45. Terra #2
Lucy tilted her head.
“No, honey—it’s pretty but that’s not your mommy’s dress.”
Terra laughed.
“I agree—it’s kind of a lot.”
Her mom nodded.
“You look beautiful because you always look beautiful, but that dress is wearing you.”
Cody nodded.
“Yeah, Mom—Nana’s right. You look like one of those cakes.”
Terra laughed again.
“Thank you, Cody.”
She looked at Taurex and saw that the big Monstrum was watching her intently.
“Well?” She spread her hands. “What do you think?”
“I think you are beautiful,” he said.
Terra’s heart fluttered.
“But?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
He hesitated.
“The garment… seems unnecessarily large. I looks, as Cody said, like one of the cakes we saw in the bakery. The ones with too many layers. ”
Lucy laughed.
“See? Even the ‘Bull-man’ agrees. Next dress!”
The second dress was a mermaid cut—fitted from bust to knee before exploding into layers of ruffles that trailed behind her like a tail.
Terra emerged, took one look at herself in the mirrors and immediately shook her head.
“No. Uh-uh. This is not the one.”
“No,” Lucy agreed.
“Nope,” Cody said.
Lisa considered it seriously.
“It looks like a mermaid.”
“It’s supposed to, I think,” Terra told her.
Taurex remained diplomatic.
“The first one was preferable but neither one is quite right.”
Terra laughed and disappeared back into the fitting room.
The third dress was simple satin with thin straps and a straight skirt.
It was beautiful…but it was also completely wrong.
Terra stood on the platform turning from side to side and frowning at her reflection.
“I feel like I’m going to an awards dinner.”
Her mom nodded.
“It’s pretty, but not bridal enough.”
Cody shrugged, looking bored.
“It’s okay.”
Lisa made a face.
“It’s not even a little like a princess dress.”
Terra looked at Taurex.
“What do you think?”
He studied her, his golden eyes both admiring and speculating.
“I agree with Lisa,” he said at last.
Everyone stared at him.
Taurex frowned.
“What?”
Terra smiled.
“So you want princess style too?”
He shrugged.
“I am beginning to understand the term.”
That made her laugh but then it was time to try again.
Dress after dress followed. There was a lace sheath that made Terra feel like a doily.
Then a strapless gown that required so much structural engineering around her breasts she was afraid to breathe.
Then an off-the-shoulder dress Lucy adored but Terra found itchy.
And a romantic chiffon gown that came close but somehow still wasn’t right.
Through all of it, Taurex watched her with his arms crossed over his broad chest.
He didn’t grow impatient, and he didn’t check his communication device or complain that women took too long or say all the dresses looked the same—which was exactly what Jackson would have done.
Instead, he studied each one as seriously as he had studied the cake flavors and flower arrangements, and whenever Terra asked what he thought, he answered honestly but gently.
By the seventh dress, Terra was starting to think she might not find anything that felt right.
Then Jenna brought in one more gown.
“I’ve been saving this because I wanted to see what direction you went first,” she said. “But I think this might be the one.”
Terra put it on and when she came out to look at herself in the dressing room mirror, her breath caught in her throat.
The gown was ivory rather than stark white—the color warm and creamy against her skin.
The bodice was constructed from layers of delicate lace laid over a softly structured satin base, with a deep sweetheart neckline softened by illusion tulle so it was sensual without being overly revealing.
Fine floral embroidery traced upward from the waist and curved along the neckline, accented with tiny seed pearls that caught the light without sparkling too aggressively.
The sleeves were sheer lace and fell just off the shoulders, leaving the graceful line of her collarbones bare while providing enough coverage over her upper arms to make Terra feel comfortable.
But the skirt was what made her fall in love.
It began at her natural waist rather than squeezing tightly around her hips, then flowed outward in a full A-line sweep of layered satin and soft tulle that moved like water whenever she took a step.
It wasn’t the enormous princess skirt of the first dress, but it had enough fullness to feel romantic, enough structure to give her shape, and enough softness to make her want to turn in circles just to watch it move.
Terra stared at herself—it was perfect. If she was really getting married, this was the dress she’d want to get married in.
“Oh,” she whispered. “Oh, my…”
Jenna smiled behind her in the mirror.
“Well, you seem to be speechless. That’s usually a good sign.”
Terra touched the skirt.
“I feel…”
But she couldn’t finish. Beautiful wasn’t quite enough.
In this dress, she didn’t’ see the flaws Jackson had complained about or the hips he said had gotten too wide or the breasts he claimed weren’t as firm as they used to be.
