“How far along are you?” Lia asked.
“Six weeks. I think it happened on the honeymoon,” she said.
“Me too,” Lia gasped. “Maybe they will be born on the same day. Then it will be like having two sets of twins in the family.”
“I’m sorry, Rachel. I was going to wait to say anything so I wouldn’t take away from your special day,” Ari said.
“I would be so disappointed in both of you had you waited. This only makes this day so much more special,” Rachel hastened to tell them.
“We’d better get you in there,” Lia said. “They’ve restarted the wedding march three times now. I bet Adriane is going to come looking for you if we don’t get to walking.” She adjusted Rachel’s veil and directed the guards manning the doors to go ahead and open them.
With a final smile, Ari began walking down the aisle, followed by Lia.
Rachel took a deep breath and waited until the wedding coordinator motioned for her to step inside. As she stood at the back of the church, butterflies swarmed in her stomach, but no reservations about what she was doing made her hesitate.
In fact, she found herself wishing she could skip all of this tradition and simply kick off her shoes and run to her waiting groom. She’d never been known for her patience.
The music changed and she heard the rustling of clothes as the people who’d filled the church stood and turned, waiting for her to make her way down the aisle. She felt as if she were floating as she counted her steps, drifting closer and closer to Adriane, who looked so handsome in his military uniform, the crest of Corythia proudly standing out on the sash that he wore. She halted at the beautiful picture he made, standing at the altar, waiting for her arrival. He was so suave, so devastatingly handsome — and he was all hers.
His smile faltered at her pause, but as her smile grew, she sent him a silent message that he had nothing to fear. She would make no more attempts at escape.
Taking her father by the arm, she ascended the stairs to the altar and found herself facing Adriane. Though the room was filled with hundreds of people, all she saw was her future husband.
“I love you,” she whispered, overcome by joy.
“You are my life,” he replied.
It took everything in her not to lean forward and kiss his sweet lips. At least in public, she needed to act respectably, as she was soon to be a queen. Awaiting them was a long honeymoon, when they could kiss as much as they wanted.
And that’s exactly what they did.