Page 99 of Enzo

Liz grimaces at the mention of the meal.

“We’re not doing any of my traditions,” I say.

“What about the passing of the blood?” Marley pouts. “I’ve always liked that tradition.”

“What’s that?”

I sigh before answering Liz. “It’s when they place a thin white silk strip of fabric around the joined hands of the groom and bride. One person from each family walks over to the couple and cuts their arms. The blood falls from the wounds down onto the white silk. Once the blood stains meet, the ceremony is complete. It symbolizes the joining of the families.”

“That sounds traumatic and beautiful,” Liz says with a scrunched brow.

“Yeah, well, it’s not happening.” I shake my head.

“Can I at least get him to pay me a dowry?”

Liz and I both turn to look at Marley before bursting out laughing.

“Go finish getting dressed,” I say to Marley. She stands up and runs her hands down the front of her dress before walking out of the bathroom.

“She is getting so grown,” Liz says. “I can’t believe she’s that little baby we used to take everywhere.”

“Tell me about it.”

Liz pushes up from the counter and steps behind me. She moves my hair over my shoulder, allowing the messy braid to hang down between my breasts.

“You look very pretty, bestie.”

I stare back at her through the mirror.

“Thank you.”

“Who knows?” she winks. “Maybe in a few months you might be walking around here with a belly like mine.”

She chuckles. But a tsunami of sadness and pain swirls inside me. I tamp it down, forcing the ache back behind that wall in my mind.

“Maybe,” I say with a smile.

Telling someone that you can’t have kids really brings down the mood, and this isn’t the time for that. Besides, I don’t want her to dim her excitement when she’s around me. And telling Liz that I can’t do the one thing I’ve always wanted to do would definitely bring her down.

“Chayton says it’s time,” she says, smiling back at me.

“Alright, let’s do this.”

Liz, Marley, and I make it to the section of the forest where the ceremony is. The entire pack is here. I think they all showed up to see if Enzo would really go through with it rather than out of support of me joining their pack.

The moment they notice my presence; the crowd grows silent. They divided the pack into two sides. Candles line a makeshift aisle. Standing at the front of the aisle is Enzo, an older gentleman, and Chayton.

Liz turns to face me, a smile plastered on her face.

“Are you ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

She wraps her arms around me, her belly pressed up against mine. A small nudge hits my stomach. Liz pulls back from her hug and smiles down at her baby bump.

“Did you feel that?” she beams.

I fight back tears. “Yes. She’s trying to say hello to auntie.”

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