The walk down the aisle, which is covered in golden sunflower petals, seems long and awkward as everyone’s eyes in the room are on me. It’s a bit unnerving to see almost everyone you’ve ever known stare at you with generous smiles and shiny eyes. As I continue down the aisle, I hear a few complimentary whispers from the crowd.
“You look beautiful, Elizabeth.”
“That dress is stunning.”
I stop at the front row where Knox is sitting in his baby tuxedo and I give him a quick peck on the lips. For a moment he reaches out his arms for me to pick him up, but then my mom redirects him with his favorite teething toy. Both he and I have come a long way. He’s becoming slightly more independent and I’m allowing him to be.
My father holds me steady as we continue to slowly walk to the front where I am now focused on the only person in the room who matters at this moment.
Roman.
He literally takes my breath away, looking hotter than I’ve ever seen him in his custom-made monochrome black tuxedo with the shirt slightly open and new leather boots on instead of shoes. I love the way his suit contrasts against the ink peeping from under his collar and from under his cuffs. His deep, intense, inky eyes hold mine in place as my father literally hands me over to him.
Is it irreverent to say in the middle of my wedding ceremony that I want to climb this man like a pole?
“Take care of her,” my father says.
“Always,” Roman assures him.
Roman clasps my hand and leans in to whisper in my ear before the officiant has time to start.
“I missed you like crazy.”
“I did too.”
“You look incredible.”
“You look hot.”
He smiles.
“I will make you happy, Duchess.”
I squeeze his hand tighter.
“You already do.”
My friend Zoe is not only a celebrated tattoo artist in the area, but she also is an ordained minister in the state of Pennsylvania (thanks to the Internet) and is officiating our wedding. The plan is that after the ceremony we’ll get wedding ring tattoos inked by her while our guests are at the cocktail hour.
“I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know this couple for a while and I think we can all agree that they are a unique pair,” Zoe begins.
The crowd nods and murmurs in agreement.
“So, I’m sure you’re not surprised that the bride and groom have decided to recite their own vows. Elizabeth, ladies first.”
I was nervous about saying my own words in front of a room full of people, but I knew that it wouldn’t be right to let this day go by without sharing with all the people who care about us why I have chosen to spend the rest of my life with this man.
Roman and I turn toward each other and hold hands. I stare deep into his eyes reminding me we are the only two people in this room, reminding me I have nothing to be frightened of or embarrassed about, and reminding me that with him by my side there is nothing I can’t do.
I gingerly clear my throat.
“Today, I am the most blessed woman in the world. I am marrying my best friend, the father of my child, my protector, and my lover. I promise to take care of the heart you have given to me so willingly. I promise to honor and respect you for the rest of our days. I love you, Roman.”
I cannot see Sloan or Tiny because they are standing behind me, but I can hear Sloan starting to sniffle. She promised me she wouldn’t fall apart today because if she starts the waterworks then I’m bound to lose it.
I lower my head for a moment and breathe deeply through my nose and out my mouth to collect my composure when Roman takes a curved finger and raises my chin to meet his gaze.
“Elizabeth.”
His baritone voice ripples right through me and goes straight to my tear ducts.
I think I’m the one who’s going to lose it first.
25
ELIZABETH
“The fact that a guy like me is standing in this room with a woman like you on our wedding day astounds me. You are intelligent, brave, sexy, gracious, and a warrior. You see the best in everyone because you are truly the most genuinely real and kind-hearted person I have ever met. I promise to love you, respect you, cherish you, honor you, protect you, and make love to you all the days we have left on this earth.”
The crowd giggles at his last part of the vow.
“You may now exchange rings.”
Joseph hands Roman a box I didn’t know about. I already have a beautiful diamond engagement ring that I love, but this is something different. It’s a delicate gold ring made of gorgeous yellow and chocolate diamonds in the shape of a sunflower, and it matches the other beautiful jewelry he’s given me to remind me of our beginnings. A bully and a naïve kid who were destined by familial ties and circumstances to meet again. More tears swell as I consider how much thought he put into this wedding gift.
I will not ruin my mascara.
God, this man is perfect.
Sloan steps forward and hands me my box for Roman. Although we are getting tattoos around our ring fingers to symbolize our forever bond, I wanted to make sure he had a traditional wedding band that he can wear whenever he chooses. There are three diamonds set deep in the band to represent the unification of him, me, and Knox as a family and there is a simple inscription inside memorializing today’s date.
“Will you Roman Masterson take Elizabeth Hill to be your lawful wedded wife for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?”
“I do.”
“And will you Elizabeth Hill take Roman Masterson to be your lawful wedded husband for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?”
“I do.”
“By the power vested in me by the state of Pennsylvania, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Roman, you may kiss your bride.”
Roman slides his arms around my waist and firmly pulls me into his embrace.
“Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Masterson.”
