“She’s yours now. Take good care of her,” Lucas told him, giving me a wink and a kiss on the cheek, before he went to sit.
The moment was more than I could handle, allowing my eyes to water and blur my vision for a moment before I blinked and let the tears fall. Davis’ large thumb wiped them away with a kiss on my forehead. He led me to the priest who conducted our ceremony beautifully.
“The bride and groom will now share the vows they have written to one another.”
“My dearest Viking, I can't believe we're finally here. It feels like just yesterday we were meeting for the first time, and now we're about to spend the rest of our lives together. You saved me from a dark and abusive relationship, and you taught me how to be strong again. You showed me I am capable of anything I set my mind to, and you always believe in me, even when I don't believe in myself.” My voice shook with emotions and cracked at times as I fought against the tears.
“You are my best friend, my lover, and my soulmate. I love you more than words can say, and I am so excited to spend the rest of my life with you. I promise to always be there for you, to love you unconditionally, and to always put you first. You are my everything, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for us. I love you always and forever, My Viking.”
“My Warrior, my love, my life. I never thought I would find love again after my first wife passed away. But then you came, and you brought me back from the darkness. You showed me that there is still joy in the world, and that love is possible even after loss.” I think this was the first time I was seeing Davis cry. A single tear dared to defy him as it slowly slid down his cheek, caught somewhere in his facial hair.
“You are the strongest person I know, having faced so much in your life, but you have never given up. Let’s not forget you are a fighter, always have been, even before I came into your life. I am so happy you can see that now. But you are also the most gentle and loving person I know. You have brought so much happiness into my life, and I am so grateful to have you as my wife. I love you more than words can express. I love the way you make me feel, and the way you make me laugh and I love the way you make me want to be a better man. I will love you forever and always, my warrior.”
Our eyes shimmered, and our tears would sometimes slip as we looked into each other’s eyes. The priest continued until I heard those beautiful words.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
And kiss me he did! I kiss so passionate, so full of love that I felt I would die unable to contain it. Calliope and Izzy both ran up to us and hugged us tightly when our lips finally parted.Our girls.Izzy was now mine too, and although I was less than a decade older than her, I would fight for her the same way I fight for Calliope. Whether either of us wanted to call me her step-mother, the fact was I was now.
I was married.
We walked like a family, with Davis and I leading the way towards the enclosed reception area inside. We snuck away to take pictures, including Izzy and Calliope. They were pictures I planned to adorn the walls of our home with. Izzy looked great in her suit with Calliope in her pink frilly dress. They were opposites, but looked so good beside one another. We laughed and acted stupid as a family and it was all captured on camera. These were some of the happiest moments of my life.
“Let’s give a warm welcome to the newlyweds, Mr. and Mrs. Havard.”
“Ready to dance with me?” Davis asked with a playful smirk. He said he was to pick our song, and that it would be a surprise. I let him do it, because I was really curious what he would pick for us.
“As ready as ever.”
He led me out to the dance floor, standing us right in the center. I waited for the music to start, half expecting him to have chosen a country song. It surprised me when I heard violins play instead.
“What song is this?” I asked him, amused, as we danced slowly.
“If Only My Heart Could Speak" by Cody Fry. I heard it on one of Liv’s playlists and it spoke a little too well about the way I feel about you. It’s hard to express how much I love you in words, only my heart knows. Too bad it can’t talk.”
I giggled as we danced, letting him twirl me about. Everyone watched us share this moment, yet it felt like it was only Davis and me in this large room, alone with the music. When it suddenly stopped, I snapped back to reality. Davis danced with Izzy next, and I happily danced with Calliope. Others joined us slowly as there were no parent dances to be had. Davis’ parents died long ago, leaving Izzy with only her mother’s mother as a grandparent. There was no father and bride dance to be had here. No, it's the groom and daughter instead, and I was just fine with that.
There’s nothing more I could ask for than this moment here.
Davis’ P.O.V.
“Good morning, my beautiful wife.” I woke Lisa, brushing that long beautiful hair of hers back. We’d just gotten back from our week-long honeymoon, where we stayed in our room for almost the entire trip. We couldn’t seem to break apart long enough to enjoy a lot of the things in Hawaii, but I wouldn’t change how it went.
“Good morning, my handsome husband.”
It was no longer a Viking and his Warrior. No, it was now a husband and his wife. Although, the Viking and Warrior were still there, just hidden for a moment.
“Do you think she’s awake?” Lisa asked about our princess.
“Probably, she’s missed us, even though she had fun with Izzy.” I was surprised that Izzy offered to watch Calliope. At first Lisa’s mother was going to, but I couldn’t deny this sister bonding moment. Lisa’s mom watched Calliope while Izzy worked, but our princess was with her sister most of the time.
“Then let’s go greet her.” Lisa beamed at me with that bright smile of hers. I kissed her tenderly, unable to hold back any longer.
The moment we stepped out of the room, Calliope collided against us with a big hug. She’d done the same when we had first picked her up from Izzy’s yesterday.
“Good morning, Princess.”
“Good morning, Daddy!”
