He caught her chin, looking into her eyes, and her breath held.
“Do you know how people are married in my village?”
At his unexpected question, she shook her head.
“It is an intricate process. Marriage is seen as a union between two families, not just two people. Matchmakers are used to pair bride and groom, making sure they are compatible.”
Curious, Glory had to interrupt. “How do they do that?”
“By consulting birth dates, astrological charts, and other means.”
“Do you think we would be compatible?” she mused.
“To be honest? Not really.”
She frowned at him. “Why not?”
“You were born in the Year of the Tiger. As was I.” He lifted his brows. “Two tigers make for a rather intense relationship.”
“Intense isn’t bad,” she argued.
“According to Chinese astrologers, you would be better off with another sign.”
“Which one?”
“A pig.” His eyes gleamed with laughter.
She cuffed him on the shoulder. “Very amusing. Tell me more about a Chinese wedding.”
“Well, there are many rituals. Betrothal gifts, a procession from the bride’s home to the groom’s, ceremonies, and banquets. As for the wedding clothes, the bride and groom both wear red for luck.”
Fascinated, Glory said, “I would love to wear a red wedding dress.”
“Red would suit you, little tigress.” Wei’s smile was tender. “Now, despite all the rigamarole that goes into a Chinese wedding, there is a specific ritual that unites the bride and groom, and it is quite simple.”
“What is it?”
“Three kowtows,” he said. “One to heaven and earth, paying respect to the deities and our ancestors. One to our parents. And one to each other.” He paused, his eyes searching hers. “Will you kowtow with me, Glory? Bind yourself to me in the eyes of heaven and earth?”
She gave him the answer thumping in her heart. “Yes.”
Triumph blazed in his eyes. He set her on her feet, taking her hand and leading her to his ancestral altar, where she’d burned an offering to Ling Ling on her birthday. The spirit tablets bearing his family’s names were polished and gleaming, the perfume of burning incense rich in the air.
Together, they knelt.
“Baba, Mama, Mei Mei,” Wei said in a gravelly voice. “Earlier today, I informed you of the fate of your murderer, and I hope the justice he is serving brings you peace. Now I have brighter news. I want you to meet Glory Cavendish, who is to be my wife. I pledge to love and protect her and any children we are blessed to have for as long as I shall live. We humbly ask for your blessing.”
The gravity of the moment cinched Glory’s throat. As Wei turned to her, she saw their future in his brilliant gaze. A lifetime of kung fu and adventures. Pursuing their passions by day and making passionate love at night. Raising a family together.
He is everything I could ever want.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
She nodded.
“First bow is to heaven and earth,” he said.
She followed his motion, bending her forehead toward the ground.
