Page 21 of Iris
Oh, god forbid.
“And we don’t want to upset him, do we? The great Alpha of the house.” I hand her back the dress, but all she does is hold it out for one of the shop workers to take.
Behind me, the door dings discreetly, the little bell an affectation of yesteryear. It must be another of the workers with another shipment of these frilly monstrosities.
Gross.
“Don’t you want to find happiness and love? A good Alpha? Like your sister?” Mom asks.
It would be easy if she just wanted to prove herself to the other mothers, to secure her standing in Sabine, but Mom doesn’t want that. Her motives are genuine. She wants us all to find a mate, to find love.
Like she had with Dad.
So it makes it hard to push against her. My self-sabotage didn’t work, but to take it further and bring scandal down on my family? I’m not sure I can do that. Even for my own happiness.
I can suffer through this. I guess. For Mom.
Her eyes light up suddenly. “Iris, how about we get some help in choosing a dress for you.”
“I don’t need help.”
“Oh, well, I’ll just go home then,” a soft, familiar voice says behind me.
I scream as I spin and wrap Violet up tight in a hug. Finally, some sanity has returned to this crazy family. “You’re here!” I cry. My eyes prickle with tears—I can’t help it. I’ve missed her so damn much. But I try to hide it by touching her round stomach. “How’s my niece?”
“It could be your nephew,” she says with a grin.
“You know!”
“No.” She chuckles. “Stephan doesn’t want to know?—”
“So you can’t either?” I glare past her, waiting for her overprotective mate to come waltzing in next, but I don’t see him. He’s probably hovering just outside the shop.
Violet just laughs, and man, how much I’ve missed that sound. She always used to be so stressed, so guarded, that it was a rare thing to hear. Especially during her Season. But now…she’s been unburdened, and her smile radiates. “I don’t knowbecause I don’t want to know. But…” She sighs happily, running a hand over her stomach, “I already love this baby so much.”
And she’s going to be a great mother, too. It was a role she was born for.
Mom forgets the dresses for a sweet moment and fusses over Vi, trying to get her to sit, asking the shop girls if they have maternity gowns. But Violet leans in the moment we’re alone.
“You know,” she whispers, “I bet you could do something magical with a maternity gown.”
“I don’t want a gown.”
“See?” Mom says when she reenters the dressing room. “She’s being impossible.”
“Pen’s waiting at the café across the street,” Violet says to Mom. “She brought me here, so I’m sure she’ll like the company.”
“But…” Mom begins.
“Don’t worry about us,” Violet says, delicately cutting her off. “We’ll be fine.”
Mom looks torn. “I know you are, but I wanted to help pick out a dress…”
Somehow, I keep my groan silent.
“Mom,” Violet says, hugging her. “This dress is for meeting with Sophine, right?”
“Yes.” Mom purses her lips. “So it’s important.”
