Chapter 160

“I know, I know,” mom says with a sigh, flopping down next to me on her stomach. “I am willing to wait. And if you decide you don’t want kids, Ariel, that’s fine too – I’ll badger Rafe and Junie and Mark, because one of you will have to give in. I just…” she shrugs, and I look over at her seriously as I clutch the contraceptive tonic to my chest, “I want you to be in charge of your choices. I want you to decide when and if you have kids. And that,” she says, pointing to the tonic, “helps with that.”

I consider my mom seriously for a moment, and then the tonic in my hands, and then I sit up with a new curiosity burning in me. “Well, does it like, change anything?” I ask curiously. “Will my period be different? What does it taste like?”

Mom laughs, and begins to tell me everything, and it’s the start of a very long, very detailed, and very important chat.

In fact, our chat is so long that it only ends with a big thump on my door that makes both of us jump, but which we know can only be one thing.

“Arielll,” Mark groans, slumped against the outside of my door. I laugh, because he’s been doing this since he was a kid. Markie doesn’t knock – he just throws his body against the door and starts talking. “Stop hogging mom! Some of us need help with our bow ties!”

“Bow ties?” I call, “what are you talking about?”

My handle twists and Markie comes in then, and I gasp to see him all dressed up in a tuxedo, looking down at the two ends of the bow tie in his hands. “Mark!” I squeak, thrilled. “You look so handsome!”

“Really?” he says, grinning and striking a pose for me. “I’m not cute anymore? I’m handsome?”

“You’re both,” I say, nodding, decided, and my baby laughs and jumps on the bed with us, pleased to be so complimented. I laugh too, watching him with a bit of fascination, because it’s not like I’ve never seen Mark in a tux before – mom dresses us up formally for all sorts of occasions. It’s just that he really did grow up in the few months that we were away. He looks…god, he looks like an adult now.

Soon the girls are going to be all over him, and I won’t know what to do.

“Come here, Markito,” mom murmurs, holding out her hands for him. “Let me tie that tie.”

“I’m not going,” Juniper sighs at the doorway, and I turn my head to look over at her, a grin immediately taking my face. She’s slumped against my doorframe, her arms crossed, her eyes rolled up to the ceiling. “I don’t have anything to wear. So, I’m not going. Plus, it’s a primeval form of entertainment, watching two men beat each other to bits.”

“Oh Juuuune,” mom sighs, waving her to come in as Mark scootches closer to her. “Come in, you can raid Ariel’s closet, I’m sure she has something that will look amazing on you.”

“She so can not raid my closet!” I gasp, even as I subtly tuck the contraceptive potion away beneath my pillow, not really ready for Mark and Juniper to know about this burgeoning aspect of my life.

“Ariel, you don’t even know what’s in your closet,” mom murmurs, rolling her eyes, “how would you even know if Junie wore I bought for you or for her?”

“You have to pay rental fees by the hour!” I say, pointing a finger at June as she wanders over to my wardrobe. “And don’t spill anything on it!” I don’t mean it, not really – I never care if my sister borrows my clothes. I just like to torture her about it.

Juniper, knowing this, completely ignores me.

A little gasp comes at the door and I turn to see Daphne standing there, staring at me. “Ariel!” she says, a little freaked out. “Why aren’t you ready!? We have to like…go!”

“What,” I say with a frown, looking at the clock. “We have like, an hour, Daphne –“

“And you have to get ready!” she says, scurrying into the room, looking amazing in a red dress.

“Daph!” I say, gaping and putting out a hand with my palm out. She skitters to a stop, not knowing what I mean, and I just stare at her. “That dress looks insane on you!”

Daphne blushes, but I can tell that she’s pleased as she gives a tiny ironic curtsey. “Daphne Designs, of course,” she says, waving a hand down to gesture to the expanse of the sleeveless dress that hugs her every curve all the way down to the intricately pleated skirt, which flares out at her hips and spreads around her, all the way to the ground. It’s just a few shades darker red than her hair, which I never realized would look so good until I see it now in person.

