Chapter Twenty-Two Ella
Chapter Twenty-Two
Ella
The third thing…
It finally dawns on me what she’s talking about.
“Are you having an allergic reaction to pineapple?” Lex asks, connecting the dots.
“Mmm,” she hums, tugging down the scarf around her neck and fanning it as if she’s too warm. Angry-looking hives dot her skin.
“I’m fine. Tis will pass… eventually,” she assures us with a shrug, completely unbothered.
Then she sticks out her tongue, fanning it as if trying to cool it off.
“Oh my god!” I gasp.
Her tongue is noticeably swollen.
“Do we need to get you to a hospital? A doctor?” I’m ready to turn and get the sled when she lifts her hands to stop me.
“I’ll be fine. Tis has happened before…” She rolls her eyes. “A few times, actwually.”
I shoot Tiero a horrified look. He watches the scene with his usual calm composure, much like Lex.
How are these men not even a little ruffled?
“Let’s continue,” Claudette says, flipping through her notes.
A piece of paper flutters to the ground. Tiero bends to pick it up, glances at it, then looks straight at me. His eyebrow lifts, and I already know what he’s holding.
Of course it had to be our marriage license.
Claudette notices and snatches it from his hand.
“Umm, we best go straight to te wows. I won’t talk fer much longer. But don’t worry, it will only last a day… or two.”
My eyes widen. Is she serious?
“Forget the vows. We need to get you medical help,” I say, turning to Tiero for backup.
His jaw tightens.
Too bad. I get that he wants us married before midnight, but Claudette is having a medical emergency.
“No, it will pass. I promish,” Claudette insists. “I’ve only shtopped breathing once.”
Rhia and I freeze.
Claudette lifts her hands in a placating gesture.
“Joking,” she mumbles, the word thick and distorted.
It’s so muffled that Rhia gasps.
“You’re choking? Oh my god! Put her on the sled and get her to a doctor. I’ll call 911.”
Rhia pats down her dress, searching for her phone, then remembers it’s in her jacket. She turns and runs down the aisle toward the sled.
“No!” Claudette tries to shout, but it comes out more like a croak. “I know how ta handle tis. Trus’ me.”
Tiero grabs another bottle of water from the refreshments table, unscrews the cap, and hands it to her. She takes it gratefully and downs most of it.
“Will antihistamines help? We have some back at the cottage. I can go get them.”
She waves him off dismissively. “Th’ damage’s done. Shhtop, everyone, makin’ a big deal out of tis. I’m fine,” she insists. “Les marry you two.”
Her lips have nearly doubled in size now. It looks like a Botox injection gone wrong.
“Wher’ were we?” she asks, scratching her head. “Ah, rit… vows.”
She shuffles back to the center of the altar and smiles broadly.
I hate to say it, but it looks creepy as hell, and I quickly turn my attention to my fiancé and take his hands in mine.
“Will yu, Gualtiero Leandro De Marco, take Ella Rose O’Neil ta be yer lawful wedded wife? In sickness an’ in health, fer better or worse, ’til death do yu part? Promise ta cherish an’ honor, keepin’ an’ lovin’ all the days of yer lives.”
Amusement, edged with concern, flickers in Tiero’s eyes as he listens to Claudette’s slurred words.
Somehow, this mishap makes the ceremony even more special. It’s perfectly imperfect.
Tiero’s eyes meet mine, their hazel-brown depth calling to my soul.
“I do.”
“And do yu, Ella Rose O’Neil, take Gualtiero Leandro De Marco ta be yer lawful wedded husband? Fer better or worse, fer richer an’ poorer, ’til yer last breath?”
I smile up at my husband-to-be, drinking him in. Everything inside me settles. Everything feels certain. I want to spend the rest of my life with him.
“I do.”
Claudette turns to Lex, who passes her a small dish with our rings. With a lopsided smile, she motions for us to take them.
Tiero takes my hand and slides the rose gold ring, encrusted with tiny diamonds, onto my finger. I feel the weight of a thousand promises settle with it.
The ring, a circle of eternity, gleams in the torchlight. Our eyes meet, and in that moment, I see a lifetime of laughter, tears, and everything in between.
I stare at the ring on my finger. Nothing has ever felt so right. As I look up into Tiero’s fiery gaze, the world fades away until it’s just us, two souls intertwining in a dance only love understands.
Tiero places his hand over mine, his eyes dropping to the ring. He brushes his thumb over it, almost reverently, and murmurs, “Mine.”
When he lets go, I pick up his wedding band and, keeping my eyes on him, slide it over his knuckles until it settles in place. Only then do I glance down at it.
A surprising surge of possessiveness rises within me at the sight. And suddenly, I understand Tiero so much better.
“Mine,” I repeat his words, their truth settling deep within me.
Claudette clears her throat, but my gaze doesn’t go to her. It stays on my love, locked with his.
“By te pow’rs vested in me, I now pronunce ya hushb’nd and wife. Yu may… umm… kiss te bride.”
Tiero steps closer, tilting his head as a smile spreads across his handsome face.
“I wanted to say a few things with my vow, wife. But under the circumstances,” he says, inclining his head toward our officiant without taking his eyes off me, “I’ll save it for later.”
He called me wife.
I want to melt.
Joy blooms inside me, my insides spinning with it.
Of course, he’s called me wife before. But this time, it’s real. A thrill runs down my spine at his words, and the deep timbre of his voice stirs the butterflies back to life.
Slowly, Tiero lowers his head until the warmth of his breath brushes over my cold skin.
The buildup hits me like the first time, and I’m completely electrified.
Just like all those months ago, his hand curls around my waist, pulling me flush against him. And just like our very first kiss, my face tilts up to meet his gaze. The love shining there makes every part of me tingle with happiness.
My hands settle on his biceps, even his thick winter coat unable to hide the strength beneath.
Strength and power. Safety and love.
Anticipation coils tight inside me, but I don’t move.
His eyes on mine, Tiero closes the last bit of distance. Just like back in August, his lips brush mine in a kiss so light it’s barely there.
I sigh against his mouth, every nerve ending thrumming with awareness. His hands glide up my body to cradle my face, holding me like I am the most precious treasure in his universe.
And I am.
The kiss deepens, quickly turning into more.
More passion. More fire. More everything.
It feels like a promise of a wonderful life together.
When Tiero pulls back an inch, we’re both breathless, flushed despite the cold.
He rests his forehead against mine, our breaths mingling in soft clouds.
“My wife,” he whispers, smiling, his happiness radiating off him.
“You are mine now… always and forever.”
My heart flutters at his possessive words, and I roll my eyes softly. Closing the small distance between us, I press a kiss to his lips.
“I always have been,” I whisper against them. “From the very first moment we met.”