I tried on four more dresses, but my spirits slipped a little more each time. Nothing made me feel like I'd found The One, and I was starting to wonder if maybe there was no such thing. Maybe all the people who talked about knowing the exact moment they found the perfect wedding dress were just full of shit.

Then I found it.

Pushed to the back of the last rack, was a vision of creamy ivory, with a flowing skirt embroidered all over with ivory roses, and sheer, long sleeves. Those roses made it slightly more unusual than some of the other dresses I'd tried, but without making it too unusual, and a shiver of excitement rolled over me. I tried to tamp it down, reminding myself that it might not look nice once I tried it on, but the moment I slipped the dress over my head, all those fears vanished.

The dress fit almost perfectly, tucked tight around my waist and cut low in the front, showing off just enough cleavage to be subtly sexy, and those embroidered roses seemed to shimmer when the light touched them. More roses decorated the sleeves, even more beautiful than the lace sleeves of Roux's second choice.

Tears pricked my eyes as I looked in the mirror. The dress was perfect. This was what I could imagine wearing as I walked down the aisle to become Edmond's wife.

I hoped everyone else felt the same.

I pushed back the curtain, stepped out of the changing room, and my mum gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.

"Oh, Renie," she breathed.

Roux's mouth hung open a little, and Isabeau was smiling softly. Jason looked like he was about to cry.

"You look amazing. Seriously. That's way better than the one I chose," he said.

I turned to the mirrors, my skirt rippling around me. Part of me had worried that it would look different out here than it had in the changing rooms, but no. There was something special about this dress.

"I really think this is it," I said.

Mum made a little choking noise.

"Edmond's going to die when he sees you in that," Roux said.

My heart surged, and I looked back at the mirror. Something told me I could visit a hundred shops and try on a thousand dresses, and none of them would feel as right as this one did.

"You have to let me pay for it," Mum said, sniffling.

"I don't even know how much it is," I protested.

"I don't care. You're my daughter and I'm buying your wedding dress."

Helen approached me and examined the dress. "I'd suggest taking it in just a tiny bit here," she said, pinching some of the fabric at my waist.

I nodded. "Does that get done here?"

"Yes. It's only a minor adjustment; it won't take long. When's the wedding?"

"Still a few months away," I said.

She probably wanted an exact date, but she wasn't getting it. Nice as she seemed, I didn't know her, and I couldn't trust that she wouldn't leak the date to the press. If anyone was going to know details about the wedding, it would be because Edmond and I had chosen to share them.

Also, we hadn't actually picked  a date yet.

I went back into the changing room and reluctantly slipped out of the dress, and back into my T-shirt and jeans.

When I re-emerged, Mum was already at the counter, paying for the dress. I still didn't know how much it was.

"Are you going to wear a veil?" Roux asked.

"I don't think so, but I'll wait until the dress is fully fitted to decide," I said.

Helen handed my mum her receipt, then fetched a dress bag.

"Bye dress," I said, watching as Helen carefully placed it into the bag and pulled the zipper up.

"You'll see it again soon," Helen told me, smiling.

I went to the counter and hugged Mum. "Thank you," I whispered.

She sniffled a bit more. "June would have loved this."

"I know."

Mum gave me a final squeeze. "Enough tears now," she said, even though she was the only one crying. "You need to go tell your young man that you've found a dress."

I smiled at the way she called Edmond a young man. He had only been twenty-one when he died, which was less than half my mum's age now, but he'd also died hundreds of years ago. Mum sometimes struggled with the fact that Edmond was simultaneously much younger and much older than her.

"I love you so much, Mum," I said, and hugged her again.

When we returned to Belle Morte, my bedroom was empty, so I went to the next most likely place I'd find Edmond.

The library.

I found him on a plush sofa close to the door, his head bent over one of the vintage hardbacks I'd bought him for Christmas. I'd hoped that he'd be so lost in the story that for once I'd be able to sneak up on him, but nope. He looked up as I approached, and smiled.

"How was it?" he asked.

I shrugged.

Edmond closed his book and placed it beside him. "Did you find a dress?"

Another shrug.

"You did, I can tell," Edmond said, his eyes gleaming.

I should have known I couldn't play it cool. A grin burst across my face and I jumped into his lap.

A nervous giggle sounded somewhere in the room and I looked up. A pair of donors stood in front of the bookshelves further down; one of them was at least pretending to read the book in her hands, while the other openly stared.

I wasn't used to seeing other people in here, but donors had as much right to the library as vampires did. I lowered my voice to a whisper.

"I found the most beautiful dress," I said.

Edmond slid his arms around my waist. "I suppose we'll actually have to set a date soon."

"That would be helpful, yes."

Human brides would have needed to set a date before choosing a dress – because whatever they chose would depend on the weather at certain times of the year.

One of the perks of being a vampire was that I couldn't feel the cold. I could wear a bikini in heavy snow if I wanted to.

"Did you have anything in mind?" I asked him.

"Maybe we should discuss this upstairs," Edmond said, glancing at the donors.

"Hmm, why do I get the feeling that if we go upstairs, we won't do any actual talking?" I teased.

"My intentions are pure," said Edmond solemnly.

"Oh, really?" I adjusted myself in his lap and gave him a knowing look. "I suppose that's a torch in your pocket, is it?"

He nodded, still solemn. "A big torch."

"I can tell."

He grinned at me, and I caught a glimpse of fang. It was funny how attractive I found them now, considering how I'd recoiled from them when we first met. But Jason was right – there was something very hot about a vampire with their fangs fully extended.

"It would be better to take this upstairs and talk about it away from curious ears," Edmond said. He kissed the side of my throat. "After I take you to bed, of course."

"Of course," I agreed.

The two donors were frantically whispering and glancing at us, until finally one of them took a step forward.

"Do you want us to leave?" she asked.

"No need," Edmond said, not taking his eyes off me. "We'll take our . . . discussion somewhere else."

He rose suddenly, scooping me into his arms.

"Thanks, though," I called to the donors as Edmond carried me to the library door.

I loved that he felt able to show public affection like this. Back when I was human, we hadn't been able to, and not only because we'd had to keep our relationship secret. Edmond had built some pretty high walls around himself, and it wasn't until I'd started breaking those walls down that he'd felt comfortable showing anything but an impenetrable vampire façade. I'd still loved him that way, but I loved him like this even more.

"I suppose I'm not allowed to see this dress before the wedding?" Edmond asked, carrying me down the hall towards the staircase.

"Absolutely not."

His eyes drifted over me. "I'll have to use my imagination then."

"You're just imagining me naked, aren't you?"

"Perhaps."

I looped my arms around his neck and leaned in closer. "The quicker we get upstairs, the quicker you can see the real thing."

Edmond eyes sparked red and he ran. 

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