“You made this?” mom gasps, standing and moving to Daphne’s side now that Mark’s tie is tied. Daphne laughs and nods, again pleased, and mom admires the dress extensively. I grin, likewise pleased, especially because I can tell that not an ounce of mom’s compliments are flattery.

“Seriously, Daph, good job,” I say, giving her a thumbs up and wandering over to my wardrobe to sort through the dresses with Juniper. “Now come help me pick out something for me to wear – I have to look at least half as good as you tonight.”

“You don’t even know what you’re going to wear!?” Daphne squeaks, horrified, as she scurries over to my side. “Oh my god, Ariel, I don’t know how you live such a chaotic life –“

“What are you talking about?” I burst out, laughing. “What’s chaotic about –“

“Ariel, I have had this outfit picked out for a month,” she says, staring at me like I’m completely insane. “And you’re picking out what you’re going to wear to the media event of the year – at which you will be center stage, miss mated to the boxer –“ here she pokes me in the center of the chest with a finger, making me laugh again, “and you haven’t even decided what to wear?”

“It’s because she’s spoiled,” mom says, making me spin in protest as she comes to stand with the three of us at the wardrobe. Mark sprawls over the bed, watching, grinning, enjoying the drama. “I always pick out her clothes – all of my children’s, honestly. They’ve never had to worry about it a day in their lives.”

“I pick out my outfits all the time!” I protest.

“Because mom basically turns your room into a department store,” Juniper mutters, smirking.

“Oh, look who’s talking,” I snap playfully, giving my sister a playful shove. But Juniper ignores me, her face going serious with awe as she gasps and reaches for something in the back of the wardrobe. When she pulls out a shimmering silver gown, my eyes go wide. “Ohhh…this is pretty,” she murmurs, her hand running over it.

I gasp a little too, because it is a gorgeous dress, the fabric shimmering like liquid. But not in a metallic way – almost like…well, like it’s actually water, reflecting starlight, or something equally mythical and fantastic.

“Wow,” Daphne says, reaching out to touch it.

“Um,” my mom says, and we all turn towards her, surprised by the hesitance in her voice. She reaches for the dress, and Juniper hands it over to her. To my surprise, mom holds it up to me. “Actually,” she whispers, “I kind of did buy this with Ariel in mind. Since it’s such a special night for her.”

I look at my mom in surprise, and then gratitude, because it is an incredible dress – and it was so nice of her to realize that tonight was going to be important for me, with Luca boxing for our nation’s pride.

But when I see the way June’s eyes cast down to the floor, not at all protesting, but…disappointed…

I know that the choice is simple.

“No, let’s let Junie wear it!” I say, beaming at my mom and taking the dress from her hands, holding it out to Juniper’s body to see how it looks. Juniper snaps her head up, a little agape.

“But it won’t fit me,” Juniper murmurs, pushing it away, wanting me to take it since mom got it for me. “It’s too long – mom will have had it tailored for you –“

“Well, I can help with that,” Daphne says, taking my side and nodding eagerly to June. “I can fix a hem in a cinch. Why don’t you try it? I think it’s going to look great.”

The smile on Juniper’s face – it makes the sacrifice of such a stunning dress completely worth it. My taciturn little sister even laughs a little as she takes the dress from my hands and hurries away to the bathroom.

“You are so sweet,” mom murmurs, stepping close to me and pressing a kiss to my temple after Juniper closes the door. “But…you’re also going to be naked at this fight. Because I didn’t get a backup for you to wear.”

I grimace a little, turning back to my wardrobe and sorting through the dresses, realizing that mom is right. Because even though there are dozens here, none of them at all match the one that Juniper just took.

I bite my lip, wondering what the hell I should do. I mean, it is an important night – I should look good. There are going to be lots of eyes on me as the returned Princess and the champion’s declared mate – I want to show everyone that I’m proud of both.

“Hmm,” Daphne says, tapping her lip with her finger and staring into the wardrobe. “I might have an…idea. Do you mind?” She raises her eyebrow at me and mom, and I know that we both give her the same grin.