Page 45 of Furever Bound (Hollow Oak Mates #7)
SERA
T he wedding planning took place in The Griddle & Grind three days after their Thanksgiving engagement party, while autumn's last breath painted Hollow Oak in shades of amber and gold that felt perfect for quiet celebration rather than elaborate ceremony.
Twyla bustled around their table with maternal efficiency, though her fae-blooded intuition seemed to understand this conversation would be different from typical bridal consultations.
"Simple weddings are the most meaningful," Twyla said with knowing certainty as she served coffee and apple cider donuts that tasted like November contentment. "Especially when couples choose intimacy over spectacle."
"We want it quiet," Sera said, her fingers intertwined with Maddox's as they sat close together on the same side of the booth. "Small. Just us and the people who matter most."
"How quiet are we talking?" Miriam asked from across the table, her silver hair catching the café's warm light as she studied them with grandmotherly perception.
"Three days from now, November thirtieth," Maddox said with academic precision that made mundane logistics sound like poetry. "Just before winter officially claims the mountains. Autumn's last day."
"Three days?" Twyla blinked with surprise that quickly transformed into delighted understanding. "An elopement. How perfectly romantic."
"Not an elopement exactly," Sera clarified, though her smile suggested she appreciated the spontaneous nature of their timeline. "We want witnesses, but only the people who feel like family. Varric to perform the ceremony, you and Miriam to stand with us."
"The forest glade where we first really talked," Maddox added, his protective satisfaction evident in the way his thumb traced patterns across her knuckles. "Where I realized that academic theories about folklore meant nothing compared to living stories with real people."
"Where I realized that belonging somewhere wasn't about performing for an audience," Sera continued, their shared memory creating the kind of intimate moment that made their witnesses smile with approval.
Through the café's windows, late November light painted the mountains in shades of copper and gold that suggested nature itself was preparing for their quiet celebration rather than marking time until winter's arrival.
"What about dress?" Mrs. Johnson asked from the next table, where she'd been pretending not to eavesdrop while actually blessing their conversation with subtle hedge witch magic.
"The cream sweater dress in my closet," Sera said with decision that proved she'd already considered every practical detail. "The one I wore to our first Council meeting. It feels right—something that represents who I really am rather than who I used to perform being."
"No photographer?" Twyla asked with gentle curiosity rather than judgment.
"Just our memories," Maddox replied with alpha certainty that suggested they'd discussed this thoroughly. "We've had enough of outside documentation and public scrutiny. This celebration belongs to us."
"Simple bouquet from the forest itself," Sera added, her eyes bright with anticipation for ceremony that would honor their connection to Hollow Oak's natural magic without requiring elaborate enhancement. "Pine boughs and winter berries, things that grow wild where we fell in love."
The casual reference to falling in love made their witnesses exchange glances of shared satisfaction, especially since everyone present had watched their relationship develop from antagonistic sparring to supernatural partnership to genuine romantic partnership.
"Varric will be honored to perform the ceremony," Miriam assured them with confidence that suggested she'd already discussed officiating duties with the Council elder. "Supernatural community marriages are sacred responsibilities that he takes very seriously."
"November thirtieth," Mrs. Johnson repeated with elderly wisdom. "The threshold between seasons, when old magic runs strongest through mountain communities."
"The perfect day for beginning married life," Twyla agreed with fae perception that proved their intuitive timing aligned with supernatural traditions they'd unconsciously honored.
As they continued discussing simple details for intimate ceremony that would formalize bonds already sealed through crisis and supernatural connection, Sera realized that choosing quiet celebration over elaborate performance felt like the most authentic decision she'd made since arriving in Hollow Oak.
"Three days," Maddox said with academic attention to timeline management, though his protective satisfaction suggested he was looking forward to legal and spiritual formalization of partnership that already felt unbreakable.
"Three days to become officially married in the community that's become home," she agreed with anticipation that resonated through their mate bond and made every supernatural resident in the café smile with shared excitement for romantic celebration that would honor their choice rather than outside expectations.
The late November light continued painting Hollow Oak in autumn's farewell colors, but inside Twyla's warm café, wedding anticipation and seasonal magic combined to create atmosphere that felt like the beginning of exactly the kind of happily ever after they'd chosen to build together.