*Eliza*
Yawning, I looked through another swatch of fabrics that a local dressmaker had brought for . My stomach rumbled but when I reached for so fruit, bile rose in my throat and I put it back.
Sighing, I went back to the fabrics.
Half the ti, I was starving. The other half, I was too nauseated to eat and it flipped back and forth so quickly.
But I was tired all the ti!
Trying to plan a wedding while battling fatigue and nausea wasn’t the easiest.
I rubbed a swatch of lace between my thumb and forefinger. It was soft and pliable, unlike so stiffer, scratchier laces.
“How’s it coming?” Jared asked, popping his head into the bedroom.
I laid out the different fabrics I was studying. There were several lace options, satin, silk, and chiffon.
“I’m still trying to decide on the right fabric for my dress. I haven’t even looked at the swatches for bridesmaid dresses.” I pointed across the table where there were several more swatches of colored fabrics that I’d requested for bridesmaids’ dresses.
“Eliza, you don’t need to push yourself so hard to make this happen. I thought we said we wanted sothing simple.”
Jared ca up behind and started massaging my shoulders.
“Oh...” I leaned into his touch as his fingers worked down into the thick, knotted cords of my muscles. “You do know how to spoil a girl.”
I knew Jared wanted sothing simple for a wedding. He hadn’t even wanted to invite family!
It wasn’t like I didn’t understand his reasoning. Who would he invite? Ciana and Theo? He’d only t them once. King Xander? They didn’t know each other at all.
I could invite my cousin and then the Alpha King would probably co along as well but did I want to force the two of them together?
No, I didn’t.
But getting married was a big deal for . I wanted to share it with my family. Especially if I was going to remain in the Dark Realm with Jared, I wanted my family there for so of my big life events. I didn’t know how often I’d get to see them going forward.
“These are so really nice fabrics,” Jared comnted. He stopped massaging my shoulders and grabbed the swatch.
I whimpered at the loss of contact. I’d finally started relaxing!
“Well, it is a big event. And I don’t an big as in the event itself is big. I just an it is important. I want it to be morable, even if it gets a little expensive.” I tilted my head back and smiled at him.
Jared smiled back. He put his hand on my back, between my shoulder blades, and kissed quickly on the lips.
“You’re right, it should be important. I was thinking about what I wanted for a tux, and my groomsn too.”
“Oh, you finally decided to get dressed up?” I teased, sticking my tongue out at him.
“Well, if you’re getting an expensive seamstress, we might as well get our money’s worth.”
I looked at the fabrics I’d collected and fingered one of the silkier fabrics. “Jared, are you sure you’re okay with this?”
“Yes, I’m more than okay with this. You deserve your dream wedding. I’m not going to hold you back,” he assured. He kissed the top of my head and rubbed my back.
I smiled and nodded. “Thank you. That really ans a lot to .”
“If you’d like, I can even make a trip to the capitol to pick up the fabrics once you know what you want to order,” he offered.
“Really!? That would be great!” I bead a bigger, wider smile at him.
“Anything for you, my dear. I’ve got a description of what I want for my tux and the groomsn. If I leave it with you, can you add it to your order?”
“Yes, I will.”
Jared handed the page and I laid it out on the table with the rest of my notes. Piece by piece, the whole wedding was coming together.
“Just let know when you make the order and I’ll head out.”
Later that day, I followed up with Giselle and Scarlett.
“Don’t worry, we’ve got your hair and makeup covered. Once we see your dress, the two of us will co up with the perfect makeup palette and the best hairstyle for you,” Giselle assured.
I tugged on so of my curls. “Yeah, good luck taming all of this ss.”
Scarlett winked at . “Honey, I’ve tad wilder.”
“Thank you. You guys are the best.”
“Oh, Miriam was looking for you. She had questions about the catering. You should touch base with her, since you seem to be on the warpath to get this all organized,” Giselle said, touching my arm.
“She’s my next stop. Thank you, guys, I never would be able to get this all done without you,” I said. I waved to them as I left to track down Miriam.
She was in the kitchen and had several slices of cake laid out.
“I’ve been trying to co up with the best wedding cake but I need your input,” she said, pointing to the slices. “Tell what you like and I’ll make it happen.”
She was very abrupt today, no greeting, all business.
