With Everything I Am (The Three #2)(175)

Sonia started breathing but only to hyperventilate.

“Oh my God! Can you believe this place?” Kerry shrieked, racing to Sonia and throwing her arms around her.

As usual, not to be outdone, Mabel screeched, “Scotland is awesome and Callum McDonagh is even awesomer!” and Sonia felt Mabel’s body hit her and Kerry’s embrace and they moved to fit another in their clinch.

“I can’t cry, I can’t cry. We already did my makeup twice,” Sonia told them, holding on tight.

Kerry pulled back, held on with one arm and lifted her other hand to fan Sonia’s face and, as Mabel followed suit, Kerry ordered, “Don’t cry. We don’t have time. We have to get you dressed and then we have to get dressed too.”

“Yes, sweetheart, we have to get you dressed,” Regan proclaimed from beyond them, Sonia looked to her and she lost her breath again for Regan was holding up a beautiful wedding gown encrusted with lace and pearls and, standing beside her was Callie, holding up a fabulous pair of elegant, sophisticated, stylish, stiletto-heeled, ivory slingback pumps with pearl-encrusted, pointed toes.

Cinderella shoes. Absolutely.

“Oh good goodness,” Sonia whispered.

“Callum thought you might want something special so he sent me shopping,” Regan informed her.

“Oh good goodness,” Sonia repeated on a whisper and how she managed it with her throat closed was a miracle.

“She asked our opinions and we all agreed,” Mabel announced.

“As did I,” Sonia heard said from the direction of the door, her eyes shifted from the beautiful wedding gown and fabulous shoes to the door and she saw Leah standing there.

Leah had told Sonia that she and Lucien were tied up, they couldn’t come to The Mating but they’d come for visit as soon as they could.

She’d lied.

“Oh good goodness,” Sonia moaned promptly before she burst into tears.

Kerry and Mabel folded her in their arms and only stepped aside when Leah took over.

“I’ll get the makeup again,” Mara muttered on a sigh.

Sonia burst out laughing but she did it through tears.

Happy ones.

* * * * *

Sonia sat between Regan and Gregor in the Rolls Royce, the fabulous car another surprise, on their way to The Lodge.

Leah, Kerry, Mabel, Mara and Callie had all changed into their lovely, but secret, deep jade bridesmaid dresses after they’d helped Sonia dress. Regan had donned her stylish, pale yellow mother-of-the-groom dress. Before Gregor helped her fold into the Rolls, Regan had handed her a huge, stunning spray of calla lilies intermingled with fluffy tufts of lilies of the valley that not only looked regal as well as just plain stunning but smelled divine.

Her gown, shockingly, fit like a glove but then again, Regan had long ago measured her for a, “Sweater I’m going to knit for you, sweetheart.” Sonia, at the time, hadn’t thought why Regan smoothed the measuring tape from hip-to-sole and everywhere besides. She’d had too much on her mind and didn’t knit so what did she know?

Now, she knew.

Her gown, as was everything Callum, his mother and Leah (she found) put together, was perfect.

Elegant and opulent, yet somehow simple, the gown skidded over her figure perfectly, the entirety of the ivory silk covered in delicate ivory lace, including the five foot train that trailed behind her. Pearls and opalescent beads decorated the lace but not in abundance, simply catching the eye and giving the gown even more personality. The neckline was princess, the gown sleeveless, the line graceful, skimming her body to her knees then flaring out slightly in an elegant fall to a lace, scallop-edged hem and train.

She couldn’t have picked better.

Tear drop pearls suspended from diamonds, a gift from Regan, dangled from her ears.

Something new.

The ring of her mother’s Regan gave her on her pinkie.

Something old.

A single strand of pearls with a diamond and gold clasp sat on her wrist, loaned to her by Leah.

Something borrowed.

A garter made of blue satin and edged in intricate lace circled her thigh, given to her by Kerry and Mabel.

Something blue.

Her claiming chain hung from her hips, given to her by Callum.

Something wolf.

She was ready for her wedding and she looked exactly like a woman about to marry a king.

But she was feeling funny, as she had been now for weeks. Strange, like jetlag, not herself but, lately, it was accompanied by what felt like hot flashes, the skin on her entire body getting warm for sometimes seconds, sometimes whole minutes before it would cool.

She lifted the bouquet to her face, took in a breath and then let it out, but it didn’t help.

Nothing, she’d found, did.

“Are you quite all right, Sonny?” Gregor murmured and Sonia looked to her vampire.

“Yes, I’m wonderful, Gregor,” she told him and his lips tipped up but his eyes moved over her face.

“You’re a bit flushed, my dear,” he noted and she lifted a hand to fan her face.

“Just… feeling strange. Probably stress. It’s been going on for a while. I suspect, after this is over, it’ll be over,” she told him and was too focused on what was to come, she missed his eyes moving swiftly to Regan before coming back to her.

“Sonny, sweetheart, are you and Callum, um…” Regan trailed off and Sonia turned her head to her mother-in-law.