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"I'm already your wife," she giggled.
"This time you are going to marry me willingly...I hope. Unless you don't want to, in which case I shall be horribly embarrassed."
“Are you asking me to marry you because it’s what you want?”
“Yes, it is what I want.”
“Then, yes, I will marry you.”
I stood, leaned down and kissed Nikita before taking her hand and leading her into the small chapel.
The small building was light, airy, and white—Very white. The ends of the pews were decorated with white net rosettes and pink hibiscus flowers were fixed in the centres. White netting tails hung to the floor. An enormous arrangement of flowers had been arranged on a stand behind where Father Rigby stood.
Nikita gasped when she saw who was waiting in the front pews. On the left sat her father, who she was slowly making peace with, and my parents. On the right were Gaetano, Savastino, and Cosimo, my three closest friends. My brothers.
Nikita turned her face to mine, tears in her eyes.
“You did all this for me?”
"For us, Sweetheart."
I walked her down the aisle and Nikita smiled at our family before we stopped in front of the priest who welcomed everyone to our ceremony. He then addressed Nikita.
"This is a little different to the ceremonies I usually preside over. Benvolio called and explained you were already married, but for reasons he didn't explain, he said he wanted to marry you 'properly' as you deserved. Benvolio didn't want a full marriage service, but he wanted more than affirmation, so we agreed to a short service with the focus on your vows to each other."
Nikita looked alarmed. “I haven’t written vows. I didn’t know about any of this.”
Father Rigby laid a hand on my arm. “Speak from your heart, my child.”
He took the bouquet from Nikita's hands and handed it to my mother—Déjà vu. The priest then asked us to face each other and hold hands.
Father Rigby began with the usual wedding ceremony words. We sang hymns, said prayers, and he asked questions of commitment which we both answered without hesitation.
"Benvolio, as you sprang this on your unsuspecting wife, it seems only fair to give her a little more time, so we will begin with you."
I stayed silent for a moment before gazing into Nikita’s eyes. I’d spent many hours thinking about what I would say.
"Nikita, you were forced into my life against my will, and I was forced to constantly fight against my urge to strangle you. Your temper rivals mine and its fuse is every bit as short. You are stubborn, mouthy, determined, have more strength than most men, and are a pain in my ar.."
I snapped my eyes to the priest who was grinning at my almost slip of the tongue.
"Sorry, Father." I turned back to Nikita. "You didn't want to marry me, Nikita, and the good Lord knew it was the last thing I wanted. I hated you, and after enduring the first few hours of your volcanic-type behaviour, I was grateful my mother stepped in and took you from my home. I'd actually entertained the idea of having you disappear."
I glanced over my shoulder. "After that admission, I had better ensure you stay safe."
“Yes, you had, or you will have a tough time explaining it to your mother.”
Our family chuckled and I waited for quiet before I continued.
"As time has passed, I have come to admire your incredible strength in dealing with the most difficult of situations and respect your tenacity and determination to follow your principles. You have changed me in ways I didn't think possible, and we are slowly teaching each other patience and compromise. Nikita, I have no idea when it happened, but I stand here now and freely admit...I love you with all my heart and I will be honoured to be your husband from this day forward. I know co-existing won't be easy, we are both extremely volatile personalities, but I promise to be the best husband I can be, to protect you and keep you safe."
I brushed the tears from Nikita’s cheeks and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.
“Nikita,” the priest urged.
"This is a little unfair as I haven't had time to think through what to say, but I will do my best." She took a deep breath. "Ben, I had known for many years that I was destined to marry a stranger. My father made it clear that my future was out of my hands. I told Dad I'd see him in hell before marrying someone I had no feelings for and cared nothing about. I must have run away at least a dozen times, but each time, the police brought me back home. Then Dad told me what was at stake, what would happen if I didn't cooperate. Dad put me in an impossible situation, and I hated him and your father for making such a heartless demand on my life. I hated you because you accepted their orders. I vowed to make your life a living hell and it seems I was succeeding.”
Everyone present laughed.
