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She put her arm around me, and we continued up a hill. With the sun beating on my face, sweat trickled down my arms. I prayed my makeup wouldn’t slide off.
Stepping on an ancient Roman marine-themed mosaic, we walked up the steps to the cathedral.
Wearing linen pants and a pale blue jacket, Declan could have just dropped out of a magazine shoot. His dark-brown hair styled back pronounced those perfect tanned features.
Matt in linen pants and a dark-blue blazer had Lucy frothing at the mouth as she tried to scream in a whisper.
“Pinch me,” she said.
My husband-to-be trapped me with his spellbinding gaze and smiled, as a priest in gold and white waited for us.
“I’m not even Catholic,” I whispered to Lucy, who had her arm linked in mine. “You’re giving me away, you realise.”
“I know. It’s such an honour. You’re my bestie.” Her voice cracked, making tears burn at the back of my eyes.
The church with its white-and-gold dome seemed to sparkle in the afternoon light beaming through circular windows.
Colours intensified. I think I was drugged on bliss. The saints and angels on the walls seemed to follow me with beaming smiles. I almost expected a director to come out and say “cut” because this could have been a scene in a romance movie.
As I stepped next to Declan, our shoulders touched and warmth flushed through me.
His blue eyes turned turquoise in the soft light, and I had to take a deep, calming breath. I could never tire of staring at that face that boasted so many shades of handsome.
He leaned over. His cologne sent a shiver of desire through me. “You look beautiful.” His lingering gaze, full of love, brought a lump to my throat.
We turned to the priest, who nodded his head and then recited something in Latin.
Despite clueless of what he recited, I thought I was listening to an exotic poem—like a profound and magical incantation binding our souls.
He did the sign of the cross and in broken English said, “Will you Declan Lovechilde take Theadora Hart to be your wife? To love and protect and cherish in sickness and in health for the rest of your life?”
Declan’s deep “I do” resonated through to my heart.
The priest turned to me and spoke the same words, and I answered with a quivery “I do.”
Declan turned to Matt who passed him a gold ring. I’d picked up a carved gold wedding band that I’d sized from Declan’s sapphire ring, which made the jeweller’s eyes widen with appreciation.
He slid the ring onto my trembling finger, and I followed suit. As our hands touched, a shot of energy acted as a visceral reminder that we were now one.
We looked at each other as though that was the final important detail to seal our love.
He took me into his arms and kissed me tenderly and chastely.
Burying his nose into my hair he whispered, “I love you with all my heart.”
The emotional volcano that had been bubbling away finally erupted within me, and tears poured down my face.
It was useless for me to try to maintain a cool façade. I’d been doing that for way too long. Perhaps the overly expressive Italians who seemed to switch from laughter to tears within the blink of an eye had rubbed off on me.
Lucy passed me tissues and then took my hand and virtually jumped up and down on the spot.
I laughed and cried at the same time. We stepped onto the portico overlooking the deep blue sea through a white arched wall draped in hot-pink flowers.
As the sun kissed my skin, it was a moment I would never ever forget.
I’d married my soulmate and had my whole life ahead of me with this kind-hearted, gorgeous man.
Declan came and joined me after, I sensed, donating a nice healthy sum to the church.
