AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Getting married from this house that had sheltered me for so long felt right.
Vander’s house sold immediately, and he moved in here with Jace and me while we renovated our new house. It would be ready by the time George came back for March Break. Over the Christmas holidays, they planned to pick out the furniture, décor, and pool table for their games room in the basement. Vander and I had chosen everything else already.
I was glad it wasn’t ready. Of all the milestones and heartaches this house had witnessed and comforted me through, I wanted to meet this one here, too.
Vander and the boys had cleared a wide pathway from the house to the road so we would not slip on our way to the limo.
Just before I got into the car, Amber gently touched my elbow and nodded back to the house. I turned to find a lopsided snowman wearing a tacky, plaid, suit jacket and matching bow tie.
I screamed with laughter, my Yiayia, my sister, and my best friend laughing with me. I turned to Jace to find him recording my reaction.
I spread my arms wide. “I love him! I never thought to threaten you with plaid!”
“They did such good job!” Yiayia praised. “They work so hard to make it. They came very early, poulaki.” Then she grumbled, “I nearly boil Vander when he try to look on you.”
The limo took us to the church, and Jace wandered off to find his dad, his brother, and his uncle. He came back in time to lead Yiayia to her seat, then came back to walk me down the aisle.
The men waited at the front.
The music began, and Amber and Minty walked down together.
“You look so beautiful, Momma,” Jace whispered as he crooked his arm to escort me down the aisle.
“Agapimeno mou,” I whispered back.
He laughed. “No crying! Minnie warned me not to make you cry and I’m afraid of what she’ll do to me if you mess up your make-up!”
I could barely see the top of Vander’s head with the number of people who stood at my entrance.
I easily picked Elisavet and Yanni out in the crowd. Both had tears in their eyes.
Maria sat with her husband and pretended to spit on me for luck. I don’t know what to tell you. It’s a Greek thing.
Voula gave me a huge grin and a double thumbs-up.
Vander’s mom held tightly to her husband, their eyes shiny and bright.
Jace puffed out his chest proudly as he passed his new grandparents, his serious face showing just how much his role meant to him.
Vander compressed his lips in a straight line but couldn’t stop the single tear from rolling down his handsome face.
Jace placed my hand in Vander’s, and Vander wrapped his other hand around the back of Jace’s neck and kissed his forehead.
In that moment, a case of the sniffles ran through the church.
Gus, Alex, and George looked gorgeous in their tuxedos. Of all of them, George was the only one who thought I was the slightest bit serious about lavender tuxes. Finally, I had to put his mind at ease and let him off the hook by showing him what we’d ordered.
When it came time for the rings, Gus stepped forward. He slipped our rings on the ring fingers of our right hands, then put my ring on the tip of Vander’s finger, and his on mine, then switched back, signifying the intertwining of our lives, before sliding the rings on completely.
I had not yet seen the rings Vander had chosen for us as he wanted it to be a surprise. It wasn’t until Gus slid the ring onto my finger that I saw mine for the first time. I sucked in a breath at the sight. A band of rose cut diamonds, alternating between two sizes, encircled my finger. I looked up to find him anxiously awaiting my reaction. I offered him a shaky, watery, smile, and he relaxed.
At this point in the service, the priest joined our right hands. For the rest of the service, we had to hang onto each other and not let go. This signified the unity of our marriage, and at this point, we were officially married.
We hung on tight.
Gus stepped forward once again to perform the ceremony with the crowns. He placed Vander’s crown over his head, and mine over mine, then switched them back.
Amber tied a ribbon between the two crowns, and Gus placed them on our heads, signifying that our lives would be forever intertwined and our union unbreakable.
