put on her fancy dress until right before they left for the wedding. She tried to remain quiet so she didn’t wake anyone, but she shouldn’t have bothered. When she got to the kitchen, she discovered her mother, Grace, fussing over a hot stove.
"I never could beat you downstairs. I really thought I might, this time."
Grace gestured at the table. "Grab a seat, honey. I figure we could all use a nice hearty breakfast. It's gonna be a hell of a day."
Magda settled down and poured herself a cup of coffee from the carafe on the table. "I was going to try and start breakfast for you." The steam from the cup carried the comforting scent of a hearty roast and Magda sniffed appreciatively.
"Well, I'm older now, and don't get a lot of sleep. Don't need a lot of sleep, to be honest. Plus, I was staring at the ceiling for a solid hour before I got up. Have to keep myself busy. I'm nervous!"
Magda chuckled. "Me too. I made myself stay in bed until the sky lightened up." It still surprised Magda how alike her and her mother were. She thought that after over twenty years apart, they would be polar opposites.
Regret tinged her thoughts. Grief and anger had driven her away from Grayslake for so long. Her inability to let go of either of them meant she missed out on so much of her mother's life.
A sharp sting across her knuckles brought her back to the here and now. "Don't get maudlin so early in the morning. It's bad for you." Grace slid a plate piled high with pancakes, bacon and eggs in front of Magda. "If you spend too much time regretting the past, you miss out on living in the present."
"There is no way I can finish all this, you know."
"So nibble at it then. But if you don't start the day with a hearty breakfast, you'll be a grump all the rest of the day."
"Deidre used to tell me that all the time too." Instead of grief, Magda let herself laugh at the memory.
Grace grinned, "Well, she learned it from me."
"Because you didn't used to be a morning person at all." Magda dug into her plate, enjoying the perfectly crisp bacon. It was a pleasure she rarely indulged in.
"Humph. Still not. It's just that my brain wakes up far earlier than my good manners."
The women sat in companionable silence enjoying the excellent comfort food.
The peaceful mood settled in Magda's heart, and she relished the quiet time with her mother. Even after the time she'd been here, they were still very careful around each other. The rekindled relationship was still fragile and both were very aware of how easy it would be to break again.
Her reverie was broken by the sound of a stampede down the stairs. Magda realized she'd polished off every bite of food on the plate as the two teenagers, her niece Nancy and Jake’s little sister Helen, burst into the kitchen.
Nancy's face fell when she saw them. "Memaw! You were supposed to let me do breakfast."
"There's still plenty to do, don't you worry. I couldn't stay in bed another moment." Grace walked over to the oven. "Sit down for a moment, trust me, we'll run your feet off all day. But until then, let me dote on you a little bit."
Both girls sat at the table while Grace bustled around the kitchen. They dug into the mountains of food that she brought them.
Nancy said, "Auntie Mags, did we tell you about Jake last night?"
Memaw turned around, "Girls, what did I tell you about gossip?"
Helen piped up, "If you can't say something nice, sit by me?"
"Well, yes. I suppose that's true. Still, Lira and Jake are getting married today. If you are going
to ruin Lira's day, you better do it quickly."
The girls’ giggles and Nancy said, "Memaw, it's nothing like that. But Ty and the rest of the clan swung by to pick Jake up after dinner, for some bachelor party nonsense."
His sister, Helen, said, "Yeah, Jake didn't especially want to go, but Ty insisted, said it was a direct order from his Itan. So what could he do but head out."
Memaw sat across from the young girls. "Well, it's fairly common for men to have a bit of a carouse before they settle down. We took Lira out for a bit of a hen party the other night, since she wanted to make sure she was well rested today."
What an understatement. The memory of Jake's grandmother tucking singles into a well-stuffed thong would live on in Magda's memory, forever. She cleared her throat, hoping her mother would not go into detail. Especially when she learned that Gran, Grace and Maybelle were all very well-known at that particular establishment.
