Once on stage, he stood me next to him as he faced Desiree. Was he taking me back as his best man? Was this his way of saying he’d forgiven us or his way of punishing us more? My eyes dropped away from Desiree’s as I stood in place next to him. Arjen gave the pastor a nod to continue with the ceremony without saying a word to the confused crowd.
“Do you, Arjen Vallin, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?” the pastor asked again. The thick silence of the crowd highlighted the anticipation in the room and sent mine soaring through the roof.
“I can’t marry this woman,” Arjen stated. Gasps were set off like a bunch of hissing bombs as awed faces stared frozen and mouths gaped. Hands went over chests and mouths, and women clutched their diamonds and pearls. Mecca was making her way to the stage, and her tight expression revealed that she was pissed about my brother’s actions.
“Pastor, I can’t marry this woman because I’ve realized that I love someone else more than I care about her.”
Open-mouthed stares along with wide eyes, sat in dead silence. This was probably the most drama the older people in the crowd had seen in years as a few fanned their faces. My brother’s voice was what broke through the deafening silence.
“This person I love. I care about their feelings more than my own. Therefore, Pastor, I can’t marry this beautiful woman because I can’t bear breaking my brother’s heart.”
Unable to move, talk, or blink, I stood, staring at Arjen as he attempted to move me. I had gone rigid and was rooted in place with him tugging but unable to shift me. Mecca had stopped at the steps, glaring up at the three of us, confusion a veil over her face.
Once Arjen had me facing Desiree, my eyes found hers, and my tension melted away. “Pastor, if you could start the ceremony over. I would like to give this man to this woman,” Arjen stated, taking the role that a father would when he gave away his daughter, but in reverse.
The crowd was in such awe over the scene unfolding in front of them it appeared they were viewing a movie that was at the most exciting part. Eyes locked, bodies leaning forward, ears perked.
Tears dripped down Desiree’s cheeks, joy filling her eyes instead of the endless pits of sadness that I had seen in them moments ago. When Arjen tried to step away, I gripped his arm. I didn’t care that we were holding up the crowd or the pastor or that we were in the middle of a wedding ceremony.
“Thank you,” I stated. “What about the syndicate?” I whispered.
“Let me worry about them.”
Other than Desiree, Arjen was the only person who cared enough to acknowledge I even had feelings. I slung my arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug that he returned with strength.
When we came apart, he stared at me for a paused moment with a big crooked smile on his face. I had hurt him worse than anyone, and he had found a way to forgive me. He had also given me the greatest gift I could ask for. I knew with all certainty that nothing I could receive would ever be better than Desiree.
“Be happy, little brother,” he whispered before he reached, tousled my hair playfully, and punched me in the shoulder before stepping aside. He remained in place behind me, standing with me as I turned and faced Desiree.
From the moment I took Desiree’s hands, I didn’t see anything else but her as the pastor quoted the words that would bind us together forever.
“Will you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
“I will,” Desiree stated, the big smile on her lips shine through her tearstained eyes as she squeezed my hands.
I attempted but failed to shake off the impact of hearing her declare that she was willing to accept me. Desiree was the only one that knew the true depth of my connection to her. The notion that she wanted me as her husband, despite the insanity embedded in our past, sent a shot of contentment racing through me so strong, it threatened to buckle my knees and caused Arjen to grip my arm when he saw me sway. He kept a tight grip on me until he was sure I would be okay.
After a moment, I focused on her. My greatest weakness. My greatest joy. The greatest of anything that could ever happen to me. The most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She had also filled me with a debilitating level of chaos that made me lose control of my known self and embrace who I had wanted to be for her.
“Will you take this woman to be—”
“Yes. I will,” I answered, not allowing the pastor to finish the sentence. The quick response received a low chorus of laughter from the crowd that I had forgotten were there.
For a while, I didn’t hear anything else until the words, “You may kiss your bride,” at which point, Desiree was on her toes, and I bent to meet her. Our lips connected, and a piece of heaven fell into my heart. If I were dreaming, it was the best I’d ever had, and I prayed that it would never end.
Had I just married the woman of my dreams?