He obeyed, raising his hand.
“Do you, Mitchell Aaron Randolph the Third, solemnly swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth...?”
“Wait a minute,” Anne interrupted. “There are three of you?”
Mitch nodded toward his father’s table. “All present and accounted for.”
“Order in the court!” Emma barked. “Do you, Mitchell Aaron Randolph the Third, solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”
Before he could answer, Ashley ran up to them with a basket of fries. “We have to do this right, Your Honor.”
“Of course, we must follow the rule of law,” Emma agreed. “So, do you also solemnly swear on ketchup and fries to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?”
“I do, Your Honor,” Mitch replied with a grin.
“Good! It’s about time!” Emma grabbed a handful of Ashley’s fries, munching them as they returned to their tables.
“What in the world is going on?” Anne demanded, studying the faces in the room in disbelief.
Mitch got down on one knee. “Anne Marie Clark, I have loved you since the first moment I met you. I know I don’t deserve it, but I can’t imagine life without you. So, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Anne put her hand to her mouth and gasped. “Seriously?”
“I’ve never been more serious in my life. Will you marry me?”
“Yes!”
“Yes?”
“Absolutely,” she agreed. “Yes!”
Mitch placed the ring on her finger, took her in his arms and kissed her deeply. “Anne, I’m the luckiest man alive, and I’ll treasure you all of our days. I promise.”
The whole room erupted in cheers. Giovanni was the first to rush over and congratulate them. “At last, this is happening! I knew you should be together all along,” he cried, hugging them both.
Anne brushed the tears from her eyes and looked up at Mitch. “All my life I’ve been running away from the people who hurt me. But until today I had no one to run to. Now I have you. So I promise...better yet, I swear on ketchup and fries: you won’t ever have to go far to find me, because no matter where I am, I know you’ll always find me and bring me home. To our home.”
Prelude to Silence Page 13