Page 20 of Painting Him Mine

“You know I suck at waiting.” It was an epic understatement. I had a severe lack of patience when it came to that. Forcing myself to take a deep breath, I tried to draw on my fiancé’s sense of calm.

“We’ve got nothing but time,” Mauricio reminded me. “There’s no point in rushing a moment like this. It’s worth waiting for.”

“You’re right.” I leaned over and gave him a kiss. “Sorry.”

His thumb brushed against the side of my throat, making me shiver. “There’s nothing to be sorry about.”

“But don’t you think it’s weird we’re not actually at the courthouse? I thought all civil wedding ceremonies took place there.” That’s what the movies showed, anyway.

“I think it’s nice they’ve set up these little makeshift chapels. It makes it feel a little more personal, don’t you think?”

Before I could respond, our number was called. My heart rate picked up as the three of us entered the small room. The back wall was pink with a rainbow stripe painting. In front of it was a small wooden podium, where the officiant was waiting for us. There was a purple couch off to the right, where Etienne took a seat and pulled out his camera to memorialize our wedding ceremony.

As previously instructed, we put our wedding bands on the podium before I faced Mauricio as we joined hands. He was so handsome in his formal tuxedo that it took my breath away. I loved him for dressing up and not wearing a simple suit.

The officiant was an older gentleman in a nice suit who had a friendly smile. “Ready?” We both nodded. “Great, then let’s begin. We are gathered here today to join Mauricio Damiano and Ezra van Housteen in marriage. You may exchange vows.”

Mauricio went first. “Ezra, I promise to love, honor, and cherish you, through sickness and health, in poverty and wealth, and to always be true to you until death alone shall part us.”

His words sent a thrilling rush through me that we were getting married for real. “Mauricio, I promise to love, cherish, and honor you in sickness and in health, in poverty and wealth, and to always be true to you until death do us part.”

The officiant continued the ceremony. “Mauricio, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband to live together in matrimony from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?”

“I do,” he answered while smiling at me.

“Ezra, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband to live together in matrimony from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?”

Joy overflowed in my heart. “I do.”

“Wonderful.” The officiant gestured at the wedding bands on the podium. “You may now exchange rings.”

Mauricio picked up my band and took my hand. He looked deep into my eyes as he swore to me. “With this ring, I, Mauricio, take you, Ezra, to be no one other than yourself. Loving what I know of you, and trusting in what I’ll learn to love, I will always respect and honor you with honesty and undying love, through all our years, in the face of anything that life may bring us.” He slid the band onto my finger as I tried not to tear up from his beautiful words. It was the most romantic thing anyone had ever said to me. I was the luckiest man in the world to have someone so wonderful love me.

I had to take a steadying breath as I tried to get control of my emotions. It was a challenge when I was overwhelmed by how much I loved the man standing before me. “With this ring, I, Ezra, take you, Mauricio, to love with all my heart and everything that I am. This is only the start of the next chapter in our lives together, and I celebrate the love between us that continues to strengthen and grow with each day we spend together.” My hand shook as I slid the band onto his finger, but Ifelt the rightness of what we were doing all the way in the depths of my soul.

The officiant gestured to us both. “By the power vested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may now kiss your spouse.”

I savored the sweet kiss Mauricio gave me as Etienne cheered for us. It may not have been the huge grand wedding that I was supposed to desire, but I had everything I needed with my new husband. I thanked every lucky star that had brought us together. He really was the greatest wish come true. And now he was my husband to love for the rest of our lives together. I couldn’t wait to see what the future would bring for us.

“You call that a kiss?” Etienne called out playfully.

“He’s right,” I said with a grin. “We can do better than that.” I tugged Mauricio closer for a more passionate kiss, loving how it made him laugh as he hugged me closer.

When we parted for breath, the officiant smiled at us. “Congratulations to you both. I wish you a lifetime full of love and happiness together.”

“Thank you,” I said as I beamed at the man.

“We appreciate you being a part of our love story,” Mauricio added.

The man tilted his head in acknowledgment. “It’s my pleasure.”

“Well, shall we go start our next adventure?” Mauricio asked as he held his hand out to me.

I took hold of his hand and gave it a squeeze as I grinned up at him. “Absolutely.”

Epilogue

EZRA

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