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“Then youneed to be careful,” she stressed. “Do not freak me out before you leave – got it, mister?”
He playfully tugged her forward a few steps and then burst out laughing softly. She met his smile and then felt him tug her closer to the altar, just as a priest walked out.
“I promised to do this properly,” he smiled at her, and turned to the man of the cloth waiting there. “Father Holmes, this is my girl that I was telling you about when you took my confession. I really appreciate how strange all of this is – and your understanding about the rush.”
“Young man, like I told you before… something told me to be here today and to be patient. I never expected any of this, and I am quite wonderfully surprised.”
“Isn’t she lovely?”
“Not that, young man,” the priest chuckled easily. “I’m surprised you asked me to marry the two of you when I expected to be delivered a miracle or some other divine intervention – but not this.”
“Father Holmes,” Ian replied, with such emotion in his voice that June looked up at him. “Sir, I know you don’t realize this… but sheismy miracle. It’s a miracle she talked to me, a miracle that she is here now, and a miracle that a simple man can care so much for someone so quickly.”
Ian turned to look at her.
“Will you marry me, June?”
She stared at him, and her lips parted in amazement at what she saw in his eyes. There, in those brilliant blue eyes, she saw his heart.
He loved her – even if he hadn’t said the words.
He told her repeatedly in his actions from the very beginning, coming on so intensely. The flowers, the gifts, the picnic where he was trying to coax her out to speak with him, the dog, the house, everything. Helovedher, and was sincerely afraid that he was pushing her too hard… finally hitting that breaking point.
“I’m asking you for everything, Minx,” he breathed tearfully, his voice hoarse. “I can take it – but I can’t take knowing you are disappointed, mad, or upset when I fly out of here. We can wait for anything else until you are ready, but this is purely selfish of me. I want to know that I’m fighting to come home to my wife, my home, my heart.”
“Yes,” she whispered tearfully, her eyes searching his. “I’ll take your name, but thisisawfully quick between us. I may need more time to acclimate to…”
“Take as long as you need,” he volunteered, “but just takemeas your own.”
“I will,” she smiled. “… And ‘I do’.”
“Oh – and one other favor?” Ian smiled tearfully, bringing her hands up to his lips and kissing both tenderly. “We can wait as long as you need for everything else, but when it finally happens?”
“Yes?”
“I’m praying that my ‘Lady in the streets’ willplease, please, pleasebe a ‘freak in the sheets’,” he chuckled tearfully, smiling widely at her as she laughed.
The priest looked at the two of them like they were insane.
“Pretty please - with whatever you want on top? Whipped cream? Cherries?”
“Ian, stop…” she ordered, still nervously laughing, and turned to the priest in apology. “I am so very sorry, Father, but if you could please do the honors for us? We’ll get out of here.”
“That boy needs to say a few more Hail Mary’s, young lady,” the priest retorted, as his lips twitched in amusement.
“I promise I will,” Ian volunteered easily – and winked at her. “I’m really good at them, Father.”
“I have no doubt, young man.”
June listened as the priest recited the words between them, and marveled at Ian as he repeated back his vows carefully… and surprisingly? He didn’t ad-lib or tease her at all. This was obviously something he took seriously and took to heart, touching her deeply.
As she recited her vows, she recognized a wave of remembrance from her first wedding, but also recognized how different it was too. There was no giddy, girlish nervousness, but rather a warm, welcoming sensation deep within her soul. Being married to someone that she could easily consider her best friend, someone she could see herself laughing and spending time with years from now, was comforting during a pivotal moment that she had once been so afraid of.
If she was scared or upset, she knew Ian would listen. He was the one person she could trust to take all her paranoia in stride – and help her work through it. He was promising her forever, playing the long ‘game’, and found herself looking forward to it, because of his unflinching confidence that this was right between them.
He believed – and she needed to learn from him, accept from him, and grow in her own self-assured faith that had been shaken so brutally over the years. This was going to be alright and meant to be… or they would work at it together.
“I do,” she whispered, feeling her very soul smile as she looked at him, only to see that impish smile.
