His smile was dazzling and electric as the minister instructed their guests to take a seat. He was a Christian minister, so he went into the process of the Eucharist and communion, reminding Emma of the days her mother forced her to go to church on Sundays.
The entire time, Ace watched her, grinning, as they both were eager to make it official. It finally came down to their vows, and Emma had never been so ready for anything in her life.
She went first, as they had discussed. She knew that whatever Ace said to her would produce a stream of tears, likely preventing any sentences from formulating properly.
“Ace,” she began, “when we first met, I have to admit, you scared the shit out of me. I initially saw an animal, an enemy, but when I got to know you, I saw what was beneath all of that spotted exterior … a deep and loving man who will be loyal to me beyond words.”
The spectators laughed politely at the correct moments, then applauded at the end. Ace’s eyes shone, and his cheeks were as round as a cute chipmunk.
“I promise I will love you with the same intensity and loyalty you have given me,” Emma asserted.
The crowd clapped and cheered, both sides equally enthusiastic.
It was Ace’s turn, and he pulled no punches. He tugged her as close as he could with the minister still visible and spoke from the bottom of his heart.
“Emma, you are truly something that popped out of nowhere. I was living the life I thought I wanted. With no attachments came no worries. But with no attachment came a life void of both love and the potential for higher achievement and fulfillment.”
Emma tried to keep her lower lip from trembling as his soft voice moved across her skin. Once again, everyone around them evaporated. It was only them within their exquisite, dreamlike universe.
“When I found you, I knew I had found something unique,” Ace continued. “You cracked my shell and opened me up in ways I never thought I could. And as I opened up, I learned not only to love you more, but I learned to love myself.”
The crowd aww-ed, and tears began to spill from both Ace and Emma’s eyes.
“You taught me that I could be something more. And that is exactly what I will be until the end of our days and beyond. Whatever and whoever you need me to be, I will be there.”
Everyone clapped and cheered again, a few of Ace’s friends hooting and hollering a bit louder than the others.
The minister finally pronounced them husband and wife, and they collided, a lot like an asteroid to the earth. They kissed long and hard, with Ace’s hands pressing against her lower back in a way she never wanted to forget.
They parted eventually, moving back down the aisle while white rose petals fell around them. Emma felt surreal, like everything around her was happening to someone else. But it wasn’t, and she was beginning to finally understand and accept that.
The reception took place in the very same field, with a long, carved wooden table set up for the two mob families to join together and break bread. The table was decadently decorated in more pink-shaded geraniums.
Emma was slightly unsure about how the reception was going to go with everyone sitting at the same table. But when their meals arrived and their families were served, everyone seemed to get along.
She gave her husband a look of confusion as they sat at the head of the table, and he shrugged.
“I’ll take it for now,” he whispered into her ear.
His voice tickled her skin.
Once everyone had finished eating, a dance floor was set up under a large tent. Snacks were put out intermittently while everyone became properly soused.
Emma and Ace sat back in the dark, watching their families mingle without incident. Ray was so adorable, hovering around his wife and new baby girl, Isabella. Augusta glowed with her new role as mother, and Ray certainly seemed attentive to what his girls needed.
“What a wonderful sight this is,” Emma whispered.
They had been attached at the hip ever since the ceremony. Her legs were crossed, with one draping over Ace’s lap. He had both hands on the bare skin of her knee and teased her thigh every now and then when no one was looking.
“I guess miracles do happen,” Ace whispered back.
She pulled his gorgeous face toward her. He looked at her, all innocent and beautiful.
“Don’t give me that look,” she said.
“What look?” He smirked.
“The look that says you have no idea what I’m thinking,” Emma teased.