Page 82 of What Doesn't Kill You…

"Girl On Fire?" she whispered. "A bit much, don't you think?"

"I think it's nowhere near enough," he said with a mysterious smile that made her heart stutter.

"We're going to hell for this," Violet said, her mouth dry and her palms wet.

"Then we go together," Max whispered.

It's okay, Violet told herself. It's not real. It might look real, and feel real, and her family definitely thought it was real, but it wasn't. It was purely symbolic.

Symbolic…

She glanced up at Max. Symbolic of what?

A whisper of knowing blew across her skin, making her shiver in the heat. But her mind couldn't put words to the feeling. She wasn't ready.

Yet…

She forced her mind from things she didn't understand and concentrated on what was happening around her. They hadn't written any vows, so they followed the traditional ones.

The officiant cleared her throat. "Do you, Violet Lee, take Maximillian Alexander Leopold Durant."

Her nieces giggled and quickly smothered the sound after several adults glared at them. Max gave Violet a wry smile.

"My mother has a sense of humor," he said to her family, by way of explaining his name.

The officiant raised her voice. "Do you, Violet Lee, take Maximillian Alexander Leopold Durant to be your lawful wedded husband, to live together in holy matrimony? Will you love, comfort, honor, and keep him in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, being faithful to him for as long as you both shall live?"

Violet swallowed hard. It's just pretend. No more real than a movie wedding. It means nothing. She stared into Max's eyes and saw something she couldn't quite define. For a second, she thought it was longing. She blinked and it was gone.

"I do," she said, her voice hoarse.

To her surprise, a gleam of satisfaction flashed across Max's face. It disappeared so fast, she thought she might have imagined it.

"Do you Maximillian Alexander Leopold Durant, take Violet Lee to be your lawful wedded wife, to live together in holy matrimony? Will you love, comfort, honor, and keep her in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, being faithful to her for as long as you both shall live?"

Violet held her breath, waiting to see what he’d say. If he’d go through with it. Max didn't hesitate.

Holding her gaze, he said, "I do."

And the words, which should have meant nothing at all, resonated deep within her. It felt as though a key had turned in a lock. It felt like something out of place had been nudged back into place. It felt permanent.

The officiant spoke for a minute or so, but Violet didn't hear any of it. She just stared at Max and wondered what they were doing, and if it could ever be undone. Symbolic or not, vows were being said and their souls were responding to those promises.

She glanced at her grandmother and saw a look of knowing on her face. Of course Lian understood. The weight of the ceremony wasn't in the legal paperwork. It was in the words. Violet should have known the words would trip her up. There was a reason she limited what she said. Words had power. What they wrought couldn't be undone.

"Who has the rings?" the officiant said jarring her from her thoughts.

"Me." Violet reached into her pocket. Her family chuckled and she frowned at them. "What?" she demanded.

It was Max who spoke. "Usually, the best man has the rings."

"Well, maybe if you hadn't forgotten to bring them, he'd have them this time too," she grumbled, causing more laughter she didn't understand.

The smiling officiant instructed Violet to put the ring on Max's finger and repeat after her. With great care, knowing the ring was precious to Lian, Violet slid it onto Max's finger. Her hand trembled as she released the band of gold. So much weight and memory in one tiny symbol. So much history.

So much love.

"Granddad was huge," she told him apologetically as the ring was clearly too big for his artist's fingers. "He worked on the shipyards and had hands like shovels."