“All right, up ye go. Wash up. Dinner be ready in half an hour. Jerry!”
A boy no older than ten bounded into the room.
“Show our guests up to their rooms.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The boy snapped to attention with a formal salute. He turned on his heel, beckoning them to follow, and marched up the stairs.
Their room turned out to be an adjoining suite, complete with a full bathroom. When Vanessa and Elle found out there was running water and a boiler, they shut Jared out of the room and spent almost the entire half hour basking in the luxurious hot water. Jared didn’t blame them. The moment the hot water hit his body, he wanted nothing more than to stand underneath the torrent of scalding water the rest of the night. Fate was a cruel trickster as Jerry rapped on their door not a moment later. He announced dinner was ready and Nanna didn’t tolerate tardiness. He said it with such a matter-of-fact politeness, it made Jared chuckle and shut down the glorious stream of energizing liquid. Stepping out of the steamy bathroom, Jared felt like a new man.
A pair of clean linen pants and a shirt waited for him on the bed. He slipped into them, obeying Jerry as he asked to gather up their soiled clothes for washing and mending. Ready to enjoy a succulent dumpling, Jared joined the girls in the other room and his jaw hit the floor. Vanessa practically glowed. Her skin shone, and a soft pink hue decorated her cheeks. Her silky black hair reflected the light, shimmering when she ducked her head.
“You look so beautiful!”
Consumed by her radiant beauty, Jared jumped when Jerry forcefully cleared his throat from the doorway.
“Nanna is waiting.”
“Shall we?”
Vanessa took Jared’s proffered arm, and Elle followed behind them, a huge smile on her face.
“I didn’t overlook you either, Elle.” Jared winked at her. “You look stunning! I haven’t seen you smile this much since you first reunited with Vanessa. The look suits you. Both of you!”
They all knew this moment wouldn’t last, but they enjoyed it for what it was, a brief respite before the storm. That night, they left any talk of the future and upcoming plans aside, choosing to live at the moment and enjoy each other’s company.
As much as he didn’t want to part from Vanessa that night, duty and his moral compass drove him to bed alone. Sometimes he hated his conscience. He loved Vanessa with everything he had and wanted nothing more than to be with her for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, the nagging voice in the back of his mind railed at him to follow his parents’ example.
The thought made him stop in his tracks. “Wait, surely there’s a minister in this city who could—”
Jared ran to the adjoining door and asked to speak with Vanessa alone. Elle eyed him askance, but Jared assured her it wouldn’t take long.
When the two of them were alone, Jared’s forehead broke into a sweat and he opened and closed his mouth several times before making an approximation of sound.
“Vanessa, I—we have something between us that is so precious. Something I didn’t expect to experience in this life. The love I feel for you is the same love I saw in my dad’s eyes when he looked at my mother. I want nothing more than to be your husband. In this life, the next, and any other we find ourselves in.”
“Jared, I—”
He placed a finger on her lips, cutting her off.
“Vanessa Carlisle, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
“Yes!” Vanessa shrieked. Elle and Kitty materialized in the room, crouched and ready to face any intruders.
“Jeez, we’re fine!” Jared laughed, joy filling his soul.
“Why you yell?”
“Elle, Jared asked me to marry him and I said yes!”
It was Elle’s turn to shriek and jump on Vanessa with a huge bear hug. Next thing he knew, the door flew open and old Nanna barreled into the room with her shotgun primed. Luckily, Kitty had disappeared a split second before the door opened, or they’d have had a lot of explaining to do.
“What’s all this racket!” grumped Nanna.
Vanessa positively beamed as she ran over and wrapped the old woman in a bear hug. “Jared just asked me to marry him!”
Nanna narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “I thought you married already?”
Vanessa’s smile faltered for a moment, but she quickly recovered and explained.
“No, we’ve been together for a long time, but we’ve never been to someplace where we could formally make this happen. Surely you have a minister here, right?”
