Kissing Frogs
Page 29
I noticed changes in myself after my time with the aes sidhe. I did things that I never could before. The fairies gave me gifts and I treasured them. Grandma Fi always told me that I had magic within me. I never believed her, but now I had to wonder if she had been right all along.
It was amazing how the world turns a full circle. Two years ago, I woke up excited and happy, only to find my life rocked when Luke dumped me. I spent almost a year hiding, letting life pass me by. But here I was again, about to get married. And this time, it was right.
I looked across the room at Kyra, sitting in a chair having her hair piled on her head in a beautiful mess. It was because of her that I finally came out of hiding. I remembered that morning… hungover, annoyed, and feeling more than a little sorry for myself. Then she called to con me into taking care of her frog. Who knew that a frog could change so much?
But it had. I looked around the room. Just about everyone I loved was in this room.
My grandmother sat on the bed in a beautiful silvery gown, her long, white hair loose and wavy, bright pink flowers behind her ear. My mother sat next to her, gorgeous in a pale sage green dress that fell in waves to brush the floor when she stood. She caught my eye and smiled. It had taken awhile, but we were good again. Something about almost losing your daughter in battle changes your perspective. It was hard for any of them to deny the existence of magic now, something my grandmother smugly pointed out every chance she got. Even as she faced me, I waggled a finger at her and her empty wine glass filled itself with pink champagne. After a little start, my mother mock glared at me. My magic wasn’t something she was used to yet, but she was trying.
Mac stood next to Kyra, stunning in a gown of her own in dusky turquoise, rosy lilies woven into her hair. She fussed over her daughter as she stood up, wearing a floaty dress with garlands of flowers flowing down the skirt. She wore more flowers in her hair, big cabbage roses and tiny tuberoses that circled her head. As I watched, Mac helped her slide on another pair of fairy wings, so delicate they looked as if they’d fall apart if you so much as breathed on them.
And behind me stood Taylor, putting the finishing touches on my hair. Today, her crazy hair was lavender, matching the gown she wore. A giant pink lily pinned her hair back on one side, showing one of the ear cuffs I’d designed. She slid one last pin into my hair, securing a circlet of flowers into my hair. Big rosy flowers and sprigs of lavender nestled into bright green leaves, a crown of flowers. Her smile was bright when she met my eyes in the mirror, dropping one lid in a sassy wink.
It was my turn to get dressed in the gown that hung on a padded hanger on the back of the door. White lace formed the bodice and the skirt flowed to the floor in ever darkening pink. My wedding dress. The last one I’d ever buy and the only one that mattered.
Taylor fastened the last hook and turned me around to face everyone. One by one, they each hugged me before leaving, soft kisses and murmured words of love in my ears. I had just a few minutes alone before my life would change yet again.
I stood at the window and watched the last of the guests disappear out of my sight under the canopy of dried vines and fairy lights, twinkling in the night sky. I strained to see more of the yard just as a knock sounded on the door. It opened and my father walked inside, so handsome in his tux.
“Hey, Cass. Matt and Melvin are downstairs. They want to see you. They seem to think they can talk you out of this.”
For a moment, I just stared at him. I wasn’t sure if he was teasing me or not. But then his face crumbled into laughter.
“Don’t quit your day job, Dad,” I grumbled. “Your comedic timing sucks.”
He just smiled before dropping his arm around my shoulders and tucking me into him. “You ready for this, Cass?” His voice was soft, but I could hear the faintest tremor in it.
“I think the better question, Dad, is whether you are ready for this?” I gave him a little elbow to the ribs.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be ready. I’m still not ready for MacKenzie to be married and she’s been hitched for years!”
“Is this a Dad thing?” I grinned at him.
“Must be,” he agreed with a smile, offering me his arm. We walked through the house, hearing the lilting sounds of Celtic music as we neared the back of my house. I stepped out onto the deck to discover my yard transformed into a woodland wonderland.
My sister and Taylor had created the perfect fairy tale wedding. I knew they wondered why I would want anything to do with fairies after what we’d been through. But I knew, more than any of them, that Siofra was the sad exception. The aes sidhe I knew were about love and harmony and that was what I wanted for this day.
They had truly created another world. I could only see some of it from where I stood with my father on the top step, but what I saw was breathtaking. Dried grape vines and green ivy wove together to form a covered walkway, twinkling with white lights. Flowers of every color were tucked into the ivy inside. Walls made from more vines and ivy extended from either side of the walkway at the other end, blocking me from the view of the wedding guests and from Finn. My dad and I walked through the enchanted tunnel, stopping at the end.
