Page 30 of Whispers in the Dark
His fingers linger on my face, his eyes absorbing every detail of me as if he were trying to memorize this moment for years to come.
Alan clears his throat, breaking the moment. We immediately drop our hands, turning to see him standing there.
“Shall we get started?” he asks, his eyes moving between the two of us.
Mauro looks at me with apprehension, perhaps thinking I may want to back out of this arrangement. But there’s too much at stake. “I’m ready,” I say with a confidence I don’t quite feel.
“Great.” Alan claps his hands together and turns toward the podium.
Mauro places his large hand on my lower back to guide me, and I realize I’m enjoying his touch a bit more than I should.
Once we reach the podium, we stand side by side.
And that’s when it hits me.
We’re really doing this.
We’re getting married.
Nerves skate over me, sending a tremble through my entire body as guilt consumes me.
Guilt for lying to Mauro and roping him into this mess with me. My stomach twists with shame.
Maybe it’s not too late to tell him the truth. Maybe if he knew, he could help me, and we wouldn’t need to go through with this.
But would he still help me if he knew the whole truth?
My breath quickens, and just as I part my lips, ready to ask for a moment, Mauro’s hand wraps around mine. I look into his eyes filled with concern, but with each gentle stroke of his thumb across my skin, I feel every ounce of anxiety within me evaporating.
I have to do this.
“I’m okay,” I whisper, facing him. “I promise.” Giving a half-shrug, I say, “I’ve just never done this before. I guess you could say I have first-time marriage jitters.”
That gets him to crack a half smile.
“Now,” Alan begins, “most couples begin by reciting vows.” He quickly glances between us. “Do you have vows you would like to read?”
“Oh, umm.” I shake my head. “No vows. We can just skip to the ‘I do’ section, if that’s alright?”
“Of course.” He flips through a few pages, narrowing his eyes on the words. His finger skims across the paper. “Alright, well, let’s begin the declaration of intent between you two.” His gaze shifts to me. “We’ll start with Alina.” He clears his throat, and I focus my attention on him. “Alina, do you take Mauro Alarie to be your lawfully wedded husband, from this day forward, to have and to hold, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish for as long as you both shall live?”
“I do.” I swallow down my worries, trying to appear at ease, but Mauro must sense my anxiety. He lightly squeezes my hand, and I look at him to see concern shadowing his eyes. This man is doing all of this for me. I may not fully understand why, but he is. All so that he can help me with something he doesn’t evenknow the whole truth about. The guilt returns, simmering in my stomach, but I push it aside as I smile at him and say, “I really do.”
“And Mauro, do you take Alina Fowler to be your lawfully wedded wife, from this day forward, to have and to hold, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish for as long as you both shall live?”
Mauro doesn’t move as he looks at me with something unknown in his eyes.
“You can nod, sir,” Alan tells him.
But Mauro doesn’t do that.
Instead, he clears his throat and says in a deep, rough whisper, “I…do.”
He reaches for his throat with his free hand and rubs the center of his neck. I don’t like that he caused himself pain on my behalf, but the effort he made to say those two words brings a warm feeling to my chest.
One I shouldn’t let get carried away because this is temporary.
Only temporary.
