Page 46 of Doran

Prince Johree stood before us under the borrowed arch with Jesse beside him, smiling as he watched us take our places. My parents sat together near the front, Kaelor sitting on the other side of my mom. Tarek stood with Darren, while all the children clustered nearby, trying very hard to behave. Just a small gathering of only those who really needed to be there.

Doran took my hands. His fingers closed gently around mine, and suddenly the rest of the yard seemed to fade away.

Johree smiled. “Sarah Bennet and Doran of New Haven, you have chosen to stand together today and promise yourselves to one another. There is no greater promise than choosing someone - not only for the easy days, but for every day that comes after.”

I looked at Doran. He looked nervous, and that made me smile as we were already mated. This was just for our family.

Johree nodded toward him. “Doran? Please give your vows to Sarah.”

Doran swallowed before beginning, overcome with emotion as he took both of my hands in his much bigger ones.

“Sarah, when I first learned that you were coming to New Haven, I did not know what to expect other than you’d be perfect for me, as you had been chosen for me by the stars themselves. It was a gift I’d long stopped expecting to ever happen to me.” His smile softened. “But then you came and brought laughter into my life, and light. You brought three wonderful children into my life. And you made this place feel like home in a way no other place ever had before, because without you, I have no home.”

My eyes burned.

“I promise to love you,” he continued. “To stand beside you. To protect what we build together. And when life is difficult, I promise I will not walk away.”

Then Johree looked at me.

“Sarah?”

I took a breath and let it out to center myself so I could speak without blubbering..

“Doran, I came here not knowing what my future would look like. I was frightened, and I wasn't sure I was brave enough to start over, but I knew we needed a change, and creating Dragon’s Rest should be it, though I really hadn’t expected to get matched.” I smiled through the tears gathering in my eyes. “Then I met you.”

His golden eyes softened.

“You gave me a home when I thought I was leaving mine behind. You gave me back my confidence so I could realize my childhood dream. You gave my children a place where they could belong, and made them yours as well as mine. And you gave me a reason to believe that sometimes the most unexpected things can turn into the most wonderful ones.”

I squeezed his hands.

“I promise to love you. To choose you. To stand beside you, even when things are difficult. And I promise that wherever we go, as long as we're together, that will be home.”

Johree's smile widened.

“The rings.”

Doran took mine from the small box Jesse held out and slipped it onto my finger.

“With this ring, I choose you.”

I took his ring and slid it onto his finger.

“With this ring, I choose you.”

Johree looked at us both.

“Then, by the authority given to me as a prince of the Dragonii Empire and governor of this colony, I pronounce you husband and wife.”

A cheer went up from the children and Kaelor, while my Dad wiped at his eyes and my mother blew her nose, her eyes red rimmed.

Johree laughed. “You may kiss your bride.”

Doran didn't need telling twice.

He pulled me gently into his arms and kissed me, warm and sweet and completely unhurried. I smiled against his lips when the children started cheering even louder.

And then something streaked across the grass. We both noticed it and the general hubbub that accompanied its sudden appearance. We moved apart to look, as a tiny brown-and-white blur shot straight between us and the chairs.