I stared out at the dawn as the sun began its climb into the sky. Birds filled the air with their morning song, a dog barked in the distance, and a soft breeze made the leaves in the trees dance. It was going to be a beautiful day.

“Nothing can match how beautiful you are, honey.” My mom came up behind me and hugged me around the waist. I put my hands over hers and stared down at her face. I was taller than her by a good six inches. I’d had to look down at her since I was about 14.

“I’ll love you forever, Momma, you know that, don’t you?”

“Of course I do, Willow. I’ll love you all the days of my life too, darlin’, don’t ever doubt that. What do you want for breakfast?”

“I’m not sure I can eat.” I felt her hand tense on my belly, and she gave me a look.

“You need toast, sweetheart. And a hot chocolate. I’ll make you some then we’ll turn you into a bride.” She trotted off to the kitchen happily and I watched her go.

Edana came down next, and she looked at me in front of the screen door. “I always knew you’d be a beautiful bride. From the first time you put on that dress I made out of a pillowcase, I knew you’d be just perfect.”

She brushed a lock of hair out of my face, her grey eyes smiling. “I can’t believe I’m here with you.”

“It’s odd, isn’t it? I haven’t seen you in over 13 years, but it feels like it was only yesterday.” I took her hand in mine, sensing some odd connection that joined us.

“It does. I’m glad your mom found me. I’m so happy you asked for me.”

“That wouldn’t have more to do with Aleric than me, would it?” I grinned when her cheeks turned pink.

“No, it does but it doesn’t. I think it was time for me to come home.” She patted my cheek and then made her own way to the kitchen.

The rest of the morning was taken up with hair straighteners, a dusting of makeup I never wore, hairspray, makeup setting spray, and a flurry as silk and tulle settled over my head. The top of my dress was fitted lace, the bottom a poof of tulle that mimicked a cloud. I’d chosen it because it reminded me of how Henry made me feel. The heart in the neckline just set it all off. Lace sleeves covered my arms, and we’d arranged my hair in a knot on the top of my head. I was made up, hair done, and dressed in a way that was not familiar. I looked beautiful, or so the faces around me said. Mom’s eyes were even filled with tears.

“I waited for this day. I knew it would have to come, but I never imagined you’d look so... perfect, Willow. So absolutely perfect.”

I crushed her in a hug, and then we walked down and out of the house together. She walked me up the aisle as the song played. It could have been a Slipknot song for all I knew, all I felt was her hand in mine, the way my heart pounded, and the pure love that washed over me when I saw Henry’s eyes on me. That was the goal, reach him before tears broke from my own eyes.

The official spoke, words were said, I repeated some more, and then his ring was on my finger, mine was on his, and our lips were together as the crowd around us cheered. It was all far too surreal to even know if it had been perfect or not. I watched him, his eyes when he smiled, his lips when he spoke, and gave him my hand when I was told to.

My husband, this dragon, this man, was now my husband. The tears came and I broke tradition and threw my arms around his neck. I had a complete family now. Our family. He’d given me more than just himself, he’d given me a family of my own.

We walked back down the aisle to a shower of rose petals thrown by our guests who sang out cheers and laughed as we ran down to the area where we planned to hold the reception. My brain turned back on when he pulled me to him for one more kiss. Our guests filtered into the reception area, but we didn’t care, we only knew each other. We pulled apart and I had a smile on that would not stop, even when it began to hurt to smile.

I was too happy not to smile. I hadn’t wanted this life, but it was mine, and I’d kill anyone that tried to take it from me now. I smiled at dragons, I shook their hands, I hugged his brothers and sister, I took the kiss his father placed on my cheek and smiled at him without a single twitch. I made it through the day, and most importantly, I didn’t kill anyone by accident.

I looked out at a sea of smiling, happy faces, and breathed a sigh of relief. I hadn’t realized how worried I’d been. Not that something would ruin the big day, but that I myself would ruin the day with uncontrollable rage at my guests. I’d made it through the day, and everyone was still breathing. That was the best gift we’d had.

I noted faces, and names, but didn’t really notice any of them until a group of brothers came up with some of the most beautiful women I’d ever seen at their sides. They were late arrivals and Henry and I were on our way out when they all showed up.

“Willow, these are my cousins, Kane, Cade, Jadrian, and Jacob Alexander. And these are their wives, Damesha, Jacqui, Sabrina, and Allana.” Henry introduced me to his rather gorgeous extended family members, and I stared at them in awe.

All were temptingly beautiful in their own ways, and they all seemed to have some kind of magical quality to them. They were women I’d like to get to know, and men to be admired.

“It’s very nice to meet all of you.”

“They live in your world, but the brothers are very special shifters, they’re shapeshifters. They can be anything they choose.”

“Oh now, that’s convenient.”

“It can come in handy,” the one named Kane said with a lilt of laughter. He had a boyish grin and mischievous eyes. His wife, Damesha, put her arm around his waist and grinned at me.

“Especially if you like water.” That seemed to sober the one named Jadrian for some reason and I knew I’d have to get the story behind that at some point. Right now, I had a honeymoon to get to.

“I’m sorry to leave, but we have an appointment to keep,” Henry said with an apologetic tone. He gave me a wink, as they all adopted knowing smiles. I grinned at them unabashedly.

“Yeah, an appointment.” I wiggled my eyebrows and they all laughed. I felt at ease around them all, though we’d only just met. I gave a light wave of my hand as we left the gorgeous family. I would have to invite them all to dinner sometime, I decided as we walked away.

“Are you ready to visit the land under the sea, my princess?” Henry smiled down at me as we walked to the car, our adoring family calling out words of love and goodbye to us.

“Wait.” I stopped for a minute, my arm on the door of the driver’s side. Henry had no license and didn’t know how to drive. “I’m really a princess now, aren’t I?”

“Of course, you are, my love. You are Princess Willow of Henry, or Princess Willow, Countess of Wirkster now. Whichever you prefer.”

“Willow seems good enough to me.” I shoved yards of tulle into the car and we laughed when I tried to buckle my seatbelt and the tulle just kept puffing up. He held it down for me, and I stuffed most of it under me so that I could drive away, a wave of the hand a final goodbye.

“I guess I should have changed dresses.”

“It’s our first challenge and we conquered it together, so hard.” He tried out another saying from my world and it made me laugh.

“So hard!” I repeated in a dark voice, and we laughed again.

Nothing could spoil life now.