Page 35 of Forbidden Vow

Gregor patted her hand that wrapped around his arm and maneuvered her through the doorway. Her dress enveloped his legs as it spilled into the aisle.

Harpists, one seated, the other standing, played a melodic wedding march, the sound soft yet crisp. Raven smiled down at Lexington. “You go first, sweetheart. Go to your daddy.”

Lexi gave an exasperated sigh. “Why do I have to go without you?”

Her precious little boy was becoming more like his father every second. Darius wanted her glued to his hip.

Gregor snorted in amusement. “This should be interesting.”

“Because,” Raven parted her lips, giving him a smile. “Your uncle Gregor is helping me. And your daddy’s all alone. He really needs you to hold his hand.”

Lexi broke into a wide smile. “So this is a big boy thing?”

“Yes,” Raven nodded. She knew her son was obsessed with his daddy and would do most anything for him. Including embarrassing things like walking all by myself while adults looked on and snapped pictures.

“Okay,” Lexi sighed, his smile brightening. He turned and near cantered his way down the red carpet, grabbing handfuls of petals and throwing them up in the air. Some caught on his jacket and his hair as they fell to the floor. Some petals fell into people’s laps.

“Slow down.” Raven waved, exasperated. “That boy,” she mused. “So much like his father.”

The crowd sighed a collective “Awww…” as Lexi dumped the rest of the remaining flowers onto the stairs and joined Darius, waiting with the priest.

Raven shook her head. No wedding went flawlessly, right?

Maria, in her grey flowing dress, pushed the baby carriage down the aisle next. As she passed, she winked at Raven and went down the carpet considerably slower than Lexington.

Several of the audience leaned to get a better look. Good thing Daria Alexis was such an amenable baby, otherwise, her screams would’ve drowned the harps. Wailing and vows did not go well together. But the little one hardly fussed, and cute little noises faded as they passed the onlookers.

As it was time now for Raven and Gregor, they settled on a pace and entered the light where everyone could see them.

Pictures snapped. People gasped. Murmurs of delight to the tune of harps filtered the room with joy.

When Raven looked at Darius, she near faltered. It was his eyes. From the stained-glass rays of light, he looked like an angel—one that would love her forever. But it was his eyes, filling with unshed tears and a fierce determination, full of something that was beyond forever, beyond passion, beyond life, that made her feel as if she were the fabric of his world.

They were one.

Today, everyone else would witness the depth of their commitment to a shared eternity.

Raven lost sense of time then. There was some walking, there were words, there were people, and there was a ceremony. The point before she spoke her vows lasted an eternity, the words afterwards passed faster than the blink of an eye. But Darius was there, with her, and promised to be with her always.

Her heart fluttered, and she imagined Lexington, looking down from heaven, penning them a final letter of approval.

“I love you,” she whispered.

Darius bent and swept her off her feet, cradling her to his chest; safe, protected, loved, and above all, absolute faith reflected in his blue eyes. “I love you forever too, babe. Count on getting that ass spanked for making me tear up.”

“You’re on.”

She might have cried, she wasn’t sure. There was a rather lascivious kiss that she would be embarrassed seeing if it got on social media or was recorded in any way.

Her friend Messy Mandy screamed, “more tongue,” and everyone laughed.

What she did know was that he was hers and she was his. They’d learned to trust each other. Some small part of her had always known they were two souls on a journey that would last to the end of all and beyond the universe. The blip of time they’d lost was a drop in an ocean that was the rest of their lives.

And now, they had eternity.

She felt it a small price to pay for a family and a lifetime with the man she loved beyond love itself. — The End