Page 68 of Vows in Sin
Making my way to my daughter, I nod at guests. Shake hands. Make small talk. But I can’t take my eyes off Seraphina.
She floats down the aisle. Holds Cleopatra’s white rose bouquet. Tears up when the vows are exchanged.
Blaze lovingly slips a ring on his bride’s finger. Don’t tell anyone but these ceremonies bring me close to tears. Seraphina’s eyes meet mine.
Bolts of electricity travel through me.
I have to look away.
Afterward, we’re torn apart. It’s time for the Bachman-only ceremony. Tabitha leaves me with a squeeze, then goes to join Seraphina and the other non-family members at the reception’s bar to wait.
The family loads up on motorboats, the dock swaying gently below our feet as we wait our turn. Cleopatra’s alit with nerves. Blaze holds her close. It’s a mystery to those who join.
It’s nothing to fear. Mere beauty and light.
And the promise of undying loyalty and devotion.
As I drive one of the boats to the far shore of the lake, my passengers riding in a reverent silence, the cool air blasts my face, and the splashing of the water against the front end of the boat mists us.
The moon is almost full in the sky, cloudless, illuminating the shore with pure white light. The tall trees and the strong mountains behind them are our only witnesses as we pass the white pillar candles around until everyone holds one.
As the head of this Estate, Liam begins the ceremony, lighting the candle in his wife’s, Emila’s, hand, first as he tells the crowd, "For as long as the stars have lit the sky, men have cared for and loved the woman they have pledged their lives to." The flame passes around, one to the next, uniting us. The shore soon glows with the magic of many twinkling candles.
More beautiful words, and as Liam speaks, it’s like an attack of daggers in my heart as well as Cupid’s arrow. The despair I still feel for my failed marriage is at war with the hope Seraphina has somehow planted in my heart.
The next part of the ceremony is a symbol of our devotion. The promise we make to lay down our lives to protect the women we love.
Blaze steps behind Cleo, guiding the chain around her neck so the tiny sword pendant lies perfectly at her clavicle. Once he’s clasped the gold, he rests his hands on her shoulders. “Cleopatra, I freely give you this symbol and pledge my very life to you. Do you accept?”
Would Seraphina want this from me? The devotion? The dedication? The never-ending commitment that marks ourfamily sets us apart from all the others. Her words rumble around in my empty chest.
She said;When I marry, it’s for keeps.
I let myself forget the ‘if’ part.
I never would have left my wife. Ever. No matter what. Family is forever.
Once you’re a Bachman, the only way out is death.
Loyalty is what I want now, and there’s only one woman I can picture myself being with.
I drive the boat back, playing that the tears in my eyes are mist off the water. When my group is safely on shore, I stay back, taking a quiet minute by myself by the water. It takes an hour before I’ve picked up the pieces of my shredded yet patched-together heart, and I join the crowd at the reception. I’m late, as per my usual.
She’s the only thing that draws me to the edge of the dance floor.
She’s beautiful. Holding hands with Cleopatra, spinning in the center of the floor to a silly song, her lavender dress twirling around her ankles as she laughs.
Then I see him.
Dame.
He walks toward her, that cocky grin on his face. Says something that makes her smile.
Then he offers his hand.
My blood goes cold.
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