Rory’s mammy pats me on the back when I freeze in place and then gives me a little shove when that doesn’t work.
I stumble forward and move up to the front of the crowd where all eyes are on me now.
It’s also at this point that Rory takes over the speech.
“He obviously gave me his blessing,” he tells the crowd as he takes his hands in mine and gets down on bended knee before me.
There is laughter and I’m in shock.
“Scarlett, my beautiful little devil, would ye do me the honor of raising hell with me…”
He winces and glances into the crowd, “sorry mammy.”
“What I’m getting at is that I want ye by my side. To do nice things with. At least for the next two weeks, and then we can raise hell when mammy leaves.”
More laughter from the crowd, and me too.
“Satan, will ye do me the honor of being my wife?”
The room goes still and quiet while everyone waits for me to accept.
I focus on Rory.
On my steadfast, handsome, mischievous, and deadly Rory.
He really is a Saint. And I really am the Devil.
But together, we’re a match made in heaven.
“Yes,” I say. “In fact, that’s a hell yes.”
The room erupts into laughter and clapping and chaos and a few sarcastic hecklers as Rory puts a big fat rock on my finger and then pulls me up into his arms.
He kisses me in front of everyone, and then Niall raises his glass.
“The way I see it,” Niall says. “I’m not losing me son, but gaining a daughter.”
The toasts continue over the next ten minutes, and in true Irish fashion, they are funny and clever.
Everyone is happy. But Rory’s mom is the happiest, and she can’t stop crying or fussing over the two of us.
“Grandbabies,” she says. “I want grandbabies.”
“Aye.” Rory smirks at me. “We’re working on it.”
And then he leans in to whisper in my ear.
“The minute you sign that marriage certificate, ye’re coming off the pill.”
Epilogue
Rory
Mammy is on the tear.
Running around the church and trying to make sure everything’s perfect. I can’t escape her reach even for a minute, and I am five years old all over again.
She won’t let me out of her sight because she still believes that silly superstition about seeing your bride before the wedding.