She saw a bride who was a grown woman and a mother. A woman who had survived a bad marriage and divorce and humiliation and fear and had somehow come through all of it still capable of loving someone again.
She felt like royalty—not a twenty-year-old princess waiting for her life to begin but a queen who had already fought her battles and finally found someone worthy of standing beside her.
Terra swallowed hard.
“I want to show them.”
Jenna’s smile widened.
“Then let’s go.”
Terra gathered the skirt and stepped out of the fitting room. For some reason, she suddenly felt nervous—ridiculously nervous—though she didn’t know why.
She walked toward the staging area and climbed onto the little platform, letting the gown fall around her. The mirrors caught her from three angles at once, showing the curve of the fitted bodice, the sweep of the skirt, as well as the delicate line of lace disappearing into the train.
Turning around, she looked at her family.
“Well,” she asked, trying to sound casual even though her heart was pounding, “What do you think?”
Lucy’s hand flew to her mouth and her eyes filled with tears.
“Oh, honey. That’s it—that’s the one.”
“Mommy, you look so pretty!” Lisa exclaimed, jumping out of her chair.
Cody grinned.
“Mom, you look great.”
“Thank you, sweetheart.”
But Terra was already looking beyond them at Taurex.
The big Monstrum hadn’t moved. He stood exactly where he had been before, but something about him had changed completely.
His golden eyes were fixed on her, but he wasn’t smiling. In fact, he looked almost stricken.
Terra’s heart seemed to skip a beat.
“Well?” she asked softly.
Taurex rose from the chair he had eventually been persuaded to use and came toward her. Everything was quiet and the room seemed to disappear.
Terra became aware of Jenna quietly stepping farther away and Lucy putting one hand on Lisa’s shoulder to keep her from rushing onto the platform, but all Terra could really see was Taurex.
He stopped directly in front of her and even with Terra standing several inches above the floor on the display platform, he was still taller, forcing her to tip her head back to meet his gaze.
For several seconds he said nothing—just looked at her. Finally, Terra’s nerves got the better of her.
“Is…is it too much?” she asked.
“No.”
His voice was low and filled with some emotion she couldn’t name.
“Too fancy?” Terra raised her eyebrows.
“No.”
He shook his head.
“Then what?” she asked, wondering what in the world could be going through his head.
Taurex looked at her as though he was trying to memorize every detail.
“I think this dress is perfect,” he said at last. “And I think you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”
Terra’s heart began pounding.
“You…you do?” she asked, her voice coming out breathless.
“I do.”
Taurex nodded and then something in his expression broke.
“I also think…” He stopped and took a breath. “I think I wish you were wearing this dress for a real wedding to me, rather than a false one.”
For one heartbeat Terra simply stared at him…then her entire body seemed to fill with warmth.
“Really?” she whispered, almost afraid to believe.
Taurex’s expression immediately became guarded, as though he regretted saying too much. But he didn’t back away from what he’d said.
“Yes.”
“Do you really mean that?” Terra asked him.
“I would not say it if I did not,” he rumbled, frowning. “But perhaps I should not have said it.”
He started to step away, but Terra reached out and put a hand on his broad chest.
“No, don’t say that,” she said quickly. “Because I wish the same thing.”
His golden eyes widened.
“What?” he asked.
“I said, I wish it was real too,” Terra told him.
“Please.” His voice had gone rough. “Do not say that because you still believe you owe me something. I would rather walk away from you forever than have you accept me because I saved your younglings or because you believe you must repay me.”
Terra’s heart ached at the sincerity in his face.
“I don’t have to owe you anything,” she whispered. “Because you already have my heart.”
Taurex stared at her. Around them, the store seemed impossibly quiet.
“You mean it, lovely one?” he rumbled at last.
The familiar endearment nearly undid her.
Terra nodded.
“I mean it.”
“You truly want me?”
“With all my heart,” she whispered.
He raised his eyebrows.
“You want to make this Joining ceremony we have been planning real?”
She nodded again.
“Absolutely, positively real.”
Taurex closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, something blazed in his golden gaze that made Terra’s breath catch in her throat.
“In that case,” he said, “I have something for you.”
Then, to her complete astonishment, he sank down onto one knee and reached into the inside pocket of his jacket.
As Taurex pulled out a small velvet box, Terra put both hands over her mouth.
“You didn’t,” she whispered.
“I did,” he said gravely. “I was afraid I was being foolish but these last few days together, planning our ‘fake’ Joining taught me to hope.”