She slipped it onto my left ring finger, and I was surprised by how lightweight it was. But it was stunning, the woodtones shifting as I angled it back and forth. It displayed a range of light brown hues and rustic grain textures. I’d never seen anything like it. Her acknowledging my love of woodworking in something as significant as my ring made me fall even more in love with her, knowing I was seen.
I looked at her, holding her hand again, letting her words wash over me. “With this ring, I pledge my life to you,” she whispered as she brought my hand to her lips like she’d done before, looking up at me as she kissed it. I feared for the health of my poor heart as it alternately stopped and thundered in my chest. When she lowered my hand, we were once again lost in each other’s eyes, oblivious to anything around us. I wondered if it would be like this for the rest of our lives. I silently made another vow to prove to her that she did know how to love, because it was evident in her eyes when she looked at me.
“Mike and Renata, I pray God’s blessings over you today and every day. Put Him first in everything in your lives together, and you’ll find the strength to face every challenge and celebrate every blessing. You are now a cord of three strands, and together you will see Him do the impossible. So now with the power granted to me by the state of California and in the eyes of God, I pronounce you man and wife,” Pastor said with a huge smile.
It was surprising how such a small crowd could create such a thunderous noise when my pastor spoke those last few words. I gently pulled Ren close to me, and she came willingly.
“You may kiss your bride,” he said over the commotion.
We hadn’t spoken about this being our first kiss, but I’d thought about it. As much as I didn’t want it to happen in front of everyone, I wasn’t going to miss the chance to kiss my wife.
My wife.
She smiled, and her eyes dipped to my lips, and that was all I needed. My hand banded around her waist, the other slipped into her thick hair as I slowly dipped her, making her gasp. I may not have wanted our first kiss to be in front of an audience, but I wanted her to remember our wedding fondly. And this moment.
“I’m going to kiss you now,” I said, not able to hold back my wide smile as I held her suspended in my arms.
“I think I’m going to let you,” she answered saucily.
When my lips touched hers, the sound of obnoxious yelling and cheering slowly melted into the background as heaven touched earth. I was kissing an angel.
My angel. My wife.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Renata
I’d readin books and seen in movies where a character described a kiss as transformational. One that brought them to life. But I was completely unprepared for the reality of such a kiss.
Mike had dipped me and held me suspended in the air, making the moment and the touch of his lips even more otherworldly. It wasn’t just a kiss; it was the moment my dormant romantic heart, the one that dared to dream of such a moment, beat for the first time.
His full lips created delicious tingles over mine that matched the sparks that ran down my spine, short-circuiting my brain. The scent that was so uniquely Mike, mixed with the sweet, slightly citrusy smell of the gardenias surrounding us, came together to make something magical, something intoxicating.
Or maybe it was just my husband who was doing that.
My husband.
The thought blanketed my mind, making my body sigh with pleasure and contentment. Mike slowly brought me up, stillholding me close. There was something comforting and exciting about his strength. I knew he’d never let me fall, not physically or emotionally. He supported me, and I was safe. This foreign feeling made me dizzy as I stood close, breathing the same air as him, while he looked down at me as if I were precious. We were both slightly out of breath.
A thought infiltrated my joy.Will you ever be able to love him, though?
Remembering my conversation with Vicky, all I could think of was, ‘Is this what love feels like?’I could fall in love with him, couldn’t I?If I didn’t, as I always supposed was true of myself, I’d break this beautiful man’s heart. Mike was looking at me so sweetly, my heart ached. So, I pushed the warring thought away, deciding to enjoy this day. God would help me, I hoped and prayed.
“Hello, Mrs. Walker,” Mike said, bending to touch his forehead to mine. His words, touch, and nearness made my breath stutter in my throat.
“Hi, Mr. Walker,” I answered, my voice so breathy it was almost embarrassing. He had made me want to fall in love and experience what Vicky and my new friends had.
Feeling brave and impulsive, I leaned forward and brought my lips to his again, kissing him sweetly, because I couldn’t help myself. I was never so grateful for my heels that put me in just the right position to take him unaware. His eyes were as wide as his smile.
I stepped back and looked around to see Vicky holding her chest with tears in her eyes. I laughed, and Mike pulled me close to his side and whispered in my ear, “I may have surprised you with my perfect Italian, but you keep surprising me, too.”
Before I could tease him for his cockiness, our friends surrounded us, pulling us into tight hugs and congratulations, talking excitedly. We held them all, and the girls and I wipedeach other’s tears while the guys gave loud and enthusiastic slaps on the back and bro handshakes, as I called them.
I was hugging Vicky again when I looked over her shoulder and saw my mother discreetly wiping away tears, her head turned away from everyone. When I pulled back, I nearly fell over when my father put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to him.
Mike appeared beside me when I stood frozen on the spot, his eyes following my line of sight. His eyebrows raised as we both watched with rapt attention as my mother slowly laid her head on my father’s shoulder, lost in their own moment.
Grammy, who had been seated on the other side of my mother, caught our attention as she nodded knowingly. Mike and I rushed over to her, taking turns hugging her as she spoke softly of blessings and congratulations.
