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Austin snuck a peek at Casey as Josh repeated the words, his vows crystalizing in the summer sun. A tear ran down her cheek, and she swiped at it with a chipped pink polished fingernail.
“Now Mavis, repeat after me,” continued the minister. “I, Mavis, take you, Joshua, to be my husband, 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, ’til death do us part.”
Mavis repeated the words, her singsong voice catching in his ear as Mitch jabbed him in the back.
“The rings, please.”
Austin rammed his hand into his pocket and pulled from the depths the two wedding bands. Josh turned with his hand outstretched, and Austin dropped them into his palm. “My precious,” he whispered.
Josh grinned, and Mavis rolled her eyes.
“Joshua, please place the ring on Mavis’s finger and repeat the following,” instructed the minister. “I give you this ring as a token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love.”
Josh slid the ring on Mavis’s finger and repeated the words.
“Mavis, place the ring on Joshua’s finger and repeat after me,” he continued. “I give you this ring as a token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love.”
She slid the ring on Josh’s finger and smiled, repeating the words, their promises settling into the meadow in the exact place their love first bloomed.
Joining their hands together, the minister grinned. “By the virtue of the authority vested in me under the laws of the State of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
The breath caught in Austin’s throat, the finality of his words to come, sealing a piece of his soul and a part of his life shut. He swallowed and prepared his heart for the final farewell.
“You may kiss the bride.”
Cheers erupted from the meadow—bursts of laughter and clapping hands thundered through his body as Mitch’s grip clasped on his shoulder. His brother-in-law’s voice whispered in his ear, “Are you okay?”
Austin turned and smiled, nodding and releasing the breath he held in his chest. “I am. This is the way it was always supposed to be. And I know that now.”
Mitch squeezed his shoulder again, his gaze following the new Dr. and Mrs. Templeton down the aisle.
Goodbye, my sweet Princess.
Chapter TWENTY-THREE
Casey
