Full Circle

by Lynne, Donya

  Lisa took Karma’s bouquet then stepped back into place alongside the other bridesmaids.

  The minister stepped forward and addressed the room, welcoming the guests, but Mark hardly heard a word he said. All he could do was stare at the beauty in front of him as the minister asked her if she took him to be her husband, to love, comfort, honor, and keep, forsaking all others, and to be faithful to him for the rest of their lives.

  “I will,” she said.

  “Mark,” the minister said, turning toward him, “will you have this woman to be your wife, to live together with her in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, and, forsaking all others, be faithful unto her as long as you both shall live?”

  He gazed into her pale-green eyes, moist with tears, and said, “I will.”

  Then the minister glanced toward their parents. “Who blesses this union?”

  “We do,” all four parents said in unison.

  “And who presents this woman to be married to this man?”

  “I do.” Her dad stepped forward and placed Karma’s hand in his. Then he lowered his voice and said, “Take care of her.” His eyes glistened as if he were on the verge of tears.

  “I will,” Mark whispered back.

  Karma’s hands trembled inside his. Or maybe it was his hands that were trembling. He wasn’t sure. He was just so unbelievably happy.

  “Repeat after me,” the minister said to Mark.

  Gladly, he did as he was told. “I, Mark Strong, take you, Karma Mason, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do us part. This is my solemn vow.”

  His mom sobbed quietly behind him.

  Then it was Karma’s turn to repeat the same vow he’d just given, her voice gentle yet firm. “I, Karma Mason, take you, Mark Strong, to be my husband . . .” His heart swelled at the word. “To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse . . .” Her grin widened as if she knew they’d already been through the worst. “For richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do us part. This is my solemn vow.”

  Rob stepped forward with the rings, handing them to the minister.

  Mark took Karma’s left hand with his and held the ring in front of her finger. “I give you this ring as a symbol of my love, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” He slid it on her trembling finger.

  Then she did the same to him, repeating the vow as she slid on his ring. He had never had the chance to wear his first wedding band, but he would never take this one off.

  The minister’s voice rose confidently as he addressed the congregation. “Now that Karma Mason and Mark Strong have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands and the giving and receiving of rings, I pronounce that they are now husband and wife, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” He looked at Mark. “You may now kiss your bride.”

  With a deep breath, he lifted her veil and tenderly folded it back.

  “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  And then he kissed her. He kissed his wife for the first time.

  And his heart sang.

  Chapter 44

  Never marry the one you can live with. Marry the one you can’t live without.

  -James Dobson

  Karma had never seen Mark so happy. Throughout the ceremony, he never stopped smiling. His hands had shaken a tiny bit when he took hers and slipped on her wedding band, but he’d kept himself together. When he kissed her to seal their vows, he’d done so with pride and without hesitation.

  After another hour of wedding photographs, she stood arm-in-arm with him outside the reception hall as the bridal party began filtering in ahead of them.

  “Have I told you how beautiful you are tonight?” he said.

  She smiled up at him. “Only about a hundred times.”

  He beamed as his gaze swept over her face and down to her dress again. “Well, let me say it again. You’re unbelievably beautiful. And this dress is truly breathtaking.”

  “And I’ll tell you again that you’re incredibly handsome. We need to go to more events where you have to wear a tux with tails.”

  “I’ll start working on that right after we get back from our honeymoon.”

  “You still haven’t told me where we’re going.”

  He grinned mischievously. “It’s a secret.”

  “At least give me a hint.”

  “Nope. No hints. You’ll just have to be patient. Now, ssshhh. They’re about to announce us, and I’ve been waiting for this my whole life.”

  She fought back a giggle at the way he straightened and lifted his chin as he placed his hand over hers, which was wrapped around the crook of his elbow. Who would have thought that the man who’d cowered at the idea of setting a wedding date barely three months ago would now hold himself with more regency than the King of England at the moment they were to be officially presented as husband and wife.

  The doors opened, and he led her into a glittering, awe-inspiring ballroom. The round tables were dressed with blush-colored tablecloths, adorned with elaborate flower arrangements of peach, cream, and pale pink. Matching arrangements and satin ribbons draped the head table, as well as what Daniel had proudly called the confection table, where an array of treats tempted the guests. As Mark paraded her through the center of the room like they were royalty, even the wait-staff stopped filling water glasses to watch them.

  Then she spotted the vase of chocolate roses in the center of the head table.

  “Did you . . . ?” She looked up at him.

  He grinned. “I couldn’t sleep last night, so I made you a dozen chocolate covered strawberries.” They passed the parents’ table. Tears glistened in her mom’s and Giada’s eyes, and her dad and Adler smiled proudly at them.

  She smiled back and tucked herself closer into Mark’s side. “And since chocolate has been so pivotal to our entire relationship, they’re more than fitting, aren’t they?”

  “And they go with our colors. Chocolate on the outside, blush-pink inside.”

  “You do think of everything, don’t you?”

