“I don’t want to wear a jock strap, even if it’s pink. I think I’d rather wear pink panties,” Quin said, looking a little bewildered.
“Good choice…now…what about your dress? Do you want to make it?”
“I’m not sure. I never expected to be in the wedding so I haven’t really thought about it. I’d have to come up with a design, decide on a fabric and then sew it. I’m not sure there’s enough time. Finding the right fabric is something that can’t be rushed.”
“Of course not,” Kieran agreed. “Oh, I have the bestest idea! There’s a store in Paris which just opened and it has the most amazing haute couture dresses made for men and I bet we can find something there. Wait until you see the outfits, I bet you’re going to want all of them causethey’re simply divine. When I found the shop online, it immediately reminded me of your designs…hey, have you ever thought of becoming a fashion designer. You’d be so amazing, I bet Miss L would love a dress designed by the one and only, Mr. Q. And then you’d have to make a dress for Mystia, Sofia, Hope, Willow, Lily…oh, and Oracle, because you wouldn’t want them to be unhappy about not having one of your gorgeous creations. Oh, thisisthe bestest idea ever!”
Quin sat down, overwhelmed by Kieran’s suggestion. Looking up at his friend, he said, “But I don’t know anything about becoming a fashion designer.”
“Macushlacan help you. He knows everything.”
“Babe,” Logan interjected, “why don’t you and Quin concentrate on finding a dress for the wedding and when it’s over, we can discuss it then. After all, you still need to finish your robe for the ceremony.”
“I can help you do that,” Quin said, eagerly.
“Okay, but first we need to find you a dress.Macushla, do you need me right now? I was working on Squirt’s nursery but I’m almost finished going through the changes I wanted so I can finish it up later because there’s still time before he comes, even though you forgot that last night.”
“Go help Quin, babe, the rest can wait.”
“You’re the bestest mate ever!” Running over to Logan, Kieran hugged him before giving him a kiss. “Love you,macushla!” Then turning to Quin, he said, “C’mon, Q, you’re going to just die when you see these dresses.”
~/~/~/~/~
Zane made his way over to the office Steel assigned to David and Adam. Luckily, it wasn’t far from his computer lab because otherwise he’d have insisted on something closer. He wasn’t happy about his mate being apart from him, but after talking it over with Steel, he realized it might be a good idea. Ever since David and Adam had begun to work in their own space, Zane could see how much his mate’s confidence had grown—something, Steel had pointed out, he’d need to fulfill his role as High Priest of the Paranormal World.
Pushing open the door, Zane grinned at David who was sitting at his desk surrounded by old, thick books, piled high. He watched his mate studiously making notes on a sheet of paper. “Hey, babe, Jackson wants to see me, so I thought I’d check in and see how you’re doing.”
Glancing up at Zane he set down his pen and, sticking out his lower lip in frustration, exhaled causing the hair covering his forehead to flutter. “Adam told me about a new petition I’ll have to hear soon, so he gave me the applicable laws to read. It concerns the question of who has more rights over the children in a pack…the Alpha or their parents?”
“Let me guess, the parents are bringing the petition, right?”
“Yes, how did you know?”
“Just a guess. Where’s Adam now?”
“We found some more references regarding past decisions made by different governing councils, so he’s researching them.”
“Will he be gone long?” asked Zane, uneasy about leaving his mate alone.
“I don’t think so.”
“Okay, call me if you need anything.” Heading over to David, Zane leaned down, pressing his lips against his mate’s furrowed brow. “Hey, everything willworkout, cuore mio, trust me.”
“I hope so. Now I know how King Solomon felt when two mothers were fighting over a child.”
“Sorry babe, I don’t know what you’re referring to. Who’s King Solomon?”
“Two women claimed the same child and King Solomon had to decide which was the child’s mother. It’s from a book the High Priestess made me study. She said it was important that I was familiar with other religions.”
“So, what happened? How did he find out who the mother was?”
“Easy. He threatened to cut the child in half so each woman would end up with half.”
“Ahh, that’s sounds gruesome.”
“I know, but one woman begged the king not to do it; she said she’d give up her claim if he promised not to hurt the child. The king then declared that woman the true mother and gave the child to her.”
“Clever.” Zane smiled. “That’s exactly what my mother would have done. She would sacrifice herself before allowing any of her children to be hurt. Hey, maybe you can apply the same principle to the upcoming petition.”
