Page 78 of The Restoration Program
No mark.
Maybe he was right. Maybe some of this was all in her head.
DAY EIGHTY-FIVE
It didn’t take much digging to uncover that there was no way, legally, to marry someone declared dead.
NüPrint legislation could take years to make the process easy, but Nicole and Ryan agreed they didn’t want a five-year engagement. They were readynow—why wait?
The day following their engagement, they visited a few courthouses within driving distance and tried to reason with different clerks about finding a loophole. So many government buildings were automated by kiosks and AI assists now, there weren’t many options to reason with. Talking to a real person meant booking an appointment months in advance—time they weren’t willing to put on the shelf.
They turned to a church next, where they finally found a kindly pastor who was willing to perform the ceremony and certify the documents. He told them to return in a few days’ time, assuring them they would have the chapel reserved for a private ceremony.
They considered inviting Darlene and a few of their friends from before the move, but Ryan pointed out they’d have to postpone again. He and Nicole agreed there would be plenty of time to arrange the perfect party and honeymoon after tying the knot. Nothing about their relationship was conventional anymore—why start now?
Nicole stood on the sink of the church bathroom, adjusting her appearance in the mirror. She had to admit, she looked to die for. Her raven hair was swept off her face in a half updo with the tiny baby’s breath tucked between pins. She had broken into her old stash of makeup to create a dewy look with her fingertips—ruby lips, flushed pink cheeks, and a soft white shimmer on her eyelids.
Ryan’s eyes blazed with pride as she placed her hand over the engagement necklace, its large gem resting over her collarbone.
“You look so beautiful,” he said.
She looked up at his reflection. “It’s bad luck for us to see each other before the ceremony, isn’t it?” she teased.
Joking about it felt wrong on her tongue. It was simply a reminder that she had no way to get to the altar without him. And she had no one to give her away, either. She missed her father all the more. He would have loved to see her through this day if his health had allowed it. She wondered what sage advice he’d impart at this moment, standing in the mirror with her. He had always known what to say somehow.
“We’re making our own luck now.” Ryan leaned down to kiss the top of her head delicately. For a moment, the clouds seemed to pull back and give way to warm sunlight.
Nicole looked him up and down. She plucked up a trimmed stem of baby’s breath and offered it to him. “Here. Will you pin this to your pocket? Like a boutonnière.”
She felt shy all over again as their hands brushed. Boyfriend, fiancé, and in mere minutes now—husband. She watched his dexterous hands as he fastened it to his tux jacket.
“This kind of flower symbolizes eternal love,”she told him.
“Which flower symbolizes that I have the hottest wife?”
Nicole grinned, swirling back around to admire herself in the mirror. “Today? All of them.”
She smoothed the front of her white gown. The fabric was a bit cumbersome, but it was by far the most elegant piece of clothing she had ever owned. The Program had given the Alina Porter original to her free of charge. Strangely, it felt like a thank-you present.
Dr. Jenning herself had been the one to stop by the house to drop it off with their last health check. Her gaunt cheeks had been rosy with glee that Nicole and Ryan’s relationship was going so well after her Restoration. She was soproud, going as far as mentioning that this would be good press—a NüPrint getting married. Thankfully, despite Ryan’s proposal in front of everyone in the Fairbourne Restoration Facility, he caved to Nicole’s request to wait on any media.
However, the Program was within their rights to utilize mention of their marriage in their increasingly aggressive marketing campaign. Knowing that she and Ryan were simply providing another statistic set Nicole’s teeth on edge. They weren’t an experiment. They were two people making the most of their lives.
She turned to face Ryan. “Is it time?” she asked.
“Whenever you’re ready.”
She allowed herself to be scooped up into a seat on his palms. The skirts of her grown hung like a glittering waterfall. When Ryan carried her into the chapel, the pastor was already waiting at the altar. A pedestal stood in front of him, decorated top-to-bottom with so many fresh flowers that the wood underneath was hidden. The sweet scent was dizzying as Ryan gingerly lowered her onto the pedestal.
Nicole stole a look to her left, where the pastor stood in his cassock. He smiled at her. She wondered what those old gray eyes had seen to look at the pair of them so calmly.
He began with a prayer, asking God to bless the union. The pastor waved a cross in the air with his hand, saying that despite appearances, they were gathered humbly to witness the joining of two souls in love—which was a very generous way to say it, Nicole thought. She began to relax a little under her layers of shimmering silk.
The pastor took a pause, glancing between them. “You prepared vows?”
“Yes,” Ryan said.
He took both of her hands delicately in his. He locked gazes with her and wavered, seeming to forget how to speak—adorable. Nicole squeezed his fingers supportively, and they shared an anticipatory laugh.
