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Molly rolled her eyes. “The distance gets longer every time you tell that story.”
“It was storming too,” I added. “The worst thunderstorm to hit Rome in a thousand years. There I was, carrying Molly in my arms while lightning crashed…”
I trailed off as I saw one of the other chefs waving at me from the kitchen.
“I’ll tell you all the story another time. I have to get back to it.”
“Can’t you take tonight off, Donny?” mom asked me. “I hate to see you work so hard, especially when you should be celebrating…”
“I’m not working, mom,” I said. “I’m doing what I love.”
“It was only a kilometer away,” I heard Molly say as I left. “But he was weak from the virus. He actually passed out the moment he handed me off to the nurses…”
I smiled with pride as I returned to the kitchen.
Mykitchen.
Epilogue
Molly
The Day We Got Married
We went down to the courthouse the next day. With the pandemic still in full swing, we were happy to settle for saying our vows in a small group. Maybe when things were back to normal we could have a bigger gathering with friends. I’d be able to fit into a wedding dress then, too.
Herb and Gloria came down to the courthouse with us. We were happy to have them as our witnesses. Gloria was a sniffling mess before we even started, and she had to keep lowering her mask so she could blow her nose.
Donovan and I stood in front of the Justice of the Peace. He looked dashing in a black suit, with his hair combed back and his beard trimmed thin. The Justice was wearing a mask with the Indiana state flag on it, a gold torch surrounded by gold stars on a field of blue.
“You may remove your masks for the ceremony,” The Justice said.
“Oh!” Donovan suddenly said. “I almost forgot. Be right back.”
He ran out of the room.
“Did I just get left at the altar?” I asked.
“It happens more often than you would expect,” the Justice of the Peace said.
“Stop scaring the bride,” Herb growled at the man. “My son said he would be right back, which means he’ll beright back.”
Donovan came running back into the room with something in his hand. He placed the object on the chair next to Gloria and Herb.
It was a framed photograph of my parents on their wedding day, with my mother’s long white dress trailing behind her.
“Donovan…” I whispered.
“I grabbed it from your dining room,” he told me. “Is that okay? I wanted them to be here for—”
I threw my arms around him. “It’s perfect.You’reperfect. Marry me, damnit.”
He squeezed my hand and we turned to the Justice. “I don’t want to live another minute without being married to this woman. We’re ready.”
The Justice cleared his throat. “Donovan, please repeat after me…”
The Justice said the words first, but I was totally focused on Donovan Russo, the man smiling down at me, the man who I was about to marry.
“I, Donovan Russo, in the presence of these witnesses, do take you, Molly Carter, to be my lawful wedded wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do us part.”
