Chapter Fifteen – Elizabeth

“Are you feeling better now?” Elizabeth asked Suzie. It was early evening and they were at Suzie’s house, getting ready to go to Fiona’s for the evening.

Elizabeth had worked tirelessly with Dean all day to make sure everything was perfect for tomorrow. If Elizabeth had her way, she would just collapse onto the sofa, and share a mug of cocoa and a good movie with Suzie. However, Fiona had insisted on them going to her house for dinner.

“I am feeling better.” She hugged her mom tight. “And you know what makes me feel really good about everything?”

“The weather forecast?” Elizabeth was certainly relieved they were not going to be dealing with any downpours. The transformation of Karen’s garden had been with one purpose, the wedding ceremony. The ground would not have coped with a deluge of rain, and Elizabeth would’ve been devastated.

“Sunny is a bonus,” Suzie admitted. “But seeing you so happy and relaxed with Dean trumps that.”

“Does it show? How happy he makes me?” Elizabeth looked in the mirror. Her reflection answered her own question.

“It does. You are glowing.” Suzie finished applying her lipstick. “Right, I’m going to go and give my fiancé a kiss goodbye, and then we can go to Fiona’s.”

“OK, take your time.” Elizabeth watched her daughter leave the room, and then turned a critical eye on her own reflection. Slowly, she turned her face to the right and studied her birthmark. It had faded so much, it was no longer the angry red which no amount of makeup could conceal. Coupled with the long days out in the sunshine, which had given color to her otherwise pale skin, and her hair, which she styled to curl around her face, she could almost forget it was there.

But it wasn’t just about what it looked like. The mark might be fading, but the scars on her subconscious were deep, although not as raw. Elizabeth could feel the change in herself, a healing that she had never allowed to occur. She’d never allowed herself to forget why she was a single parent. Never let go of the stigma of being an unmarried mother, whose parents had thrown her out the door to fend for herself and her unborn child.

The taunts of her youth still rang in her ears if she ever took off the lid of the box she kept them in.

“Maybe it is time to lock them all away for good,” she told her reflection.

“Mom, Dean’s here,” Suzie called from downstairs.

“I’ll be right down.” Elizabeth stared at herself in the mirror for one moment more. Then she turned and left the room, heading downstairs to her man. Her man. Her face cracked into a wide smile. Her man.

“Hi, you look beautiful.” Dean held a huge bouquet of flowers in his hands. “More beautiful than these.”

She reached out for them, and he pulled her into his arms, kissing her lips. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He looked so handsome. He wore a pale blue shirt, with black pants and a worn leather coat. Smart but casual, he carried it off well. “Is Suzie doing OK?”

“She is.” Elizabeth took the flowers through to the kitchen, where she rummaged around for a spare vase. The house was starting to look like a florist’s, since so many people had been giving Suzie flowers and congratulations for the last couple of days. “She and Kit are saying goodbye.”

“He’s staying over at Jacob’s, isn’t he?” Dean leaned against the countertop, watching her as she filled a vase with water and began to trim the stems before arranging them in the vase.

“I hope they have a quiet night.” Elizabeth ran an appraising eye over her arrangement, rearranged a couple of the flowers, and gave a nod of approval before finding a space on the windowsill for them.

Dean chuckled. “He’s a shifter, which means he’s probably going for a run over the mountain tonight. It helps work out some of the nerves.”

“I didn’t think Kit was nervous.” Elizabeth had always found Kit completely calm and confident.

“It’s a big day. He’s nervous.” Dean came to her and threaded his arms around her waist, kissing her neck and breathing in her scent. “And we’re going to go and feast with dragons.”

Elizabeth turned her face and kissed his cheeks. “A few hundred years ago and we would’ve been the feast.”

“Depending on Fiona’s mood, it sometimes feels as if there is still a chance of that happening.”

“Are you talking about Fiona behind her back?” Suzie asked, entering the kitchen, her face flushed.

“I find it the safest way to have a conversation about her,” Dean replied with a smile. He let go of Elizabeth and put his arm around Suzie’s shoulder. “Are you OK?”

“I am.” She sniffed loudly and pulled out a tissue. “I’m going to miss Kit, that’s all.”

“It’s one night and then the rest of your lives together,” Dean reminded Suzie.

She let out a jagged breath. “I know. I just worry that something might go wrong.”

Elizabeth put the last of the flowers in the vase and set them on the table. “Nothing will go wrong.”

“We’re so happy. Sometimes I wonder what we did to deserve it.” Suzie’s breath caught in her throat. “Let’s go, I’ll be OK once we get out of the house.”

“Good girl,” Dean said and left the kitchen, heading to the front door. “I’ll drive, at least then if you two ladies want a glass of wine, you can. And if you want, I’ll even go check up on that man of yours later tonight.”

“No, he’ll be fine.” Suzie walked out of the house and took a deep breath. “I love it here. I never want to leave. Well, except for our honeymoon.”

“Are you packed?” Dean asked, keeping Suzie talking as they all got into the car and he started the engine.

“Yes, we are going to Yellowstone for a couple of weeks. Kit knows some bears over there. Some distant cousins or something.” Suzie sounded calmer now.

“I thought Kit was keeping your honeymoon a secret?” Elizabeth asked.

“It was supposed to be. But he let it slip when I asked what I needed to pack.” Suzie smiled wryly. “It’s one step away from going into the mountains. But truthfully, a villa in a hot climate is not exactly Kit, is it? All that fur.”

“Does Karen know?” Elizabeth asked, remembering their previous conversation with Kit’s mom.

“No. Not yet. We’ll tell her when we get there.” Suzie seemed relaxed about the whole thing. “You will be all right living out here for a couple of weeks, won’t you, Mom?”

