“Are we really doing this?” she asked, searching his eyes for a clue that he shared even a sliver of her hope for something beyond a transaction.
“Seems to me,” Seth began, shifting closer, “that we have a chance to make something work. Something real.”
“Real,” Brenda repeated. It wasn’t love – not yet – but it was a start.
“Miss Brown, Brenda,” Seth corrected himself with a half-grin, “I don’t have all the answers. But I’m willing to try if you are.”
She glanced around at the festive scene, the couples already dreaming of their futures together, and then back at the man before her.
“All right, Seth Clinkinbeard,” Brenda said. “Let’s give it our best shot.”
“Repeat after me,” Pastor Amos Kauffman’s voice was clear, “I, Seth Clinkinbeard, take thee, Brenda Brown...”
Seth cleared his throat, his deep voice steady but tinged with an unfamiliar tremble, “I, Seth Clinkinbeard, take thee, Brenda Brown...”
“To be my wedded wife,” the pastor continued, her eyes flicking between them, encouraging.
“To be my wedded wife,” he echoed, glancing at Brenda, whose hands were surprisingly still in his.
“From this day forward,” Pastor Kauffman said.
“From this day forward,” Seth confirmed. His gaze didn’t waver from Brenda’s, and for a heartbeat, the rest of the world fell away.
“Repeat after me,” Pastor Kauffman turned to Brenda, “I, Brenda Brown, take thee, Seth Clinkinbeard...”
Brenda’s voice was less polished, but no less determined, “I, Brenda Brown, take thee, Seth Clinkinbeard...”
“To be my wedded husband,” said the pastor.
“To be my wedded husband,” Brenda said, and her voice held a note of wonder, as if she herself was surprised by the weight of it.
“From this day forward,” Pastor Kauffman finished.
“From this day forward,” Brenda repeated, her green eyes locked onto Seth’s, finding something like resolve reflected back at her.
“By the power vested in me,” Pastor Kauffman said in a loud voice that carried throughout the church, “I now pronounce you man and wife.”
As Seth and Brenda turned to face the small gathering, a collective breath seemed to be released. Applause filled the room, yet all Brenda could hear was the rapid beat of her own heart. This was real. She was married. To him.
“May I kiss the bride?” Seth asked, his voice low and unexpectedly shy.
“You’d better,” Brenda quipped, her sass momentarily veiling her nerves. But as his lips met hers, a flutter of laughter escaped her, softening into something sweet.
They stepped apart, faces flushed with more than the Texan heat. There was relief, yes, but also a shared sense of purpose. They were in this together now, bound not just by words, but by a joint commitment to see it through.
“Ready to start?” Seth asked, his hand finding hers once more.
“Let’s build something,” Brenda agreed, and the simplicity of the statement was their promise to each other.
