This man was smart and he’d hit upon something important, I thought to myself.
Storm continued, “Marriage ain’t always easy,” Storm stated. “And neither is being the wife of a brother. Remember, if we treat them right and luck is on our side, they just might come to love the club as much as we do.”
Looking down at Fuse and me, he said, “Winter and Fuse have already been through more than most couples ever will and are here to hitch their lives together because that’s what love is. It’s sticking together through thick and thin, loving what your spouse loves and making a life together.”
Gazing sternly out at the brothers, he asked, “Does anyone here have a problem with Fuse and Winter gettin’ hitched?”
There was utter silence, which I was grateful for.
“Alright, time for the vows.”
Fuse turned to face me fully and took both my hands and looked at me for a moment before he spoke, like he was making sure he had the right words in the right order. The yard was completely still.
“Do you, Fuse, take Winter to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, to love, honor and cherish her in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, for as long as you both shall live?”
“I most certainly do,” he responded. “I plan to treat her real good and not give her any reason to leave me, cause only a fool would do that and I ain’t no fool, ya know.”
My head slowly turned around to look at my very nervous husband. I reached and slid my hand into his, giving a quick squeeze. His mouth snapped shut and he froze.
Storm shifted his attention to me.
“Do you Winter, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, to love, honor and cherish him in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, for as long as you both shall live?”
I followed Fuse’s example, hoping everyone would think it was something we planned together.
“Of course I do. Fuse is the love of my life and the man who stepped up when I needed a hero. I’m not about to do anything to mess that up.”
People in the audience sighed and made little comments about how sweet we were to each other.
Fuse brought our joined hands up to his lips and kissed the back of my hand.
“Fuse and Winter will now exchange rings with each other as a symbol of love and commitment.”
Fuse’s hands went to the front of his vest, like he was searching his pockets for them.
Storm leaned over the podium.
“You do have the rings, right brother?”
That’s when Celt’s daughter Dusty approached with the kittens—now cats—in her arms. “Sorry,” she gasped, sounding out of breath. “The ring bearers decided now was a good time to play hide and go seek.”
I glanced at Fuse, not sure what was going on. He just smirked and whispered, “Surprise!”
When she got close, I saw that they had our rings tied to their rhinestone collars.
“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” she said apologetically.
It only took Fuse a moment to untie the bows and retrieve our wedding bands. Slipping his into my hand, he gave me an embarrassed smile.
I tossed his ring in the air a few inches and caught it again. It was my way of matching his playful vibe with the kittens. He relaxed in place beside me as Storm spoke again.
“Fuse, as you place this ring on Winter’s finger, repeat after me.”
I quickly held out my left hand, the one with the sparkling diamond engagement ring. While he repeated after Storm, “With this ring, I thee wed and pledge you my love and loyalty now and forever.”
“Winter, as you place this ring on Fuse’s finger, please repeat after me.”
He lifted his finger and I quickly slid the thicker wedding band onto his finger and repeated, “With this ring, I thee wed and pledge you my love and loyalty now and forever.”
