“M
other,” Zara said in a somewhat reproving voice. “Does the music need to be quite so loud?”
She stood in Noah’s house—which would soon be her house too—and let her sisters make sure all the pieces of her traditional lehnga, which Ash had sewn beautifully, fit and laid right. They wove flowers through her hair, and Sai was currently painting her right arm in intricate henna swirls. Zara’s left arm was already done, and the wedding was only an hour away now.
“It is a party,” her mother said in response.
Zara rolled her eyes, but she didn’t say anything else. She had to live in this neighborhood, and while Noah had been here for a while and said the neighbors were nice, not everyone enjoyed Indian music at ten o’clock in the morning.
There would be the ceremony, and then a huge luncheon, which Indian House had catered. The restaurant was closed for the day, and Zara had appreciated her parents so much over the past few months as they’d planned the wedding.
No, Noah was not a nice Indian man, but he was a handsome prince. He was her handsome prince, and she couldn’t wait to see him in his traditional tuxedo and the royal blue and purple tie every man in the Wales family wore to get married.
So they were blending their two worlds, and Zara got a little weepy just thinking about it. She’d flown to Triguard to meet his parents a few months ago, and they were lovely people. Stuffy, as Noah called them, but polite and kind and absolutely accommodating.
They’d arrived on the island about three weeks ago, and Zara had been up to the mansion for dinner with them several times as the wedding approached. His sister and her fiancé were staying in an undisclosed location around the point of the island, and his brother, the Crown Prince of Triguard was staying in a third location with a full security detail.
Noah loved his siblings, and when the three of them were together, Zara could feel the camaraderie between them. Louisa had treated Zara like a sister from the first moment they’d met, and she’d admitted she’d wanted to be the first one to get married, but that everything in Triguard seemed to take an eternity.
“So many details,” she said. “And Mother keeps changing her mind.”
Zara didn’t understand that, as her mother had a set of rules and cultural traditions that Zara had to continually modify.
“Finished,” Sai said, and Zara realized the two of them were alone. “You look so beautiful, Zara.”
“Thanks, Sai,” she said, smiling at the sister just older than her. “Did Mark come?”
Her sister’s dark eyes shone from within. “He sure did. I hope he’ll see that it’s possible to be normal and be Indian too.”
Zara laughed, as Noah had an obsession with being normal, and when she’d suggested they get married in Triguard, with the whole royal affair, he’d immediately said no. He wanted a normal wedding, and he’d somehow gotten it into his mind that the ceremony should take place in his backyard.
Which was fine with Zara, honestly. She just wanted to get married, and she didn’t need all the fanfare. However, his parents had asked them to please come to Triguard after their honeymoon so the people there could congratulate the couple.
Noah had said it would be more than a party, but a whole parade with pomp and cheering and gifts galore.
Zara wouldn’t be a princess, but his father had declared her with the title of Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Oceania, and Noah was now His Royal Highness, the Duke of Oceania. She honestly had no idea what the titles meant, but she was happy his family had come to terms with her and Noah’s relationship.
“Ready?” her mom asked, bustling back into the room. Shannon came with her, and she looked a little frazzled, which was saying something. The wedding planner rarely looked anything but calm and cool, but she probably didn’t know what to do with all of Zara’s family’s crazy traditions. Or how those were in complete contrast to Noah’s family and their demeanor during a wedding.
Zara looked down at her arms, still covered in henna. “No, Sai just finished, and this isn’t dry yet.”
“It can come off,” Sai said, collecting a washcloth. She worked quickly, and her mother fussed around Zara for another few minutes before declaring her the perfect Indian bride.
She met her father on the back patio and found the backyard full of chairs and tents. It was windy today, but no one seemed to notice, and the music quieted enough for people to realize she’d arrived and the ceremony was beginning.
She’d asked her dad to walk her down the aisle, which was more of a Western tradition, and they stepped slowly toward Noah, who stood at an altar he’d made himself. Zara kept her eyes on him and let the joy flow through her.
Her father kissed both of her cheeks before passing her to Noah, who looked dashing and dreamy in his tuxedo. His family sat together on the front row, every one of them proper and perfect.
Zara felt perfect too, and she listened as the pastor promised them wealth and health if they turned to each other to work through the storms of life. When he got to the vows, Zara looked at Noah and squeezed both of his hands.
How she’d gotten lucky enough to catch his eye, she’d never know. But when it was her turn to say, “I do,” she did so in a loud voice, glad when Noah repeated the words to her.
Then he tipped her back and kissed her, which caused the onlookers to erupt in cheers. The music blared again, and Zara held onto Noah’s face a moment longer, whispering the words, “I love you, Noah, my perfect prince.”
He grinned, kissed her again, and said, “I love you too.”
END