The suspicion turned into a beaming smile until she realized she still held the shotgun at them. “Sorry ‘bout that. Never can be certain these days. We have a minister. My brother runs the church just down the street.”
“Can we do it first thing in the morning?” Vanessa looked to Jared and Nanna hopefully.
“Nanna, do you know when we’re meeting with the mayor?”
“Nonsense, that stuffy old git can wait. Yer wedding be more important. I’ll make sure that old badger attends the wedding himself. You can kill two birds at once.”
“Oh, thank you, thank you!” Vanessa couldn’t contain her energy, bouncing from foot to foot.
Jared couldn’t wipe the grin off his face. He’d never seen this side of Vanessa. Up to this point, she’d been so reserved, carrying the weight of her people on her shoulders. He’d caught glimpses of this side with the elusive and sudden kisses over the months. He never thought she’d devolve into a bouncing teenage girl like this. They’d already discussed what marriage even meant these days, but apparently it meant every bit as much to her as it did him.
“Thank you, Nanna. What time should we meet you downstairs?”
“Nonsense. Vanessa and Elle be coming with me right this instant. You ain’t allowed to see your bride on yer wedding day until she be walkin’ down the aisle. We still hold to tradition here in New Denver. You might be a guest, but ain’t no exception under my roof.”
Jared didn’t enjoy letting them out of his sight, but he felt confident they would be safe with Kitty looking out for them.
“Stay with them, Kitty.”
The giant cat brushed his side. “I will.”
“All right, then, I guess I’ll see you in the morning...fiancée.”
Vanessa squealed again, jumped into his arms and planted a kiss on his lips.
“All right, that’s enough, you two sinners. Ain’t no kissy kissy till after yer married.”
Grinning like a fool, Jared walked the trio to the top of the stairs and waved them goodnight.
Back in his room, Jared lay back in the bed, more content than he’d ever been in his life.
“Jared? What is happening down there?”
“Scarlet? How can you reach me this far?”
“I am flying over the city right now with Malsour. Yours and Vanessa’s emotions are hard to ignore.”
“Scarlet! We’re getting married in the morning!”
“I do not know why you trouble yourself with something that no longer matters. You told me this is just a construct of a rule of government, right? So, why do it? When my mother walked the earth—”
“But it matters. It does. Marriage aside, we would’ve eventually gotten past it, but this is more to honor my parents than anything. Also, even though Vanessa didn’t come out and say it, her reaction when I asked was a clear indication she wants this too.”
“Human relations are…odd.”
Jared smirked. She experienced the emotional surges through their bond, but she did not understand what it meant to have a relationship. Since dragons didn’t mate like other creatures, she couldn’t understand, and he hadn’t spent the time he wanted with her to work through and explain all these feelings. He’d need to remedy that when they had a moment to spare.
Jared ignored her comment. “This place
has been nothing short of amazing, and the little old lady we’re staying with has a brother who is a minister. She whisked Vanessa and Elle off to get ready for a ceremony at first light. She’ll also wrangle the colony’s mayor to come to the chapel, and we can have a chat about the boosters.”
“All that happened in a few hours?”
“Amazing, right?”
“I am happy for you, Jared. I don’t understand it all, but after so much tragedy, you deserve happiness, and I am thrilled you get to honor your parents’ memory by following in their footsteps.”
“Thank you. That means a lot.”
“I…” Scarlet paused and for a moment Jared didn’t think she’d continue. “I think Malsour and I will need to teach the both of you to lock down on your emotions better. It could become… awkward.”
A blush crept up Jared’s neck as he realized the implications. “Oh, I—” Jared didn’t know what to say. Embarrassment washed through him. He could endure the increased scrutiny from Scarlet, she already knew his innermost thoughts, but Malsour…
“Scarlet should we wait?”
“Think nothing of it for now. We will speak of it later. We will remove ourselves from the area to create a buffer between us.” Scarlet projected as much mischief as possible along their bond, inciting a wry chuckle from Jared.
