The door to the bedroom swung open and a head of tamed and carefully-coiled dark curls poked around the corner.
"Mom?"
Autumn Milford tore her eyes from the full-length mirror and focused instead on her nineteen-year-old daughter, Jordyn. "Yes?"
"They're here."
The words that Autumn had been dreading for weeks echoed in her ears. She stiffened, a kaleidoscope of emotions and memories whirling behind her dark green eyes.
Get out of this house!
But, Mom—
You betrayed our trust and you betrayed God. Get out—now!
Behind Autumn, her best friend Marnie Whitman laid a soothing hand on her friend's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay," Marnie murmured, pushing a curl of chestnut hair behind Autumn's ear. "They can't hurt you anymore."
Autumn took a deep breath and shoved those memories away. She knew that this meeting was inevitable, ever since she made the decision to invite her estranged parents to the wedding. But now that the moment was here, she was having second thoughts.
And third—and fourth.
"Mom?" Jordyn eased into the room, worry writ across her light brown face. "Do you want me to get Dad?"
"What do I need to fetch Corbin for?" a soft, male voice inquired. A tall, lean man in his late forties with striking Nordic features and short, pale blond hair stepped into the room behind Jordyn. He wore a smart black tuxedo with a dark green tie and pocket square.
Closing her eyes briefly, Autumn turned on her bare feet and faced Magnus Solberg. "Nothing, thank you, Magnus," she breathed. "My ... parents arrived, that's all."
"Ah." Magnus nodded. "Do you want them removed?"
Autumn smirked. That would be something, wouldn't it? The ultimate screw-you to the parents who had kicked their pregnant seventeen-year-old daughter out of the house: Be invited to your estranged daughter's wedding to a millionaire and then promptly get frog-marched out.
"It's tempting," she told Magnus, "but no."
"Does your father know that I'm walking you down the aisle?"
Autumn had initially planned on walking down the aisle alone but decided on asking Magnus to do the honor. It was also Autumn's way of thanking the older man for supporting them when some members of Magnus's and Corbin's elite clique came out against their relationship.
"No," she replied. "But that's his fault, isn't it?"
"Indeed." Magnus gave her a little smile and glanced around at the chaos in the bedroom—boxes laying open and scattered around on the floor, Autumn's wedding shoes sitting on a chair, her veil draped over the back. "Do you need a few more minutes? I can come back."
Autumn took a deep breath to settle her nerves. "No, you can stay. Could you hand me that bottle of water over there, please?"
Magnus walked over to a small table by the bedside, picked up the water bottle, and handed it to Autumn. She twisted the cap off and took a long, grateful drink. They'd had mimosas with breakfast; while she desperately wanted another one, she was not going to walk down the aisle tipsy. Puking all over Corbin was not in the cards.
Puking all over her parents, on the other hand ...
"There's a wedding day smile," Marnie said, beaming; she turned Autumn around to face the mirror again.
"Where's Thyra?" Jordyn asked, closing the door. She grabbed her mother's shoes, put them on the floor, and sat down, dark green skirts swishing along the floor.
Magnus claimed the other unoccupied chair, hooking one foot over his knee. "With her nanny in our room. I'll have them come down for the reception."
Autumn grinned, letting the conversation about Magnus's adopted three-year-old granddaughter ease her nerves. Behind her, Marnie hummed a song as she added diamond clips to Autumn's hair, completely oblivious to the fact that Magnus Solberg was a vampire.
As were most of the wedding guests.
And Autumn's fiancé, Corbin Westbrook.
Three years ago, she hadn't known vampires existed outside of popular media. That was, until she accepted a job providing pastries and desserts for Corbin's fancy gathering for good vampires—or Knowing, as they called themselves. During those whirlwind two weeks at his Ashford Estate in Williamstown, Massachusetts, Autumn had been courted by Corbin and nearly died when she was attacked by the bad kind of vampire—a Fallen. Corbin had saved her, revealing his own vampiric nature, and the rest, as they said, was history.
