Every little girl has dreamed about her big day. Standing in front of her family and friends, wearing the most beautiful gown and marrying a handsome prince. That's what we're told to believe, that all girls want to play princesses for the day and have all eyes on them. And while the majority of that may be the case, it certainly wasn't for Regina Mills. The stunning brunette was far too busy to ever dream of such a belittling occasion. From a young age, the bright girl had her sights set higher than being someone's wife and having someone's babies. Regina wanted to travel the world, start her own company, maybe write a novel or learn a few languages. And she did all of that, and then some. Regina had single-handedly created what she had deemed the perfect life for herself, but something still was missing. Her Mother insisted it was a man, but Regina wasn't too sure about that. She wasn't a lonely woman, she had men to keep her luxurious bed warm at night if she needed. What Regina lacked was something real, something or someone to make her feel wanted, to celebrate all her successes with. So naturally, her sister signed her up for online dating.
At first, Regina was mortified, she was the face of a tech company, with hundreds of ingenious employees who could easily see through the terrible screen name her sister had chosen: SassyBossMills. It was almost as if her sister wanted her to be found out by her employees and embarrassed for the rest of her life. The world of online dating scared Regina, and the amount of horny, creepy men that were looking to be bossed around, made her skin crawl. She was ready to give up altogether, until the as if my fate, the seemingly perfect match appeared in her inbox. Graham had been the perfect gentleman, he made her laugh, he opened up about his life, his dreams, his future, and he actually seemed to listen when Regina spoke about her hopes and dreams. There was no awkwardness when they finally met up in person, it was almost as if they had known each other for years. Slowly but surely, that missing piece inside of Regina seemed to disappear, and then Graham had to go and ruin everything.
Well, 'ruin' by Regina's standard.
It was the evening of their two year anniversary when things began to change. Graham had booked them a secluded table in Regina's favorite French restaurant La Grenouille. The two were having a wonderful evening, filled with laughter and expensive wine. Until out of nowhere Graham dropped to his knee. At first, Regina thought he was having a heart attack and was ready to jump to his aid, but she was soon floored when he pulled out a small velvet box and asked those four life-shattering words: Will you marry me?
Regina didn't know what to say, or where to look. Suddenly all eyes were on her, and she was expected to speak. She once vowed that she'd never fall victim to that demeaning ritual, that could live a happy life without rings or a piece of paper to prove her commitment. But with Graham staring up at her with those puppy dog eyes, and the French waiters waiting to roll out a celebratory dessert, the words seemed to slip out with ease.
"Graham and I are engaged," Regina announced bluntly to the women of her family at their monthly lunch. The news was quickly met with mixed reactions, Cora - Regina's Mother and the thorn in her side - almost choked on her practically raw steak, while Zelena - her sister - and Robin - her niece - were quick to offer up words of congratulations across the table.
"I have to say, I'm shocked dear." Cora finally spoke after downing her third glass of wine in the last thirty minutes. "Here I thought I'd have no weddings left to attend, especially with this one and her latest phase." A disgusted smirk was fired in Robin's direction. Cora had not taken the brunette's coming out well, and took every chance she could get to show her granddaughter that. It wasn't that she hated her granddaughter for who she was, she just didn't understand what she was and blamed everyone on ignorance and having grown up in a different time.
"Mother, we've talked about this. If you've got nothing nice to say, then shut it." Zelena hissed back through gritted teeth and placed a supportive hand on top of her daughters.
"I don't mean anything by it, you know that sweetheart. I'm just expressing how shocked I am." Cora placed an offended hand over her heart overdramatically and let out an audible sigh.
"Moving swiftly on. Congratulations Sis!" Zelena raises her wine glass happily. "You and Graham are such an adorable couple, and I'm so happy for you both."
"We all are," Cora added with an unfamiliar smile on her lips, before the four women clinked their glasses of wine - and orange juice in Robin's case - and toasted Regina.
"I think this is the right move for us. I can't imagine my life without him." Regina hummed in delight. She had been so nervous about informing her Mother about her engagement to Graham. Cora had never seen Graham as someone worthy of her daughter, but now that everything was out in the open, Regina was surprised to see her Mother so excited.
"I was the same way with your Father. And I always prayed that my girls would find a relationship like that. Your Sister has Chad, and now you and Graham are taking this next step...if only my granddaughter could follow in suit."
"Can I invite my girlfriend to the wedding?" Robin smirked back at her grandmother, seeing right through her fake cluelessness to her blatant homophobia.
"When you get up the courage to ask her out, sure." Regina couldn't help but roll her eyes as Robin's face turned a soft shade of pink and she sank into her seat, muttering a chorus of inaudible swear words. "And I don't even know when the wedding is going to happen."
"Well, as soon as possible I would imagine! You've already wasted enough time. At this rate, I'll never have another grandchild!" Her Mother joked, causing Robin to shoot a devious smile her way.
"Mother!" Regina exclaimed, rolling her eyes at the back and forth between the two. She wished that her Mother would get over the shock of Robin's coming out, and start treating her the way she used too. The pair used to be so close, and now Cora could hardly hold her tongue through a two-hour lunch and that pained Regina.
"All I'm saying is that you aren't getting any younger dear! And you don't want to be showing in the wedding pictures, so you'll have to get a move on if you two plan on getting pregnant anytime soon." Cora shot back while clicking for the waiter's attention, seriously in need of a refill.