“Sorry, again.” Jared winced, hoping it didn’t cause too much discomfort for them. “I promise we’ll work on shielding our emotions as soon as we can. As for our timeline here, that hasn’t changed, and we intend to meet you tomorrow.”
“Are you certain? We could—”
“Yes, I’m certain. As much as I’d love to take more time, we have people waiting for us. I won’t put my wants and desires over theirs.”
“Very well. We will be waiting. Goodnight, Jared.”
Jared slept like a rock, getting more than his customary three to five hours. Between the reason for his visit and the events leading to the following morning, Jared didn’t think he’d sleep at all. However, the incredible meal, hot shower, and comfortable bed compounded to render him unconscious. A knock on the door startled him from his sleep. Bleary-eyed, Jared opened the door to admit an equally bleary-eyed Jerry.
“You look tired. Didn’t you get any sleep last night?”
“With all that yammering in the other room? Nope, not a wink.”
Jared grinned at the little boy as he stumbled from the room. Poor little guy. Jared imagined the girls chittering all night, and he couldn’t wait to see the fruits of their preparation. He basked in another hot shower, washing his hair for the first time in months.
As if reading his mind, Jerry announced that the barber had arrived to give him a haircut and shave. Feeling like a king, Jared leaned back as Benny expertly cut the stubble from his face. His skin tingled from a salve Benny applied after he used a straight-edged razor to remove any trace of hair from his face. He’d never grown his beard long, but he hadn’t shaved it all off in years. Next to go was the hair he’d grown out for the past five years. His mom was the last one to cut any of it off but getting married to Vanessa was the perfect opportunity to chop it all off for the close-cropped look he’d once preferred.
By the time Benny finished, Jared looked like an entirely new man. No longer did he resemble the world-weary traveler wearing blood-stained rags for clothes. While Benny cut his hair, Jerry had brought in a black suit, complete with a bowtie and shiny black shoes.
“Wow, Marie thought of everything!”
Benny guffawed. “She’s been waiting for Jerry to get old enough to marry off. All her kids long since up and ran off with their brides. If you hadn’t come with your own lass, she’d have invited half the colony to the inn last night to find you a match. Just be glad you already had yours picked out.”
“You sound like you’re speaking from experience?”
“Aye, you could say that. Penny and I are happy enough, but it wasn’t a love at first sight if ya catch my drift. We were young and, well, Benny and Penny. You can imagine the teasing we incurred along the way. I don’t regret it, mind you, just coulda done without the public scrutiny when old Nanna announced to the world that Benny and Penny were freshly minted the night after our wedding, you know? We didn’t live that down for years. Even now some folk bring it up.”
Jared had to hold back a chuckle himself, forcing his face to remain passive. “I can only imagine.” Jared clenched his teeth, doing his best to keep a stoic expression. “Thank you for all your help, Benny. I appreciate it. Sadly, I have no coin—”
Benny waved him off saying that Nanna took care of payment. The moment the door closed, Jared buried his head in the pillow and roared with gut-wrenching laughter. It really wasn’t that funny, but he’d almost made a pun on Benny’s wife’s name by saying pennies, but changed it to coin at the last second.
He had no right to be this happy, but he couldn’t help himself. It was a wonderful day and the events of the last few days couldn’t darken his thoughts at the moment. Quickly donning the suit, Jared had no clue how the bowtie worked and opted to just leave it on the bed. Ready to head to the chapel, he found Jerry waiting for him by the door.
“It’s about time.”
“My apologies, young sir. Please, lead on.”
Jerry led him up the street to the chapel. Jared entered to find the room filled with foreign faces. He balked at the sight, until he glimpsed Sergeant First Class Johnston at the front of the small auditorium. The Sergeant beckoned him forward and motioned for him to stand at the head of the room. An aged, white-haired minister stood behind a podium, holding what Jared assumed was a Bible. He saw the physical resemblance to New Denver’s Marie down to the smile creases on his pale face.
