In a day, Blake brought Grace to the Botanical Gardens to ask her a very important question. He knew that he should wait longer, for the sake of decency, but, in a way, he and Mist had been apart for a long time. With their different schedules, they had barely spoken in weeks, let alone done anything else.
"Grace." He dropped to one knee, reaching for something in his pocket. She leaned over, looking in curiosity, then gasped and stepped back as she saw that he pulled out a small velvet box.
"We've known each other for seventeen years, and been in love just as long, even when we didn't know it. You are truly the most beautiful woman in the world, which is a nice bonus, but I don't care about that. You're sweet, and kind, and the strongest person I know. I can't help smiling every time I see you, and I want to be with you forever. It's a little redundant at this point in the speech, but will you marry me?"
"Of course I will!" she laughed speechlessly, gazing at the ring on her finger. "This is the happiest day of my life."
Blake and Grace Moonstone: The First Perfect Couple in Moonstone History
Grace laughed again as Blake swept her up into his arms. "Let's get married today," she whispered in his ear. "I want the girls to be here, and--even Jason and Treasure."
Several hours later . . . "I can't believe this," Kylara muttered. "Not only do I have to come to the wedding, I have to be a
bridesmaid."
"Don't you dare complain!" Cyllia growled good-naturedly. "I am wearing a
dress for the first time in my life--and the last, too. There are
flowers in my hair. I
hate flowers. Besides, you love this dress! You were going to wear it to Prom!"
"Yes, and now it's ruined for me forever."
"Oh, will you two stop whining," Aliya interrupted. "You both look lovely, and the wedding will be lovely, and I'm finally going to have a dad! And they're not total strangers, either--this is
Mom and Blake we're talking about! We should be happy for them!"
"And if anyone has the right to complain, it's me. I look like a marshmallow in this dress, and
I love dresses!"
"I can't believe Dad's getting married again," Kylara said softly. "And so soon, too. I liked Grace when she was just another grown-up. She was my favorite grown-up besides my parents. But I don't want her to be my mum."
Cyllia started to reassure her, only to fall silent at the sight of her own mother walking across the grass.
"Mother, you look great!" It was the first time she had seen Treasure in anything besides her usual dress and a police uniform--and also the first time she had seen her mother with a genuine smile, not a psychotic or hysterical one.
"Thank you, Cyllia," she answered warmly, and the mother and daughter hugged.
"I agree," Jason added with a kiss. Treasure blushed and smiled.
The guests milled around, talking quietly, but fell silent when the sun set and the bride and groom took their places beneath the arch.
Blake couldn't believe how beautiful Grace looked in her dress. Both wore less-than-traditional wedding wear: black instead of white, with pink highlights. Blake was in Spanish-themed formalwear, Grace wearing an Egyptian dress with matching earrings, her hair twisted and held up with glittering barrettes. No one could say that they didn't look absolutely perfect together.
Not even Kylara.
Everyone cheered when the ceremony ended and the first perfect couple in Moonstone history kissed beneath the arch, and there was laughter when they didn't stop for several minutes.
"Congratulations, Daddy," Kylara murmured in her father's ear as they hugged after the wedding.
"Thank you, Ky."
"Congrats, Grace! Make sure Blake knows he's a very lucky man."
"Thanks, Jason," she answered with a grin. By now, she and Jason had reconciled a hundred times over--they were both the easygoing, forgiving kind who had quickly found that they were better friends than they had ever been lovers.
Grace approached her sister with trepidation. "What did you think of the wedding, Treasure?"
"It was wonderful, Grace. Congratulations! Make sure you take good care of Blake."
She was surprised to find that Treasure hugged her, seeming sincere in her congratulations. Perhaps all of this therapy and careful stabilizing was doing something, after all.
She was even more surprised to find that she could watch Jason and Treasure kiss without the slightest twinge of jealousy.
