“Delaney Reed,” Ryder said repeating Than’s words. I knew Than was speaking, but all I could hear was Ryder.
“I, Ryder Bailey, take thee, Delaney Reed to be my lawfully wedded wife. To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, in sickness and health, for richer or poorer, until Death, who is a force to be feared, for his might and power are both unmatched, so too the swiftness of his scythe, the cold but not entirely cruel turn of his gaze…”
Bertie, and I knew it was Bertie, because I’d been on the receiving end of her displeasure for most of my life, cleared her throat loudly.
Than glared into the audience, then sighed.
“Where was I? Ah, yes. Ryder please continue to repeat after me.”
“You are the love of my life, and you are my very best friend. I give you this ring as a symbol of my love, my faith in our strength together, and a promise of my life united with yours. Forever.”
“Place the ring on her finger,” Than instructed.
Ryder the romantic fool, kissed the ring. Then he slid it onto my finger, fumbling a little with it on my knuckle, before settling it into place.
“Now Delaney,” Than said. “You will repeat after me.”
I did so, the words the same, including the overly-long death part, as I pledged myself to the man I had loved all my life. I kissed the ring the same as he had, and when I slid the ring on his finger, it settled there as if he had always worn it, as if he had always been mine.
“Now then. With the powers invested unto me by Get Ordained dot org, the State of Oregon, and the gods who bless this day, I pronounce you, married. You may kiss.”
Ryder was smiling, though his cheeks were streaked. I was smiling too, tears pouring warm down my face.
“I love you,” we whispered over each other’s lips before we leaned in.
And kissed.
The cheer rose, loud and joyous, so loud I almost couldn’t hear Than shout: “I now present to you, for the very first time, Delaney Bailey Reed and Ryder Bailey Reed, husband and wife!”
We ran down the aisle, hand in hand, amid cheers and flowers falling upon us.
The reception was a blur.We were kissed and hugged, blessed by gods, and given secret little magical boons and tokens.
I didn’t think I could possibly hold still long enough to eat, but when the food arrived at our table, and Ryder breathed, “cheese,” my stomach reminded me I hadn’t eaten all day.
The banquet tables were laden with more food than I thought the whole town could put away in a week, flowers and lights scattered amongst it all.
There was cake, which we cut hand in hand.
Ryder fed me the first bite, and I fed him the first bite, and if we made a small mess of it, that just meant there was some kissing to clean things up.
The bridal bouquet toss didn’t dissolve into a brawl, which I was pleased about, but even more pleased at the shocked look on Myra’s face when she, standing at the back of the crowd, ended up with the flowers in her arms after said flowers had bounced off of the hands of half a dozen grasping people.
Jean howled when Myra said she hadn’t seen that coming, and that it didn’t mean anything.
Bathin just strode across the room and tugged Myra off to some side room where I hoped he kissed her silly.
There were toasts, and children running with balloons, and laughter, and dancing.
There were lights like stars, and sweet flowers, and ocean breezes.
And there was Ryder, the best, the only thing my heart could see.
We danced to a slow tune I wanted to hear every day of my life.
We laughed.
We snuck off to kiss, and were caught every time by someone who pulled us back out into the celebration.
