Page 90 of Twisted Gift

23

“You’re what?” Mom shrieks, her eyes wide as she stands in front of me.

A few days after Tristan underwent the transition to become human, I meet my parents at an Italian restaurant downtown for lunch. I’ve missed them so much, and now that Tristan and I are engaged, I need to see them. They have to see firsthand how happy I am. It’s been too long.

Dad swallows hard, his eyes glassy, but I haven’t seen him so content in a long time.

Mom turns to him. “You’re too calm. Why aren’t you freaking out? Our daughter is getting married!”

He smiles, wrapping his arm around Mom’s shoulders, and leans in to kiss her cheek. “Because I already knew.” Dad laughs at my own wide-eyed expression. “I spoke to Tristan on the phone before he bought the ring when he asked for your hand.”

Holy shit.

I blink, trying to force back the tears. Just when I thought I couldn’t love Tristan any more.

Mom reaches for my hand and lifts it so she can look at the ring. She sucks in a breath. “Oh, honey, it’s beautiful.”

I nod in agreement. “I’m in love with it,” I say with a smile, staring at it myself. I’ve barely taken my eyes off it since Tristan slipped it onto my finger a week ago.

We haven’t set a date for the wedding. Not long after we got back to the hotel the night he proposed to me, we decided it was best to wait until our fae friends had a better handle on the situation. With Tristan being human, things are going to change even more than they already have. There are a lot of decisions to be made and an ongoing battle with The Experiment to deal with before we can even think about dresses and flowers. That’s not to say Allison hasn’t been sending wedding photo ideas since we told her we were engaged, because she hasn’t stopped.

I spend the afternoon with my parents, forcing myself to not think about the fae, The Experiment, or the tug of sadness I still feel over Tristan losing his best friend—his brother. Today, I’m going to breathe, smile, and allow myself to just be human.

After lunch, the three of us walk through the downtown shopping district.

Mom squeals when she notices a bridal shop. “Let’s go inside!”

I shake my head. “Mom, no. Come on. We haven’t even set a date yet.”

She waves me off. “It’s never too early to start looking forthe dress, Aurora.”

I look to Dad for help, but he just shrugs, laughing at Mom’s sparkle-eyed excitement. “Humor your poor mother, kiddo. She’s not going to let up until you do, and we both know it.”

I glance back and forth between them and sigh. “All right, fine. Let’s go look.”

Mom’s eyes light up. “Thank you, honey.”

We walk into the store, and in less than thirty seconds, we’re greeted by one of the employees. She introduces herself and asks whether she can help us find “something special.”

Mom nods. “Our daughter just got engaged,” she beams. “We’re looking for the perfect dress for her.”

The store clerk smiles. “Of course. I’d be happy to help you find it.” She leads us deeper into the store. “Can I offer anyone champagne?”

“That would be lovely,” Mom answers before Dad or I have a chance to say anything. We exchange amused glances and say nothing, letting Mom have her excited mother-of-the-bride moments. After all she’s been through since Adam got sick, it’s the least she deserves. I’m happy we can give that to her.

The store clerk ushers me into the changing room. “So, when’s your big day?”

“We haven’t set one yet. I wasn’t looking to go dress shopping for a while, but my parents were in town, and my mom saw your store and insisted we come in.”

“How nice,” she says politely. She takes my measurements and asks me what kind of dress I’m looking for.

“Something simple but elegant,” I say, a tinge of uncertainty in my voice. I haven’t given it much thought, regardless of the number of photos Allison has sent me. “I like lace,” I offer.

She nods. “Okay, good. Are you wanting to go with the traditional white?”

“I think so,” I answer, then think about it for a few seconds. “Yes, white.”

She smiles at me. “Gotcha. Give me a few minutes, and I’ll bring you some options I think you’ll like.”

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