Cole chuckles at me and says, “Happy Wedding Day!” and kisses me.
After that it's all systems go. Devon calls in a favor from a ‘friend’, who even at this ungodly hour jumps to help when he calls her to start the ball rolling for a marriage license. All we will have to do is pitch up with identification and we’re good to go.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
A fter a leisurely soak in the tub, grateful that my back has now healed, I set about sorting my hair out and finding something to wear. I find it ridiculously hypocritical to wear white, but Cole insists, so I go into my closet in search of the very few white clothes I own. I find a beautiful lacy, strapless mini dress by Jovani that I don’t remember buying that would be perfect. It is still very “me”, but also in white which will please Cole.
Deciding to wear my hair in loose curls, I plug in the curling iron after drying my hair and work it through bit by bit. Checking the time, I see it’s now 8 AM. After finishing my makeup, I pull the dress on and step into my shoes, nude Louboutins of course. Cole chooses that moment to walk back into the room. He stops dead when he sees me. I turn nervously in a circle for him and his eyes burn with desire. “You’re beautiful,” he says, kissing me softly. “I’m the luckiest man on Earth.”
“I’ll say,” Devon says from the doorway. “Check you out, Kitten. Who knew white was your color?” He embraces me tightly.
“Tiffany’s is opening early for us, so we should go,” he says then, all business-like.
“Wait. There’s just one more thing,” I say and disappear into my closet. Facing right, I press my hand to the biometric scanner and punch in the key code. The hidden door slides open. This is my safe room. Every article that I have deemed precious enough to keep over the last thousand years is locked away in here. The low-level lights flicker on and I head straight for the drawers on the right-hand side. Pulling open the top one, I find what I am looking for: a beautiful Celtic silver, perfectly untarnished, intricately smithed, full circlet tiara, given to me on our wedding day by Fraser.
Somehow it seems fitting that I wear it today. I finger it carefully and Devon asks softly, “Are you sure about that?”
I turn with a sad smile and nod. “Yes.” I lift it out carefully. He takes it from me and artfully arranges it on my head.
“Perfect,” he says.
Cole is watching quietly. I see his eyes dart around the room, taking it all in. A museum’s worth of antiquities adorns the walls and fills the cupboards and drawers. His eyes land on the portrait of me that CK had commissioned in 1503 by Leonardo da Vinci, only three short years before I met Devon.
“Wow!” he says.
I smile at his wonder. “I’ll take you through everything in here soon, there are some things I would like you to see,” I tell him.
“I’d like that,” he replies with a smile.
“But right now, we have rings to buy,” I say smiling brightly.
>
He beams at me. “Do you know what you want?”
I know exactly what I want. “Yes. Do you?”
He looks at me shyly. “It depends on what yours looks like,” he says.
I giggle with glee at his sentimentality.
“Then let’s go.”
We arrive at Tiffany’s around 8:45 AM and are ushered in straight away.
I whisper to the manager exactly what I am looking for and he goes off to find it for me.
He returns shortly while we are admiring some fabulous pieces. He holds out the box with aplomb. It’s perfect. In an eternity-band style, it has circular, alternate clear and black diamonds all the way around. I love it. Grinning at Cole, I nod, and he asks for something to match in men’s rings.
Sometime later, we leave the shop with our purchases. Cole has finally chosen a platinum band with three ¼ carat black diamonds across the top. It’s perfect.
A t City Hall, Devon’s friend is waiting for us to sort out the license and then we wait to be called. I go to freshen up and adjust the circlet, remembering my last wedding day all those years ago. I kept my hair similar when I moved onto a previous life in Scotland and Shifted to Emily. In fact, my whole guise was remarkably similar to my natural form, as I was keen to stay away from anything that looked remotely like Elizabeth, still mad with Devon for leaving me. I felt I was somehow punishing him by not looking like his true sire. I became Emily and was taller by four inches, a darker blonde with blue eyes. Tears spring to my eyes as I remember, but I shake the thoughts away. It is still too painful after all this time.
I exit the bathroom and bump into Cole, who has come to find me.
“It’s time,” he says nervously. I take his hand.
We enter the courtroom with Devon at my side. Standing in front of the Justice of the Peace, Cole and I say our vows to each other, simple declarations of eternal love. I vow to take care of him always and to teach and guide him. To love him, always.