His deep voice rumbles through my entire my body and lands at my core with passion and promise.
“Hi.” I can’t stop smiling.
The kiss to salute our union is chaste by our usual standards, but I still think it’s wildly romantic. I taste a mixture of mint, whiskey, and chocolate on his tongue, which is uniquely him and tastes like home.
Our evening flies by in a flurry of hugging, dancing, and food in no particular order. Juliette warned me it would indeed fly by, and that I’d want to take a moment to pause and soak in everything around me: the atmosphere, the people, and the love around me because in a blink of an eye the night would be over. That’s hard to do when you’re in the middle of it, but I have no doubts that I will remember this night forever. It was perfect.
I wouldn’t have changed a thing.
Juliette arranged for the deejay to play a set of nineties radio hits, which turned out to be the highlight of the evening. Everyone including many of the older guests from my old neighborhood in Penn-Washington jumped up on the dance floor and were jamming to old TLC and Britney Spears songs. I even think I saw old Miss Dorothy breaking a sweat.
“Do you see Miss Dorothy over there trying to do the running man right now?” I say while dancing next to my mom.
“I didn’t know her knees could move like that.”
“Me either. I thought her knees were why she never pulls any weeds out front?”
“Yeah, I guess that’s been her excuse for fifteen years.”
We both roar with laughter.
“Everyone is having a good time, Bitsy. You and Roman throw a splendid party. I hope you’re enjoying it.”
“I am, Mom.”
I truly am.
“Look at your father over there with Knox. Those two are becoming thick as thieves. Remember how he was afraid to hold him when he was first born? It was just a matter of time before Knox won him over. There’s something absolutely magnetic about that boy. He’s going to
be a heartbreaker, just like his daddy.”
“What do you mean by that?” I take offense, “Roman’s no heartbreaker.”
“Look at poor Trisha and Marie over there.”
I glance over at a table of some of my younger cousins. Trisha and Marie are both fourteen years old and they’re staring at Roman in the way that half of the female gender drools over Chris Hemsworth.
“Are they crushing on my husband?” I giggle.
“That they are.”
I’ve danced half the night away and gorged myself on wedding cake when it’s time for Roman to pull the garter down my leg and toss it into a sea of single men. The deejay plays some cheesy instrumental song as the crowd cheers when Roman gets on his knees in front of me.
I lick the corner of my lips as my sexy husband slowly inches his hand up my dress, and then blush knowing that there are people watching him basically seduce me in the middle of the dance floor. He maintains my modesty by holding my dress down as he reaches his hand farther and farther up to do something immodest. There’s a crooked smile across his mouth as he brushes a few of his fingertips against the damp fabric of my silk thong. Once he has the garter in hand, he holds it high for the guests to see.
“Let me find out that you get turned on when people watch, Duchess,” he practically growls in my ear.
One of the more touching moments of the evening is when the deejay calls for couples only on the dance floor. Since all of our babysitters are dancing, we decide to include Knox in on our dance together. All the favorite couples in our lives dance around us to “Marry You” by Bruno Mars, and Knox bounces up and down in Roman’s arms between us.
His happiness is infectious, or maybe it’s mine that is, because I dance joyfully to the music as I hold my dress up and twirl in my bare feet.
“You are the most beautiful woman in this room,” he says loud enough for me to hear over the music.
“I should be. I’m the bride.”
“What else do we have to do tonight, baby? We took the photos, we cut the cake, we threw the garter and flowers at our friends.”
“Jade didn’t look too thrilled that she caught the bouquet. She ruined a perfectly good bunch of sunflowers.”
“And Camden was a little ticked off that he didn’t catch the garter. Your neighbor’s son might need an escort out of the club tonight. I think Cam is going to kill him for sliding the garter up Jade’s leg like that.”
“That was kind of funny.”
“I’m ready for it to be just the two of us, Duchess.”
“Stop rushing this wonderful evening, husband.”
“Say it again.”
“Husband.” I smile.
“Louder.”
“Husband!”
Roman leans over for another kiss with the baby between us.
“Come here.”
Knox babbles a string of words as he gently touches our chins with his small, sticky hands.
“I think he just said Dada!” Roman says excitedly.
“You’re hearing things, baby. He can’t talk yet.”
Frances and Peter walk over to us with their eyes focused right on Knox. They haven’t really had an opportunity to spend any time with him because we’ve both been too busy for another Las Vegas visit before the wedding.
“Would it be okay if I held him for a while?” Frances asks.
I give Roman a moment to answer his mother and when he stands there hesitating; I answer for him.
“Sure,” I agree. “Here you go.”
The deejay throws on a series of line dancing songs, one right after another, and Sloan and Tiny pull me away from my new husband to dance together.
“Sorry, dark knight, but the wobble is our song. Gotta go!”