“I’m looking forward to it.” She looked out of the window into the dark night. The moon was behind the trees, leaving them silhouetted against the sky. “I like the solitude.”

“I’m sure Dean will stop you from getting lonely,” Suzie said playfully. “Have you two thought about your lives together?”

“Not yet, Louise, Zak and Storm wouldn’t want me living at Dean’s house too,” Elizabeth replied.

“They wouldn’t mind. It’s a big house.” Dean sounded disappointed.

“There’s plenty of time.” Elizabeth was set on her decision. It would give her and Dean a chance to get to know each other. Moving in with a man she hardly knew was daunting, moving in with four people she hardly knew was terrifying.

“How is the house hunting going?” Suzie asked

“Louise and Zak have made an offer on the house they want to buy. If it’s accepted, they will begin renovations while living at home, and then get married before they move in. They plan to fit in a honeymoon in Australia too.”

“Oh, to be young again,” Suzie said.

Elizabeth laughed. “You are only in your twenties,” she reminded Suzie.

“Yeah, you sound like an old married woman already,” Dean teased.

“I soon will be.” She sighed contentedly. “I can’t wait for tomorrow.”

Elizabeth smiled, happy that Suzie had gotten over her jitters. “One more sleep,” she told her daughter.

“If I sleep.” Suzie looked out of the window, and they all sat in silence as the truck climbed the rest of the way to Fiona’s house.

“Here we are. The dragon’s lair,” Dean teased as he parked the car and switched off the engine.

Before they had even gotten out of the car, the front door opened and Sapphi and Ruby stood on the front porch waiting for them.

“We thought you weren’t coming,” Sapphi called.

“Sorry, we are running late,” Suzie apologized as she got out of the car and went to hug them.

“Just don’t be late tomorrow,” Harlan called from inside the house.

“It’s tradition for the bride to be late. It keeps her man on her toes,” Fiona could be heard answering.

Ruby laughed. “Fiona keeps us all on our toes,” she confided.

“I heard that.” But Fiona didn’t sound particularly upset.

The girls giggled and pulled Suzie into the house, leaving Dean and Elizabeth to follow. They were such incredibly happy children, despite having lost their parents. Whenever Suzie talked about them, it made Elizabeth understand that with the right love and support, it was always possible to turn your life around.

“Wine?” Harlan asked as they went into the sitting room.

“Please,” Suzie accepted a glass from Harlan. “But only one glass. I want a clear head for tomorrow.”

“Same for me,” Elizabeth said as Harlan passed her a glass.

“And soda for me, I’m the designated driver.” Dean accepted a glass from Ruby. “Thanks.”

“Shall we make a toast?” Harlan asked.

“Yes.” They all murmured in agreement.

“To Suzie and Kit.” Harlan raised his glass. “And their special day.”

“To Suzie and Kit,” they all agreed.

“May their marriage be as happy as ours,” Harlan added, with a wink to Fiona, who smiled sweetly. Elizabeth could sense the slight tension between them.

“You two are happy,” Ruby said firmly. “It’s just that sometimes you forget it.”

Sapphi stifled a laugh, and Samuel, who was sitting on a playmat on the floor, squealed happily.

“Have we come at a bad time?” Dean asked directly, which was met with a laugh from Harlan.

“No, I’m teasing Fiona.” Harlan moved to stand next to his wife and put an arm around her shoulder. “It’s not something she’s used to.”

“That’s because your idea of teasing is not funny. Not in this age, or any other.” But Fiona rested her head on his shoulder, and looked content.

“One thing our marriage has taught me,” Harlan continued, “Is that you can’t teach an old dragon new tricks.”

“That works both ways.” Fiona prodded Harlan. “I have yet to train Harlan to understand his jokes are not funny.”

“Mom is right about your jokes,” Ruby agreed.

Sapphi laughed. “They might have been funny a century or two ago.”

“See?” Fiona told Harlan.

“Everyone’s a critic.” Harlan laughed along with them, not upset at all about his family turning on him.

“I think what my husband is trying to say, is that not only do we wish Suzie and Kit a wonderful happy life together, even if Kit isn’t here right now,” Fiona began, “but we also send Elizabeth and Dean all our best wishes. And wish our children health and happiness, and that they find their mates and have children of their own, so they can know exactly what their parents had to put up with.”

Sapphi rolled her eyes. “Is this still about my phone?”

“It might be,” Fiona nodded.

“It is,” Harlan added.

“OK, my turn,” Dean said, stepping forward. “My toast is to all of us, and that we all live long lives, in the presence of family and friends we love and treasure.”

“To treasure,” Sapphi and Ruby chorused.

Dean laughed. “Trust a couple of dragons to think of that kind of treasure.”

“We know what you mean,” Sapphi said. “And seeing Louise so happy, makes me less hostile to finding my mate.”

“Why would you be hostile?” Suzie was surprised.

“Because I want a career. I want to go to college, and see the world before I have a mate and babies.” Sapphi looking older than her eighteen years.

“The two are not exclusive,” Suzie told her gently.

“Maybe not.”

“Mr. Right is out there for you,” Fiona said maternally. “And if you do meet him, you can always make him stay home with the babies.”

“OK, let’s eat!” Harlan said, trying to defuse the situation, and led them to the dining room. They all followed, with Fiona last, carrying young Samuel in her arms. Elizabeth was surprised to see the gentleness in Fiona’s face. If she had to guess what kind of shifter Fiona was, Elizabeth would never have guessed a dragon, because she looked like as soft as a pussycat.

She caught Dean watching her, watching Fiona, and smiled. Maybe this was better than a mug of cocoa and a movie. After all, this was a slice of real life. Something she had not experienced too much before. But the more she did experience life, the more she craved it.