Robin thought that it would take an eternity for the wedding day to finally be upon them, but it honestly approached quicker than he thought it would. Between working, preparations, closing the deal on the house, moving into said house, and spending what little free time he had talking to his fiancée, it snuck up on him rather quickly.

Over the past few months, he had grown a deep appreciation for Regina. He cared for her. He had been skeptical of marrying a stranger at first, but the more time he spent with her, the more he considered her a friend. The matchmaking service had truly worked some sort of magic pairing them together. She was everything he could have wanted in a wife and he expected things between them would progress nicely.

Today was the rehearsal ceremony where they'd practice walking down the aisle and then host a dinner for the wedding party and close family. Robin shouldn't be nervous, but he was, because today Regina was finally going to meet his mother.

The wedding party was instructed to arrive at the venue around two o'clock. Robin had been there since twelve helping his fiancée set up the venue for the wedding tomorrow. She had chosen a rose garden with a quaint chapel for their ceremony, mostly to appease her Catholic relatives, she had told him, and so they wouldn't have to worry about bad weather like they would if the wedding was strictly outside. The pews were decorated with satin ribbons and bouquets of deep red roses. A fancy sign sat out on the foyer that read: 'Welcome to the wedding of Robin & Regina Locksley. July 22, 2023.'

Tomorrow. They'd be married tomorrow.

Eventually, the wedding party began pouring in. Regina's bridesmaids were first. Her maid of honor, Mary Margaret, led the bunch, Emma and Tink trailing behind excitedly. Zelena was already here helping with preparations and had been making eyes at Robin all afternoon much to his discomfort. Next were Robin's groomsmen, his best man Killian, followed by his friends David, Will, and John. How odd it had been to learn that David's wife, Mary Margaret, was Regina's cousin—and what a small world it was.

And then, the moment Robin had been anxiously anticipating, his mother walked into the chapel. Robin took a deep breath and began looking around for Regina to make introductions. He found her sampling wines for the toast at the reception tomorrow, a decision she had put off until last minute because she claimed they were all too good.

"Hey," Robin said as he approached her.

She turned to face him, wearing a pretty white sundress as a stand in for the gown she had kept swearing to him was the most beautiful thing she had ever laid eyes on. She gave him a smile in greeting. The sunlight from the windows caught her and bathed her in glorious rays of light that kissed her bare shoulders. She was truly a vision.

"Hi," Regina said. "You've been rather quiet today."

"I have a lot on my mind, I suppose," Robin said. "My mother is here. She's going to want to meet you."

He could see the shift in her face. She was nervous too. No doubt, she wanted his mother to like her as much as he did. "Okay," she said and held up the little glass of wine she had been sampling. "First, try this. I think this should be the one."

Robin leaned forward and let her hold the glass to his lips. It went down his throat smoothly, its flavor sweet and elegant. "That's a good one."

Regina hummed in response and set the glass down. Robin started to turn away but Regina grabbed his wrist to stop him. She reached up and placed her hand against the side of his face, using her thumb to swipe a bead of wine from the corner of his lip.

"Don't want that dripping onto your nice shirt," she said, pulling her hand away.

Robin watched, mesmerized, as she stuck the tip of her thumb into her mouth and sucked away the little bit of wine. He was utterly speechless. He couldn't tell if she had meant it to be provocative or not, but her certainly wanted to watch her do it again.

"Uh, thanks," he said, feeling his face get hot.

There was only one downside to having such a pretty fiancée: Robin wanted her. Badly. On days where they spent time together, he could barely keep his hands to himself and had to remind himself they were taking it slow. He'd woken up many times in the night or early morning with a rock hard cock and a wet stain in his boxers thanks to the erotic dreams he kept having about her. He desired her greatly and found himself hoping that becoming intimate with her didn't take too long.

Regina reached for his hand, drawing him from his thoughts. "Shall we go meet your mother?"

He nodded and led the way.

Vivian Locksley was chatting with Cora when Robin and Regina approached. Knowing an introduction was about to be made, Cora excused herself and went to bark orders at the sorry souls setting up the venue. As they came to a halt in front of Robin's mother, he removed his hand from Regina's and placed it on the small of her back.

"Mum, this is my fiancée, Regina. Regina, this is my mother," he introduced.

His mother was staring at Regina with a scrutinizing gaze, but aside from that, her expression was unreadable. Robin had warned her to play nice, that he was actually quite fond of Regina, and that he wanted her to give her a chance. Beneath his mother's gaze, he felt Regina tense up. She leaned into Robin slightly for comfort and he gently rubbed his thumb in soothing circles on her lower back.

Finally, Vivian spoke. "It's nice to meet you, Regina," she said.

"And you, Mrs. Locksley," Regina replied politely. She reached out a hand which his mother took.

"You can call me Vivian," his mother said.

"Vivian," Regina repeated and let her hand slowly retreat. "Robin has told me a lot about you. It's clear you are very important to him."

"And he is important to me," Vivian said, her words a warning.

Regina tensed again, clearly catching on. Robin had told her that his mother did not approve of the marriage and would have preferred for her son to find a suitable wife by falling in love, despite the fact that he didn't have the time to do so.