  “You know I do.” With a wink, he led her around the table to their seats and faced the room. The regal couple meeting the public for the first time.

  Once seated, the guests immediately began clanging their silverware against their glasses. He leaned over and kissed her, making everyone cheer.

  “Get used to that,” he said.

  “What? Kissing you?” She rolled her eyes and smirked. “I hope I never get used to that.”

  He grinned against her mouth. “Well, when you put it that way” He kissed her again.

  Dinner was served, and the evening pressed on, sprinkled with more kisses and a never-ending stream of congratulations and laughter.

  When Rob stood to make his toast, Mark wrapped his hand around hers and leaned into her, his expression both expectant and anxious.

  “I have a feeling he’s going to zing me,” he whispered.

  She angled her head toward his. “Why?”

  “Because . . . that’s how he is.” He shrugged. “And I got him pretty good at his wedding, so . . .”

  “Payback.”

  Mark’s gaze locked on hers. “Precisely.”

  Rob took a moment as the room quieted. “When I got married last year”—he looked down at Holly—“Mark said he could only hope that someday he would know the happiness I was feeling that night.” He smiled and met Mark’s gaze. “Well, tonight I’m sure he knows exactly how I felt.”

  Mark exchanged meaningful glances with her then nodded back at Rob. “And you would be right.”

  Rob grinned and lifted his champagne glass a little higher. “Mark and I have been friends forever. I’ve seen him h
it his highest highs and his lowest lows, sometimes at the same time.” Laughter rang out from the guests. “Mark has always been stubborn, willful, and intensely focused. So much so there were times he couldn’t see his nose to spite his face.” More laughter. Karma glanced toward Mark’s mom, who was nodding slowly, in total agreement.

  Mark chuckled. “Are you toasting me or roasting me, Rob?”

  Rob opened his fingers, indicating for Mark to hang tight. “I’m getting there, buddy. Just give me my moment in the sun. You haven’t made this easy for me.”

  Karma snuggled against Mark’s arm as he squeezed her hand and laughed. He knew he’d brought this on himself.

  Rob swept his gaze around the room. “One of the things you have to know about Mark is that he gets in his own way. A lot.”

  The laughter grew louder, and Mark bowed his head, his cheeks coloring pink as he met her gaze out of the corners of his eyes. She almost laughed at his expression, which was somewhere between shoot me and I told you he was going to zing me.

  Rob continued, growing more serious. “The night he met Karma, I knew something was different this time. There was a spark in his eyes. I didn’t tell him that at the time, but I noticed it.” Rob met Karma’s gaze. “You affected him that night more than he was willing to admit.”

  She curled her arm more tightly around Mark’s.

  Rob faced the room again. “Over the months, as he and Karma spent more time with one another, Mark continued to change. He was usually so put together . . . so sure of himself. When he met Karma, I saw the cracks form in his façade. He’d grown so used to putting on a front to the world, only letting people see the person he wanted them to see. But Karma chipped away at the veneer until the real Mark came back to us.” He paused, and all the unspoken moments of their long friendship passed between them. “I’ve never seen Mark so happy as he is tonight.” Rob hesitated, obviously keeping his emotions in check. Then he lifted his glass and cleared his throat. “I love you, my friend. You deserve to be happy.” To Karma he said, “And thank you for bringing happiness back to my best friend. Here’s to both of you and a long life together.”

  “Here, here.” The guests all voiced their agreement, raising their glasses of champagne.

  Mark leaned in and kissed her, holding his lips to hers for the duration as the room cheered.

  Then he pushed back his chair, grabbed one of the chocolate roses from the vase, and stood.

  Once the room quieted again, he cleared his throat and glanced down at her. In that moment, it looked like all the love in his heart shone through his eyes.

  “Thank you for that colorful toast, Rob.”

  A few chuckles rose from the guests.

  Rob saluted with his champagne glass. Then Mark faced the room again.

  “Rob’s right, though. The night I met Karma . . .” He looked at her again. “Everything changed for me. The moment I laid eyes on her, something inside me woke up. Something that had been dead for long, long time. Suddenly, I felt alive again.” He grinned and turned back toward the room and lifted the rose. “She was like this treat. It looks like a chocolate rose.” He set it on a small white plate and cut it in half with his dinner knife, revealing the strawberry inside. “But once you see inside, you realize it’s so much more than just chocolate.

  “That’s how I felt the first time I met Karma. She was in Chicago, and she was wearing this incredible red dress and looked like a movie star. Even then, I knew there was so much more to her than what I saw on the outside. I could tell she was special.” They exchanged intimate smiles. “And then I met her again here in Indianapolis, and that was it for me. I was hooked. And the more I learned about her, the more layers she revealed. I couldn’t get enough, and even though we’ve known each other for almost two years, she still surprises me, and I’ve become unexpectedly addicted to the anticipation of what she’ll surprise me with next.” An amused yet appreciative murmur rose from their friends and family as he turned adoring eyes on her. “It was all those layers and the knowledge of what she held on the inside that captured my heart. I couldn’t stop thinking about her, even when I returned to Chicago. I was lost without her, and the only way to find myself again was to come back and win her heart as she’d won mine.”

