Lifting the lid, I grinned as I studied the pink, plastic gem set in cheap metal. “Awww. Our ring!” Pulling it out, I laughed as I pressed it onto the tip of my pinky finger. Leaning towards Cy across the way, I gave him a kiss. “I shall cherish it always.”
Cy beamed, then whipped out an envelope from his back pocket. He, like Birch and Elm, embraced both of their forms, swapping back and forth between them as they saw fit. Elm and Cy were both looking very handsome in hoodies, jeans, their customary heavy boots, their fuzzy faces untrimmed, natural. The envelope held the pictures forgotten back at my place. I’d feared they’d be lost to me forever.
Cy barely had a chance to catch me as I launched myself at him. “Want Cy ‘pose?” Cy asked.
“You’re mine,” I muttered into his shoulder as I squeezed him tight. “You couldn’t be anymore mine if you tried.” Pulling back to swipe at my eyes, I grinned. “But if you’re feeling inclined, knock yourself out.”
“Mama says Cy should ‘pose, do it right,” Cy grumbled, looking uncertain.
“Cypress Rowan Tree, will you-”
Cy shoved his hand over my mouth with a growl. “Not s’pose to ‘pose to me,” he growled at me.
“My Purr-roo can ‘pose to Kehl,” Kehl offered lightly.
Cy released me with a snarl to sit back. Giving Kehl a warning look, he rumbled, “Fine.”
Sitting back on my haunches, I studied him. “Well… now I don’t know if I want to.”
Cy bared his teeth at Kehl like this was somehow his fault. Kehl calmly sat there while I scrambled for the item in my pocket.
“Oi. Bridezilla. Will this work?” I barked.
Cy jerked his gaze away from Kehl at my words. He blinked stupidly at the twin sets of rings in sizes for both of his forms.
“Cypress Rowan Tree,” I began again.
“MINE!” Cy snatched me up, hugging me close, peppering kisses all over my face until I was a chortling mess and Kehl and Elm were laughing along with me at his antics.
Releasing me, he sat back and thrust his hand at me. “Have to put it on Cy finger.” As I slipped it onto his ring finger, he added, “Also have to tell Mama you ‘pose to Cy.”
“I’ll be sure to tell everyone,” I assured him. I meant it sarcastically, tongue in cheek, teasing him, but he was proud to be asked. It went right over his head.
“Elm turn.”
As we settled down, Elm grabbed his backpack and pulled out that mangled box. It was practically falling apart, taped back together so many times I wondered how I was going to open it.
Kehl caught on and leaned over me to slice through the top with a thick, sharp claw easily.
Peering inside, I found a time capsule filled with mementos from our past.
“Elm protect,” Elm rumbled out as I pulled zipped bag after bag out.
Dried out daisies I easily knew were from Zilla’s funeral. The little plastic bubble vending machine container thing that the fake wedding day ring Cy had just given me came in. Every mixed CD I’d ever made him, playlist I’d ever written down, it was all here. “You little stalker,” I whispered as I pulled out my old, busted MP3 player.
Hand made drawings were in another bag. Scribbles, doodles from both of us.
I found an album full of more of the millions of pics Sunny loved to take of all of us. It was unreal, seeing proof of just how happy I’d been with them, in my element. That gap without them, it was rare to see me smile, a real, genuine one, let alone find a pic of me smiling. The difference was stark.
I didn’t hate my parents for their choices but I didn’t agree with them. They’d wanted so badly for me to live a normal human life but there were other sides of me screaming at me, crying for burrowkin, my mates, slowly killing me denying myself, denying all of it, if I was being honest with myself. It would never have worked out quite as they’d liked it to have.
My gaze lifted, meeting Elm’s. He was up and scooping me up to hug me to him before I could move.
Something cold and metallic touched my finger.
“Pru, you be Elm wife? Yes? Okay. Elm, you be Pru hubsand? Yes. ‘Kay, now kiss you wife,” Elm rumbled jokingly,in the same rushed way Birch had when it was his turn to pretend to marry me to Elm. Birch was so starved for sugar he said ALL the parts himself.
With a laugh, I cupped the side of Elm’s face and kissed him. The band he placed on my finger was simple, complimenting Cy’s, the gold band surrounded by green, blue, and white and brown gems to match all of their eyes.