"I understand," Regina said. "I know Robin and I don't have the most conventional relationship, ma'am, but we've become friends. I trust and respect him, and I want to make this work."

Robin felt his heart swell with pride when she said that. She trusted him. That was such a relief to hear. A good relationship could only be built on trust, and she trusted him. He wasn't sure what had made her decide that, but he was glad she did, glad she felt safe with him.

Vivian hummed. "Perhaps he made a good choice then," she said. "I was worried you two wouldn't get along."

"We've been spending a lot of time together," Robin said, his hand still gently massaging the small of her back, settled in the small curve between her spine and her ass. She pressed back against his touch, like she was enjoying the way it soothed her nerves. "We get along well. The matchmaker knew what she was doing when she put us together."

Robin's words seemed to soothe his mother's worries about this relationship and he hoped to speak with her privately soon so he could tell her just how much he adored Regina.

"Very well. I look forward to getting to know you more, Regina," Vivian said and went off to resume her conversation with Cora.

Regina deflated with a big sigh, suddenly looking so small standing next to him. "I was hoping that would go a lot better," she said.

Robin turned towards her and took her hands in his. "Don't worry, it also could have gone a lot worse. My mother is very protective of me. I'm her only child and all she has left since my father died. She just wants to make sure I am with someone who will make me happy."

Regina caught her bottom lip between her teeth. "Do you think I will make you happy?" she asked, looking up at him with her big, warm eyes that he could spend hours lost in.

"You already do," he said and squeezed her hands. She always made him smile and laugh, and she was always on his mind. If he were being honest, he was quite smitten with her and hoped with time that things between them progressed into something more.

It would take time, he knew that. She was just getting over a break up, and her heart wasn't as open as his, but once she healed, he prayed she gave him a chance.

Robin let go of her hands after a moment. "Come on. We only have a little more time until the rehearsals begin."

They spent another thirty minutes or so setting up before practice began. It started with the processional. The bridesmaids and groomsmen practiced walking in together, which only took a few tries to get right. A lot of the time was spent showing Henry, Emma's son, and Margot, Zelena's daughter, how to walk down the aisle slowly so that everyone could see the wedding rings and the adorable little blond-haired girl throwing rose petals down. Robin watched Regina walk down the aisle with her grandfather, Xavier, a few times too. He learned a while ago that her father had died of a heart attack a few years prior and that she was having a hard time dealing with the fact that he wouldn't be there to walk her down the aisle. Her grandfather would give her away in his place. He was excited to see her walking towards him for real tomorrow. They practiced their vows and ring exchange, and finally, the recessional. They went through this a few times before calling it a night.

There was a small party hosted for immediate family and the wedding party afterwards with good wine and plenty of delicious food. Robin spent some time getting to know Regina's relatives, most of them from her father's side of the family. They seemed like very kind people, a far cry from Cora and Zelena, who stood brooding in the corner. Robin also saw her sister's husband for the first time, and he looked positively uninterested in his wife, his child, and everyone else around. Regina's friends spent a good portion of the night asking him questions and giggling at the answers. Finally, it got late and the girls dragged Regina off to the hotel they were staying at, and Robin went to his.

On the way out to the parking lot, Vivian stopped him. "Come here, son," she said and held her arms out for him.

Robin moved to hug her and kissed her cheek.

"My sweet boy is going to be married tomorrow. I can't believe it," she said and rubbed his back. "I just wish it could be to the woman who captured your heart. I loved your father, but he's made me so angry with his damn will."

"I know, Mum. It was hard to come to terms with but I do really like Regina. She's amazing, actually," he said and pulled back to look down at her.

"You really think so?" Vivian asked.

Robin nodded sincerely. "I do. She and I get along well. We've been texting and calling quite a bit and I've taken her out on several dates. I did what I could to ensure that I wasn't marrying a stranger and it has paid off. We may not be in love but we are friends."

"As long as she makes you happy, Robin, that's all I care about," Vivian said. "Oh, and a few grandchildren at some point."

Robin chuckled. "We've already discussed children and it is something we both want when the time is right."

Vivian smiled. "You seem confident in this marriage, so I will take your word for it and give her a chance."

Those words were music to his ears. He sighed in relief. "Thank you, Mum. That's all she needs. In fact, I'd love to see the two of you get close. She doesn't have the greatest relationship with her mother."

"Cora?" Vivian asked.

Robin nodded. "She forced her into this marriage—and before you say anything, we had long talks about that and Regina was given ample opportunity to back away or let me tell Cora no. I guess Cora has always been hard on her. I know she loves Regina, but she doesn't have the best way of showing it."

"I gathered that. She was both complementary of her and critical at the same time," Vivian said.

"And with her father gone, I think she could use someone like you," he said. "Thank you for giving her a chance."

"Of course, son," Vivian said and smiled. "I should let you go. You've got a big day tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Mum."

They briefly hugged goodbye and then Robin went back to his hotel room to get some sleep. Tomorrow, he would be a married man, with a beautiful wife, a nice house, and Locksley Publishing his for the taking. Despite his circumstances, despite not being able to find his one true love, he fell asleep that night happier than he had been in a long time.