Tim’s gaze met Amy’s, and she saw the solemn vow there before he spoke. “I will, ma’am. I’ll do my very best.”
“Good.” A satisfied nod from Mrs. Jackson, and then she shooed them both toward the front of the church. “Now off you go. Pastor Amos is waiting to make an honest couple out of you.”
Pastor Amos Kauffman greeted them with a gentle smile, his eyes reflecting the sanctity of the moment. Amy had met the pastor earlier that evening, but she didn’t feel the same things she felt when she looked at Tim.
“Are you ready to take this step together?” he asked.
“Yes, sir, we are,” they answered in unison, their voices intermingling like threads in a finely woven quilt.
“Then let’s begin.” Amos opened his well-worn Bible and began the ceremony that would bind Amy and Timothy in marriage.
“Timothy, do you take Amy to be your lawfully wedded wife, to cherish in love and companionship?”
“I do,” Tim replied, his voice resolute.
“And Amy, do you take Timothy to be your lawfully wedded husband, to cherish in love and companionship?”
“I do,” she repeated, her heart soaring.
“By the power vested in me,” Amos continued, “I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
As Amos closed the Bible, the simplicity of the ceremony felt perfect. The vows spoken were not just words; they were the seeds of a future they would cultivate together.
“May I kiss the bride?” Tim asked, a hopeful twinkle in his eye.
“Of course,” Amy laughed, light and free.
The kiss made Amy feel things she’d heard Brenda whispering about, though how Brenda knew things like that, she didn’t know. For now, she was happy. She had met the man she’d have a family with.
