Winter Wedding, стр. 29
A tap at the door made Cheryl jump.
“Are we ready in here?” her father asked as he peeked his head inside. “Oh, wow. You look beautiful.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“I meant your mother.” Her father took her mother into his arms and smacked his lips against hers. They embraced and kissed for what seemed like an eternity.
“Um. Hello. Daughter in the room. And need I remind you, I’m getting married.”
Her father pried his lips from his bride. “Oh, and he’s mighty nervous down there, so we better get this Winter Wedding started before that young man takes off for the woods again.” Her father held out his arm. “He’s a good man.”
“That he is.” She sucked in a deep breath and managed to make it down the stairs without falling. According to all the research she’d done on the Winter Wedding, the key component was the white fairy dust that looked like snowflakes.
Her father pushed open the back door. The stars and the moon lit up the evening sky. They provided enough light so that the fairy dust sparkled as it danced around, landing in piles on the ground, only to stir and rise up to the sky again.
Isadore and Coral stood at the edge of the makeshift aisle wearing red dresses. Daphne and Chaz took their place to the side of the preacher. Finn and Ivy were tucked neatly into a bassinet and, for now, slept like the little angels they were.
Drew and Nico stood proudly next to Dayton, who rocked back and forth on his heels with his hands clasped tightly together.
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She never imagined Dayton would be nervous about anything.
When he caught her gaze, his lower lip dropped open and both brows shot up.
“I think he likes what he sees,” her mother said as she kissed her cheek.
Her father snarled protectively. He patted her hand as the music started, and they made their way down the makeshift aisle.
“Two weddings in two days,” her mother said, shaking her head. “All my babies married and with pups coming of their own.”
“I just hope Drew and Coral don’t think this Winter Wedding ritual took away from their special day.”
Her father laughed. “That Coral. She’s a hoot and a half. I think she preferred the untraditional party we had yesterday over all this tradition. Which is weird, because I’d never heard of a Winter Wedding until you gave me that old book on it.”
“Dad. Can you please stop rambling?” she asked behind a tight jaw and a plastered-on smile. The only people in attendance were her immediate family, the heads of the Twilight Crossing Council as well as the chosen Royal Fairies, but that didn’t make her any less nervous. It still blew her mind that in a matter of minutes, she’d be married.
And a queen.
Her father kissed the back of her hand before placing it in Dayton’s. “Remember, I loved her first.”
“Yes, sir.” Dayton took in a deep breath.
She gazed into her fated’s dark eyes. Sparks flickered about inside just like the snow-like flakes that floated around them, spreading the love and joy the Wolfairies have brought to this world.
She stifled a giggle, remembering she was a Wolfairy.
“I want to show you something,” Dayton whispered in her ear. He raised his finger, swirling the white dust around. He tossed it toward the sky, creating a screen. In the screen, a couple dozen Wolfairy pups played in this very backyard.
Chaz and Drew chased the bigger ones in their wolf form while Daphne and Coral pushed a few Wolfairies in their human form on the swing set.
Isadore and Nico sat at the picnic table. Isadore’s belly swollen once again with babies.
Dayton strolled into the image, scooping up a couple of children in his arms, blowing raspberries at their cheeks. They flapped their arms and giggled, screaming, “Mommy!”
Dayton let them down as they raced off toward the house, where she sat on the front porch with her parents. They looked a few years older, but all in all, aging quite well.
“How many children do we end up having?” she whispered.
“If I told you that, you’d never marry me, much less go on a honeymoon with me.”
She swallowed. “That many, huh?”
“If it makes you feel better, Isadore and Nico have a couple more than us.”
“Well, maybe we need to play some catch up.” She waved her hand in the air, closing the vision into the future.
All that mattered was right now. This moment.
The Winter Wedding.
Her wedding.
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Also by Jen Talty
NY State Trooper Series
IN TWO WEEKS
DARK WATER
DEADLY SECRETS
MURDER IN PARADISE BAY
TO PROTECT HIS OWN
DEADLY SEDUCTION
WHEN A STRANGER CALLS
Brand New Novella for the First Responders series
A spin off from the NY State Troopers series
PLAYING WITH FIRE
Other novels
REKINDLED
JANE DOE’S RETURN
THE BUTTERFLY MURDERS
The Aegis Network
THE LIGHTHOUSE
HER LAST Hope
THE LAST FLIGHT
THE RETURN HOME
Coming soon!
THE MATRIARCH
The Collective Order
THE LOST SISTER
THE LOST SOLDIER
THE LOST SOUL
Coming soon!
THE LOST CONNECTION
Special Forces Operation Alpha
BURNING DESIRE
BURNING KISS
BURNING SKIES
BURNING LIES
BURNING HEART
BURNING BED
The Brotherhood Protectors
ROUGH JUSTICE
ROUGH AROUND THE EDGES
ROUGH RIDE
The Twilight Crossing Series
THE BLIND DATE
SPRING FLING
SUMMER’S GONE
Coming soon!
WINTER WEDDING
Witches and Werewolves
LADY SASS
ALL THAT SASS
Coming soon!
NEON SASS
PAINTING SASS
Boxsets
LOVE CHRISTMAS, MOVIES
UNFORGETABLE PASSION
A NIGHT SHE’LL REMEMBER
SWEET AND SASSY IN THE SNOW
Novellas
NIGHTSHADE
HIS DEADLY PAST
A CHRISTMAS GETAWAY
About Jen Talty
Welcome to my World! I’m an Award-Winning and Bestselling Author of Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance, and Paranormal Romance. DARK WATER, book 2 in the NY STATE TROOPER series hit number 10 in Barnes and Nobel overall. THE BLIND DATE hit number 1 in the Contemporary Romance/Kindle Worlds List on Amazon. JANE DOE’S RETURN won both THE MOLLY and the BEACON