Nancy giggled. "Well, whatever they had planned, they better have had Jake home early. Because Mia was there with Gran and she read Ty the riot act." She did an uncanny imitation of Mia. "If he rolls up to the wedding anything less than bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, I will mount every last one of your heads on the living room wall." And then she poked Ty right in the chest and hissed that if he woke her when they stumbled home, she would make him wish he'd never been born."
"Well, they really should have planned better. If they'd gone on Wednesday, the strip club down the way has an all you can eat buffet."
The girls both stared at Memaw and Magda had to giggle.
"Okay, you guys do the dishes while we go over the lists and make sure we haven't forgotten anything."
Chapter Five
Lira stood in front of the mirror, Magda just behind her. Their eyes met in the glass and they both smiled.
"This is it, honey. In a few minutes, we'll put your dress on and you'll step outside and walk down the aisle to your new life."
Lira said, "Is it okay if I'm kind of scared to death?"
"It's a big change. But you love him, right?"
"Forever and ever." Lira's words were soft and dreamy.
"Then it will be okay."
"But what if I lose him?"
Magda's heart contracted painfully, her own loss poking at past wounds. "You know I can't pretend that it might not happen, but, as much as it feels trite, it really is better to have loved and lost, than never loved at all. Imagine if you'd gone through life without feeling as happy as he makes you."
"That would be awful."
"Don't spend too much time worrying about catastrophes that haven't happened." Magda's hands settled on Lira's shoulders. "Live hopefully and joyfully. This moment is beautiful."
"Oh Momma, I'm so glad you are walking me down the aisle."
"Me too, baby. Me too."
There was a tapping at the door, giving them only a moment's warning before the rest of the bridal party invaded the room followed by the meddling grannies.
Mia smiled at Magda and Lira. "Okay, before she gets her dress on, we all have some things for her."
Her nose wrinkled in confusion and Lira said, "But, you've all already done so much. Planning all this in such a short period of time?"
Mia handed Lira a small box. "This is something borrowed. It's good luck to have something from a happily mated couple."
Lira opened the box and gasped. Inside was a sparkling small tiara. "Mia, it's gorgeous."
"It will go perfectly with your veil. It's got a little clippy thing to hold everything together." The hug Lira gave her squeezed the air out of her. "Hey, don't break your Itana! And you've got a few more things coming, so conserve your energy."
"Don't make me cry, okay? We just got my makeup finished." But Lira grinned at the group.
Nancy and Helen pushed forward. Helen handed her a gift bag and giggled. Nancy said, "We're something blue and we thought, what wouldn't you expect?"
Lira pulled out a piece of paper with an intricate blue design. "Wow, this is gorgeous, I'll have it framed."
Helen said, "No silly, it's a temporary tattoo. We designed it. It's a tramp stamp."
"Helen! I can't believe you!" Gran was trying to sound shocked and appalled, but the effect was ruined by the upturn of her lips she couldn't quite stop.
"Okay, there is also a blue hankie in there and we put yours and Jake's initials on the soles of your shoes in blue rhinestones." Nancy showed off the bottom of the shoes. "Still, I think the tattoo is way more fun."
Lira winked at them and said, "I was at the bachelorette party. Trust me, they really can't give you too much grief." And she looked at the three grinning older women. "One day, when you're older, ask them about their tats."
The two teenagers gasped and spun to face the older women who looked everywhere but at them. Finally, Maybelle said, "Goodness, we should hurry or we'll be late. Grace, get it together."
Grace stepped forward with another box. "This is something new. Since you got the dress from Maybelle, we thought it would go well with it."
Lira gasped when she opened the box, pulling out a delicate bracelet. "It's beautiful."
Magda stepped forward again. "It sort of goes with mine. It's something old and something I've been saving for you."
Lira's hand trembled as she took the box and Magda had to take a deep breath to steady herself as Lira opened the box. Magda said, "The lockets, they were your mom's and mine. They are charms that will fit on the bracelet. Your mother's, it has pictures of her and your father, so they can be here, with you, at least in spirit."