  A chorus of awes broke through the room.

  She tilted her head to the side and placed her hand over the center of her chest, moved close to tears by his words.

  Then a thoughtful expression overtook his face as he set the remainder of the rose on the table and stiffly squared his shoulders. “Many of you know I used to dance.” He tipped his head toward his parents. “I wasn’t as good as my mom and dad, but I could hold my own. And I enjoyed it. And then . . . I stopped enjoying it. And I stopped dancing.” He turned back to her. “But Karma has shown me how to dance again, and tonight, for the first time in over eight years, I’m going to dance. Truly dance. With her.” He held out his hand. “My lovely bride, may I?”

  Her cheeks burned in such a pleasant way as she placed her fingers in his, rose from her chair, and let him lead her away from the table toward the center of the dance floor.

  “Are you ready?” he said quietly.

  She smiled. “Yes.”

  “Are you nervous?”

  “A little.”

  He slowed, stopped in the center of the room, then faced her. “Just pretend we’re in our living room. Just the two of us. And this is just another lesson.”

  Just another lesson.

  Ironic how their whole relationship revolved around lessons. And chocolate. Chocolate had definitely played a role in their relationship. But in one way or another, they’d been teaching each other through lessons from the beginning. He had taught her about sex. She had taught him about life. He had taught her how to make truffles. She had taught him how to trust and let go. And over the last several weeks, he had begun to teach her how to dance.

  And the culmination of all those lessons was for this moment. Their first dance as husband and wife.

  The music began.

  His gaze locked to hers.

  And then they took their first synchronized step.

  Two months ago, she never would have thought she could dance like this, and while she was nowhere near an expert, she loved how it felt dancing with Mark. Their nightly rumba lessons had become her favorite part of the day. The closeness, the sensuality, the intimate sharing of trust and passion for something they could enjoy together.

  And, honestly, dancing had become her favorite kind of foreplay. It had unlocked a whole new element in their sex life.

  Most importantly, though, she finally understood exactly why he’d stopped dancing eight years ago and why he’d written I want to dance again on his confession list. There was something magical and special about dancing with someone you loved. Someone you trusted. And not the kind of trust where you know the other person wouldn’t drop you or fail to grasp your hand during a spin. This was the kind of trust that only two people who loved one another unconditionally could understand. Trust that there were no lies or secrets between them. The kind of trust that shattered walls, banished fear, and opened souls.

  No way could she dance with anyone else the way she danced with Mark. It just wouldn’t have felt right.

  And now he was her life partner, and she was his. Life partners in the dance. Dance partners for life.

  As he guided her expertly through the simple yet elegant rumba he’d choreographed, she briefly glanced toward the pockets of guests bordering the dance floor. Those who knew Mark’s history appeared moved close to tears. They knew what he’d gone through to get to this moment, and many of them had probably thought they would never see him dance again.

  But it was his mother who was most affected. Tears streaked her cheeks, and she held her delicate fingers over her mouth as if stifling a sob. Even so, her shoulders shook. Seeing Mark find his way back to the dance floor had clearly overwhelmed her.

  “I think you’ve made your mom�
��s whole decade.” She lifted her gaze to his.

  “I think you’ve made mine.” His own eyes glistened with unshed tears.

  “Well, you’ve made my entire life.”

  He led her through a spin then pulled her back against his body, his hips moving like they had a mind of their own. Watching the way his body moved was almost as much of a turn-on as when he spoke Italian.

  “It’s our life now, Karma.” He blinked, and a single tear dropped from his lashes to the apple of his cheek as he pulled her even closer and tipped the side of his forehead to hers. “To honor . . .” He kissed her. “To love . . .” He kissed her again. “To have and to hold, forsaking all others, I do solemnly vow to cherish you until my heart expends its final beat . . . Mrs. Strong.”

  A delighted shiver raced through her body. Mrs. Strong. It was the first time he’d called her that.

  “Until death do us part then?” She smiled up at him as they gently returned to basic side-to-side steps.

  He kissed the tip of her nose. “Absolutely. And I plan on living a very long time.”

  “Is that so?”

  He nodded. “You’re stuck with me now.”

  She placed her cheek on the front of his shoulder. “There’s no place I’d rather be.”

  He angled his head so it lay over hers. “I completely agree.”

  They had been destined for this night from the moment he’d sat down beside her at that blackjack table. Actually, their path had been set even before he sat down beside her. The way Mark told it, their journey had begun the moment he laid eyes on her from across the room. He’d known then that he would have her. He had just thought it would be for the night, not the rest of their lives.

  How wrong he’d been.

  Chapter 45

  Most guys want to be a girl’s first. Smart guys want to be her last. Lucky guys get to be both.