Page 16 of Edge of Stars

Nearer to the front, I get to the row with all my Iremia sisters—Marie, Morgana, Aradia, Kiama, and Liseli—who beam and wave between dabbing their tearful eyes. My heart swells so much, I’m tempted to stop and race over to hug them all. It’s easier to fight the allure when my sights pull toward the inside end of the row, where Circe and Hecate are already prepared for me. Their serene smiles and queenly nods are interrupted only by the dainty dabs at their own eyes.

Guess I’m not the only one floating a thick cover story here.

Except the two of them should receive extra performance points, everything considered. Well, one main thing.

The fact that they’re only separated from Zeus by the sanctuary’s center aisle.

As I approach that narrow breach, I resist the urge to halt in place. To be the physical representation of everything I’ve been mentally fixated on. To shake them until whatever they call brain matter is knocked into place the right way, forced to see that there’s more in this realm—in all these realms—than the threads that bind their egos.

But what good would my screaming really do?

Maybe this once, they’ll open their eyes and see it for themselves. No screaming needed. Unity that can be found. Understanding that can exist. Love that can happen, no matter how many voices scream the opposite.

Maybe Maximus and I can show them…

With every step I take, it feels more possible. More like the man to whom I’m walking, surer by every second. He was once an unattainable dream. The teacher I couldn’t crave, the fire I couldn’t touch, the obsession who meant my ruin.

Instead, he was my redemption. Once I dared to believe it was possible, he took me to the edge of the stars…

And then beyond.

He reaches for me now, promising to do the same. I lift my fingers against his, sending him the same message from my soul, my psyche, my body, my heart. The sparks we’ve always shared, so unique and unmatched, zap into all those precious pockets of me. I hitch a tiny grin, watching Maximus jerk from the same impact.

And here we are…

Inside our own star.

The fires of our bond, rising and enclosing us. The colors of our love, twining with those flames. It’s gold and red, silver and sapphire, amethyst and forest, and so much more. Galaxies on top of each other. A million points of light, each giving an endless flow of energy, until I’m sure my heart will burst from these incredible constellations…

Until I realize that none of them are stars.

They’re mirrors.

Handing back only what they see. Reflecting exactly what’s in front of them.

We’re those awesome asterisms.

The brilliance that grows from outside our orbit as well as in. Taking a little strength from the minister who stands between us, using the same surfer-Zen calm that earned him Maximus’s trust to begin with, to guide us through our vows. Gathering more fortitude as we commit ourselves to those promises, grateful we chose to go for the traditional to have and to hold script instead of fumbling with memorized poems or crumpled-up scribbles. I already feel the truth beneath my man’s rough tone. I hope, as I send my unblinking stare up into his mesmerizing cobalts, that he somehow knows mine too.

“For better or for worse…”

My better started from the moment I touched you. If the worst is yet to come, I’ll stand by you to face it. All of it.

“For richer or for poorer…”

With you in my soul, I’m the wealthiest woman alive. You are my treasure, Maximus. My shining gold.

“In sickness and in health…”

I’ll be here for you. I’ll be here through every moment. All the light and dark, the good and bad, the joyous and painful. You’re mine, and I will never let go.

“To love and to cherish…”

And beyond.

No matter what that means. No matter where this all takes us.

I love you, Maximus Kane.