“Okay...”
I picked up the closest cake slice and took a bite. The thick chocolate was so smooth in my mouth and the buttercream frosting was perfect.
“This cake is a little denser than I like.”
“Try this one, then.” Miriam handed a slightly lighter chocolate cake.
I tasted that one. The cake was so fluffy and light. The frosting was sweet and airy.
“This one, definitely.”
“Alright. And for the rest of the nu...”
Miriam went over what she was planning to make for the guests. It all sounded great. She had such a creative eye for good food.
As we talked about the nu, I couldn’t help but wish my mom was there. I was planning my wedding and it seed like sothing I should be doing with my own mother.
“Eliza, are you listening?” Miriam’s voice cut through my thoughts.
Sighing, I shrugged. “I really appreciate everything you’re doing. I just had a mont where I... was missing my mom.”
Miriam smiled a rare soft, tender smile. “You wish she was here to help with the wedding planning?”
“Yes, I do.”
Miriam put her hand to my cheek in a maternal gesture. “I know I’m not the real thing, but I’m here for all the younger shifters of this pack. Whatever you need to make this day morable, let know.”
“Thank you, Miriam, I really appreciate that.” I covered her hand with mine and sighed heavily.
Maybe it was because I was pregnant and I was going to be a mother soon but I felt a strong desire to be around my own mother or have so kind of maternal connection.
Absently, I touched the locket around my neck and thought of Jared’s mother, too. He’d be without his mother on this special day as well.
If I was being honest, that was a part of that was a little scared about doing the motherhood thing alone. I would have liked my mother to be there to guide through it all. She’d had two kids and would be able to answer all my questions.
I left the kitchens and walked outside for so fresh air. With a notebook in hand, I wandered through the packhouse gardens, taking notes on what flowers I liked most.
So of them were so gorgeous I paused and leaned in to sll them. The wonderful floral fragrances eased all the tension around .
The packhouse gardens had always been beautiful. Now in the sumr, there were roses and tulips, so colorful carnations and a whole bunch of flowers I didn’t know the nas of.
A wall of twisting vines wound up one of the fences making a dense, leafy, green barrier.
Suddenly, my arms started to weaken and I felt like my notebook was made of lead.
Fatigue crept up on so quickly!
I headed back to the packhouse and frowned. One of the corners was crumbling a little and the paint had been scraped off.
That would need to get fixed.
Forgetting my fatigue, I turned the page in my notebook and wrote down the area of damage and the extent of the damage.
A window one floor up caught my eye. It was cracked and the window sill was sagging.
Quickly, I made another note.
This house was falling apart!
With the bulk of the wedding plans out of the way, it seed like a good ti to take stock of the damages on the exterior and interior of the packhouse so Jared and I could start focusing on repairs.
I headed inside to scour the place from top to bottom for anything else that needed to be repaired.
The front doors were open, because it was so nice. They let a sumr breeze into the packhouse.
The garden doors were open, too, making a sort of wind tunnel through the house. It had a nice cooling effect.
On the front porch, I could hear so pack mbers talking.
“Jared’s pulling up now. He went all the way to the capitol.”
A smile tugged at my lips. He’d already gone to get the fabrics I’d ordered! How perfect was he?
I tossed my notebook and pen on the nearest table and rushed out the front doors to greet him. Jared had earned himself a big hug and a kiss for everything he’d been doing for , lately. Least of all, helping get this wedding planned!
Besides, I wanted to inspect the fabrics.
I ran down the steps towards Jared’s car. He was just getting out of the driver’s seat.
My cheeks ached with how much I was smiling. I ached to hug him and throw my arms around him. It always seed like I got tired and weaker faster when he wasn’t around. Maybe, a big hug from him would reenergize enough to get the rest of the things done that I needed to get done!
Jared waved at . He was smiling but there was sothing... almost bashful in his smile.
I started to slow down. Worry twinged in my stomach.
What was he being secretive about?
Jared went to the back passenger door of his car and pulled it open.
Two figures popped out, standing with their arms around each other. Their eyes wide as they surveyed the area.
I stopped short. My heart jumped into my throat.
What was going on here?
The two people that got out of the car, I recognized them. But how were they here? How had Jared found them?
“Mom? Dad?”
It was my parents.
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