Page 86 of Worth the Vow

“Not sure,” I murmur, shaking my head and blinking hard to force myself back into the present. I’m so used to women expecting what they think my family can offer them, I just expected Kate to fall into that line. In yet another case of Kate being the exception, and not the norm, she once again proves why she is such a diamond in the rough.

And yet, I’m oddly disappointed she doesn’t want to have our renewal ceremony at Everlasting. I guess in some dark corner of my mind, I always thought if I met the woman, I’d get married there.

“Hey,” she says softly. “If you want to have it at the hotel, then we’ll have it there. I don’t care where we get married. I just want to be with you, the kids, and our loved ones. Doesn’t matter to me where we do that.”

“You never cease to amaze me, sweetheart,” I murmur, rolling to my side and tucking her against me. The temperature has dropped since we stepped outside, but the ground’s residual heat has kept us warm. Still, a light breeze is cooling my skin quickly, and I know we need to get dressed and head inside. I just want one more minute basking in Kate.

“Dominic?” she whispers.

“Hmm?” I respond, my eyes closing.

“I don’t want to wait.”

“Wait for what?” I ask, yawning.

“To get married.”

“We’re already married, baby.”

“But in front of family, it’s really real,” she says.

“According to the law, and the state of Colorado, it’s still really real right now,” I say, deadpan.

Kate slaps her hand against my chest, and even with my eyes closed, I can tell she’s rolling her eyes. “You know what I mean.”

“I do. And I don’t want to wait, either.”

“Good.”

“But we agree only family and a few friends?” I ask. “Do we even need bridesmaids and all that crap?”

“I don’t know. Maybe one?”

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to pick between my siblings,” I admit.

“Oh, that’s true. I didn’t think about that. I only have Matt and Zane, and I doubt either of them would wear a dress,” she snorts.

“If you asked, I think they both would do whatever you wanted, Katharine. That’s how we roll in this chaotic Italian family.”

“You know who we should have officiate?”

“No.”

“You don’t even know —”

“You’re going to say my grandmother. I know you are.”

“I think it would be adorable! She’s like a hundred and fifty years old, and she probably has the best stories and advice for us,” Kate says, her voice full of admiration and adoration for my grandmother.

“First of all, she’s eighty, not a hundred and fifty. Secondly, her stories would mostly be embarrassing facts about me as a kid, and any advice for us would probably be either illegal or very frowned upon by most people.”

Kate props her head on my chest, her chin resting against my heart. “It would mean a lot to me if she was part of it.”

I can hear her unspoken words. She’s thinking about this ceremony, and how her mom is missing it. How her miserable excuse for a father was never a factor in her life at all. No grandparents that she knows of, and somehow my Nonna has become a pseudo-grandmother for her.

I can’t bring Kate’s mother back, or do anything to improve what happened with her father. But I can give her this. If my wife wants my one hundred and fifty year old grandmother to be our vow renewal officiant, then I’ll make it happen.

“What color would you like Nonna’s dress to be?” I ask, laughing when Kate squeals with glee.

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