After she finished, I placed my forefinger and thumb on her chin and brought her lips to mine, kissing her softly.
She hummed happily. “I could use a nap after that, but I can never sleep on planes.”
I smiled as I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Maybe I can help with that.”
I led her back to the bed, and we both crawled under the covers. I set a timer on my phone so we would have enough time before landing to get dressed and make ourselves presentable again.
I pulled Adelaide against my body, cradling her and lacing our fingers together. I opened my mouth to tell her again how much I love her and how thoroughly I’ve enjoyed our time together over these past few months, but before I could even speak, her breathing deepened and she let out a soft snore.
“Adelaide! Get your cute little butt out here!” Birdie crowed from the other side of the folding screen.
Dash swore under his breath behind me. “Hold your horses, ladies,” he hollered back. “There are about one million tiny buttons back here, and I can only work so fast.”
With a flourish, he secured the final button, quickly checking to make sure he hadn’t missed any. Satisfied, he grasped my arms from behind, leaned over my shoulder, and planted a kiss on my cheek. “Simply stunning, love. Now go show those impatient ladies that this was worth the wait.”
I huffed a laugh through my nose and, lifting the gown’s hem so I wouldn’t step on it, came around the screen to stand on the pedestal in the shop’s dressing room.
A collective gasp filled the room. I heard my mum start sniffling from where she sat on a sofa beside Queen Isobel and Evelyn. Birdie, Mel, and Rosie were seated in Chesterfield armchairs surrounding the dais, the first two holding glasses of champagne while Rosie sipped a flute of sparklinggrape juice. The gown’s designer, Nicolette, stood near the back of the room, her hands clasped together in delight.
I turned to face the floor-to-ceiling mirrors while Dash arranged the train of the dress. My breath caught in my throat as I took in the silk organza wedding gown. Off-the-shoulder straps met in a sweetheart neckline and draped bodice before flaring into the full skirt. A slit at one side showed my leg while still managing to be elegant. I turned, peering at the back, where a row of fabric-covered buttons cascaded down the train. It was sophisticated and classic, timeless with a few modern details—everything I had ever wanted in a wedding gown.
“Just a couple of finishing touches,” Dash said as he handed me a pair of opera gloves in the same white silk organza as the dress and fastened a cathedral veil edged in tiny pearls into my hair. Satisfied with his work, he took a seat on the arm of Rosie’s chair, grinning down at the girl. “Isn’t she stunning?”
Rosie’s eyes were wide in adoration. “I’d say she looks like a queen, but sheisgoing to be one!”
I smiled at her in the mirror before returning my gaze to the dress. When Dash and I had met with Nicolette in January, I had described my dream wedding gown, figuring I had nothing to lose. After all, the wedding wouldn’t really happen. But Nicolette really had outdone herself, working in record time to create a masterpiece that fulfilled every one of my requests while keeping royal protocols in mind.
But I couldn’t deny the way things had shifted since Oliver and I told each other “I love you” two weeks ago. We had spent every night together, most often in my suite since that was the space Shadow was most used to. Neither of us had yet broached the subject of the wedding, although I knew that we needed to sooner rather than later. I stillhadn’t told him the real reason why I had been so reluctant to be with him, but it was easier to bask in the “honeymoon” phase than to bring the reality of my infertility crashing down around us.
In spite of all of this, I had been picturing what it would be like to walk down the aisle on June 1. It was easy to imagine what a life with Oliver would look like, and not just for the work that I could do as queen, but because we had started to live it. Brushing our teeth side by side, eating late dinners together in the palace kitchen, and waking up every morning with his arms wrapped around me. If any of the staff had noticed the change in our sleeping arrangements, they had kindly kept it quiet, allowing us a semblance of privacy.
Nicolette’s voice pulled me out of my reverie, images of walking down the aisle toward Oliver while wearing this dress dissipating. “If you don’t mind, I have a few adjustments I’d like to make.” She approached the dais, a pincushion strapped around her wrist, and began surveying her work. “We’ll need to bring the hem up just a bit, and I’ll make a few tweaks to the fit here in the bust. I will also tighten the straps slightly; I don’t like the way this left one is draping more than the right side.”
“Of course, please do whatever you need to,” I said, turning back to face the room. Dash removed the veil to allow Nicolette better access to the dress while I moved as directed so she could work.
“I hear you ladies have a raucous bachelorette party planned for tomorrow,” Evelyn tittered as she took a sip of her champagne. Beside her, Queen Isobel barely suppressed an eye roll.
I laughed. “I don’t know exactly what Birdie has planned, but I doubt ‘raucous’ will be the right description.”
“She told me no penis-shaped paraphernalia,” Birdie chimed in dejectedly.
Evelyn reached over to pat Birdie’s hand. “Oh, that’s all right, love. You can bring all of that to me.”
Mel, Dash, and I all choked. Isobel scolded, “Mother!” while Rosie let out a scandalized “Gram!” Birdie threw back her head in laughter.
“Oh, I do adore you, Evelyn,” she said, turning her hand to squeeze the old woman’s.
My own mother, meanwhile, looked unsure what to do with this odd group of individuals I had managed to surround myself with. I was glad to have her here though; even though I was an only child, I had always been closer with my dad, but it was nice to be able to share these moments with Mum.
After Nicolette finished making her adjustments to the dress, Dash helped me out of the gown, careful not to poke me with any of the new pins, and flitted off to take it back to Nicolette.
I took my time getting dressed, daydreaming about wearing the dress for Oliver and the look on his face when he saw me in it.
“Okay, blindfold on!” Birdie declared, whipping a silk scarf out of her bag.
I eyed her suspiciously as I buckled my seatbelt. “Is that really necessary?”
“Yes, ma’am. I told you that I was keeping everything a surprise, and that includes the location. I don’t want to spoil it by having you guess where we’re going on the drive!”