“I’m Max.” He extended a hand, and Jared shook it firmly. “You’ve made my sister a very happy old woman today. She’s been pining to throw another wedding, but it’s been years since anyone wanted to get married and well, we ain’t getting any younger, ya know?”
“Hi, Max, Jared Cartwright. It’s nice to meet you, and I’m happy to oblige Marie. Vanessa and I talked about this, but we wondered if it even made sense anymore. My parents would have wanted this if they were still around.”
Max made to respond but stopped with his mouth open and pointed down the aisle. Elle came first, dressed in a beautiful blue summer dress that caressed the tops of her calves as she walked. She was even tinier than Jared imagined, but he’d only ever seen her wearing clothes five times her size. Even though she was in her teen years, she looked no older than twelve as she walked down the aisle with a beautiful smile splitting her face. Her chestnut hair was spun into a relaxed bun atop her head with flowers placed strategically throughout. She wore makeup and positively radiated happiness. She wore white heels, and it was clear she didn’t know how to walk in them as her legs wobbled with each slow step forward. Jared heard her breathe a sigh of relief when she finally stopped near the front of the small chapel.
After Elle reached her position next to the minister, Max asked everyone to stand. The doors opened, and an angel entered the building. Jared felt his knees go weak as he looked at the most beautiful sight he’d ever beheld. The girl of his dreams sauntered down the aisle. She wore a strapless, pure white wedding dress with a glimmering sequined bodice emphasizing her hourglass figure. Her raven colored hair hung in ringlets around her face, cascading from a sparkling golden circlet. Her smile blazed like the sun. Her makeup amplified her already gorgeous face a thousand times, her skin glistening in the morning light.
Jared couldn’t look away. He drank in her beauty hungrily, his heart fluttered rapidly and threatened to escape his chest. As long as he lived, he’d never forget the image of perfection in front of him. A tear trickled from Vanessa’s eye, unconstrained joy bursting to break free. Jared ached to wrap her in his arms and wipe all tears from her face, but he didn’t trust his legs to carry him
a single step before giving out.
He seared the images in his mind, willing himself to never forget this moment. No matter what difficulties lay ahead, this picture-perfect scene would always be a simple thought away and bring a smile to his face.
The next moments passed in a blur, so enraptured was he with the beautiful woman before him. They exchanged vows with each other, fully intending their words to be the only sign of their matrimony they needed. Apparently, Nanna had had other ideas as, miraculously, a pair of wedding bands materialized out of thin air. Elle carried a simple silver band for Jared and Jerry snatched a gold band from his pocket for Vanessa.
They promised to love each other no matter what life had in store for them. If the entire world turned against them, they would always remain true to each other.
The ceremony ended when Jared swept Vanessa off her feet and kissed her passionately to the cheering of the crowd and mental congratulations from Malsour and Scarlet.
They’d done it. They were husband and wife, and nothing prevented them from being with each other any longer. For a moment he contemplated ignoring his own words and staying another night, but he knew it wasn’t right and everything he’d done up to this point was to take the right path. He didn’t plan on changing that now no matter how strongly he desired to do otherwise.
The ceremony over, the crowd quickly left, Johnston stopping only briefly to say congratulations before making his way over to his post at the wall. Nanna and Max sat together at the front of the chapel, tears in their eyes as they witnessed the joy of young love once more in their lifetime. Jared thanked them for everything and ensured them they’d be by the Inn shortly to change out of their formal attire and grab their gear.
“Mayor?” Jared approached the man Max pointed to and proffered his hand. “Jared Cartwright.”
“Please, call me Corey. Mayor is such a stuffy title.”
“All right, Corey, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I want to say thank you for everything here. We never expected such a warm welcome. After what we’ve seen and been through, it’s refreshing to find such wonderful people left in the world.”
Radioactive Revolution: A Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic Adventure Page 38