Page 90 of Worth the Vow

“Nonna, we never said we’d be doing vows,” Dominic says hastily.

“Nonsense. The whole point of a ceremony is to publicly state how you’re going to love one another. We have to hear you say the sweet things, Dom. It won’t kill you,” she says with a laugh.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to,” I whisper. I don’t want Dominic to feel uncomfortable. I know how he feels about me. I’m not concerned with others knowing it too.

“No, I want to. I need everyone to know how I feel about you,” he says softly, his mouth against my ear. He bends to apply the quickest of kisses against my shoulder before stepping aside and turning to face me.

“Dominic, you go first,” Nonna commands. I’d laugh, but the look of sheer determination on Dominic’s face tells me not to. He’s dead serious, and I want to soak in everything he says.

“I already told you what I thought when I saw you for the first time,” he begins, “but I never told you about how I felt when I saw you with my children. It was as if the world tilted on its axis, Katharine. I had such a visceral reaction to you, and I couldn’t comprehend it. My heart was screaming at me to trust myself, but my brain, and my anxiety, told me I’d be better off alone. I think I knew the moment you needed a place to stay that I’d slowly, and systematically, eat away at my own resolve to keep you at arm’s length. There’s nothing I crave more than providing for you, keeping you happy, and bringing you the same kind of peace that you bring me just by being you. I promise to spend the rest of my days loving you as you need.”

By the time Dominic finishes, we’re both crying. My closed-off, quiet, grumpy man has morphed into a beautiful soul with his heart on his sleeve. Reaching up, I wipe away his tears, then cup his cheek reverently. He subtly leans into my palm as I begin. “Oh, Dominic. I’m not sure if I told you what I thought when I saw you for the first time, or how I felt when I saw you with your kids. Did you realize I rarely looked you in the eyes when we first met?”

“No,” he chuckles, squeezing my hand as his thumb rubs rhythmic circles along my knuckles.

“I couldn’t. I felt like you could see my soul, and I feared what you’d say if you knew what I was thinking. I was so attracted to you, and then when I saw you with your kids? I’ve never seen anything so poetic. I knew, watching you with them, that your heart was so capable of loving a woman, and I hated how much I wanted it to be me.”

“What?” he blurts out with a laugh.

“Well, you aggravated me!” I huff, and everyone laughs. “You argued about everything.”

“I argued so you’d get mad, and then I wouldn’t kiss you,” he confesses.

“I don’t believe you.”

“It’s true. That whole thing about practicing for the courthouse ceremony? I made that up. I just wanted to see if it would be as good as I’d hoped …” he trails off.

“Was it?” I ask quietly.

“Better. It was so much better than I imagined, Katharine. I felt like I was …”

“Home,” we answer simultaneously. I hear a few sighs, but I can’t tear my eyes from Dominic.

“I thought I’d never know home again,” I admit tearfully. “I didn’t think I’d ever have a family. And while I absolutely adore everyone in yours, I’d be content with just you and the kids. The four of you are the joy I didn’t know could happen. I vow to always come home to you, to give you the same peace you give me, and to love you as you deserve.”

“Oh my,” Nonna sniffs, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. “Go ahead and exchange the rings, I guess. Or whatever. I need to sit down.”

We watch amusedly as Nonna carefully toddles over to Matt’s mom, sitting beside her.

“Here,” Dominic whispers, handing me his ring. “Give me yours.”

I hand him my simple wedding ring, the new engagement ring, and then watch as he swaps the wedding ring out with a new matching band. “What was that?”

“Upgrade,” he says simply. Taking my hand in his, he slides the rings onto my finger while speaking clearly. “Katharine, I give you this ring as a sign of my love and devotion. I vow to love and honor you, even if you leave your water glasses everywhere.”

I laugh tearfully as Dominic grins. I love this lighthearted version of my husband. I slide his ring onto his finger while saying my part. “Dominic, I give you this ring as a sign of my love and devotion. I vow to love and honor you, even if you hog all the blankets and put your cold feet under my legs.”

“Okay, you can kiss now!” Nonna hollers from her seat. Dominic laughs as he pulls me into his embrace.

“I’d do everything exactly the same in my life, as long as it led me to you,” he whispers solemnly. “Il mix cuore è tuo.”

“What does that mean?”

“My heart is yours.”

“And my heart is yours,” I respond as he seals his lips over mine. Not our first kiss as a married couple, but it’s one that will stand out to me for the rest of my life. It signifies everyone we love being part of our magic.

As we break off the kiss, I hear a scream, and suddenly everyone scrambles. Chairs are knocked over, and my bouquet is pushed to the ground. Dominic shoves me behind him as a man holding a large automatic rifle saunters up the aisle, Savannah nervously at his side.

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