I look down at my flowing white dress, then back up at him with a raised eyebrow.
“Fine,” he says with a laugh, “but we’re not being disruptive and I guarantee that officer has much bigger things on his plate than us right now.”
I let a heavy breath burst out of me. “You’re right.”
“You back with me?”
I shake out my head like it can send the stress flying straight out of my ears, “I’m with you.”
“Good,” he whispers, before placing a kiss on my lips. “Hello, wife.”
I beam up. “Hello, husband.”
“You two are nauseatingly adorable,” Gerry says from her seat on the low wall opposite of us.
When we went for Christmas this year, we followed through with my plan for everyone to propose activities we could do together instead of giving presents. Gerry gleefully presented about why we should go to the Six Flags in New Jersey (“It’s halfway between us and I’d love to see Colton’s face after I force him to ride Nitro with me.”).
When she was done, Colton and I stood up to present Rome. She’d huffed out that we were supposed to each present an idea, and if we were going to team up against her every year, there was no point. In the middle of her rant about how it was also outside of the budget and how Colton can’t pick and choose when the budget matters, I slipped my new engagement ring out of my pocket. Colton placed her flight confirmation onto her lap, andGerry’s complaining quickly turned to uncharacteristic blubbering.
We spent the days since we all arrived showing her around the city. She’d looked at the ruins and massive cathedrals with wide eyes, and then declared that all this concrete couldn’t compete with the Appalachian Mountains. Colton whimpered and sputtered, but I just stuffed more gelato in his face. I love the way Gerry knows herself and what she wants, even if it’s hard for us to conceptualize anyone not being obsessed with Rome.
She’ll be here for a few more days before heading back to West Virginia, and we’ll stay on for our second year teaching in the Billings Rome program.
I’m excited to take on the class without any threats hanging over our heads. My work on campus has only gotten more fulfilling as our committee—named the Faculty/Staff Collaboration Committee, because clever names in higher education are sorely lacking—has shifted the conversation on campus, and Colton’s pre-tenure review a few months ago was as smooth as can be. This summer, we can enjoy the fruits of our labor.
I turn to face Tomasso, and Colton’s arms wrap around my waist, pulling me flush against his body.
“Where’s your girl?” I ask him, my hands settling on top of Colton’s.
He shrugs. “She just told me she had an errand.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Inez calls from behind us, running the last few feet with a deep red rose in her hand. “You can’t get married without flowers!”
I laugh so hard I buckle over, Colton’s arms around me keeping me anchored to him in the most delicious way. “You didn’t buy that from one of the rose scammers, did you?”
These men are stationed all over the city with gorgeous bouquets. They’ll hand a flower or two to a passing woman because, in their words,she is so beautiful. Then they promptlydemand an exorbitant amount of money from the man she’s walking with.
She presents it to me with a flourish. “I absolutely did! I had to go all the way to the Piazza Navona to find one. Why are theyalwaysthere until you want them to be?”
I raise the flower to my nose, inhaling the floral scent with a touch of something spicy, the perfect accompaniment to this moment.
“Can we get started now?” I ask, bouncing on my toes.
Our group stands in a little circle. To an outsider, it would look like we were a private tour group, listening to Tomasso lecture about the historic sight behind us. He’s between me and Colton, murmuring words of love and lifelong partnership. Inez is next to me and Gerry’s next to Colton, both of them wiping tears from their beaming cheeks.
When it comes time for the vows, Colton and I turn to face each other fully.
“Colton,” I say, a tremor in my voice. “The day I met you, I knew you were it for me. I may not have recognized what that meant for far too many years, but I could already feel that you would be the most important person in my life. You’ve been my confidant, my cheerleader, my inspiration. I’ve spent every day of the last fifteen years in awe of you, and am so grateful that you were patient enough to wait for me to realize the awe was actually love. I love the way you murmur sarcastic comments in my ear, like my laugh is the only one you care about. I love the way you always reach for me, like being connected is the most important thing in the world. You’ve shown me love in all its truest forms, and I promise to continue to show you the same every day for the rest of our lives.”
Colton sniffs and wipes at the corner of his eyes as Tomasso nods for him to go. “Last summer, I made a comment that I’d be creative with my wedding vows. At the time, I didn’t think I’d ever have to follow through with that promise. I’d accepted thatwe’d just be friends, and if it wasn’t you, it wouldn’t be anyone. Because, since that random day in September fifteen years ago, I’ve only ever seen you. I’ve spent the past few months trying to think of something clever and unique, but all I can come up with is that I love you. That I love the way your thoughts pour out of you. I love the way your whole body shakes when you laugh, like you’re letting yourself experience every ounce of joy. I love that you challenge and believe in me in equal measure. And I love that you’re my best friend, that I get to see your face first thing in the morning because it’s my favorite thing to look at. I swear to be your partner. To build you up through love, and to never forget how lucky I am that you’ve chosen to share your life with me.”
Gerry slips the ring box into Colton’s hand, and we both repeat the standard vows after Tomasso.
He smiles between the two of us. “So, by the power vested in me by… no one, since this isn’t a real ceremony, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Colton takes my head between his hands. “I love you,” he whispers a second before his lips land over mine.
It may not be a real wedding, but it feels like our beginning, and it’s appropriate that it happened here. We pull back to find Inez awkwardly in our space snapping pictures. Her own engagement ring sparkles on her finger, one Tomasso put there not long after she moved to Italy. She told him she wouldn’t leave Florence until she found a position that was as fulfilling in Rome, something she’d secretly achieved a few days ago. She pulled me aside at dinner last night to tell me she’ll start the new position halfway through the summer, and that she’s going to surprise him tonight after our reception.
