That and Victoria and starting our forever future.
This time, the smile that spreads across my face is one-hundred percent genuine.
It widens even more at the smile she gives me in return, her lips done up in a reddish pink.
The bouquet of flowers that match those on the archway trembles slightly in her grasp. The dress looks as if I had Luis pull it from a designer’s warehouse. With a bodice that shimmers and antique lace detailing that adds a classic touch I already know my mom will flip over.
And around Victoria’s neck rests the antique necklace once worn by royalty. The jewelry glitters beneath the lights, and the teardrop sapphire pendant lands at the top of her sternum.
I’ve never seen anything so gorgeous in my life.
Not my mansion or my luxurious penthouse on the Upper East Side. Not the view of the city skyline from my office on the fiftieth floor, not the billions of dollars I’ve amassed over the years.
None of it compares to the sight of Victoria standing there, beaming at me
like I’m also worth more than any of those things.
Like I’m worth everything.
Vaguely I notice the audience has stood, a cacophony of gasps filling the air as they get a look at my bride.
Locking her eyes to mine, Victoria begins her march down the aisle.
With every slow, deliberate step she takes, memories flood my mind. That day she first handed me a burger, so concerned. She had no idea who I was or what I’d done, only that I was hungry.
Tending to my wounds after I’d bungled up chopping wood, getting to witness her sparkling in evening gowns. Dancing extra close. The moment she ran into my arms after Elon pulled that gun, and how in the hospital, she clung to me like I was someone she couldn’t bear to lose. Watching holiday movies with her family, the night we made love.
Each touch, kiss and caress, each intense conversation and light-hearted joke.
Anna stops just in front of me, effervescent. The roll of Grandma Naomi’s wheelchair halts.
“Take care of my baby girl, Simon,” Anna says before placing Victoria’s hand in mine.
“I will,” I promise, glancing at all three women so they can see how sincerely I mean it.
I close my fingers around Victoria’s, holding on tight as we walk the final steps to the altar.
Beneath the altar and in front of the officiant, we pivot to face each other.
Clasping both of her hands in mine, I anchor myself to this moment and to her.
The officiant welcomes everyone and gets the ceremony started about forty minutes late. Forty minutes I spent wondering how I’d ever recover. Now, I don’t have to, and that’s worth everything, too.
Across from me, Victoria blinks rapidly, eyes glistening.
I want nothing more than to haul her into my arms, promise her every good thing in this world, and to press my lips to hers.
Patience has never been my strong suit, but as I tune back in to the officiant’s words, I realize it’s almost time.
“Do you, Simon Jones, take Victoria Barron to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?
“I do.” I say it so fast, with such fervency, members of the audience titter. They can laugh all they like. I’ve been obsessing about whether I’d get to say those words for hours and hours.
“And do you, Victoria Barron, take Simon Jones to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”
Victoria inhales a shaky breath, and my heart stutters.
She sinks her teeth into her lower lip, then unleashes a smile, practically vibrating with excitement. “Simon’s everything I’ve ever wanted. I grow more madly in love with him each day. Of course, I do.”
Long before this moment, she’s been mine in every way that counts. Soon the whole world will know it, too. Victoria Barron Jones is my lawfully wedded wife.
“By the power vested in me,” the officiant says in a booming voice, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. Simon, you may kiss your bride.”
I take her face in my hands, lowering my mouth to hers as I pull her to me.
Kissing her is like fire and air and water. The only element missing is the ground, but I’d rather keep floating with my head in the clouds.
Cheers go up as I part her lips with mine and deepen the kiss.
But this kiss, it’s more than just a kiss.
It’s a promise of a lifetime spent loving each other. Of holding the other person up.
Currently, it’s my turn, as Victoria’s melted against me. Her fingers are curled in the lapels of my tux, her soft sighs inspiring me to linger a moment longer. I’m in no hurry to stop kissing her, audience be damned.
Not only is my bride the unfailing north star that guides me, she’s also become my home along the way.
“I love you,” I whisper and she says it back.
Hand in hand, we turn to more cheers.
Both of our mothers are dabbing their eyes. A lot of the people look a little misty, actually. Luis is clapping like a maniac, louder than everyone else by far. I suppose that’s fair, as he did a lot of work to help get us here.
As Victoria and I walk back down the aisle the opposite way we came, I think
God, I would’ve waited for her forever.
Luckily, I don’t have to.
Victoria
As we step out of the Rose Hotel, applause and whistles greet us.
White rose petals drift through the air, fluttering down on our heads like fragrant snowflakes. A few catch in my hair and cling to my veil. With the sun set, the evening air holds a chill that nips at my bare shoulders and skin. I barely register it, though.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.