"How was Corbin when you left him?" Autumn asked as Marnie tucked the veil's clip into the back of her hair.
Magnus chuckled and re-crossed his legs. "Wearing a hole in the floor."
Autumn laughed, too. Corbin was notorious for stressing himself out over big events. It was something Autumn was trying to help him work through, but habits that were two centuries old were hard to break. Her husband-to-be was an academic and painter at heart; parties were not his cup of tea. At least their guest list was small and they didn't have any vampire masters breathing down their necks.
Speaking of masters ... Autumn had asked Corbin about those mysterious ancient vampires, but he said they wouldn't make an appearance with humans in attendance.
Secretly, Autumn was glad none of them were coming. She'd never met one before, but according to Corbin, they looked like little masked figures in heavy, concealing robes.
Creepy.
"There," Marnie pronounced, patting the top of Autumn's head gently. "All done. You look beautiful, girl."
Slowly, Autumn lifted her eyes from their position on the floor. In the mirror, her reflection's mouth rounded in a small "O" of surprise. Was that really her?
The make-up artist had given Autumn a light, natural look, with a touch of green and gold eye shadow, minimal mascara, and lipstick that was a shade darker than her normal tone. Marnie had styled her hair so that it was half-up, half-down; diamond clips in the shape of stars sparkled as Autumn turned her head left and right. A small emerald tiara perched on the crown of her head; no matter how hard she pressed Corbin, he wouldn't tell her the price.
"Let me spoil my fiancée on her wedding day," was all he said with that maddening grin of his.
Jordyn had already claimed the tiara as hers for when she got married.
Taking a deep breath, Autumn smoothed her hands down the front of her gown. As much as she hated spending Corbin's money—money she herself had not earned—she had to admit that this dress was worth it.
The dress, which she had bought at Kleinfeld's in New York at Corbin's insistence, was a simple A-line with off-the-shoulder cap sleeves and lace appliqués in the shape of leaves and flowers—a nod to Corbin's love of gardening. The bodice was cut low, but not so deeply as to give guests a front-row seat to her breasts. Now the back ... well, that was a little more daring than Autumn had expected to like; it dipped to mid-spine, which meant that she had to wear these absurd pasties to give her boobs support. Jordyn laughed so hard when Autumn first tried them on that she nearly choked on her sandwich.
The train spilled in a soft puddle at her feet, reaching three feet behind her when properly spread out. Autumn flicked it out of the way when Marnie knelt on the floor to position her feet into the flat, comfortable shoes. Sure, she could have worn elegant heels, but as someone who was on her feet a lot in the bakery, Autumn preferred comfort over design.
"Mom, you look amazing," Jordyn said, coming up behind her.
Beaming, Autumn reached behind her and gave her daughter's arm a squeeze. They stood there framed by the mirror, Autumn in her wedding gown and Jordyn in her dark green, floor-length bridesmaid dress with spaghetti straps. Marnie hovered behind, the top of her thick curly blonde head just visible over Autumn's tiara.
"Magnus, could you take some pictures?" Jordyn pulled her phone out of the dress's hidden pocket and passed it to the older vampire.
"Certainly."
The door cracked open and the wedding planner stuck her head in. "Five minutes, Ms Milford."
"Okay," Autumn replied, taking a deep breath. Oh, God, it was time. Tiny butterflies sprang to life in her belly and she took another drink of water to quell their excitement. Maybe she should have another mimosa ...
Marnie reached down and grabbed Autumn's bouquet from where it rested next to the mirror. "Here."
Magnus took a few photos of the three women, then handed Jordyn her phone. Walking up to Autumn, he crooked his elbow and held it out to her. "Ready?"
Tilting her chin up, Autumn smiled at the Norwegian vampire and took his arm. "Yes."
Magnus grinned. "Let's go, then."
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Want to see Autumn's dress? Visit Kleinfeld's website and search for D281Aurora.
Interested in what Jordyn's looks like? Visit Bridal by Lori's bridesmaids website and search for 0138888.