Chapter 18
He was getting married. After so many years of searching and trying and failing, how had this happened so swiftly and with such certainty?
With Winzig standing beside him as a witness, Max faced Emberly, holding both of her hands as she finished stating her vows. His chest ached with all the love he felt for her. It simply could not be contained inside him.
“Your turn, Your Highness,” Braun said as he stood in front of them, attempting to look stately. But having no way to groom himself, he was decidedly rumpled with his hair messy, his beard no longer neatly trimmed, and his clothing wrinkled.
Max was curious to know how Braun could recite the order verbatim. Perhaps he had memorized the ceremony when he’d performed his previous marriage ceremonies. Whatever the case, Max was grateful for Braun’s many talents.
Max repeated the words, holding Emberly’s gaze and hoping she could see that he meant every single one.
“I Nikolaus Constantin Maximillian Karltenberg take you, Emberly McQuaid, to be my 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 till death us do part, according to God’s holy will. ”
He would love and cherish her with every breath he had. He brought her hand up to his lips and placed a kiss on her knuckles. “I love you, darling.”
Braun shook his head. “That is not part of the ceremony, Your Highness.”
“It should be. I would like it to be.”
Braun pursed his lips.
But as Emberly’s eyes crinkled at the corners with the beginning of a smile, Max persisted. “In fact, I would like to be able to express my love to my bride whenever it suits me.”
“You cannot—”
Max cut Braun off with one of his most severe glares, one that demanded acquiescence as his superior.
Max was not above using his royal privileges to get what he wanted from time to time.
At the moment, he needed to assure Emberly how much he loved her, needed her to know so that she had no reservations about what they were doing.
He had witnessed her silent doubts over the past few hours since Braun had first offered to marry them. Of course, Max had wanted to have the ceremony right away and not give her any time to overthink their relationship and change her mind.
But they had agreed they would make the most of the remaining hours of daylight, especially because the wind had grown calmer.
They had attempted to climb to the highest spot near the cabin, hoping to get a cell phone connection.
The way up had been precarious, and he and Emberly had not gone far before turning back.
They had also begun shoveling a path to the nearby lake. Emberly indicated that they could ice-fish there if necessary. What she left unsaid was that they might run out of food and need the sustenance.
When they had finally been too frozen to remain outside any longer, they had all retreated into the cabin and locked themselves away for another night.
Emberly had said she needed a little time to prepare for the wedding and had gone into the bedroom, where she had styled her hair as best she could, pulling a few strands up and leaving the rest down.
He regretted that she did not have an elegant dress to change into, that she had only the jeans and sweater she’d worn yesterday.
However, she was more than stunning, especially because her eyes shone with love for him, her expression was sincere, and her lips were curved into a small smile.
“I love you, darling,” he said again, and this time followed his declaration by bending down and touching his lips to hers.
Her mouth was absolutely delectable, tasting sweet and fresh.
Her lips always responded to his so eagerly, so willingly, so passionately.
Every time he kissed her, he told himself the kiss would sate his hunger for her, that he would be fulfilled.
But the opposite seemed to be happening.
Every time he touched her lips, he only wanted to taste her again and craved her even more.
Braun cleared his throat obnoxiously.
Emberly was the one to pull back, nibbling at her lip and attempting not to smile and so irritate Braun even more.
“Let us pray.” Braun bowed his head, and Winzig followed suit.
Emberly closed her eyes, and Max’s heartbeat sped with the wonder that she was his wife.
“Eternal God, Our Creator and Redeemer. Just as you gladdened the wedding at Cana in Galilee by the presence of your Son, so gladden this wedding with your presence now.”
Emberly opened one eye and caught Max staring.
She immediately smiled, clearly entertained by Braun’s ability to perform the ceremony so perfectly.
At least no one could accuse them of not having a traditional wedding, including a short sermon that Braun had already delivered as well as a recitation of 1 Corinthians 13.
As Braun made the sign of the cross and opened his eyes, he frowned at the sight of the two of them staring at each other. “Since we have no rings, I shall skip ahead to the benediction.”
“The ring that is set aside for my bride is a family heirloom.” Max squeezed Emberly’s hand. “I shall give it to you once we are at the palace in Vollenstadt.”
“I’d like to give you a wedding ring too.”
“There is a traditional ring for the groom as well.”
“I want to give you one that comes from me, from my heart.”
At her words, he wanted to bend down and kiss her again. But with the way Braun was frowning, he merely nodded. “Of course. I shall treasure such a gift from you.”
“Dearly loved.” Braun’s voice rose several decibels. “By their promises before God and this assembly, Nikolaus Constantin Maximillian and Emberly have joined themselves as husband and wife. What God has joined together, let no one separate.”
Husband and wife. They were officially married.
“Thanks be to God.” Braun spoke solemnly. “Amen.”
“Amen,” Emberly whispered.
“I now pronounce that you are husband and wife.” Braun took a step back and folded his hands together as though he was closing the order of service.
Max waited.
Braun raised a brow.
“You are forgetting something.”
“No, I am not.”
“Yes, you are. You have yet to say that I may kiss my wife.”
“Your Highness, clearly you do not need my permission for doing so since you have already been taking liberties all throughout the ceremony.”
Emberly chuckled.
“You are not wrong, Braun. But please. Could you humor me and say the words?”
“That will be no trouble, Your Highness, since I am accustomed to humoring you.” Braun cleared his throat. “I now present you as husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
Max reached for Emberly, and she came to him eagerly, falling against him. He wrapped one hand around her, then dipped her backward and gave her another kiss, this one full of tenderness and desire and promise for the future.
As they straightened, she laughed with delight, a laugh that filled his heart with the assurance he had done the right thing in marrying this woman as hastily as he could so that she couldn’t slip from his grasp the same way Ava had.
Now she was his, and no one could change that fact, not even his father.
After the wedding was done, they opened the bottle of wine in the hutch and ate the four cookies they had saved from their lunch yesterday.
Braun insisted on giving a toast and rambled for a good five minutes, but it was full of his loyalty and love for Max.
When he finished, he cajoled Winzig into giving a toast too, which lasted all of three seconds: “Long live the prince and his princess.”
Finally, with a loud yawn, Braun stood and stretched. “It has been an exhausting day, and Winzig and I can barely keep our eyes open.”
Winzig had just finished his glass of wine and was wide-eyed. He raised his brow at Braun.
Braun fluttered his hands. “Come on with you now. Off to bed you go.”
Winzig rose reluctantly.
It was rather early to retire, especially because the day had not been exhausting in the least, since they had sat around for most of it and not exerted themselves much.
As Braun hustled Winzig into the bedroom, he paused in the doorway. “Enjoy your night, Your Highness. I promise we shall close our ears and allow you to have all the privacy you need with your new bride.”
Beside him, Emberly stiffened, clearly catching Braun’s insinuation that they would spend the night together consummating their marriage. Braun was only suggesting something that was entirely appropriate and even necessary for a royal marriage such as his.
But . . . as much as Max desired Emberly and would take great pleasure in kissing her all night long, he refused to subject her to a romp on the couch in a musty cabin with his people on the other side of a paper-thin wall.
He cared about her too much and wanted their first time together as man and wife to be special so that he could properly convey just how much he adored her.
He could not say so to Emberly at the moment, but as soon as they were alone, he would share his thoughts on the matter and assure her that he would not pressure her now or anytime.