"Dearly beloved . . ."
That's the last thing I remember. I'm so lost in Skila’s eyes, I don't hear a thing until Pastor Michaels clears his throat.
"Time for your vows," he whispers, and since we made the decision to write our own, it's especially emotional.
“Skila, the day I first laid eyes on you, my world came crashing down around me. Everything I thought I knew was changed in that moment. My universe that had once revolved around only me now had a new center . . . YOU. You’re like a bright star who attracts others, none more so than me. I was drawn to you. I still am. You are my light, my moon, my diamond in the Sky. You are my North Star, and with you, I know I'll always be home. Thank you for choosing me, loving me, and giving me the chance to be the man you deserve.”
I’m barely able to finish, but the love I see reflected in her eyes gives me the courage and strength I need to go on. Raising her left hand to my lips, I kiss her ring finger before sliding the gold band onto her delicate finger and lowering her hand again.
As soon as Skila begins her vows to me, I can feel the tears pooling and I'm trying to hold them back. The look on her face is filled with more love than I have ever witnessed, and for the millionth time, I'm thanking the Lord for the blessing she is in my life. I still don’t know what I did to deserve her, but I hope that I can be the man she deserves for the rest of her life.
“I wasn’t looking for a man when I found you. I wasn’t looking for anything, and I’m glad, because then I might have missed the chance to meet you and fall head over heels, helplessly in love with you. You shook my entire foundation, Kiptyn Price, and I hope the tremors of our love never settle. Before you, I had gaping hole in my heart from love lost and pain too great to conquer, but because of you, my heart is once again whole, and I know that as long we have each other, nothing will ever break me again. I love you, Kip, today, tomorrow, and every day until the sky darkens overhead, and even then, I’ll love you.”
She slips her band on my finger, and I pull her to me again, unable to resist the urge to have her in my arms. I need to feel her body against my own. If I could, I'd have her stripped bare right now and I’d be worshipping every inch of her luxurious skin, but I can't.
Not yet.
We have a crowd of people watching us and waiting for the ceremony to end. A few more hours at the most, and then I’ll have her all to myself once again. Releasing her, I take her hand in mine, and we pause as the preacher asks us the customary questions, followed by our “I do”.
I can't help but smile while looking into her glistening chocolate eyes, knowing that I just married the most amazing woman God ever created. We stand there for a moment after he pronounces us husband and wife, letting it sink in. I'm amazed, stupefied even, that I got her. I got my Midnight Sky.
Behind us, I hear the sounds of clapping and a sharp whistle that could only have come from Jaxon, Skila’s younger and much more exuberant brother.
"Well, kiss her already!"
Bo shouts from the back of the room. If I'm not mistaken, his words sound a little slurred—no doubt from the moonshine he told me he did not bring into the church.
Ignoring the catcalls, I lock eyes with my bride and slowly, taking all the time in the world, I lower my lips to hers, and I worship her mouth the way only I'll ever be able to from now on. Skila is breathing heavier and leaning into me when I let her lips go. I rest my forehead against hers for a minute and give us a few to gather our wits, and then we turn to face the small gathering of people.
We walk over and join Nana and Jordan at their table. Jordan stands and slaps me on the back before pulling me into a hug and then doing the same to Skila. He catches her off guard, but after a quick twirl, she’s laughing and clinging to his arms. I’m kind of thankful Chris couldn't make it, even if his excuse was total bullshit. I just don't think he and Sky get along that well, and the more I’m around him, the less I think we do too. One thing’s for certain: if it had been his hands on my brand new bride, right now I'd be feeling some entirely different emotions.
Chapter Forty
Skila
Grace has very thoughtfully prepared my favorite, fried chicken and cornbread. I just hope the baby cooperates long enough that I'm able to actually eat. She has an elaborate display of potato salad, green bean casserole, dressing and gravy. There’s so much food here that I feel like I might go into a diabetic coma just from looking at it all.
On the tables, there are also baskets filled to the brim with flower petals, and mason jars of sweet tea and lemonade. We all gather around the table, and after being passed back and forth for hugs and kisses, we eat our meal and happily banter back and forth, catching up on each other's lives and remembering those who we all wished were here.