"You are unbelievable sometimes, you know that right?" The brunette smiled apologetically at the overworked waiter as he refilled the older woman's large class. "And I don't even know if I want children." She shrugged once they were left alone once again.
"Don't be ridiculous! Who are you gonna pass that company onto then?"
"Her Goddaughter?" Zelena spoke up, winking at her sister playfully and peaking her daughter sudden interest in the conversation.
"I rest my case." Cora chuckled as she gestured towards the overexcited teenager. "Children or not, I'd still like to be able to attend this wedding while I've still got some life in me."
"Do you have to talk like that?" Zelena shivered, hating when her Mother would talk so morbidly without a second thought. Her worry, however, is quickly dismissed as Cora begins to dig through her purse.
"Here." She emerges successful, handing her daughter a yellow business card. "She has organized my last four parties, she is an absolute genius. Give her a call and mention my name, she'll fit you in right away."
"Why am getting in contact with a party planner?" Regina asked in confusion as she quickly read over the plain card. Emma Swan, party planner expert. "A party planner with an increasingly dull business card." She added and passed the card to her nosy sister, who had been practically craning her neck to get a peek at the small piece of paper.
"She also does wedding planning. And she doesn't beat around the bush. She's fast, effective and efficient."
"You should write her business cards." Robin teased, smiling wickedly at tipsy Grandmother.
"You should follow your Mother's advice and keep it shut if you want to remain on my Will!" Cora threatened, and Robin overdramatically zipped her mouth closed and sunk back into her seat. "Now, we need more wine to celebrate!" She clapped and waved her hand in the air, as the two sisters shared an amused look, knowing that in a short while they'll be practically carrying her to the car and putting her to bed. It was the same routine, but at least this month they were celebrating something more than a closing a business deal. This was the start of Regina's happily ever after, and it warmed her heart to see how truly excited her Mother was.
The modest house was in complete silence by the time Regina made it home. Lunch with her Mother had been quite enjoyable for a change, and she couldn't wait to fill Graham in on all the craziness her Mother brings with her, but the burly man had other plans according to the note on the kitchen counter. Plans that included golfing and hot wings. Regina didn't mind the time to herself however, she had always thrived on her own, which is why her response to Graham's proposal had surprised her to begin with. Sure she loved him, she loved him a lot and she could imagine some kind of life with him if she squinted hard enough. But the nagging voice in her head couldn't help but remind her that marriage was never something she craved, and that scared the crap out of Regina. She had just agreed to spend her life with someone, to promise herself to them and only them…she said yes, she wore the expensive ring, she even told her Mother. This was actually happening, she was going to marry Graham Humbert, she was going to be Mrs. Humbert…and she had to be okay with that.
Regina decided that the best thing to cure her indecisiveness was a long, hot bath and a large glass of red wine. She needed to stop worrying about what was to come and focus on the positives. She had an amazing, handsome man who wanted to marry her. She had what most women spend their days dreaming of. She was lucky, and she needed to keep telling herself that if she was ever going to overpower the nagging voice of doubt in her head. So, after a few hours of relaxation, she dug out the small business card her Mother gave her and called Emma Swan so that she could get the planning process started as quickly as possible.
"Hello, Emma Swan speaking. How can I help you on this fine day?" Regina was slightly taken aback, she had half expected to be greeted by an assistant, not Miss Swan herself, but she quickly recovered.
"Hi, I'm Regina Mills. My Mother, Cora Mills gave me your card." Regina spoke sternly, wanting to portray a sense of toughness from the get-go. She had heard all sorts of horror stories of people being taken advantage of in these kinds of situations, and she wanted Emma Swan to know that she wasn't the usual type of weak bride that she could easily pull a fast one on.
"Ah yes. What can I do for my favorite client's daughter?" Regina could almost hear the smile in Emma's voice, as her tone changed from professional to casual, making her question how serious the blonde really took her job. Regina only planned on getting married once, and she wasn't about to let anyone ruin her day.
"Never heard my Mother be described as anyone's favorite anything," Regina muttered, causing a small laugh to escape from Emma's lips, her laugh was so sweet and lyrical, nothing like Regina's own laugh, that was sharp and over before it would really begin. "Nevertheless. Is there any way we can arrange a meeting? Mother mentioned that you do wedding planning." She asked and instantly was met with the harsh sound of paper's being pushed around what Regina assumed was an extremely messy desk.
"Of course, I have an opening tomorrow at ten, if you want to come on down to my office?" Emma suggested, prompting Regina to let out an inaudible sigh of relief that the planning process was officially going underway so soon.
"That's absolutely perfect, the quicker we get planning the quicker I can get my Mother off my back."
"Dealing with Mother's of the brides is my specialty, Miss Mills." Emma hummed in reply, her voice low and slightly husky like she really needed a drink but knew it would be rude to have one whilst on the phone with a customer.
"I'll keep that in mind, Miss Swan." Regina smiled to herself, "See you tomorrow then."
"Enjoy the rest of your day Miss Mills…oh and congratulations on your engagement." Emma ended the call, leaving Regina once again all alone in her house. But at least now she had a project at hand, and all those bridal magazines her Mother had 'accidentally' left at her house had a purpose.