Foretell (39 page)

I watched as she bit her fist, the way I often did while I cried. “Why does all this matter to you now?” I couldn’t help but ask my mom. “Why bring it up after all these years?”

She shrugged, wiping her eyes. “Your leaving for college hit me hard. After you left, I thought I’d never see you again. I didn’t think I deserved to see you again.”

I sighed miserably. Though I didn’t really want to give her the satisfaction of being completely forgiven, I didn’t want to be angry with her anymore either. Trying not to grumble, I said, “I’m sure you’ll see me again, Mom.”

My mother flinched. Then she smiled a little. “Do you mean it?”

I shrugged, trying to act somewhat blasé. “Yeah. For Indie’s sake, if for nothing else.”

She smiled happily. But I swore if she even tried to hug me, I’d bolt out of there like nobody’s business.

I glanced at my sister, who also wiped away tears from her eyes. “Look,” Indie said, pointing to the window. “The sun is about to go down. We should go outside.”

She reached for my hand, pulling me from my corner of the window seat. “Come on, Es. This will be one of the last ones we watch together before you leave for Florida.”

“Okay, okay,” I said, suppressing a grin. “But only if you watch the sunrise with me tomorrow.”

Indie grimaced. “You want to wake up that early?”

I arched a brow. “Deal or no deal?”

“Fine,” she acceded, narrowing her eyes on me. “I’ll do it. Now, let’s go before we miss the sunset.”

Lola and Gabe’s wedding ceremony was held on the beach directly outside of the seaside mansion shared between the members of the Constantin family. Fellow gypsies had traveled from hundreds of miles away to attend the event, and it was nothing short of breathtaking.

Just before sunset, Rex and I walked down an aisle lit up with candle lanterns, and adorned with seashells and pearls. I wore a plum bridesmaid’s dress while Rex was outfitted in a tailored, white suit. Something about that moment felt right, as if we were one day meant to share this experience, too. After brushing a quick kiss along my cheek, Rex let go of my arm and we moved to our respective places beneath the gazebo.

The attendees shared mutual gasps of delight as Lola stepped down the aisle in an off-the -shoulder mermaid style wedding gown. The color of the gown was a beautiful, shimmery-white, lighting up Lola’s beaming face. I glanced at Gabe, noticing his expression matched his soon-to-be wife’s.

The entire ceremony possessed a tranquil, serene energy. It was fitting. Lola and Gabe’s storm had passed, and they could enjoy their life peacefully. They bound themselves together through the most devoted vows I’d ever heard, as if their words were carved in stone somewhere. It meant so much to me, knowing they could finally share this life together, since my curse was the reason they’d spent so many lives apart.

The reception was held in the Constantin’s ballroom. I was still reeling over the fact that Rex’s house included a ballroom. I knew they were wealthy, but I never knew how wealthy. Their home was simply gorgeous. I’d thought I’d mistakenly entered some grand hotel when I first arrived.

As evening fell, hundreds of guests flooded into the ballroom. I wondered how it was possible for Lola and Gabe to know so many people, and even questioned Rex about it. He told me gypsy tribes considered themselves linked together as one people. Weddings were the biggest cause for celebration.

Later on that night, Lola introduced me to her cousin, a lovely girl with coppery hair named Dakota.

Dakota bowed down before me. “We are not worthy,” she chanted.

I pressed a hand to my lips to keep from grinning. I looked to Lola, seeing her roll her eyes. “What is this about?” I asked.

Dakota stood, straightening her gown. “You changed Rex completely, doll. He’s actually
nice
now. I didn’t think that would ever happen.”

I chuckled at her awed expression.

“No, seriously,” she said. “I brought him some mail the other day, which was accidentally delivered to our grandmother’s house, and Rex said thank you. He actually said
thank you
. I was speechless. He thought something was wrong with me, I stood there so long with my mouth hanging open like an idiot.”

Lola and I tried to contain a fit of giggles.

“He couldn’t have been
that
bad,” I claimed.

Lola raised a brow at me. “This coming from you? I remember you aptly referring to Rex as a jackass on more than one occasion.”

