Page 48 of Djinn in Love

“Make-up? I didn’t even notice. I was looking at your dress.” The tip of one finger trailed from the center of her collarbones down to the bottom of the plunging neckline, tracing over the narrow sliver of skin it bared.

Veronica grabbed his hand before he could hook his finger into the material that gathered at the base of her sternum. “Behave,” she murmured.

“Only because we don’t have any privacy,” he sighed, taking a small step back, but retaining his grip on her hand. “Let’s get you seated before one of my lady-killer cousins decide they want to try to lure you away from me.”

“Lure? Like a fish?”

Sensing the offense in her tone, Jasper smirked at her. “I’m sure you couldn’t be lured, but I’d have to kill the little bastards, which would upset my brother, my sister-in-law, and my parents. So, let’s avoid bloodshed and get you settled.”

Veronica rolled her eyes as he guided her down the aisle, stopping just behind the front row of chairs and gesturing to the second row.

“Jasper, I can’t sit here. It’s reserved for family,” she argued.

“You’re here with me and I’m related to the groom, so this is exactly where you belong.”

Before she could continue arguing, Jasper’s father came up behind them. “Hello, Veronica. You look stunning.” After she thanked him, he turned to his son. “Jas, it’s almost time. The ceremony is starting in five minutes and the wedding planner is about to begin foaming at the mouth because we’re already thirty seconds behind schedule.”

“She’s timed it down to the second?” Jasper asked, incredulous. At his father’s dry look, he leaned over and kissedVeronica lightly on the mouth. “Stay here so I can see you during the ceremony. After I escape the picture-taking portion of the evening, I’ll hunt you down at the reception.”

There was nothing else she could do but agree. “All right.”

“Good girl.” He kissed her one more time before he followed his father toward the back of the room. She should have been offended by his words, but they gave her a secret thrill. Before she decided how she felt, he followed his father toward the back of the room.

Veronica couldn’t resist turning around to watch him. He looked gorgeous in his tux. As though he belonged on the cover of one of the billionaire romance novels she read. When he vanished from view, her eyes skimmed over the crowd, coming to rest on Prema’s younger sister, Jasmine. Standing in the open double doors that Veronica had just come through, the woman watched her with a distasteful expression on her face. Veronica could practically feel the jealousy and anger buzzing around her from across the ballroom. The emotions felt like tiny daggers embedding themselves into her skin.

The string ensemble near the wedding arch began to play and Veronica turned around. It was clear that Jasmine had an issue with her, but she couldn’t address it unless the other woman approached her about it. Honestly, she hoped the woman gave her a wide berth. She had enough mental upheaval and confusion already.

As everyone took their seats and the officiant took her place beneath the wedding arch, Veronica pushed thoughts of Jasmine out of her mind. It wasn’t easy to do, but she’d learned over the years to accept that other people were responsible for their own feelings. If someone seemed aloof or rude or angry, she shouldn’t take it to heart because those emotions and reactions might not be instigated by her actions.

The ceremony was lovely. Veronica especially enjoyed the gorgeous dress that Prema wore. The sweetheart neckline and slightly off-the-shoulder sleeves were a blush so pale it was nearly pure white. But the bodice became a darker pink, the color bleeding across the fabric as though it was watercolor paint on paper. Then, from the cinched waist to the big bell skirt, the color grew darker until it was a brilliant blood red on the lower part of the gown. The ombre effect was set on a diagonal, as though the dress had been dipped into the dye after it was made. Though the structure and design of the gown was traditional and reminded Veronica of something a princess would wear, the change of color in the material elevated it to something akin to artwork.

She couldn’t help tearing up as Milo and Prema exchanged their vows. They were so sweet and heartfelt that Veronica couldn’t suppress the flash of jealousy that pierced her heart. It quickly faded, but she couldn’t get the pictures she’d conjured up in her imagination this morning off her mind. The mental image of her in her great-grandmother’s wedding dress, looking up at Jasper as she said her wedding vows. In her head, she looked at him the way Prema was looking at Milo, as though he was the center of her universe.

The ceremony ended and the bridal party walked back down the aisle. She noticed the way that Jasmine clung to Jasper’s arm, resting her weight against him. She also saw the triumphant look the woman shot her as they walked by during the recessional. Veronica suppressed a sigh because it was clear she was going to have to endure the other woman’s nastiness for the rest of the evening.

Once the wedding party was out of the room, people began to leave their seats and migrate out the doors. The cocktail hour was in the small bar area in the lobby, people spilling out into thelobby when there wasn’t enough room. Veronica floated around the edges of the crowd, nodding at people she’d seen before.

Eventually, she worked her way to the bar and accepted a glass of white wine. Between the noise of people chattering at each other and the emotions zipping around the room, Veronica was beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed. She found a small alcove down a wide hallway at the rear of the lobby. The counter appeared to be a spot to rest laptops or notebooks, but Veronica hopped up on top of it and leaned back against the wall. She drank her wine and tried to relax. She’d enjoyed talking to Jasper’s family members and his sister-in-law’s family, though she’d had yet to meet his infamous Aunt Samira and her daughter, Mina.

She closed her eyes, letting her head rest against the wall behind her. As she began to relax, two female voices filtered into the alcove from the hallway.

“I wasn’t sure about this place when we got here. The exterior and cabins are so…rustic. But they did a beautiful job on transforming the ballroom.”

“They did.”

“It’s a shame that Jasper brought a date this weekend. I thought for sure he would end up with Jasmine. Can you imagine? Two brothers marrying two sisters. It’s so romantic.”

Veronica’s eyes popped open, and she lifted her head when she heard Jasper’s name. She set her wineglass to the side as she leaned forward and continued to listen. It might be rude to eavesdrop, but she had a feeling this conversation might open her eyes to whatever was making the bride’s younger sister so resentful of her.

“Darya tried to arrange it. Jasmine developed a crush on Jasper as soon as the families were introduced. Her mother likes him as well, so they were both doing everything they could to finesse the situation.”

The other woman made a humming sound. “Have you met the woman Jasper brought this weekend?”

“No, Mina, I haven’t. She’s very pretty and seems quite taken with him, but your Aunt Leila told me that the girl is an empath.” The voice tutted. “I don’t see how she would be a good fit for Jasper or this family. Nothing against empaths, but they don’t handle noise or conflict well and that’s something we have in spades. Jasper would have to change himself completely just to make her happy. I don’t see it lasting once the initial attraction fades.”

Veronica’s stomach clenched. She had a sinking feeling that she was listening to Jasper’s aunt, Samira, talking to her daughter, Mina. And how did his mother know she was an empath? When did he tell his parents?

“I don’t think I agree, Mama. I’ve never seen Jasper look at anyone the way he looks at her, not even Melina and we all thought they would get engaged.”

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