Page 89 of His Atonement
We spent a total of four hours looking at every type of stone, cut, setting and precious metal possible and I found those five have extremely different tastes, none of which matched what I felt my darling mate would want.
So while they drooled over everything in the shop, I really focused on Frankie and what I felt would be a proper symbol, a promise that I would love her until the end of time and beyond. I spoke with the jeweler and shared my thoughts and he was most helpful with putting my design together, and was extremely quick in creating what I found to be the most perfect engagement ring for my mate.
The band is white gold, simple though elegant, and I chose a cushion cut three karat—yes, I went a little big but oh well—rose quartz stone surrounded by a halo of amethysts and light chocolate diamonds.
I'm told it is a verynon-traditionalring, that my choices were most unusual, but the ring turned out exactly as I wished, conveying the exact message I want to send my mate. Rose quartz for unconditional, undying love, the chakra of the heart, a symbol of calming strength. The amethysts and diamonds are pretty self explanatory, I believe, since they essentially match our eye colors, and represent each of us with our unmatched love in the center.
The night I picked it up from the jeweler I was anxious, very much so actually, at the thought of giving it to Frankie and asking her to marry me. Which is ridiculous since we've already mated, but I was.
And it only got worse when I found myself planning how to ask.
We've completed almost all of her bucket list, but Frankie had yet to redo her skinny dipping after I interrupted it in a fit of insanity, so I convinced her to return with me.
Like an incredibly whipped male and total sap, I packed a picnic with the assistance of my sister then led my mate to the small waterfall deep into the woods with the basket and a blanket, her ring in my pocket and Thor in tow. We ate our meal, watched our baby play along the water’s edge, and discussed the possibility of finding him a playmate at some point because now my darling girl wants to adopt all the animals she saw at the shelter.
I then suggested we go skinny dipping in order to check it off her list, something that made Frankie so happy she began stripping my clothes off immediately, but I stopped her just before she removed my shorts, got down on one knee—as coached by the females—pulled out the ring, and asked her to legally be my wife.
Frankie cried. Cried and smiled, said yes with emphatic joy, and when I put the ring on her finger I was most unprepared to feel so emotional at the sight.
The possessiveness I feel for my mate grew tenfold when I saw that rock on her finger, possession and profound love, and I basically mauled her, shredded her clothes and dragged her into the water where we made love and swam for hours.
Since that night, our life has been a whirlwind of wedding planning, complete with questions I never thought I'd be asked. Ones I only answered because Frankie was the one asking.
We decided to have what is essentially going to be a dragon mating ceremony, something relatively close to an actual wedding but the words spoken will be from the Chronicles of Old and it will be officiated by the king himself. Kai even obtained a license to perform human marriages in order to make it legally binding. We will partake in the feast afterward, along with the traditional dances, but since I am not dragon and therefore do not possess a hoard to mate Frankie on afterward, I have come up with the most ideal substitution.
Frankie loves that our mating ceremony will be dragon and her burial ceremony will be fae. She loves the way it embraces those we hold most dear and includes them in two of the most impactful moments of our life, making us really part of the clan, the family.
I share her sentiments to a degree but cannot fully because I hate that there is a burial ceremony at all.
I have hidden it well for her sake, but I have been seconds from a total explosion for two weeks because I cannot handle the idea of losing my mate. It has all but crushed me and the only reason I've been able to continue living relatively normal is because she is still here and I've vowed to enjoy every second I have left with Frankie.
But I do not need to think that way right now, no, not when I'm mere moments from marrying my beautiful mate, making her mine in yet another and final way. No, my only thoughts should be of her and how much I love her, how grateful I am to have her and how beautiful she will look in the gown she has chosen and hidden from me for a week.
"Stop doing that.” Colt nudges me as I once again tug the collar of my dress shirt, then fiddle with the tie and top button. "You're going to loosen it."
“Good," I grunt, and do it again before I actually loosen my tie. "It seems as though everyone has forgotten my skin is incredibly sensitive and things like this irritate the piss out of it."
"No one has forgotten since you bring it up constantly."
I roll my eyes and drop my hands, fold them in front of my body and fight the urge to unbutton my suit coat.
Why I agreed to wear a suit at all is beyond me, but I did, and I can at least find joy in the fact that the others are wearing them as well, all of us males tortured by the most expensive suits I could find.
The things we do for love.
"Are you nervous?" Colt asks with a smile.
I shrug. "Perhaps a bit. More or less worried about making an ass out of myself by fucking up what I am to say, but not really nervous. We've already mated and convincing her of my feelings prior to that was the hard part."
"They're ready.” Kai smirks from his place in front of me. "Your mate has apparentlybeenready, but they were held up due to the fact that your dear sister has needed assistance to pee at least a dozen times already."
I grin and shake my head, my stomach flipping with anticipation as I look out into the yard and scan the group gathered to celebrate my mate and I.
If you'd have told me a year ago I'd be standing here now with an actual group of friends that have become family, a clan that I've been accepted into, one that is all here to celebrate finding my mate—something else I never thought would happen—I would have said you were full of shit. And the simple fact they all came together, most likely for her more than me, to make this event beautiful and special would move someone more emotional to tears, I'm sure.
It really is beautiful, though.
An aisle of sheer red down the middle of the seating where the almost forty members of the clan sit dressed in their finest, and wildflowers posted at the end of each row.