"Oh, Momma. These are incredible." She went to set the box down when a sparkle caught her eye. "Oh, wow, what is this?" She drew out a stunning lavaliere necklace.
Magda caught Lira's hand and said softly, "It was your mother's. She asked me to make sure you got it on your wedding day."
Lira's voice was thick with emotion. "Thank you so much for," her voice caught and she had to pause for a moment, "for everything."
Magda could only nod at her daughter. The two women simply looked at each other, holding hands and remembering Deidre.
Nancy finally broke the solemn moment by digging into the gift bag and pulling out a set of blue hankies. "Good thing we thought ahead." She handed them out to everyone. "Don't worry, Lira. You used waterproof mascara. That stuff might never come off."
Lira laughed and stood up. "Thank you, everyone. You've made me feel even more amazing today than I thought possible. I'm so happy to be in Grayslake."
Everyone piled in for a group hug and if a few tears were shed, they were blotted up by the blue hankies before any makeup could smear.
A soft knock at the door interrupted them and Lottie, appointed the wedding day coordinator, slipped into the room. "Everything is ready to go. This is your five-minute warning."
The room erupted into activity as Lira slipped into her dress.
"Hold on, we didn't give her the sixpence piece!" Maybelle dug around in her purse until she finally got her hands on the coin. "Oh, here it is. Nancy, slip it in her shoe."
Grace looked at her granddaughter and smiled. "That's the last bit of luck. Not that you'll need it, it's just a nice tradition. Something old, something new. Something borrowed, something blue. And a sixpence in your shoe."
Grace, Magda and Lira took a moment together, holding hands in a circle. Grace said, "Let's go get you married, girl. So you can stop sneaking out of my house and pretending like you sleep there."
Chapter Six
As Magda walked her adoptive daughter down the aisle, she was consumed by memories. Of holding Lira right after she was born. Of Deirdre holding Lira's hand when she took her first step.
Of the horrible moment they realized the cancer was going to win. Of how in that moment, Deirdre looked past what their lives were at that moment, of when Lira and Magda would need a larger community again.
Of when Magda would need to let Lira go, to live her own life. There was no reluctance in her heart when she hugged
Lira and handed her over to Jake. Not when Jake's eyes glowed and softened when he took Lira's hand and placed it on his arm.
Oh, she knew she would miss her terribly. She settled into her seat and watched them vow to protect and honor each other.
***
Marc couldn't look away from Magda. Shock suffused through his body. His instinct was to snatch her away from the group, to claim her as his own. He hadn't felt such a profound need for a woman since his mate died, all those years ago.
As she walked down the aisle with her daughter, he wanted them to be walking to him, for Lira to be handing her parent over to him. It shook him to his core how much he wanted her.
Chapter Seven
"So, when will you be moving to Redby and joining the pack?" The curt words cut through the easy small talk. The man was not quite glaring at Magda, but it was close.
She wasn't eighteen and scared anymore. She wasn’t the young girl who cowered and dropped her gaze. Her hackles raised and her gums ached with her wolf’s fangs threatening to break free, but her voice was pure sweet syrup when she spoke. "Why sugah, I don't think we've ever been introduced. Especially for you to take such a demanding tone with me." Her smile was more like a teeth baring threat. "I'm certain you don't mean to be so forward at my daughter's wedding."
Silence fell over the group she'd been chatting with and tension filled the air. Magda tilted her head in challenge, tipping her chin up. She wasn't about to be bothered by some young pup.
There was a subtle adjustment in stance from other members of the pack, a new stiffness that filtered through the others. Fire rose in her blood and anger fed the flames. This is why she'd stayed away from shifters for so long, the pack instinctively turning on the outsider or a lower ranked member.
Her long suppressed fury at shifters bubbled to the surface and she felt her fangs pushing out. She pulled a long breath in, trying to calm herself. She would not be the first to wolf out, but by god, she would defend herself.
