She sent him a shaky smile. “I already have that in you.”
After giving her one last kiss, he slipped the ring on her left hand, returned the box to his pocket, removed his own phone from his jacket and offered it to her. “You may call your parents now, and my wish is they will approve of our union .”
“They will approve. Eventually.” Kira took the cell and keyed in the number, a nervous look in her eyes. “Hi, Mama. I have something to tell you. I’m getting married.”
* * *
“Now that your wedding day has arrived, dear daughter, I have something to give you.”
After a final adjustment of the gold and diamond leaf headband securing the cathedral-length veil, Kira turned from the mirror to face Chandra Allain Darzin—the best mother anyone could ever want or need. She looked positively radiant and remarkably young in the cream-colored chiffon gown. “Let me guess. You’re going to give me sage advice on how to keep my husband happy.”
“Actually, I’m going to give you this.” Chandra leaned over and withdrew a white box from her gold clutch, then opened it to reveal a dainty pearl bracelet with a small diamond heart-shaped pendant dangling from it.
“That’s so beautiful, Mama. Was it grandmother’s?”
“No. It’s a gift from someone quite special.”
Kira couldn’t imagine who that might be. “Another relative?”
“The woman who blessed us with you. Your birth mother.”
Tremors of shock ran through Kira, causing her hands to shake as she lifted the bracelet from the box to inspect it. “When did she give this to you?”
“Your eighteenth birthday. She sent it in the mail, along with a request not to open the box until your wedding day. This came with it.” Her mother took out a folded piece of paper from her purse and handed it to her.
Since she didn’t quite trust her own voice, Kira read the words in silence.
Dear Baby Girl,
This special bracelet belonged to my great-grandmother. I wore it on my wedding day and I felt the need to pass it on to you since it has brought me luck in my marriage.
I feel you should know that when you were born, I was barely a child myself and ill-equipped to care for a baby. As hard as it was to give you up, I knew the Darzins were good people and could give my child the life she deserved. I realize this simple gesture will never make up for my decision to let you go, but it’s the best way I know how to show you that you have always been in my heart, if not in my arms, and will never be forgotten.
With love and wishing you much luck,
Janice
In that moment, any latent resentment Kira had directed toward her birth mother slipped away as her mother clasped the bracelet around her wrist. Any questions about whether the young woman responsible for her life cared at all, dissipated. The tears sliding down her cheeks were part relief, part sadness and in a large part, joy.
She shook off her melancholy and drew her mother—her real mother—into an embrace. “Thank you, Mama.”
Chandra replaced the box with a handkerchief that she used to swipe at her eyes. “You don’t have to thank me, sweetheart. I had nothing to do with this.”
“Maybe, but you had everything to do with who I am today. Because of you and Dad, I’ve learned the importance of forgiveness and the value of love.”
Her mother sniffed then returned the hanky to her bag. “You have always been the absolute light of our lives, Kira. And you are such a beautiful bride. Now let’s go find your father before he finds your young man and threatens him again.”
After sharing in a laugh through the last of the tears, Kira and her mother walked arm-in-arm where she discovered her dad waiting in the vestibule, looking as if he might faint. When she heard the musical cue, she kissed her mother temporarily goodbye, then prepared to walk into her future with the man she adored and loved.
To the melodic strains of Bach’s Ave Maria, Kira strolled down the aisle clinging tightly to her father’s arm. She homed in on her mother seated in the first row, still dabbing at her eyes with the handkerchief. She then glanced at her papa and discovered he was looking rather misty, too. Sabir Darzin didn’t cry, and at this rate she’d be blubbering before she reached the man standing at the front of the packed grand ballroom with the gleaming white marble floors. A gorgeous man wearing an immaculately tailored black silk tuxedo, a red rose pinned to his lapel and a welcoming smile on his face.
She barely noticed Madison and Piper, dressed in gold shimmering gowns, standing to his right, or their tuxedo-bedecked husbands, Zain and Adan, standing to his left. She did notice Yasmin walking ahead, tossing rose petals with abandon, and that Rafiq wore a white sash with the Mehdi family coat of arms embossed in gold as he waited to preside over the ceremony.