“Wait, Lake,” Prescott says. “If you marry Alessio, does that mean Leo becomes my brother?”
“Yes,” Alessio answers, and I nod.
Prescott smiles at Leo. “This is cool.”
Val bites her lip. “Lake, it’s okay if you’re not ready yet.”
“It was her idea,” Alessio says defensively. “I suggested tomorrow morning. She said tonight.”
“To be fair, I didn't think you could summon a priest in time for dinner.”
“Shark, I lost the bet,” Troy says.
“Alessio,” Val says in a pleading tone, “don’t you want a big wedding?”
Alessio waves in the priest, a young man in his thirties with thick, dark hair and a gentle brown gaze. He stands at the end of the table and smiles kindly at us. “I’m Father Abel.”
“Could’ve been Cain, so we’re good,” Shark says.
“Shall we start?” he asks.
Alessio rises and causes us all to rise with him.
From across the table, he holds out his hand. I put mine in his, and we hold hands as the priest opens the holy book.
Alessio glances behind him, drawing my attention to the set of joined hands behind us. I think his best friend is getting married at the same time as we are. It’s all so surreal, but also right in how it’s intimate, beautiful, and unusual, just like the man I’m going to marry.
The priest reads from the Bible in Italian, or maybe even Latin, for all I know, but when he switches to English, my heart starts to pound.
“Do you, Lake Wilder, take Alessio Angelini as your lawful husband, to live according to God’s law, in the holy state of matrimony?”
My heart’s beating in my ears. “I do.” I nod. “Yes. A thousand times yes.”
The priests asks the same question of Alessio, and when he pauses, I cease breathing. Alessio slides me a glance, a small smile playing on his lips before he says, “Si.”
The priest steps back and pronounces us husband and wife. Alessio takes the place of the priest and we exchange wedding bands. Mine matches the engagement ring. I have a hard time looking away from my hand.
“You may now kiss the bride.”
The bride’s already kissed and knocked up, Father.
Alessio cups my face and brings his lips to mine.
“I love you,” I say before he kisses me.
We separate, and the priest steps back into place. “Come forward.”
Miro walks up, holding Troy’s hand.
Alessio stands behind Val, and I stand behind Niksha. Prescott comes to hug me from the left. “Congrats, Lake.” Leo hugs me from the other side.
Miro apologizes to Troy for not having any rings, but Alessio slides a box his way.
“I have your rings,” he says.
Miro picks up the box, opens it, and takes out the rings. “Do you always walk around with a pair of wedding bands for me?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.”
