“Of what?”
She turned her head toward his chest again to hide her face. “Of not being…good enough.”
He pulled her away again, and lifted her chin with his index finger. “Angel, how can you not be good enough? You’re perfect.”
She huffed. “You’re biased.”
He chuckled. “Yes, I am, but that’s okay. I’m supposed to be. Amber, no one knows for certain what the future will hold. All you can do is follow the path your heart leads you down.” He leaned forward and kissed her. It was just a soft touch of their lips.
“After Michelle, I thought I couldn’t trust another woman. I never imagined someone like you existed. But here we are. Sometimes, you just have to trust the Universal Power.”
“But what if—”
“Shhh.” He kissed her once more. “Life is full of ifs. We’ll just take them as they come. As long as I have you, I can handle whatever life throws at us.”
Amber felt her chest swell with all the love and passion she had inside her. Paul’s unwavering faith in the rightness of their union was a satisfaction like nothing she’d ever known. He gave her a new confidence, not only in herself, but in her potential as both a woman and a human being. No one had ever believed in her so completely. She knew in that moment, sitting on the little bench in the Chapel of Love Wedding Chapel that with their love, together they could conquer whatever may come their way.
The double doors opened and a young Caucasian couple stepped out. They were both dressed in blue jeans and T-shirts, but despite their casual appearance, something in their faces, in the way they looked at each other, told anyone who saw them that something phenomenal had just happened in their lives.
Paul stood and handed her the bouquet. “Ready?”
She smiled and stood with him. “I’ve been ready for you a long time.”
A middle-aged man, wearing a clergyman’s white collar and black robe came to the entrance. He smiled, and gestured to the aisle leading to the front of the chapel. “Right this way.”
Paul looked deep into Amber’s golden eyes, and she nodded in silent agreement. Taking her hand, he led her down the aisle.
The ceremony was short as they exchanged the traditional vows in the presence of the minister and the organist, who doubled as a witness.
“I, Amber Lockhart, take thee, Paul Gutierrez, to be my husband, and before God and these witnesses, I promise to be a true and faithful wife.” With trembling hands Amber placed the plain gold band on Paul’s finger.
He lifted her shaky hands to his lips and kissed each palm in reassurance. And somehow, Amber knew he would always be there for her in this way. His strong hands there to steady her when she staggered.
Paul slid the diamond-studded band onto her finger in front of the solitaire. “With this ring, I thee wed, and with all my worldly goods. I thee endow. In sickness, and in health, in poverty and in wealth, ’til death do us part—I love you so much.”
Before the minister could complete the ceremony, Paul pulled her into his arms with a powerful intensity that caught Amber off guard. He kissed her, long and lovingly, oblivious to the others in the room. “Say you love me,” he whispered against her mouth.
“I do, I do,” She returned the kiss with equal passion, needing to make him understand his importance to her, needing him to know that she returned everything he was feeling and more. “I do love you, more than I ever imagined I could love another human being.”
She threw her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear, “And thank you for teaching me to love myself.”
ISBN: 978-1-4268-0694-0
HIS HOLIDAY BRIDE
Copyright © 2007 by Harlequin Books S.A.
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