Tall poles outlined the space, garlands of flowers and lights winding around them from the ground to the top. Yards of fine white and pale pink tulle were tied to the tops, fluttering on the breeze. Arcs of brown wooden chairs were on either side of the aisle, each tied with a tiny bouquet of flowers and leaves, every one different from the last. Potted ferns and other plants nestled between chairs, making the chairs look as though they had grown where they were. Strings of white lights looped from pole to pole, creating a canopy of twinkling lights against the night sky. Tall trees in pots stood between the poles, beautiful flowers tucked into their leaves.
Mac and Taylor had even created a tiny koi pond with a bubbling fountain to the left of the wedding arch, the scales of the brightly colored fish sparkling like diamonds in the fairy light. And around it, invisible to everyone but me, stood five aes sidhe, the clan queen herself in the middle. They inclined their heads as I discreetly waved and I felt a wash of serenity pass over me. It was almost too much for me to take in as I waited for the music to cue me.
Finally, the music started and we began our walk down the aisle to Finn, waiting for me under the wedding arch. He met my gaze and winked at me, flashing that cocky, lopsided grin I loved so much. No cookie cutter tuxes for my pirate. Instead, he wore a three-piece suit, dark charcoal with barely-there black plaid. Under his vest, he wore a snowy white tux shirt without a tie. The top button was undone and I could see hints of ink peeking out from underneath. He was mouth-watering…
After one last kiss and hug from my father, I turned to face Captain Finn. Grandma Fi faced us and began to speak the words that would tie us together. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his.
“I, Finneas O’Malley, take you, Cassidy, to be my wife. I promise to love you and trust you all the days of my life. To share all that I am and all that I have. I vow to give you all that I am from now until eternity.”
“I, Cassidy Flanagan, take you, Finn, to be my husband. I promise to laugh with you and cry with you all the days of my life. To share with you all that I am and all that I have. I vow to give you all that I am from now until eternity.”
A few more words and we were bound to each other for the rest of our lives. I loved the realm of the aes sidhe and the peace and healing they had given me. But this is where I belonged, in this realm. With my family, my friends, and with Captain Finn. It went against every sappy romance novel I hated, but sometimes there is something to be said for living happily ever after. I kissed a frog and I liked it…
Aes sidhe (ays shee): supernatural race in Irish mythology comparable to elves or fairies
A ghrá (uh GHRAH): Irish endearment for “love”
Caiomhe (QWEE-va): gentle, beautiful, or graceful
Catriona (cat-rio-nah): Irish variant of Katherine
Siofra (SHEEF-ra): el
f, sprite
Thank you to the readers who took a chance on me and read this book! Thank you also to everyone who has helped me out along the way. This book would not have been possible without the help of a lot of amazing people.
Big thanks to my husband, who has always been my biggest fan.
Thank you to my kids, who put up with some less than stellar dinners and a half-crazed mom.
Thanks to Jessi Gibson, the greatest writing coach of all time, for all of your encouragement and advice. Without you, I’d probably be in the corner babbling! You are the epitome of awesome!
Thank you to Trenda London of It’s Your Story Content Editing. You are amazing at what you do and I can’t thank you enough for helping me!
Thank you to Mellissa Foster who has become my partner-in-crime and who accepts my rants as par for the course. Thank you, too, for all your help! You rock!
Thanks to Kennedy Kelly of Cover Crush Designs for the amazing cover that captures Finn so well.
Thanks to my mom, Connie, and my dad, Vern… I wish you were still here to see this. My love of the written word comes from you!
I was born and raised in a tiny town in the wilds of northern New York, a pretty, little college town called Potsdam. I grew up in a family of lawyers and teachers and bucked all the traditions. Before becoming a writer, I spent a lot of years wearing combat boots in the US Army. I spent most of my time in boots working as a Signals Intelligence Analyst (no jokes!) and a linguist. I also worked as a tech writer, an entirely different kind of writing, for Corning Glass Works. Now, I’m an Army wife and a mom to four sons. Over the years, our Army life has taken us all over the place and I have been lucky enough to work and live in some pretty amazing places. Now we live in Hawaii, just minutes from the beach!
I am a writer thoroughly in love with words. Reading them, writing them… I love that words can take you outside of your world and let the unimaginable become imaginable. When I’m not writing or lounging on the beach, I’m probably somewhere with my nose in a book.
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