Page 55 of The Proposal Pact
“Sophie.”
“Excuse me, it’s Mrs. Callum Clover Lovinski to you now.”
“Sophie! This is serious! These are vows we’re talking about,” he whisper-shouts.
“I didn’t peg you for someone who believes in them.”
“Me? No, I don’t. But you do.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll cross my fingers behind my back.”
“You’re nuts.”
“And yet you still asked me to marry you.”
“Are you two ready?” Our receptionist asks, entering after us and goes to light up the incense stationed all over the place.
I tug on Callum’s hand to go stand at the altar while he mutters, “This is ridiculous. We are about to burn in this hell.”
“Clover, have you ever heard the phrase ‘Happy wife, happy life?’”
“Maybe,” he grunts out.
“Time to practice it.” I bat my eyelashes at his narrowed eyes and go to stand opposite him.
Gosh, I had no idea agreeing to his ridiculous idea would be so fun, because I’m having a blast over here. Who else can say they experienced a practice wedding before they’re even engaged? Or have a boyfriend for that matter.
Anne stands before us wearing a bright beaming smile that is such a contradiction to my future husband’s scowl, I want to laugh, but instead I mouth,Smile,and plaster one of my own as light smoke fills the space around us. The herbal scent relaxing me further.
He rolls his eyes at me but at least tries to look a little less miserable. I bite on the inside of my cheek to hide my amusement. I’m marrying the grumpiest man ever known.
“Take a deep breath, lovebirds,” Anne says, closing her eyes and taking one herself. “Take in this moment as your two souls about to merge onto one road,” she says in that serene voice and my eyes catch Clover’s twitching.
I mouth,Take a deep breath, Shrek, and proceed to take mine, knowing he’s sending me to hell ten times over right now while I’m having a blast messing with him.
“Close your eyes and open up your hearts. Do you feel how they are reaching for one another? Oh, sweet heavens, I can feel your energies all the way from here,” Anne says, her eyes still closed as both arms reach for Callum and me.
I barely manage to hold in my chuckle because Clover is looking at me, completely unamused, and shaking his head as he points to our receptionist who seems to have entered into some kind of trance, swaying on her feet and murmuring something unintelligible.
“What the fuck,” he mouths to me.
I roll my lips to suppress some more chuckles and take a deep breath, motioning for him to do the same. “Breathe.”
This is completely nuts and I love it.
To his credit—and my surprise—Clovertsksbut does exactly that. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. I follow, breathing deep and slow, the aroma and the smoke wrapping around my body and mind in the strangest way. It’s as if I’m really floating but not falling. As if there is someone else holding me. I lose all track of time, gettingsubmerged in that warm feeling until I hear Anne murmur softly, “Yes, it’s time now.”
Slowly, as if waking up from a long sleep, I open my eyes and find Callum’s already trained on mine and I suck in another—this time, greedy—breath. All of a sudden, this is no longer funny or silly.
It feels monumental.
At least to me.
Does he feel it, too?
“Callum Clover Lovinski, do you take Sophia Levidis to be your lawfully wedded wife from this day forward and onto every next life - to have and to hold, in good times and bad, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health; will you love, honor, respect, and cherish her? Will you support her inner peace and follow her heart’s desires? Will you follow her footsteps until the end of days and in every life thereafter?”
His eyes never leave mine as Anne speaks. They don’t stray for a second as he whispers, “Yes.” And a shudder runs over my body, shaking me to my very core.
