Page 2 of Vibing Unity

The parents apologized, but I loved it. It was exactly what I wanted. I didn’twantformal and stiff… And certainly not perfect. Nothing was perfect and our marriage wouldn’t be, so why should we try for a wedding to be?

No, scratch that, Julian was perfect for me. That was the perfect I needed in my life.

Once everyone had their flowers, the music started and it was time for the tradition of the first dance between the couple. People had already cleared the area for us, and Julian gave me a soft kiss before we waltzed to a song popular in Fairie for matings.

It was the moment I was glad we hadn’t eloped. I was glad we got to experience this with people we cared for. I saw all the happy faces and even happier tears that we’d made it.

Some of which were my own.

I thought we were done after that song, but Julian had a surprise for me and another song started up. I raised an eyebrow at him.

“You’re not just from this world, my cute wifey,” he chuckled as he spun us around. “I love this song, and it’s perfect for our first dance.”

I didn’t recognize it but was gobsmacked at how gorgeous Taeral’s voice was singing the beautiful song of love. Julian told me it was “Joy of My Life” by Chris Stapleton.

And he was right that it was perfect. An Englishman picking a country music song sung by a fairy for a wedding in Faerie was about the most inclusive all-around incorporation of everyone and every culture ever.

I loved it. I loved him, and tears filled my eyes as I gave him a soft kiss.

Just as the song ended, he spun me so Darby grabbed me and pulled me close. I laughed when it was Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect.” Darby simply winked at me. All the jokes over the years that the damn Englishman or Irishman got me between the two of them were hilarious. I was thrown back to when I’d danced to Ed Sheeran’s “Galway Girl” and the joke of me falling for an Englishman.

“Nothing has ever been more beautiful than you in this moment, this whole day,agra,” he whispered as the song ended. He bowed to me and kissed my hand before a very nervous Lucca took his place.

“Can we dance, Tams?” he asked hesitantly, clearly not sure I wanted to be this obvious about our relationship to everyone.

“Yeah, we can dance, Lucca,” I told him, keeping the warning in my eyes that this was the last chance I’d give him to have a real relationship if he didn’t do better by me this time.

He nodded and we danced to the Artic Monkeys song “I Wanna Be Yours.” Again, perfect for us given where we were and what was going on with us.

My heart melted and so did some of my worry. This wasn’t the same Lucca from years ago, and I needed to start really accepting that. I was trying. I really was.

It was just hard to move on and accept things were going to be okay this time around when so much had gone wrong. Not just with Lucca but second chances as well.

Neldor seemed ridiculously nervous when it was his turn and it made me worry.

“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to, Nel,” I whispered, taking a step back from him.

Instantly, I was in his arms. “Don’t ever think that, baby doll,” he rasped as we started swaying. “I was just thinking thatmaybe I picked the wrong song. The words—the matches are easy and assumed. I was worried—I thought maybe you might read into that, but I just—of all the songs I listened to it made my soul think of you the most.”

I nodded and tears filled my eyes towards the end of the song. Taeral’s voice sang Luke Combs’s “Better Together” beautifully and the song was gorgeous.

But it really didn’t fit us until that moment, that one line that made me understand exactly why Neldor’s soul wanted this song.

“Sometimes we’re oil and water; But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

I sniffled. “I wouldn’t either, Nel.”

Relief filled his eyes so thick I could almost touch it.

The rest of the song wasn’t really us. We didn’t touch BB guns, and we didn’t even like beer. We didn’t go hunting or boating. Like I understood the concept, but we liked to fly at sunrise, not with coffee. There were songs that fit us a million times better.

Except that line. That line made it a song for us.

I was a light fairy and he was dark.

I was mostly from the human world and him Faerie.

I was raised a poor nobody and him a spoiled prince.

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