“True story,” I admitted, smiling.

I sought out the person in question. He stood across the room, talking within a small circle of men. He looked especially handsome tonight with his dark hair slicked back, displaying every line in his sculpted face.

Rex turned and looked my way, locking eyes with me. He stared at me unabashedly, causing all of his companions to curiously look in my direction. I turned my head, slightly embarrassed. Stealing a quick glance back at him, I saw Rex excuse himself from his friends, then head towards me. If they didn’t know what captured his attention before, they would definitely know now.

“Toast, toast!” someone shouted.

Lola groaned loudly. I looked up to see her grandmother, Miriam, taking a microphone away from one of the band members, cutting them off mid-song.

Rex joined me, two glasses of champagne in hand.

Miriam cleared her throat and smoothed out her silver ball gown. I would’ve never guessed she was someone’s grandmother if no one had told me. The woman was positively stunning.

“I just want to say thank you to everyone for coming tonight. Even those of you who weren’t invited.” The room filled with quiet snickers. “More importantly, I wanted to wish my granddaughter, Lola, a beautiful marriage. I’d like to give the happy couple some advice.” Miriam’s eyes scanned the crowd,
then
lit up once she spotted Gabe. “Gabriel, my boy, you must learn to use the phrase
yes, dear
. Use it often.”

Gabe flashed a wide smile. He mouthed yes, dear to Miriam.

“Secondly, raising kids is like being pecked to death by chickens. I don’t recommend it, not at least until you’re older and have developed more patience.”

Miriam paused, as if waiting for the crowd’s reaction, but there was none. Everyone turned about, looking confused. “Anyway,” Miriam continued. “I know your love for one another has existed for quite some time, but you must always love harder and deeper, until your love for one another fills even the deepest parts of the ocean. If you do this, your troubles will be as light as the sea foam.”

Everyone clapped while Miriam took a theatrical bow, her grand show over and well wishes sent.

In the corner of the room, I noticed Zetta sitting at a table next to Lola’s father Christo. She looked nice, dressed up in her shiny pink turban. “She’s been well guarded,” Rex mentioned, noticing the direction of my gaze. “No one has made any moves, not yet anyway.”

“I’m glad.”

He took my hand in his. “Let’s go for a walk.”

Rex tugged me along with him, out of the ballroom’s French doors, and towards the beach. “Where are we going?” I asked curiously.

“Somewhere we can be alone.”

I wasn’t arguing with that. Anywhere alone with Rex was a place I’d happily be.

Once we reached the beach, I slipped off my heels, letting the silky sand sink between my toes. I slowly waded into the warm water, lifting my dress, careful not to get it wet. Water drifted, then flowed back again across my bare feet. The waves lolled to shore and lapped over the sand with a sizzling hiss. It was a beautifully vast sound, making me feel as if Rex and I were the only two people in the world.

“I love it here,” I told Rex dreamily. “There’s something about the ocean.”

Rex ventured into the water beside me. “Most gypsies love water, thrive near it.”

His comment made me think of Redwood Forest’s waterfall, which cascaded into the winding river. Those bodies of water were the centerpieces of the Rom’s small kingdom.

“Why do you think that is?” I asked curiously.

“Because water is always flowing, always moving, just like us.”

I nodded, seeing how that made sense.

“Look!” Rex said, pointing upwards.

I looked up just in time to catch the sight of a star shooting across the sky like falling glitter.

“Did you see that?” Rex asked me animatedly.

I nodded while staring in wonder. The sight of the stars brought back the memory of the night Rex and I fell asleep beneath them, back when my world was still a perilous, uncertain place. Everything seemed so different then. Less clear.

The future was still unknown. I knew that. A crystal ball couldn’t provide me a definite
clarity
within the realm of its sphere. However, there really was something sweet about ignorance, and something even sweeter about going down a road that wasn’t foretold. I looked forward to it.

“Did you make a wish?”

Rex weaved his fingers through mine. “I did,” he admitted. “I wished this moment would last forever.”

I turned to face Rex, locking my arms around his neck. “That was a perfect wish.”

THE END

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