Page 46 of Djinn in Love

“What about your own wedding?” she asked. “Surely your mother will insist on something like this for you.”

Jasper shook his head. “Absolutely not. She already knows that I’m not having a three-ring circus when I get married. I’ve already informed her that I will probably elope. She threatened to disown me but changed her mind when I told her that was fine with me.”

“She would never disown you.”

“Probably not, but if it keeps me from having to do this when I get married, I’ll happily accept it.”

Shaking her head, Veronica took a sip of coffee.

“What about you? How do you envision your wedding day?” he asked.

She choked as her coffee went down the wrong way. Veronica bent over, coughing and sputtering, as she tried to clear her airway.

“Shit!” Jasper was kneeling beside her in a blink, gently patting her back. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, clearing her throat as the spasms began to subside. He jumped to his feet and came back a few moments later with a glass of water. Veronica gave him a grateful look as she took a sip.

It took a few more minutes of sipping water before she was able to speak again.

“I didn’t realize asking you that question would bring on such a strong reaction,” Jasper said. His tone was light, as though he were joking, but his eyes were serious on her.

“Honestly, I haven’t thought much about it. I told you that I never thought I would get married. It’s still not something I’m quite sure I could see for myself.”

She left out the part that she could easily envision herself married to Jasper. They had only been together for a short time, but Veronica was falling hard and fast.

“Let’s say you will get married someday. What do you see when you think about it?”

Veronica took a deep breath and let herself imagine that it could happen. That she would find someone who loved her, who she loved, and who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Her eyes drifted shut as she took a deep breath. In her head, she could see herself wearing a light, ethereal dress. Something like the mating gowns that fae women wore. She’d seen a picture of her great-grandmother’s gown. It had flowed over her body like water, following the lines and curves of her figure. The material itself had been white but with an iridescent sheen. It looked like her great-grandmother had been wearing a prism beam. The colors were gentle and soft, but they changed with each angle and plane. Two thin straps held the dress up. Her shoulders were bare, but a drape of fabric hung from her bicep to her elbow, making graceful sleeves. The rest of the dress was utterly simple, following the contours of her great-grandmother’s body to her knees before flaring out slightly to the floor.

Veronica could see herself wearing it, facing a man, and holding his hands. The sun was setting behind them and they were standing outside, surrounded by a very small group of people. If she was being completely honest, the man in her imagination had Jasper’s face and some of the people around them were his parents and brother.

“What do you see?” he asked.

She opened her eyes. “I see myself standing outside at sunset, with only the man I’m marrying, our parents and siblings, and the officiant there. I’d wear my grandmother’s fae mating gown and a crown of white flowers. There wouldn’t be a reception, just a quiet dinner at our favorite restaurant. After that, my husband and I would go somewhere secluded, like a cabin in the forest or mountains, and we’d spend the next week with each other with no one else around.”

She was smiling as she described it, able to see it so clearly that it almost felt as though she was there. When she focused on Jasper, he was studying her intently.

“That sounds perfect,” he murmured.

The look on his face made her feel awkward and fidgety. She wanted to look away. The intense black gleam of his eyes felt like a brand on her skin. But she couldn’t. Her eyes were locked on his, held in place by the force of his attention.

The spell was broken when his cell phone trilled from the bedroom, a loud, obnoxious melody echoing through the cabin.

Jasper blinked and sighed heavily. “I’m sure that’s my mother with some sort of emergency. I changed her ringtone, but it never stays that way for long. I’ll be back in a moment.”

He left the dining table and disappeared into the bedroom. As soon as she heard him answer the phone, Veronica took a shaky breath. She wasn’t sure what was happening in that moment, but it felt huge. Important.

As though the rest of her life were balanced on the edge of whatever Jasper might have said.

The murmur of Jasper’s voice came from the bedroom. His tone was soothing, and Veronica knew he was probably talking to his mother. She smiled at the sound. As much as he pretended that she exasperated him, it was obvious that Jasper loved his mother. From her short interactions with both of them, she got the impression that they were very similar. They were both stubborn, used to getting their own way, and generous with the people they cared about. Veronica sensed that whoever Jasper chose to marry, the woman would be blessed beyond measure because he would do everything in his power to create a beautiful life with her.

She finished her breakfast and was drinking another cup of coffee when Jasper came out of the bedroom, his phone in his hand.

“Well, that was the first narrowly missed catastrophe of the day,” he said.

She grinned. “What happened?”

“The florist got lost. Mom wanted me to go and get the woman and her employees, but I convinced her it was better to have one of the hotel staff help her find the way.” He sighed and tossed his phone down on the table. “I’m going to shower before anything else happens. If the phone rings, throw it out the window. Or answer it and tell them I ran away.”

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