As I party with my friends, Roman moves from table to table taking pictures and shaking hands. I watch him work the wedding guests with an ease and comfort I’ve never seen him exhibit before. He is genuinely happy and it feels good that I played a major part in putting that look on his face.
That in itself is worth every bit of pain that has brought us to this day.
This wonderful day.
26
ELIZABETH
It’s my wedding night. A night I have contemplated many times this past year. I don’t know exactly why I feel so incredibly nervous at this moment, but I do. Our love is battle worn and has been tested countless times, and I know without a doubt that man loves me with every fiber of his being, so that’s not the issue. I have slept with Roman a bazillion times and we’ve done some raunchy stuff together (at least by my standards) so that’s not the issue either.
I think the actual source of my trepidation is that I’ve put an enormous amount of pressure on myself to have the best sex of my life tonight because that’s what you do on your wedding night, right? I wonder if Roman is feeling anything similar.
We leave our friends and family to enjoy the rest of the wedding reception and take a car to Penn’s Landing where Roman’s yacht is waiting. Our honeymoon plan is to take a two-week-long cruise alone down the East Coast making stops in Miami, The Bahamas, and Puerto Rico and then turn back around. I didn’t plan any tours or activities for our time in the Caribbean. We’re just going to veg out on the beaches and on the deck of this ship, although it will be a genuine challenge to my workaholic tendencies and his controlling ones.
We’re greeted by the captain and a crew of staff that Roman hires when he makes plans to take the yacht out. Two staffers handle our luggage as another guides us to the top deck. The deck is elegantly decorated similarly to our reception space, with strings of white lights along the banisters, oversized modern furniture with deep white cushions, and bouquets of sunflowers. Soft music plays from the speakers and there’s a table full of mini-sized desserts.
“Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Masterson,” the young woman offers. “Please make yourselves comfortable and call down if you need anything else this evening.”
The staff scatters to do whatever it is they do on this oversized boat, and Roman and I are finally alone for the first time of the night.
Roman sits in one of the oversized round chaises, and I notice that he slightly winces as his butt hits the chair. While we are several months removed from his abduction, there are still plenty of scars that remain, including some chronic pain in his shoulder and torso that he continues to work on in physical therapy.
“Come sit next to me, Duchess.”
He pulls me by the waist and plops me down next to him.
“Did you take any pain medicine today?” I ask.
“I was drinking, so I didn’t want to mix the two.”
“The drinking doesn’t kill the pain though.”
“I know what will kill the pain,” he says suggestively.
“We just got on the boat and you’re ready to ravage your wife already?”
“I’m always ready.”
“I should’ve changed out of my dress before we came to the dock,” I say, kicking off my heels.
“I love that dress. I want to fuck you in that dress.”
“Roman.” I blush.
He pulls my feet onto his lap and rubs them. Funny how you never know just how badly heels hurt until someone massages your feet. I feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven.
“Mmm, that feels great.”
“That was an unforgettable night tonight, Duchess. Thank you for saying yes.”
“As if there would have been any other answer.”
“For a minute, it looked like you wanted us to live in sin forever.”
Roman works his magical fingers up my tight calves.
“I lost my compass for a moment and almost losing you put everything back into perspective and back on course. You and Knox are what matters and everything else comes second.”
“I ditto that,” he says in a jagged voice.
His hands slowly push up my dress so it bunches at my hips.
“Roman,” I say hesitantly, looking around the dec
k for any employees.
“Stop acting like you’re self-conscious about being seen with your husband. I think you like people to watch. Remember when one hundred people were watching my hands up your dress an hour ago?”
“Oh, be quiet.”
“It turned you on, Duchess. Admit it.”
“It turned me on because your hand was at my crotch.”
“Like it is right now?”
I bite my bottom lip as I worry that staff may be close by.
“No one is coming up here unless we call for them. Tonight, it’s just Mr. and Mrs. Masterson sailing under the stars.”
“I am Mrs. Masterson, aren’t I?” I giggle proudly.
“Yes, the fuck you are.”
Roman’s hands are working several of the hook and eye closures of my bridal corset. Carefully unfastening each one until the garment is loose. He pulls it down my body from underneath the dress and slings it across the deck.
“You had to be suffocating in this.”
I exhale in relief.
“It feels good to finally have it off,” I admit.
Roman has long since taken off his jacket and tie, but now loosens some buttons of his shirt and kicks off his boots. He grabs my hand and we walk over to the side of the ship. I watch with marvel as the dark waves ripple underneath us as we pick up speed on the open water.
“What a beautiful night to have become your wife,” I say.
He stands behind me as we lean by the railing, steadily inching up my dress as he softly kisses the curve of my neck.
“Spread your arms across the railing, Duchess. Feel the breeze as we move against the water.”
He slides several of his fingers in between my legs, which are only covered by the smallest piece of white lace, and breathes heavily by my ear.
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