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Chapter 19 - Marcus: Wedding Bells
I stood at the front of the altar with Father Raken. Ethan and Grayson stood beside me in their suits.
All the eyes in the church were looking at me with smiles on their faces. I saw Arnie front and center with his wife beside him. My mother was seated in the front row, already crying as expected.
My heart was hammering in my chest in anticipation of seeing Maddie. After yesterday, I had doubted that she would even want to go through with it. I had seen the hurt and betrayal in her eyes along with the unmistakable fury as well.
I had let her down; I had allowed myself to get carried away with Ashleigh. It was never my intention to kiss Ashleigh, I had thought she was Sarah, but that wasn’t an explanation that would have been enough for Maddie. She knew nothing about Sarah which wasn’t her fault. I never talked about Sarah.
No one knew about yesterday apart from Maddie, Ashleigh, and myself, and I wanted to keep it that way. I didn’t need my sister or Lily getting into her ear. I needed to grovel first.
The music started and the doors opened. Lily was the first to walk down the aisle with her very pregnant belly. She waddled all the way down the aisle with a huge smile on her face. When I turned to look at Ethan his eyes were glued to her like she was the most magnificent thing he had ever seen in life. Then, it was Danny’s turn. She walked down the aisle with Axel in her arms who was holding the pillow with the rings on it.
Once they were down the aisle and Axel was secured in my mother’s arms, everyone rose for Maddie’s entrance.
I held my breath.
Her head was down as she was revealed to the congregation inside. My father held onto her arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. Her father should have been the one walking her down the aisle—I was talking about Pete. As far as Richard Vandlewoods went, he didn’t deserve a daughter like Maddie.
Maddie looked up, and our eyes locked.
The world around us seemed to fade away as she started her journey down the aisle. She had left her hair in its natural texture, and she looked gorgeous. I had only ever seen her wear it like that a few times, and I was glad she had chosen our wedding to do so.
Her face looked like it barely had any makeup on it which I loved.
Her dress was simple yet so beautiful. I didn’t know the actual name of the neckline, but it looked like a heart. It showed just enough chest that it had my mind turning dirty but still kept it classy. With each step, she drew closer to me, and the more excited I grew.
I had this urge to run down the aisle and meet her halfway and take her into my arms. This strange possessive feeling overtook my chest. Not only did I want everyone to marvel at her beauty, but I also wanted to keep it to myself.
When she was an arm’s reach away they stopped. All three of us turned to father Raken and waited.
“Who gives this woman to wed this man?”
“I do,” my father responded.
Father Raken gestured for my father to give me Maddie’s hand. When our hands touched, I felt the familiar tingles I always felt when we touched. Maddie handed her bouquet of white lilies to Danny and grabbed onto my other hand.
She came to stand next to me and the whole congregation was ordered to sit. If I am being honest, I tuned out Father Raken’s words as I stared at her. She took my breath away. She was beautiful in every sense of the word.
Her blue eyes stared into mine.
“The groom has prepared something special for his bride,” Father Raken announced, and that was my cue.
Maddie looked to me, confused, as did my family and friends. We had been firm on not having to write personal vows, seeing as how this was a fake marriage and all, but I had screwed up royally. I needed to set things right. I needed to make her a promise, but this time a public one. I had broken my word to her once, and I would not do it again.
I squeezed her hands tightly, holding onto her.
I cleared my throat, trying to rid myself of nervousness.
“Standing here, in front of this congregation and father Raken, I want to make a promise to you. I promise that, as long as we are bound together in this marriage, I would uphold and respect you. I will not hurt you and, when I stumble and falter, I will make sure that I am at your feet groveling.” That earned me a chuckle from a few people. “Maddison, you are a rare kind of woman. You are worthy of being cherished and loved and appreciated. I will strive to do those things for you as your husband. I will be your partner, your confidant, and your solace. I promise to not bring any stress into your life and only add peace.
“I won’t always get it right, but I know I will try my hardest to. Because you deserve only the best version of who I am. So on this day, I vow to be there for you in all aspects of life and I promise to always respect you and care for you.”
The whole time throughout my speech, I watched Maddie’s eyes. At first, they had been dead and unreadable, but as I continued to speak, I saw her taking down her wall inch by inch. I knew that this was nowhere near the apology she deserved but it was a starting point.
“Beautiful,” Father Raken said, “now if you will repeat after me.”
Then we repeated our traditional vows to one another.
