All the Wrong Reasons

Part 52

“I’ll visit,” Cassandra told her firmly.  There was no way that she would let this woman die alone.  If she would not live with them at the manor, Cassandra would visit her as often as she could.

Ava sent her a smile.  “If it would make you happy, visit as often as you would like.  You could even take Cooper with you on a couple of your visits.  I would like to see him.”

“Are you positive you do not want to keep him?” she asked reluctantly.  Cooper was Ava’s son, but he was a son to Cassandra too. 

“Yes, my dear.  He will be treated like a prince if he is with you.  That is all that I have ever wanted for my children, for them to be treated as they should.”

Someone tapped on her shoulder, breaking the eye contact she had with Ava.  Glancing over, she looked at the panic evident in her mother’s eyes.  It was then that she realized that the Lady Ashmore did not know the woman sitting in the chair.  Her mother had never met Ava.

“Mother, this is Ava.  She is my birth mother.”

Ava began to stand, but when a pained expression crossed her face, Lady Ashmore sprung forward. “Please, do not move. I am so sorry.  I wish that you would have more time with our daughter.  She is wonderful.”

Tears were in her mother’s eyes, making Cassandra’s own fill.  “Mother, we will have plenty of time to get to know one another.  Do not think of this as an end, but a beginning.”

Lady Ashmore looked at Cassandra with a proud smile.  “Always great with words, you are.”

“Thank you.”

Her mother opened her mouth to reply when the Queen spoke up, “I am not trying to intrude, fine, I am, but we need to ready Cassandra.  Colin is waiting on her, and I doubt the man will be patient for much longer.”

Hands grabbed the string of her dress and began to untie them, her mother walked towards their pile and grabbed a pair of slippers, and Ava bent down near her chair to grab a veil.  “I think we have everything that we need right here.”

Cassandra glanced around the room before shaking her head.  “No, we are missing one important thing?”

“What is that?” Rose whispered from behind her.

She turned and gave her cousin a wicked smile.  “The groom.”

Colin fidgeted as he stood at the altar.  His fists were clenched tightly as if he were afraid to drop the item in his hand.  It was the most important day of his life, and he was holding the most important object in his life.  Taking a deep, calm breath, he glanced towards the entrance once more.  Still, Cassie did not appear.

“I am going to find her,” he mumbled while taking a step down the aisle.

A hand clasped onto his shoulder and pulled him back.  “She will be here in a minute, my friend.”

“What if she is hurt?  What if she hated the dress?  What if someone did something to her?”

“Colin,” Peirce sighed.  “Cassie wants to be here.  Do you think anything would stop her from getting what she wants?”

Colin stopped and shook his head.  “No, if the woman wanted to be here, she would be here.”

“Exactly.”

“Then why is she not here?  Do you think she changed her mind?”

Peirce let out a groan.  “Good God, man.  Pull yourself together.  You would think that you were the bride.  Grooms do not act this way.”