Epilogue
“You’re an absolute vision, T.J.,” her mother said. A dreamy, wistful smile engulfed her mother’s features and both her sisters’ faces as well.
Dannie added, “That gown is an absolute work of perfection for your figure. Your hair, make-up—everything turned out perfectly.”
“Christian will be in awe,” Chelsie said, grinning.
“Well considering what this thing cost, everybody better be in awe.” Tiffany looked at herself again in the full-length mirror. She did look downright stunning.
The three were gathered in her mom’s Georgia mansion bedroom where she’d been getting ready for her and Christian’s traditional wedding day. The gown was worth what her mom and Nathan had spent. A lot is what they’d spent. An obscene amount of money had been forked out for the dress and every detail that had gone into this wedding.
“This is really happening.” She did a half turn in order to catch a side view of the dress and train. Within a very short time she and Christian would be legally hitched and Tiffany couldn’t recall a happier time in her entire life.
There’d only been two things she’d truly wanted for this day. An outdoor wedding and the location. The decision to have it at night was for the sake of all the vampires. She couldn’t walk down the aisle with sunglasses propped on her face. She’d wanted the location to be here in Georgia where she and Christian had spent so many holidays together. It was the family home and the home where they’d fallen in love.
“I think we covered everything,” her mother said, reaching up to graze the pearl necklace she’d allowed her to borrow for the occasion.
“They’re beautiful.” They had been her great grandmother’s along with a matching pair of drop pearl earrings.
“We have the old, the new and the borrowed covered. But the blue. What did we do about the blue?” her mom asked them collectively.
“I’m wearing it, remember? That slutty corset thing me and Dannie bought at Victoria’s Secret.”
“Well, soon it will be secret no more,” Chelsie said with a wink.
She laughed, her mom and sisters too.
Her mother and sisters had helped her every step of the way for her walk down the aisle. Dannie had given her a manicure and pedicure. Both sisters had worked miracles on her skin, hair and make-up. Dannie seriously could have been a hairdresser and make-up artist. Tiffany had always considered herself fair-looking, but what Dannie had rendered today would have put Hollywood’s best hair and make-up artists to shame. Really, despite all the fuss, she was excited. She couldn’t wait for Christian to see her.
Her mom tugged at the edges of the off-shoulder sleeves on her wedding gown. “That looks just about right.” Next, she reached up and adjusted the diamond-studded tiara.
Julia the party planning partner in her mom’s catering business had designed every detail of the event from start to finish. Her mom would have rocked it out with the food, like she always did for family gatherings and fancy affairs. Tiffany hadn’t yet seen their final masterpiece in the back yard beyond the antebellum mansion, but she knew what the two had created would be spectacular.
There was a knock on the door.
“I’ll get it,” Chelsie said.
Her heart did a little stutter when the door opened and she saw her dad standing there. For several long moment, he stared at her with a look that was a mixture of sorrow, pride and a misty sort of happiness.
“Hi, Dad. You can come in.” Her emotions took a roller coaster ride. Well, they’d been on one since she’d called and invited him to the wedding. Finally seeing him again after all these years was awkward, but cathartic.
“You look just beautiful, Tiffany Jane.”
She smiled. “Thanks, Dad.” He was the only person who ever called her Tiffany Jane except her mom when she was pissed at her.
He had aged considerably. Of course that was to be expected. He was human. That very fact was what eventually broke through the barriers of her heart allowing forgiveness. People, human and vampire alike could make hideous mistakes and yet still be good people inside. Oddly enough, it had been Terry who had enlightened her to that fact. Her first impression of him had been street rough, ugly and nasty, but in the end, she’d witnessed a moral fiber in him. If she could forgive Terry for his part in what Charla had done to her and the other women, she could certainly forgive her dad. That realization took the scary out of meeting him again after all these years.
His eyes were still riveted on her, filled with pride and love as he walked up to her. “I don’t even know what to say to you girl, except this man of yours is darned lucky.”
“I’m lucky too. He’s the one I’ve held out for.”
Her dad nodded. “I knew you wouldn’t settle for anything but the best.” He glanced toward her mother and smiled. “You look beautiful, Mia and happy. I’m glad to see that.”
“I am and I hope you are too. Truly.” Her mom gave him a genuine smile filled with affection.
He stepped toward her and grasped both of her hands. “You and your husband have two beautiful children and you two seem like a very good match. I don’t understand this vampire thing, but I can see it makes all of you very happy. I’m glad for it.”
Mia smiled wistfully. “Just know that you have no worries where your daughters are concerned. Our kind bonds in ways I really have no way to explain. And Chelsie is absolutely loving her new job at Christian’s practice. We’ve both done all we could for them and their lives couldn’t be more perfect.”
“It’s due to you, Mia.” He smiled and squeezed her hands. “You are an amazing mother and it’s mostly thanks to you that our girls are so happy.”
“Well they’re all brilliant and the majority of their happiness lies in the correct choices they made for their lives.”
Her father now knew they were vampires. Once he’d arrived here earlier in the day there really had been no keeping the truth from him. Her mom and sisters explained all that had happened to them and her. Her mom said he’d been skeptical until he witnessed the kids outside playing warp speed tag.
Another knock sounded at the door. Dannie opened it this time. It was Nathan.
“Everyone’s ready if you are, Honey. You look like a princess.” He smiled at her then glanced at her dad. “Daniel.”
Her dad returned a greeting in kind, “Nathan.”
“Are you ready?” Nathan asked her.
She looked to Dannie. “I think so. Are you finished preening and pruning me?”
“All done and I think you’re my best work of art to date.”
“She’s right and so is Nathan. You do look like a fairy princess,” Chelsie said.
“Shit. All of you’ve got to stop with the compliments already. One of you is going to make me cry and mess up my makeup. Then I’m going to get seriously pissed.”
Her mother sighed. “Tiffany Jane, do you think you can keep the potty words to a minimum on your wedding day, please?
Her dad started laughing and rest joined in.
Nathan said, “Ladies, it’s time for you to go. Christian’s getting restless and so are the rest of the guests.”
Her mother gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “I love you TJ. The next time we speak you’re going to be a married woman. I’m so excited for you.”
“I already am married, Mom. This is just a formality.”
“Oh, yes, well I guess that’s true, but there really is something special about walking down that isle.”
That notion made her tear up and she let out another curse. “Somebody get me a damned Kleenex and fast.”
Chelsie obliged then left to go outside with her mom and Dannie leaving her with the two men who were going to walk her down that isle. Her father on one side and Nathan on the other.
After one more look in the mirror, she decided she was ready. She proceeded her two fathers out the door and down the stairs. As they made their way into the backyard brilliantly outfitted for this event, the wedding march began. She and both of her dads slowly made their way to the brilliantly lit dais where her brides maids waited and most importantly her gorgeous husband wearing a pristine tux, standing next to Asa. She smiled hugely because Christian had never looked more handsome.
His expression was priceless. Awestruck was the best word. Tiffany winked at Dannie and mouthed the word thanks.
When her two-fathers released her she took her spot and faced Christian.
“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever laid eyes on, Tiffany. I’ve waited my entire life this moment. For you. This is the happiest day of my life so far.”
“Mine too, Christian. Mine too.”
She may not have waited as long as Christian for a life mate, but Tiffany was glad she’d waited for him. Most of all she was glad she’d taken a chance with a vampire who turned out to be the man of her dreams.