Conversation turns to Camryn, and for a minute, things feel a little awkward, but the moment passes with wonderful words of wisdom from Kip’s granny.
“If our Lord saw fit to bring him through death, he will see him through these trials too. Just have faith.”
I’m going to hold onto those words in the coming days. I know he has a long road ahead of him, and it’s going to be hard, but she’s right. He will make it.
After a short while, when everyone's plates are empty, Kiptyn excuses himself from the table and returns to the house. A few moments later, he emerges with our cake in hand. He sets it down on a small table that I hadn’t noticed before and calls me over.
Almost all of our guests accept his invitation to me and gather around the cake, admiring Grace’s handiwork. It's quite beautiful, featuring three tiers, the colors fading from a soft purple around the bottom tier, to a bright white at the top. Around the base, Grace has adorned the cake with white lily blossoms that seem to shimmer in the lantern light. Sitting atop the highest tier are more lilies and purple ribbon, as radiant as the ones in my bouquet and the ones on Kip’s lapel.
The cake is so beautiful, I almost don't want to eat it. Together, we slice the cake and serve all our friends. The night finishes out well, and we say goodbye to our guests one by one as they make their exit.
Nana mutters something inappropriate, having moved onto a third bottle of Hennessy, and I wonder if we may need to take her home, but Grace grabs her hand and tells us she'll make sure she at least makes it into the front door of her house.
I'm exhausted and it's been a long day, but easily one of the best days of my life. Kiptyn and I sit outside the church, watching the stars and fireflies dance across the night sky. I’m enjoying the silence, and even though Kip is with me, the solitude. It’s been a crazy day.
"You ok, babe?" Kip asks, wrapping his warm arms around my shoulders and pulling me back against his chest.
I’m so thankful that his shoulder is healing up properly and that he isn’t going to miss any games at the start of the season. I know he was worried about it, even if he wouldn’t talk to me about it. Physical therapy has done wonders for him, and what they had originally thought was a torn ligament ended up just being a really badly pulled muscle. It still hurt like hell, and fighting with Camryn after that didn’t help at all, but in the end, it all worked out.
"Of course," I reply with a smile. "This little guy sure enjoyed the cake. He’s practically break dancing in there." Kip laughs and reaches down to stroke my belly. He leans in to kiss me and stands up, holding out his hand.
"Let's go inside."
I nod and take his hand, allowing him to pull me to my feet and walk across the street to his granny’s house. When we reach the front door, he reaches down and lifts me off the ground, carrying me over the threshold. When we are safely across the doorframe, he sets me back down and shuts the front door before taking my hand and climbing the stairs by my side.
We climb into bed together, and he wraps his arms around me. I glance at the set now adorning my finger and marvel at how it shines in the moonlight coming through the open window.
"Was everything to your liking today?" Kip asks, tracing the line down the center of my stomach with his finger.
"I couldn't imagine a better day, Kip. Thank you," I say, "Everything was perfect."
I roll to my side and pull him to me to kiss him goodnight. I know it's our wedding night, but I don't know what to expect, considering we are staying at his granny’s house. He takes my lower lip in between his teeth and sucks it into his mouth.
Chills race down my spine, causing goosebumps to break out all along my skin. Wetness pools between my legs as our mouths collide, tongues searching, demanding, and claiming each other. Kip gathers my hair behind my neck to twist it around his wrist and pulls my head back, exposing my neck. Panting, I close my eyes and move my hands under the hem of his shirt, sliding them up his hard abs and exploring his smooth chest. My God, his body is addictive.
When he pulls back, releasing my hair, I open my eyes to protest, my hands still searching for him. There’s no need though. He’s only making space between us to gather his shirt and pull it over his head. Moments later, his hands are trailing down the length of my dress until he finds the ties holding it together. He pulls the strings and they come unraveled. Lifting the hem of my sundress, he pulls it over my head, careful to avoid tangling my hair in it on the way over my head. Tossing it in the corner, he wastes no time resuming his torturous seduction.